(B) - Lucy Nemetz - It's cleaning time again - and cleaning time is smiling time!

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Lucy Nemetz

There are some things in life one never forgets. And, Lucy Nemetz often thinks back to the '60s. She and her husband Walter were living in London at the time. And, Lucy remembers one Saturday well. It was spring, the weather was nice, and Lucy and Walter went down at the market.

And, being spring, Lucy Nemetz, like all other housewives, was thinking of cleaning. And, there on one of the stands Lucy saw it. A gadget for cleaning the windows. And, Lucy bought one. And, the salesman was honest and nice, and Lucy went home with a smile on her face. From then on, cleaning the windows was going to be fun!

And, Lucy showed off her purchase the following Wednesday. Her friends, who had all come for coffee, were deeply impressed. Lucy's window cleaning gadget was a real sensation. But, then came the nasty surprise! After just cleaning one of the windows, the gadget simply broke and fell to the ground. Lucy was very upset.

And, being in England, everyone told Lucy to smile, don't worry, and put on the kettle. There's nothing like a nice cup of tea when everything fails. And, of course, every dark cloud has a nice silver lining and things could only get better. And so, Lucy and her friends had a nice cup of tea and Lucy felt better.

And, Walter was understanding as well. The solution was simple. They would go back to the market. The salesman, being honest and nice, would change Lucy's gadget for one that worked as it should. And so, Lucy and Walter went back to the market .

But, the kind honest salesman was nowhere to be found. And, Walter, in an understanding kind of way, told Lucy to put on a smile. Things could have been worse! And, off they went to the pub for a fish and chip lunch. And, afterwards, of course, back home for a nice cup of tea.

But, all was not lost. This dark cloud did indeed have a nice silver lining. The cloth, which had been part of the package, was very, very good. And now, all these years later in Vienna, Lucy still has it for washing the floor. And, so it is, that whilst down on her knees and cleaning the floor, Lucy's mind still goes back to her time spent in London, and, of course, the day they went down to the market. And that was a long time ago! And, Lucy then smiles once again. Cleaning the floor is such fun, and London was a wonderful time! Let's have a nice cup of tea!

Vocabulary

as usual – wie gewöhnlich

bought (buy/bought/bought) – kaufte

attention – Aufmerksamkeit

defective – fehlerhaft

demonstrate – vorzeigen

gadget – Gerät

honest – ehrlich

never mind – macht nichts

solution – Losung

thoughts – Gedanken

upset – bestürzt

Questions

When were Lucy and Walter living in London?

Where were Lucy and Walter on that fine spring day?

What was Walter's solution?

What do the English do when things go wrong?

What did Walter and Lucy have for lunch at the pub?

What does Lucy think of when she's washing the floor?

Is Lucy happy?

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(A) Donna Leon - A very fine writer and a simple way of life!

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Donna Leon

Donna Leon is a famous American writer who lives and works in Venice. Her books, which all take place in Venice, are detective books. And, Inspector Brunneti, a charming Italian detective, is Donna Leon's main character. Donna Leon is a very successful and popular authoress.

But, Donna Leon is also a very modest person. She has no handy, no internet and very few possessions. Donna Leon loves writing books. She lives in a very simple flat.

Donna Leon. A very modest lady who writes very good books - and lives in a wonderful city!

Vocabulary

authoress – Schriftstellerin

(author - Schriftsteller)

detective book – Krimi

Italian – italienisch

main character – Hauptdarsteller

modest – bescheidend

possessions – Gut und Hab

take place – (take place/took place/taken place) statt finden

Venice - Venedig

Questions

Where was Donna Leon born?

What is Donna Leon's profession(job)?

Which kind of books does Donna Leon write?

Who is the main character in Donna Leon's books?

Why has Donna Leon no handy?

Where do Donna Leon's stories take place?

Why do you like detective novels?

(C++) From My English Garden - A letter from Builder Michael - Today, he's writing about writing!

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There are often times in life, it can be said, when the gift of inspiration tends to leave one high and dry and breaking one’s head for ideas! This is a common complaint amongst part-time writers of small and unimportant local newspapers. And, one such contributor to such irrelevant rags is a friend of mine’s wife from South Wales.

Writing articles for Welsh newspapers isn’t an easy thing to do. First of all, one needs something to say, secondly, it has to be interesting, thirdly, it has to be relevant to local-affairs, fourthly, it has to be simple so as to be understood by the people who read it, and, lastly but not leastly, one has to be able to write! And, it was concerning this very last point that my friend’s wife phoned me last week.

I told her that there is one very important thing about writing, and, that is, one has to be able to describe the same event from at least 4 different angles at once. This, of course, as anyone who knows the slightest bit about basic journalism will tell you, is to arouse and stimulate the interest of every type of reader that exists; and, for my friend’s wife this shouldn’t be a problem at all, in fact it should be an extremely simple matter!

My friend’s wife writes exclusively about christenings and weddings - and, in each case the dynamics are more or less the same. At every wedding there are two major players and, at christenings, too! The only difference being, that a christening involves a third party who is too young to know anything at all about what’s going on, and in the case of the wedding, he or she (the baby) was probably, in all probability, the cause of the whole thing in the first place.

From the point of view of the bride, a wedding is the happiest day of her life (which doesn’t say much about the rest of it!), whilst, for the groom, it is a very proud occasion, and, according to the status of the guests it can be anything from the loss of a daughter to the gaining of a son, or an excuse for a party, and, most importantly an event for meeting all of one’s relatives who, in the course of normal life, one normally never sees, and so-on, and so-on.

So, how does one combine all of these things in one simple sentence?

To begin with, like all good journalists, one has to decide what to miss out and what to invent, and this is achieved by the simple asking of simple questions. The important thing is what comes out in black and white in Saturday’s paper. And the most effective way of going about this is say everything about everything without saying anything at all. Such a brief report could be as follows,-

Last Saturday afternoon, Roger X led Mary Y down the aisle of St. James’s church in Bodmyn. It was a beautiful afternoon with one or two clouds, and the mood of the guests was likewise. Mary’s dress was long and white, and, in his speech Roger not only thanked all those present, but also said that both he and Mary were very much looking forward to their new life and the forth-coming changes.

There you have it, a perfect account of a perfect wedding without even mentioning the word “wedding”, but, at the same time, revealing all about the circumstances - and the feelings of the guests. What’s true and what’s invented – and who can prove it, anyway?

See you next month – BM.

Language Notes

Builder Michael's English is full of puzzles and word games and unusual expressions, and, therefore needs some “thinking about”! The following words and notes are meant as a simple guide! Good luck!

… tends to leave one high and dry … - finding oneself in the position of not having any idea of what to write about.

.….irrelevant rag … an unimportant local newspaper. Have you seen the local rag? - Have you seen the local newspaper?

breaking one’s head for ideas – thinking very hard

arouse and stimulate - to awaken and stimulate interest

(B) - Robert Tigerholm - Changing motivations!

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Robert Tigerholm

Robert Tigerholm is Swedish. And, food is the one thing that motivates him. The promise of a good meal excites him. And, there's nothing better on earth than his grandmother's cooking. Food motivates Robert. But why? The answer is simple. Robert has all that he needs. And, when we have all that we need, the only thing wanting is food! But, food is not only something that every one needs, every one wants it as well. And, that's why food is so powerful. And, food is very versatile, too.

Food is a way into hearts, food is a great way to say thank you, food is a good way of cheering friends up, and, of course, no celebration would be complete without food. But, food is only part of the picture.

Good food needs the right atmosphere. And, the best place for this is a very nice restaurant. And, restaurants cost money. Therefore, money is Robert Tigerholm's second most strongest motivation. Without money, nothing is possible. But, good money needs a good job. And, in order to have a good job, one needs a good education. And, a good education is a life long experience. Our education is the basis of all that we do and reflects who we are. And, Robert Tigerholm started to think. Maybe, as far as motivation goes, education is stronger than food!

Food can get cold and even go off, but education stays with us for ever. But, the question remains. How do we motivate people to learn? You can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink! Then, Robert Tigerholm thought once again. Maybe, learning how to motivate others would be a good thing to do. And, with this thought going round in his head, Robert Tigerholm put on his coat and went to his grandmother's. A wonderful meal was waiting for him!

Vocabulary

celebration – Feier

cheering friends up – aufheitern

go off (go(es) off/went off/gone off) – verderben

motivates (motivate(s)/motivated/motivated) – motivieren

needs (need(s)/needed/needed) - brauchen

therefore – deswegen

versatile - vielseitig

wanting – mangelnd

Questions

Why is food Robert's number one motivation?

Why is food such an important part of life?

What does good food need?

What is Robert's second strongest motivation?

Why is money Robert's second strongest motivation?

What can happen to food?

Can education go off and get cold?

What really is Robert's number one motivation?

What is your number one motivation?

What was waiting for Robert at his grandmother's?

(-C) - Alexandra Lanz - Being Alive! A story that nearly didn't happen!

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Alexandra Lanz – Being Alive!

Alexandra Lanz is unique. She's young, she's a mother, she's a surgeon, and, above all else, she's alive! And, being the way that she is, is the one thing about her that's special! For her way to where she is now is something that few have encountered.

When Alexandra Lanz was 14 years old, she experienced a trauma that stopped her life in its tracks. After collapsing at school, she was taken to hospital with a suspected liver complaint.

She was to stay there for the next five years.

Her stay in hospital was a period of suffering and despair. It was all about tests and more tests and pain and more pain, and time that never moved forward. And, worst of all, Alexandra Lanz's youth, her best time of all, was draining away and there was nothing she could do. But, she had hope.

And, it was this hope that gave Alexandra Lanz the strength she needed to believe. And, she knew she would be better again one day. And, true enough, her health did return. But, first came the transplant.

After many long days of waiting and debating, Alexandra Lanz was finally given a new life. Her liver-transplant was a perfect success, and, from that moment on, her life began to come back. But, it was during her operation that Alexandra Lanz experienced something unique.

It was an out-of-body experience. She was floating calmly above herself and watching the work the surgeons were doing. And, this out-of-body experience was the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced; and Alexandra Lanz knew that the worst was behind her; her hope had not been in vain. Alexandra Lanz knew that her life was beginning again.

And, coming back to life meant other challenges, too. And, the first was the finishing of her school education. She had lots to catch up on, and without it, Alexandra Lanz would never have become the surgeon she is. But, there was one more miracle waiting for her.

Alexandra Lanz was told that becoming a mother would never work out. And, again Alexandra Lanz never lost hope. And, this was good so and the impossible happened. Alexandra Lanz became the first ever woman with a transplanted liver to give birth to a child. Alexandra Lanz is not only a woman of history, but an example for others to follow as well.

Alexandra Lanz discovered that there is not only a life after life, but also, and more importantly, a life before death. And now, with husband and two healthy young boys she is living every minute.

Alexandra Lanz. She went to the brink and lost a few years, but came back again with more strength than ever. Dreams can sometimes come true, but faith can even move mountains. Alexandra Lanz – a woman of faith and great courage.

Vocabulary

above all else – vor Allem

better – wieder Gesund

brink -

catch up – (catch up/caught up/caught up) - nachholen

challenges – Herausforderungen

despair - verzweifeln

encountered – (encounter/encountered/encountered) – begegnet

experienced – (experience/experienced/experienced) – erlebte

hope – Hoffnung

in vain – umsonst

meant – (mean/meant/meant) – bedeutet

miracle – Wunder

suspected liver complaint – Mögliche Leberleiden

suffering – leiden

unique – selten

worst – bad/worse/worst

Questions

How old was Alexandra when she collapsed at school?

For how long did Alexandra stay in hospital?

What was Alexandra's stay in hospital?

What kind of operation did Alexandra have in hospital?

What did Alexandra experience while she was having her operation?

Why is Alexandra a woman of history?

Why is hope so important?

(A) - Man Ray - An American in Paris!

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Man Ray

Man Ray was an American artist, film-maker, art-photographer, and photographer. But, it was for his art-photographic compositions which he called Rayograms that he became famous.

And, in 1916, Man Ray became a leading figure in the Dada movement in New York. Dada was an art movement which was founded in Zurich in 1916. In 1921, Man Ray moved to Paris. There he continued to be part of the Dada movement.

Man Ray was born in 1890 and died in 1966.

Vocabulary

artist - Künstler

composition - Komposition

famous – berühmt

leading figure – führende Persönlichkeit

movement - Bewegung

founded – (found/founded/founded) - gegründet

moved – übersiedelt

Questions

What was Man Ray?

For what did Man Ray become famous?

In which movement was Man Ray a leading figure?

To where did Man Ray move in 1921?

What was Dada?

Where was Dada founded?

When did Man Ray die?

(B) Magda Latzl - A Walk Through the Jungle - And a wonderful find in a far away place!

 Magda Latzl's Coffee Story

Holidays are made for discovering new things. And, sometimes even old things can be new and exciting when experienced in far away lands. And, Magda Latzl was in the middle of a jungle in Malaya when she got a surprise. And, that which Magda Latzl experienced was the very last thing she expected. It was hot and delicious, and came just in time.

The small group was exhausted. Magda and her husband and three very good friends had been walking and cutting their way through the jungle since dawn. Fortunately, they'd had no problems with snakes or any other wild animals, but the constant vigilance required had also been very hard work, and, the now weary group was in need of a rest. And, the thing Magda Latzl wanted more than anything else was a coffee. And, the group simply laughed. A coffee in the middle of the jungle! That was out of the question. And, everyone laughed once again. But, the guide didn't laugh. And, soon the small group arrived at a clearing.

And, there in the middle of the clearing was a hut. And, coming from this hut was the wonderful smell of coffee being roasted. There was, indeed, coffee in the jungle. But, this jungle inn with no walls and only a roof was not very inviting. In fact it was filthy. And, the cats and the dogs and the chickens that were running around were very off-putting. And, Magda Latzl was beginning to think twice about wanting a coffee. But, then came the smiles.

And, these smiles were the smiles of genuine welcome. There was a very old lady, her two beautiful daughters, and three very young girls. And, all they had was a small open fire for the cooking. And, they didn't only have coffee, they had wonderful meals as well. And, Magda, being hungry and tired, was very soon persuaded. And, she didn't regret it.

Although the meal was delicious, the coffee was more. Magda Latzl discovered the best coffee in the world in a very small hut in the middle of a jungle. And, she's had nothing like it since. But, of course, there were the smiles and the friendliness, too. All parts of a wonderful day and a wonderful time.

Magda Latzl went from Vienna to Asia and discovered a new side of life. Far different than anything in Europe. The real treasures in life are the people one meets, and a nice cup of coffee and a very nice smile can make all the difference. When did you last light up with a smile? Smiling is easy. Why not make a difference and do it more often!

Vocabulary

although – obwohl

clearing – Lichtung

constant – konstant

dawn - Morgendämmerung

exhausted – erschöpft

filthy - sehr schmutzig

guide – Fuhrer

In fact - tatsächlich

indeed - tatsächlich

makes all the difference – macht alles aus

off-putting – abstoßend

persuaded – überredet

she's – she has

they'd – they had

think twice (think twice/thought twice/thought twice) - überlegen

vigilance - Wachsamkeit

weary – müde

A Jungle 

Questions

Why did the group have to be vigilant while going through the jungle?

What did Magda discover in the jungle?

Why did Magda find the hut off-putting?

Who didn't laugh when Magda said she wanted a coffee?

Where was the hut?

How many women and girls were in the hut?

What were the women and girls doing?

Do you like snakes?

(B) Heike Jahns and her Wonderful Childhood! And, in a land that no longer exists!

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Heike Jahns and the GDR

Heike Jahns grew up in the GDR, and she had a brilliant childhood. Heike Jahns was a member of the Pioneer Movement. And, the Pioneer Movement was run by the state and only for children. And, the blue scarf and white shirt were every child's dream.

And, Heike Jahns remembers Wednesday afternoons as being the best time of the week. Wednesday afternoons were Pioneer afternoons. They were packed full of excitement and interesting things to do. Wednesday afternoons werefantastic. The Pioneers did a wonderful job.

But, the Pioneer camps in the summer were the best part of the year. Everyone loved them. The food was amazing, and the activities which lasted all day were not only fun, but challenging, too. But, of course, the Pioneer songs which were sang round the camp fire at night were the best way of ending each day. And, these songs were not only special, but full of wonderful feelings as well. And, these were the feelings that the children all loved. The feelings of magic.

A9nd, the Pioneer fun carried on until the last day of school. A day Heike Jahns will never forget. The Pioneers were over, and so was her childhood - the best time of her life.

But, there's a sad irony in this childhood story. It's a story that can never be repeated. Heike Jahns's children will never become Pioneers. The Pioneers no longer exist. And, nor does the country of Heike Jahns's childhood. The GDR, as everyone knows, is now part of the German Republic. And, whether that's good or bad is a question for history!

But, the past was the present at the time, and, Heike Jahns remembers it well!

Vocabulary

amazing – erstaunlich

challenging - herausfordernd

excitement Aufregung

GDR - DDR

grew up – grow up/grew up/grew up – aufwuchs

sad - traurig

sc9arf - Schall

sang - sing(s)/sang/sung - sang

whether – ob

Questions

Where did Heike Jahns grow up?

What was the Pioneer uniform?

Why did Heike Jahns enjoy Wednesday afternoons?

Why were the summer camps so special?

What happened round the camp fire at night?

Why were Pioneer songs so special?

Why can't Heike Jahns's children become Pioneers?

What happened to the GDR?

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(B) - Lisl Fischer - An old rocking chair from times that have gone!

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LISL FISCHER An Old Rocking Chair

When Lisl Fischer retired from the top of a large organization, the last thing thing she thought of was a life doing nothing. Lisl Fischer had simply too much to do. And, it was her eye for great beauty that showed her the way to a brand new life of restoring old furniture. An obvious step for someone like Lisl with her taste and passion for antiques. And, it was Lisl's eye for not only beauty, but detail as well that led her one day to an interesting discovery. An old rocking chair in the attic of a friend.

And, it turned out, this was a very special chair. It was a Thonet, and was more than 100 years old. But, this poor Thonet Rocker was not in good shape. It was in need of repair. And, that meant very much work. But, Lisl knew how and so she began.

To begin with was the stripping of paint. In the course of its more than 100 year life, this chair had had many new coats of paint. But, sanding away these unwanted layers was no easy job. In order to do this, Lisl had to completely dismantle the chair, and, of course, not only number and record every piece, but make a master plan, too. Without this plan there would have been no putting together again.

And then, after the reassembling came the new coats of varnish, 5 altogether. And, finally the cushioning. And, all in all, it took Lisl Fischer more than 2 years of hard solid work to finish her project. But, Lisl's hard work was worth every minute.

At the end of each day, Lisl can now rock and relax in a chair that she brought back to life. A chair made of beech that started its life in a forest in far away Banat. And, of course, this chair is part of a big history, too. It was made in the times of an empire that finished a long time ago. And, Thonet, the company that produced this wonderful rocking chair is also no more. But, thanks to Lisl Fisher, this chair has survived and is now more impressive than ever.

Lisl Fischer, a lady of now who kept her eyes open - and discovered a piece of old history rocking away in the attic of a friend!

Vocabulary

attic - Dachboden

beech – Buche

discovery - Entdeckung

dismantle - auseinandernehmen

paint – Farbe

putting together - Zusammenbauen

reassembling wieder Zusammenbauen

rocking chair – Schaukelstuhl

sanding – schleifen

stripping – Schleifen

Questions

What did Lisl Fischer not think of when she retired?

Where did Lisl Fischer discover the old rocking chair?

Was the rocking chair in good condition?

How long did it take Lisl to restore the rocking chair?

Where did the rocking chair start its life?

What was this rocking chair made from?

Who was the Emperor when this chair was made?