(B) - Birds of a Feather - A true summer story!

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Picture - Birds of a Feather - Pencil drawing by Nigel A JAMES

Birds of a Feather!

It was a very hot day in Vienna.  I was sitting in the shade of a secluded corner in the park of Schönbrunn when a woman came into view. And, she wasn’t alone.  She was being followed by an entourage of crows which was wobblingly walking behind her.   And, as she passed by, I told her she seemed to be a very popular woman.  She smiled and said it was lunch time, and that she daren’t come to the park without a bag full of nuts. Crows, she explained, love nuts more than anything else. Then, this unusual procession carried on round the corner.  I was once again on my own; but, not for too long.

In fact, it took just a minute or two.  One by one the crows started returning the way they had come; but, now in full flight, and each with a nut in his beak. It was a wonderful sight. And, then came the woman again.  She told me she had been coming to the park for more than ten years and had rarely missed a day.  Birds, for her, were a source of great joy. And, this I fully understood.  Watching the birds had given me great pleasure, too.  

And, all this great pleasure was thanks to a very hot day, the shade of a wonderful park, and the unexpected appearance of a  little old lady.  My wait in the heat had been worth every minute.  And, I, too, went happily on!

                                                                                                  

Vocabulary

appearance – Erscheinung - megjelenés - ilmestys -

crow - Krähe -  varjú - varis

daren’t (dare not) - nicht trauen -  nem merem - En usko

entourage - Gefolge  - kíséret - säestys

expected – erwartet - várható -  odotettu

feathered – gefedert - rugózott - jousitettu

joy - rugózott -  öröm - ilo

nuts - Nüsse - dió  - saksanpähkinä

procession – Umzug - díszszemle - paraati

rarely - selten -ritkán - harvoin

secluded - abgelegen - elvonult - eristäytynyt

shade - Schatten - árnyék -  varjo

source - Quelle - forrás - lähde

unexpected –  unnerwartet  - váratlanul - yllättäen

wobblingly - wackelig -  ingatag - hutera

Blessing and Her Daughters – The Gathering of Beauty

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Photo - On A Greek Beach - by Nigel A. JAMES

Blessing and Her Daughters – The Gathering of Beauty

People collect many strange things. But, the lady I met on a beach down in Greece was collecting, perhaps, the most wonderful of all. And, what she was gathering was beauty. Stones as big as her fist! And, watching her carefully picking out her stones made me want to know more, and so I went over to speak. And, Blessing then told me her story.

Each stone is a memory stone, and Blessing collects 4 every year to take home to Brussels. One for each daughter. And, the magic in the stones is very, very strong. But, putting this magic to work requires no magic at all, in fact, all it involves is a very simple process.

All one has to do is to take something to bed that needs to be learned. And then, read it aloud whilst holding the memory stone. And, it works every time! Blessing's 4 daughters get only good marks.

But, there is only one very small snag. The magic of the stones lasts only 12 months, and that's why Blessing has to go down to Greece every summer to look for four new memory stones. But, of course, going down to Greece every year is a wonderful thing, and collecting 4 new memory stones is a wonderful reason to go. And, who knows, maybe we'll meet again on the beach in the summer. For, I, too, have started collecting very strange things. Memory stones. One for me, and one-each for those who are close. And, what do you collect when you go away? See you next year on the beach!

Vocabulary

collecting – sammeln

fist - Faust

gathering - sammeln

lasts – dauert

memory – Gedächtnis

one-each – Jede ein Stück

snag – Hacken

stone – Stein

Questions

What was Blessing looking for on the beach?

How many daughters has Blessing?

Where does Blessing live?

How many daughters has Blessing?

Why are the stones magic?

How do the stones work?

How long does the magic of the stones last?

What do you collect whilst on holiday?

Have you listened to TRAM 49? - Audio life by Nigel A. JAMES

(B) Ida Ehre - A small light went on in the middle of the darkness of culture!

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Photo - Hamburg Today - by Nigel A. JAMES

Ida Ehre – A Light in the Dark Days of Culture

It was the end of The Second World War. 1945. The lights were coming on again. And, in Hamburg, Ida Ehre, a popular actress opened her very own theatre. The Hamburger Kammerspiel. A very small theatre with a very small stage.

But, in those days, permission from the British was needed to open a theatre. No easy matter. But, Ida Ehre had luck on her side. Whilst speaking to the British officer in charge of theatre in Hamburg, Ida Ehre discovered that her English was exactly the same as Captain John Older's. They were both Viennese. What a surprise. The world is a very small place.

And, with Captain John Older's help and support, Ida Ehre staged many good plays from all over the world. Plays by Tennessee Williams, Giradoux, Satre, Elliot, and many more world famous playwrights. Contemporary theatre had come back to Hamburg. Ida Ehre's very small theatre was very successful. Culture had once more returned.

But, sadly, the Hamburger Kammerspiel only lasted for three very fast years. At the end of 1948, Ida Ehre turned off the lights for the very last time. The costs were simply too high.

Ida Ehre' small theatre was important for Hamburg. A very small start on a very small stage. And, Hamburg has never looked back. Elfi opened last year. Big things always start small. And, the Hamburger Kammerspiel was the smallest of all.

Ida Ehre – A light in the dark days of culture.

Language Assistance - German/Finnish/Hungarian

actress – Schauspielerin - näyttelijä - színésznő

contemporary – zeitgenössischen - nykyajan - kortárs

discovered – entdeckte - löysi – felfedezett

lasted – dauerte – kesti - tartott

popular – beliebt – suosittu - népszerű

playwright – Dramatiker - näytelmäkirjailija - drámaíró

whilst – während - kun taas - míg

(B) - Prester John - A mysterious king from the east - and - he had an army - the best! Or?

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Prester John – A King From the East

It was the time of the first crusades. Many Europeans believed in Prester John, a Christian king from the east. And, Prester John's army was the most powerful of all. There was no one he couldn't defeat. No one could stand in his way.

And, just at that time, the retaking of Jerusalem was not going to plan, theinfidels were proving hard to defeat. The Crusaders were not so good as believed. In fact, they were bad. An ally was needed. And so, a messenger was sent to the east with a letter from the Pope. Prester John, Pope Alexander the Third believed, would be a friend he could count on. Two Christians together and one common cause.

But, there was one very small problem. No one knew where Prester John lived. No one knew where to find him, and, he had never been seen. Prester John was a mystery. And, to make matters worse, the messenger never returned. And, the Crusaders had to do the job on their own. But, where was Prester John?

The answer was easy. If it wasn't the far-east, then India was next on the list. But, he wasn't there either and the search was taken to Africa. But, Prester John and his army were nowhere to be seen. And, to this day, they still haven't been found.

Prester John was one of the greatest myths of all times. Many people believed it. The truth is that Prester John was thought up by Bishop Otto of Freising in the 12^th century. The story the bishop invented was that Prester John was a descendant of one of the three wise kings mentioned in the Nativity story in the Bible. The rest of the story, the army, power, and so-on, grew on its own.

People like stories, and the stronger and bigger the better. Prester John was – and still is - one of the best of all times!

Prester John – A King From the East

Vocabulary

infidels – people who don't believe

mentioned – spoken of