Bill Bowyer - The Last of the Magic! A dream that suddenly stopped.

Bill Bowyer - The Last of the Magic

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Picture - Elephants never forget - by  Nigel A JAMES

It's the people one meets that make up our memories of life. And, Bill Bowyer was the most popular boy in my primary school class. Everyone liked him. Bill Bower had something unique. And, Bill Bower's birthday parties were the best of them all.

To begin with, Bill Bowyer lived in a house that was bigger and better than anyone else's; and the big red Rolls Royce that was parked in the drive was something very impressive. We were all very young. But, it was the swimming pool that was the best. The ultimate symbol of wealth and success. The Bowyers had money and this showed in Bill Bowyer's parties. Bill Bowyer's parties were summer time fun. In and out of the pool, exciting games, brilliant food, and drinks such as Coke that were normally forbidden. Bill Bowyer's parents, I believed, were very laid back. Bill Bowyer's parents were fun.

But, looking back, I have no memory at all of Bill Bower's mother. I can only remember his father. Mr. Bower, as we all all called him, was a very nice man. Always happy and always smiling, and always very great fun. And, once, Bill Bowyer's father even took us for a ride in his car. His very big and impressive Rolls Royce. I remember squashing into the back with 5 or 6 other kids whilst 3 or 4 others sat in the front. The smell of real leather and the purr of the engine are still with me today. A ride in a Rolls was better than magic.

And, then came the end of the summer. The last of the magic. The start of our last year of primary school. In we all trooped. Into the class room. But, there was one empty desk. Bill Bowyer's. We were not worried; something had happened; that's all. Our teacher then told us the news.

I sensed a touch of sadness in Mr. Ladlowe's voice as he spoke. “Bill Bowyer's parents have had to leave town. Business has taken them a long way-a-way. Bill Bowyer is not coming back. He has gone to live with his aunty in Scotland”. That's all we were told. We were, of course, very upset. But, not for too long. Children quickly forget. Bill Bowyer was quickly forgotten.

But, people never stay completely forgotten. It was 8 or 9 years later. I was reading the paper when a name caught my eye. Bowyer. I had to read the article 2 or 3 times. Bill Bowyer's father had just been released from Reading prison. His crime was embezzlement in a very big way. Bill Bowyer's father had never been rich.

I never found Bill Bowyer again. I looked for him. But, to no avail. But, however crooked Bill's father might have been, Bill, himself, was, in those days, a really great friend. And, I hope Bill is still being Bill. But, who knows? Crime can be tempting; but Reading jail is not a nice place. Be careful, Bill Bowyer. Father like son!

avail – use – to no avail = to be of no use.

crooked – criminal.

embezzlement – to divert money in a criminal way for one's own use. (normally white collar crime).

                                     Picture - Elephants never forget - by Nigel A JAMES

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(B) Edith Neni and a Very Deep Hole - No more warm beer in the summer.

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Edith Neni And A Very Deep Hole

Edith Neni lives in the heart of a very big forest in Hungary. And, Edith Neni has a nice little garden. A wonderful garden. A garden of magic and surprise. And, Edit Neni's biggest surprise is a very deep hole.

It was 40 years ago. It was August and hot. And, Edith Neni's son Ferry was looking forward to coming of age. Soon he would be 21. A very special birthday. But, sadly only warm beer. No current - no fridge. They were all very poor.

But, Edith Neni knew the solution. Cold beer was no problem at all. A deep hole was all that was needed. And, Ferry started digging a two metre hole. And, then came the magic.

When the hole was complete, Ferry sunk a 2 meter length of pipe with a diameter of 40 centimetres into the hole. And, then, into this pipe went a second 2 metre pipe, this time with a diameter of just 30 centimetres. The gap between the two pipes was very important. Then, the lowering of a bag full of beer into this 2 metre hole was all that was needed. Mother Earth did the rest.

And, of course, Edith Neni has been been using the same hole for the last 40 years as a fridge. And, it's perfect. Butter, Cheese, and meat, and everything else keeps very well at the bottom of a hole that's 2 metres deep. And, the best thing of all – no power is needed. Every thing's free, But, this isn't the end of the story..

Two years ago, Ferry was crossing the Sahara by foot. And, sadly, only warm beer. And, then, Ferry spread the word. Now, there are thousands of 2 metre holes in the dessert. Warm beer has become a thing of the past. All Africa's happy. And, you can be happy as well.

If you have a house and a garden, just dig a hole that is two metres deep and put in 2 pipes. You will then have cold beer for ever. Cheers! What a wonderful thought.

Edith Neni and a Very Deep Hole!

Coming of age - becoming an adult

current – electricity

diameter – the distance from one side of a circle to the other.

gap – a space

spread the word – tell everybody

More Lexispots

(B) A Propeller Powered Dream - Fun in the sky.

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A Propeller Powered Dream!

When Lucy Nemics was at school in Vienna she went on a school-trip. It was different, up in the air, and was fun. It was 1937 and flying was young.

The Viennese city council had decided that air travel could not only be used for getting around, but, for education as well. And that's why, one day in July 37, Lucy found herself on the way to the airfield!

And she remembers this day very well. The sky was blue, it was hot, and just right for a flight. And the children were dressed in their best Sunday best for this special occasion.

And there was the plane. It was a Junkers. It was big, powerful, impressive, solid, luxurious, and smelt of adventure. This plane was a dream.

And the dream gathered speed and took off. The children were thrilled and excited: and, high up in the sky, enjoyed a wonderful view of Vienna. They saw much and learned much. The city council had been right. A bird's eye view was a great way of learning and having lots of fun, too!

But, Lucy remembers the brown paper bag! Every child was given one before boarding the plane. And it wasn't for food – it was empty! It was the so-called “just-in-case bag”, and, thankfully nobody needed to use it. And, Lucy remembers the seats. They were large, soft, and comfortable. But, unlike today, there were no seat belts at all. They had not even been thought of.

And, that was 1937, The year that Lucy went up in a plane with her class! A ride and a time she will never forget!

A - Edward Cave and the First Magazine in the World

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There are women's magazines, sports magazines, motoring magazines and many other kinds of magazines, too. But, why are magazines called magazines?

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In 1730, Edward Cave, a French Canadian printer decided to produce a general interest magazine for men. And, he wanted to call it  “A Store of General Information”. But, this didn't sound good. So, instead, he chose the French word “Magazine”. And, the word magazine has the same meaning as the word store and sounds much better.

Edward Cave and the first magazine in the world.

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Vocabulary

chose (choose/chose/chosen) - aussuchen

French – französisch

general interest – allgemeine Interesse

instead – stattdessen

printer – Drücker

produce - erzeugen

magazine - Zeitschrift

meaning - Bedeutung

Store - Lage

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Questions

When did Edward Cave decide to produce a magazine?

Was Edward Cave's magazine a fishing magazine or a women's magazine?

What did Edward Cave want to call his magazine?

Why did Edward Cave chose the name “Magazine”?

Is the word magazine Spanish or English?

What does the word magazine mean?

Which magazines do you read?