(B) Spot On - A life of Magical Light - Gerhard Berent

Spot On – A magical life of switches and shine – Gerhard Berent.

There are many ingredients that make up good theatre. A very good story, exciting scenery, professional make up, and, of course, an audience to match. But, without one vital component, the show would be lifeless and dull. And, this very magic thing that makes all the difference is the lighting. And, as Gerhard Berent knows only too well - stage lighting means very much more than a bulb and the flicking of a switch!

Gerhard Berent saw the light many years ago and started his own lighting company. And, his company provided all that was needed for those moments of magical theatre.

But, of course, there comes a time in most people’s life when it's time for a change, and Gerhard, who's now well over 70, stopped lighting and picked up his pen. And, now, he's more active than ever! As a freelance journalist and photographer, Gerhard Berent now writes for the press. And, his articles and essays are just as illuminating as his lights used to be!

And, in his style is his life. Angles of excitement and fun. Gerhard Berent's life was not only theatre, it was travelling, reading, and studying as well. And, apart from his native German, Gerhard Berent is fluent in English, Arabic, and Italian, too. French, he says, will be his next language! And, what’s next is that which is now. Gerhard has no intention of bringing down the curtain. The last act will happen when it happens. Life is too short to stop.

Shadows and light. Gerhard Berent and a magical life of switches and shine.

The Day of the Jackal - Lisl's Surprise.

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Photo - Lisl's Garden - by Nigel A. JAMES

The Day of the Jackal

Having a garden is a wonderful thing. And, gardens are not only great for the spirit, they are spots of creation as well. Wonderful team work. Man and nature working together.

And, in Vienna, Lisl Fischer has a wonderful garden. A corner of heaven on earth. And, it is here that nature comes calling. Trees, plants, and beauty come in on the wind, and, nocturnal guests include foxes, bats, badgers, and cats, and many more, too. But, the strangest of all came early one morning.

It was just after six. A fine summer's morning. Lisl was out in her garden. All of a sudden, Lissl felt something behind her. A presence. Very, very slowly, Lisl turned round. A jackal. And, it was looking at her. The jackal, a wonderful animal with its spots and light yellow stripes. And, Lisl and the jackal just stared at each other. Mesmerized. Neither moved. And then, in a flash, the jackal was gone. Lisl was very relieved. She had been just a little bit scared.

But, from where had the jackal arrived? Lissl phoned up the zoo. No jackals had escaped. But, what they told her was interesting. Because of the climate change, Jackals were now spreading out across Europe. Lisl can expect more jackals in future!

But, the real mystery remains. How had the jackal found Lisl's garden? Lisl's garden is in one of the busiest corners of town. Between Lisl's and the hills are not only two busy roads, but a railway as well. The jackal had been lucky and Lisl had been lucky as well!

Lisl's day of the jackal. A beautiful guest if only for just a short while.

A Jungle Coffee and a Smile - Magda Latzl went to the jungle and needed a coffee!

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Picture - An African Church - by Nigel A. JAMES

A Jungle Coffee and a Smile

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 Agroup 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, gave into the warmth of the smiles. She was 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. Coffee, smiles and friendliness. 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

(B) Collecting Time -

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Picture - Spending Time Together - by Nigel A  JAMES

Collecting Time

Time is something that never stops still. Sometimes it crawls and sometimes it races. But, for Andrew J. Roberts, time is a wonderful hobby. His collection of clocks is the finest I've seen.

In his collection, which numbers almost 1000, Andrew J. Roberts has many interesting chronometers. He has grandfather clocks, grandmother clocks, mantelpiece clocks, kitchen clocks, and many other fascinating clocks from all over the world. And, all together, they're worth a small fortune. But, Andrew J. Roberts's favourite time keeping device has neither hands nor a digital display. Andrew J. Roberts's favourite time keeping device is something he couldn't do with out. It's an egg-timer. An hourglass from Egypt with Saharian sand.

When Andrew J. Roberts moved into his very first house, his granny was the first to come calling. And, being a sensible woman, the egg-timer was the present she gave him. And, Andrew J. Roberts found it easy to use. He soon got the hang of it. No winding up and no batteries to change. All very simple. Just a flick of the wrist, that's all. And, after 35 years, this wonderful very old device still keeps perfect time. And, thanks to advanced Egyptian technology, Andrew J. Roberts's soft boiled eggs are always delicious. Never too hard and never too soft. Just perfect.

Andrew J. Roberts is a collector of clocks. He has much time on his hands. But, most people say he has a bit of a tick! He gets wound up very quickly. Just like his clocks. But, just like his egg timer,

Andrew J. Roberts keeps perfect time. He never comes late. And, just like his eggs, he's neither too soft nor too hard. Just right for cracking. And, a pinch of salt is all that is needed.

And, do you have a tick, too? Do you collect stamps?

Collecting's a wonderful way of passing one's time. Just ask Andrew J. Roberts, he has time on his hands and, of course, on his walls. And, time never stands still.

Attention!

A man has come down to earth from his far away planet!  Listen to his story
on tram49!

Click HERE tram49

(B) - The Loser Takes All - The positive side of a very big loss!

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Picture - Celebrating a Loss - by Nigel A. JAMES

The Loser Takes All!

The Loser Takes All!

I could safely assume you have more than you need. And, I'm also quite sure you're happy with all your unneeded possessions. And, probably, you don't even know what you have. So, what would you do if you were to lose all?

Some years ago, Rebecca P. Anne and Hatsy her daughter arrived home from a trip to the east. They'd had a wonderful time. A perfect holiday. But, you can imagine their shock when their taxi pulled up in front of their house. Their house was no longer there! It had burned down whilst they were away. Remains were all that were left.

Rebecca kept a cool head. Finding beds for the night was no problem at-all. The neighbours willingly helped. And, the realities of rebuilding were nothing more than formalities. Insurance, building companies, and so on. And temporary accommodation? Rebecca borrowed a caravan. 3 months of camping. Actually fun. And, their possessions?

Rebecca and Hatsy had no problem with clothes. Their old ones no longer fitted, and, in any case, fashions had change. And their books, pictures, curtains, and furniture? Again, no trouble at all. Books are things one mostly only reads once, and the pictures were tastes that had never been theirs - all presents from well meaning friends and relations. But, the photos were painful. They were Rebecca's path to her past. But, there was a solution. After lots of contacting relatives and friends, Rebecca soon had a new set of photos. And, strange to relate, they were, in most case, much better than those she had lost. Rebecca was in most of the pictures. In the photos she'd lost, she was the one who was taking the picture.

But, of course, losing all that one has does have its unpleasant moments. On many occasions, Rebecca thought about using something or other. Then she remembered. It, too, had been lost in the fire. But, these moments have now become a thing of the past.

So, all-in-all, losing all that one has isn't so bad. It's a chance to start once again. And, Rebecca? I'm sure you won't be surprised. Rebecca, again, has much more than she needs. Books, pictures, clothes, shoes, and plants seem to come on their own. That's how life is. And, just like before, Rebecca hasn't the faintest idea what she's actually got! And, that's totally normal. Rebecca and Hatsy went to the east and lost all. Now, they have more and much better than ever. The loser takes all! Losing can sometimes be fun.

Vocabulary

absence – Abwesenheit

all-in-all – alles in allem

caravan - Wohnwagen

likely - wahrscheinlich

painful – schmerzhaft

possessions – Besitztum

pulled up – blieb stehen

pungent – scharf (negative)

she's – she has

they'd – they had