Peter Rosegger and Old Kramer Teresa – or - Growing up in the mountains of Austria

Peter Rosegger and Old Kramer Teresa – Growing up in the mountains of Austria

People enjoy looking forward to things that are special. Birthdays, Christmas, and other meaningful days. And, these moments of joy always involve other people. People who are special. And, in his book, *As I was still a Forest Farmer's Son, Peter Rosegger, the Austrian author, thinks kindly back to old Kramer Teresa. She was a very kind old lady and her visits to the Rosseger's farm in the mountains of Austria were moments that were never forgotten.

Old Kramer Teresa came twice a year. Once in the winter and again in the spring. Old Kramer Teresa came selling her goods. And, she carried on her back a kind of chest of drawers in the form of a ruck-sack. And, this chest of drawers on her back was a pack of surprises. And, arriving at the Rosseger's farm house, Old Kramer-Thresel would unpack her wares on the old kitchen table. The children's eyes then opened wide with delight. It was the same every time. This was a moment that didn't come often.

There were sweets to suck and enjoy, mouth-organs to play, brightly painted wooden spoons, tobacco to smoke, pocket knives for carving, small wooden horses on wheels, toy soldiers in colourful uniforms, and, many other things as well. Something for everyone. And, because each boy and girl had kept their promises to behave and be good, the rewards were not long in coming. Each child was given a gift of their very own choice. And, the children were happy and joyful.

And, everyone else was happy as well. Then, after a fine simple meal of sausage and bread, Teresa Kramer went on her way. Into the freshness of green in the spring, and, into the snow and the ice in the winter. And, as Old Kramer Teresa waved happily goodbye the waiting began once again.

Peter Rosegger was born in 1843 and died in 1918. In his book, “As I was still a Forest Farmer's Son”, Peter Rosegger describes his childhood in the mountains of Austria, His book is packed full of interesting stories and is a must for everyone interested in Austrian history.

Moments of magic always involve other people. People who are special. And, in those days, Teresa Kramer was a very special person in the mountains of Austria. A lady who called twice a year with her bag of surprises.

Peter Rosegger - As I was still a Forest Farmer's Son. A book that's well worth the read.

Peter Rosegger and Teresa Kramer – Growing up in the mountains of Austria

*German title – Als ich noch der Waldbauernbub war – Peter Rosegger.

Vocabulary

mouth-organs – Mundharmonika -

tobacco pipes – Tabakpfeife -

pocket knives , Taschenmesser -

buttons – Kopfe -

brightly painted wooden spoons - bunt bemalte Holzlöffel -

small wooden horses on wheels - kleine Holzpferde auf Rädern -

toy soldiers in colourful uniforms - Spielzeugsoldaten in bunten Uniformen

A True Advent Story from Vienna

For complete page - please CLICK here

Picture - Santa Klaus by Nigel A. JAMES

An Advent Story

Advent is a wonderful time and the Viennese love it. The city is dotted with small Advent markets, and all, more-or-less, exactly the same. A beautifully decorated tree, hot spicy wine, Christmassy things one can buy, a wonderful Advent feeling, and, of course, Advently seasonal music. And, about ten years ago, I was at just such a market, and this is what happened.

I was having a wonderful time. Everything was great and everything Advently perfect. But, it was the choir that provided the spirit of the evening. And, singing mainly in English, they were very, very good. But, the evening went quicker than expected and soon came the very last song.

The conductor turned to the people, thanked them, and wished them a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. And then, after turning back to the choir, closed his eyes, and started conducting the very last number. And, the choir started singing, and the crowd started humming and singing along. It was all very magic.

And, then came the the very last line of this very last song. And, just like a half dying swan in great pain, the conductor, with still tightly closed eyes, raised his arms in an arch, paused for a second, then flutteringly and dramatically brought them back down again for the expected well practised majestic conclusion. But, the choir didn't stop. They simply carried on singing! The last line had not been the last line at all. The singers had been singing from their song sheets and not even looking at the conductor. And, the conductor, because of his tightly closed eyes, had not even noticed he was being ignored.

But, all's well that ends well. With a very red face, the conductor conducted hard to catch up, and, of course, brought the concert to a triumphant conclusion. And, the applause was fantastic. The audience had had a wonderful evening.

And, that's how it was. An evening of magic with with more than one or two glasses of hot spicy wine, and, of course, some Christmassy songs sung by a very fine choir.

Advent. A wonderful time that the Viennese love – and, I love it as well.

Vocabulary

attention - Aufmerksamkeit

conclusion - Schluss

embarrassing – peinlich

expectantly - erwartungsvoll

goes without saying – (go/went/has gone...) selbstverständlich

imitating - nachahmen

spirit – Geist