A Young Man in Vienna

I was young in Vienna and living in a very small flat. Only one room. And, living next door was Niki. A truly great friend. She had often been of great help. And, very soon, Niki was to help me again. Only, this time in a very unusual way.

I was having a party. It was my birthday. And, my very small flat was jammed full of partying friends. And, of course, Niki as well. And, the noise my party was making was enormous. We were rejoicing.

Then, just before midnight came a buzz. The intercom. The police. I let them in. My flat was on the very top floor and the police would need at least 3 or 4 minutes to make it up to my floor.

Niki went into action! Amazing. She very quickly ushered everyone next door to her flat. Then, when the out-of-breath policemen finally made it up to my floor, I was ready. 

I opened the door in my dressing gown. Behind me was silence and darkness. I faked one or two yawns for good measure and pleasantries were exchanged as was normal. And, apologising, the police then went on their way.  

10 minutes later the party came back. And, although we tried very hard, we couldn't keep a lid on our noise. In fact, we got louder and louder and merrier and merrier.  

Then, came the banging on my door. Very loud and very sudden. The police had come back again. Caught red-handed, we fell into silence. The message was simple. Very big trouble if they came back a third time. Even arrests. The party stopped dead in its tracks. Everyone left.  And, that was the end of the party. But, not the end of the story.  

Six weeks later the summons arrived. I duly appeared as was ordered.  The court found the whole thing amusing. However, being let off with a warning was out of the question. I had committed two very serious offences. Making fun of the police and disturbing the peace. The fine was enormous.   

Niki took over again. She started a whip round. The money came in. Then, after paying the fine, I took Niki for lunch. It was the best I could do. Without Niki, I could have been locked up for life or even deported. But, I wasn't. All's well that ended well. And, that really was the end of the story.

Young in Vienna. A true story. Written and read by Nigel A. JAMES

Poly Salzer

 

+ + + +

Click here to listen on YouTube with full text

+ + + +

Poly Salzer

Horse jumping is a sport that is mastered by few. And, those who succeed are hard working and disciplined. And, Poly Salzer, a German young lady, was one of the best in the world.

Poly Salzer was born into a horse loving family. It was 1961. Her parents were riders and her sister as well. But, Poly wanted more. She wanted to jump. And, jumping demands horses that stand out from the rest. One cannot get far on an average old farm horse.

And, Poly spent a very long time on the lookout. She would recognize her horse when she saw it. She had the eye. Then came the moment.

Poly was on her way home. Cycling hard. A storm was approaching at speed. Poly didn't want to get wet. Not far to go. Then, all of a sudden, Polly had to put on her brakes. A horse box was blocking the road. Poly didn't believe what she saw.

A white foal was being led into the box. It was beautiful. It was just right. Where was it going? This unwanted and unneeded foal was going to its death. The slaughter house!

Luckily, Poly and the farmer had been in the same class together. Could anything be done? A price was quickly agreed. The foal was now Poly's. Then the clouds opened and down came the rain. Storm Cloud was the name Poly chose.

Storm Cloud and Poly won many great prizes. And, the best one of all was in Atlanta, 2002. An Olympic Gold. Two very proud winners. Poly and Storm Cloud.

Poly Salzer had a good eye for horses. And, one day in a storm, her horse walked into her life and not onto plates as was planned. Poly's eye was the eye in the storm, and, together, Storm Cloud and Poly rode into the future.

Beam Me Down to Riverside

Riverside is a very small town in Iowa in the USA. And, Riverside has something very unusual. An unusual statue. A statue of someone who hasn't been born.

In 2018, the mayor of Riverside unveiled a statue of Captain James Kirk, the commander of Star Ship Enterprise of the TV series Star Treck. Here is the twist. Captain James Kirk will be born on the 22^nd of March, 2228. A very long time in the future.

The future of Riverside started more than 50 years ago. Star Trek was first broadcast on the 8^th of September 1966. Written by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek became one of the world's most popular TV series. And, now, many Trekies still watch the original series on TV. Star Trek is a universal cult with millions of followers. And, this is perfect for Riverside.

Since this statue of someone who hasn't even been born was unveiled, Riverside has become a mecca for Trekies. Each year, thousands visit this town. Riverside is booming. New hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops.

Riverside looked to the future and went to where no man has been. To the future. And, they can beam themselves back when ever they want. The best of both worlds. Captain James Kirk is definately coming. This everyone knows. But, no one knows when he's leaving. Let's wait and see!

Riverside. The trek begins here.

A Duchess and a President

It was a very cold night a long time ago. The Duchess of Devonshire was entering her thoughts in her diary. She and her husband were in Washington as Guests of the Kennedy family.

It was the 20^th of January, 1961. The occasion -Jack Kennedy's inauguration.

The Duchess had had a very full day. The swearing in at the capitol, the march-past at the White House, and, the ball in the evening. A day of surprises, minor shocks, and a front seat glimpse of a different society.

The first surprise turned out to be a small shock for the Duchess. It was at the actual swearing in at the White House. The Duchess was very put out. Many people completely ignored the prayers, preferring, Instead, to move around taking photos.

But, what happened during the march-past at the White House was almost too much.

Just as an air force unit was stiffly marching past, one of the airmen broke rank, stepped out of line - took a snap of the President then fell back into line and carried on marching!

And, there was more, and, it came from the top.

While all this was happening, President Kennedy was drinking coffee and eating chocolate biscuits. The president was trying to keep warm!

But, the ball in the evening was very much different.

The Duchess was very impressed by everyone's willingness to speak to the press. Journalists – in those days in America - were very respected people.

But, there was still one more lasting impression to come. The whole occasion had been a melting of rank. Whoever you were, you were important. This wasn't so in the Duchess's Britain.

Then, the Duchess stopped writing and turned off the light. She'd had a very long day. She had been there at the making of history; she had discovered great differences.

Everyone was in with a chance. That was America.

A Duchess and a President. Some interesting differences.

Hedi Pröller - Where there's a hammer - there is a way!

Hedi Pröller

Action speaks louder than words, and when Hedi Pröller suggested a door through from the kitchen and into the dining room she was met with a wall of rejection. Her husband's reaction was not very nice. The door was no good idea and should be forgotten. There was the mess, the cost and the house might even fall down whilst knocking a hole through one of its walls. In other words, an idea that no body needed.

But, Hedi not only needed this door, she wanted it, too, and she was determined to get it. And, so without asking her husband, Hedi went out and ordered a blue folding door. Where there's a will there's a way, and ways are mostly a question of time! And, time came quicker than expected.

Hedi's husband had to leave town. Perfect. Hedi and her sister and three of their friends went into action. First came the hole, then came the plaster, and last of all came the door. And, it not only looked great, but worked perfectly, too. And, Hedi's life suddenly changed. Serving hot meals was no longer a chore, in fact, it became very good fun.

And, Hedi's husband? He came home as expected, and, to Hedi's surprise, he didn't even notice the new folding door! And, then, when 3 days later the penny finally dropped, Hedi Pröller's husband's reaction was not as expected. He actually liked the new folding door. Hedi Pröller, her husband agreed, had been right once again. And, to say sorry, he took her to Sacher's for dinner!

And, the mess and the cost? There was none. And, the house was still even standing! Where there's a will there's a way – or - as Hedi Pröller would say - where there's a hammer there will be a door! Action speaks louder than words.

Hedi Pröller, a woman of action who simply just did it and never took no for an answer. If you have a hammer, you'll have a door!

Hedi Pröller – a woman of spirit.