Well, you've probably all heard about Nik Walenda, the man who recently walked 1,500 ft above the Gran Canyon on a two inch thick wire, with no protection, and no net. I watched him 'live' as he took every step, and every breath. I actually found myself(1) holding my breath while he walked and balanced and prayed. Judging by(2) his facial expression, he was more relaxed than I was. I was so nervous; my hands were sweaty, and my fingers were tingling. And then I remembered to breathe. "Oh, that's right. He's doing it, not me." It was too much for any normal person to see comfortably. And the "Thank you Jesus", and "Halleluyah" that he repeated, which I'm sure helped his performance, made it worse for me, because I kept on(3) imagining one of those Halleluyahs turning into a "Halleluyah!" His wife and three children and a group of friends and family were watching him from the other side of the Canyon. I couldn't decide if that was good or bad. Of course his family wanted to support him by being there(4), but what about them? What if he f-e-l-l in front of them? What a tragic and bizarre situation that would be for his kids. What would they do? Gasp, and then call out a quick, "Bye!" But, Nik Walenda is good. Infact, he's spectacular. He is 7th generation of a family of tightrope walkers, so as he says, "It's in my blood." I bet his wife wishes that accounting was in his blood instead. Imagine the sleepless nights that she has experienced, the nerves, and the stress. She must be a woman of steel, and unusual patience. He's done the same across the Niagara Falls, and plans to walk between two skyscrapers in New York. He is brave, focused, and determined. And he's now a bit of a national hero. But my hat goes off to(5) his wife. Most husbands come home and talk about what went on at the office. He comes home and talks about how much he wobbled(6) in practice. She's the one who I'd love to interview. What does she do to relieve stress? Does she have any hobbies? Is she an extreme knitter? If she is, her house must be full of the most amazing sweaters and socks. Maybe it's her knitting that drives(7) Nik Walenda to get as high up and far away as possible. Ok, I'm being strange and random. But, don't you think that crossing the Gran Canyon at 1,500 ft is strange and random? Add to that a wife and children. How does that all work? Well, even though I don't understand how extreme tightrope walking and a family can work well together, it does seem to. And I think it all works because of the wife. She is like the Gran Canyon, solid as a rock, and her patience just as big. As they say here in the U.S, "He owes her big time!"
1. 'To find oneself' + gerund is a common expression in English. It implies that you started doing something almost unconsciously or that some emotion or instinct pushed you into doing it.
a. She found herself agreeing with everything he said because he was so handsome.
b. He found himself washing his car. It was a habit; he always did it on Sunday's.
2. 'Judging by' speaks for itself really. It is like a comment on what you hear or see, and then a conclusion follows.
a. Judging by his tone of voice, he was not please at all.
b. Judging by their lazy attitude, the project won't be finished on time.
3. 'I kept on imagining' to keep on + gerund is the same as 'to continue + gerund'.
a. He kept on golfing even though it was raining hard.
b. They kept on interrupting while we were talking.
4. 'To support someone by + gerund'
a. We support them by donating every month.
b. They support the arts by giving talks in schools.
5. 'My hat goes off to' means I honour/ respect/ look up to/celebrate.
a. My hat goes off to the second place runner who had a knee injury.
b. Our hats go off to the even organizers who did such a great job.
6. 'To wobble' is to move in an unbalanced way.
a. The gymnist walked across the wooden beam and didn't wobble at all.
b. That ornament wobbles each time someone walks in the room.
7. 'To drive someone to do something' means that a person is emotionally forced into a situation.
a. My noisy neighbors have driven me to talk to the police about them.
b. His bad behavior drove them to leave early.
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It's so good to see you both again; I can't believe it's been almost 3 months!
That's what your father and I were saying darling. Time flies, but especially for you.
Yes, it's been a busy two and a half months. Lots of ups and downs, but mainly ups.
I'm glad. It's such an exciting time of your life.
Well Mum, I was thinking that as soon as Dad wakes up, we'll go to my favorite cafe for breakfast.
Oh, that sounds lovely. Frank does get jet-lagged quite badly, much more than me. I'm sure it's because he insists on drinking wine on the plane. It gets you so dehydrated, you know.
Yes, he would be better off drinking water on the plane. But hey, he's on vacation!
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"A change is as good as a rest" is a common saying in England. And that's what I've been having. It's summer, the children are out of school, our routine is up in the air(1), and we've been getting out of town. Have you noticed? I haven't been talking into my little snowball microphone recently because I've been going here and there(2). The place I've been to most recently is Lake Chelan. It's only a forty-five minute drive(3) from Wenatchee, but it feels as if you are in another state. Obviously, there is a lake there, and it's a huge one. It's actually the 26th deepest lake in the world, at 1,486 ft. It's name, Chelan, is taken from the Native American word 'Tsillan' which means 'deep waters'. It's also very long: 55 miles total. It's a popular place for boating, water skiing, and fishing. There are many species of salmon, trout, and bass in the lake. The salmon, called the Chinook, can get up to 30lbs in weight, with the average weighing between 9 and 16lbs. It's very exciting fishing when you can get such a big fish, and one that's so delicious. When we fished there unfortunately the salmon were not interested in our bait(4) or hooks. Maybe we were making too much noise because we were having too much fun. The fun continued later, back at the campsite, when we rode our dirt bikes(5) along a dirt road(6) that circled through the forest and back up to where we were camping. Night came, and we settled into our trailer, the trailer that we use for the dirt bikes. We slept on mats and in sleeping bags, all packed in like sardines. It was funny, uncomfortable, and we didn't sleep much, but that's all part of the camping experience.
1. 'Up in the air' is a phrase that means 'random', 'unorganized', 'unsure' and 'unplanned'.
a. My plans for summer are up in the air still; we haven't planned anything definite.
b. I don't know if their wedding is on or off; it's all up in the air.
2. 'Here and there' talks about unspecific locations.
a. Where have you been? Oh, here and there.
b. He leaves his shoes here and there, all over the house!
3. 'A forty five minute drive' 'a thirty minute walk' 'a two hour hike'. Can you see a pattern here? Even though we're mentioning more than one minute or hour, the phrases are singular.
a. It's just a twenty minute train ride into town.
b. It's a three hour flight to the capital.
4. 'Bait' is the word for food that is put on a hook for fish, or that is put in a trap for hunting.
a. The bait for fishing is usually worms.
b. Fresh meat is good bait if you want to hunt cougars.
5. 'Dirt bikes' are motor bikes that can ride on hills, and rough roads. They usually get very dirty.
a. I took the dirt bike on the mountain trail; it was so much fun!
b. If you get the right license, you can use a dirt bike on a normal road.
6. 'A dirt road' is usually a primitive road that is not paved, or tarmacked. It can be a private road that is not maintained by the local council. 'Dirt' in the U.S means 'soil' or 'earth'. In England it means any substance that is 'dirty', not necessarily soil.
a. We walked up the dirt road until we came to a sign that read 'Private Property'.
b. The road up to the houses is a nice asphalt, smooth road. Beyond the houses it turns into just a dirt road.
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A poet called Robert Southey who lived in the late 1700's and early 1800's wrote:
What are boys made of?
Slugs and snails and puppy dog tails.
That's what boys are made of.
What are girls made of?
Sugar and spice and all things nice.
That's what girls are made of.
I think that there is some truth to this poem. I know we can't always generalize, but I have noticed some differences between my boys and my girl and her girlfriends. The boys take more risks as far as physical danger, whereas the girls seem to be careful. The girls are very interested in social situations and 'playing' like adults, but the boys are more interested in adventure, survival-type situations, and the wilderness. And finally, boys seem to bring the outside world into the house a lot more than girls do(1).
My boys went to a large pond to fish with their father, and came back happy and tired. They had managed to catch creyfish. They talked about their trip, put their gear(2) away, and then didn't really say anything else. The next morning I woke up to a humming(3) sound coming from downstairs. I went down and found, on the desk next to the computer, a large, plastic box half full of brown water. The hum was coming from an air pump(4) that had been placed inside (this was one that we had used in the past for gold fish). I looked inside.To my horror, I saw about five shiny, black creyfish sitting on top of eachother on a rock. Their antenna were moving, their eyes were slimy, and when they saw me, they slid into the water. The smell that came up from the water was just like the stinky pond weed that they live in. I was not a happy camper(5). "Just how many days were you planning on keeping these creatures in the lounge?" I asked my boys with a frown. "I don't know," was their answer. Great! We've got two dogs, a cat, a mouse that sneezes all the time, and now some stinky, creepy wet things. As I put them outside under a tree, I asked myself, "What next? Frogs in the fridge? Slugs on the sofa? Beetles in the bathroom? Why don't I rename myself Noah, and open my front door to all the creatures of Wenatchee?" When I had calmed down, I told my boys that they had to look after the things in the box. I washed my hands, and sat down to watch television with my clean little girl.
1. The use of 'do' and 'does' at the end of a comparative sentence.
a. He reads a lot more than you do.
b. She eats a lot more than her husband does.
2. 'Gear' is a general word for all types of equipment, especially used for sports and hobbies.
a. After skiing, it takes a while to put all of the gear away.
b. The fishing gear had to be sprayed with water to wash off the stinky pond weed.
3. 'Humming' comes from the verb 'to hum'. It is a sound made by a human, animal, or device that is like a vibration. Someone 'hums' to music when they don't sing the words, but make the melody with their mouths closed.
a. He hummed happily while he worked in the garden.
b. I didn't know the lyrics, so I just hummed the tune.
4. An 'air pump' is a device which forces air to flow from one place to another, usually via a tube or pipe.
a. We need to find a high pressure air pump because my tires are flat.
b. We pumped air into the plastic mattress for a more comfortable camping experience.
5. 'Not a happy camper' is a jokey phrase often used in England to mean that a person was upset or angry.
a. He borrowed the car without asking permission; his mother was not a happy camper!
b. A stinky creyfish escaped and crawled across the carpet. I was not a happy camper!
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