Beginners.
Learning a foreign language can be a difficult thing. Any language has a huge amount of information. On top of that, there is also the pronunciation and fluency that need to be practiced. English can be a pain to learn. Even the word "this" is difficult to pronounce for a lot of people. So, what is the solution? The answer is accurate practice, and lots of it. I have been learning the violin for just over a year, and I can tell you that there is no substitute for accurate practice. My three boys, who are in elementary school, use different techniques to practice new information. My youngest boy, in particular, has started using flash cards. They are rectangular pieces of thin card, each with a word written on it. You look at one at a time and try to read the word. It is a very simple system. Some people don't like to use it. It never suited my two older boys, but my youngest loves it. Another system that works, especially for children, is to write about things that they are familiar with but in a very funny context. Apparently, humour, repetition, and familiar details all help a person learn. So, when you are practicing English, try to create sentences with those three ingredients. You'll have fun at the same time.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: information, practice, pronunciation, substitute, technique, accurate, rectangular, square, circular, triangular, humour* (Eng. sp.), familiar, on top of that.
Verbs: to write (write, wrote, written). The rules were written in stone.
To start + gerund. Exs: I have started using a new shampoo. It's better!
He started driving really fast; we were all very scared.
Advanced.
What can we do to rescue our brains? What on earth do I mean? Do our brains actually need to be rescued? Well, apparently, yes. As we get older, we tend to forget details. Sometimes our long-term memory is better than our short-term memory. Have you ever walked into a room to get something and forgotten why you went there? Being over occupied is sometimes to blame. Women typically get that way when they are pregnant. Two other reasons for forgetfulness are anaemia and tiredness. They say nowadays that mental exercises are the key to keeping a young, fresh brain. Have you tried any? Crossword puzzles can stretch your word abilities, and your problem solving skills. One activity that my mother enjoys is Sudoku. You are probably familiar with it. You have to place the numbers one to ten in ten lines without having any duplicates. It can be very taxing. Another way to stretch your brain is to undertake an activity which is very different from anything that you have ever done. If you are musical, then perhaps you could try a new physical activity. If you are very physical and sporty, maybe learning about computers would be a good way to make your brain cells grow. Believe it or not, this podcast has stretched my brain a little. Let's hope its effects will last.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to rescue, what on earth, long-term memory, short- term memory, mental, crossword puzzle, believe it or not, occupied.
Exs: Believe it or not, my neighbours* won the lottery. (Eng. sp.).
The helicopter was called out to rescue the people at sea.
What on earth did you do with my new hand bag?
His long-term memory is amazing; he remembers what he used to do as a baby.
Beginners.
The other day I was walking by my children's bedrooms, when I saw a sign on one of the doors. It said, "Domini and Robert, DO NOT ENTER!" One of my two oldest boys had become impatient with sibling intrusions. Sometimes they walk into their bedrooms and find a terrible mess. Colouring* pens often will have their tops missing, so they will be dry. Lego creations are in pieces on the floor, and, some things are just missing. Hudson and Cass, the oldest boys, get furious. They storm into their siblings rooms and create another kind of trouble. I, of course, being their mother, have to get involved to sort out the fights and the conflict. Oh, for peace and quiet!. Well, now my six year old is learning how to write, so he also puts signs on his door. We have three doors with 'Do not enter' signs. My little girl doesn't know how to write, so, I suppose, she still feels free to be the intruder and mess maker. One day, there was a big commotion upstairs, with lots of screaming and running. I ran up to see what was going on. It turns out that Domini had stolen one of my son's favourite*toys that he had had since a baby. He was chasing her to get it back. It was like an episode on Tom and Jerry, the cat and the mouse. I think it is about time that I left some notes myself.
Grammar notes.
*Colour/ colouring and favourite are English spellings. U.S spellings miss out the 'u'.
Related vocabulary: the other day, sign, door handle, lock, key, mess, peace and quiet, intruder/ intrusion, impatient, conflict.
Advanced.
"This place feels like a prison," complained my husband one day. He had caught his foot on a metal gate that I had put up between the kitchen and the dining room. The gate is for the dog, to keep her in or out. It is a necessary evil that is supposed to make life easier for everybody. The trouble is, the gate is small, and my husband is large. We have a similar situation upstairs. My two older boys have, according to them, precious possessions, intricate legos that took a long time to build, and other breakable objects. So, because there had been so many incidents of little siblings sneaking in their rooms and wrecking the place, we put locks on the doors. Everything worked for a while. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Both boys left the keys to unlock their doors locked inside the rooms, along with the duplicate keys. Oh dear. It was time to get the tools out and huff and puff, and bash and bang, until we managed to take off the door handles completely. Well, they haven't had locks for a while now, and wreckages are taking place in the bedrooms. Today a little friend of my daughter came to play. He sneaked into Hudson's room and poured his lizzard's food all over the carpet. A few people were not happy about that. Needless to say, I have locks on my list of things to buy.
Grammar notes.
Verbs: to complain, to catch (catch, caught, caught), to leave (leave, left, left), to manage, to sneak.
Exs: They complained about the poor service.
He caught my eye, and then asked me to dance.
I caught my sweater on a rusty nail.
I left my keys in the car.
He managed to lift the heaviest weight.
The burgler sneaked into the empty house to steal the silver.
Useful expressions: the trouble is, to have a situation, according to..., to wreck the place, needless to say.
Beginners.
To be a film 'buff' is to be a film enthusiast; a person who loves to watch films and who follows film production quite closely. I am a film buff, but a choosy one. There are certain films that I love, and others that I cannot stand. A film series that I have followed closely is The Lord of the Rings. When the first of the three films came out, it was immediately popular. The films are based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkein who was British, but born in South Africa. The genre of his books is fantasy. At the center of the books is a fight between good and evil. The story is set in a place called 'Middle Earth', a fictitious country with incredible countryside. The films were directed by Peter Jackson in New Zealand, where he comes from. If you watch the films, you will see why New Zealand is the perfect Middle Earth. There is a huge variety of landscapes in that small country. The incredible Alps, large rolling grasslands, rocky hills, and wind swept valleys are all places where the filming took place. I never get tired of watching the movies; infact, I have watched them so many times that I know a lot of the dialogue by heart. I also have the music score from the films. When my family find me watching the films or listening to the music, they just roll their eyes and say, "Oh, she's at it again."
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: fantasy, historical, drama, adventure, romance, war film, documentary, cinematography, dialogue, play, special effects, script, themes.
Verbs: Past perfect: I have watched that film many times. We have watched his moves very closely; he is suspicious. They have played tennis so much in their garden that they have worn the lawn thin.
Advanced.
Sometimes my children give me little gifts. They are often items that they have made at school, a picture, a collage, occasionally a bracelet made out of paper or beads. The other day, though, my oldest son gave me a metal ring that he had acquired from a friend of his. He had traded a small toy for it. He presented it to me with great pride; he knew that I would like it. It was a replica of the 'ring of power' from the Lord of the Rings. My kids know how obsessed I am with the trilogy, so this gift was quite meaningful. I wore it with pride for a few weeks; I even showed it to a few people. I noticed, however, that my finger was developing a brown patch under the ring, so I promptly took it off. I didn't want to get poisoning from a cheap quality paint. Anyway, it made me think about the concept of having a ring of power. I suppose it is an age-old idea, possessing an object that gives supernatural power. What would you do if you had one? Would you bring about world peace, or world domination? Would you help all of the needy people, or oppress them? Would you replant all of the rainforests, or chop them down and turn them into toothpicks? There would be lots of decisions to make and, I'm sure, lots of tempation to resist. Life could be a lot more comfortable, though, couldn't it? What do you think?
Grammar notes.
Verbs: to present, to resist, to acquire, to trade, to wear (wear, wore, worn), to suppose.
Would: pronounced the same as 'wood'. Easy to use; simply place infront of infinitive. Exs: I would go to the doctor if I were you. She would help you if you asked. They would get a new car if they could afford it.
Beginners.
Do you love to shop? Some people are addicted to shopping; they love to go out and buy things. Others enjoy window shopping, which is safer for your wallet. I am not a big shopper; I have to love something before I am willing to buy it. However, window shopping is a great past time. You don't even have to take any money with you. It can be fun to see what shops have to offer from the outside. Nobody inside the shop can put pressure on you to buy anything, and if the weather is nice, you can hang around for as long as you like. I came across a shop the other day which looked very interesting. It was a hat shop. Obviously, it was full of hats. But these hats weren't just ordinary hats; many were extraordinary. The window wasn't very big, but it was full of hats of all different colors and shapes. As I looked through the door, I could see that the shop was long and narrow, and from the floor to the ceiling it was full of hats on shelves. There were very elegant hats, party hats, crazy hats, warm hats, and even historic looking hats. The people inside the shop were trying them on and laughing as they looked at eachother. It must be a very fun place to work, seeing people amused all day long.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: addict / addicted, wallet, to window shop, a past time, shelf/ shelves, to come across, floor, ceiling.
Verbs: to laugh (reg.), to come across (come, came, come) Exs: I came across a hundred dollar bill in the road. They came across as very rude. To buy (buy,bought,bought).
Advanced.
When I was a student in London, I bought a hat one day in Camden Town. I still have it, though I haven't worn it for years. It is a light, comfortable hat that is black and has golden sequins all over it. Right at the front, above my forehead is a golden elephant. It is quite an eye catcher. Sometimes when I am organizing my closet, I will come across it. It takes me right back to London, the sights, sounds, smells, and experiences of being a student in that great city. When I first moved out to the United States, I became a teacher in a local High School. One day, everybody in the school was allowed to dress up, so, amongst other things, I wore my hat. It got a lot of attention, and my students became curious about where I had bought it. It is surprising how one piece of clothing can tell a story. I suppose what we wear does reflect something about our personality, our choices, perhaps our preferences. Well, I wear many other hats now, but they are figurative, not actual hats. Some of the hats I wear are: wife, mother, podcaster, language student, bill payer, and world citizen. I like my hats; they are the ones that I have chosen. I look forward to a variety of new ones that I will pick up in the future.
Grammar notes.
Useful expressions: to wear (wear, worn, worn), closet, to come across, to dress up, curious, preferences, choices, figurative, bills.
Verbs: To take back, exs: The book took me right back to where I used to live. Seeing her again after so many years, took my back to my childhood.
Beginners.
When you learn English, the verb 'to be' can be a bit of a problem sometimes. It is irregular, so it doesn't follow a regular pattern. But, that is okay. Lots of verbs in English are irregular. I am, you are, he is etc should be familiar if you are serious about learning the language. And, what about the past tense, was and were; do they drive you crazy? Don't worry, any language learner will sympathize. Let's try a few sentences. It's a good idea to read the text and listen at the same.
Hello, I am your English teacher. How are you all? The snow was heavy today and there were several accidents on the road; I thought that class would be canceled, but it wasn't. Was your homework okay? Isn't it nice to understand verbs? It wasn't always easy, was it? I know that your text book isn't cheap,but it is a good one. The other books were very expensive; this one isn't confusing either. My other students aren't as far ahead as you are; they weren't happy with their test results. Yours were the best.
Do you see that with a bit of condensed practice, you can get used to this little but important verb?
Advanced.
"To be or not to be; that is the question". Those aren't my own words, of course. They were written by the genius himself, Shakespeare. They are quoted all the time, in different contexts, and, I'm sure, misquoted sometimes. The verb is such a short, insignificant sounding verb, but it is essential and weighty in meaning. Shakespeare wrote the sentence at the beginning of Hamlet's solliloquy, when he questions the meaning of life and the decisions we must make. What a fantastic piece of writing it is! Maybe, one day, I will treat you to the whole speech; I'll have to practice it quite a few times first. But, until then, we need to practice the little verb 'to be'. Isn't that a wonderful idea? Would it be necessary to practice if you knew it well? Probably not. But it will be necessary if you wish your English to be polished and natural. It wasn't always fun as a French and Spanish student to be chained to verb practice, but the teachers were undeterred. Verb practice is, was, and will be part of my life style. So, what do you think? Am I a sneaky teacher, fitting in the verb all over the place without you realizing? I'm assuming that you are all good students who love the verb 'to be', are you?
Beginners.
About half an hour away from where we live is the town of Leavenworth. It is a fairly small place, near very tall mountains and lots of forests. Nearby is a river called 'The Icicle' which is popular with tourists, kayakers, and campers. It is the perfect spot for a day trip. We chatted on the way, so the journey seemed short. When we got there, it was cold and dull, but the color of the shops and people walking about gave a cheerful appearance. We went into a restaurant that had exposed brick walls, large mirrors, and greenery everywhere. It was cozy and busy. Just right. We had a delicious meal of crepes filled with vegetables and a creamy sauce. The food disappeared quickly. And then it was time for dessert. My mother had creme brulee, and I had yet another crepe, but this time stuffed with banana, chocolate, and cream. I haven't eaten like that for a long time! What a treat, and what a lovely time I had with my mother. After lunch, we spent about an hour wandering around this touristic town. One of our favorite shops was a high quality gift shop that sold, amongst other things, German Cukoo clocks. They were very expensive, intricate, and they made a lovely, soft tick-tick noise. We didn't buy anything, but we had fun just window shopping.
Grammar notes.
Verbs: to chat (reg.), to wander (reg.), to browse (reg.).
Useful expressions: the perfect spot, just right, what a treat, amongst other things, a cheerful appearance.
Advanced.
If you have ever been to Leavenworth, you would say that it is a fascinating creation. Let me explain what I mean when I say 'creation'. It was first established as a town around 1892. The Great Northern Railway had its headquarters there, and there was a large sawmill which was used for the logging industry. However, when the headquarters were moved to Wenatchee, the town suffered economically. People lost their jobs and left. The big turn around came in the 1960's when an initiative to reinvent the town was agreed upon. It was to be transformed into a mock Bavarian town. The experiment worked; the buildings had facades put on them, and the tourists started to visit. It was a success. Now it receives hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. There are seasonal celebrations, like October-fest and the Christmas lighting ceremony, which bring in floods of tourists. There is even a Nutcracker museum which houses five thousand nutcrackers. What an amazing adventure it must have been to turn a run down town into a tourist attraction. The surrounding countryside gives it an authentic Bavarian feel, and even though the buildings are obviously not original, the town has the pull of a center of entertainment.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: established, headquarters, economically, industry, initiative, to reinvent, tourists, seasonal, countryside.
* It was to be transformed into a mock Bavarian town. Exs: Nobody knew it yet, but she was to be/ going to be crowned Queen in two years. Before he reached adolescence, he was to have all of his teeth extracted.
Beginners.
Black, red, green, light blue, silver, orange, swords, lazers, helmets, shields, flying machines, underwater vehicles. The list could go on. What do these words refer to? Bionicles. They are a type of lego. You can buy them in boxes to put together and admire. The idea is based on an advanced civilization in which are found good and bad creatures. There are a couple of films about them, and, of course books. There is even an encyclopedia of the bionicles and bionicle terms. It is really quite fascinating. I have a son who is crazy about them. He started building legos when he was very young, and has worked his way up to these guys. When he gets a lego set, he will build it immediately. But, then he takes it all to pieces and builds something different. I think he is very creative. Sometimes he will put all of his bionicle figures together in a row, his brothers will do the same, and they will have a huge battle. Who knows who will win? They all have super powers, special protection, extra senses and cool weapons. It is fantasy at its most powerful.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: lazers, helmets, shields, vehicles, creatures, encyclopedia, fascinating, pieces, a row, battle, powers.
Verbs: to take to pieces.
Exs: He took the train set to pieces. He was devastated; the critics had taken his work of art to pieces. (fig.)
Advanced.
"Ouch!" I yelped the other night as I was climbing the stairs. I had stepped on a hard piece of who-knows-what that was tough enough to not break underfoot. It was a familiar experience, and one that had been generated by my kids. It was the same kind of object that suddenly makes its presence known by clattering up the vacuum when I am trying to clean the carpet. Legos. Everybody loves them. My children are crazy about them, to the point of obsession. I suppose it's a healthy hobby, so I can't complain. There is a particular type of lego that is my oldest boy's prefered. Bionicles. This set of advanced, technologically savvy, mechanical beings, is what lights his candle and keeps him up at night. They are pretty impressive, I must admit. The two films are very inspiring: great special effects, a very bad baddy, and goodies who are flawed enough to be approachable. I tried to build Bionicles with my son once, just to be a good, involved mother, but after a few minutes he told me that he'd rather do it himself. It's obviously not my domaine or expertise. My job is to admire them, and, of course, remove them from my kitchen countertop, my lamps, and even the Christmas tree, after my son has waged his battles against the bad guys, but forgotten to put them back in his bedroom.
Advanced.
Verbs: to yelp (reg.), to generate (reg.), to clatter (reg.), to admit (reg. but double the t: admit, admitted, admitted).
Related vocabulary: to climb the stairs/ to go up stairs, who-knows-what, underfoot, special effects, approachable, domaine, expertise, countertop.
Beginners.
How are you feeling? Are you well? I hope you stay well for the rest of the year, but that is not likely, is it? We all get ill sometimes. Here in the United States, people use the word 'sick' to mean ill. That word in the UK means vomit, so it is important to know which word to use. It is wonderful to be healthy, to feel strong, to have energy to do lots of activities and to think clearly. However, when we are ill, which is common, it is certainly not wonderful. The common cold typically gives us symptoms like: a runny nose, a cough, and perhaps a temperature. The flu can make us feel even worse. Aches and pains, fatigue, headaches, and nausea are things we have to deal with. The best thing to do is to get good rest, sleep, and lots of fluids. It is a great thing that our body can fight illness very well. Sometimes, though, if we have an infection, we will need medicine. Antibiotics are useful at killing infection, but we should only take the minimum amount necessary. Too much will make them ineffective. So, eat your fruits and vegetables, sleep a lot, exercise, and stay well!
Grammar notes.
Useful expressions: the rest of the..., unlikely/not likely, healthy, strong, energy, common, certainly, typically, even worse/better, the best thing to do is/ the worst thing to do is, however/though.
Related vocabulary: to be ill/ to be sick, the common cold, cough, runny nose, a temperature/fever, aches, pains, fatigue, nausea, sore throat (and other body parts) ex: he has a sore leg; I have a sore lip.
Advanced.
There is a famous film called 'Mary Poppins' in which a magical nanny sings a song called 'A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down'. I suppose she is right. Some medicines are downright ghastly. Thankfully, I don't have to take them very often, and even if I do, I don't. I'm not what you would call a pill-popper, a person who enjoys the drama of illness. For me, it's a complete waste of time. Mind you, illness has it's place, for sure. It can certainly make you stop and think. Being generally strong and healthy can make one feel invincible and in control, whereas a bout of sickness certainly makes one remember our fragility and mortality. But, right now, I don't want to be too morbid. In retrospect, illness, and everything related, can be quite funny. The other day I was in the walk-in-clinic waiting to see a doctor. I felt awful, and, as is usually the case, I had to wait for quite a while. Well, I had the opportunity to people watch. There was an old man with a terrible cough; I didn't sit near him. There was young man with a bad limp, obviously from a recent accident. And then, a person with his head almost completely bandaged up. He looked like he had escaped from a museum of Egypt. A poor lady rushed in crying, holding her wrapped, bloody finger up high. She had chopped the end of it off. Oooo! I certainly couldn't feel sorry for myself anymore. And what a sight we were! Gosh, it's nice to feel well again.
Grammar notes.
Useful vocabulary: Nanny, downright, ghastly, pill-popper, waste of time, invincible, awful, limp, recent, bandage, to wrap, to chop.
Verbs: to feel (feel, felt, felt),. Exs: He feels dizzy when he is up high. She felt ugly in her new dress. They felt it was unfair of the coach to not let them play on the team.
Expressions: Sunrise at the Taj Mahal is spectacular. What a sight!
She wore polka dots and I wore stripes; what a sight we were!
Beginners.
My children love Scooby-Do. I love Scooby-Do. In fact, I have not met a person who does not like it. The happy gang of friends consists of: Shaggy, Scooby, Wilma, Daphney, and Freddy. They travel around in the 'Mystery Machine' and get into scary escapades. During their adventures, they meet monsters, ghosts, and other creepy creatures who they must try and escape from. It's not too scary, most of the time. The villains always turn out to be people who are dressed up. At the end of each episode, one of the gang unmasks the bad guy. There is always a happy ending. I was a child in the '70's, so I also used to watch the series. And the style of that era is still seen in the dress and music of the famous five. Of course, there is a lot of humor. Shaggy and Scooby-Do are cowards who will only get involved in an investigation if they get 'Scooby snacks'. They eat enormous amounts of food whenever they can, even strangely combined foods, like chocolate covered corn on the cob! Scooby-Do is definitely a staple cartoon for my children. If they fight or are grumpy, I put one of the videos on, and suddenly, everyone is happy.
Grammar notes.
Verbs: To meet (meet, met, met), to try (try, tried, tried), to unmask (reg.), to eat (eat, ate, eaten), to fight (fight, fought, fought).
Related vocabulary: gang, mystery, escapade/adventure, episode, era, famous, to get involved, coward, investigation, staple.
Advanced.
So, what's new Scooby-Do? Have you come across any villains today, maybe a headless snow monster, or a slimey zombie called Creeper? No? Oh, so business is slow, huh? I heard that you solved a mystery last week. It made the headlines. The mayor of a small town decided to stimulate the economy by dressing up as a ghost and terrorizing the townsfolk. It worked. Tourism took a big leap. But a bunch of meddling kids uncovered the scoundrel; he was thrown in jail, and all the recent tourist business unraveled. I admire the skills of your group. You all seem to have the most amazing running abilities. When being chased by monsters, you very rarely get caught. And somehow, you find yourselves running through the longest hallways that I have ever seen. Fifteen doors, outside of each a small table with a plant pot, is the record, I think, that Shaggy and Scooby have run past, before they find an escape. Wow. You must eat a lot of carbohydrates to keep up that pace. Well, yes you do, don't you? I know of a few pharmaceutical companies that would love to bottle your light speed metabolisms. Well, if I hear of any hauntings or scary tourist booms, I'll give you a call.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: Villains, scoundrels, zombies, mummies, ghosts, mystery, headlines, unravel, ability, escape, carbohydrates, pharmaceutical, metabolism.
Verbs:To take a leap. Exs: He took a giant leap over the wall. The company's business took a big leap. She took a leap of faith and asked him to marry her.
To find oneself....Exs: I found myself alone, in the rain, with no transportation. They find themselves in great difficulty each time they use the car. He told me the end of the story; I would like to find it out for myself.
Beginners.
Art is all around us. There are many forms of art, such as paintings, sketches, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, stained glass windows, and even wood burning. Art is a personal thing, also. If somebody loves to grow flowers, their work in the garden could be considered art. Life without art would be very dull and quite strange. Think about never seeing pictures or photos in buildings. No statues, no water fountains, no interesting details. And what about fashion? You could say that fashion, hair styles, make-up etc are forms of art because they are personal tastes to do with color and shape. Music is a huge subject that is related to art. It makes you think, doesn't it? When someone is very good at being creative in some way, people say that he is "an artist". My recent visit to a bakery made me realize that baked goods can also be works of art. Let me know how art is important to you, my listeners. Drop me a comment or an E-mail, and I will share your thoughts in a future episode.
Grammar notes.
Could be considered: His language could be considered rude. His interview went well; he could be considered for the job.
Art vocabulary: paint, paint brush, shade, form, style, arts and crafts, exhibition, genre.
Advanced.
The other day, I found myself gazing at a painting, and enjoying the contact that my eyes were making with the work. Nothing more. Something about the arrangement of the colors and their differing tones, pleased a part of my brain, and had me not wanting to look away. That's how it is with art. In the deep recesses of our grey matter, just left of the hypocampus, is the art appreciation gland, better known as artemilikus. Every time a person is in contact with art that appeals to him or her, it is stimulated. Well, okay, I just made that one up. But, my point is, we humans can get transfixed by any kind of art without understanding why it is so satisfying and important. The picture on this post is the kind of art that I love. Impressionistic? Perhaps. Modern? Maybe. Well, I'm sure many influences have flowed into the mind of the artist, Majka Sadel, but the end result is that it just is. So, hmm, what do you think? Is it a river reflecting in the water? A busy street on a rainy day? It could be. Though its title is 'Cityscape', it could be, and conjure up, anything for any person.
Grammar notes.
Useful vocabulary: Arrangement, differing, recesses, appreciation, gland, impressionistic, influence, to be in contact.
Verbs: to gaze (reg.), to make (make, made, made), to flow (reg.), to conjure (up) (reg.).
Beginners.
The D'Anjou bakery is a special place to visit that is located quite close to Wenatchee. A quick drive on the highway, past the town of Cashmere, will take you to this place of delights. If you are not careful, you will miss the turn-off, so you need to keep your eyes peeled. I drove there the other day to meet a lady who works in the bakery. She is from France. I wanted to introduce myself, and practice a bit of french. We had a very pleasant conversation and exchanged phone numbers, but then she had to get back to work. I had some time to spare, so I bought three yummy pastries and a coffee. I sat down, relaxed, and looked around the room. It is similar to the inside of a log cabin. The style is relaxed, and reminds me of European cafes. People came and went as I drank my coffee; everyone seemed cheered by walking into the place. I don't eat much candy, but what I love to have instead is some free time, a good coffee, and a freshly baked pastry. There's nothing better!
Grammar notes.
Located: Spain is located South of France. The rescue team located the man. Scientists have located where the ship sunk.
Exchange: They exchanged glances; I think they like eachother. There is a student exchange program in our school.
To get back to: I had to get back to studying. I have to get back to the ironing. They had to get back to the hotel. * Multiple meanings - to return to/ to continue/ to dedicate oneself to.
Useful expressions:Quick (sometimes means short), keep your eyes peeled (ouch!), spare time (extra time).
Verbs: To drive (drive, drove, driven), to buy (buy, bought, bought), to come (come, came, come), to go (go, went, gone).
Advanced.
Atmosphere. What is it when you think in terms of a great place to be, where you feel comfortable, relaxed, interested, and inspired? Are you lucky enough to have anywhere like that close by? Well, I'm a lucky person. The D'Anjou bakery is a discovery, or, at least, feels like it. If olde worlde appeals to you, not over done I might add, but subtle and self explanatory, as olde worlde should be, then, you might just like it too. I'm an olde worlde gal myself. I miss, at times, the sense of rich, deep history in buildings around me. It's comforting. To walk down a street where history unravels itself at each step, and the buildings seem to tell their stories of people and events, places you in the middle of a story book that happens to be real. Newness and plastic can be quite repulsive. So, with these feelings in mind, I go to the D'Anjou bakery and smile. What can I say? It's a little fix. Good coffee brings people back, of course. Even when they vow to give the stuff up, they are helplessly hooked. And then there are the baked goods. When made with quality ingredients, easy on the sugar, liberal with the cream and butter, eating them is like absorbing a piece of fine art. But I have said too much. I've given away my vice. Bakery? What bakery?
Grammar notes.
Useful expressions: in terms of, close by, at least, I might add, with this/ these....in mind, a vice.
Verbs: To absorb (reg.), to unravel (reg.), to appeal (reg.).
Useful vocabulary: inspired, olde worlde, subtle, self explanatory, events, newness, repulsive, a fix, fine art.