Hi everyone, just to let you know that the schedule for A Cup Of English is changing for the Summer. Life gets a little crazy around our house during this season, with the four kids being at home, and all of them being involved in different activities. So, in order for me to not become a 'basket case', I will be broadcasting on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's. I will also be including some readings from popular and traditional children's books. So, keep listening and learning, but have plenty of time to enjoy your Summer.
Best wishes, Anna.
Have you ever lost something, and looked and looked for it? I've been doing that lately. My oldest son had a PSP and an iPod touch. I say had, because he doesn't have them anymore. They have disappeared, vanished, evaporated. I have looked everywhere. We have all wracked our brains. That means to think and think hard to try and reach a conclusion. Sometimes the grey matter just doesn't work well. The grey matter is, of course, the brain. I tend to get forgetful when I am busy, and when there is a lot on my mind. I often forget something at the supermarket even if I take a list with me. Have you ever walked into a room to get something, and forgotten why you went there? Or perhaps you've met someone on the street who you know, but if you need to introduce them to someone, you forget their name. That too has happened to me. We call these incidences 'senior moments'. It is as if we are very old already. Mind you, a lot of elderly people I know have great memories. Apparently, your memory is like a muscle: the more you use it, the better it works. My mother does sudoku and crosswords to keep her memory sharp; perhaps I should do something like that. Exercise is great for the memory aswell. It forces oxygen rich blood into the brain, and helps you focus, and feel more 'in the moment'. We all laugh about the times we have looked for our sun glasses, and realized that they are on our heads. The other day, I was talking on my cell phone and tidying up in the kitchen at the same time. I wanted to charge my phone, but for the life of me, I couldn't find it. It was only when I finished my conversation and hung up, that I realized that I had been talking on the cell phone, so, of course, I hadn't been able to find it. It's just like the funny story of the busy thief, who went into a bank at lunch time to rob it. His head was covered, but unfortunately for him, he had forgotten to take off his name tag from his place of work. So he was instantly recognized. Oops! I think he needs to do some sudoku too.
Grammar notes.
Useful expressions: to wrack my brains, for the life of me, mind you, unfortunately for ( a person).
1. I wracked my brains to figure out where I had left my keys.
2. For the life of me, I don't know where I put my wallet.
3. London is such a thrilling place to be; mind you, it is very expensive.
4. The student studied for the exam. Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten to memorize the vocabulary.
Today, I went to the awards ceremony at my children's school. It was for the fourth and fifth graders who have made great improvements during the year. It was also to give the fifth graders a good send-off, because they will be moving up to Middle school in September. The principal was the speaker; he handed out certificates and talked about all the activities that the students had taken part in during the year. It was a fairly emotional assembly; I could tell that the teachers would miss the students, - well, some of them. It made me realise that time is moving on. The Summer holidays are upon us! And we will be leaving in a month. I am going to take my kids to Europe for six weeks to visit family and friends. We will fly into London, stay with my step-brother, then up to Scotland to be with my father for about ten days. Then, back down the country to Yorkshire where my sister and two nephews live. The beginning of August we will travel to Mallorca and stay with my mother's family for two weeks, and then we will fly to Girona where we will meet up with my husband for the last two weeks. He plans on getting some serious cycling in, and I just want to discover another part of Spain. I also hope to visit two friends who live in the south of France; it's the perfect opportunity. I can't wait. I will load up on inspiration, I'm sure. Believe me, there will be tonnes of podcast flowing after the Summer, from all the experiences we are going to have. There are no substitutes for beautiful european countries; I'm really looking forward 'going home' for a while. Travelling with four children, however, makes me feel a little nervous, but then again we will be with family most of the time, so that eases my nerves. One month and counting. We will have just enough time to finish up with baseball season, load up the computer with podcasts for my lovely listeners, and off we will go. I won't take my lap top with me, for fear of losing or breaking it. But, I will have a whole Summer of podcasts ready for you. So, here's looking forward to the Summer holidays!
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: a send-off, to hand out, to load up, for fear of...
1. We gave the newly wedded couple a great send-off before they flew to Paris.
2. A man on the street was handing out free concert tickets.
3. During Thanksgiving, we loaded up our plates with all kinds of good food.
4. I drove extra slowly this Winter, and put chains on the wheels, for fear of losing control of the car on the ice.
I was on Facebook today, updating comments to friends and family, when I came across a health test that I chose to take. It is called the 'Real age' test that many people have seen on Oprah. Well, I haven't seen Oprah in years, but I did want to find out about this age test. The main question to be answered by taking it is, "What is your biological age?" You might be forty, but physically you could be older or younger. I have heard of the potential difference between our biological and chronological clocks. So, of course, I was curious about mine. I'm forty two, but biologically how old am I? Thirty, forty, fifty? Eek, the thought of being older didn't please me. I clicked on the link and got on to the Real age page. There were some very simple questions to answer: my age, height, weight, my eating, driving, and exercise habits, and general lifestyle. I was thrilled to find out that I'm only thirty four biologically. Well, perhaps it's true. This Real age thing started at the Cooper clinic longevity center, and Dr. Michael Roizen examines patients with the aim of them changing a few things in their lifestyle to increase their longevity. An improvement can always be made. From the information I put into the test, apparently I don't eat enough whole grains. Okay, I agree. I buy lots of whole grain food for the family, but I don't necessarily eat it myself. I could probably eat more fruit as well. So, a good result of taking the test is that I will make a few changes. I also spent a short while on a yoga website, as I'm thinking of adding more gentle exercise to my daily routine. Whatever I do has to be doable, if you know what I mean. Something that easily fits into my day. Do you do anything for health each day? Let me know and I'll mention it on a podcast.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to update, chronological, longevity, improvement.
1. I need to update my address book. I have a lot of friends who are not yet on the list.
2. The video was in chronological order; it showed my grandfather from when he was a baby to his present birthday.
3. Taking a daily vitamin supplement is a key to longevity.
4. Improvement is proactive; it is something getting better, or making an effort to do something better.
Something has been happening recently that pleases me a lot. My newly planted roses have been flowering. For some reason I didn't expect them to make such a show this year, with them being new. My entryway project has continued, and I ended up planting two scented roses right next to a row of lavender. My idea was to get a mixture of sweet smells and color altogether. I wasn't a rose fanatic when I was younger, but I am quickly becoming one. It's the smelly ones that I love, and by that I mean, of course, the ones that smell wonderful. I look forward to the day when my floribunda roses have grown substantially, and fill the area with perfume. Having horses across the street, and goats right next door, the smells in this area can become a bit....um...shall we say overpowering. So I'm going to combat evil with good, stinky with sweet smelling. Another one of my plants that is healthy and has a heavy perfume is my honeysuckle. This Spring, it has been loaded with flowers. The humming birds and butterflies love it. As I was looking around a garden center the other day, I noticed that they had some bougainvilleas. Now there is a plant that I would love to have. I have seen some in Sevilla in Spain that were spectacular, and must have been very old because they were huge. Here, however, our winters are very harsh, and I don't believe that they would do very well. I'm on a mission to find wonderful smelling plants, and beautiful creeping plants to transform my garden. Give me a few years, and I will have done it.
Grammar notes.
Related expressions: to make a show, to end up, to look forward to..., they had (as in a shop).
1. My dogwood made a spectacular show of white flowers this year.
2. I went to the florist to buy flowers, and ended up talking to an old friend who was in there.
3. I look forward to the day when my sister and I can travel together.
4. They didn't have any sneakers in the shoe shop, but they had them in the department store.
It was championship night on Monday. My son Cass and his team were through to the baseball finals. They had worked hard all season, and were about to face an equally good team. It was going to be the Blacks against the Greens. The game started at five thirty. My husband had already taken Cass to the team's warm-up session before the game, so I arranged to meet them at the baseball field at the start of the game. As I entered the ball park, I saw my father-in-law, already situated comfortably to watch the game. I chatted with him a little, but was interrupted by my phone ringing. "Anna, it's Doreen. I've broken my arm. I've broken it badly," I heard my neighbor say with difficulty, and then she hung up. I had to leave. There was no one else to help her. Her son, who lives in town, had a stroke last year and can't drive or talk. Her daughter lives in California, and most of her friends are in their eighties, so it was up to me to help. I told my father-in-law what was going on, and he agreed to look after my kids. I ran off to the car and got to her house as soon as possible. The door to Doreen's house was open, as was her car. There were shopping bags full of groceries here and there; she had obviously fallen whilst trying to unload the car. She was standing in the kitchen crying, and holding on to her arm. After easing her into her car, off we went to the hospital. The nurses cut off her sweater; it was too painful to move her arms and to take off her top. They gave her pain medicine, and then x-rayed her arm. It turned out to be a very bad break, in three places, with one of the little bones in fractures. Doreen looked exhausted. She was tired and hungry, drowsy from the medicine, and now, suddenly, nauseous. She has a delicate stomach, and does not take medicine easily. "I'm going to be sick!" she said covering her mouth. I held a plastic bowl under her chin and held her forehead; that's what my mother used to do when I was little. "Fan her!" I said in a bit of a panic to a lady in the room. After a while she felt better. Poor, poor lady; I felt sorry for her. At least she was in the right place, and arrangements were being made for her surgery in the morning. Her daughter-in-law turned up and said that she would take her home. Of course she wouldn't be able to drive herself, not even for a few months.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to warm up, the ball park, stroke, nausea.
1. The athletes need to warm up otherwise they might get an injury.
2. The championship game will take place in the local ball park.
3. She recovered from her stroke; with therapy, she has learned to walk and talk again.
4. That boat ride will cause a lot of nausea.
It is very fashionable here for kids to have portable computer devices. My boys have Psps and Dsis. Their peers all have them, and, therefore, they expect at some stage to get them. The advertising on television doesn't help, as far as being a parent is concerned. The exciting new games that they see advertised make kids want to have the latest thing to play. There is quite a difference between the two devices, so I am told. The Psp has longer games with better graphics. The Dsi, on the other hand, has more variety and shorter games. Cass, for example, can record his voice, take pictures, and then distort both, and add them to a fighting sequence. He can create his own hilarious computer game. The other day, I heard a lot of loud laughter coming from his bedroom. When I investigated, my boys showed me their crazy, newly invented game that had both of them karate kicking, and throwing special power balls at eachother that were made of cropped photos of objects from their bedroom. Hudson, on the other hand, spends time every day trying to go up the various levels of his long games. He has to defeat more monsters, gain more points and weapons, until he can finish. We even have some of their friends calling them to see what level they are at, and if they have any pointers or advice as to how to defeat certain creatures. At the moment, Cass is in the kitchen, making a 'French macaroni and cheese' by following a cooking program on his Dsi. It gives the recipe, the equipment needed, step by step instructions, and extra video information on different foods and cooking methods. The dish is in the oven, and the Dsi is ticking away, timing its cooking. I was a little scared of my son taking the kitchen over. I imagined a complete disaster taking place, but actually he has tidied and cleaned everything! How unusual! That must be one of the instructions from his Dsi.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: portable, to crop, graphics, a pointer.
1. I'm so glad that I have a portable computer, a lap top. I have access to all kinds of information whenever I need it.
2. The wedding photos had too much background, so I cropped them. Now, they mainly show the people.
3. That game needs better graphics; the figures are fuzzy and very simplistic.
4. Could you give me some pointers as to how to grow disease-free roses?
The bell rang today while I was tidying up after dinner. I wondered who it could be at eight o'clock at night. As I approached the door, the bell started ringing very fast, which made me guess that it was one of my children. When I opened the door, I found three boxes on the doorstep. One was a box lid full of dry cut grass, one was a similar box full of tree bark, and the third was the baseball box emptied out and filled with pine cones and pine needles. My son Robert was standing there with a big grin on his face, "D'you see what I did, mum?" His hands and torso were filthy. He had gathered all of these things from the front garden, and had got a lot of the stuff on himself rather than in the boxes. I have been saying for a long time that we should gather up the debris from a tree that we cut down, because it would make great burning material for the Winter. Pine cones catch fire quickly, and keep burning nicely, helping to set the wood on fire. We have two large pines that give a lot of cones each year, so I would like to make the most of this resource that is in our own garden. I am a hunter-gatherer at heart. I have been putting off this task for months, procrastinating, and doing other things instead. So, Robert took the initiative, and did the hard work for me. If we are smart, we will gather the pine cones from the many little pine trees that we have. Though they are small, they have already produced a lot. All together, we will have at least three huge garden bags full of fuel for the Winter. It's funny to think of stocking up for the Winter now that the season is getting warmer and warmer.
Grammar notes.
Use of '(even) though...,...' plus related vocabulary: pine cones, torso, to procrastinate.
1. Even though I had collected lots of pine cones, they were too wet to burn.
2. Even though her torso is very toned, her legs have cellulite.
3. Even though I reminded the students every day about the vocabulary test, they procrastinated and didn't study until the night before.
I don't know if any of you are into photography or not, but it is becoming a passion of mine. I have a cheapo digital camera, but it serves me well. I find myself feeling lost without it. I try to take it with me wherever I go, because you never know when a fabulous photo opportunity will present itself. One such opportunity did the other day, after a heavy rain shower. Most people I know had been complaining about the unusual amount of rain we have had recently. However, one day, after one of those showers, my husband called to me from outside, "Hey, babe, come and see this." When I went out, he was standing by our honeysuckle which grows up and over the fence. It is covered in sweet smelling flowers this time of year. The leaves are waxy and smooth and form a cup shape around the younger flowers. Tom stood quietly and pointed to something down inside the bush. It was a little pool of water that had gathered in the leaves, forming a shiny mound, that sparkled like a diamond. It took my breath away. I immediately ran into the kitchen and grabbed the camera. You'll see on the blog page the result. Later, Tom and I talked about the value of water, the amazing combination of hydrogen and oxygen that we completely rely on, and yet which we take for granted. Water was all around me in England, and here, in the North West there is also an abundance of it. A water shortage for me seems bizarre because I have never had to work hard to obtain it. And yet I know that for much of the planet, a lack of safe drinking water is normal. I remember when I was little, my father would tell me to turn the tap off while I brushed my teeth. He had worked in Nigeria for many years, and was familiar with water preservation. He understood the need to take care of this resource. And now, in many ways, the weather seems to be upside down, with floods in rainy nations, and droughts where water is always short. How can we bring back a balance of water for all? It is, surely, after air, the most precious resource we have.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: cheapo, resource, to rely on, precious.
1. This cheapo umbrella broke the first day I had it.
2. Electricity is a resource that that village really needs.
3. I hope the bus drivers' strike stops soon; I don't have a car, and I rely on the buses to get around.
4. Look after that watch; it was your grandmothers, and is very precious.
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What do you do at the weekends? Do you do anything special to let off steam or to get inspired? I suppose it depends where you live and what is available. After a hard week's work, it is nice sometimes to not do anything. If you look around, though, sometimes you can find entertainment that is designed to attract the public at the weekend. I went shopping on Sunday, and as I pulled into the parking lot in front of the mall, I saw a large, fenced off area where cars are usually parked. I could hear a lot of noise, as well, even though the car windows were closed. I parked, and looked over to see what was going on. A large go-kart track had been set up inside of the fence, with stacks of tires here and there making the shape of the course. All of the diesel run go-karts were running at top speed. It looked like great fun. I contemplated bringing my kids over later. The trouble is, my youngest two wouldn't be allowed to, and would, therefore, feel left out. It would cause more problems that it was worth. Infact, I didn't even mention what I had seen, because I knew that if I did, they would beg me to take them. So, I just stood there and watched as the drivers zoomed around the track, having a great time. Each person wore a white helmet, and was given about twenty minutes to ride freely. There was a smell in the air of rubber, and an atmosphere of excitement. It was an unusual thing to see in front of a beauty store and a sushi bar. But, I suppose, if the parking area is available, why not? When my youngest are a little older, I might let them put on the gear and race eachother.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to let off steam, a fence, a stack, to contemplate.
1. My friend bounces on a trampoline to let off steam. She has such a good time when she does it.
2. We put up a fence so the dogs wouldn't escape.
3. After I chopped up the wood, I stacked it next to the garage.
4. We had dinner out on the deck last night, and contemplated the stars.
“The track meet will be postponed until tomorrow,” said a recorded message on the phone, for the second time. The end of the school year is the time for track and field events for all elementary schools. Recently, however, the weather has not been cooperating. Though my flowers have loved the heavy showers, the organizers of this sport have not. Parents of all the contestants have been looking at the sky from about lunchtime onwards, to see if the clouds are moving in. There must be hundreds of phone calls needed to inform everyone about a cancellation. It is a time when, hopefully, everyone involved gets the message. Especially those people who live out of town. Well, today I’m looking in the sky, and I only see a few clouds, so I assume that the event will take place. My son Cass will be sprinting and doing the long jump. He is long and thin, so he is pretty good at that. The administrators have told me that they keep an eye out for good runners during the year, and then they ask them to represent the school in the Spring. The track and field takes place on the Wenatchee High School grounds, because they have the right facilities. Each elementary school wears a different colored t-shirt, so the crowd knows who is who. It is a big, colorful mix of children of different ages, most of whom have long, insect-like legs. There are teachers and volunteers waving their hands around and yelling instructions, so kids know where they need to be. Names are called from lists, and the students line up at the ready. Parents and friends come to cheer them on. We will all go and watch, take a picnic of some kind, and I will look for photo opportunities. The other events include the eight hundred meter relay, the four hundred meter, the two hundred and the one hundred meter dash. And, as far as practices, there haven’t really been any. How do you train a child to run fast? Most of them just do. All of that goofing around in the back yard playing tag will pay off today.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to postpone, to cancel, at the ready, a relay.
1. The soccer match has been postponed because of rain.
2. The concert has been cancelled because the musicians have the flu.
3. The runners are at the ready. As soon as the gun goes off, they will start running.
4. The runners pass a baton to each other in the relay.
Every two weeks, on Wednesdays I meet up with a friend of mine, and go for a walk in the park. Today was that day, and though it was really rainy, we had a nice time walking and chatting. I took my camera just in case a photo opportunity presented itself. One did. Coming over a small hill, I saw in the distance about twenty, huge poles sticking up out of the ground, equally spaced, and filling the view. "What on earth are they?" I asked my friend Jody. She told me that they were poles for the power lineman climbing competition. Phew! That is a bit of a mouthful. Power linemen are the men who put up and repair the power cables that are held up by very tall, wooden poles. I had no idea that there were pole climbing competitions anywhere. Who has ever heard of that? Anyway, about the time that school is out for the summer, there will be a day of competition and family fun in the park. Linemen from all around the Northwest will compete to win special belt buckles, and the reputation of being strong and skilled. One of the great things about this event, is that it helps to raise scholarship money for high schoolers who are active in preventing drug and alcohol abuse in the community. Now, that's always a good thing. This competition is named after a lineman who was killed by a drunk driver, and so the fundraising is appropriate. There will also be talks on electrical safety, the dangers of drinking and driving, and the need to wear a seat belt. I will take my kids to the park. They will be allowed to talk to the linemen, handle their tools, and have a photo taken with them. I might be able to try my hand at climbing a pole. Wouldn't that be funny! It sounds like an unusual event, so I'm curious to take part.
Grammar notes.
Practice of the past subjunctive using the phrase 'in case'.
1. I took my umbrella just in case it rained.
2. She prepared herself in case he proposed.
3. I studied extra hard, in case the test was difficult.
4. They took a compass on their hike, just in case they got lost.
Muddy, brown water. A couple of wiffle balls. An old, dirty snowman toy. A plastic Dora the Explora figure that has been buried in the earth for over a year. Add to these things a stinky sock and a few sticks, and you have the perfect recipe for 'sock soup'. And of course you have to mix it all together in a wheel barrow. That is what took place today in my vegetable garden. I was peacefully planting some seeds, and making sure that everything was just right, when I heard some little monkeys come running in my direction. "Uh-oh," I thought to myself, "here comes trouble." Robert and Domini were wanting to get involved in the garden, get their hands dirty, do no work at all, and make a huge mess. You know, like kids normally do. So, I gave them a few rules to follow, and then let them get on with their project. I think they were pretending to be scientists. They stirred the chemicals carefully, and immersed their patient, the snowman, in the mix. It was very serious play time. This experiment would change history. As I watched them, I was reminded about a similar occasion, when a little boy (my brother) and a very little girl (myself) were also mixing a very important cocktail. We were at my grandparents house in the Summer. They had chickens, and some how my brother and I had got hold of the corn feed. We mixed it with water in a very large watering can. And we invented a chant, "Corn and water, water and corn. Corn and water, water and corn." We were so happy, mixing and chanting, chanting and mixing. We could have continued for hours. However, my very traditional, serious, and a little impatient grandfather was trying to sleep on a lawn chair nearby. He tossed and turned, and tried to ignore us. But then, suddenly, he just couldn't take it anymore. He sat upright, and barked like a bull dog, "For goodness sake, would you be quiet!" Surprised, and a little amused at how cross and red-faced he was, we fell silent for a few minutes. But then we started whispering our chant, instead. How kids love to mess about. It's great. I let my children get on with it, and use their imaginations, until it gets too messy. Then we call it a day.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: a wiffle ball, to call it a day, a watering can, red-faced.
1. A wiffle ball has lots of holes in it, and makes a sort of whistle when you hit it with a bat.
2. I'm tired. We've been digging all day. Let's call it a day.
3. The water flows gently from the watering can and doesn't break the tender flowers.
4. The teacher was so cross that we was red-faced.
A few weeks ago, while my oldest son was having a check-up with the pediatrician, I collected several pamphlets from the clinic's reading area. I thought perhaps I could learn something while I waited. One of the pamphlets was about back health, something that I don't really think about very often. A couple of years ago, however, I had no choice but to think about it, because I suddenly developed back pain. It was nothing serious. I had been carrying my baby on my left hip for a year, and, I think, my back finally had had enough of the imbalance. So, it sent me a message, in the form of pain. Gosh, it was awful. I didn't know what to do. I tried stretching carefully, lying on the massaging chair that we have, and I finally took a pain killer. My husband advised me to go to the chiropractor to check out my spine, and get it adjusted if necessary. The next day, I found myself in line at the chiropractic clinic, waiting for my turn, and reading the posters on the wall that talked about back health. The chiropractic philosophy is that each vertebra affects a set of nerves that influence other parts of the body, including organs and glands. So everything is interrelated. If the spine is okay, the rest of the body can take care of itself. "Makes sense to me," I thought as I read about the parts of the spine: the spinal column, the spinal cord, vertebrae, sciatica, the discks, and the upper, middle, and lower back. As I looked at the people in line, I wondered which part of their backs were hurting, and why. I had met people who had been in car accidents and who had suffered whiplash. That was common. Some people had worse conditions which needed on-going treatment. My back pain was acute, meaning sharp but not long lasting. Others had a chronic condition which goes on for a long time. Well, my turn came. After having an x-ray, the chiropractor told me that I just had a couple of vertebrae out of place. He was pleasant and relaxed, and chatted away as I lay down on the adjustment bed. I remember that I was in the middle of answering one of his questions, when WHAMO! He pushed and twisted my lower back in one second. I heard a 'click' in my back and felt some pressure, and it was over. After checking my mobility, I was on my way home. The pain was gone, and my spine felt loose again. What a relief! I'll take an acute back problem over a chronic one any day/
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary and expressions: to have no choice but to...., to have enough of..., spinal cord, whiplash.
1. I have no choice but to sell my house; it is far too expensive to keep.
2. We had had enough of the cold weather, so we flew to the Caribbean.
3. The spinal column protects the spinal cord from which nerves go out into the body.
4. When the other car hit me from behind, my head was thrown back, and I got whiplash.