It has been some time since we had an episode of The Tour Of Homes, so today we will take a close look at the dining room. It, like the kitchen and lounge, is a focal point of family life. A lot of good things happen here, and it is a place where we celebrate special occasions. This room centers around a table and chairs. Here in Western society, there are often more than four chairs around a table. When there is a special occasion, often friends and family come to celebrate, so more chairs are needed. The table is 'laid' (what we say in England), or 'set' (which is what we say in the U.S.) To do this, we need cutlery, crockery, glasses, sometimes a table cloth or a 'runner' which is a much skinnier version of a table cloth, and a salt and pepper shaker, and perhaps some candles. Don't forget serviettes, or napkins as they call them here in the U.S. For special times, the table can be decorated with candles, flowers, or some craft type arrangement. Here in the North West, it is very popular to mix candles in some pretty arrangement for the table, especially during the Winter. I have seen some center pieces that are a mix of flowers, pebbles, plastic fruit, and candles. But it's up to the imagination of the owner. Anything goes. Other furniture in the room includes dressers to store crockery and cutlery, wine glasses, and wine bottles. Often a dining room is decorated with art work of different forms, pretty curtains, perhaps a rug, and often a chandelier or other light fixture that has more than the average amount of detail. We use our dining room for family meals often during the week, even though sometimes we will eat at different times depending on our schedules. The special occasions are: Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Birthdays. These are the times that I really dress the place up, get out the nice plates and glasses, and make the effort of ironing a table cloth. Even though the way of life in the U.S. is crazy busy, the dining room still can be a place of togetherness and relaxation.

Grammar notes.

Dining room vocabulary: cutlery, crockery, runner, center piece.

1. We like to get out the decent cutlery when we have people over to dinner.

2. We store the nice crockery in the dresser in the dining room to keep it safe and on display.

3. My mother bought me a lovely Indian table runner the other day which goes perfectly with the art in the dining room.

4. At Thanksgiving, we usually have a center piece that has Autumn flowers and fruit of the season.

Did you witness any of the events of Earth Hour this year? There was a lot more participation this year from around the globe, than last year. 125 countries signed up to turn out some major (majour) lights, and out of those countries, 56 national capitals were to turn off lights on buildings that have great significance. I saw some of the 'turning off' on my laptop the next day, and I was impressed at the scale of this organized event. It is a statement that people want action, and that we can become an organized group and do something good for the planet. Last year in December, there was a meeting in Copenhagen about climate change. Politicians joined in discussions, trying to agree about what can be done to reduce global warming and its effects. There were a lot of hopes that strong action could be taken in every country to reduce CO2 emissions, and to develop clean sources of energy. It's never that easy though, is it. The U.S. and Europe have been the biggest polluters, and now China has caught up, and other developing nations like India. Development has to happen. Economies have to grow, and people's standards of living have to go up. It is only fair. The trick would be finding a cleaner way to do it all. So far, the political meetings, like the ones in Copenhagen and Kyoto, have been the first steps. But actions like Earth Hour show a public awareness, and a hope that we can all learn about what we can do as individuals. Watching the great monuments and symbols of nations turn their lights out was an inspiration. Yes, it saved energy aswell. But more than that, it was a symbol of greater things that we can do in the future.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: participation, the scale, standard of living, public awareness.

1. There was a lot of participation in the local tree planting day.

2. The scale of the new buildings is enormous.

3. Since we are both working, our standard of living has gone up.

4. There should be more awareness about the pollution in the rivers.

About two weeks ago, I found that my eyes were feeling quite itchy. The feeling lasted all day, and has continued ever since. About one week ago, my nose started running, as if a little water tap had been turned on all of a sudden. No, I'm not sick. It's just allergy season. Most people I know suffer from some allergy or other. I'm not sure exactly what I am allergic to, but I can guess that it is something to do with plants. It is Spring, the weather is warming up, plants and trees are budding, so I assume that there is something in the air that is seasonal that causes me to have an allergic reaction. The trouble with seasonal allergies is that, when you have them, you look like you are sick. Red eyes, a runny nose, general discomfort or annoyance because of the symptoms, all add up to a look of being ill. I'm not very good at taking medicine either. I choose not to, unless I'm feeling really bad. Mind you, the allergy medicine in the cupboard has been looking very attractive recently. My husband also has allergies, but he doesn't mess around and waste time. He goes straight for the solution, takes the pill or the liquid, and gets on with life. Deep down I don't want to believe that I have allergies. I would prefer it if my symptoms came from a cold. Around here, they say that if you have lived in Wenatchee for seven years, then it's your turn to develop an allergy. Well, I've been here for eighteen, so I am overdue! It must be something to do with all of the orchards and agriculture. Thankfully, we don't have any food allergies; now, that would be rough. A good friend of mine is wheat intolerant, and has to be careful with her diet. In restaurants and at parties, she has to ask lots of questions about the food that is available, and sometimes avoid the food just in case. I can't imagine having to avoid wheat, or my favorite, dairy products. So, I will put up with the sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes by remembering that some people have far worse allergies than I do. Perhaps I'll look in the medicine cabinet today, and give one of them a try.

Grammar notes.

Common phrases: ever since, deep down, the trouble with, just in case.

1. Ever since I went to the art gallery, I have been wanting to go back.

2. She won't admit it, but deep down she is in love with him.

3. The trouble with this restaurant is that, even though it is elegant, the food is far too expensive.

4. Even though it was sunny outside, we took our umbrellas, just in case.

"We can't move forward until you mail it back" is the saying on the recent campaign to get everyone to fill in their census form. As required by the constitution, a census has to be conducted every ten years. We have all received the forms in the mail, and now it is up to us to fill them in and send them back. The data collected by the census will help determine which towns need roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Schools, hospitals and senior citizens' homes will also be funded as part of the 400 billion dollars of federal money given for the needs of the country. It's tax money, of course, so it makes sense that we fill in the forms and get our communities what we need. If people fail to mail the census form back, a census taker will actually come to that house up to three times to get the paper work filled out. It is that important. Another thing that is important about the census is that it will determine how many seats our state will have in the House of Representatives. The way that works is as follows: each state has at least one representative in the House of Representatives, or 'the house' as it is commonly known. The more populated the state, the more representatives it can have. The number of representatives allowed is fixed by law at 435, the highest number coming from California. All of these members can vote on issues like revenue bills, or to impeach an official. You might already know that the house is part of Congress, it's position being under the Senate. So, I will fill in my census form, to let the government know that I am here, where I am from, what I do, and about my family. I certainly want us to have proper representation in the house, so the basic needs of our community can be met. Just think, the oldest recorded census was taken over 4000 years ago in China, during the Xia Dynasty. It has been a practical tool for governments ever since.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: representative, state, member, to vote.

1. That woman over there is one of our state representatives; she visits Washington DC regularly.

2. Washington State is called the evergreen state because of all of its forests.

3. We were members of the YMCA, but we gave up our membership last year.

4. It is very important to vote, to have a say in the country's future.

Today, President Barack Obama signed into law his medical reform bill. Some people are very excited about this new development, and other people are not. The question of whether the U.S. needs universal health care has been debated for months. The government has been split about the idea. Democrats, in general, are in favor of it, but Republicans have not wanted it. The main problem is cost. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country. There are lots of federal programs that help people receive health care. The two biggest ones are Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare supplies low-cost health insurance to the elderly and disabled, while Medicaid is for the poor. All of these programs are very expensive to run, and yet not everybody is covered. There are millions who have no health care coverage. Even those who can afford health insurance are not guaranteed help for all of their needs; some who have a pre-existing condition are refused help for that illness. Another problem has been the huge expense of medicine in this country. Lots of people actually go to Canada to buy cheaper medicine. Regulations need to be made on how much pharmaceutical companies can charge for their products. Historically, costs have also risen because of the many malpractice lawsuits, and the legal system allows huge sums of money to be paid in compensation. This has driven up costs in general. There is a lot of work to be done in the government to make the system fair. I suppose health care systems always need to be monitored and improved. Personally, I agree with universal health care coverage. It must be absolutely dreadful to be in a position where you cannot get medical care for your own children or other loved ones. Plus, a healthy nation is a productive one. Mind you, I can also see the Republican's concerns about 'big government' and too much taxing of citizens. The central question is, as far as I can see, a person's right to have health care. It's a moral question, not just a financial one. So it becomes a little more complicated. Perhaps, if the government is smart about the details, this could be the beginning of a very good thing.

Grammar notes.

Medical system related vocabulary: universal coverage, health insurance, pharmaceutical, to reform.

1. Universal coverage is when everyone is covered, or has access to something.

2. People pay health insurance companies every month, the same way we pay car insurance companies.

3. The pharmaceutical companies are very wealthy and have a lot of power.

4. The health system is being reformed; it is being changed and updated.

I love to use my laptop, to play around with different programs, to surf the web, and to edit photos. Today I have been doing that for hours. Now that my app has come out in iTunes, I have been trying to design a really good photo for it. The existing photo of a red cup with flags on it is fine, but I wanted something a little more elegant. So, I have been playing around with a little tea set that I inherited from my grandmother on my father's side. It is a 'tea for two' set which is extra small. It is what we call 'fine bone china', and hand painted. It has a lot of sentimental value for me, as it is my only connection to a grandmother who died when I was just a baby. The idea of a cup of tea is a theme for my work for several reasons. First, I come from a tea drinking nation, England. Secondly, I love the stuff, and even though I try to avoid the stereotype of drinking tea in the afternoon, it is exactly what I do! Thirdly, I love the idea of filling up a cup with knowledge until it overflows. So, the tea cup image will always be in my work. To make just the right photo, I bought a large sheet of red paper, placed the cup and saucer on it, arranged some extra lighting, and held the tea pot over the cup. It would have been perfect if I had had an extra hand, but I just about managed with two. After taking the photo, I then had to edit it. I started by sharpening the picture. That means that I selected a button which adds strength to the edges in a picture. There is a feature in the program that I use which allows you to add text (or writing). What I hadn't realised before is that after writing the words, you can turn them to point in different directions. Perfect! I wrote and arranged lots of words on the photo. The 'look' that I was after was that of English pouring out of the tea pot into the cup. It took me ages to finish. I couldn't bend the words, so I had to reposition the words part by part. When I finished, I was relieved. It had taken a long time. You must check out the new photo and tell me what you think. It should replace the old one on the app in a couple of weeks.

Grammar notes.

Practicing the past participle with related verbs: to edit, to design, to arrange, to select.

1. The photographer edited the wedding photos and made everybody look much younger.

2. The architect designed a beautiful park for the center of the city.

3. The florist arranged the flowers carefully in the vase.

4. Select the undo button in the program if you want to erase what you just did.

Something very exciting has happened in Wenatchee. A professional american football team has been developed which is called The Wenatchee Venom. The team has a mixture of men from all over the country, and has just had its first game. I was lucky enough to go to this big event on Saturday night. It was held at the new stadium in town. We got there about half an hour before the game started, but still, the parking lot was full, and there was a long line of people waiting to get into the building. We were fortunate enough to have box seats for the night, so basically we had a private room with meals and drinks, and a great view of the field. Because this is an indoor stadium that is used for many different events, the field is not as big as an american football field usually is. In true U.S. style, the evening was not just about the game. It was a show from start to finish. There were performances by cheerleaders, three mascots dancing, a pretend sumo wrestler running competition, and loud modern music throughout. It is big business really. Advertisements for local companies and sponsors were announced all the way through the evening, and even in one of the end zones, a sponsor's name was written right on the field. It was interesting to observe all the elements of this sporting event. The game itself was great fun. Wenatchee won, and the players were real showmen. They danced and encouraged the crowd to cheer and clap. I was yelling, applauding, and making all kinds of noises, which suprised the people I was with. I couldn't help it, the Wenatchee Venom made some very good touch-downs. I hope I can go and see Venom again, because they are a team that plays with heart, as they say here. I think that means that they give it their all, they hold nothing back. A few of them were injured during the game and had to leave. It's not surprising considering how they would throw themselves head first at their opponents to block them. It must be like getting into a car crash when they collide! I hope the team continues to be successful. It would be exciting to put Wenatchee on the map through a professional sport. We'll see how their season goes.

Grammar notes.

American football related vocabulary: touch-down, field goal, end-zone,line of scrimmage.

1. The team scores points by getting touch-downs.

2. If a field goal is kicked after a touch down, the team gets an extra point. If it is kicked without a touch-down, it gets three.

3. The-end zone is the area at each end of the field where the touch-downs are scored.

4. The line of scrimmage is when the teams bend down close together and the ball gets passed along the floor.

Today, I have an announcement to make. I am very excited to tell all of you that A Cup Of English is available in app (or application)  for the iPhone, the iPod touch, the iPad or similar devices. It is already available in iTunes. For those of you who have such a device, you can have instant access to all of my podcasts with the text, grammar notes, and photos that automatically come with the blog. Pretty cool, isn't it? No more need to turn on a computer and download; it's all there at the push of a button. I had no idea that I would get an app. until I was contacted by the company that hosts my podcast, Libsyn. They told me that there was a time-limited offer for producers of podcasts. There were a few forms to fill in and sign, and details to work out, but the whole process went quite smoothly. Have you ever looked at some of the apps that are now available? There are so many of them! My husband has a Droid which also uses apps. He has one that gives step by step directions to anywhere you want to go. Another lists restaurants, their times of operation, comments on the food, and makes recommendations. And the list goes on. Apple first opened its app store in iTunes in July, 2008. As of 15th of January, there were one hundred and thirty three thousand nine hundred and seventy nine applications made by different producers. And guess how many downloads? About three billion. I love those big numbers! I suppose apps are supposed to make your life easier by giving you quick access to needed or wanted information. What a great invention. Technology is changing and getting updated so quickly that I feel I need to keep up with the changes. When I think back to the first computer games we had, Pac Man and Pong, I am amazed at the progress that has been made. In this area, I certainly don't want to be left behind.

Grammar notes.

Using the past participle of a verb as an adjective: watched, needed, signed, recommended, left.

1. The new movie has been watched by more people in recorded history.

2. You are needed in the conference room please.

3. The document will be signed and delivered tomorrow.

4. That hotel is not recommended by people I know.

5. The passports were left on the kitchen table; the couple didn't realise until they arrived at the airport. 

This Spring, we have experienced an unusual amount of rain, so much so that it has caused problems in many areas. I was driving to a local bakery the other day, when I came to some road works. I had to stop my car and wait for the heavy machinery to get out of the way, so I took a few minutes to look around at what had happened. The road followed a hillside that was cut away to look a bit like a cliff, but the mixture of rock and soil looked crumbly. The consistent rain over the course of a week had loosened the rock from the soil and brought some boulders down onto the road. A very dangerous situation! Watch out drivers! The heavy machinery was clearing the road so the traffic could continue. When I got home, I looked up the geology of this area on the internet. It turns out there are two trails that a person can drive along to view an enormous variety of geological activity. Apparently, about 17,000 years ago there were enormous glaciers covering a lot of North America. It just so happens that there was a blockage of ice that stopped a huge lake of melted water from flowing south. When the ice block finally gave way, the gigantic flood affected this area by depositing massive 200 ton boulders in strange places, and tons of gravel in other places. Scientists say that there is evidence of 50 cubic miles of earth and rock being displaced up to a hundred times, and contributing to what is now this area. It's funny what you learn by looking something up on the internet, isn't it? A man who has written a book about the geology of this area, Mr. Charles L. Mason, writes that there has been "a buffet of geological events....that are unparalleled nearly anywhere else on earth." Gosh, and I learned all of that because I had to wait for some road works. Whatever will I learn next?

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: glaciers, boulders, gravel, geology.

1. There are small glaciers in the mountains nearby.

2. Some people climb on the large boulders that are a few miles away.

3. Our driveway used to be all gravel, but the little rocks would get everywhere, so now it is asphalt.

4. Geology is the study of rock formations.

Well, podlisteners, I thought that it was about time that you saw my husband and I, so check out the photo on the blog page......Okay, I'm only kidding. We look nothing like the two people in the photo. They are fitness trainers from the P90X program that my husband and I have just started to use. We saw an advertisement a few weeks ago on the television, you know the kind: it shows what people used to look like when they were overweight and soft, and then, it shows them after using the P90X, and they have been transformed into Greek gods. The system is based on, what they call, 'muscle confusion', never letting your muscles get too used to an exercise. It involves a lot of variety. I understand that advertising is a lot of exaggeration, but we decided that even if there was a moderate improvement in our strength and flexibility, that it would be worth it. So, my husband paid with his credit card over the phone, and a few days later we received the package in the mail. Now, you are supposed to exercise six times a week for about an hour, for ninety days, to see optimal results. Then you can reduce the exercise to two or three times a week. So, that is the plan. And, you know, so far we have stuck to it. Even our kids have joined us, in their own way, in the push ups and sit ups. In typical kid fashion, they get bored after about fifteen minutes, and start goofing around. But it's all great fun at the moment. Tom, my husband, and I are definitely transforming into something....I'm not sure exactly what. The other day, we did yoga, and it was tough. I have never had such a good workout for my abdominal muscles, and do you know why? It's because I was laughing the whole time at my husband. He looked like an arthritic pelican, with long limbs in odd places, flapping around, and struggling. My stomach muscles are still aching a bit, but it's a good ache, one that I've earned through hard work. I am actually quite impressed with the instructor, Tony, who always emphasizes safety, the importance of warming up and stretching, and keeping good form (which means the correct posture). The last thing you want to do is injure yourself and not be able to exercise at all. So, we are full speed ahead on our fitness program. Arnold Schwarzenegger watch out!

Grammar notes.

Exercise related vocabulary: sit ups and push ups, to warm up, biceps and triceps, to stretch.

1. Sit ups really work your abdominal muscles, while push ups work your arms, back, and abdominals too.

2. If you don't warm up before exercising, you could hurt your muscles.

3. We used weights to work our biceps and triceps, which men around here call their 'guns'.

4. It feels so good to stretch before and after exercising.