The minister saw the odd procession and cried out at the three sisters, "Have you no shame, girls? Why are you running after the boy? It's just not right!" He tried to pull the youngest girl away. Suddenly, he felt that he was stuck in the crowd and had to follow the goose, like everybody else. The minister's wife saw her husband running along with the three girls. She cried out in amazement, "Dear husband, slow down! We have to be at a wedding in a few minutes!" She pulled on his sleeve to try ...
Jul 23, 2010•4 min
When Samuel reached for their snack, he found a magnificent sweet cake and a large bottle of cider for them to share. "My, look at this," said Samuel. "I am glad I have much more than stale bread to share with you." When they finished their tasty meal, the old man told Samuel, "You shared your goods with me, and for that I am grateful. Now you will have good luck to go with your kind heart." The little man pointed at an old tree nearby. "Cut down that tree and you'll find something special there...
Jul 21, 20100
Hello everyone, just to let you know, there will be no podcasts this week, but I will continue our readings the following week. Keep up with your English! Tweet //
Jul 19, 2010•1 min
There once was a gentle boy called Samuel. He lived at the edge of the forest with his parents and two older brothers. His family often treated him poorly. They didn't know that he was capable of much greater things, until the day that he met a strange old man in the woods. That day began as Samuel's oldest brother went to cut wood. Their mother packed a sweet cake and a bottle of cider for her oldest son to take into the woods. Samuel stayed at home and chopped nuts. In the woods, Samuels's bro...
Jul 19, 2010•4 min
Alistair led Oliver through the dining room. They hid behind potted plants and raced under tablecloths. They waited until the chef went to check something in the dining room, then they scampered across the kitchen and into the dark pantry where Oliver stumbled over something. "Do be careful," said Alistair. Oliver saw what he'd stumbled over. "It's a-a-a..." "A mousetrap," Alistair knocked it under a shelf with his paw. "You will learn to stay away from them." Alistair led Oliver up the shelves ...
Jul 16, 2010•5 min
Oliver gathered acorns and stacked them near his hole. Then he collected seeds from the grass and carried them into the hole. Then he went to the cornfield to find fallen corn. While Oliver was hard at work, Alistair yawned and leaned against the root of the oak tree. Then he wiped the dust from his shoes with his silk handkerchief. When Oliver returned with some corn, he piled it neatly. "Thank goodness you're done." Alistair collapsed into the wheelbarrow. "Now I'd say it's time for a snack an...
Jul 14, 2010•4 min
Once upon a time, a country mouse named Oliver lived in a hole under the root of a big, old oak tree. Oliver loved the sound of squirrels chattering during the day and crickets chirping at night. He loved the smell of rich dirt and sweet grass all around him. One day Oliver invited his city cousin, Alistair, for a visit. Before Alistair arrrived, Oliver tidied up his hole. He straightened his leaf bed. He spread fresh pine needles on the floor. He scrubbed the tuna can table and polished the bot...
Jul 12, 20100
Summer time is check-up time for the kids. When school is out, it's convenient to take them to their various appointments with doctors or dentists. Now, believe it or not, dental check-ups are quite exciting for my kids. I know, it sounds crazy. The reason for the excitement is that we have an agreement. If they have no new cavities, then they get a cash prize. The aim is to encourage them to brush their teeth well. They make their plans to buy a certain toy, and I hope that they don't need any ...
Jul 06, 20100
Hello there podlisteners. I hope your Summer is going really well so far. I realise that I have 'slacked off' this week when it comes to podcasting. The Summer bug has bitten me, and I have been having too much fun to sit down at work at a computer. To slack off means to become lazy, or to not do your job properly. And, we talk about being 'bitten' by a certain bug, when we mean that we become enthused by an activity. For example: The baking bug has bitten me; I bake every day. OR The tennis bug...
Jul 02, 20100
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 plent...
Jun 21, 20100
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 ...
Jun 20, 20100
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 st...
Jun 16, 20100
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 chronolog...
Jun 15, 20100
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, ...
Jun 14, 20100
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 ...
Jun 10, 20100
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 ha...
Jun 09, 20100
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 ...
Jun 08, 20100
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 t...
Jun 08, 2010•5 min
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 he...
Jun 07, 2010•5 min
“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 ...
Jun 04, 2010•6 min
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 po...
Jun 03, 2010•5 min
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 com...
Jun 02, 2010•6 min
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 thi...
Jun 01, 2010•6 min
Have you ever walked into your kitchen first thing in the morning and found that little, tiny strangers have moved in? And not only have strangers moved in, but there are hundreds of them, and they are eating your food. Ants. Ants. Where do they come from? And how do they sense where the food is? For the past few days I have been paranoid about people dropping crumbs in the kitchen, because it seems that ten minutes later, some clever ants have gathered around whatever was dropped, and they're f...
May 31, 2010•6 min
I was running errands today, when I spotted a new business in town. At the bottom of a three story building, in the basement area, a cafe has opened this week. I noticed it because there are some colorful flags flying in the outside eating area. "Oooo," I thought as I waited in the traffic, I must go in there for a quick bite to eat, and to 'check out' the atmosphere. Well, I'm very pleased that I did go in. Not only does the inside have a lot of character, but it's purpose serves a good cause. ...
May 28, 2010•6 min
The entryway of our house is finally beginning to look pretty. I have recently transplanted plants from other areas of our garden to the walkway that leads up to our house. After choosing a tree to shade the area, I thought that I had finished. About a two weeks ago (a fortnight in British), I saw lots of green shoots coming up right next to the path. I could immediately tell that these new plants were not weeds; they were too uniform, and had pretty leaves. As time has gone by, these little sho...
May 27, 2010•5 min
In the kitchen yesterday, I was considering all of the language that we are exposed to around the house. Containers of food and cleaning fluids can all teach us a lot of a new language. Even some small appliances often have instructions of some kind on them. When I'm at the kitchen sink, which is very often, I use all sorts of liquids for all of the cleaning that I do. My dish soap is anti-bacterial. Then I have a hand sanitizer that you can use without water. Even some of the hand creams that I...
May 25, 2010•6 min
I have great neighbors. They are friendly, I trust them, and they are helpful. What more could I ask for in a neighborhood? As a friendly neighbor myself, I do what I can to keep my relationship with the people next door to me a positive one. The neighbor to my left recently got married to a lady who loves animals, infact, she used to have a farm. When she moved in she had goats, a pony, chickens, and she bred dogs. Gradually, to please her husband, she has sold some of the animals. That is actu...
May 24, 2010•6 min
"Did your teacher give you your homework packet?" is a question I ask my children often. Every week they get a set of papers that are stapled together, each paper being either a math sheet or a reading and writing sheet. For the longest time, I couldn't get my youngest son to do his daily sheet. The teachers expect the students to do one sheet each afternoon at home. If they concentrate, it hardly takes any time, but, obviously, the longer you wait to do it in the evening, the longer and harder ...
May 13, 20100
It's time that I bought a new camera. I need a digital that has a decent zoom. I realized that the other day when I was outside, trying to get a good shot of two birds who were nesting. I had been busy throwing the ball to our dogs, when I saw a flash of white out of the corner of my eye. When I turned to see what it was, I saw a bird, obviously the male, sitting on top of the bird house, with a beak full of white feathers. There were so many of them, that they covered half of his body. He had s...
May 12, 20100
