Are turkeys a part of your culture? They are over here in the U.S. You have probably heard about the Thanksgiving turkey. Did you know that the tradition of celebrating by eating a turkey started with the Native American Indians? It was the Wampanoag tribe, specifically, that in 1621 shared food that was naturally available locally, with the European Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts. They celebrated having survived a cruel winter, and having made important friendships with the Na...
Oct 19, 2010•6 min
Every year, either in the summer, or around October, we make a trip to Smallwood's Farm. It is a family-run farm with a petting zoo. All of the produce grown on the farm is sold directly to the public. Through the years, it has grown from a small attraction, to one that does an awful lot of business for most of the year. Each year I have seen more attractions and events added, to draw in a bigger crowd of spenders. The journey from our home is only about twenty minutes. As we drive away from Wen...
Oct 15, 2010•6 min
The photo on today's blog is one of the most unusual I have taken since I started A Cup Of English. Bras on a bridge.....um.....it makes you think. It's symbolic, of course. There are so many of them, each being unique. They represent the women who have suffered or are suffering with breast cancer. Many people use that particular bridge in Wenatchee, and so, have had the opportunity to think about the subject. The organizer of this display asked for one thousand bras to be donated. A walk to rai...
Oct 14, 2010•5 min
I realized today, that yesterday's date was special: 10/10/10. It was October 10th, 2010. I had been too busy over the weekend to stop and realize the curious and interesting date. While I was chatting to my sister-in-law today, she mentioned that she had measured the height of her three boys, as a way of commemorating the day. It could be what we call an 'auspicious' date, a day of significance and importance. My children told me that a popular kids' program called 'Ben 10' had been on the cart...
Oct 11, 2010•6 min
Sorry everyone, there are no podcasts for a few days as I will be busy in one of the local schools. But, don't worry, I will resume normal podcasting after this week. So, keep up with the English, and have a great weekend. Anna. Tweet //
Oct 08, 2010•1 min
Kindergarten is proving to be quite a fun place for my daughter. They went on their first field trip the other day; it was a 'tree walk'. They have been studying trees: how they grow, and how they change with the seasons, so a tree walk was the perfect ending for their studies. I volunteered that day, and arrived at the school a few minutes before the bus left. There were several mothers there, and we all helped the teacher line the children up and get them ready for their big trip. When I say '...
Oct 05, 2010•6 min
Yesterday, there was a knock at the door. "Mum, there's some guy at the door," said my son, letting me know that he didn't feel like opening the door. I had just woken up from a nap. So, still feeling drowsy, I unlocked and opened the front door. I expected to find, perhaps, a neighbor, or someone selling something. To my surprise, there was a large man who I didn't know, who was dressed in an eighteenth century military costume. He beamed a smile at me, and handed me a plastic envelope containi...
Oct 04, 2010•5 min
As I walked outside yesterday to throw the garbage in the dumpster, the evening sky caught my eye. There was a spread of small clouds that were lit up by the sun, beautiful and pink. An English saying came to mind: Red sky at night, shepherd's delight; Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning. I remember hearing that saying when I was a child. At that time, I lived in a rural area where there was a lot of farm land. It was important to know when to plant seeds, and how the weather would affect...
Oct 01, 2010•5 min
One of the places we stayed this summer was Whithorn, Scotland, where my father lives. It is one of many picturesque towns in Galloway. Whithorn happens to be very famous; it is considered possibly Scotland's first town. It is the starting point of Christianity in the U.K, with St. Ninian establishing the building called the Candida Casa, or Glimmering White House, after the stone it was made from. This building became a cathedral and a monastery. Whithorn was a center for pilgrammages, even for...
Sep 28, 2010•5 min
During the summer vacation, I took my children to visit the Creetown gem rock museum, in Scotland. It is highly recommended, as it is the leading independent gem rock museum in the whole of the UK. We travelled about fourty five minutes to get there, and, believe me, it was worth it. Though the entrance is small, the first room you come to opens up into a world of colorful gems and rocks of all kinds. There are many tall display cases, showing huge crystals, with their names and information on w...
Sep 27, 2010•5 min
Have you ever been roped into a project that you didn't plan, or necessarily want? To be roped into something, is to be caught up, or carried along by someone else's idea. It's like being involved because you are forced to, or you feel obliged. Well, I have been roped into a project recently. My son Cass is having his birthday party soon, and wants to have a medieval battle with his friends on our back lawn......hmmm, I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I have been given orders to collect as man...
Sep 22, 2010•5 min
The other day, when I went to lunch with my mum, I noticed that the restaurant was decorated in an autumn theme. It was beautifully done. The owner, or someone who works in that restaurant, must have gone to the local arts and crafts store to get the supplies. I love that place! There you will find all the bits and pieces you need to create beautiful projects for your house. The items are all expertly made, and imported mainly from China and Taiwan. There are artificial flowers, fruits, and feat...
Sep 21, 2010•6 min
Those of you who listen to my podcast on a regular basis, know that one of my hobbies is gardening. Whenever I have a free moment, I'm out there planting, weeding, or sowing seeds. It is September now, and the season for growing is just about over. There are still some Autumn flowers that are appearing here and there, but, judging by what you find in the shops, the time for gardening is coming to an end. You probably also know that the end of a season is, in shopping terms, the perfect time to f...
Sep 20, 2010•5 min
I called my mother the other day and arranged for us to meet up for lunch. She had been in Spain for two weeks, and had just returned. We had a lot to talk about, and I was really looking forward to seeing her. But, where would we meet up? There are quite a few restaurants in town, but we are fussy individuals. If we are going to pay for food, we don't want to eat just rubbish. Fast food was 'out', meaning that it wasn't an option. We didn't feel like having sandwiches or heavy pasta either. I l...
Sep 19, 2010•5 min
One thing that I do in the morning, is to drive my children to school. It doesn't take very long, perhaps five minutes. Parents can pull up into a parking area that is near the school playing field to drop their kids off. Something caught my eye, the first day of school, which I hadn't seen before. A school garden has appeared, and is full to the brim with all kinds of plants. I had completely forgotten that it existed. Because I was out of town for most of the Summer, I hadn't seen the progress...
Sep 14, 2010•5 min
Over the weekend, one of my sons had a couple of baseball games in a local park. It's that season again! It was actually a perfect day for the sport as well; it was sunny but cool. There were lots of people sitting and watching the event. In fact, there were more people than usual because there was a huge Mexican fair taking place in the same park. There was live music from various mariachi bands, lots of food stands selling authentic dishes, toys and ceramics to buy, and even bouncy castles for...
Sep 13, 2010•5 min
One of the things that we enjoyed most about our vacation this Summer was the beach. I've always been an inland person; I love forests and mountains. However, this Summer we were in very beachy places. It was the first time that I had been on the Costa Brava in Spain. It is renown for its interesting, rocky beaches, fishing villages, and small, sandy coves. Because we stayed in Girona, in the north of Spain, we were about half an hour from a whole list of beaches. It happened to be an extra hot ...
Sep 09, 2010•5 min
Hello everyone, and welcome back to A Cup Of English. I'm very excited to start this season of podcasts; I have a lot to tell. I have been away, with my family, travelling around Europe, visiting family, for about 6 weeks. We had a great time, but now it is time to get back to work, and to 'hook up' with my listeners again. I hope your Summer was a very good one, and that now, you are ready to learn some more English. For the first week back from vacation, I dragged my feet a little. That means ...
Sep 07, 2010•6 min
"Oh no," exclaimed Darzee so the snake could hear, "my wing is broken and I can't fly." The bird just needed to get the snake away from her eggs. The bird fluttered down the garden path and Nagaina followed closely. Rikki-tikki ran to the melon patch and carried off the eggs. he was carrying the last egg, when Darzee flew over him. "Oh Rikki-tikki, Nagaina has trapped Teddy and his parents on the porch of the house." Rikki-tikki ran as fast as he could. He reached the porch with the last egg in ...
Aug 27, 20100
"Who is Nag? I am Nag. My family has ruled this garden for thousands of years. Look at me and be afraid." Rikki-tikki was scared for only a minute. He knew that as a mongoose, he was supposed to fight snakes. Nag knew it too. "Look out!" yelled Darzee's wife. At just that moment, another snake struck at Rikki-tikki from behind. The snake, Nag's wife Nagaina, had tried to bite Rikki-tikki. She just missed him. Then, the two snakes quickly slithered off into the grass. Later that night, Rikki-tikk...
Aug 25, 20100
This tale is of a brave mongoose, named Rikki-tikki-tavi, and his great fight to help a family that saved him. It all took place in the far-off land of India. It began on the first sunny day after many days of darkenss and rain. A young English boy, Teddy, went outside to explore. There he found a mongoose in the road. A mongoose is a small animal, a bit like a cat and a bit like a weasel. This mongoose, Rikki-tikki, had thick hair and a bushy tail that made him look like a cat. His skinny head ...
Aug 23, 2010•5 min
The smell as they approached the dragon's den was horrible. George and the princess put George's shield near the sleeping dragon's head to protect themselves from the dragon's fiery snores. They watched the grains of sand fall every second. Suddenly the dragon woke up. Now, Sabra thought, surely the dragon would find them before the sand finished running through the hourglass. The dragon stood up and rubbed his eyes. As soon as the last grain of sand ran through the hourglass, the dragon yawned ...
Aug 13, 20100
"I am Princess Sabra," she said. "Come with me." They tiptoed through what was once a deep, green forest. Sabra explained why the kingdom lived in such fear. A fearful dragon had lived in the kigdom for many years, she told him. The horrible beast had ravaged the land. May men had tried to kill the dragon, but its sharp claws, huge wings, and fiery breath made it impossible to reach, let alone kill. The people had moved inside the castle for protection. But soon the dragon had run out of animals...
Aug 11, 20100
This is the tale of Saint George and the dragon.Iit has been told for over 15 centuries. It takes place during a time called the Dark Ages, when kings ruled the land, wizzards cast spells, and monsters roamed free. The queen of fairies had taken young George in as a baby. The fairies raised the child to grow up brave, strong, calm, courteous, quick, and clever. They taught him to be a noble knight. At last the time came when George was old enough to look for his destiny. The queen of fairies cal...
Aug 09, 2010•4 min
Thumbelina told the field mouse of the horrible frog who took her away from her home. She told her how much she couldn't wait to get back to her mother and her garden. The field mouse invited Thumbelina to stay with her for the Winter. Together they gathered nuts, grains, and berries for the cold months ahead. Thumbelina sang songs and told stories, while the field mouse cokked their dinner or sewed by the fire. One day it began to snow lightly. Thumbelina had never seen snow before, so she open...
Aug 06, 2010•4 min
The frog watched and waited until Thumbelina's mother went inside the cottage to get a cup of lemonade for Thumbelina. Then the frog jumped out from behind the reeds where he had been hiding and captured Thumbelina. He carried her away to the river where he lived and placed her on a lily pad. "Rest here while I go and make the plans for our wedding," said the frog. With that, he hopped away.Thumbelina did not want to be the wife of a frog. She wanted to be back home with her mother. She became s...
Aug 04, 2010•4 min
There was once a woman who lived in a tiny cottage which had a beautiful garden. She was very happy tending her garden, but over time she became sad. She had no children who could share her garden with her. She decided to ask the old witch in her village for her help. When the woman explained that she wanted a child, the old witch thought for a moment. Then she pulled a tiny bag out of a pocket in her cloak. "Plant these wildflower seeds and look after them. Soon you will have your wish." The wo...
Aug 02, 2010•4 min
In the yard, the Captain whispered to his men, "Wait until you hear my signal. Then leave your barrels and storm the house." Morgiana helped Ali Baba's family feed their guest. She thought it strange that a man would arrive so early for market, but the oil merchant seemed very polite. After everyone had gone to bed, Morgiana finished cleaning up. Her lamp ran out of oil. She thought she'd have to finish cleaning in the dark until she remembered the barrels of oil in the yard. She walked up to a ...
Jul 30, 20100
By now, Ali Baba had opened the shop which he had always dreamed about. He was a fair and generous shop owner. He was happy, his family had plenty, and every neighbor was his friend. Ali Baba hired a helper named Morgiana. She was a very clever and beautiful young lady. She enjoyed her work at the shop. And Morgiana cared for Ali Baba and his family very much. One day, a stranger came calling at the shop. He asked Morgiana many questions about the owner. The odd stranger's questions worried Morg...
Jul 28, 20100
In a town in Persia there lived a man called Ali Baba. He was a poor woodcutter, and he struggled each day to feed his wife and children. All he ever wanted was to own a shop in the town, sell goods to his neighbors, and have plenty for his family. One day Ali Baba was cutting wood in the forest. He saw a troop of men on horseback approaching. Ali Baba thought these men were robbers, so he climbed a tree to hide. Ali Baba counted 40 men. He wondered whether this could be the band of Forty Thieve...
Jul 26, 20100
