Friendly, everyday English to help the anxious language learner. A relaxing mix of daily language spoken by your native English teacher, Anna. Another great podcast by LibSyn.com
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One part of my daily routine during the week is to pick up the kids from school. I'm sure that a lot of you listening now probably do the same thing. Thankfully, I live very close to the school where three of my children go. It's literally a three minute drive from my house. My kids used to catch the bus home, but, interestingly enough, it would take them an hour to get home. We decided that it was a bit of a waste of time sitting on a bus for an hour, when they could be at home relaxing or doin...
Do you ever fancy eating something really fresh? Something savory, healthy, and tasty? I'm so thankful that there is a place in town where we can get food that is just like that. It's a restaurant called the Wok-About-Grill. It is a play on words. You might already know that a wok is a special kind of frying pan used in Asian cooking. And, because 'to walk about' is an English phrase, the owners of the restaurant decided to change 'walk' to 'wok'. Anyway, it's a cool place. When you walk in, you...
Well, it was about time that I got myself a camcorder, a decent one. I have been meaning to for a long time. The app that I have has bonus content which can either be an extra audio file, or a video. Until now, I have not really offered this bonus material because my little camera that takes pictures and videos, does not make quality videos at all. So, I took the plunge. What was I looking for then? Firstly, I wanted something that was easy to use. I also really didn't want anything big. I thoug...
Today, I found in my bag forty stamps that I had bought around Christmas time, and not used. I had bought them for mailing Christmas cards, but this year, for some odd reason, I didn't mail out any cards at all. I usually do. I must have just completely forgotten. Anyway, I'm keeping them with my stationary and office supplies for sending off bills. One thing that I have noticed about stamps is how they increase in price every year. Mailing, or posting letters as we say in England, is becoming m...
This episode explores the fascinating question "How do they do that?" by examining difficult and unusual jobs, from high-rise window washers to intricate Christmas light decorators in Leavenworth. The host reflects on the skills required and her personal aversion to such tasks. The episode concludes with practical grammar notes, explaining common English expressions related to the themes discussed.
Have you ever been sledding? In places where it is snowy, I think it is a great thing to do. In a way it is as good as, or even better than skiing; I'll tell you why. First of all, you don't need any skill at all to sled. Secondly, if it is speed that you love, you can easily find a way to meet your need for speed. Thirdly, there is no expense involved, and hardly any equipment at all. The best kind of sledding I have ever done was on an inner tube. An inner tube is a circular tube that is made ...
It's great to be back podcasting to you again. I had a lovely Christmas break with my family, and now have plenty to podcast about. I actually have had a problem of no internet connection for about four days which has been very frustrating. When that happens, it makes me feel as if I live in the middle of nowhere, or 'in the boondocks' as they say over here. Well, I'm up and running again. My husband took Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the following week off, so we have been spending time tog...
About nine years ago, I had some incredible luck in a local charity shop. It was coming up to Christmas, and I had gone to Goodwill to look around at all the second hand decorations, ornaments, and housewares. As I wandered up and down the aisle, taking my time to look at the hundreds of items that were for sale, I came across a house. It was a ceramic, Christmas-style house. I picked it up and examined it. It looked like an old English pub with several people here and there playing outside in t...
I have missed a couple of podcasts this week, oops! So here is the first of the two, a little late. My reason for writing this podcast late is that I've been spending time researching my options, as far as the education of my two youngest. They are in a normal elementary school which I like very much, and where they receive quite a lof of Spanish instructions. I'm thrilled that they have that extra benefit, as most elementary schools around here only teach English. But recently, I have discovere...
We spent a noisy night on Saturday at the local arena. We had tickets to go and see a basketball match between the two big local rivals, Wenatchee and Eastmont. We were lucky enough to have box seats, so we were up high with a good view. We took all of the kids, and met up with my husband's brother's family, and another set of friends. We snacked and chatted while the match played. To tell you the truth, I didn't pay much attention to the game; I was more interested in catching up with my sister...
Aren't holiday traditions great! I'm always fascinated by the many ways that people of different cultures celebrate special times. We use symbols, songs, colors, food, actions, religious rituals, and get togethers to express our humanity. And we all do it. When you think of just how different all of the countries on this planet are, how our histories have shaped us, and how we have developed our own traditions, looking at how we celebrate special occasions is similar to looking through a magnify...
A recipe I have been making recently that happens to be very easy is baked apples. What could be nicer than hot, cinnamony apples, oozing with deliciousness, and making the whole house smell great? I have recently discovered an apple that has become one of my favorites. It is the honey crisp. It is unusually large, and has little bumps or dimples. It is very juicy, and has a similar flesh to the pacific rose of New Zealand, one that is light and breaks up easily in the mouth. The skin is not too...
When you have a hobby, and you want to improve your skills, you have to practice. There is no substitute for practice. Those of you who come from disciplined nations will know all about this. In the Western world, I think, dedicating ourselves to long-term practice is sometimes a challenge. It isn't in the fabric of our society. We are innovative, but not necessarily disciplined. Speaking from personal experience, and looking at myself, the practice of a hobby, whether it is a podcast or a music...
It was only this evening, after a busy day, that I realised that my phone had not rung all day. That is unusual. I checked my messages, and there were twelve! How come I hadn't heard the phone ring? I checked the setting, and it said 'silent'. "Oh, great!" I said to myself as I scrolled through the numbers that had called me. There was one particular one that had tried calling me eight times. Thankfully, it wasn't an emergency. It was the automated telephone system for the substitute teachers. I...
If you have the blog or the app of A Cup Of English handy, you will see from the photo or the video clip just what the 'it' is. Yes, the snow. Last year, we hardly had any at Christmas, and not even a hint of it at Thanksgiving. This year is very different. People have been saying that it is going to be a long, cold Winter because of La Nina. So far, they are right. The snow started several days before Thanksgiving, and now, today, it is snowing consistently. One thing that tends to happen durin...
I have recently been conducting interviews with people in town who have businesses. Why? Because I am beginning to build a website of interviews and dialogues. I hope to launch it before Christmas;....let's see if I can get it ready in time. It sounds like a simple procedure, doesn't it? Interview a person, add grammar notes and pronunciation practice, edit it until it is clean and professional, and then upload it to my website. Well, it's actually all new for me, including the interviews. Most ...
Hello everyone. I'm afraid there won't be a podcast today as I am really busy with preparations for Thanksgiving. There's a lot to do, as I am hosting the holiday meal at my house for a lot of people. So, catch up with me next time! Tweet //
This past Friday night, I was settling in for the evening, when my youngest son said, "Mum, can we go to the family bingo night at school?" I groaned inside, not wanting to go anywhere. I had received an automated voice message from the school a few days previously about the fundraising night. Bingo was on the agenda, and the winners would win large baskets, or hampers, filled with all kinds of goodies. These hampers had been donated from various businesses in town to help the school raise money...
My energetic daughter has been begging me to take her to karate classes. She had already enrolled in gymnastics, and our rule is to do only one after-school activity each season, so I decided to only look into it, and not agree or commit myself to taking her. The other day, however, we were in the neighborhood, so we popped into the karate school, just to have a look. It is situated in one of the older brick buildings, near the railroad tracks. It has been nicely converted, preserving the brick ...
One of the things that I had on the calendar this month was the bilingual night at my children's school. It is held a few times a year, to inform parents about progress being made with the school's dual language program. Tonight was the first meeting of the year, and there had been lots of preparation for it. My daughter, who is in kindergarten, had been practicing three songs. I had heard her singing around the house, but it took me a few days to ask her if there was something that she was prac...
As we move into the middle of November, the countryside seems to be changing every day. The colorful leaves that decorate the whole valley are beginning to fall, and preparations are being made for the long, cold winter. I am trying to go for walks as often as I can because the days are so beautiful. As long as you wear warm enough clothes, you can be refreshed by a lovely walk. There is no reason to stay inside, really. On my walks, I take my camera, to capture anything that I can write about. ...
We used to have a large pine tree in our front garden. It was a very tall, old one. It was planted about thirty years ago, but last year, we decided to cut it down. I wouldn't normally agree to chop down a tree, but this one was yucky. Half of one side of it had no branches, and it looked weak. My husband and I are really into trees, and really into planting them, so we had a plan of filling in the area with new pine trees. I found it hard to imagine what the front garden would look like once ou...
My good friend Nataliya called me a few days ago, and invited me to a concert at a local church. "There is a very good Russian pianist, Oksana Ezhokina, you might have heard of her." I vaguely remembered the name. She has performed a few times in Wenatchee. At the moment, she lives in Leavenworth, and is the artistic co-director of the Icicle Creek Music Center, and a member of the Icicle Creek Piano Trio. Accompanying her were Daniel Schlosberg, an accomplished pianist, and Artist-in-Residence ...
For a while now, there has been a lot of construction going on at our local Walmart. I am a frequent shopper there, as it is only a couple of blocks from my house. Walmart is expanding. After a few years of doing tremendous business here, the owners have decided to turn it into a superstore. That means that it will soon sell fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat. It will become the 'one stop shop' for a lot of people, including myself. Instead of shopping at Walmart, and then needing to go to a regu...
Do you use calendars very much? I do. Without them, I'm sure I would forget a lot of appointments. I have a calendar conveniently placed in my kitchen, just above where I do my podcasts. I have a collection of other important things on this 'mini-desk' of mine, so it keeps me organized while I do my little projects, check my E-mails, or pay the bills. My husband has one on his iPad that is much more sophisticated than mine. He relies on his to keep his business affairs straight. However you use ...
The other day I went for a walk in the park with a friend of mine. We don't see eachother very much because she is busy taking a nursing degree, so it was a treat to spend some time together. The day couldn't have been any nicer. It was a cool but very bright Autumn morning, there was color all around, and still a little mist over the river. I had a feeling that it would be a good occasion to take my camera, just in case. There is all sorts of new development planned for the river front. There a...
Well, Halloween came and went as it does every year, leaving a house full of sweets! We had a lot of fun yesterday. I told my children that I wasn't going to buy them costumes this year. They had to find bits and pieces around the house and make do. It worked out really well, actually. One of my sons used a simple sheet to be a non-scary ghost. He ended up getting too hot under it, and not wearing it at all. My daughter dressed as a gypsy, and my other sons dressed as a Swat man, and an ugly clo...
As I drive around town, I find myself saying the occasional "oooo!", "ahhh!", or "oh?!" Do you know why? There are Halloween decorations all over the place, and they make a real impression. There seem to be two approaches to decorating for Halloween: friendly or scary. Personally, I prefer friendly. The time of year leads me to decorate with themes of pumpkins, Autumn leaves, and the harvest. Okay, I throw in the odd friendly ghost here and there, a black cat, or some fake bats. But you can find...
It's funny how ordinary items or actions can show your knowledge of a language. Sometimes when I do something, or say something, I ask myself the question, "Could I say that in Spanish or French?" Your question would probably be, "Could I say that in English?" With that in mind, I was looking for a pen, the other day, to write down some notes. I couldn't find one anywhere which is really annoying. We seem to have little elves that come at night and steal useful items of all kinds, like pencils, ...
I received a flyer in the mail the other day. It rang a bell; I had seen something like it in previous years. It was the annual Make a Difference Day information sheet. From the title, you can tell that it is about getting involved in the community and making a positive difference. This event has grown since 1990, and is held the fourth Saturday of October. It started through USA Weekend and the 800 newspapers it serves. It is a day dedicated to serving neighbors and the community, to meeting ne...
