英语博客：Bingo.

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 da

英语博客：Bilingual night.

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

英语博客：An eye for light.

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 a

英语博客：A stack for winter.

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 si

英语博客：Oksana, Daniel, and Russel.

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 Wenat

英语博客：Little dragons.

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 ta

英语博客：A Smallwood's tradition.

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 att

英语博客：Quite a social calendar.

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-des

英语博客：Screen savers.

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 ve

英语博客：Divide and conquer candies.

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.

英语博客：Friendly or scary?

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: frien

英语博客：Make a difference day, October 23.

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 a

英语博客：Time's running out for turkeys.

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

英语博客：Bras on the bridge.

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 h

英语博客：Ten, ten, ten.

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 sh

英语博客：A patriot.

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 exp

英语博客：An eye exam.

At this time of year, the schools have tests of all kinds for the children. Reading and writing tests, math skills tests, and tomorrow, there will be hearing and vision tests for the whole school. If you think about it, the two last mentioned tests a

英语博客：The colors of Galloway.

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 C

英语博客：Red sky at night.

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 deligh

英语博客：Decorate and beautify.

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