英语博客：A rocket launch.

It was a windy, sunny day. You certainly needed to have a jacket on, as the wind was blowing down from the snow-capped hills. The crowd had gathered in the park, as scheduled. Everyone was excited, and waiting for the teacher to appear. A few passers

英语博客：Batting practice.

Once a week, as part of his practice schedule, my son Cass has batting practice for baseball. It takes place in a sports complex called Sportsplex. The building actually used to be an ice skating rink, but has been converted into a place where you ca

英语博客：A Hole in Facebook.

You know, I'm getting better at learning about technology. I wouldn't say that I am totally ignorant about social media, but neither am I an expert. At least now I have a Twitter button on my blog page, in case anyone likes a blog and wants to send a

英语博客：The Instrument Zoo.

It's not very often that you get the opportunity to try out many kinds of instruments. Have you ever blown a bassoon? Have you ever strummed an electric guitar, or tried a set of drums? We had the chance to do that on Saturday. The Woodshouse Conserv

英语博客：Thanks for the million downloads.

This is a very special podcast because I have some thanking to do. Every now and then, I check on the statistics of my podcast, and yesterday I saw that I have had more than a million downloads all together. Thank you, to all of you who have listened

英语博客：Oh, you filthy princess!

Oh, you filthy princess. I'm afraid that I'm going to talk about one of my dogs. The reason for my apologetic tone is that some dog lovers go on and on about their animals, and often the people listening have no interest in their little beasties. Wel

英语博客：Guinness.

Ah Guinness! We have lots of it in our house at the moment. My brother loves it. I'm not unfamiliar with it either. Back in London, I used to drink it mixed with 7Up. I found it too bitter to drink neat. If you've never tried it, you should. It is a

英语博客：A Starbucks Revolution.

Hello, we have a special triple grande caramel mocha with whipped cream for only three ninety-nine. Can I take your order? That's the kind of information-loaded question that you get asked when you pull up to a Starbucks drive-thru. Just as you are a

英语博客：Oh the olives!

On my recent trip to Nice, I was fortunate enough to go to an open market. Oh, the colors and smells were fantastic. I strolled around just taking everything in. It was February, but the weather was wonderful. It was very sunny, and you only needed t

英语博客：A Manicure Fanatic.

My daughter is obsessed with fashion. She is only six, and it comes as a surprize to me that she is so fashion conscious. She is not so concerned with the seasons' colors or styles, but she does like to know the 'pop' fashion. I think it comes from h

英语博客：Umtanum.

Yakima is a small city located an hour and a half's drive(1) from Wenatchee. It is a wide valley, famous for its grapes and apples. We were there last weekend for a baseball tournament, the first of the season(2). One interesting fact about Yakima is

英语博客：King Tut - where's the mask?

Once in a while a fabulous opportunity comes along, an opportunity to experience something excellent and unusual, a wonder of the world, perhaps. I had just this kind of opportunity in Seattle this month. The Pacific Science Center has the collection

英语博客：Xephos and Honeydew, in Minecraft.

This title is the kind that gets attention, isn't it? I first heard about these two characters a few days ago. My three boys play an on-line game called Minecraft. It's actually quite fabulous. It is an unending arena, where you can discover and crea

英语博客：Hot pasties.

Hot Pasties. If you've never had a pasty, you've never lived. That means that eating one is an experience you must have because they are so good. I actually haven't had a pasty for years and years, though I did eat them up until I was a late teenager

英语博客：Cross Sport Training.

Cross Sport Training. You know, being a mother is an interesting job. I sit back sometimes and consider the influence that I have over my children; it's quite a responsibility. My likes and dislikes are obviously reflected in how I run the home, in w

英语博客：Mythology looking at me.

Mythology seems to be all the rage these days. There have been films released recently, like 'Percy Jackson and the lightening thief', and 'Clash of the Titans', that have had a lot of people talking about mythology and what it means to us today. Oth

英语博客：Stars on ice.

Stars on ice. I have never really been much of an ice skater. When I was a teenager, I would go indoor skating with friends, mainly to have a good laugh. When people are wobbling and falling down on a regular basis, it can be amusing! My friends and

英语博客：Bleeding Hearts.

I have been making excuses recently, to avoid doing some gardening. I have had pots of plants ready to plant for at least a week. I even put them right on the spots where I intended to plant them, but they sat there for a long time. Every time I happ

英语博客(A cup of English):055 Car crash

Beginners. The other day, I was looking in the kitchen for a cookie. It was mid-afternoon and I was having a 'snack attack'. I opened the cupboard hoping to find a few oatmeal cookies (my favorites), or perhaps chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately t

英语博客(A cup of English):072 Spain.

Beginners. We continue our study of different countries of the world with Spain. This fascinating country makes up most of the Iberian Peninsula that forms the southwestern tip of Europe. Portugal is on its west, and France is on its northeastern bor