Happy Easter fun!!!!

Happy Easter everyone!!!!
It may be the bunny that brings the eggs, but the chicken has to lay them first. Therefore, I'm putting a game here dedicated to the chicken this Easter.

Go to the link below or the picture above and see what you can get the chicken to do.

What can the chicken do? Leave the commands that worked as a comment and we can then count how many different commands we came up with.

http://subservientchicken.com/

Sorry for not getting your podcasts to you on time. I just need an our or two more in the day, but will get to it straight away when I'm back from having some holiday relaxation.

Speaking practice

I loved your stories below, and please feel free to add to them! I'm sure this kind of writing is adding to the general quality of your writing skills.

But now we are focusing on Speaking and I've recorded my version of the task in the CB on page 165.
You can find it here:
Part 2 -Long turn

I've also done the second part where you are expected to react to what your partner has said within about 20 seconds. And you can find it here:

Part 2-reaction

As you can see, this is a great possiblity to improve on your speaking.

• you see the amount of time you have been speaking,
  
• you can listen to yourself,
  
• you can improve and correct as many times as you want,
• you can send it to me (or put it on the blog) to be commented on
• you have the added aspect of video, which means you can also show the pictures
• you can get together and do parts 1, 3 and 4 as well!

You can sign in at springdoo.com or www.bedroomtv.com (same tool, new name)
I'd LOVE to hear from you :-)

What`s that ....?

One of the scariest, but also funniest stories in my life toke place in summer 2004. My best friend and I went to a trip around Denmark by train. It was a hot summer and the weather was just beautiful all the time. Therefore, we always slept in our tent mostly near the sea. One evening, we enjoyed the amazing atmosphere at the ocean with all the stars over our heads. After a nice barbecue at the ocean, we went to bed really late. Around one o`clock, we slipped in our sleeping bags and were ready to sleep. Listening to music, I tried to fall asleep and after a few minutes, my friend was lain in a deep sleep as I could hear her snoring :-) I don`t know why, but I just couldn't sleep.
Two hours later, just falling asleep, I heard an extremely strange noise somewhere outside. As I could locate that noise, I recognised that it must be in the awning. Someone or something rustled inside the tent. After breathing, I took all my courage and opened the zipper for an extremely short moment. I felt certain having seen a brown fur. Being scared and in panic, I woke up my friend. We discussed for awhile and finally I toke my pet-battle and tried to hit this unknown object. No reaction. It didn`t vanish!!!

Then, I thought it were more effective when I went outside and fought directly. For that reason, I toke all my courage I had for the second time and I opened the zipper again....From one second to another, I saw my nightmare: a little, young hedgehog and my friend and me, we both were just laughing. I had a long time not been so frightened than in that moment.

Alarm clock

Every morning at a quarter to six, it was the same awkward and desperate situation. The special shrill sound of the alarm was so annoying that I could throw the clock to the wall.
A few months ago, I saw a program on television. The presenter showed a new alarm clock.
He promised you would wake up gently and pleasantly.
Not surprisingly, my attention was attracted and I was really interested how it works.
The technology used in this product was developed in cooperation with leading sleep
scientists. By measuring the body movements, the alarm calculates your optimum wake-up time within a time spam of 30 min before your requested wake-up time.
The body movements are registered by a wristband and transmitted to the clock, which is called aXbo. On top of that, aXbo will not only ensure optimum wake-up, but also helps you fall asleep while listening to relaxing sounds from the nature such as the sounds of the birds. That will fade out automatically once you have fallen asleep.
Once we ate dinner, I told my family about the aXbo. Do you guess what my kids gave me for my birthday? I’m still happy with my new alarm clock and in almost every morning I feel in a good temper.

...the sound of Africa...

As everyone in our class knows, Kenya, with its colourful landscapes, tropical plants, fascinating animals, people and tribes is my passion.
Unfortunately it is not yet the time to stay there for longer.
When I’m overcome by homesickness, I cook ugali, Kenyan food, or I take my djembe and start to drum.
The djembe is not especially a Kenyan drum; it is believed to have come from the malinke people in the northeast of Guinea, west Africa. With tools for metalwork, smiths hollowed out trunks and formed them like the traditional mortar. Covered in gaot skin, the djembe’s sharp bright sound and dynamic range of colours made it an ideal drum for healers and storytellers, as well as accompanying dance or for communication between villages – we would say the “bush-phone”.
The sound depends on where you beat the drum. The bass is played in the centre of the drum. An open beat called tone and the sharp beat called slap are played on the edge of the skin. Professional players beat 21 different sounds….I still have to practise hard….After Easter holidays there will be a course at the PHZ and maybe we catch an ear when Daouda Coulibaly rolls the djembe.

A real story about strange sounds

As I am not a very gifted author of poems I decided to tell you about a funny day in my life. I hope a lot of other storys will follow...

It is now exactly three years ago since I moved from Baar to Emmenbrücke. I remembered my first night sleeping there as if it was yesterday. After a short night I woke up at 9 a.m. hearing the unmistakable sound of a brass band. "Where the hell am I?" I tried to remember. A short look from the balcony (still in the pyjamas)showed me a crowd of people following the brass band to the church where they were celebrating the "White Sunday" and the children in their white dresses got their first Holy Communion.
In the afternoon another piercing, incessant noise interrupted the relaxing silence. It was a constant, strange noise that reminded me of bees or hornets. I avoided to enter the bureau for the rest of the day. By laughing out loud the house owner explained me the next day what had caused this unbearable din. It had just been the wind that had blown threw a small gap in the window...

Besides, if you are fond of brass bands, it would be a good opportunity to visit the church in Emmenbrücke in two weeks when it is "White Sunday" again :-)

Wishes???

Now that we only have less than one third of the course ahead of us, it's time to dig into the exam itself.
We will begin each lesson with focus on one exam task. In order to get the most out of if, you need to tell me what you find most difficult or what in particular you want to look at. I will then plan accordingly. So leave your wishes here as a comment or write your own post (it's always nice to read what others write!)

And now...