I have been missed for some days. My flat mates have been around looking for me and  I have finally returned home. The thing is that I have now a lot of unsettled work...C1 is so demanding! Anyway, as you can see from the picture I'm devoted to be up to day. To start with I would like you to read this beautiful poem on Leisure, it wasn't me...it was someone else...William Henry Davies (1871-1940)

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to satand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And whatch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Beautiful, isn't it? And there is also a song that I would like to share with you. I love not only the music, which is very pretty, but also the lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lG3nXyI41M

I'm so embarrassed!

awful mistake with my "enigma"

     I suppose that those of yoy who DO have a mathematical mind have already noticed that my way of setting out the problem was wrong ( needless to say that I haven't got a mathematical mind). I'm very sorry. Let's begin again: The pen cost 1,00 E more than the paper and the total amount was 1,10 €. How much did the pen cost?

An exercise of narrative

     It was a hot,dull August afternoon. There was absolute silence and only the insistent chirping of cicadas broke the stillness. The sun was burning thoroughly the few leaves that had managed to survive the scorching summer heat.

     Some bright, buzzing dragonflies were flattering over the pond when Lucy arrived. On hot days she liked to go into the wood and sit in the sahde of the lime tree by the cool water.

     That day she stumbled on the grass and started to untie her shoes. Although she was absorved in her thoughts, she noticed that somebody was peeping at her. Then, she stood quickly to have a look around when, suddenly, two goggly eyes rose above the water in the pond. A husky voice croaked at her...

- You come to my pond every afternoon but I have never been to your house. It is not fair.

     Lucy rubbed her eyes in surprise. She thought that she was dreaming, yet a plump, viscose frog was still there, croaking and goggling at her...

- Let's go home, dear. I don't know the way but I'll be pleased to follow you.

     When she heard those words she started to run off to her house. The frog jumped out of the pond and hopped behind her.

- Wait for me! I can't run as fast as you!.

     Lucy knew the events of the day would change her life for ever.

   

Have you got a mathematical mind?

     Are you good at maths? I've got a question that at first sight is very easy. However, I'm not quite sure of the right answer and I'd like that somebody with mathematical abilities helped me to find the solution.
     Last week I needed a pen and a piece of paper. I went to the stationner's and asked for them. The total price amounted to 1.10 €. Now, my question is: if the sheet cost 0.10 €, how much more did the pen cost than the piece of paper?

travellers vs tourists

     Better late than never

     I didn't have really an opinion about the difference between a traveller and a tourist. To be sincere I just hadn't thought about the difference as a controversial subject. However, I must admit that the difference is significant.

     Most of bloggers' opinions express a recurring idea: it is a question of personal attitude to travelling. The way I see it, despite the fact that both of them are etaking a break from the routine of normal life, their  way to fulfill their hopes are very different. Although I had the assorted bloggers's opinions, I have taken the trouble to ask around to know what my familiy and friends thought. After such a serious opinion poll, here you are the results:

- The tourist is looking for leisure whereas the traveller wants to learn, he wants to adquire knowledge.

- The tourist takes paret of the consumer society.

- The difference lies in their personal attitude.

- The traveller is involved in his trip. He is hard at work.

- Travellers hve existed for centuries, tourist are more recent.

-Time is very important: for a tourist it is predetermined. A traveller moves as much as he wants. His only limit is money.

- A traveller rarely establishes his itinerary.

- A traveller never stays behind his camera. He enjoys his stay.

- A tourist needs an interpreter when he goes abroad. A traveller tries to speak t least a few words of the local languagea few words

A trip to Greece: "Without the past the pursued future has no meaning."

     It was 1993. Although at the time we had a one-year-old girl and-to crown it all- I was five months pregnant, a couple of closed friends suggested going to Greece and we took the plunge. I don't regret having made the trip.

     Perhaps one of my first memories of Greece is the propylaeum. Don't be alarmed! A propylaeum is the structure forming the entrance of a sacred place; in this case it was the great entrance hall of the Athenian Acropolis (437 B.C). Mnesicles, the architect, is said to have built it to hide the steep slope of the approach way ( and I strongly believe it).

     There is a sheer ramp between two flights of ancient marble steps which have been worn away with the passing of centuries. To be honest, there is also a sort of tiny lift for the disabled. The thing is that I was just pregnant, so I chose the steps and my feet kept slithering on the wonderful ancient marble. At last, I waddled up the stairs to spot the magnificent view of The Parthenon. I couldn't believe it! I burst out crying in the face of that splendid building.

      This was simply an anecdote. The truth is that Greece  is an incredibly fantastic country. Besides its history and its ruins, it is full of breathtaking sceneries: beautiful islands, volcanic sandy beaches, exquisite churches, an absolutely charming Mediterranean architecture, fabulous sunsets...

      How about listening to a marvellous Sirtaky? Enjoy the images. A picture is worth a thousand words.                                   

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXR-quLd8C0‎