HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I WISH YOU TIME

I don't wish you all sorts of gifts.
I just wish you, what most people don't have:
I wish you time to be happy and to laugh
and if you use it well, you can make something out of it.

I wish you time for your doings and thinking,
not only for yourself, but for others too
I wish you time - not to hustle and run,
but time to learn how to be happy.

I wish you time, but not only time to spend away
I wish that some of it may be left for you
as time to marvel and to trust,
instead of just looking at the time on your watch.

I wish you time to reach for the stars,
and time to grow, that means to mature.
I wish you time to hope anew and to love.
There is no sense in putting this time off.

I wish you time to find yourself,
to find happiness in each day and each hour.
I wish you time also to forgive.
I wish you time to live!

Elli Michler

A TUDOR FEAST AT CHRISTMAS

Here you can read about the foods enjoyed by the upper classes in Tudor England. Read another interesting blog post here.

Now let's watch a documentary about a Tudor feast as it would have been over 400 years ago. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THE CAMBRIDGE CATS AT CHRISTMASTIME

http://view.ceros.com/cambridge/fitz-and-will/p/1

https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2019/12/03/festive-adventure-fitz-will/

SANDITON

Jane Austen's final, unfinished novel “Sanditon” has been adapted for the small screen recently. Written just months before the author died in 1817, the story centres around Charlotte Heywood, her unexpected trip to a posh coastal resort town, and her relationship with a gorgeous young man named Sidney Parker. Jane Austen only finished eleven chapters of the story, but her original text has been extended into an eight-part miniseries.

Even if it isn't as impeccable as “Pride and Prejudice” or “Persuasion” miniseries or movies, I love “Sanditon”!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISS AUSTEN!

Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, England. While not widely known in her own time, Jane Austen's novels of love among the landed gentry gained popularity after 1869, and her reputation skyrocketed in the 20th century. Her novels, including "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility,", are considered literary classics, bridging the gap between romance and realism. 

“You must be the best judge of your own happiness.”

MY SUNDAY MOVIE - CLUELESS

I have just discovered this 1995 American  comedy film  based on the novel  Emma.

Jane Austen might never have imagined that her 1816 novel could be turned into a brilliant and satirical look at rich teenagers in a Beverly Hills high school. Cher  and Dionne, both named after "great singers of the past that now do infomercials," are upper-class girls who care less about getting good grades than wearing the right clothes and being as popular as possible. But Cher, who lives with her tough yet warm-hearted lawyer dad and  sensitive stepbrother, also has an innate urge to help those less fortunate - like the two introverted teachers she brings together ("negotiating" herself improved grades in the process!) and new friend Tai, who starts out a geek and ends up a Cher prodigy.  Cher also has her own sensitive side … she is looking for the perfect boyfriend, and she ends up finding him where she least expected! 

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/clueless/

https://fsharetv.co/movie/clueless-episode-1-tt0112697

Music offers many advantages for learning languages. Scientists have shown that listening to a song and humming along can help with language learning!

Read more here.

OPPOSITE WORDS

50 USEFUL TIPS FOR SPEAKING ENGLISH FLUENTLY

DECEMBER