The English language is full of wonderful and downright weird phrases. My grandmother, after eating a very large dinner would exclaim that she couldn’t possibly eat any more as she was “Podged up to the eyeballs!” I have no idea whether this is just a saying that originated in the Midlands or it’s known throughout the UK as a whole. As English speaking people, we tend to hear them every day without giving the phrases much thought. It becomes a part of who we are; and they can be very different according to the region you were born in or where you live. I think some of them are very…
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A Snippet of Shakespeare
A while back, I took an English course, which helped immensely in the search for jobs, over the last few years, and still today. At the beginning of the 30-weeks, the tutor gave us handouts which explained what was in store in the curriculum. One of the literature books we studied was ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ by Shakespeare. We clapped and cheered with glee and there we sat, our faces beaming, ears hungry for the entire joyful lesson, wanting more! Well, actually, that’s not completely true. As each of us, our plaintive faces fixed upon the tutor, as he dragged us all, painfully, through the hour and a half. Even…
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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte/Book Review
I’ve just finished reading Jane Eyre for the third time and once again I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a book that is told through a first person narrative, and deals with the development of Jane’s spiritual, moral and emotional needs as she grows from a 10 year old through to a mature woman. The novel approaches the issues of feminism, sexuality, class and religion that existed at the time period of the 1780s to the 1820s, or thereabouts. The story is set in 5 phases which deals with Jane’s early childhood where she is raised by her Aunt Reed at Gateshead Hall, reluctantly so, having become an orphan due…
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Naming a Cat
There are challenges most large in our lives today, Some are steep like the side of a cliff. It may have begun in the past long ago, When they penned the first hieroglyph. To name a cat is an arduous task, It can take many weeks, maybe more. Feline charisma and traits are aplenty, Though it can sometimes feel like a chore. Their size can determine a name such as Tiny, Or Donut, Titan or Smidge. Your favourite book as a child may prompt you, Using Mungo, Jerry or Midge. A good suggestion is a cartoon cat, Like Sylvester, Garfield and Tom. Or the readers among you may settle for…
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The Old Curiosity Shop/Book Review
I have just finished reading the most wonderful book. The old curiosity shop by Charles Dickens. This has got to be my favourite novel of his, which is difficult to say considering that only a while ago I read David Copperfield and felt the same way. The story kind of centres on Little Nell and her Grandfather that live in the curiosity shop, but through the grandfathers gambling habits, they become homeless and wander aimlessly for miles meeting characters who help them and provide shelter. I really enjoyed the way the little stories come and go describing each of the lives of the ones that were somehow connected to these…
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The Vets
This is a true story. Dexter’s Cough My dog has been forlorn this week, Because he’s had a cough. Yet still his normal sprightly self, Loud and going Woof! His nose was cold, was eating well, He ran to fetch his ball. Played with the cats, ran up the stairs, He even jumped a wall. So 5 days on, his cough got deep, I then became concerned. Each time he heard a noise outside, His health it kind of turned. I took him to the vets today, He was nervous I could tell. He tried to jump upon my knees, He didn’t like the smell (…
