English Recordings

Hawkridge Wood House
Thatcham
Berkshire
Hi Mom and Dad,
What do you think of my new address? There are no numbers on houses in this little village in England, only names! It's very confusing. If you are trying to find a specific house, you usually have to ask people for directions. But, you have to be very careful how you ask. The English speak more politely than we Americans do! Once I approached an Englishman and asked: "Which way is Charing Cross station?" He looked at me a bit strangely but then he politely gave me directions. Of course, the problem was how I asked because I should have begun like this: "Excuse me, I'm sorry to disturb you but could you please...?
Driving in England is a pretty scary experience! Here they drive on the left side, can you imagine? I frequently enter the car from the passenger side by mistake. I must concentrate very hard when I'm driving. It helps if there are other cars on the road because then I simply follow one of them, but if the road is empty, I am in big trouble! Sometimes, it's easier to walk.
By the way, did you know, walking is a popular English pastime? The weather here is great for good walks. It is usually very mild, but still, English people complain loudly about the weather. "Horrible weather!" they will shout to you on a day when there is a slight wind and a bit of rain. They should try Boston in the winter!
It's an education and I love it.
Love,
Sam

Did you head-butt Master Matthew?

And of course, once you head-butt him, you gain sacred knowledge, but you also take a serious injury on your head!

I don't blame you.
I can't blame you.

Don't blame me.
You can't blame me for getting upset.
It's always me that gets the blame.

He buried the box in the back garden.

The faucet is leaking.

Kumquats are a group of small fruit-bearing trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae.

Small apricots are often the tastiest. They tend to be apricots that have not been forced to grow larger with over watering.

Don't be so rough or you'll break it.

Slower or More slowly, please
Not so fast

Please behave yourselves when we visit grandma.

Behave yourself!

Behave yourself or you won't get any pocket money.

Behave! Stop being so naughty!

If you throw the ball thus, as I’m showing you, you’ll have better luck hitting the target.

I have all the tools I need, thus I will be able to fix the car without having to call a mechanic.

Don't make me come down there!

And if all your friends jumped off a cliff... Would you jump too?

Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat.

She thinks her poop doesn't stink.

9. Never leave the mind vacant

An empty mind is devil's workshop. All evil deeds start in the mind. Keep your mind occupied in something positive, something worthwhile. Actively follow a hobby. You must decide what you value more - money or peace of mind. Your hobby, like social work may not always earn you more money, but you will have a sense of fulfillment and achievement. Even if you are resting physically, occupy yourself in healthy reading or mental chanting of God's name (japa).

10. Do not procrastinate and never regret

Do not waste time in wondering "should I or shouldn't I?" Days, weeks, months and years may be wasted in that futile mental debating. You can never plan enough because you can never anticipate all future happenings. Always remember God has His own plan too. Value your time and do things. It does not matter if you fail the first time. You can rectify your mistakes and succeed the next time. Sitting back and worrying will lead to nothing. Learn from your mistakes but do not brood over the past. DO NOT REGRET! Whatever happened was destined to happen only that way. Take it as the will of God. You do not have the power to alter the course of God's will. Why cry?

6. Endure what cannot be cured

This is the best way to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Every day we face numerous inconveniences, ailments, irritations and accidents that are beyond our control. We must learn to endure them cheerfully thinking, "God will it so, so be it". God's logic is beyond our comprehension. Believe it and you will gain in patience, in inner strength, in will power.

7. Do not bite more than you can chew

This maxim should be always remembered. We often tend to take more responsibilities than we are capable to carry out. This is done to satisfy our ego. Know your limitations. Spend your free time on prayers, introspection and meditation. This will reduce those thoughts in your mind, which make you restless. Fewer the thoughts, greater is the peace of mind.

8. Meditate regularly

Meditation makes the mind thoughtless. This is the highest state of peace of mind. Try and experience it. If you meditate earnestly for half an hour every day, you will tend to become calm during the remaining twenty-three and a half hours. Your mind will not be disturbed as much as before. This will increase your efficiency and you will turn out more work in less time.

3. Do not crave for recognition

This world is full of selfish people. They seldom praise anybody without selfish motive. They may praise you today because you are rich and have power but no sooner you are powerless, they will forget your achievement and start criticizing you.

Moreover, no one is perfect. Then why do you value the words of praise of another mortal like you? Why do you crave for recognition? Believe in yourself. People's praises do not last long. Do your duties ethically and sincerely and leave the rest to God.

4. Do not be jealous

We all have experienced how jealousy can disturb our peace of mind. You know you work harder than your colleagues in the office but they get promotions, you do not. You started a business several years ago but you are not as successful as your neighbor whose business is only one year old. Should you be jealous? No, remember everybody's life is shaped by his previous Karma that has now become his destiny. If you are destined to be rich, not all the world can stop you. If you are not so destined, no one can help you either. Nothing will be gained by blaming others for your misfortune. Jealousy will not get you anywhere, but will only give you restlessness.

5. Change yourself according to the environment

If you try to change the environment single handedly, the chances are you may fail. Instead, change yourself to suit the environment. As you do this, even the environment, which has remained unfriendly for you, will mysteriously appear to be congenial and harmonious.

Peace of mind is the most sought after 'commodity' in human life. It appears that most of us are in a state of perpetual restlessness. On analyzing the causes of this restlessness, I have ventured to find for myself ten solutions that need to be followed religiously if we are serious about achieving perfect peace of mind.

1. Do not interfere in others' business

Most of us create our own problems by interfering too often in others' affairs. We do so because somehow we have convinced ourselves that our way is the best way, our logic is the perfect logic, and those who do not conform to our thinking must be criticized and steered to the right direction, our direction.

This kind of attitude on our part denies the existence of individuality and consequently the existence of God, for God has created each one of us in a unique way. No two human beings can think or act in exactly the same way. All men or women act the way they do because they are prompted to do so by the Divine within them. There is God to look after everything. Why are you bothered? Mind your own business and you will have your peace.

2. Forget and forgive

This is the most powerful aid to peace of mind. We often nurture ill feeling inside our heart for the person who insults or harms us. We forget that the insult or injury was done to us once but by nourishing the grievance we go on excavating the wound forever. Therefore it is essential that we cultivate the art of forgiving and forgetting. Believe in the justice of God and the doctrine of Karma. Let Him judge the act of the one who insulted you. Life is too short to waste in such trifles. Forget, forgive, and march on.

Sophie started skating when she was three years old, on the pond behind her house. Now Sophie is eight years old. She dreams of becoming a professional ice skater, but she knows there will be many years of hard work ahead.
Sophie watches ice skating on television, but most of all she likes going to ice skating showes. There she gets to see the skating up close. She claps hard for performers and can't wait for the day when the applause is for her.
Sophie takes lessons five mornings and three afternoons a week. Her morning class begins at five o'clock! When she arrives, some of her friends are already warming up. She says hello to Mr.Simon, the coach.
Everyone is dressed warmly. The ice rink can be very cold, so the skaters wear layers of clothing that they take off as they warm up. Skaters choose clothes that are easy to move in but still fit close to the body.
Sophie's skates are already broken in. When they were new, they felt stiff and hurt her feet. She had to put guards over the blades and walk around her house to soften the leather.
Sophie can lace up her skates quickly. But when she was first learning, it took a long time to do it correctly.
Mr.Simon begins the morning class with the basics. Young skaters do these skills over and over again. Learning to get up from a fall gracefully is always important.
Basics include different ways to stop as well as different ways to move. Some basics are practiced both forward and backward, or with just the right foot and just the left foot.
After basics, Sophie's class practices figures. Figures are difficult, but they help the students learn to glide with control. Everyone takes turns skating on the ice, using all four edges.
Then they do basic eights, which are skated in two circles that make the shape of an eight. "It's good we skate eights, and not fours," Pamela says and they all laugh, even Mr. Simon.At seven A.M., class is over and everyone leaves for school.
After school, Sophie returns to the rink for a private lesson in free skating. She does her jumps, spins, and footwork over and over again.
As her musles get stronger, she will jump higher, spin faster, and move with more control.
Sophie wants every move to be perfect. But she's been skating long enough to know that sometimes she will fall. When it happens, she tries not to be hard on herself.
Sophie takes ballet lessons two afternoons a week. Some of her friends from ice skating class are in her ballet class are in her ballet classs, too!
Ballet helps them be more flexible and graceful on the ice.
Competiting is Sophie's favorite part of ice skating. A big competition is coming up in three weeks. In her afternoon class, Sophie runs through her short program with Ms.Wilkinm the choreographer.
She tries on her costumes and decides on the purple one. "This brought me good luck last competition," she says, and does a super jump.
Sophie is exicited to skate her long program. She agrees with Ms.Wilkin on the bright green costume. It matches the happy music. "I won't have to remember to smile," Sophie says. "This program is so much fun!"
It is time to go home. Before they leave the stadium,Sophie and her mom stop and watch Nick lift his partner high in the air. Sophie applauds. Suddenly Nick skates over and scoops up Sophie and lifts her high in the air, too. "I'm flying!" she shouts.
After dinner, Sophie cleans and dries her skates. She sits with her dog, Henry, and does her homewok. It's nice to be home after a long day.
"Get your skates, Sophie!" Let's go out to the pond!" her brother calls a little later. But Sophie is already asleep.

The story takes place in Providence, Rhode Island in 2003. Anna Fitzgerald's older sister, Kate, suffers from acute promyelocytic leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer. Anna was conceived as a savior sibling, in order to harvest blood from her umbilical cord to use in treatments to help save Kate's life. Although the treatment was initially successful, Kate relapsed; ever since, Anna, the only compatible family member, has been used as a donor for any other bodily substance needed to treat Kate, who continues to swing between remission and relapse as she grows up.
Anna is usually willing to donate whatever Kate needs, but when she is 13, she is told that she will have to donate one of her kidneys. The surgery required for both Kate and Anna would be major; it is not guaranteed to work, as the stress of the operation may well kill Kate anyway; and the loss of a kidney could have a serious impact on Anna's life. Anna petitions for medical emancipation with the help of lawyer Campbell Alexander, so that she will be able to make her own decisions regarding her medical treatment and the donation of her kidney.