Time Travel

Time Travel!

So here I am, 2.5 years later... where did that time go? As we say: Time flies when you're having fun.... Do you say something similar in your language? Sometimes we just say Time flies!. In Russian, I hear them say Время летит, which is pretty much a direct translation.

OK, so I didn't time travel. I actually just haven't written a blog post. Why not? Cos you guys need to rally behind me and spur me on! C'mon guys! Tell me if you like to read these short entries.

What has changed?

Well, we have a new baby. That's right - six children now! Our little girl Celia was born last May (2018). That means, at the time of writing, she's already 1 year old!

I'm still working at home, mostly as a graphic designer, but also doing a handful of English lessons per week.

I also came to the decision to try studying something, if I want to change my career. SO, big brave me enrolled in an online college and I'm studying... wait. I'm not going to tell you yet!

Let me ask you something first. How can someone find their dream career?

Sure, you can do an online personality test and discover your strengths and weaknesses. I did that. (For your curiosity, I'm INFP - if you don't know what that is, Google it).

But here's my suggestion. Look at your childhood! What did you spend hours doing (apart from watching TV of course). Did you play soldiers? Did you build billycarts or cubby houses? Or maybe you were forever cutting your cat's hair, or your little sister's?

There's a GOOD chance those things are still passions that live deep in your heart. I think that's what I have discovered over these past 12 months or so.

Here's a short story about how my childhood passion came alive.

During school holidays, we often stayed home alone while our parents worked. BIG mistake! My folks would come home to all kinds of messes and disasters, covered up by lies and deceit.

Out one side of our house was a small triangle of lawn that struggled to survive in the shade. I secretly laid claim to that land and set to work. Rummaging around through dad's garden shed, I retrieved all the garden tools I'd need: mattock, shovel, wheelbarrow, etc. and proceeded to dig.

I also managed to buy some black plastic tarp. I raided various locations for plants. I scoured dad's stuff and got hold of some black irrigation hose and sprinklers.

Before long, the beginning of a rainforest paradise had taken shape.

Mum and dad soon discovered my "mess", and realised I had a passion. So they let me continue. Dad helped me collect rocks from the countryside, get some wooden logs, buy some more expensive plants etc. I built a pond with fish, a working waterfall and an irrigation system that rained gently down from above.

My passion was GARDENING! That passion never really left me, but until recently I didn't have a chance to pursue it.

That's why I chose to study Horticulture. Maybe my future career will be growing something beautiful, or tasty. Stay tuned for that!

Meanwhile, check out this old photo of me at work in that very garden I mentioned. I was around 15 years old. I hope you can feel the serenity and solitude of the small slice of paradise.

Oh, and tell me YOUR passion! I want to hear about it.

Developing my passion at 15. I loved to build gardens and grow things, and I still do!

ENGLISH NOTES:

• Time Travel - like many English words, this can function as a noun or verb (you could even use it as an adjective). Examples: NOUN: I don't believe time travel is possible. VERB: That weirdo claimed to have time travelled to 2034.
• Entry - usually we're talking about a way to get into a building or sporting ground. But 'entry' can also mean something written into a book or diary on a certain occasion. Example: Captain Hartog's travel log contains an entry describing his voyage along the west coast of Australia.
• a handful - this means a small amount or number of something. Not many.
• billycart - a small homemade cart, often made of wood, old wheels and whatever else is available.
• cubby house - a small house kids build and play inside. Sometimes kids build a cubby inside with blankets over the table. Sometimes it's a wooden house outside that dad built.
• lawn - grass that is mowed and kept tidy. Very popular in Australia and America.
• laid claim - to lay claim means to say "hey, this is mine. I own this"
• Rummage (verb) - to look through items trying to find something. Usually you have no idea where it is and you make a mess while you're searching.
• mattock - this is a heavy tool used for digging. Similar to a pick, but one end is flat like a hoe. Perhaps Google can help you out with this one!
• tarp - short for tarpaulin, which is like a huge plastic or canvas sheet for covering things outdoors to protect them. They are also good for making fish ponds :-)
• scoured - to scour means to look carefully for or search for something. Example: Peter scoured the landscape for a place to build a great city.
• Horticulture - the study of plants for food, materials and landscaping. Agriculture is similar, but it includes animals and is often on a very big scale with lots of machinery - I'm not so interested in Agriculture.

Blowing my own trumpet

Do you know that idiom, "To blow one's own trumpet"? Well, it means to brag or boast about something you have achieved.

This post has nothing to do about that. Haha!

Actually, I am going to do the opposite - admit my weakness.

You see, I used to play the cornet (a small trumpet) some time ago. But what happens when you don't practice something for a long time? You get "rusty" or bad at it. You can even lose that talent totally. This includes speaking a language.

Well, that's what happened when I didn't play my cornet for around 3 years.

So, today I have been practising my cornet and it's taking me quite a while to regain the muscular fitness I need to play well.

Playing a brass instrument, such as a cornet, trumpet, trombone, tuba etc uses a bunch of muscles in your face and torso that don't often get much use.

I'll stick with it. I am determined to keep practising and improve my playing. Maybe you have a favourite tune that you'd like me to try and play? Feel free to send it to me.

What instrument do you play?
How often do you practice?
Is there an instrument you really, really wish you could play?

Back in Australia

My family and I had the pleasure of living in Siberia for three years. The time then arrived where we needed to move back to our home country - Australia.

We miss Russia, but no doubt we will visit again from time to time, since we have so many great friends there. We also have many fond memories!

So, following such a big adventure, how can we just return to normal life? The answer is... we can't!

Thankfully, Google Maps helped us to plan our next adventure. We didn't move back to our old city. Instead, after lots of searching on the satellite map, we found a beautiful small town.

Sure, it was a place we'd never been before, but when we arrived to "check it out", we fell in love with it.

What is the name of that place? Bega!

This is our new town. You can find a lot of information about Bega on the Internet. Go ahead, do some research and then tell me in the comments what you discovered.

Make sure, if you come to Bega, you say "Hello"!

What did you discover about Bega?
Do you like big cities or small towns?
Is there a city on Earth where you wish you could live?

Travelling by train

One of the many things I love about Russia is the train system. You can easily travel great distances at a very affordable price.

Since Russia is the largest country on Earth, you can imagine that cities are very far away from each other. But this is not a problem when you can sleep in a bed or relax at a table and watch the scenery while travelling.

Recently my wife and daughter travelled by train with a dancing school for a competition. They spent around 30 hours on the train across Siberia.

Of course, it wasn't totally boring! They had a great time playing games, singing songs and eating ice cream. At each train station along the way there were peddlers selling all different things: fur hats, toys, dried fish, pastries and much more.

What a great way to see the country and experience the culture!

Do you like travelling by train?
What is the rail system like in your country?
What is your preferred method of transport?

How do you say that?

Sometimes I learn new words in Russian, but I don't know how to say them correctly.

Today I found a very cool website. This website is called Forvo and it lets you hear the correct way to pronounce a word in any language. All you need to do is type the word into the search box.

Did you ever wonder how to pronounce this word? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Now you can learn! Click here to listen

Where does this word come from?
Have you seen the movie?
What is one of the longest words in your language?

Crazy weather

It's the 2nd of May today. That means it is the second month of Spring and just one month until Summer! Yet, as I look outside today, I'm amazed by what I see.

Perhaps I should expect such crazy weather. It seems some strange things are happening with weather patterns all over the world.

There is an old Christmas carol called "White Christmas". The lyrics in the chorus start with "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know."

Well today, it seems we might be dreaming of a White Summer! Who knows.

What's the weather like in your city?
Has the weather been crazy?
Do you like snow?

Sleeping babies

I have a big family - FIVE kids! We currently live in a small apartment in Siberia.

At the moment, my wife and two daughters are away in another city. My daughter is dancing in a competition.

So, I am at home with my sons and baby daughter. Sometimes it is VERY difficult to achieve any goals, because I need to give all my attention to my baby.

Tonight she was very active, but finally she has fallen asleep! Now I can do something for myself. But... oh... I'm so tired!

Do you have a big family?
Do you have a baby?
How do you keep your baby busy?