It's a dog's life...

A student told me an interesting & unusual story today. She said she was really angry with people, and this was why...
She was travelling by train from Mohelnice - the train had come from Šumperk, and was continuing to Olomouc. She noticed that there was a large dog, without a collar, and apparently without an owner. 

The ticket collector came, saw the dog, and without asking anyone anything, he kicked (not literally!) the dog off at the next station (Moravičany). The student was furious. She really felt that the inspector could have at least tried to hand the dog in to some kind of authority (police?) who could have perhaps taken care of it, or investigated as to if anyone from the Šumperk area had lost a dog.
She was sure the dog was lost.
I find it very strange that a dog was travelling - alone! - on a train. Very odd. And maybe the inspector kicked it off the train because it didn't have a ticket?? Who knows...?

This is today's mystery (or, Mr E) story ;-)

A bit of a dumpling :-)

Discussing food & drink with one of my classes last week, I was reminded of the true story of a Japanese businessman who had been invited to dinner by his Czech hosts. They wanted to make a good impression, and so decided to treat their honoured guest to the national meal of vepřo knedlo zelo - Pork, dumplings, and sauerkraut :-)

Being as it was a very posh restaurant, the pork, dumplings, and sauerkraut were all served in separate dishes. The Japanese man was asked to serve himself. He suddenly reached out, took a dumpling, and to the great surprise and embarrassment of his hosts, wiped his face with it! Apparently, he mistook it for a face flannel, which is a common thing at a meal in Japan :-) 

Of beetles and cats and dogs...

One of the real bonuses of my job is being able to set a choice of topics to talk about that sometimes result in a great story.
Yesterday, one of my students related a story from her childhood. Her grandfather had taken her rowing on a lake. As they were rowing, he suddenly stopped. In the water, he saw a very rare beetle, struggling to survive. Being a keen insect enthusiast, he carefully fished it out of the water, and then rowed back to the lakeside.

Gently, he placed the beetle on a rock so that it could dry in the warmth of the sun. He was so excited & happy that he could rescue this rare specimen, and he was eager to take a photo of it. Grabbing his camera, he looked in the viewfinder...but could no longer see the beetle! Where was it? Had it crawled or flown away? He stepped back to take a look, and heard a soft crunch under the sole of his shoe... :-(

It reminded me of a famous story, about a news report on ITN News at Ten. At the end of the news, they usually liked to end with a happy, funny, or uplifting story. Reginald Bosanquet, the newsreader, told a story about an old lady whose cat had got stuck up a tree. She rang the army (as the fire brigade were on strike!) to come & rescue the cat, which they duly did. She was so grateful that she invited them all in for a cup of tea & a piece of cake. When they left, they reversed the truck...and in the process ran over the cat! Mr Bosanquet couldn't contain himself, and got a lot of criticism from cat lovers for sniggering after reading the story!

And finally (as the newsreader would say!), I'm reminded of another story which my wife's doctor told her a few years ago. She knew someone who had bought a very expensive chihuahua, a very small dog. After the purchase, she & her husband were driving home and they needed to put some petrol in the car. While the husband was filling the car, the wife took the dog for a walk on the piece of nearby grass, off the lead... Suddenly, a bird of prey (probably a goshawk) swooped down & carried off the dog!!! Their very expensive pet disappeared into the heavens, never to be seen again...

Isn't life strange? :-)

 

Life after Maturita...

There is life after Maturita! :-)
I apologise for being absent from my Blog for soooooooooooooo long - around 4 months!! :-O
I deliberately took a break from most things after the strains & stresses of a demanding period in my life.
However, seldom does a day pass by without my wife or I commenting: "Milacku, you (I) don't have to do any studying!" It is a moment still to be savoured, and neither of us tire of it. It is a deeply satisfying feeling.

Since June, the holidays came - the High Tatras, and the death of my walking boots at Jahnaci Stit...working at the cottage, and fulfilling my dream of cycling back from the cottage - all 124 kms of it - and what a wonderful trip it was. It is like a video recording in my mind, and I frequently play the movie. So often, we move in life from one thing to another, and at this stage in my life, I'm learning to savour the moment more.

The holidays were a time of watching films and reading books that I wanted to watch & read...as opposed to a year ago when I was working through my Czech Literature list!
And since school began, I've been to Wurzburg, Germany for the preparation of ISLI 2017, and my wife & I enjoyed a 4 day trip to Paris - a reward for her tremendous help during my studies - she pretty much learnt everything with me!

And I have some old classes, some new classes...but all of them good! :-) I absolutely love my job, and am extremely satisfied in it...I only hope it shows during my lessons ;-)
So, life since Maturita has been, and continues to be - GOOD!

On reflection, I did learn something about discipline. Last year, I had to study 3 or 4 times a week (if not more?), and it seems a shame to lose that sense of discipline, and to drift in inactivity.

So, I have determined myself to study what I want to study (the Bible, and preparation for my work), and also to stir up my writing juices again. I love writing - and another of my dreams is to write a book (books?), mainly concerning my life, true stories etc...which I always find more fascinating that fiction :-)
And hence...the Blog is back...and more posts will follow... :-)