English how about just conversation?
Wowww !!!
How many contrybutions in this area of the forum at once. I'm very glad about that. So I'm able to enlarge ? my vocabulary in english.
I enjoyed the cyclingstorys very much. But it was a long time ago, So I wonder how old you are ? My guess would be 80 at least. Am i right ? I'm turnig 73 in september. Please help me, if I'm making grammatical mistakes. You know, I never attended an english class in school. So when I retired at the age of 60 I started learnig English by attendig classes on VHS. Unfortunately, my pronounciation is terrible out of lack of practical experience. But I'm able to read and write, so I can understand you quite well. I'm quite astonished about the huge vocabulary Udo is using here and I do envy him very much.
Where did you learne all of it ? Where you living in an english-speaking country or did you need it professionelly ? I hope I don't bother you too much with my questions.
So for today it's enough.
Regards
Manfred
@Lerge
Hi, dear Lerge, cycling and driving in England really was and is something special. On the left hand side of the streets and roads. So many roundabouts, so many narrow lanes in the countryside, at T-junctions, a white lane on the tarmac indicates who has to give way.
So you have permanently settled in England´s southwest. Whereabouts do you live? Have you ever been to Jamaica Inn?
After the tour to England with my brother I have never taken my bicycle on the British Isles again. But my wife and I travelled there many times, by car. My brother even got married in Scotland. And my favourite county was Devon and surrounding areas.We loved the Ladram Bay campsite near Sidmouth. And we enjoyed wonderful gardens e.g. Bicton Gardens. So beautiful. With so many flowers, shrubs and trees,
Greetings. Udo
Dear Manfred, you are right, I´m over eighty already. My very first contact with the English language was shortly after the war, perhaps in 1945 or 46, when my father, who ran a chemist´s shop in a small village in the hills near Minden, invited two British soldiers into our home. They were stationed at Wittekindshof, a branch of Bethel, where they were cared for while recovering from war injuries. What I remember from their conversation is that they were smoking cigarettes and that they said our German bread tasted like cake. (I must say, that was no exaggeration. Our bread really was fantastic. When I was sent to get it from the baker´s, it was fresh, it was soooo good, I could not keep away my fingers from the ends of the loaf. while walking I enjoyed to nibble the crumbs. ) Later at grammar school in Minden, English was offered as second foreign language in Quarta, that was the name of the third year at that school. So I have been in contact with English ever since.
Udo
Thank you again for telling me about the possibility to use a tricycle for avoiding crashes or falls from the normal bicycle due to lack of balance. Both my wife and I are already in our eighties and prefer the comfort of our little car. We know that it is more and more difficult driving right into the centre of big cities like Berlin or Hamburg and there are more and more people there who don´t want to have a car at all, because they don´t need it. Public transport is available. Here in the countryside we want to go on using our car as long as possible.
Kind regards.
jacaré4/Udo
You happy one !😁
Good education is more than half the life.
I grew up after the war, born in 1948, in a small village near Baden-Baden.
My father was an engin-mechanic with Daimler-Benz in Gaggenau. In our Village most Children only attended " 8 Jahre Hauptschule ". after that they made an apprentisship somewhere to be a skilled worker. The boys mostly with Daimler-Benz like most of her fathers did. After 3 Jears there was an Examination und you got a diploma. That was it on education. After that I worked for 45 Jears in te same companie until retirement. Not very exciting such al life. But it was more or less normal in my surroundings. When I started learnig English as a 60 jear old most people didnt understand and said I wasn't quite right in my head. But here I am. I'm able to read english novels by Elisabeth George or John Grisham, even Ernest Hemingway and its great fun for me. It's become a nice hobby and I'm spending a lot of time in doing so.
Unfortunately you cant wind back time otherwise I would do some things differently.
But there is this saying about spilled milk or so.
Regards
Manfred
Dear Fiets,
Thank you again for telling me about the possibility to use a tricycle for avoiding crashes or falls from the normal bicycle due to lack of balance. Both my wife and I are already in our eighties and prefer the comfort of our little car. We know that it is more and more difficult driving right into the centre of big cities like Berlin or Hamburg and there are more and more people there who don´t want to have a car at all, because they don´t need it. Public transport is available. Here in the countryside we want to go on using our car as long as possible.
Kind regards
jacaré4/Udo
You happy one !😁
Good education is more than half the life.
I grew up after the war, born in 1948, in a small village near Baden-Baden.
My father was an engin-mechanic with Daimler-Benz in Gaggenau. In our Village most Children only attended " 8 Jahre Hauptschule ". after that they made an apprentisship somewhere to be a skilled worker. The boys mostly with Daimler-Benz like most of her fathers did. After 3 Jears there was an Examination und you got a diploma. That was it on education. After that I worked for 45 Jears in te same companie until retirement. Not very exciting such al life. But it was more or less normal in my surroundings. When I started learnig English as a 60 jear old most people didnt understand and said I wasn't quite right in my head. But here I am. I'm able to read english novels by Elisabeth George or John Grisham, even Ernest Hemingway and its great fun for me. It's become a nice hobby and I'm spending a lot of time in doing so.
Unfortunately you cant wind back time otherwise I would do some things differently.
But there is this saying about spilled milk or so.
Regards
Manfred
Hello dear all
I will put a few experiences together whilst we are in France and tell them afer the holiday
Till then
love Yoli
And what shall we do in the meantime witout you.😭
Oh Dear dear dear
What a terrible responsibility I feel now. I do hope, now that football is over, Tennis as well .. no more singing in choirs that you will at least keep on existing :-)
At any rate please carry on telling each other a few stories of your past life and… Expectations if one has any..
I hope I will never stop wanting to do things, seeing things and planning for the next day or days.
When I feel I want to do something and my health does not allow it anymore I just say I will do it in the next life. Providing there is a next life!
Please take care
Be good
If you cannot be good
Be careful
A typical saying of the British