December 1, 2011

On the First day of Christmas , my true love gave to me ...


 Better than socks ..
                
           Why not buy  an early Christmas gift or Birthday present ..


Offer an English lesson ( gp or individual class)  or  a "Theme night" to a friend for Christmas  or birthday!


 You can buy a gift card from 12 to 45 euros to initiate others to the joys of the Cellar !!


An original  way  for them to learn and have fun in style and in English of course !
             You can buy the cards at the Abc Cellar at any time .... 
for more info contact me at p.abcbooks@gmail.com

and dont forget to sign up yourselves for the Christmas Carol evening on the 15th december .. discover what Christmas  is like across  the channel !

On the 6th day...

On the sixth day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me,
Six Geese-a-Laying,
Five Golden Rings,
Four Calling Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle Doves,
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the 5th day ..


On the fifth day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me,
Five Golden Rings,
Four Calling Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle Doves,
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree





On the fourth day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me,
Four Calling Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle Doves,
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree


On the 3rd day...

On the first day of christmas 
my true love gave to me
a Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the second day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me,
Two Turtle Doves,
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the third day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me,
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle Doves,
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the Second day ..

of Christmas, my true love sent to me ...
 Two Turtle doves ;...


and a partridge in a pear tree ...



 the twelve days of Christmas is a cumulative song , ; each verse is added to previous ones. There are 12 verses each describing a gift  on one of the  12 days of Christmas...





 Look tomorrow to see what the 3rd gift was ..

November 20, 2011

Time to move on ... to "Time for LOVE"

 Well, the Magic Night came and went all too quickly and was a great success  !!... I have already been asked if  it will be repeated another Time .. well, magic tricks should never be performed twice of course to the same audience but  for those of you who were unable to make the date the first Time, the  evening will be repeated    (with a few variations of course) ; hopefully in March  ! so  keep your eyes firmly on the blog   ......

 MEANWHILE .... the next evening is coming up ... read below...


What's in a Name ?
One Two Two : quintet Barbershop style


"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

 Who said this to whom ? why , when and where ?


 .. and this ? 

If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.


 Well, find out in the next Theme night .. come and be seduced by the Rouen based A capella quintet the

 ONE TWO  TWO who are coming to  delight you with their love songs ...In English of course

 Listen and learn English through music, names  and poetry and style ...





 TUESDAY 6TH  december 7.45pm 15 euros


 All welcome ..  but places limited !!

November 16, 2011

och hay the noo !!!!

 eh ? sorry ?

" och hay the noo" is a typically scottish phrase which means " yes , just now" ... so  yes  just now I can confirm that  Scottish Night , Burns Night will be on January the 24th at 7.45 pm ...

 On the programme ....
 to a background of  gentle (!) Scottish music

An authentic Scottish live rendition of Robbie Burns' : ( Scotland's most famous poet )
                             Ode to a haggis ..

  sample  a  light meal of haggis  and tatties .. with a taste of shortbread and  a wee dram of whisky...

 Discover Scotland, the language, the people, the Tartans and Culture ...

 Price  18 euros per person 7.45 - 9.45pm
 Buy small gifts for your friends direct from Scotland ...

listen to the bagpipes...


on the road from Edinburgh to Stirling ...


November 13, 2011

Theme nights ??? What are they ?

 What are  THEME NIGHTS really ?? Many of you ask..

 TAKE TIME FOR ENGLISH
A way to learn English differently, effortlessly and pleasurably
 Who can come ?
Adults and Teens ..  all levels ... ( PEU IMPORTE VOTRE NIVEAU )
What is the price ?
From 12 - 20 euros depending on the evening.  Refreshments included .            
Where are they  held ?
 In the ABC Bookshop Cellar, Passage de la petite Horloge Rouen
What time ?
 Normally from 7.30 pm to 9.30pm or 8pm to 10pm.
How do I register ?
 By mail to p.abcbooks@gmail.com. Please pay in advance. Seats are limited ! ( 15-20 people )
What else  should I know ?
just  come and Enjoy yourselves in a cosy British home atmosphere.. and IMPROVE FAST !



 ......... AND TO MAKE THINGS EVEN CLEARER

When I was in the Cellar recently I heard a lady walk past  with a friend  and notice the new signpost :



 TIME FOR ENGLISH
Cours/conversation         .
Soirées à Themes           .
 pour plus d'info..             
p.abcbooks@gmail.com...

and this was the actual  conversation I heard :

lady A - Tiens cest nouveau ça ," Cours/ conversation"  ça a l'air pas mal; on doit parler anglais là ..
lady B - tu parles anglais toi ?
       A - oui, oui je me débrouille .
       B - Et ça alors ca veux dire quoi " Theme nights " ..  ?
       A - bein ça ca veut  dire des jeux de nuits .....
       B - ah bon d'accord !

........ and they walked on !!!

 SO inspired by this and other unfortunante misunderstandings .. HERE GOES :

 A THEME NIGHT is above all AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE  :
 A 2 hour English Class with a wonderful difference!
 Organised in close collaboration with the  " performer (s)" .

  "Who are the Performers ?" : They are  people I have selected because of their special talent in their diverse fields , with ONE COMMON Interest : Their passion for their " stuff " and enjoyment of ENGLISH whether it be Music, Literature , Magic, History, Business,Language, Food, Travelling .. or other delights

 and they  share their passion  in ENGLISH with You on the night...!

 They may be of any nationality , with any accent, and level of English ... but  they do what they do in ENGLISH for the Cellar ....

 "IS IT  LIKE A LESSON ?"    YES AND NO :  my idea and passion is bringing people together of different cultures, backgrounds, levels in English and with different motivations to experience and learn English  differently .. because some of you have struggled for years to learn and ENJOY ENGLISH ...

 The  "Performances" will be interspersed with  varied moments of  vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, texts, poetry, historical contexts, film extracts ... and other things to help you understand and learn more  about the subject too ...
 You can of course see some of the performers at different shows during the year at other places but not necessarily in English ...

 So here are some more FAQs ( Frequently Asked Questions)


 " Do I need to speak English" ? NO ;. but it helps if you understand a minimum .. The idea is to improve !

 " Do I have to participate in some way?   NO but you are very welcome to help out the magician for example, and learn to sing a Christmas Carol .. but  you can just listen  and watch...

 " Can I bring my friends  ? " Yes with pleasure ...Tell people around you about the THEME EVENINGS  You can even pay for them  by buying a special Theme night Gift Card from 12 to  50 euros as a Birthday or Christmas present ! see previous blog post " Christmas in November" ..

" Can my children come" ? Because theme nights are in the evening and IN ENGLISH they are basically for adults with a minimum of English and the subject may be difficult to understand ...

 " Will there ever be events for children ? "   THEME AFTERNOONS  will exist next year  I hope, adapted to children, games , magic, music, reading etc ...

 " Can I propose a  Theme Night idea  ? " Of course if you are a specialist in  and / or passionate about something and wish to present your passion IN ENGLISH  , Don't hesitate to talk  to me about it ..

 .. ad more practically .......




 " When  can I eat if the Theme night is from 7.30 to 9.30 ??" Well there will always be " Nibbles " and a drink" .. but why not prolong the Theme night and go after for a meal and speak IN ENGLISH about the NIGHT ??
For Burns Night in January for example their will be a light meal of Haggis, Neeps and tattties and short bread fudge and a " wee dram of whisky offered " ( DON'T EAT BEFORE )


 " How much does an evening cost  ?" from 12 to 20 euros depending on the Night.
 If you book for TEN Conversation classes, ONE THEME evening of your choice is ABSOLUTELY FREE !

 " How do I book  ? " send me a mail to p.abcbooks@gmail.com or tell me in person before or after class. I am  not far from the Cellar so can often be there in 5 mins ! You are officially registered when I have your payment.

 so "  How can YOU help  Ms Greene ? " .. In many different ways

 Part of the fun is planning the evenings and organising the room to welcome the performers , to  make sure the evening goes  smoothly..
 If you wish to help   IN ANY WAY  by  publicity, setting up the room , putting up curtains, helping with electricity, giving encouragement, taking photos if the evening for the blog, serving drinks etc etc of course it will be very much appreciated ... Please just contact me by mail...

 There are lots of skills you have that I dont !!!!!

 and finally

PLEASE  BOOK AND PAY IN ADVANCE . PLACES ARE LIMITED TO 16/20 people and I CANNOT TAKE PAYMENT  ON THE NIGHT !


 PLEASE Be Punctual
 Don't be late ! of course  it can happen but 7.30pm is 7.30pm
 7.45 is 7.45 !  Often I will have a class just before , so if you arrive  ahead of time you can chat to people  in the court yard IN ENGLISH  as you arrive


 " What time does an evening finish  ?" From 9.30 - 10pm ...

 any help clearing up after is always appreciated ..

" So where can  I Find out more ?" Look at the blog regularly and look out for posters around town and at the ABC Bookshop and at the Cellar ...


 SO , I hope that makes things clearer  and any mis understandings have been cleared up.. perhaps i should contact those two elderly ladies somehow ... any ideas  ???????

 I really  Look Forward to "  THEME NIGHTS" and  welcoming those of you I have seduced with this new way of " TAKING TIME FOR ENGLISH "
The  Theme Nights from now to February are each explained on the blog , see previous posts ..

 Enjoy your week ;
 Ms G

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« Take time for English at the ABC Cellar »










November 11, 2011

Remembrance day...

 At 11 a.m today , on the 11th Hour  of the 11th day of the 11th month ...and this year 2011 ....
 all over Britain, people wear a red poppy "sold" by the war veterans smartly dressed in their red "attire" ( uniforms) to remember those who died for their country. Look , read and listen below for the history of this special moment .. and look out  for the poppy in the ABC Cellar next Time you are there ...
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Remembrance.htm

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/