The Secrets of EMDR Therapy and How It Can Help You

What do you think of this therapy? Do you think it might work?

What is a pantomine (or panto)?

Can you watch the video and then explain in your own words?

Panto tickets for sale

THE MADRID PLAYERS PRESENTS OUR 2025 PANTO: 

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

And tickets are about to sprout!

Tickets will be released tomorrow at 9AM, Saturday 1st November at www.madridplayers.es/panto

Be quick to grab your tickets — last year, 30% sold in the first weekend!

For large groups and schools, please email us directly for discounts.

*Members have been emailed receive their 50% discount code.

Join the Madrid Players this Christmas... where the sky’s not the limit. It’s just the beginning.

When an ancient curse threatens the village of Bottomley with chaos, climate change, and catastrophic cow-based incidents, one unlikely hero must step up. He’s afraid of heights. He’s afraid of giants. He’s barely got a plan.

Armed with nothing but courage, a talking cow, and a band of cloud-dwelling warriors, Jack Twankey must face his destiny: climb the beanstalk, confront the giant, and break the curse once and for all.

But evil doesn’t fight fair. It has a goose. A golden goose.

With epic battles, soaring songs, dad jokes at dangerous altitudes, and a cameo from a chainsaw-wielding tech billionaire, this is the legend of the Beanstalk like you’ve never seen it before.

Storms will rage. Giants will roar. Beanstalks will talk. Milk will turn to chocolate.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

12th - 14th December

Teatro Salesianos Estrecho (Metro: Estrecho)

Tickets on sale Saturday 1 November at 9AM via

www.madridplayers.es/panto

Inside Out And Back Again

This is one of my favourite novels. To understand it better when you read it, you can find the plot summary here: Plot

Can you explain the meaning of this idiom?

 

What do you know about Halloween? Please share the information in the comment section.

Note. In the picture above you can see my daughter wearing the Cruella costume she wore to school today.

Paid By The Week. Joke.

A building contractor was being paid by the week for a job that was likely to stretch over several months. He approached the owner of the property and held up the check he'd been given. "This is two hundred dollars less than we agreed on," he said.

 

"I know," the owner said, "But last week I overpaid you two hundred dollars, and you never complained."

 

The contractor said, "Well, I don't mind an occasional mistake. But when it gets to be a habit, I feel I have to call it to your attention."

 Question: What is the difference between wages and salary?

The Forsytes Trailer

If you are fond of period dramas, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one. It is based on The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy, which you can find here:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4397/4397-h/4397-h.htm

Irish wit

 

- What is the piece of paper in the picture?

- Why is it spoiled?

Kurt Cobain: The Reluctant Hero

Below you can see a free verse poem I've written about Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana. Can you tell me what you know about him? You can look for information online.

He laid

his tear-stained face

on his young hands.

He was alone.

He could smile,

joke and pretend

in front of others.

Deep down,

he was broken.

A dark blue cloud

hung above his head,

his heart was hollow.

He saw no tomorrow.

Men envied his looks,

his voice, his fame.

Women dreamed 

of touching 

his blonde hair.

That curtain

of gold.

He was so young,

he owned the world,

to many he was a god,

It wasn’t enough.

Desperation took hold.

A wee baby, 

a loving wife 

couldn't anchor him.

to this life.

The sadness won.

But even if his melancholy 

Stole him from us

he’ll live on

in eternal songs.

Music to uplift the soul.

Written by Maria Garcia

Here you can listen to one of his songs:

And a film about him, although there are more.

How to Pronounce the Voiced TH Sound in English.

I hope you found this video useful to improve your pronunciation. Let me know if you'd like to see more like this.

The Tale of Mrs Tiggly-Winkle

The video above is a simplified version of the famous story by Beatrix Potter.

- Can you tell me what Lucy always lost?

- What kind of creature is Mrs Tiggly-Winkle?

Below you can listen to and read the original version with the beautiful original illustrations by the author.

Joke

Silent Advice

An elderly couple were attending church when about halfway through the service she leaned over and said to him, "I just had a silent passing of gas. What should I do?"

Her husband leaned over to her and replied, "It's too late to do anything now, but when we get home please put a new battery in your hearing aid."

Questions:

-  Elderly is a polite way of saying...............

-  Do you think the couple were Catholic or not? How can you tell?

- Gas is an American word, what is the polite equivalent in British English in this context?

-  Why did the woman's husband tell her to put a new battery in her hearing aid?

A2 English Reading Quiz

An easier test for elementary students.

Can You Pass This B2 Reading Test?

If you do the test, please let me know how easy or how difficult you found it. It will just take you about five minutes to complete.

Princess Diana helps you train your British Accent + Phonetic subtitles ...

I'm sharing this with you because I think it's useful, but I want to make it clear that I think all accents are equally beautiful and worthy.

Five on Kirrin Island Part 1.Famous Five 1970s.Series 1, Episode 1 (part 1)

Have you ever heard of Enid Blyton? I used to devour her books when I was around nine years old. Now they might be old-fashioned, but they are still part of British culture and new editions have been published with more modern covers.

My kids used to have the DVDs and some of the books and there is a  more modern adaptation of the Famous Five adventures. 

Below you can see the trailer of the 2023 series.

Do you think you would enjoy reading these books as a grown up? One advantage is that they are quite easy and a good way to practise your English.

C1 Advanced (CAE) Listening Tests

If you are preparing CAE, this is a great free resource for you. There are 66 Listening tests altogether; this is the last one. If you click on this video and go to YouTube, you'll find the whole list.

And even if you aren't studying for the Cambridge exam, this is a great way to practise C1 Listening Comprehension.

Can you tell me what a calorie is? The real definition...

 

New Sabaton video

Who do you think this song is about?

Click below to read the lyrics:

I, Emperor

Lumber Penance

 

A man with a nagging secret couldn't keep it any longer. In the confessional he admitted that for years he had been stealing building supplies from the lumberyard where he worked.

"What did you take?" his priest asked.

"Enough to build my own house and enough for my son's house. And houses for our two daughters and our cottage at the lake."

"This is very serious," the priest said. "I shall have to think of a far-reaching penance. Have you ever done a retreat?"

"No, Father, I haven't," the man replied. "But if you can get the plans, I can get the lumber."

Questions

What is the meaning of nagging in this context?

Wha is a lumberyard?

Does the man understand the priest? 

Prepositions of place

Instagram picture. Credit: speak_with_usa

 What is the animal in the picture called?

WOLFWALKERS .

Have you seen this 2020 film? 

The animation is beautiful and although I haven't seen it yet, I probably will.

See a short synopsis below:

In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when she saves a wild native girl, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

Can you summarise this video for me?

Flash fiction: drabble. Can you write your own 100-word story? Please post it in the comments.

The story below has exactly 100 words. Writing Flash Fiction is fun, but also challenging because it's very difficult to pack a whole story in a drabble. 

In case you are wondering:

A 100-word story is called a drabble. It is a form of flash fiction that is precisely 100 words long and should have a beginning, middle, and end with a conflict and resolution. Other forms of flash fiction include dribbles (55 words) and microfiction (under 300 words). 

Ann didn’t love her husband. Everything he did irritated her. Jay, however, was the kindest man ever. Always helping everyone.

The truth is Ann didn’t know how she could be so ungrateful. She’d had affairs and she was mean to him although he didn’t deserve it. 

What unnerved her was that she couldn’t understand why he hadn’t divorced her yet.  Fear of change?

Till one morning, when she realised her coffee smelled of almonds, and understood what that meant. He’d laced her drink with cyanide! It was  comical, a cosmic joke.

Jay smiled at her genially without saying a word. 

Story by: Maria Garcia

Joke

Do you understand this joke?

Can you explain?

Source: Reader's Digest

SABATON - 1916 (Official Lyric Video)

As some of you know, Sabaton is one of my favourite bands.

Listen to the video above and read the lyrics, then tell me what the song is about and whether you like it or not.

Below you have the official music video which includes an explanation of the battle they are talking about.

Who was Mary Wollstonecraft? Why was she famous?

 

Registration plates

 Why do you think I took this picture?

How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer

-What does the bucket in the story symbolise?

-What does 'shrimp' mean in this story?

-Can you give me an example of something that emptied Felix's bucket and something that filled it?

-What can we do to fill someone else's bucket? 

-What happens when we do?

What happens to your brain without any social contact?

Thanks, Gabriela, for making me think about this topic.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S OFFICIAL TRAILER

This iconic film is based on a novella by a famous American author. Can you tell me who? 

Do you know anything about his life?

What is a novella?

Buying a present

Look at the pictures below and tell me if there is anything you like.

Is there anything you would buy for yourself?

Can you see something you would buy as a present for a friend or relative?

Do you think the objects in the photos are very expensive?

Source: Woman's Own

The /iː/ Sound (beach, peach, sheet)

If you want to improve your pronunciation, this video and all the others of the same series (Pronunciation with Emma) will be very useful.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Joke

Reversal of Fortune

 

Dearest John,

I have been unable to sleep since I broke off our engagement. Won't you forgive and forget? Your absence is breaking my heart. I was a fool. Nobody can take your place. I love you.

All my love,

Linda

XXXOOOXXX

P.S. Congratulations on winning this week's lottery.

Question:

Can you explain the meaning of the expression reversal of fortune?

This expression is the title of a film. Have you watched it? Can you tell me who the main actors were and what it was about?

"Dawn Of Victory" ft. FABIO LIONE - Rhapsody Cover

Today is Dan Vasc's birthday.

I'll always be grateful to him for two reasons: he introduced me to heavy metal and Portuguese, both of which I now love.

BEAST IN BLACK - Blind And Frozen (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Metal songs can also be about love. Watch the video and read the lyrics below. What do you think of this 2017 song?

Once I touched your heart
Held you in closed arms
Built a haven for your love
Until I let you fall apart
Please forgive me
God, I miss you like hell
I was wrong, I can tell
For the heart can be blind and frozen
Now I live with the pain
Every night, every day
As I read those letters you wrote me
How I long for the time
When your lips would kiss mine
And the promise was still unbroken
I will wait for tomorrow
That may never come
I will wait in the name of love
My forlorn heart faintly beats
Your absence makes me weak
And if nothing brings you back
Surely, I'll roam through life in black
Like a shadow
God, I miss you like hell
I was wrong, I can tell
For the heart can be blind and frozen
Now I live with the pain
Every night, every day
As I read those letters you wrote me
How I long for the time
When your lips would kiss mine
And the promise was still unbroken
I will wait for tomorrow
That may never come
I will wait in the name of love
I would die for the love of mercy
Destiny, is this how it should be? No, no, no!
God, I miss you like hell
I was wrong, I can tell
For the heart can be blind and frozen
Now I live with the pain
Every night, every day
As I read those letters you wrote me
God, I miss you like hell
I was wrong, I can tell
For the heart can be blind and frozen
Now I live with the pain
Every night, every day
As I read those letters you wrote me
How I long for the time
When your lips would kiss mine
And the promise was still unbroken
I will wait for tomorrow
That may never come
I will wait in the name of love

Source: LyricFind

Describing a picture

 

This is a picture I took of my dog, Max, and this is how Gemini describes it. BTW, Max is a Westie (West Highland Terrier, but his ears are droopy unlike those of other Westies).

Read the description below and then write your own. Happy writing!

The picture features a small, white, wire-haired dog as the central subject. The dog is resting on a wide, marble or stone windowsill, looking directly at the camera with an attentive expression. It has a distinctive Schnauzer-like appearance with a wispy beard and eyebrows, and it is wearing a dark collar.

The Setting

The dog is positioned indoors, but the scene looks out through a large, dark-framed window onto a sunny outdoor area. The overall light suggests it's a pleasant day, possibly morning or late afternoon, as the dog is bathed in warm light.

Outside the window, the view is of a well-maintained courtyard or residential complex. Features visible include:

• A bright blue swimming pool in the middle distance.
• Areas of lush green grass and manicured hedges.
• Several palm trees and other tropical-looking foliage, suggesting a warm climate.
• In the background, there are multi-story apartment or hotel buildings with light-colored, possibly yellow or beige, stucco walls and terracotta-colored roofing tiles.
• Lounge chairs can be seen next to the pool area, further indicating a resort or holiday setting.

It's a very serene and sunny picture that captures a moment of quiet contemplation for your adorable pet!

Claire's Law

Read the post below and tell me what Clare's Law is in your own words. You can look for more information on line if you feel like it.

Source: Woman's Own

Note.

Subscribing to Woman's Own (there's a digital edition) is a good way to improve your English. It's not what I'd call high-brow, but it can help you learn everyday vocabulary.

It's also entertaining. I do have to confess I read it myself. Blush.

Who is the man in the picture? What do you know about him?

 

Vocabulary. What is a diversion?

As I'm sure you've already guessed, diversion is a false friend. What does it mean?

Note. I took this picture in London just before the pandemic.

 

Can you describe this picture in as much detail as possible?