Wagon Wheels.

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“Neil, do you want a wagon wheel,” My cousin Bob asked me.

“Yes, do have a wagon wheel, dear,” said Morag, my kind cousin and Bob's wife.

What’s a wagon wheel, I wondered.

Was it one of those huge wooden wheels that pulled wagons filled with hay. Or was it attached to a covered wagon taking settlers across the American Plains? At 12 years old, my mind was filled with adventure stories.

Wagon wheels spelled crossing raging rivers; hauling hay to the hungry animals; or taking children to school through deep snow drifts.

Morag smiled and said, “Here’s a wagon wheel, Neil,” and she put a round, chocolate cookie into my hand.

“Try it Neil, it tastes great,” laughed Bob.

And I did. I bit into the chocolate and came to the soft interior. Yes, it tasted great!

From that day on, whenever I had a meal with Morag and Bob, they always said, “Neil, do you want a wagon wheel?”

Guess what I said!

Now the years have gone by. Too many years!. The 12 year old boy now has a white beard. The 12 year old boy has travelled to France, Kenya, and Canada. All good memories of adventures…but… the best memory by far was of my kind cousins, Morag and Bob and the chocolate wagon wheel.

Would you like a wagon wheel?
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(Copyright. 2009)

JOB SEARCH HELP

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We've written another web page that'll help you as you look for work.

It's at:
http://jobsearchhelpnow.blogspot.com/
You're welcome to read it.
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Neil and Gerlinde Jones
1563 Agnew Ave
Victoria,
BC
V8N 5N4

Ballet Shoes

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The old ballerina sat back in her arm chair and daydreamed. She remembered the places she’d danced in; Moscow, London, Paris, New York, Toronto, Vancouver. “Ah, such wonderful days." Glitter. Cheers. Flowers. Friends. Conductors.”

She picked up her two pairs of ballet shoes. “Ah, my friends” she said, “When I was quite young I wore you.” She looked at the smaller pair of ballet shoes.

“Then when I grew older and started on my career, I spent all the money I had saved and bought a professional pair of ballet shoes,” she then picked up a well work pair of silver coloured ballet shoes. “If only I could wear you again! Maybe you’re lonely too for the stage, the ballet….Swan Lake.”

Just about this time, a little girl was speaking to her own ballet teacher. “Joan, you’re doing so well. You have promise. You have a great love of the art. What you need now is a better pair of ballet shoes.”

“Madam Romanov, we’re so poor. It’s just Mum and me and Mum’s lost her job!” Joan said, with a tear trickling down her eye.

“Give me a day or two and I’ll see what I can do,” said Madam Romanov.

After Joan left, Madam Romanov picked up the phone and spoke to the old ballerina. She told her Joan’s problem and also told her that Joan had great skills, even at her young age.

“Send her to me. I must meet her. Maybe I can solve her problem,” smiled the old ballerina.

Joan met with the old ballerina and they talked on and on for hours about the joyful and demanding life of a professional ballet dancer.

“Joan, I need your help. I have two friends who are longing to dance again. Will you help them dance?” asked the old ballerina.

“Yes, Madam, I’m happy to help your two friends.”

“Here they are,” said the old ballerina and she pout the two smaller ballet shoes in Joan’s hands, and smiled and smiled.

“Oh Madam, you’re so kind!” Joan smiled.

“Come and see me often and bring my two old friends to visit,” said the old ballerina happily.
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Wake up Grandpa!!

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Wake up, Grandpa!

Many years ago, our three granddaughters visited us for the afternoon. Grandma and I always enjoyed their company. Their names are Hannah, Robin and Madeline.

One visit they said, “Grandpa, let’s do some magic tricks.,”

“OK. Let’s get out some rope. Cut it in pieces. Then put it together again.”

It was a great trick and we all practiced it.

“Grandma, Grandpa, I know how to make a coin bounce off the walls and end up under my foot,” said one of our granddaughters.

“Really!” we said!

“Yes. Here it is in my left hand. Now I’ll slip it into my right hand. Now I’ll throw it around the room…….Now, I’ll lift up my foot and what do you see there?”

“The coin!! How did you do that?” Grandma and I were amazed.

“That’s my secret!” she laughed.

Grandma said, “Now it’s time for some special cookies I’ve just baked,”

The girls all chatted away. My eyelids felt heavier and heavier. Finally, I fell asleep!

After a while, I heard three voices calling out, “Wake up, Grandpa! Wake up Grandpa! Wake up, Grandpa!”

“What’s that, what’s that?” I said, opening my eyes and pretending to be very surprised.

Hannah, Robin and Madeline all laughed.

So from then on, whenever they came by, I made sure I’d pretend to fall asleep. And they’d all call out, “Wake up, Grandpa! Wake up Grandpa! Wake up, Grandpa!”

I’d pretend to wake up …surprised…and say: “What’s that? What’s that? What’s that?”.

Maybe you’d like to play the “Wake up, Grandpa!” game…. Or call it the “Wake up, Grandma!” game. Pretend to be Grandpa or Grandma and wake up with a pretend surprise.
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Grandchildren are like gold, aren’t they!
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Peas and Qs

“Let’s turn TV off and sit around the fire,” I said to our grandchildren.

Gerlinde, their Grandma, said, “That’s a great idea. I’ve made some hot chocolate and we can turn the lights off and enjoy the warm glow of the burning logs.”

“Yes, let’s do that,” our Grandchildren called out.

“I’ve got a puzzle for you to solve,” I said. “When I was a little boy, my mother would say to me: ‘Neil, watch your peas and Qs’. What do you think she meant?”

One of our grandchildren said, “Well, Grandpa, I know what peas are. We boil them up and eat them. So she meant you must make sure the peas don’t boil dry and spoil.”

“That’s a great answer…but…I’m afraid it’s not right! But it’s a good answer and has a lot of truth in it,” I smiled.

“I know the answer, Grandpa,” said another grandchild. “I think ‘Watch your peas’ means ‘watch them grow and feed them with water’”.

“That’s also a good answer with some good truth in it,” I said. “But it’s not the right answer. Please all keep trying.”

Gerlinde, their Grandma, went to the kitchen and got some peanut butter cookies and we all munched on them while we looked at the logs burning.

“Well, I’ll have a go at ‘Watch your Qs,” said another grandchild. “I think it means you must’nt push other people away, you should queue up politely and wait your turn.”

“That’s another great answer. You’ve all given me some very good answers, I’m very proud of you,” I said.

“So am I,” smiled Grandma.

“Grandpa, you’ve got to tell us the answer now,” they all shouted.

So I smiled and said,“ You see, ‘Watch your peas’ should be pronounced ‘Watch your please’. And ‘Q’s’ means ‘Thank You”. Thank you sounds like ‘Q’ “

“So my mother was saying to me, ‘Neil always say ‘please and thank you,’” I said.

Everyone laughed!

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How very important it is to say “please” and “thank you”.