Test your English

"Test your English"-Autorin Joanne Edwards ist Englischlehrerin. Sie lebt seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten in Salzburg.

It's a Man's World!

Many men are reluctant to take their health seriously and have annual medical check-ups. Unlike women, who are more diligent in this regard, men are either afraid to know what may be wrong with their health or find the whole business unmanly. They seem to think that admitting to being ill is equivalent

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Michael Darmanin

Autumn Leaves

The title of this column refers to Nat King Cole's song, which may not be familiar to all of you, but people of a certain age will certainly remember it. For young people it is probably a soppy love song. Its romantic and nostalgic mood fits the human perception of autumn like a glove. For most of us

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Michael Darmanin

Of Birds and Bees

A couple of weeks ago I had to go to Munich on a business matter. It was a nice day and so I drove there with my car. When I arrived back in Salzburg, I realized that only one insect had committed hara-kiri on my windscreen by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I was suddenly confronted with

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Michael Darmanin

Into the Unknown . . .

Next week, I am going to do something very daring and travel into the unknown. No, I am not going to climb Kilimanjaro or travel to the darkest corners of Africa - I am just going to England to spend two weeks with my family. I swore that I would not go there until after the 29th March, the day that

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Joanne Edwards

Measles - The Outbreak

I must admit that I am every doctor's worst nightmare, as I am really afraid of all the side effects that one can get after having a vaccination or taking medication. I am not sure where this fear comes from, but it could be from growing up in the 60s, when pregnant women were given the drug thalidomide,

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Joanne Edwards

When One Door Closes . . .

Life can be tough sometimes - but what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger Many of us have problems during our lifetime, when we think that life will never be the same again. At times like these, it is difficult to believe the quote, made by the inventor of the first telephone, Alexander Graham Bell:

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Joanne Edwards

Jihadi Fighters and their Brides

Should teenagers, who have fought for Islamic State in Syria, be allowed to return home? You would really think that we have enough problems to deal with in Great Britain, what with us leaving the European Union in only 30 days - and still no deal in sight. However, there is another story that keeps

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Joanne Edwards

Pupils against Global Warming

As adults are not getting results when campaigning against climate change - our children are taking over. Maybe Donald Trump does this - but we can no longer deny that climate change is real and has to be tackled before it is too late. Only last month, temperatures fell to almost -50C degrees in some

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Joanne Edwards

Living in a Touristy Place . . .

When you live in such a beautiful place, you have to share it with others. It was well over ten years ago that my husband and I decided to tour around Cornwall and Devon, and it was a real treat - just like in the Rosamunde Pilcher films. I know the region very well as I had spent many childhood holidays

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Joanne Edwards

The Amazing Story of Wim Hof

The more we realise that medicine cannot cure everything, the more we turn to alternative remedies. You have probably never heard of Wim Hof and neither had I, until I caught a really bad cold last week. It was the sort of cold when you wake up in the morning and your muscles are aching so much, that

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Joanne Edwards

The Story of Brexit . . . Part Two

It is hard to believe that the word Brexit has been around since 2012, no wonder that people are getting fed up with hearing it. The Oxford English Dictionary awarded Peter Wilding, the founder and director of the British Influence think tank, the honour of inventing the word Brexit, when he coined the

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Joanne Edwards

The Story of Brexit . . . Part One

With only 69 more days to go until Brexit, Britain is in more of a mess than ever? My telephone didn't stop ringing last Tuesday evening with my Austrian friends asking me - the only British person they know - "What on earth is going on?" They were all watching the news, coming live from the House of

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Joanne Edwards

The British World Cup Skier!

Usually, when I speak to my Austrian friends about British skiers, the first name that springs to mind is "Eddie the Eagle". Now, just to jog your memory, "Eddie the Eagle" became famous in 1988, when he became the first British competitor, since 1929, to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping,

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Joanne Edwards

Find Some Peace at Christmas Time

Sometimes, at this time of the year, when the shops are packed full of people looking terribly stressed, while trying to find the right gift for their loved ones, and the wonderful Christmas markets, that I raved about in my last article, are overcrowded with people who don't look very happy and shove

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Joanne Edwards

The Final Deal?

Last Sunday, the final deal for Brexit was approved. Who knows what the future will bring. Whatever you may think of the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, and indeed British politics, you can't help but admire the woman who virtually single-handed managed to finally come to an agreement on the Brexit

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Joanne Edwards

Christmas Markets in Salzburg

With just over four weeks until Christmas Eve, it is time to enjoy Advent. As Johnny Mathis sang, in1992 "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go". The shops have been decorated in a festive way, the man in the Getreidegasse has been selling his chestnuts for a month already and,

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Joanne Edwards

The World is Your Oyster . . .

Young people have never had it so good. These days they can study or work anywhere in the world. I left England at the age of 19, many moons ago, to work as a nanny for a rich Swiss family. In those days, I was the exception as most of my friends were seriously thinking about starting a career or a family.

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Joanne Edwards

Prince Charles: A King in Waiting

Prince Charles, the longest waiting heir in history, turns 70. As Charles, Prince of Wales, approaches another milestone birthday, people ask themselves the same question: "Will he ever become King of England?" which is usually followed by: "Will Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, ever become Queen of England?"

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Joanne Edwards

Agony and Ecstasy of Football

When tragedy hit Leicester City FootballClub last week, a fairytale came to an end. I must say that I am not really a football fan and don't usually watch it on television. But when Leicester City, the city where I was born and raised, won the Premier League title, in 2016, I was over the moon. The newspapers

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Joanne Edwards