MARIONA BOND: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP

Mariona Bond & V. Van Gogh's Irises and Roses

Mariona Bond. Seer. Luxembourg.

I'm a member of The Bond's family. I was born in Pommerloch and moved to Lorraine to study in the Université de Lorraine. After some years of working in the Luxembourg Central Bank I decided to open a flower shop in my homeland where I developed some abilities like a seer. I love flowers and animals as well as reading and enjoying nature.

 

-Good morning, Mariona Bond, and thanks to attend us.

 
-Welcome to Mariona's, my flower shop.

-Well, to start this interview I would like to know how you define yourself.

-I'm a seer. A person who can guess the future reading your hand or seeing in your eyes.

-Some people don't believe in these skills. How can you explain them to them?

-Well, I think these skills are genetics because I haven't done anything to have them but one day I realized I had this power and I decided to explore it.

-Can you guess the next winner lottery card for me?

-No I can't. Of course, not. These skills are only useful when you're treating with people, with emotions, with feelings and a lottery card is only a piece of paper without life. There's a lot of psychology in the art of being a seer.

-How do you feel being a member of The Bond's family?

-Well, it's a great family where you can do whatever you want meanwhile you don't cross a sacred line.

-Which?

-Respect and be sure that all things that happen inside the family must keep inside the family.

-How is a normal day with The Bonds?

-We haven't got a normal day although we have a little habit: we try to learn and review some English meanwhile we travel around the world.

-How long have you been studying English?

-Since I was in the school. I'm from Luxembourg and I can speak three languages without any kind of problem: Luxembourgish, French and German but, as you know, English is the world language of communication and business and then... you must study it.

-Then, you speak four languages? Is it very difficult to do it?

-Not really. When you have born in a multilanguage place, learning languages is something easy because your brain is opener to new information, new vocabulary and new sounds. Moreover, English comes from German then; there are some common things that make easier learning it.

-Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries around the world and the richest in Europe. What can you explain about it?

-We are small but we speak three languages, we have an incredible geopolitical situation because we're in the centre of Europe and we became a founding member of NATO in 1949 and one of the six founding countries of the European Coal and Steel Community, in 1957, which would become the European Economic Community. We're one of the countries which hosts the European Parliament. It's not necessary to be big, for being rich. In fact, the richest countries are small. You can take the example of San Marino, Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein or the most incredible, Vatican City.

-How can a Luxembourgish seer arrive to success?

-You must work very hard and stay very sure that you never, never, never give up.

-What can you explain about your life with The Bonds?

-Well, it has been a great experience. The family is a group of people very qualified who have offered their best to the common success. It was very special for me the day when I explained my future plans to them.

-And after?

-Life is a race. You must continue to reach the next objective but without forgetting who you are and where you come from. Everyone will continue her/his path but I hope being in touch with the rest of the family.

-Which is your best memory with the family?

-Lots of memories. As I have said before, perhaps one of the most important moments for me was explaining my future ideas to the family. I remember another day talking about a personal experience in the Eiffel Tower in Paris and I remember when I could get a special wine to The Grandma. She was excited.

-You have said, you like reading and watching cinema. Could you talk about the last book that you have read?

-Yes. I've finished two books. One is Frankenstein. It talks about life demons that follow you during your life and another was about sharks. I love sharks, incredible species which live in oceans and eat fish, seals, crabs and sea birds. It's amazing how they find their prey thanks to the sense of smell and it’s a terrible pity that they're in danger of extinction.

-And the last film that you have watched?

-Last weekend, I watched two telefilms in the afternoon. One was about Levi Strauss, the man who made the first jeans with sailcloth for the Californian prospectors in 1850. It’s a wonderful story of commercial success and vision of future, something that, like a seer, I appreciate a lot. Another film was about Christopher Columbus and how he believed that the Earth was round and sailed from Spain to the West on August 3, 1492 during ten weeks and finally he found an island he named San Salvador. It was a curious film more oriented to explain the dark face of the American colonization.

-What kind of thing would you like to see in your future visions?

-The end of all the wars, obviously. The possibility of living in a better world with no violence and with respect, a society full of work and opportunities to the people who want to reach them.

-Which is your favourite song?

-Don't give up. It's a Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel's song. 

-Why this?

-Beautiful lyrics, wonderful message. Hope, hope, hope...

-Do you like this message?

 -Yes. It's my lifestyle. Never, never, never give up.

-Thank you very much, Mariona Bond.

-You're welcome.

Download Corto Maltese, The Invincible Pirate by Mariona Bond

Don't give up,
'cause you have friends.
Don't give up,
you're not beaten yet.
Don't give up,
I know you can make it good.

Kate Bush & Peter Gabriel

MARIONA & THE BONDS SESSIONS: CELEBRATING LIFE

Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band

Today is Mariona Bond's birthday and The Bonds are ready to celebrate it. The family is spending some days in Ireland with Corto Maltese. The Grandma, who is recovering from some injuries caused by fire, and Bruce Springsteen are arriving for joining to the family who has prepared a great Irish party to its beloved member. 

Folk music is one of the most beautiful elements of the Irish folk. Irish people are proud of their roots and culture and they demonstrate they're Irish wherever they are. Ireland is the craddle of incredible singers and composers like Van Morrison, Enya, Damian Rice, Sinead O'Connor and groups like Clannad, The Corrs, The Cranberries and U2. 

In 2006, Bruce Springsteen created a big band folk music to tribute Pete Seeger, one of the best American folk singers and composers. American folk music has its roots mainly in  Irish and African cultures. Meanwhile Country Music has its origins in Ireland and was expanded by the American Irish communities; Gospel and Blues appeared in the US thanks to the Afroamerican people.

More information: Bruce Springsteen 

The Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour, afterward sometimes referred to simply as the Sessions Band Tour, was a 2006 concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and The Sessions Band playing what was billed as An all-new evening of gospel, folk, and blues, otherwise seen as a form of big band folk music. The tour was an outgrowth of the approach taken on Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions album, which featured folk music songs written or made popular by activist folk musician Pete Seeger, but taken to an even greater extent. 

Bruce Springsteen & Pete Seeger

The tour began on April 20, 2006, with the first of four rehearsal shows at Asbury Park Convention Hall as well as a promotional appearance there on ABC's Good Morning America. Then came a successful performance before a non-Springsteen crowd at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 30, in a city still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina; Springsteen voiced discontent over government handling of the aftermath of Katrina, much to the satisfaction of the handkerchief-waving audience. 

The tour's first proper leg then began in May with 10 regular concerts and one special television concert in Western Europe; the first was at The Point Depot in Dublin on May 5. On May 14, the tour arrived to Badalona in Barcelona. The Grandma remembers that concert with great emotion. It was an incredible folk music party. A return to the United States for the second leg saw 18 concerts from late May to late June, ending at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey on June 25. 

Springsteen said in various languages during the latter stages of the European leg of the tour, See you in the fall! Accordingly, the tour's third leg consisted of 27 shows in Europe again, during October and November. This leg was sometimes dubbed The American Land Tour 2006, after a new Springsteen song that was being played as well as the We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions – American Land Edition reissue of the album. It began on October 1 at the PalaMalaguti in Bologna, Italy, and concluded on November 21, 2006 at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. No further American shows took place.

More information: Lyrics Training

 I don't believe the world will survive with the rich 

getting richer and the poor getting poorer. 

Pete Seeger

VISITING JESSICA FLETCHER AND HER IRISH ANCESTORS

Mariona & M.José Bond attending some business

Today, The Bonds are visiting Jessica Fletcher, an old Grandma's friend. The family is together again after two members of the family, M.José and Mariona Bond travelled quickly to Barcelona yesterday to attend personal business.

Although Jessica Fletcher is American, her ancestors are Irish and this is the reason because of she had travelled to the island to meet The Bonds and spend some good days together.

Jessica's ancestors hailed from Kilcleer, County Cork, Ireland. She has two brothers and two sisters. Her brothers are Marshall, a doctor, and Martin. Before she met and married Frank Fletcher, Jessica was studying at Harrison College in Green Falls, New Hampshire, to become a journalist. 

Fletcher lives at 698 Candlewood Lane in the town of Cabot Cove, Maine 03041. While teaching criminology at Manhattan University, she stays in Manhattan at the Penfield House Apartments, 941 West 61st St. Cabot Cove is a town of 3,560 inhabitants near the ocean. 

More information: Murder, She Wrote

Based on the number of murders that occur in a given season of the show, the town seems to have probably one of the highest murder ratios of any town or city. This has even been remarked in the show by the town sheriff, Mort Metzger. Given the population of the town to be about 3,000 this is a fairly high murder rate. Given the murder rate in this town, it has about the same murder rate of a town 20 times its size. This trend was noted and parodied many times.

Jessica Fletcher

Her travels as an author very frequently take her to places around much of the English-speaking world, which gives her writers a little more ability to stretch the character and her situations than rural New England alone would have provided. One of them takes her to Hawaii, where she shares a case with private detective Thomas Magnum.

Fletcher was widowed from her beloved husband, Frank. They had no children, Fletcher stating that she and Frank just weren't blessed that way, but had a seemingly endless collection of nephews, nieces, cousins, in-laws and other relatives or friends who always need her help. Especially prone to get into trouble is her nephew Grady Fletcher, who was raised for a period of time by Jessica and Frank. Grady always seemed to meet the wrong girl, until he finally married Donna several seasons into the show.

Fletcher began her career writing on an old Royal typewriter, but as her career progresses, she eventually purchases a computer running Windows 3.1. Among her friends she can count both multi-millionaires who own Beech Starships and down-on-their-luck homeless people, moving effortlessly between the social strata. The format of the show usually has Jessica solving the mysteries within five minutes of the end of each program, unless the producers felt they could prolong the suspense across two episodes. Perhaps her most notable experience was encountering a Mr. Potts who preferred to be called Mr. Bond, he did at least have an Aston Martin DB6, in which Jessica herself ended up racing to the rescue.

Fletcher's relationship with law-enforcement officials varies from place to place. Both the sheriffs of Cabot Cove were used to, or resigned themselves to, having her meddle in their cases. However, most detectives and police officers did not want her anywhere near their crime scenes, until her accurate deductions convince them to listen to what she had to say. Others were fans of her books and gave her free rein. With time, she makes friends in many police departments across the US, as well as a British police officer attached to Scotland Yard.

More information:  15 Facts about Murder, She Wrote

Back home, we have a saying. 

Flowers that bloom too quickly are fair game for a late frost.

Jessica Fletcher

HEY HEY, THE BONDS HAVE SAVED THE WORLD TODAY

The Grandma in Casa Vicens, Barcelona

Monday finds you like a bomb, it's a bad day for starting or finishing something. This is the reason because of The Bonds have choosen Tuesday to say goodbye to The Grandma.  They are going to stay in Ireland during some days but The Grandma has decided to return to Barcelona to redecorate her new home. She has bought Casa Vicens, an Antoni Gaudí's building in the center of the city.

That's been left ticking there too long. The ties that join The Bonds are so strong that they're goingto conitnue working together to reach their new objective and The Grandma is going to help despite of the distance.

You're bleeding in this hard work but nothing is won without effort and persistance. The Bonds are very strong people, perhaps because of the influence of Irene and María José Bond who have Aragonese ancestors.

Some days there's nothing left to learn, like today. The Bonds have dedicated their day to enjoy themselves and remember beautiful old memories, which are part of their story, now. In fact, The Bonds are History.

From the point of no return, you can't change these things that you thing you could have done better but with the experience of them, you won't do them again. Life is a constant way of learning things and we need to be resilient like Eli, Olga and Paula Bond who are a wonderful example of resistance against adversity.

You're leaving and you're still here in our memories. Rubén, Raquel and Miriam Bond, three beloved members of our family who decided to follow their own paths.

Hey Hey I saved the world today, I have created a new family plenty of happiness, illusion and creativity like The Collins, The Addams, The Holmes and The Poppins, The Bonds have become in another great experience which arrives farther than teaching English.

The Bonds have saved the world today

Everybody's happy now, Mariona Bond has decided to celebrate her birthday with the family and Maya Bond has cooked delicious cookie monsters for all the family.

The bad thing's gone away. It has been time to forget real situations and create a new world, a parallel universe where we have been the owners of our own future without paying attention to work, money or personal affairs.

And everybody's happy now remembering David and Pedro Bond  in Oasis Bar, being the Queens of the Carnival or Joanjo winning the Eurovision Song Contest.

The good thing's here to stay. MJ has arrived with our titles and suddenly have appeared lots of good memories about two intensive months travelling, working, laughing and sharing the best of us: our creativity and interest in learning new things. From The Cathars to The Navajo, we have been travelling across our history, our languages and our culture to realize that there's something that everybody shares: the idea of a better future for our next generations. We've listened motivational stories of Noemí Bond who have talked us about resilience and connections.

Please let it stay, share these fantastic moment with us because the future is unknown and nobody knows what is going to happen tomorrow. 

There's a million mouths to feed and Montse and Jaume Bond know it. They have prepared a delicious omelette and a fantastic cake for the family.

Jaume Bond or James Bond? Mmmm...

And I've got everything I need. I don't need money or treasures. I need to do something that gives sense to my work, then to my life. I want a better future for all the members of my families, because a better future for them means a future full of opportunities in a land of hope and dreams. 

I'm breathing. I've received some presents of my family and I'm astonished. I don't deserve them. It's my work and nobody receives nothing to do her work. I have grown under Master Yoda philosophy and I know that you must do things or not. There isn't another option.

And there's a hurting thing inside, the final is closer although we still have two months to stay in contact, two well-planned months to work together to reach the next objective.

But I've got everything to hide, this feeling of loneless that has invided me when I have said goodbye to the family.

I'm grieving. I’ll miss you.

Let it stay. Let all the memories stay with us forever because they’re going to help us to smile when difficult days arrive.

Let it stay. Let all memories stay with us forever, strong enough to be resistent to the fire which destroyed our past and to the forgetfulness which destroys our present. Be ready family, our future will be splendorous.

Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo the good thing.

The Bonds have saved the world today.

One of the most qualities of true friendship is

to understand and be understood. 

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

FORCES OF NATURE: ICEBERGS & VOLCANOES

Titanic

Today, The Bonds are still in Canary Islands. After climbing up Teide Mount, they have flown over Hierro Island to see the sea volcanoes and they have arrived to La Gomera to visit the Guanche Community. 

The family has revised some English grammar like Past Perfect vs. Past Simple, Present Perfect vs. Past Simple and Present and Past Perfect Continuous. 

After offering new prizes to the Queens of Carnival, David and Pedro Bond, the family has listened a beautiful and sad Mariona Bond's story about Paris and the Tour Eiffel and Noemí Bond has talked about innovation, resilience, creativity and imagination with the Barcelona Mobile World Congress and Steve Jobs like examples.

More information: Present Perfect Continuous & Past Perfect Continuous

Finally, the family has read a new chapter of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and they have been talking about the story of Titanic, a story of power against nature and about the broken dreams of the Irish immigration.

Failure saves lives. In the airline industry, every time a plane crashes the probability of the next crash is lowered by that. 

The Titanic saved lives because we're building bigger and bigger ships. So these people died, but we have effectively improved the safety of the system, and nothing failed in vain. 

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

CHANSON FRANÇAISE: HYMN TO RESISTANCE SINCE 1945

The Bonds in the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile

Today, The Bonds have visited the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, Champs Elysées and Jardin du Luxembourg to homage Mariona Bond.

They have continued practising Telephoning English, although today The Grandma was a little crossed with comas and she wasn't very fortunate with it. Later, they have revised Present Perfect with Since and For and they have created some sentences about Second Conditional.

More information: Present Perfect Simple

The family has done another exam. They have been talking about songs and their meanings, but, as we know, songs are poetry and poetry has a free interpretation. 

More information: Since / For

The Grandma has remembered some old friends who sing in French like Charles Aznavour, Édith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Jacques Brel and Céline Dion. They have also read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Finally, the family has played with the works of a genius, Antoni Gaudí, who created an incredible architecture which can be understood from different points of view and this diversity of opinions and points of view makes us stronger and better.

Singing is a way of escaping. It's another world. 

I'm no longer on earth. 

Édith Piaf

CATHEDRALS, RESILIENCE AND RESISTANCE TO SHINE

Antoni Gaudí and the Sagrada Família

Today, The Bonds have visited some places in Paris like Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower. They have taken lots of photos and they have had enough time to practise some Telephoning English and Second Conditional. 

The family is working a lot and they need some time to rest and sum up all the information that they are receiving. They have written a little post about Columbus and have listened the interesting presentation of Mariona Bond who has talked about her new future project.  

After all, The Grandma has explained the importance of being the owner of your land during the Middle Age and its influence in our history from then to nowadays in the industrial evolution, and the importance of keeping strong in front of the worst moments to be ready to start a new hope when the moment arrives. 

More information: Second Conditional

Eusebi Güell in Park Güell

All generations have lived hard moments and have passed them resisting and creating the most incredible art, like old cathedrals, from Notre-Dame to the Sagrada Família, like masterpieces from Victor Hugo's Les Misérables to Salvador Espriu's Inici de Càntic en el Temple and being strong and perseverant from The Uffizis to The Medicis; from The Güells to The Bonds.

Tomorrow, The Grandma is going to take a free day to try to resolve some personal business meanwhile the family is continuing visiting the city of love and light which creates a magic triangle with Venice and Barcelona.

Download BCN's Natural Wonder 

Life is not pink but The Bonds are going to offer their colour tone in the city of art and vanguards. We're ready to enjoy the city!

Who knows where the world may turn us, only a fool would say.
Who knows what the fates may have in store.
Follow the light of truth as far as our eyes can see.
How should we know where that may be? How should we know?

Then the angry skies, the battle cries, the sounds of glory,
and for all those years our eyes and ears were filled with tears.

La Sagrada Família the war is won the battle's over.
La Sagrada Família for the lion and the lamb.
La Sagrada Família we thank the lord the danger's over.
La Sagrada Família behold the mighty hand.
La Sagrada Família the night is gone the waiting's over.
La Sagrada Família there's peace throughout the land.

La Sagrada Família, Alan Parson Project 

MARIONA BOND: SMELLING A FLOWERED FUTURE

Mariona Bond and her roses

Hello! Today I would like to talk about my professional future, about my project. I think it's important for to explain my professional objectives.

First of all, I'm going to explain who I am and why I would like to do it.

I'm Mariona Bond, I'm an adult and I have been working for another enterprise since I was 19 years old. The last years I have been working in Luxembourg Central Bank, until last October when I decided that was the moment to finish my relationship with this bank.

There was a collective dismissal and some employers had to leave the enterprise. For this reason, I decided to go out like a volunteer, because during this time, although I had a lot of things and I had a very good social and economical conditioins, there was something in my mind that I thought it was more important than this, and I believed it was the moment, the moment to fly away to get on the family business.

As someone of you know, my family has a business, a flower shop in Pommerloch. It's Bond's Flower Shop. This business had a large trajectory, since 1889 when my great-grandfather started to work like a gardener. After him, my grandparents followed the business and began to work like florists. While my grandfather specialized in funeral arrangements, my grandmother made weddings arrangements. I have grown in this environment, covered by flowers.

Then, my mum continued the business. She had studied Arts and this kind of work liked her, and some years later began my sister, too. She studied Floral Art and with her creative and her effort, that's how it became what it is today.

So, I would love to invest with my effort in something that I know I can do it. I have studied a Degree in Management and Business Administration, And I think I have management qualities to help the business, and I'm sure that it's the moment to do something there.

I have begun to do changes in the computerization of the management, doing the data base of customers, to improve the online Store, creating the webpage, increasing our presence in the network, and I'm sure, a lot of more things...

And that's all! Perhaps this is my next job...

So smile for a while and let's be jolly love shouldn't be so melancholy.
Come along and share the good times while we can.

Lynn Anderson

OASIS BAR: ÉÍ 'AANÍÍGÓÓ 'ÁHOOT'É FOR THE BONDS

Native American, ancient culture and language

While The Bonds were practising Countable & Uncountable nouns, the Highway Patrol arrived. They wanted to know how was possible that all their transports were full of peyote, a beautiful plant of the desert.

The family had been visiting Navajo Nation and they were impressioned by the resistance of this incredible and ancient community so important for our recent history and their wonderful language which was used in the WWII by the Codetalkers. They discovered The Blessing Way an important Navajo ritual.

More information: Navajo Code

Every member of the family explained his/her alibi to demonstrate that they were innocent and they didn't know anything about this wonderful plant.

More information: Countable & Uncountable

The Grandma explained how she was in her Indian tent with Mariona Bond who was totally slept while Pedro, David and Maya Bond were drinking some Navajo beer, this which has a black and gold tag, in Oasis Bar. M.José Bond was with Paula Bond dancing country line while Noemí Bond was trying to help some rich people, who seemed Arabian but were only native ones with some handkerchiefs on their heads, and wanted to be cured by the magic powers of Noemí's hands. Olga and Eli Bond were watching TV when Juanjo and Irene Bond took photos and disturbed some local scorpions and Jaume was sculpting an Indian Totem that Montse had demanded him.

Police has believed nothing and they're all under suspect waiting tomorrow when an FBI team is going to arrive to help the local police and all The Bonds are going to be analized by the true machine. God helps them!

 Always assume your guest is tired, cold, and hungry, 

and act accordingly.  

Navajo Proverb

WRITE YOUR PRESENT, CREATE YOUR FUTURE

Mariona Bond, Queen of Hearts

Today, The Bonds are living an intensive day. They continue revising some aspects of Social English and grammar like uncountables and Future Simple. The Grandma is talking about some memories and she is explaining some stories about fire, black cats, Occitan poetry, spies in the Middle Age and Tarot.

More information: Future Simple

For one hand, Mariona Bond is reading the future in the cards and the family is realizing that this evening they have a meeting with Barbra Streisand in Broadway and tomorrow they're staying with Richard Castle and his mother, the popular actress Martha Rodgers.

For other hand, the Bonds are creating a folder using imperatives and connectors of order, and they are reviewing polite expressions with shall and reading a new chapter of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Finally, The Grandma is talking about great genius like Charlie Chaplin, Charlie Rivel or Mr.Bean.

When the dawn comes

tonight will be a memory, too

and a new day will begin.

Memory, Cats