THE JONES SEARCH THEIR ORIGINS, DON'T THEY?

Past picture of Sant Boi de Llobregat

The Jones have spent another wonderful day in Hogwarts. Today, they have talked about Social English and they have revised some aspects of grammar like Too-Enough, Questions Tags and Modals Verbs (Should and Must).

The family is working hard enough to reach their objectives and they don't hesitate in her effort to learn every day. After the grammar explanations, The Grandma has talked about the possible origins of Sant Boi de Llobregat a beautiful and historic town near Barcelona.

More information: Must-Mustn't I & II

This city has been very important during all the history, since the Prehistorical ages to recent ones although its inhabitants are too shy to talk about how important and wonderful the town is. The city is blessed by a beautiful natural environment which must be protected; important industry, which should be improved and nice inhabitants, who must be well-known around the world.

More information: Should-Shouldn't I & II

The Llobregat river, the Montbaig range, the agricultural lands, the Capuccins, the Romans, the Via Augusta, the thermes, The Succession War, Antoni Pujadas, Antoni Gaudí, the fight against the dictatorship in the 20 century, Manel Esteller, the Gasol brothers, the Marquis of Samà or the mental hospitals are some examples of a historical place, which doesn't invest enough efforts in being an important cultural and natural reclaim for visitors.

More information: Question Tags

Finally, The Jones have played The Goose Game in an oral way in an attempt to join leisure and stories. The Jones have also talked about Saint George and the Black Virgins, two concepts that hide incredible stories that come from Egypt.

Tomorrow, the family is going to spend a free day and visit the outskirts of Hogwarts. It will be a beautiful trip to enjoy and play without limits before Easter arrives.

More information: Teaching with songs & ESOL Courses

Egypt gave birth to what later 

would become known as Western Civilization, 

long before the greatness of Greece and Rome. 

John Henrik Clarke

ELI & MANUELA BOND, MAY YOU STAY FOREVER YOUNG

January, 31st: Eli Bond's Birthday

Today, The Bonds are still in the capital of The USA. They're checking their passports to know if they can travel to New York City, first, and San Francisco, later or they must return to Sant Boi. You know, the new rules of the man with orange hair...

The family is celebrating Eli's birthday and they've received an unexpected visit: Manuela Bond, an Eli Bond's closer friend who has surprised all the family with a huge cake. Delicious!

Manuela is a shy person and she doesn't want to appear in our blog, for the moment, but the family is persistent and they're working to convince her to appear on it.

Before eating the cake, the family has worked Future Continuous, Prepositions of Place, some Social English and some Airplane and Business Vocabulary.

More information: Future Continuous

Finally, The Bonds have created some crosswords to prepare their closer travel to Kiev, after visiting San Francisco, a long trip which offers lots of leisure and they've talked about how to try to be brave in front of difficult situations, especially in interviews and embarrasing ones.

Imperfection is beauty, 

madness is genius 

and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous 

than absolutely boring. 

Marilyn Monroe

WASHINGTON DC: AUGUST, 28 1963: WE SHALL OVERCOME

M. José Bond and her banners

Today, The Bonds are reviewing some Social English, connectors and grammar (superlative and present tenses). It's important to pay attention to the clues in grammar because they can save us in an exam.

The family is still in Washington, DC and they are remembering one of the most important and historical figures of American History: Martin Luther King and his incredible speech I have a dream. The effort of the black people to improve their lives in The USA has been a strong struggle since the slavery age until nowadays.

More information: American Rhetoric

Music is a great instrument to reclaim rights and The Bonds are preparing some songs to participate in the next Eurovision Song Contest.

Finally, after remembering more examples of people who created wonderful works and didn't obtain fame or recognition, people who worked for others and saw how their creations were copied, The Bonds have talked about their preferences in pop stars and black music.

If The Grandma can dream, she will return to Betlem in year zero...

We are not makers of history. We are made by history. 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

REPUTATION: FAME AND RECOGNITION FOREVER

Juanjo and Miriam Bond ready to sing

Today, The Bonds are practising some aspects of Social English and grammar. The family is talking about kosher food and how important is for the Jewish community, in general and Capçanes, in particulary.

More information: BBC Learning English

After some exercises, The Grandma is explaining some stories about Oscar Wilde and Rosalía de Castro two incredible authors who wrote in their native languages: Irish and Galician and François Aragó, a French scientific who studied the timezones.

The Bonds want to participate in the next Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine. For this reason, they're creating some songs based on the Coplas of Jorge Manrique, the famous Castillian writer.

More information: Eurovision.tv

Finally, the family is talking about the future and about how to prepare it looking for some connections between the past and the present which can be very useful to success in an interview.

 What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others.

Diogenes

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, ALL THE REST IS A FAKE

David & Olga Bond ready to work

Today, The Bonds are still in Washington. They're practising some Social English and The Superlative. The family is working in a high level and this fact allows them to dedicate more time to speak about different theme. They're very interested in helping Jaume and Eli Bond who are suffering a deep couple crisis.

More information: Superlatives

The Grandma is talking about resistance and resilience. It has been a constant in the communities and we can find some examples in our closer story: 1641, 1714, 1936, 1941 are dates which demonstrate how people could learn to protect themselves. From Barcelona to London, from Sant Boi to Siracusa, resistance in front of the cruelty of wars and resilience like a phsycological way of surviving.

More information:  The Trumpet

Literature is a great demonstration of our past because it expresses feelings, stories and facts which are common then and now but... What is true? What is false? We don't know really and this is the most beautiful side of all these stories that we can not be sure about anything although science and language is a good ally to discover other points of view, other explanations and other ideas very different from the original and official.

More information: Johns Hopkins University

Joanot Martorell, Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare... Who were they? It doesn't matter because a man can not create a myth without the complicity of a society who wants to continue the tradition and make it popular. 

More information: Time

Finally, The Bonds are talking about Washington sightseeings and they're trying to connect them with personal stories.

More information: University of Wisconsin

Tomorrow, the family is creating a song for participating in the Eurovision Song Contest.

I believe our countrymen will show themselves capable of standing up to  it, like the brave men of Barcelona, and will be able to stand up to it, and carry on in spite of it, at least as well as any other people 

in the world.

Winston Churchill

KING ARTHUR, WHEN LITERATURE PROTECTS YOU

King Arthur & His Knights Of The Round Table

Today, The Bonds are in The White House. They're meeting the new President of The USA and his special guest: Queen Elizabeth II. This meeting has been classified like top secret and this is the reason because of we haven't got any kind of photo about the event.

The Bonds have taken advantage of the visit and they're reviewing some Social English, the modal verb Have to and some Relative Pronouns. It's true. You often have to wait much time before the President receives you although you're the special guest star. 

More information: Have to

After the meeting, The Bonds have a created idea about the behaviour of The President and they're writing some comparisons between him and other special people who had strong ideas and did them in a particular way.

MJ has wanted to join the family in this special day and she has asked some questions about the meeting. You know, she's the boss and she needs information.

In addition, The Bonds are talking about how literature has protected communities and countries during the Middle Age. The Grandma is talking about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, Orlando Il Furioso, Roland, El Cid Campeador and Tirant lo Blanc, incredible heroes with powerful skills in a dark age, heroes who are part of our History and stories that we have to keep as long as we can. 

 

More information: Historic UK

Finally, Pedro Bond has talked about Horitzó 2020 a new vision about educational system which is very interesting and, perhaps, it's the clue for the closer future.

 Ask ev'ry person if he's heard the story;
 And tell it strong and clear if he has not:
 That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory
 Called Camelot.
 Camelot! Camelot!

King Arthur

ARISTOCRATIC SERIAL KILLERS: THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE

Mariona and Pedro Bond with a voodoo toy

Today, The Bonds are visiting Washington DC. They're interested in the historical buildings and they're comparing them with Comparative. They are also learning how to use the modal verb May and practising some Social English.

After that, the family is practising some vocabulary about Hotels and Tourism and they're meeting with Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who are helping The Bonds to know more things about voodoo.

More information: Comparative

The Grandma is remembering some of her favourite singers and Irene Bond is explaining some experiences with one of them. Suddenly, they have received an unexpected visit, M, the partner of MJ, has appeared with some presents for the family. Thanks a lot MJ! We admire you and you know it!

In addition, The Bonds are discovering Ordesa, a beautiful natural reserve in the north of Aragon and they're connecting different stories.

Finally, the family are listening to The Grandma who is explaining some stories about blood and monarchies talking about Jack the Ripper, Vlad Tepes and Enriqueta Martí meanwhile Jaume Bond is adding a new name to this serial killers list: Elizabeth Báthory.

More information: Jack the Ripper

Tomorrow, the family has a meeting in The White House with the new president of the USA, a Juanjo Bond's old friend, and with the Queen Elizabeth II. They're going to talk about Middle Age and literature. 

Be polite and dress elegantly!

 My grandfather was a voodoo priest. A lot of my life dealt with spirituality. I can close my eyes and remember where I come from.
 

Wyclef Jean

012, EMERGENCY SERVICE: HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

Paula Bond and King Kong in NYC

Today, The Bonds are still in Washington. They are practising some vocabulary about justice and Social English about requesting and offering. 

They are very interested in creating good compositions, this is the reason because of they are working with the connectors.

More info: Justice System Vocabulary

Paula Bond is with the family again after spending some days in the Empire State with King Kong, her new friend from Skull Island. 

After talking about sugar and its benefits in our lives, remembering Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his famous character Sherlock Holmes, the family are learning how to use their twitter accounts.

Jaume Bond and his new friend

After that, The Grandma is talking about Romanesque Art in the exile around the world because of the war and she is explaining a story about Roman superstitions.

Finally, Jaume Bond is explaining his experience face to face with a hurt bird which reborn after phoning to emergency services and The Grandma is remembering some beautiful songs of Leonard Cohen and Barbara.

Tomorrow, the family is meeting Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in the FBI Headquarters. Together, they're going to investigate voodoo practices and how to prevent them.

May you need some needles...

 No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky.

Bob Dylan

RAQUEL BOND DESIGNS AN AMAZING PATTERN

Raquel Bond and her patterns

Today, The Bonds are in Washington DC. They have travelled to the capital of The USA for business. 

They are reviewing some vocabulary about policy and Social English and they are practising First Conditional.

More info: Political Words

Raquel Bond is leaving the family. She's going to stay in Washington DC where she has found what she was looking for. The family is going to miss her a lot because she's like an amazing grace, always with a beautiful smile and some kind words to share.

After talking about the importance of Sant Boi along the history and they are reading White Rabbit, a beautiful song of Jefferson Airplane which is a big criticism of Vietnam's War.

Finally, they are sharing sad and happy stories before going to assist to The US Presidential Inauguration where a Juanjo Bond's friend is going to become in a powerful man.

I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, 

so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it. 

George McGovern

IF WE VISIT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, WE WILL...

Noemí, Pedro and David Bond in New York City

Today, The Bonds are practising some Social English and some grammar like Prepositions of Place and Direction, Zero and First Conditionals and Modal Verbs (Must).

More info: Zero & First Conditional

They are working together to demonstrate Juanjo and Irene Bond's innocence and they are creating little guides about the most important places of New York City.

The Grandma is talking about some universal painters like Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Francisco de Goya and their influence while the whole family is visiting The Metropolitan Museum. She's a fan of Joan Miró although her favourite painting is The Pantocrator of Sant Climent de Taüll in La Vall de Boí, a part of the Romanesque art inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000 and which is now exposed in the MNAC in Barcelona.

Download The Metropolitan Museum by The Bonds

Tomorrow, the family is talking about music, peace and love.

Every production of an artist should be 

the expression of an adventure of his soul. 

W. Somerset Maugham

RICHARD CASTLE & THE BONDS: MURDER IN MANHATTAN

Irene & Eli Bond with Kate and Rick

Today, The Bonds are still staying in New York City. They are meeting Richard Castle, the famous writer, and his team formed by Captain Gates; Detectives Beckett, Esposito and Ryan, and Dr. Parish. The Bonds are helping this fabulous team to solve the latest crimes of the city.

More information: Castle

Before visiting Castle's team, the family has reviewed some aspects of Social English and Modal Verbs. They have talked about Should and advice and they have written a postcard to MJ who is still in Sant Boi organizing new adventures.

More information: Should 

Raquel & Jaume Bond are helping Castle's team

The Grandma is a little melancholic after Barbra Streisand's concert and she is remembering one of her best friends, Charlie Rivel, the universal clown who was born in Cubelles, in El Garraf and became one of the most famous and acclaimed clowns of the history. The Grandma is old and she starts to repeat things without stopping and today she is a little obsessed with Charlie, the clown.

After talking about the importance of animals and the respect we must give to them, the family has been talking about the Hobos, the American figure of a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, who is impoverished and lived near the railway during the last decades of the 19th century and live near the containers in dark streets nowadays.

More information: Hoboglyphs

Tomorrow, the family has a busy day. 

First, they are trying to help Juanjo and Irene Bond who are involved in a crime scene and they have been accused wrongly. 

Next, they're visiting The Metropolitan Museum.

Finally, they're meeting Iris Apfel another Grandma's friend.

Memories light the corners of my mind
misty water-colored memories of the way we were.
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behinds
smiles we gave to one another for the way we were.

The way we were, Barbra Streisand

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

WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITY, WELCOME MONTSE BOND

Montse Bond in New York City

Today, The Bonds are reviewing some Social English and some grammar: Present Simple vs. Present Continuous.

More info: P.Simple vs. P.Continuous

The Grandma explains a story every day and today she's talking about the sinister origin of Juanjo Bond and the tradition of Thanksgiving Day.  

Maya Bond is explaining how to cook a delicious dish: chili con carne, chili with meat.

Download Chilli Beans by Maya Bond

The  family has a new member: Montse Bond. She's Eli Bond's secret daughter, a result of an old German romance, and the real reason about Jaume Bond's behaviour last week in Berlin.

All the family is in New York City now and they're preparing a plan for a week. The Grandma wants to go to Broadway to watch Barbra Streisand in concert; Brooklyn, to visit Richard Castle, an old friend who is an international writer and she wants to know more things about the CSI team with Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera.

Finally, the family plays Bingo with Noemí and Pedro Bond to enjoy themselves.

I grew up in New York City, a town with different races, religions, 

and peoples. It breeds tolerance.

Donald Trump

LULLABIES: SAD SONGS FROM THE MIDDLE AGE

Rubén Bond joins the Force. Good luck, partner!

Today, The Bonds are reviewing some aspects about Social English and English Grammar: Present Simple & Continuous, Articles and Plural of Nouns. 

Moreover, they are using the deduction method with some exercises to guess the correct answers.

More information: Plural of nouns & The Articles

After talking about lullabies with the examples of English, Occitan and Catalan folk and their influence from the Middle Age until nowadays, The Bonds are remembering the origins of some of the oldest guards in Europe and their influence in American ones.

Download Nanas de la Cebolla of Miguel Hernández by Mísia

Rubén Bond has decided to join the Force and he's taking another way far away the family who desires him lots of luck and a future full of chances and hapiness.

Finally, the family has created a neutral composition about the situation of education in our schools nowadays, a difficult theme with lots of questions and no answers.

 Goodnight my angel, now it's time to sleep 

and still so many things I want to say.
Remember all the songs you sang for me 

when we went sailing on an emerald bay

and like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep.
The water's dark and deep, inside this ancient heart.
You'll always be a part of me.

Billy Joel

ADOPTING AN ANIMAL: CREATING A PROFILE

María José & Emily Bond

The Bonds continue in Berlin. They practise some English grammar every day. 

After doing some listenings and some exercises about Social English and vocabulary, they have read another chapter of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and they have talked about two especial words: too and enough.

More information: Too & Enough

The family is very happy because Jaume Bond has returned after the little incident with the Berlin Mauer. A misunderstanding that has had a happy end. Now, he is again with his lovely family who is helping him to pay a punishment: adopting an animal from the Berlin Zoo.

The Grandma has shared an unofficial but wonderful history about Gypsy and Cathar community and they're thinking about their next travel to the USA.

The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. 

Lies will pass into history.  

George Orwell

LAST DAY IN BERLIN: MUSINGS OF THE BONDS

Jaume Bond

Imagine...

The Bonds are in Berlin. They visit as monuments as they can and enjoy the city. They learn History and they talk about the recent events in this incredible city.  They're together and spend all days doing different and interesting things. Eli Bond is at home again. She feels happy and wants to remember her childhood in the capital of Germany. They are special days for her. Mariona Bond practises German everywhere. She's from Luxembourg, German is very easy for her.

More information: Present Simple

The Bonds don't forget their English classes. They talk about Present Simple and its uses in Future and Past. It's an interesting verb tense. They write down some rules and clues about this Present and its Question Tags. The course continues with some important preparations: create a profile, write a postcard and talk about Social English. They use hypothetical deduction method, like Sherlock Holmes. They practise with Who is Who and listen some new Grandma's stories. She talks a lot. She hopes they start to talk and don't feel ashamed. This is Grandma's goal.

Juanjo Bond wants to travel to The USA because a closer orange friend of him is going to do something important. The family joins him.

Life is beautiful and fantastic in Berlin with The USA in mind until an unexpected thing happens: Jaume Bond is not with the family. Where's Jaume?

Think... 

I have a lot of great memories, but I can't imagine 

anything more exciting than the life I have now. 

Rob Lowe

CHANGE THE STORY: JUMP THE SHARK!

Yesterday, The Poppins had an intensive day of grammar and communication skills.

First, they finished the last exercise about Social English. Next, they reviewed Past Continuous and later they did some exercises of Past Simple vs. Past Continuous using while or when.

More information: Past Continuous

After a little break, they continued with some advice about how to earn possibilities in an interview or in an exam. The Grandma is a person obsessed with communication skills and she tries to explain some secrets to them every day, some interesting things like how to keep calm and control a bad situation; how to manage the weight of a discuss without having the power in it; how to survive to nerves; how to avoid uncomfortable questions or how to seem the best option when we aren’t interested in accepting the deal.

More information: Past Continuous vs. Past Simple (While/When)

An interview, an exam, a situation where we’re exposed to other people is a game, in fact, a mental game where you must be stronger, more intelligent and cleverer than your opponent although s/he could be your future boss or the person who is going to decide your exam marks. Train your communication skills and you will have more possibilities of success.

The secrets are clear: 

-Create your profile and work in it to improve the negative things and expose the positive ones. 

-Do it with honesty and a little bit of humour, an element very important in difficult situations. 

-Trust in you, because you’re the real treasure that must bright with as force as you can. 

-Know your limits and work to arrive far away of them.

To sum up… Be a Poppins in essence and be yourself in existence.

Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, 

you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, 

and the emotions to affect other people.

Jim Rohn

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: WHAT'S THE PRESSURE

Today, The Poppins have revised some new grammar like Prepositions of Time and Place, Too and Enough. They have been doing some exercises about Social English they have been writing about to search Nessie or not. 

It has been an intensive day because tomorrow, they’re preparing their songs to participate in Eurovision.

More information: Too & Enough

They have been talking about Salvador Dalí and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle two geniuses who changed painting and writing with his surrealistic pictures, the first, and with his fantastic character of Sherlock Holmes, the second.

More information: Prepositions of Time & Prepositions of Place

Next, they have been talking about security in the cities and strange situations which haven’t got any explication or meaning and about the importance of having as information as you can in all the aspects of life to try to have more possibilities of success.

Finally, they have discussed about kinds of pens and their advantages and disadvantages.

Tomorrow, the family is going to prepare Eurovision and they’re talking about the next travel to Australia.

It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. 

Herman Melville 

BE VISIBLE: TRUST ON PUBLIC SERVICES

Ofelia

Today, The Poppins have studied some modal verbs like Must and Need and have revised Should. They have done some exercises about Social English and they’ve chosen which model of exam they want to do.

More information: Must & Need

The family, which is still in Scotland, wanted to start to search Nessie but the latest news about Eurovision Song Contest have changed their plans. Isa from Malta, Lulú from Russia, Carmen from Czech Republic and M.José from The Netherlands have arrived to the final, which will be celebrated next Saturday in Stockholm (Sweden).

More information: Eurovision Song Festival 2016

The Grandma has talked about using some kind of tools to search an employment and about their utility and reliability. She has put like an example the case of her old friend Ofèlia Puig, who is a great fan of social networks. She has tried to explain that the most important thing in a job searching is the own person and, maybe, the tools aren’t sometimes as useful and honest as we think but nevertheless we must try it.

Finally, Tonyi Poppins in her name and in Irina's has answered lots of questions about her participation and experience in Eurovision Song Contest.

Tomorrow, they’re preparing Nessie’s searching and they’re starting to work with connectors and prepositions.

Self-esteem is as important to our well-being as legs are to a table.

It is essential for physical and mental health and for happiness.

Louise Hart