Meme - me

[vera_j]

Comment on this post asking for topics and I will give you 5 subjects/things I associate you with. Then post this in your LJ and elaborate on the subjects given.
vilakins  gave me these: archery, English, our village, vintage planes, favourite foods

Archery
I can remember my first meeting with archery, when I became a dedicated lover of everything connected with the Native Americans . Amerindians (First nations).I was a schoolgirl and there were films about Vinnetou and Old Shatterhand and I wanted to be like a brave Indian warrior. Apart from reading every available sources, making traditional decorations and being mocked at school for my dedication, I was given my first real bow. It was a plain wooden one for sport, my much older brother found it  in the cellar.
I was crazy, shooting in the townhouse yard, using self-made arrows which were crude. I was clumsy but read E.T. Seton ...mind you, I lived in a Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and this activity can´t just be encouraged! Oh, my family were very tolerant, poor darlings:-)
Well, and it was a year ago when I returned to my dream sport. I bought a light peofessional bow and arrows and I reallly enjoy myself. I am still considered a litle mad but some people went to watch me in a sand quarry and I earned  some respect.  I do archery for relaxation, I learn patiency, concentration and I can watch everything around because I do not disturb wildlife.

English
English must be  a kind of fate for me. I began studying it at  Gymnazium (Czech grammar school) and I was very bad at it - until I saw Zefirelli´s film Romeo and Juliet in original. I changed overnight! I wanted to really learn this beutiful language and I studied hard ( and put aside maths and physics ), writing new words and reading aloud. I am very grateful to my former English teacher, a very strict and conservative woman whom we called affectionately LADY. She forced us to read British and American literature, which was unheard in 70s. I passed my finals also with English. During my university studies I specialised at Czech language and literature and history but I visited the Language school privately to keep up my English. Later, I discovered Star Trek original series, and since then I have learned mostly thanks to reading. I have spent LOTS of money on books and mainly on the zines, TOS, B7, Sharpe, VHS, DVD, and you must know I am  absolutely happy to be here on LJ with you. Thank you all, my friends, for your kind encouraging me and teaching me and sharing with me!
I almost forgot - I got my present job thanks to English (I passed Cambridge Exams and exams for Czech teachers) and I am a proud librarian in English Library in our English Centre.

Our village
Oh. Our village is called Spolí and is situated in the south of Bohemia, in a unique countryside of man-made systems of fishponds and canals, residual wetlands and all this was declared the Biosphere Natural Reserve under the protection of UNESCO. The countryside is poor in industry however rich in natural beauty, historical sights and in history itself.
Spolí dates back to 13th century, there was a small fishpond nearby, and all belonged to a rich monastery in nearby town of Třeboň. Them the pond had been re-built in 1625 and now it is a large, 25ha water area which supplies a whole pond system beginning with Třeboň. They keep fish here, mostly our typical carp which became a symbol of the town.
Here there are 97 people, there are mostly old farm houses but also newer ones (our, for example) and newest ones -  luxurious residences of local RICH ones (hahahaha, sorry, we know each other so well). Yes, everyone knows everything, what you cook today, what linen you use, what new things you bought. The centre of gossip is in our local pub, of course. They closed our only shop, and we have to commute to work - I get up daily at quarter to 5 and go by bus to České Budějovïce about 20km. The road is unimportant and the transportation is poor. The village is lovely, clean, with that small shrine next to our house. I like it here very much, I avoid gossip, so I am a frïend with all. Still, I came from a town, and I have always been different. YES!!! :-)

Vintage planes
This is strange! I really like old planes. I can remember playing in an old small plane in the same yard I did the archery, I spent hour sitting inside and handling the knipple, making engine noise. But it was my dear brother, he took me to the cinema to all docummentaries about flying and planes and space, he had a magazine about planes and I loved the pictures and later read the stories about hero pilots. We have all Biggles books at home :-)
And I managed to get to Imperial War Museum in Duxford in England - I just begged a guide to drop me there for two hours with four eager senior plane fans. It was GORGEOUS, I saw the oldest planes some still flying, the Operation rooms and everything possible!
I also received a short flight as a birthday present from my children - and I loved it!

Favourite foods
This is a very dangerous topic! I am not sure how much you do know about Czech cuisine? It is delicious, VERY nutricious and quite unhealthy. I can tell you my favourites:
Fried carp, roasted duck, roasted wild duck, beef slices with onions, beef sirloin with cream sauce, pancekes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, fruit dumplings ( filled with plums, or strawberries, or apricots) with quark, potato puree with sauerkraut called "kočičák"and home-made smoked ham, potato soup with wild mushrooms, any meat. I like cooking, I like French cuisine but my husband is a tradicionalist and orthodox Czech eater, so I have to follow hos lead:-)
I love Italian food, pasta. I love FOOD and all foods!

Comments

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

MMmm... reading about everything was interesting, but the food particularly made me hungry. Mom used to make a pork roast crusted with caraway seeds in a pressure cooker on a bed of sauerkraut. We'd strain out the caraway seeds and pour the 'juice' over potatoes mashed with butter and milk. Yummmmmmm...

Sauerkraut no longer likes me, but I remember how delicious that was.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

I can only add that we used to grow caraway seeds in the field and I have still several big jars full...mmmm...pork ribs with it today, roasted...

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Mmm... caraway. I used to love caraway rye bread. MMMMm...

[luinielle.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed reading this, especially how you discovered your love of archery. And vintage planes! The food made me hungry, too!
I'll do the meme and post in my LJ, if you can find the topics. ;0)

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

EEEE! :-)Here we go:
Ice-hockey, Boromir, clouds, travelling, cats

[luinielle.livejournal.com]

:0) I'll write this up and post either later tonight or tomorrow.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

This was fascinating; thank you! Not long ago a German friend made a post about the Winnetou films which were German; she was a great fan too as a child. I can see how you'd become a fan. :-)

Yay for old planes! I was known as Spitfire at primary school because of my love for that one (still my favourite) and all the pictures I drew of them for boys in my class. I even called my fingers ailerons and came in for perfect three-point landings at the dinner table to refuel. :-D Greg and I went to the museum at Duxford too in 2004; great place and I touched mu beloved Spitfire though I wasn't meant to. BTW I think you mean "joystick" when you say "knipple".

Your food sounds a lot like that I encountered in Germany, what I now call comfort food: good old family cooking. I'm glad though that Greg also likes exotic food as well.

Your village is paradise to me: a country place but fairly close to town and work. Is it you husband's home town?

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Thank you - haha, yes, joystick - I am influenced by reading! Of course, Spitfire, how could I forget?
You know, I was born and grew up it "big" town České Budějovice - you may know it as Budweiss - the beer? ( the brewery is really here), but my husband comes from Spolí, he is a "vintage" villager:-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I've heard of Budweiser beer, but I thought it was American. So how did you meet your villager? :-)

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Hee...the Fates, you know:-)
When I was 15, my parents bought an old, tiny house in a village called Libín...Spolí is 2 km far from it. There were girls and boys of my age, we played volleyball together and went dancing, walking between these two villages. One of the boys was from Spolí, called George, and ...when I almost 18, he was giving me a lift on a bike frame from a steep hill in Spolí (our house is next to it now) and speeding down, he asked me for a date. We walked back to Libín almost three hours then...sigh. We were going together almost 6 years and then got married. Unfortunately I also married his family but it is another story. It is 30 years now...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, family can be a problem. Greg's sister Elenka here in Auckland now refuses to speak to him or most of his brothers and sisters because he saw their father (who left them all when they were children) and went to Bulgaria with him. Oy.

But Greg's so worth it, and I'm sure your George (Georg?) is too.

[nautile26.livejournal.com]

Spoli sounds like a wonderful place to live; that was such an interesting insight into your village.

I'm very envious of people who are proficient in more than one language. :)

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Thank you, you are always welcome here:-)