Minimalist poet, minimalist lifestyle

It's been reported in the news today that the government is considering abolishing the oral test part of school language examinations because it's too stressful. Well, I thought that was the whole point of exams; to test both your knowledge of the subject, and how well you cope under stressful conditions.

I passed German, French and Spanish at 'O' level. I can't remember much about my French and Spanish exams, but I certainly remember my German oral assessment. It was done by an external assessor at the time [even more stressful] and the main part of the session was my having to describe a picture which he selected at random. I was presented with a picture of a building site and didn't have a clue what the German words for 'bulldozer', 'cement mixer', 'crane' and 'scaffolding' were…I hadn't been taught them.

I obviously didn't do very well, but still passed the overall exam. To this day though I am resentful and feel that I was treated unfairly.

1. A bird in the house is a sign of a death
2. A loaf of bread should never be turned upside down after a slice has been cut from it.
3. Never take a broom along when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.
4. If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.
5. If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.
6. An acorn at the window will keep lightning out
7. A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen.
8. It’s bad luck to leave a house through a different door than the one used to come into it.
9. A horseshoe hung in the bedroom will keep nightmares away.
10. If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn you will not catch a cold all winter.
11. If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will die soon.
12. Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.
13. All windows should be opened at the moment of death so that the soul can leave.
14. If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.
15. To dream of a lizard is a sign that you have a secret enemy.
16. If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him a coin, or your friendship will soon be broken.
17. You should never start a trip on Friday or you will meet misfortune.
18. Dream of running: a sign of a big change in your life.
19. If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.
20. It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.

This is something I've been thinking about for many years, but haven't blogged about before.

Why do domestic satellite dishes all point towards the horizon, yet telecommunication dishes point skyward?

It's a subject for me to research online later whem I'm bored.

The other day I had to replace the batteries in my portable radio that I use in the bathroom. I can't remember the music slowing down as the power ran out though.