Dear …

when I close my eyes I see
that figure as though from a dream
that skin of yours bright like alabaster wrapped in the mist
that hair dark long and curly falling on the shoulders
those eyes big and blue like an ocean they look
those lips of yours full and red like wine
those fingers long and sensitive as though ready to play a harp
those feet of yours in shoes of golden net
that voice of yours sounding like velvet strong and pure
soothing my soul
when I close my eyes I see an angel
sing me sweet angel
take me to heaven

I am full of admiration. Thank you for the music, Sarah Brightman.

Positions vacant

HOUSEKEEPER required for part-time live-out position in small flat in Białystok. Experience in similar positions essential, high standards and a flexible attitude towards working hours. References required. Tel: 85 7420 256
HOUSEKEEPER/COOK Live-out. Must drive, car not available. Duties to include cleaning, laundry and occasional cooking. Flexible hours. Non smoker. Tel: +48 602 650 879 between 9am and 12noon. Email: biuro@gv.pl
VALET – needed for six weeks; part-time only. Duties include grooming, dressing, cleaning, ironing and light cooking. Tel: 85 7420 256
HOUSEKEEPER/COOK required. Białystok, centre. Disabled employer requires a live-out help. Duties to include food shopping, cooking meals and catering on occasion for lunches and private dinner guests. Own transport essential. Salary negotiable dependant on experience. Fax CV to 85 7420 257
WANTED – capable, friendly housekeeper for small Białystok flat. Cleaning, ironing, shopping and cooking evening meal. Non smoker. Clean driving licence. Hours to suit. Tel: +48 602 650 879
LIVE-OUT HOME HELP, Białystok, 15 to 20 hours per week, mornings. Suit part-time student. Start immediately. Tel: +48 602 650 879
DRIVER needed, part-time, up to 10 hours a week. Morning and evening driving in town. Must be on call. Experience & references essential. Email: biuro@gv.pl

Two letters

Dear A,
B tells me you are hiding somewhere near!
Of course I rang straight away, but you must either work very hard, be in bed with earplugs all day, have moved to ‘address unknown’, or simply not answer the phone.
But I would like to see you, not least to make up for my appalling silence throughout the year.
Ring ring ring so we can drink whisky, wine, coffee, tea!
Love
C

Dear A,
Of course, you’re busy, busy, busy. No time to write. I did expect to hear from you some thoughts on Hong Kong. Looking back, your time here seemed brief and much more distant than the six weeks that have passed. I enjoyed you completely and was encouraged by your independence. I’d still appreciate your opinions on so many things.
Every aspect of my life here remains unchanged, so you know the answers to any questions you might have. I’m still managing an occasional day on the beach although it’s often a little cool. My work and the gym take up most of the rest of my time.
Love
D

Luka – episode 4

When she goes to bed she can’t sleep. All the night she thinks about Tom. Why does she feel she doesn’t do right? Why doesn’t she feel the same butterflies in her stomach when they were together? And then she starts to think about Luka… his eyes… his beautiful blue eyes… And then she knows everything… “But no”, she thinks, “it can’t be! He’s a drug dealer! He poisoned John!” She knows that Luka is a type of a bad guy and she knows that they cannot be together… But the truth about her love to him is too strong. She must help him to acquit himself from the charges. And then she falls asleep like a child.

The next day, instead of going to school, she goes to visit Luka in prison. He looks awful but his eyes haven’t changed: they look great as always. She offers him some fruits and when he sees them he grabs them eagerly. Grace laughs; she didn’t know that Luka liked fruit but she is happy that she could suit his taste. When Luka finishes eating he gives her a kiss on a hand. She is surprised but in a nice way: “I can’t believe this is Luka! He’s nice and charming. What’s going on? Oh, I know”, she thinks, “it’s happening too fast. Maybe he wants something from me” and she takes her hands away from him and tells him everything about the men in the shop. He tells her to listen to them because they are dangerous and can hurt her. Grace is surprised again and she thinks he doesn’t care about her at all. She tells him: No way! I will find a way to get you out of here and you’ll be free. You’ll see!” and then she kisses him and leaves the prison.   

I love football

I like both watching and playing it. I have played football all my life. When I was young, I played in a professional team for about 6 years. I’m now an extremely busy person, but I still try to play football. With a group of friends I play indoor football, we meet regularly every week on Tuesday afternoon. Last week we played in the gym as usual, but I will remember that match all my life, because I had a serious accident.
One of the players was heading for the goal and I tried to stop him. At that moment, he pushed his elbow into my left eye. Then I fell and lost touch with the world outside. I couldn’t see with my left eye. They stopped the match and when a friend saw blood in it, they decided to take me to hospital. My friend Henio drove me there and waited for about two hours. The doctor examined the eye carefully and decided to put four stitches on my upper eyelid. It didn’t hurt in the hospital, but I felt pain when I returned home. My family was in shock, my daughter was particularly worried about me.
The next day the eye was all black and my wife tried to conceal the look with her make-up.

My weakness for hi-fi

I have got a weakness for high quality sound. In times when the market is dominated by home cinema equipment with surround sound, we forget about the traditional stereo system. In my opinion a recipe for best quality sound is a good quality stereo system – a CD player, amplifier and two loudspeakers.
Even the best equipment is worthless when we don’t have a good source of sound, which are CDs. It’s not enough that the CD is original. Often it’s important who produced it and in what studio it was recorded. A few decades ago good CDs were hard to come by. Now it’s much easier to get them but I think they are still too expensive. CDs are nice things to buy, they are even nicer to have and play.
I’m satisfied with my stereo equipment, but if I ever had a chance to change something in my system I would buy Sonus Faber Cremona loudspeakers.

Spices and shoes

Twenty years ago or so, many goods were hard to come by, from food to clothes, to shoes, cosmetics and furniture, while now we are bombarded with adverts that bring confusion to our minds. It’s hard to choose from a mass of goods and determine which products are of high quality, durable and practical.
Recently I have developed a weakness for seasonings from different countries. I like to experiment in cooking, I look for new tastes and flavours all the time. In Białystok, exotic and fresh spices are hard to come by. If I ever have a chance to be in a foreign country, I use this opportunity to buy blends of aromatic spices, Garam Masala, cumin, cardamon, special seasonings for fish, beef etc. When I return home I bring with me pieces of other worlds and my dishes, full of aromatic oriental herbs and dishes, taste delicious.
In the past I had another weakness, for beautiful shoes. Now it’s nice to only dream about them. Designer shoes with the name name of a great shoemaker Manolo Blahnik are handmade, fashionable, unique, very expensive and not available for everyone. They are like works of art.
Another famous designer is Christian Louboutin. All shoes by him have red soles. Somebody said that a flirtation between a man and woman is possible only when she wears sexy shoes.

Spring is coming rap

The nights are getting shorter
The days are getting longer
The weak are getting stronger
The nights are getting warmer
The young are getting older
The old are feeling younger
The days are getting brighter
The sky is getting bluer
The sad are feeling happier
The clothes are getting lighter
And we are getting smarter

maoma are: Marta, Angelika, Ola. Mateusz, Albert

Two Worlds. Sheila, a nosy neighbour

I was sitting in the window observing the yard as usual. A typical day, nothing special, children playing, bored youngsters hanging around. Suddenly I saw this impressive car which parked just near our building. ‘Must be somebody from … you know, outside’, I thought at first, ‘cause one of us could never afford such a car, perhaps if we robbed a bank or something, you know’. When a couple got out, I had no doubts, they were definitely not us. They looked so different, you know, good-looking, stylish, as from our favourite magazines. A few days ago my kids mentioned that television was going to come here to interview somebody, but it was in passing, and I didn’t take it seriously. Now it was quite obvious.
The man … a little bit plump, wasn’t that handsome, but, you know, his camera made him attractive. The woman, oh … she got this television look, but she wasn’t very pretty either, just well-groomed.
They were looking around, with some disgust in their eyes, stepping quickly, being so careful and kind of … afraid, you know. I hate it when strangers visit us, they show so much hidden scorn. There was something in their walk, in the way they moved, something that was saying – ‘we are better’.
And guess what? They came up to our staircase! Obviously, I have half-opened the door, you know me, I couldn’t help. I hoped to overhear some details, but they weren’t very talkative. But, you know, the face is a picture, that grimace of disgust, they were definitely displeased. And I’m not surprised, our staircase stinks, but come on … it’s not a chemist’s?!
And … They knocked on the 6! They were going to interview Smiths! Frankly, I think they were mostly interested in Rosie. Oh … in fact Rosie is a pretty, young girl, truly, attractive enough for a TV programme. But, you know, I wouldn’t have let them in, I hate when they, the outsiders, are lamenting on our lot. I don’t believe in their good intentions. What are they making all those programs for?! Has any helped us? In fact nobody could help us, no-hopers. We are like the sentenced, the way we live, you can’t do much about it. Things are as they are, I have no illusions, there is no “American dream”, definitely not for us.
I simply feel sorry for Rosie, poor girl … they come, make her believe something will change, and leave the next day. As always.