Here’s a riddle for you. You might have heard it before. I know it’s not new.

So here we go …

“Romeo and Juliet are found dead on the floor in a bedroom. When they were discovered, there were pieces of glass and some water on the floor. The only furniture in the room is a shelf and a bed. The house is in a remote location, away from everything except for the nearby railroad track.”

What caused the death of Romeo and Juliet? Any idea?

You can find the solution here!

“Peace Train” is a 1971 song by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens (now known as Yusuf Islam), taken from his album “Teaser and the Firecat”.

In this “Song Around The World” version, Yusuf / Cat Stevens has teamed up with over 25 musicians from 12 countries to create a new version of his song track.

I was so moved by the song that I wanted to share it with you.

And here are just some of the lyrics if you want to sing along!

“Now I’ve been happy lately
Thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be
Something good has begun
Oh, I’ve been smiling lately
Dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be
Someday it’s going to come

‘Cause I’m on the edge of darkness
There rides the Peace Train
Oh, Peace Train take this country
Come take me home again.”

Was there anything in particular that you enjoyed? The music? The text? The pictures? I’d love to know.

Would you like to brush up on your English grammar skills? Of course, you can choose to work with me, but you can also do a fair amount on your own.

You might like to work through a grammar book (you can see two in the photo above), or you might choose to learn and practise online.

These sites have been recommended to me. Perhaps they can help you?

English Grammar Secrets
Grammar Monster 
English Club
My English Pages

So how confident do you feel with your English grammar? Is there anything you need help with?

You’ve probably heard or even used the term “couch potato” for someone who takes little or no exercise and watches a lot of television.

But do you know any other personality types?

Here are a few:

A wet blanket is a boring or miserable person who spoils other people’s fun.
A dark horse is a secretive person, a person you know very little about.
A know-it-all is someone who thinks s/he knows everything!
A social butterfly is someone who loves socialising and mingling with other people at events.
A go-getter is an energetic and ambitious person, someone who works hard to succeed.

Do you see yourself in any of these types? 😉

You can’t do better than your best!

This is a sentence I need to tell myself at regular intervals. I thought you might like it, too.

If you’re a perfectionist like I am, you probably know the struggle of trying to make sure you’ve made everything as good as it possibly can be. 

I’ve been working on a platform for a new community I’m building. Lisa Blum, my graphic artist and web designer, has been supporting me. And oh my goodness, it’s been taking me too long to get started.

But now I’m ready to talk about it.

The community is called “Chilipepper Your English” and will be supporting business owners, entrepreneurs and solopreneurs like you on their language learning journey. 

My dream is to build a true community that’s about service, engagement, connection, and results.

Perhaps you’d even like to join us.

That would be amazing! 🤩

We’re still putting the finishing touches to the platform. But don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know when we’re ready to launch.

The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time is now! 

To take something with a pinch of salt is quite a common idiom in the English-speaking world. And although I try not to use idioms too often, because I prefer using plain language, this is one I do use.

If you take something with a pinch of salt, it means that you don’t completely believe it.

So how do we use it? Here’s an example:

A colleague of mine told me that she speaks over 15 languages fluently. I take everything she says with a pinch of salt because I know she loves to exaggerate!

Do you know of a similar idiom in German?