YOU NEVER CAN TELL

Jack Rabbit Slims Twist Contest (Dialogue) / You Never Can Tell

[HOST]
Ladies and Gentleman,
Now the moment you've all been waiting for
The world famous Jack Rabbit Slims Twist Contest!
Now let's meet our first contestants here this evening
Young lady what's your name?

[MIA]
Mrs. Mia Wallace
[HOST]
And how about your fella here?
[MIA]
Vincent Vega !
[HOST]
Alright, let's see what you can do, take it away

You Never Can Tell

It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre did truly love the madamoiselle
And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell,
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

They furnished off an apartment with a two room Roebuck sale
The coolerator was crammed with TV dinners and ginger ale,
But when Pierre found work, the little money comin' worked out well
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

They had a hi-fi phono, boy, did they let it blast
Seven hundred little records, all rock, rhythm and jazz
But when the sun went down, the rapid tempo of the music fell
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

They bought a souped-up jitney, 'twas a cherry red '53,
They drove it down to Orleans to celebrate the anniversary
It was there that Pierre was married to the lovely madamoiselle
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

It had a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre did truly love the madamoiselle
And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell,
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

CATHY THORNE

http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com/

Time After Time

Elche.

This is Elche, where we live. It's very hard to find a corner in Elche where there are no palm trees. That's why we got the UNESCO's World Heritage award in 2000: as you can see here

These photographs were taken in December 2006 at the Museum of the palm groves in Elche. It used to be a private orchard till the Town Council bougt it a few years ago, refurbished the house and created the museum. I remember once I went there to buy some dates for a friend from university who had asked me to buy them for the family where he stayed in Sheffield, when he was an Erasmus student there. The old lady who sold the dates told me: "When I was young it was quite an adventure for a woman to go on your own to Alicante (one of the nearest towns) and now you girls go abroad!"

I had been in the house buying dates but I had never walked in the orchard till last year, when I took these photographs. This is the entrance to the Huerto de San Plácido (St. Placid's Orchard), I think it's a very appropriate name for it, due to the quietness of the place.

There wasn't anybody there and I had left my mobile phone at home charging the batery. In that moment, it was as if I had gone into an oasis far from civilization. There was an incredible peace there. The Arabs, who used to live here many centuries ago, would plant their orchards and place the water channels between the palm trees (as you can see in the first photo) so that the water was on the shade and it didn't evaporate so much. In Elche it is also typical to find benches made of palm tree trunks, as you can see in the previous photograph.

However, behind the palm trees there is the city with its buildings like the ones in the photograph. This park is situated in the heart of Elche, very close to the town centre and its busy streets.

Este es un post por si nos lee alguien de fuera, para que conozca Elche y el palmeral, Patrimonio de la humanidad. Y aquí está la traducción del inglés. Estas fotos están sacadas en diciembre de 2006 en el Museo del palmeral, que, hasta que lo compró el Ayuntamiento hace pocos años, era una casa privada donde vivía una familia. Allí había ido a comprar dátiles alguna vez, sobre todo, recuerdo que un compañero de facultad me los pidió para llevárselos a la familia de Sheffield donde se había alojado cuando estuvo allí de estudiante Erasmus. Y la mujer que me los vendió, cuando le conté a dónde iban los dátiles, me contestó: "¡Madre mía, y antes que, para ir a Alicante, era una aventura! Y, si eras chica, no te dejaban. Y ahora os vais a recorrer el mundo."

Así que, como era privado, apenas había visto la tienda de la casa, pero no me había adentrado por el huerto. Y, como veis, la visita vale la pena. Aquí abajo tenéis la entrada al Huerto de S. Plácido (nombre bastante apropiado, creo, por la tranquilidad del lugar). No había nadie más que yo, y me había dejado el móvil en casa cargando la batería. En ese momento, parecía que me hubiera adentrado en un oasis alejado de la civilización. Allí había una paz increíble.

Los árabes plantaban huertos en los que las acequias quedaban entre palmeras, como se ve en la primera foto, para que así el agua estuviera a la sombra y se evaporara menos. Años después, aunque tal vez viniera ya de antiguo, no lo sé, los ilicitanos también usaban la sombra para sentarse en bancos de palmera como el de la foto.


Pero, aunque no lo pareciera, había vida al otro lado de las palmeras y edificios como los que se ven detrás. Lo cual me hizo recordar que seguía estando en la ciudad. Precisamente, si la UNESCO le concedió a Elche la declaración de Patrimonio de la Humanidad, fue por los huertos que están integrados dentro de lo que es el casco urbano, por cómo se ha sabido conjugar la naturaleza con la vida ajetreada de una ciudad industrial, llena de ruido y tráfico por todas partes. Por eso, ese pulmón verde que suponen nuestros parques nos dan un respiro y nos sacan de la rutina.

Encarni: Va por ti, que sabemos que eres nuestra fan y una de las pocas que nos lee, ¡ja, ja!