Delights Of Sweet Whites, Italian Wine tasting, matching and comparing, Prosecco, Champagne, More

 

Italian Zonin History

I went to the Zonin1821 event. Zonin is an Italian company, in the wine business, founded by the Zonin family in 1821, long before I was born. They started in the Veneto area, famous for the port of Venice, and Prosecco wine, and the Zonin bottle label is associated with this region.

They set up Zonin UK in 1998. How come I had never heard of them? This event aimed to put that right and it did. 

They now have wines from Europe, France, Spain and Italy, and the Lebanon,  South Africa, Chile and Argentina, and going south, from South Africa and New Zealand.

At a walk around tasting, I started with my favourite, Prosecco. From Italy.

Then I went on to Asti, from Italy.

Then Muscat, sweet, of course.

Then Champagne, from France, of course, to compare with Prosecco.

Wine Tasting

The walk around wine tasting of their wines had the usual arrangement of a good event, spittoons scattered about, because you could not drink many wines without ending up dancing on the table, falling asleep, or, as the old joke goes, under the table or under the host.

Some people like to taste wines without food, the better to isolate and concentrate on the aroma and savour the flavour of the wine. Others say, to be healthy, sober and sane, they prefer to taste wine with matching food. For them, a treat was to come. A chance to sit down, contemplate the colour of the wine in the glass, sip the wine and take tiny bites of flavoursome food with each wine.

The Zonin1821 Pairing Atelier: An Interactive Tasting Experience

A rare novelty, a sit down event, a masterclass, not just the usual sipping of half a dozen or more wines, whilst listening to an expert and watching slides, but this time tasting seven wines with assorted small plates of  food, savoury - and sweet. 

We took the glass of each wine in turn, nibbling something from each plate of food, deciding which food went best with the wine. 

The fanned pear is on the left. The glasses are numbered on the paper sheet below. But we changed the order, putting the sweet wine last. We had letters, for the food? But sometimes one wine went with more than one food.

Practical Problems - Cutlery

At first I did not know how to divide up the food using spoons and a pastry fork. But the meat proved to be soft so you could tear it apart with fingers or the fork and spoon.

Practical Problems - Losing Your Catalogue

I had already lost my programme which had my marks out of 7 of all the wines I had liked at the walk around tasting. When you put down your programme book, beside a dozen others, to taste the wine, then look for your programme, where is yours?

Luckily I had taken photos of my favourite wines, so the bottle labels were my memory aids.

Next time I go to a wine tasting or event, I shall take a sticker with my name and phone number to put on my programme. That way I can see at a glance that a programme on the table is mine, before I leave. If I drop it, the finder can call me to let me know.

Note Taking Problems

Next, where should I make notes about food pairing? 

The slide show, early on, included a slide with a list of the foods, and a list of the wines. Very good.

I reckoned it would be easier and quicker when making notes for members of the audience to have the slide copied onto a handout. The food on the left of your tasting page. The wines on the right. Then draw a line between the wine and the food it matched. 

Or a list of all the matches. Circle your favourite. 

Or a tick box for each pairing. Give it marks out of 7. From 1 for not good to 7 for heavenly.

My effort to write down the name of the wine, three to six words, then the names of the food, each of which had three ingredients, meant I needed to see the slide with the names of food, and missed commentary whilst I was trying to list the names of the food and wines. 

I spoke to Federica afterwards, and she agreed that each time they held the event they could incorporate changes and improvements which would make it better and better, even better.

Solution - A Food and Wine Pairing Sheet

Meanwhile, I am thinking about printing off my own pairing sheets. I would carry them around on my red clipboard.

Fabulous Food  - And Wine Matching

The food was fabulous. My favourite was the fanned pear, with stilton cheese in a creamy mousse. The name of the chef was not mentioned. The chef or supplier deserves a mention.

Which came first, food or drink, when planning the pairing? I presumed the wine producers and promoters would have picked seven wines to promote and asked the chef to do a pairing. At very least they might have asked for food to match in colour, for the red wine,  the red meat, for white wines, white savouries, and a sweet dessert. 

In a restaurant the sommelier might be shown the dish of the day, or dishes of the day. The chef created or selected recipes using what he has found, fresh, seasonal and reasonably priced in the market. The sommelier then has to match up wines to the food. 

Many restaurant diners would pick the food first, then ask the sommelier for a wine to match.

At home you might have bought a new wine from the Zonin list, then wondered, what food can I cook to go with this?

Buying Zonin Wines On the Web

After I got home I searched on the internet for Zonin wines. Up popped their wines on Amazon. Quite reasonably priced. 

I also found their website. The group is very successful, an umbrella group, connected with wines all over Italy and other places.  In addition to the bottles with their own label, their portfolio includes wines with other labels.

What if you or one of your group cannot drink wine. In addition to those abstaining for religious reasons, people could be driving, taking pills, and you could have youngsters or cautious drinkers. I liked their refreshing Limoneto Spritz, sparkling wine with lemon juice. You can buy it from Amazon in a 75cl bottle, or in a collection of cans 25cl.

Low and No Alcohol

Whilst their entire collection was new to me, they were excited about what is new for them. They have kept pace with the trend towards low alcohol wines, and non alcohol wines, and wine not only in bottles, small bottles, but also in cans.

Training Sommeliers

They are training sommeliers, and their own staff worldwide, as well as wine writers, wine educators and influencers on pairing their wines with food. I tried six wines, whites, a rose, and reds, with six different savoury and sweet dishes.  

Denni di Rosa, left. Federica Zanghirella, VP of the UK Sommelier Association, centre. Christopher MW, right.

Federica Zanghirella, Vice President of the UK Sommelier Association, left. Christopher Burr MW right.

Three Wise Wine Experts

Instruction and enlightenment came from three delightful personalities.

Federica Zanghirella Vice President of the UK Sommelier Association. Glamorous and efficient, explaining how we were to save the delicious food to have some with each wine. Reminding us how in educational sessions we were sometimes given salty and sweet morself to demonstrate how wine tastes different with different foods.

Christopher Burr MW. A Master of Wine always has worldwide knowledge. A walking encyclopaedia of wine. 

Denni di Rosa BA. Knowledgeable on the Italian region, his homeland, and impressive in stature and knowledge. He explaining each wine in detail.

They all emphasized that matching the wine with food, and picking our favourite pairing, comparing our choices with those of the producers and experts and the majority opinion, was not a test, but should be fun.

Matching Wine With Food

We all wrote down which wine we thought suited which food, the best match, not only on colour, red wine with red meat, white wine with white meat or fish, sweet wine with dessert, but the wines might complement or contrast in flavour. Though the recommendations are a guidelines, a consensus of popular opinion, the fun of wine tasting and wine pairing is finding what you like, for a one off enjoyable surprise, but ideally something to add to your internal recipe book and shopping list.

I am a vintage customer, stuck in the Sixties, liking sweet wines, sparkling, white and rose. So my favourite pairing was the pear dessert with the sweet wine, Castello di Albola, Vin Santo del Chianti. From Tuscany. The wine variety was Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia del Chianti. Size 50 c.

Here is Denni di Rosa. Proudly holding the wine I praised as my favourite.

Upcoming Sommelier Course

Federica, one of the organizers from the UK's sommelier association who were adding their expertise, told us that there will be a sommelier course in April including one pairing wine and food.

Ready for the next time I try new wines from new bottles, new labels, to read on websites and when I go to buy, I have compiled a handy glossary.

Handy Glossary

portfolio - collection

sommelier - (French) wine waiter, wine steward, butler, wine specialist in a restaurant who advises customers on which wine to order, within their budget, to match their tastes, or to match their food. Originally the person in charge of beats of burden transporting heavy containers of wine.

Spritz

What is a spritz or spritzer? I thought it was a mixture of lemonade and soda and alcohol. Wikipedia enlightened me.

en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Spritz_(cocktail)

Spritz (cocktail) - Wikipedia

A spritz is a Venetian wine-based cocktail, commonly served as an apéritif across Italy. It consists of Prosecco, a mixer (usually soda water), and a flavouring ingredient, which can be a bitter liqueur, ...

Translation Of Wine Label Words into English

altemura - high wall, possibly a fortified house, mansion or castle

atelier - studio or workroom of an artist or designer (not attic which in Spanish is atico)

bianco - white

brut (French) - dry

brut nature - naturally dry, no sugar added at the end to the dosage in the bottle

Castello - castle

Castello di Albola - the maker's name

Chianti (place name)

Chianti Classico - wine from the Chianti region using  San Giovese grape variety

Classico - classic

del - of the

di - of (Italian)

Manduria - a place name

nero - black (Italian), dark (red wine)

noir - black (French)

prinicipi - Italian, the i ending is plural

rosado rosé in Spanish

rosato - rosé in Italian

Santo - saint

Sasseo Primitivo di Manduria - uses the zinfandel grape

Vin - wine

Vino da tavola - Italian for vine of the table, table wine, basic everyday wine, or weekday wine

IGT stands for Indicazione  Geografica Protetta, the Italian version of  IGP which is French for indication géographique protégée (IGP), indication of quality, meaning wine from protected geography, a level below an appellation (named region), but wine still grown and made in a specific area. Their place. Their grapes. Their style. 

The UK Sommelier Association in central London is active in wine education, involving many events throughout the year. Sommeliers are known as the gatekeepers and advocates, sometimes buyers, sometimes sellers, enthusiasts admiring the old, and excited by the new.

Useful Websites On Zonin Wine

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=zonin

https://www.bottledandboxed.com/product/6697_zonin-prosecco-brut-millesimato-doc-75cl

https://www.zonin1821.com/en/

zonin.co.uk

Sommelier Association

https://www.uksommelierassociation.com/

Wiki on wines - Vinopedia

https://vinopedia.org/wiki/Indication_G%C3%A9ographique_Prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9e_(IGP)

Haberdashers Hall, London

 Traditional modern building. The haberdashers were hat makers. Along with the merchant taylors,who made clothes, a success in their day. 

Famous Schools

Both founded schools which are still educating young people in north London. Haberdashers boys school, and Haberdashers' girls school are both in Borehamwood.

A famous school, Haberdashers.

If you are near the old Smithfield Market, in London, near Farringdon station, you might pass by the entrance to the very modern Haberdashers building. It has a central courtyard, sculptures, and upstairs rooms hired out for events. 

Security at the door will direct you to any event you are visiting, after checking that you are on the list.

I attended an Italian wine tasting and wine pairing event there which is described in another post.

Address

Haberdashers Hall, London EC1

Near Farringdon station.

Useful Websites For Haberdashers Hall

https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/venues-for-hire/haberdashers-hall

The School

https://haberdashers.co.uk/

https://haberdashers.co.uk/history/

Where Are The Fire Exits And Fire Extinguishers?

The New Year's Eve fire in Switzerland has caused discussion on what fire precautions should be taken by the public and how laws should be tightened.

Fire Evacuation Announcements & Drills

 If you have been on an aircraft you will have heard the fire evacuation notices. On a ship you have fire drills and announcements.

I remember having fire drills at school.

Fire Exit Maps

Hotels have exit maps on the back of bedroom doors.

Smoke Alarms

Landlords are required to provide smoke alarms in residences, and check them annually.

Fire Extinguishers in Restaurants

When I was recently in a Chinese restaurant, JM, in London, a fire extinguisher was on the wall. 

Today I was in a cafe, Gail's, near Smithfield Market, which had a fire extinguisher on the wall.

It is reassuring to see that plans are in place.

 Useful Websites on Fire Escapes & Safety

https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/risk-assessment-template-and-examples.htm

https://www.safelincs.co.uk/blog/2024/05/02/fire-exits-and-regulations-information-guide/

Weather forecasts in the UK, and checkling transport for London

Warm winter gloves. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Weather Warnings

Weather warnings might make you less willing to travel, or keen to make preparations. You might need closed shoes or warm boots, a flask of hot drinks, a blanket in the car, an umbrella.

When the weather forecast is bad, for rain or snow, although you may be willing to travel, there could be delays on trains and buses. you can check on the web on your computer or on your mobile phone on an app. If you don't have the app, which is a user friendly adaption for phone, quicker and easier to customise, interact, you can still get websites on your phone.

How To Keep Warm 

Run your hands in hot water. Wear gloves.

Wear a warm hat covering ears, and a scarf covering your neck. Label scarves and umbrellas with your name and phone number.

 Useful websites for travel

Weather

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/

Directions

tflco - an app on the phone

tfl.com 

on the computer

https://trainslive.uk/tube/line/Metropolitan

Spanish words - easy, and difficult

Spanish  - the world's third most widely spoken language after English and Chinese. Handy for travellers in Europe and South America. Also one of the easiest languages. The accents, called diacritics, above the letters, tell you which syllable to emphasize.

Easy Spanish Words

amo - I like (the same as the Latin I learned in the first Latin lesson at school, amo, amas, amat, I love, you love, he, she ot it loves)

ayer - yesterday (ye in both words)

cafeteria - cafeteria

cocinabamos - ( coc - cook, B back then  os - us/we like nos like French nous meaning us)

diario - diary

en - in

famosa - famous

grande - large

inteligente - intelligent

mercado - market, where merchants sell merchandise. Both words have the letter m r e, d sounds like k and d sounds like t)

mesa - table (like the city of Mesa in Arizona, USA)

mi - my

no - no/not

persona - person

rapida - fast

restaurante - restaurant

tarde - afternoon (if you are tardy, slow and late, you don't get up and attend meetings until the afternoon)

Difficult Spanish Words

All Spanish words are easy if you create a link with English, either

the letters they have in common

the similar sounds

the common word in Latin which both words are derived from (called a cognate)

a sentence using both words

Useful Websites For Learning Spanish

duolingo.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language_in_South_America

https://www.spanishdict.com

https://www.spanishdict.com/lists/4924632/es-words

https://spanishvip.com/vocabulary/spanish-words-with-s/

https://worldhelloday.org/

https://www.wikihow.com/Say-Happy-Birthday-in-Spanish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilde

 Useful Websites on accents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_accent

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacritic

Jun Ming Oriental Chinese Luxurious, Elegant Restaurant in Colindale

Decorative service or charger plates, on the table, removed before you are served with small bowls for rice.

Decorative touches at the bar by the door as you enter.

Tasty sauces.

We were given prawn crackers whilst we waited for the starters.

|I had trouble reading the menu in the dim lighting, despite the tea light on the table. Nut a batter light in what looked like a tall sauce bottle was brought to me by an obliging waitress.

Service was excellent. Easy to get attention.

Our starter was spring rolls, and chopped duck (Peking duck) with cucumber and soy sauce which we rolled in thin pancakes.

All good. But the best and most surprising was the Chinese spinach in what we thought was garlic. Wonderful. With peanut sauce, slightly spicy, which they served on the side at our request, but it was not too spicy.

I was not over excited by the fish and tofu.but they were ordered for somebody else so that didnt bother me.

Choice of tables with free standing chairs or banquettes.

They had high chairs, which we didn't need, but noted.

Well stocked wine list.

More decorative touches at every turn.

Whilst we were eating, another table were celebrating a birthday, and the staff brought out a candle and sang happy birthday to you.

 Driving down the Edgware Road, and turning off down side streets, I was pleasantly surprised by the classy Jun Ming restaurant. We parked right outside and were surprised to be charged more than six pounds on a parking meter. A fellow guest told me that the Council had redeveloped a housing area, trying to encourage people not to use cars. I didn't say, making life difficult and making money. I merely said, 'making money.'

My informant replied, 'Yes, it's very successful.'

Anyway, I suppose the charges stopped the residents filling up the bays, instead leaving one free for us.

We had a booking for 6.15, not 6.30 which was full. The restaurant was not completely full, so I wondered why a restaurant would stagger bookings. Was it because they though that people booking at 630 would end up arriving at seven, creating a rush at seven.

A fellow guest suggested, on Sundays they probably have fewer staff in the kitchen than the busiest Saturday night, so it's not a shortage of seats, but of chefs to cook your meal.

The restaurant is pretty and elegant. Large picture plates decorated the tables. We had fabric napkins, not tissues.

The Restaurant Name - Jun Ming Xuan

The restaurant is JM for short. 

More handy Spanish words when travelling

 Palabras En Español - Palabras En Ingles - Spanish - English words

hola - hello

llegare pronto - I will arrive soon

reunion - meeting

oficina - office

senor - sir / mr

senora - madam

senorita - miss

sombrero - hat

soy - I am / my name is

estoy - I am (right now or temporarily, eg at the station or in the office)

ayer - yesterday

manana - tomorrow / morning

Useful websites on other languages

duolingo.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language_in_South_America

https://www.spanishdict.com

https://www.spanishdict.com/lists/4924632/es-words

https://spanishvip.com/vocabulary/spanish-words-with-s/

https://worldhelloday.org/

https://www.wikihow.com/Say-Happy-Birthday-in-Spanish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilde

 Useful Websites on accents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_accent

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacritic

Spanish Made Simple by Angela Lansbury

 Some Spanish words are easy, but other Spanish words are a struggle to remember. But here are some magical memory aids.

Here are words you are likely to need on your travels.

Spanish - English (memory aids, common letters)

alto/alta - high (altitude)

apartamento (flat, apartment)

arte - art

ayuda - help (aid)

barco - boat (we shall embark on the boat)

carro - car (in South America, driving a Corvette car from North to South America)

coche - car (in Spain, we leave the car and take a coach in the Channel to England) 

de nada - not at all (it's nothing, no trouble, replying to thank you, don't mention it)

donde - where (we will don our clothes and go there today)

dormitorio - bedroom (dormitory)

ensalada - salad

especial - special (that is special, I especially like it)

familia - family

gracias - thanks (how gracious of you, I'm grateful)

lampara - light

mano - hand (manual labour)

museo - museum (a museum - oh!)

musica - music

no - no (at the start of a sentence or before the verb it is a negative, think of no I don't, not the case that)

o - or

opera - opera

policia - police

por favor (please, I'm poor, do me a favour)

roto/rota - broken (it's broken, that's rotten)

sal - salt

si - yes

sol - sun

solo - only

tazon - mug (tankard)

tren - train

y - and (Yes, and that one)

Useful Spanish Phrases & Verbs

es - is (yes it is)

quiero - I want

soy - I am (permanently, eg my name is, Soy Angela)

estoy (I am standing temporarily eg I am on a train)

Useful Websites For Learning Spanish

duolingo.com

 Useful Websites on accents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_accent

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacritic

Angela Lansbury's Blogs

Please follow me and my blogs on travel, wine and dine, dress, comical poetry. Bookmark your favourites and share the links with your family, friends and colleagues.

Angela Lansbury's Books

My books are on Amazon and Lulu. The subjects include how to write poetry, useful Quick Quotations, Wedding Speeches and Toasts, and more. Also amusing poems, and Embarrassing Moments including mispronunciations and misunderstandings.

How To Pronounce Foreign Words - how accents help

At school I learned French and one of the first things we learned was how to recognize the three major accents, acute (Greek meaning sharp) goes up diagonally and your voice goes up, at the end of a word a lot, v#but also occasionally at the start or middle instead or as well. 

The little hat or upside down V often shows a missing letter. In English we write don't for do not. The French use the little hat sign. The English word hospital in French has a little hat for the missing letter.

Accents are not there to scare you, but to help you. Not to hinder, but to help

The best example is Spanish. Unlike French, Spanish sticks to one accent, the acute accent. 

How Accents Help You

In many languages the accent simply says, say this letter e. As in French caffAY.  We could use capital letters, or underline. In English we tend to underline a whole word, but put an accent on just one letter. The letter i has a dot. 

Accents For Emphasis

When using Duolingo to read Spanish on the small screen of my mobile phone I have a hard time seeing accents. Printers used to put a dot over the letter i, but one printer decided to use a line going upwards over the letter e. This is also used in other languages on letters, other vowels and consonants. It is especially helpful where the word written the same way is pronounced differently with different meanings.

How do you remember which word has the accent? Usually when reading the foreign word, you know which is which from the context. When you are not reading aloud but reading a menu or sign, just reading to yourself, the accent is not so important. But when you are writing a word, which is which?

Spanish El  0he or the?)

In Spanish, I used to confuse the word el meaning the or he. Which el had the accent? Once I started thinking of the accent as being emphatic, showing importance, like a capital letter, it was easy to remember. The  is a word used a lot, and has no accent. El, meaning he, has the accent. |I think of the names Faith, Hope, Charity. When they are used generally, they are without the capital letter, faith, hoe, charity. When they refer to a person, you draw attention with the capital letter. The same goes for el in Spanish.

Wikipedia has an article on accents in many languages. You can just skip to the section on the language you are learning or the country you are visiting.

 Useful Websites on accents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_accent

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacritic

Please follow me and my blogs on travel, wine and dine, dress, comical poetry. Bookmark your favourites and share the links with your family, friends and colleagues.

My books are on Amazon and Lulu. The subjects include how to write poetry, useful Quick Quotations, Wedding Speeches and Toasts, and more. Also amusing poems, and Embarrassing Moments including mispronunciations and misunderstandings.

British Food in my poem, Tea For Three by Angela Lansbury

 We travel around the world at our supermarkets. Lild is German, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose are British. We eat porridge, British style, English style with sugar rather than the Scottish custom of adding salt. 

For lunch, we have smoked salmon from Scotland. Or sardines from Portugal. Or sushi, a Japanese dish.  

Breakfast

Traditional English breakfast

Porridge oats, sugar or honey

Then baked beans, egg and bacon grill

Hotels give this thrill, for money

For daily grub go to the pub

Avoiding big hotels' big bills

Choose sausages and black pudding

Fried potato, and tomato

Lunch

For lunch you could choose a Scotch egg

Sardines on toast, a healthy fish

Fish and chips is what we like most

Sundays Yorkshire pud with beef roast

If you're adding roast potatoes

Careful. You'd better keep quiet

Please don't spoil my good gourmet day

By reminding me to diet

For weekday lunch we have salad

And smoked salmon in a bagel

Supermarket sushi, garlic

We buy half price when we're able

Tea

Each afternoon we stop at four

Or four thirty, or even five

By which time we're yawning and tired

Need food and drink to stay alive

Tea time in London's any time

No longer always Earl Grey tea

We drink hot coffee, apple juice

Lemon, ginger or mint for me

 If you've never had hot crumpets

Your gourmet life has not begun

If you're offered two with butter

Please don't stick to half or just one

Scones feature in Cornish cream tea

Spread thick cream, then strawberry jam

Some say you should put jam on first

Avoid arguing, if you can

We sometimes choose a restaurant

But most of our food's home made

We make brown bread with seeds and nuts

Seville oranges marmalade

We clear the table, wash the dishes

And load the dishwashing machine

It does a very good job

Of keeping our plates sparkling clean

Dinner

Then it's time to lay the table

And get ready for dinner

For me, it's brussels sprouts

Chicken and chips is a winner.

Plates of steak, add English mustard

Chocolate pudding, with custard

Christmas pudding, then easter eggs

Build balloon tums and tree trunk legs

Tea Tomorrow

I hope you'll come to tea with me

But I must tell you with sorrow

I ate the last baklava and chocolate

My fruit diet starts tomorrow.

-Ends-

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Queens Head pub, Pinner, for a funeral tea

If you park behind the Queens Head pub in Pinner, you see the back garden area on your way in.  

Queens Head pub, Pinner, has a large open area at the back

 Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

 

For the funeral tea, we had platters of sandwiches, vegetable spring rolls, sausage rolls. And something with fresh fruit, strawberry tarts.

I drank a Prosecco.

Photo Panels

We had just seen slides of photos of our next door neighbour at the Breakspear crematorium during the service. In addition at the pub, three panels of pictures of our neighbour and her family were set up on shelves around the walls.

Atmosphere & Ambiance

Altogether, a very pleasant event, where the family could cheer up with food and drinks and company in the historic pub.

Parking At The Pub

The fact that we could park for free in the car park behind the pub alongside the back garden was an added bonus. We just had to give our numberplate to the staff behind the bar.
 

Spanish words which are easy to add

 

When I was a child and when I was single I admired people who spoke other languages. Now I am putting effort into learning. Any time I have a spare minute, I practise.

Notebook - cuaderno

Today's revelation is the word for notebook. Cuaderno. I struggled with this. Then I looked at the letters and noticed the letters NO at the end of cuaderNO. NOtebook. 

Now I was half way there. When I saw the word cuaderno I could remember it was notebook. But how could I remember that notebook was cuaderno? I split the word into syllables. I tried cu-ad-er-no.

Starting at the end of the word, I knew it ended with NO. working backwards, it was Er - no. If you prefer, infERNO.  In the middle you have ad, like add. It starts with cu, like queue, in British English. Cut. customise. By this time, I did not need any extra reminders. I now know the word cuaderno. 

However, when I searched for the pronunciation, I found the word split like kwa-derno. kwa - dare - know. I only had to hear it once to remember how to say it.

I shall now add in my notebook the word cuaderno. 

That is a lot of time to spend learning one word. However, if I learn only one word a day, that is 365 words a year. If I write a blog post on one word a day, I shall have learned 365 words effortlessly. If you read a blog post by me every day for a year you will have learned one word effortlessly. Let's more that up to ten words a day. 3,650 words a year!

The word is masculine, with an o ending, like the names Mario, Romeo. Plural cuadernos, like los in the name of the American city Los Angeles.

So, here are nine more words.

bailerin - dancer

 (Starting ba like ballet, with an l. Try ballet dancer. BAiL daN -cER). In a dancing class. ballerina BA Ll ER IN a.  Now I can look at the word bailerin and see a ballet dancer.She is doing a spin, a pirouette. 

Spanish - English translation and memory aid

bailerin - dancer

cuaderno - notebook

ensalada - salad

sal - salt

salada/salado - salty . savoury

sin duda - definitely

sol, el sol - sun, the sun (masculine)

solo - only

soleada/o, but dia soleado - sunny, sunny day

La España - Spain, note the word starts with e, and the accent on the n in the Spanish word, n pronounced like ny in canyon

English - Spanish translation and memory aid

 dancer - bailerin

definitely - sin duda

only - solo

notebook - cuaderno

salad - ensalada

salt - sal

salty / savoury - salada/o

Spain - La España

sun, the sun - sol, el sol

sunny - soleada/o

Useful websites on other languages

duolingo.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language_in_South_America

https://www.spanishdict.com

https://www.spanishdict.com/lists/4924632/es-words

https://spanishvip.com/vocabulary/spanish-words-with-s/

https://worldhelloday.org/

https://www.wikihow.com/Say-Happy-Birthday-in-Spanish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilde

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Spanish Words - Secrets To Remembering Them

 How to remember Spanish words? Find similar words in English with letters in common.

Spanish - English

bonita - pretty / beautiful b for beautiful, bon for good, it sounds like the ett in pretty)

cafeteria - cafeteria

diario - diary

entrar - to enter

el examen - the exam

hoy - today (OY hOY tOdaY)

invitado - guest (INVIT .DO INVITaDoO - INVITeD persOn)

llamaste - you called (double ll in both words, a in both words, S for Second person Singular, the same as Latin amo amas amat where amas is you love. ending e for the past, as in the English ed, called)

mercado - market (MERcAdo MAR K E, c and k sound alike, so do d and t)

la musica - the music (add a in Spanish)

muy - very - muy looks like MUch and verY

oceano (oh say arn oh, upward forward diagonal accent on the e) the ocean

roto - broken (letters RO ROto bROken)

ciencias - science (Science is a plural word in Spanish. Move the s from the start of the word to the end.

Useful websites for learning Spanish

duolingo.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language_in_South_America

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Learn Languages, ready for Hello Day

 Here are some greetings you may know, ow want to know, so you can use them or at least recognize them. On world hello day, you are asked to greet people in ten languages. 

Hello in Other Languages

1 English/American Hello, Hi

Hello is also used as a greeting in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa. 

Many countries use hello on the phone, although they say another word as a greeting.

bonjiorno

Happy Birthday in other languages

 Joyeux anniversaire. Happy anniversary or happy birthday in French.

Feliz cumpleaños in Spanish.

Welcome in other languages

'Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome,' that's what they song in the film Cabaret.

How many of you speak French or understand a little French?

Hello and welcome, or as the French would say, bon soir, good evening.

Goodbye in other languages

Adios. Arrivaderci. Aug Wiedersehen. Sayonara.

You sometimes hear people say,

'Learning languages is a waste of time and money. Everybody speaks English.'

1 Knowing other languages is not a waste of time. On Euston station in the year 2000 the English language announcement told us to evacuate the station. I was able to use French to tell a bilingual Spanish girl who also spoke French with her friends, Spanish speaking tourists, who came off the downwards escalator that they should leave.

2 Learning another language need not waste money. You can do it for free on duolingo.com

3 Not everybody speaks English. If they do, why are the UK government, and local government, the NHS (National Health Service) and the police spending so much on translating documents?

Useful Websites on Hello, Hello Day and Greetings

duolingo.com

https://worldhelloday.org/

https://www.wikihow.com/Say-Happy-Birthday-in-Spanish

Translation Costs

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2904814/Shock-figures-reveal-huge-sums-spent-translators-police-councils-hospitals.html

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Keep Calm When Travelling - And Avoid Embarrassing Moments

 

How do you keep calm when travelling? I have learned from my sinking heart moments what to do. What were my sinking heart moments? My Embarrassing Moments - I have written a book about them.

The Lost Coach

We were the first coach to arrive at a car park in China. However, when I got back to my coach, the car park was full of coaches. I knew our coach had been parked near the fence. I hopped on the front coach.

The coach drove off. The guide spoke in German. 

I asked him to repeat what he had said in English. 

He said, but this is a German group. 

I was on the wrong coach! 

The coach had to drive back to the car park. The coach driver was not happy. But I had my own problems.

I ran around frantically. Which was my coach? Finally, the guide on my coach called out to me. 

Most mishaps can be prevented with a little forward planning - and a few photos.

1 DESTINATION DETAILS

Know where you are going. Put the address in your contacts list, your diary, and phone. Add the address with map and directions in your computer, mobile phone or car satnav. Know the motorway numbers, exits, alternative routes.

2 CONTACT DETAILS

Know vital contact details. 

Emergency numbers at your destination. 

Hotel or restaurant address, and the name in which the booking was made.

3 BACKUP PLANS

Have backup plans for everything. A second restaurant or hotel. Spare clothes in your airline wheelie bag.

4 ALLOW TIME FOR DELAYS

 I don't arrange meetings the day of travel, nor driving the day after. Then delays don't stress me. I don't get stressed driving tired, nor drive when accident prone.

5 ID

Check all passports and visas and driving licenses and credit cards for expiry dates the month before travelling. Carry a pair of spare passport photos for a replacement passport, or lift pass.

6 CAR & coach

Check your car tyres pressure and petrol levels a day in advance or better still a month in advance.

When leaving a coach for a break during an excursions, note the numberplate and photograph the coach and driver.

7 BOOKS, TOYS

 Have a book or activity to amuse yourself and family. Have activities to keep children in seats with books or toys with no pieces to lose.

8 IDENTIFIABLE CLOTHES

Wear matching colour outfits to find each other in crowds.

9 MEETUP POINTS IN PUBLIC PLACES

Arrange where to meet up in cafes and malls and outside toilets which are at the ends or corridors or with gents and ladies in different directions.

10 MEETUP POINTS IN HOTELS

Decide on hotel reunion points, lobby, reception, restaurant or bedroom, or in car in car park, gym or swimming pool, or hotel shop.

SET WAITING TIMES

Have waiting limits. Arrange whether to jump on the first bus, train, taxi, or wait for the group.

Inform your group leader if you are leaving after a fire, flood or emergency so nobody endangers themselves nor wastes time looking for you.

TRAVEL KIT

Carry: 

spare plasters, 

a comb and comb case, and 

a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Take a photo ID. 

Carry a badge and lanyard, in case you are not on the meeting list and they have not printed your name badge. You can also be photographed wearing your name badge and carrying your company brochure or your book if you are an author.

About Angela's Books

I am the author of twenty or so books and e-books on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Lulu.com

My latest book in 2025 was Embarrassing Moments.

Spanish words - easy new words and reminders

 

 Duolingo teaches Spanish as spoken in South America, but the Spanish of Mexico and Spain is very similar.

Let's look at some easy to recognize and remember words. I am learning on Duolingo. I have paid to get the version without advertising. I am learning for an hour or so every day, so it's worthwhile to be comfortable.

Spanish - English words

Those in bold are new today. Those words not in bold are reminders from yesterday.

A

actor - actor (male). actriz - actress. actores - actors. agosto - August. ayer - yesterday (ye in both words)

B

barco - boat (embark on a boat). blanco - white (like a blank piece of paper).

C 

conflicto - conflict. copas - cups or glasses

D

datos - not dates but facts, data . Fecha - date.

 dias - days. diente - tooth (like the English word dentist, or dental floss, or dental work). dificil - difficult. drama - drama. durante - during.

E

 (la) escena - (the) scene. escuela - school. estadio - stadium.  excepto - except. Estados Unidos - United States.

F 

febrero - February. fecha - date. final - final.  fotos - photos. fresco - fresh.

frio - cold (like freezing)

G

 grupo - group

H

 helicoptero - helicopter. historia - history. hobby - hobby. hola - hello. horas - hours/time.

I

 idea - idea. invitadas - guests. invited people. idioma - language.

J 

jirafa - giraffe. julio - July. junio - June.

K 

(for borrowed words from other languages)

Karaoke - karaoke

kilo - kilo

kiwi - kiwi

L

 lago - lake. libro - book (think of library book)

M

mangos - mangoes. (The Spanish for mangoes drops the e, like the plural of the in Los Angeles.) mayo - May. maestro - teacher. minutos - minutes. mojadas - wet (think of moist). Motor - engine. (Motor car is carro.)

N

necessito - I need (think of it is necessary). noviembre - november. nuevos - new (plural adjective, of is masculine plural like los angeles)

O

 opera - opera. Note the accent in the Spanish.

P

pantalones - pants (US. UK trousers.) por - for. programa - program.

Q

quieto - still or calm

R

romper - to break (like rupture)

S

silencio - silence.

 sucias - dirty (like stained)

T 

taxi - taxi. teatro - theatre. tranvia - tram (UK) /streetcar (USA). tren - train. el tren - the train. los trenes - the trains. turista - tourist

U 

util - useful (like wartime WW2 utility furniture)

V 

viago (accent on the o, emphasized) voyage or travel 

W

 (for words borrowed from other languages)

web

whisky

X

 (For words borrowed from other languages) 

xilofono, accent on the first letter o to show the syllable to emphasize)

Y

 ya - already yo - I

Z

zona - zone. zoo - zoo. zapatos - shoes.

I was looking for the Spanish spelling of the Spanish word for tramway, when I was directed to the film A Streetcar Named Desire in Wikipedia in Spanish. I was pleased to find a large number of words which are almost the same in both languages. 

Try reading the article and write down the words which you recognize. You could write the words you don't know on another page. To start your daily repetition of words, begin with the easy ones, to gain confidence and feel encouraged.

You can switch between the English and the Spanish. At the top of the page is a little notice which says the number of languages. 46 Languages.

 Click on that and a list of languages appears. Click on espagnol (with the sign over the n) to get Spanish, then back to English. You can also translate into simple English, but when you go back into the Spanish, you are back in the long version, not simple Spanish.

Useful Websites on Spanish Letters and pronunciation

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un_tranv%C3%ADa_llamado_Deseo_(pel%C3%ADcula_de_1951

https://blog.duolingo.com/spanish-alphabet-pronunciation

https://quillbot.com/blog/word-finder/spanish-words-that-start-with-g/

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