José Feliciano - Feliz Navidad (Official Audio)

Duolingo just fixed its greatest weakness - and added short chats

I am learning Italian. From Duolingo. Every Day. Ready for a holiday in Italy next year. Anything about Duolingo interests me.

I liked watching this video and hearing somebody else's view, and learning about forthcoming developments.

The animated cartoon figure asks you a simple question. You answer. It answers and asks another question. And a third time. Then it says, I have to go and goodbye, to which you reply goodbye.

I love the little animated figures..I assumed Duolingo was employing animators. I was very interested to learn they had bought up an animation company.

I was also interested to learn that in settings you can turn off the figures congratulating you, and encouraging you to continue even when you have made mistakes. But I shall keep the figures. I like Duo the way it is.

You can also download Duolingo abc to teach children to read. It is Duolingo abc. 

Useful Websites

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.duolingo.literacy

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Winter Celebrations Worldwide

 

UK

Turkey with stuffing.

Christmas cake

Christmas Carols

Christmas Crackers containing a paper hat and a riddle and usually a tiny toy or puzzle.

Christmas Pudding

Mince Pies

On Fridays a Toastasters International Club, Online Dynamic, meets to practice speeches. I gave a speech about winter festivals around the world. I also gave this in person at HOD the evening before.

Ice Skating on artificial Outdoor Rinks

Pantomime

Santa's Grotto in Department Stores

TV family films such as The Sound of Music and American movie Home Alone, a slapstick comedy about a child who beats a couple of bungling would-be burglars.

USA

Candy Cane. Red and swhite spirals of sugar, resembling a shepherd's crook. They recall the story of the shepherds who, as the Christmas carol goes, watched their flocks by night.

Plum pudding (like Christmas pudding) is available all year, although more prolifically at Christmas.

Turkey is eaten for Thanksgivingso most Americans don't want to eat it again at Christmas.

BELIZE

Used to be called British Honduras and still has British traditions with an added Central American flavour.

Christmas carols played by steel bands.

Fairy lights on palm trees. (The lights are not installed by cranes but by local agile young men who climb the tree, sometimes hanging upside down as a stunt to amuse and astonish passers-by. 

FRANCE

Yule logs cakes with chocolate topping, recalling the tree trunks chopped up for fires giving light and heat in winter before we had electric lights and heating..

GERMANY

Stollen - a cake or soft sweet bread with sultanans, shaped like a log, with a rod of yellow marzipan horizontally down the centre. 

Marzipan is ground almonds mixed with fine sugar, bound together by liquid such as egg white?

ITALY and Roman Catholic churches

Nativity scenes in churches.

Panettone, a large dome shaped soft sweet dough bread. Nowadays you can buy it not only with traditioal luurious cut dandied peel and sultanas, but, instead chocolate chips, and fillings ingredients and numerous flavours. 

Italians claim it comes from Northern Italy, specifically Milan, and a specific bakery.

SPAIN

Panettone, same as Italy.

Songs such as Feliz Navidad.

VENEZUELA

Panettone.

Winter Solstice Celebration Food - for Persian Yaldā Night, and Persian Poet Hafeez

 The Date of December 24th for Christmas Eve and Dec 25th for Christmas Day was formalised by Roman Emperor Constantine who had established Christianity as the official religion in the 

Yaldā Night

The ancient soltice celebrations date back more than 2000 years. The occasion was and still is celebrated in Persia (now Iran) 

In which countries is it celebrated. According to Wiki Iran,^[1][2] Azerbaijan, Iraqi Kurdistan,^[3][4] Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan,^[5] Turkmenistan, Dagestan and Turkey.

It is called Yaldā Night or Chelle night. 

Yaldā  means birth. Chelle means fortieth.

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Yaldi's Delightful Food

The food eaten is red such as water melon, pomegranate or other fruit symbolising the sunrise.They also makes cakes resembling a red watermelon with a green skin. The shape can be a disc or a quarter dome

 Celebrating the triumph of light over darkness, poems are read, composed by the Persian Sufi lyric poet Hafeez (1325-90).

'A shirt of leaves on the trees;

like the festival clothes of fortunate people.'

Wikipedia

Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.

What do sad people have in common? They have all built a shrine to the past.

 A-Z Quotes

A dream about Hafeez inspired another poet, Daniel Ladinskyy,  to write

Even
After
All this time
The Sun never says to the Earth,

"You owe me."

Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the whole sky.

You can see a monument to Hafeez in Germany

On Yalda night families gather and, in addition to Persian poetry, stories are told, and music is played. 

In London at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), Westminster and other places have music and other events to celebrate.

To visit a Persian style Restaurant or try Persian dishes.

Tripadvisor and Time Out rate the Persian or Iranian restaurants in London.

What is the Solstice

The winter Solstice is the longest night. The shortest day. The syllable sol means sun.

Useful Websites

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/507656/Yalda-Night-a-celebration-of-light-and-togetherness

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d28003682-Reviews-Chef_Javad-London_England.html

 

Restaurants and Food More About Kafe Ador, Izgara, Tesco

 

Kafe Ador drinks.

As you see, they have coffees, teas and infusions, smoothies, sodas and soft drinks.

Cafe Ador main menu.

Kafe Ador cute kids' menu.

Bring along your own washable crayons. Or use a pencil and pen and ask if your child can take it home to finish colouring it in later.

Kafe Ador is open early, from 8.30 am for breakfast. That's handy for people working nearby. Or a working breakfast.

Apart from the fabulous decor, what do I remember about my first visit to Kafe Ador? The tasty spinach in puff pastry tart. The huge croissant. 

Walking along The Broadway, to Tesco for yogurt, I pass the Izgara sign.

By lunch time you can find deals at sister restaurant Izgara, meaning grill, which has Turkish dishes, which runs lunch time fixed price deals in Hatch End. They have another branch in Edgware.v.

Izgara in Hatch End, showing board with lunch time deal. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Tesco

After five, when Kafe Ador is shut, Tesco express has half price deals on some of their bakery (not bread) to tide you over until you are ready for evening dinner at Izgara which is brightly lit at night. Izgara is owned by the same person as Kafe Ador. 

A Tesco almond croissant.

As I write this on December 20th I am thinking that here's the winter solstice, meaning the longest night, and winter dark evening in nroth west London when it is a pleasure to see lights in the restaurants along Hatch End as well as the street lights up the lamp posts.

Toast and fruit at Kafe Ador. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Hatch End was described in a local paper as the restaurant capital of north west London. 

Bus H12 from Stanmore to South Harrow stops a few steps from Kafe Ador and Izgara going towards Stanmore. Or the H14 to Northwick Park.

A pedestrian crossing takes you to the other side of the road for the H12 bus going towards South Harrow via Pinner.. And the H14 via Harrow on the Hill bus garage and railway station from Northwick Park Hospital.  

Walking back from Kafe Ador, passing Izgara, beyond the end of the shops in Hatch End rilway station. 

Bus Announcements

Outside the station is another bus stop for both buses - handy for getting off if you accidentally got the H12 bus going the wrong way, as I did yesterday on my way to a Toastmasters International meeting in South Harrow. Fortunately, there was a verbal anouncement, as I was in a seat at the front and could not see the direction board announcements.)

 Useful Websites

Transport and Transport For London

TFL

https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/h12/

https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/h14/

https://tfl.gov.uk/overground/route/lioness/

https://www.mylondon.news/news/transport/tfl-confirms-london-underground-trains-30612817

https://www.mylondon.news/news/transport/tfl-making-huge-change-london-30618454?int_source=nba

https://harrowonline.org/2024/12/20/festive-travel-and-roadworks-update-for-harrow-residents/

Kafe Ador

https://www.kafeador.co.uk/

Izgara

https://www.izgara.co.uk/

Tesco

https://www.tesco.com/store-locator/pinner/tesco-express

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Kafe Ador - Top Marks For Decor - My Favourite Dishes - Owner Revealed

 

I had my eye on Kafe Ador for some time, wondering when it would open and who were the owners. Now I know. Read on and all will be revealed.

Delightful Decor

Let's start with what I loved. The delightful decor. Jungle green. Flamingoes and parrots in pink on green. 

That's on the left, the side with a large plate glass window and lots of light. The tropical jungle theme is all over the walls.

A different decor feature is on the right. 

We chose a larger oblong table further in, conveniently nearer the food display. 

Croissants Or Spinach Pastry?

At the front on the counter top was a display croissant, the size of two or three loaves of bread. Also a semi circular concentric spinach pie roll in puff pastry. That was my choice. My husband wanted a croissant. I did not tell my husband, Don't.  I can get croissant from Tesco, cheaper, hot first thing in the morning. And yummy almond tart from Costa, which is fattening, in a more cramped place, or try Pastoluccio which is Italian which others like - for ice cream, which you also get in Minori next door. No, for me it is the unique and healthier spinach tart.

I was rewarded. It was superb. Moreish.

Coffee and Cake

My husband drank all his coffee in record time, without leaving me any, so he must have liked it.

Cakes

Angela with the tiramisu. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

We were given a little piece of chocolate cake and tiramisu 'on the house' which I shared with my calorie-counting husband. We agreed that the chocolate cake was not very chocolatey.  The outright winner in the cake contest was tamisu, moist and moreish. Yummy. 

My husband is a tiramisu fan. I follow chocolate desserts from place to place the way that some people follow football teams. Nope, not here. I have switched allegiance. I would order tiramisu next time.

Tropical Theme Toilet

The parrots and flamingoes are even making it a joy to visit the ladies toilet. Just one large ground floor wheelchair friendly area with which is huge, spacious. 

Everything is naturally brand new. But also well-thought out, welcoming with co-ordinated pink. Catherine Kidston hand wash. Gold easy to operate lever door handle. 

Swift Service From Staff

The staff were friendly and helpful. You only had to look up and somebody came over straight away. They helped us log onto their wifi. And answered all our questions. They are open from 8.30 am for early breakfasts until five. Seven days a week.

The little menu was on the table. But not the big menu. I was able to photograph the big menu. And the kids menu. Which I am sharing with you, and for my own reference as I plan to go back again, and the website hasn't yet caught up. The website seems to show coffee with a biscuit. Puzzling. We were not given a biscuit and I didn't see any to buy.

Who are the owners? The owner also runs Izgara along the street. Turkish. A big busy and succcessful restaurant with lots of lights and bright decor. Figures. No wonder. Ador means a perfume.

To sum up. Spinach in puff pastry is excellent. So is the tiramisu. 

The toast platter looks lovely.

My apple drink was insipid, not worth the price. I would not order that again. There is lots more to try.  

Merry Music

Background music of jolly Christmas songs was playing. Just loud enough to lift your spirits and keep your conversation private. But not too loud. Perfect.

Prices

The drinks are pricey. The fifty percent off the food offer lasts a month from the Monday when they opened. And they are open seven days a week. So now is a great time to go.

If you already love Izgara, here's a smaller place, a cosy cafe with a bright colourful decor. (More photos from Angela are being added shortly.)

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Do You Know Ten English Family Name Meanings? - Ten Popular Jobs - And Statues To See

 It is easier to remember people's names if you recall the jobs which the names mean, probably a job held by their ancestor, or even their ancestor's boss. I have at least one book about family names, and several about first names.

Names associated with jobs

1 Archer (like author Jeffrey Archer), 

2 baker

3 barber

4 bishop

5 carpenter - made wooden items, spoons, furniture, housing

6 carter (who drove carts or maybe made carts)

7 clark  (clarkson was the son of a clerk, writer come secretary, or maybe a religious cleric)

8 Cook or cokson meaning son of a cook

9 cooper - maker of barrels

You can see a stue of comedian Tommy Cooper in Wales near Caerphilly Castle. More details in Wikipedia.

Statue of comedian Cooper near Caerphilly castle, seen in the background, in Wales. More details in Wikipedia.

10 draper made drapes or curtains

11 gardener or gardiner - worked in gardens

That is more than ten, but there are many more.

glazer - person who makes windows

knight - roade around on a horse

Lee means shelter in English, and in Chinese Lee or Li means plum tree

Statue of Bruce Lee in Hong Kong. Photo in Wikipedia.

miller - ground corn at a mill

Priestley - priest's woodland clearing, owned by the church. A common name in Yorkshire in England, and Scotland in the UK, also the USA and Canada. See the statues of Priestley the scientist in Yorkshire. See the statue of author-playwright J B Priestley whose time-slip play An Inspector Calls is used by many schools for English O level exams.

Statue of J B Priestley in Bradford, Yorkshire.

shepherd - looked after or herded sheep

smith - usually blacksmith, since a silversmith would be called silver, or silverman, and a goldsmith or person working wiht or selling gold bards or gold jewelery and items might be called gold or goldman

tailor/taylor- sewed by hand, later by machine (as in Elizabeth Taylor the film star)

Bust of Taylor in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Another Believer - Own work

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico (2021)

thatcher - who created thatch or thatched roofs, made of bundles or dried straw, before clay was dried and made into tiles (as in Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher). A statue of Margaret Thatcher is in Grangham, Lincolnshire, England. A bust of her is outdoors in the Falkland Islands, in the capital, Stanley.

Statue of Margaret Thatcher in England.

weaver - wove textiles

wheeler - made and repaired wheels for wagons

woodman - worked with wood, or in the woods

You an buy books about statues, such as London statues (I have that one) and on surnames (I have one of those, ) and on baby names (I started collecting books on baby names when my son was born  more than 40 years ago and I now have more than ten books on baby names. Magazines on Parents and babies often give away books on baby names with their springtime editions. Some first names are derived from names of parents. 

Useful Website

ancestry.com (I tried loading up the link but it wiped out the entire post, so I have just given you the generic name. Add name meaning.)

https://www.oxfordreference.com

wikipedia.com

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

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