For the man who has everything. Holiday socks. The owner of these socks has about 20 pairs. From all over the world. South Africa. Kenya.
Popular Posts
-
If an earthquake strikes when you are living in a Spanish speaking country such as Chile, or visiting on holiday or business, you will e... -
Tweet to @AngelaTheAuthor NB I am not the actress. She does wonderful publicity for our name. We both have a son called Anthony. Linked... -
I was sitting at the kitchen table thinking: how would you create an emergency sewing needle? I had in front of me on the table a sewing ki... -
DUOLINGO Try the forums in Duolingo for the languages you like. When you see discussion on a word, have a look. The discussion often moves... -
Memories of Orama Restaurant When It Opened Orama is a new Greek restaurant in Hatch End and the name Orama is Greek for vision, as in the ... -
I was delighted to see that the boarded up building site near Harrow and Wealdstone station, Waitrose and Homebase has opened with a smart ... -
Problem Where can we get a great meal? Answer The owner of Friends in Pinner left at the end of last year. But one of his old che... -
When you are climbing up a mountain or trekking, or even taking a trip into town, the less you carry the lighter you feel. Saucepans The l... -
New Lebanese restaurant in Hatch End (replacing Serrata). Dishes I recognise include hummus, kebab and baklava. What was new to me is the ... -
Problem I can't tell the difference between a rickshaw and trishaw and a tuk tuk. Answer A technically minded friend tells me:...
Friday, June 12, 2026
Get help in Spanish speaking countries, swimming
Spanish - English
ambulancia - ambulance
ayuda - aid / help
cara - face (I remember a in face and cara, like two cheeks, letter a twice)
caro - expensive (I remember, oh no, too expensive, ends in Spanish with the letter o)
gorro de baño - bath cap
Gorro de ducha - shower cap
necesito - I need
no - no / don't
no fumar - no smoking )literally no to smoke - infinitive
sombrero de natación - swimming hat
policia - police
¿tienes? - Do you have ... ?
English - Spanish
bath cap - gorro de baño
life guard - socorrista (life guard running to help, letter r twice, like the English word succour)
shower cap - gorro de ducha
swimming hat - sombrero de natación
Useful phrases are in
translate Spanish (google)
Wikitravel phrasebook Spanish (without ads)
Wikivoyage phrasebook Spanish (with ads)
See my previous post on mouth ulcers and a pharmacy in La Palma, in the Canary islands
Bottled water in Spanish Speaking Spain and the Canary Islands
Spanish - English
agua -water
antes - before
botella - bottle
consumir - consume (literally to consume
Espana (note the mark above the n meaning pronunciation is ny) - Spain
preferemente - preferably
Beautiful bus shelter murals on La Palma, tell you about the island
This bus stop shelter has the typical local orange tiles. So jolly. I love the colours. Curved tiles.
Lots of blue, like the sky and sea when the sun is up at mid-day, most of the year. 2026 was apparently unusual, with more rain until June. Abundant greenery on the lower slopes. Then tall pines. Finally shrubs, which are bushes less then 6 feet tall, then barren rock at the top.
You can see a pedestrian path on the right with steps and a handrail. It is turning sharply, like the roads going up and downhill.
Blue is the Moroccan and Middle Eastern colour for protecting you, presumably from the devil.
More practically, walls on three sides of this bus shelter protect you from the strong trade winds, which can blow you backwards when you try to climb up some of the mountain paths when hiking from a hilltop down to the lighthouse.
If people are sleeping on seats. There is a need for beds or shelters.
I like the welcoming, entertaining, artistic murals.
-ends-
Updated when I was back at my desk on June 12th. Please share links to your favourite posts.
Thursday, June 11, 2026
If you get stress, distress, illness in Spanish with a mouth ulcer - and need a phramacy
On holiday in the Spanish-speaking Canary Islands I got a mouth ulcer. I knew the home remedy from experience and my dentist.
So I asked for salt and tap water.
I also have pills which must be taken at home or in hotels on holiday with plain water, not mineral water.
Firstly, the greeting is not Buenos dias or tarde. It it is shortened to Buenos.
Spanish Agua del grifo - tap water (I had trouble remembering the Spanish - gives you grief trying to get it from a grifo).
I googled possible causes of mouth ulcers and these included lack of sleep and stress. I had had stress from minor irritations in the parador hotel on La Palma in the Canaries. I had no bedroom slippers nor towelling robe.
Savanna - slippers, bedroom towelling slippers in a hotel.
When I tried to communicate slippers by pointing to a towel Toalla and to my feet I was offered a bath mat.
Finally, I achieved my objective. Salt water rinse. Fine for a couple of hours. But, at tea time, the mouth ulcer was still there.
Later I found a Farmacia - pharmacy, and pointed to my inner lip.
The pharmacist understood toothache. Eventually she understood.
She offered me Aloclair.
10.50 Euros. Expensive
Cheaper than a doctor.
Peace of mind.
Unlike Bonjela in the UK, Aloclair came with an applicator.
The instructions were in Spanish.
.
Spanish - English
agua - water
aguas - waters
agua sin gas - still water (bottled water, not fizzy)
banos - toilets / bathrooms
buenas - hello / good day (any time)
cerrado - closed
de - of
doloroso - sore
entrada - entrance
farmacia - pharmacy
gracias - thanks
grave - serious
(de) nada/ nada - it's nothing / not at all / you're welcome, literally of nothing
mas - more
medico - doctor
Muy - very
necesito - I need
no - not / don't
pain - dolor (noun)
quiero - I want
no - no /not
servicios - toilets / services
si - yes
tienda - shop
toalla - towel
úlcera - ulcer
English - Spanish
pain - dolor (noun)
painful - doloroso
-ends-
Updated with vocabulary when I was back at my desk on June 12th 2026.
Please share links to useful posts.
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Monday, June 8, 2026
Learning A New Language - Spanish
I have been learning Spanish on Duolingo for a year for my trips to the Canary Islands of Tenetife and La Palma.
The canary Islands were not named after canaries, birds, but after canines, dogs, Islands with peaks. Points like your canine teeth.
La Palma means the palm. Las Palmas means the palms. Plural. Feminine.
Los Angeles in the USA means the angels. Plural. Masculine.
Please follow my blogs and share links to your favourite posts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)