Post Box Topper Summer Flowers

 Post box topper in Pangbourne Drive, Sranmore, middx, n w London.

The true story behind Titanic and the statue of playful Pocahontas in Virginia

 Titanic Films

When I was on holiday in France my family went skiing but I had a cold so I stayed behind and went to hire a film, looking for a documentary or, failing that, a  film about a true story, I was offered the Titanic. Yes. Which version? The shop had three. Since I was home all day with nothing else to do, I watched all three, none of which contained the well known facts.

What about other famous characters, and incidents which never happened, love stories introduced to make films more appealing?

Pocahontas - Native American Who Married, Converted and  Died in England

That statue of the native girl nicknamed Pocahontas, meaning playful, apparently never married the man whose life she apparently saved. She married somebody else. But she was a real person. She did marry and go to England. You can find the full stories of the characters behind the popular films of The Titanic, The Sound of Music and Pocahontas in Wikipedia, which cites various sources, and in the BBC bitesize summary, or the BBC full length version. 

Statues and Sites To Visit

1 Statue of Pocahontas in Jamestown, Virginia, USA

2 Statue of Pocahontas in St George's Church, Gravesend, Kent, England

2 Titanic Museum in Belfast Northern Ireland 

Ireland has two museums connected with the Titanic. England has a few. More in France Sweden and Australia. Plus exhibitions which pop up. The owners of the shipping line are featured in the UK. You might also find stories about people on the Titanic in other museums, such as Jewish Museums in the USA. Famous people on the Titanic included famous families, whose survivors, or those who inherited from them, had their lives affected. And every time you go on a ship or ferry and look at the lifeboats you are affected by legislation brought in after the loss of the Titanic which did not have enough lifeboat seats for all passengers. 

Titanic Museum, USA

Two storey museum in the shape of the ship, the illusion made memorable, complete with a piece of white iceberg.

Useful Websites About Famous Films, Events and Characters

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z9g2khv#zjkhqyc

Titanic Museums Worldwide

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

Wiki articles on Pocahontas

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

Other articles on films about her.

statues

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas#/media/File:Pocahontas_gravesend.jpg

Spanish words to learn from signs

 

I am learning Spanish using Duolingo to prepare for a holiday in the Spanish speaking Canary islands.  I have already filled one A5 lined notebook with Spanish words, mainly from Duolingo. I then tried adding words to an A5 diary, but the diary page filled up too fast and I want to keep my Spanish words separate. So I have now started a new A5 notebook. This will be too big, bulky and heavy, to carry in my carry on luggage on the plane, and on outings, hiking, but I shall make a second smaller notebook for my pocket when out and about. I shall note down words from bilingual signs.

From the bilingual sign above I have noted these words:

I have included the common words I already know. In fact, I find it easier to start with words I already know. It gives me confidence, motivation, enthusiasm, gets me started on the task.

Spanish - English

A-D

agua - water

contra - against

corriente - current

de - of

E-K

escaper - to escape

L-R

la - the

muy - very (starting with m like the English words most, and multi)

nader - to swim

nunca - never

no - don't

para - for

peligrosa - dangerous (feminine adjective ending in a to match a feminine noun ending with a, like Maria or Mama, or e like the French madame)

resaca - rip tide / rip current

S-Z

seguridad - safety

si - if

solo - alone

su - your

una - a / one

y - and

English - Spanish

A-D

a / one - una

against - contra

alone - solo

and - y

current - corriente

dangerous - peligrosa (adjective ending in a to match a noun ending in a)

don't - no

E-K

(to) escape - escaper

for - para

if - si

L-R

never - nunca

of - de

rip current / rip tide - resaca

S-Z

safety - seguridad

(to) swim - nader

the - la (feminine) el (masculine)

very - muy

water - agua

your - su

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Swimming, Safety, Sea and Riptides

 The tragedy of three sisters drowning on Brighton Beach, a popular resort, has stayed in the headlines through May 2026 with speculation about the causes, and questions about prevention. Brighton attracts tourists all year, especially in summer. With hot weather, more are going for a dip. Foreign students take English language courses in Brighton. 

Brighton has many attractions. 

1 The Indian style former royal residence with its Chinese interior. 

2 The nearby Sussex university. Alumni return to see their old uni, attracted by free talks by famous people, followed by paid for  lunches for those in your year at uni, put on by the authorities for fund-raising.

3 The dinky little shops in the lanes.

4 And restaurants serving seaside food, both basic and gourmet. Fish and chips and oysters. 

What's not to like?

1 The beach is not sandy but pebbly. 

2 Less known is the fact that it shelves steeply., underwater.

3 If you suddenly find yourself caught out of your depth, in up to your chest instead of your ankles or knees, there is a current called a rip tide. 

The 2026 event was that three sisters who were on the beach late at night were found drowned next day, wearing their clothes and shoes. 

Later, it was revealed that their mother had drowned in a lake in Birmingham, England. Suicide.

This raises at least three questions for the public, especially holidaymakers, teachers, and parents. As well as for the local authorities, and governments.

1 How to ensure everybody can swim.

2 How to teach yourself, your family, and others to cope with riptides.

3 How to prevent people entering dangerous water.

I would add a fourth question:

4 How to safeguard the minds of children, and families, of suicides.  

Ensure children of suicides have meaningful, creative careers.

Put up signs for help services, police, coastguard, Samaritans. 

In the USA, at a bridge which was notorious for suicides, they installed catch nets but also signs saying, need to talk to somebody, any time, day or night, no money needed, call this free helpline.

They installed an emergency phone.

1 Swimming Lessons To Ensure Everybody Can Swim

You can teach babies to float. You can demand or ensure that schools teach swimming. You can teach yourself by watching videos, and learning in a swimming pool with water no deeper than chest height, from a trained, qualified instructor.

Make ability to swim part of the entry qualification for schools. Teach everybody at school how to swim. Add it as part of the school-leavers citizenship course. 

Then teach how to swim with a rip-current until it lessens.

2 Learning To Cope With Riptides / Rip Currents 

You can learn about coping with riptides from Wikihow, and Youtube videos by lifeguards.

3 Install Or Improve Warning Signs

Multi-lingual boards. Coloured flags, red for danger.

English and Spanish warning sign.

4 Install Barriers. 

Barriers across beaches at night would both prevent holidaymakers walking into the sea in the dark, when they cannot see nor be seen.

It would also help discourage unauthorised landings from immigrants and intruders.

 Lock beaches at night, like parks, because you can't patrol them. 

5 Have Volunteer Lifeguards.

6 Install Have Beach Surveillance Cameras

Useful Websites

https://www.wikihow.com/Swim

https://www.wikihow.com/Survive-a-Rip-Tide

https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/warnings-and-advice/seasonal-advice/travel/out-and-about/understanding-rip-currents

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

USA Information Service

https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/ocean/rip-currents/rip-current-safety

USA rip current prediction service

https://www.weather.gov/safety/ripcurrent-forecasts

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Spanish words for writing, reading, printing, communicating

  

Countries where Spain is an official language.

Spanish - English

arreglar - to fix

candidato - candidate

capitulo - chapter (not capital letters)

chatear - to chat

comunicar - to communicate

conciertos - concerts

en persona - in person

escritor - writer (like the words scribe, and script and manuscript)

firmar - to sign (confirm)

gol - goal

grupo(s) - group(s)

historia - history

libro - book

novela - novel

politica - political

problema - problem

vegano - vegan

English - Spanish

book - libro

chapter - capitulo

to sign - firmar

You fill in the rest.

Useful Websites for translating and learning Spanish

duolingo.com

translate google

wikivoyage Spanish phrasebook

-ends-

Please follow m

Spanish words for the weekend

 

Countries where Spain is an official language.

Spanish - English

antes - before (like a.m. which is Latin for before mid-day)

un buen fin de semana - a good weekend

cable - cable

celular - cellphone

chatear - to chat

contactar - to contact

creativo - creative

en mi casa - in my home

fin de semana - weekend

enorme - huge / enormous

momento - moment

salud - cheers

volver - to come back (like revolve)

English - Spanish

before - antes

cable - cable (pronounced car-blay)

to chat - chatear

cheers - salud

creative - creativo

to come back - volver

cellphone/mobile - celular

to contact - contactar

huge / enormous / huge - enorme

moment - momento

weekend - fin de semana  (finish of the week, similar to French semaine for week, but the French say bon weekend)/ a good weekend - un buen fin de semana (like the English words final and finish)

Useful Websites for translating and learning Spanish

duolingo.com

in my home - en mi casa

translate google

wikivoyage Spanish phrasebook

-ends-

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Simple Spanish technical words are similar and easier - a dozen useful words and phrases

 

Countries where Spain is an official language.

Spanish - English

(la) clinica - (the) clinic

en - on

formularios - forms

instaler -  to instal

internet - internet

juegos de video - video games

mi - my

programa - program (plural los programas)

tableta - tablet

pagina web (upward accent for emphasis on the first a) - web page. The adjective comes after the noun usually in Spanish.

video - video

videojuego - videogame

English - Spanish

clinic - clinica

forms - formularios

instal - instaler

internet - internet

my - mi

on - en

program / s - programa / los programas

tablet - tableta

video - video

videogame - videojuego

web page - pagina web

Useful Websites for translating and learning Spanish

duolingo.com

translate google

wikivoyage Spanish phrasebook

-ends-

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