Different Ways Of Learning German

Flag of Germany. 

 I am learning German daily using Duolingo.

A friend of mine from Toastmasters, after I gave a talk on learning languages, told me that he is learning German. To obtain German citizenship you have to achieve a moderate, level 3, level of German understanding, speaking, listening reading aloud and silent sight reading, if you are of German descent on one or both sides of your parentage (maybe grandparents?), and higher level A on the language test if you have no parentage, eg if you have lived there or worked for a German company overseas and want to apply for citizenship, which would give you financial benefits, rights to stay, help overseas, as well as kudos and pride and sense of belonging. 

Phone and Laptop Setting To German

My friend was using various methods of immersion. These included setting his phone and laptop to the German language. 

Wikipedia

I found it useful with Spanish and Italian once I reached a higher level, to run Wikipedia articles in the other language after reading an article in English.

German Language Stickers

My friend was also using stickers.

 I can also use sticky labels in the middle of my copy of the book German in 10 minutes a day. ISBN 0-916682-99-4.

When I could not find my book yesterday, I looked up stickers on Amazon. I had to be careful with what my search words found, I nearly clicked on cheap 'German stickers' which were not German words but German landmarks.  

My German stickers are in German only, not bilingual with English. So I had to look up some of the words.

Easy Obvious German - English Words

die Garage - the garage

der Garten - the garden (as in kindergarden)

das Haus - the house

die Kamera - the camera

die Lampe - the lamp

das Papier - the paper

das Sofa - the sofa

Useful Websites for learning German

amazon books

German in 10 minutes a day, by Kershul, Bilingual Books Inc ISBN 0-916682-99-4.

amazon stickers

duolingo.com

wikipedia language settings

wikivoyage phrasebook German

-ends-

Please follow my blogs and share links to your favourite posts.

What is the time in other countries?

Clock with Marilyn Monroe. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Some hotels have clocks in reception showing the times around the world. In London we have a radio controlled clock which updates itself, and we use this to correct all the others. We need to change the cooker clock, the battery operated wall clocks, our watches, and the car clock. 

When you are attending events online in another country you often need to know the time in your country on the day of the event. 

In the UK we have the saying, spring forward and fall back.

Tip

I keep a chart in the front of my diary. I have it both ways. UK Singapore in one column, Singapore UK in another. Then when the clocks change, I need another colour pen to write the new times.

Note that different countries have different dates for the clock changes. Daylight saving times are on different dates. Australia has the opposite seasons, and different dates.

Useful Websites

https://24timezones.com/difference/london/singapore 

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

Dealing With Your Dead Relative's Social Media Posts, Online Obits And Outpatient Appointments

You will have trouble trying to take down a relative's media sites if you don't have their passwords.

Even people who you would think would know, don't know. After my late uncle died in Barnet hospital, in 2002, I received a notice from Barnet hospital giving him an appointment for an eye test.

When I phoned during hospital hours, the line was engaged. When I phoned after hours, the only department I could get through to was maternity. I left a message asking them to call me back. 

When maternity called back, I explained the problem. I asked to be put through to the right department. 

I started by saying I needed to cancel the eye appointment for my uncle. The lady who answered said, "You can't cancel for somebody else. They have to cancel their own appointment."

I replied, "That's not possible. He's dead."

She said, "Can you supply us with evidence?"

I said, "I can't. But he died in your hospital. You should be able to establish that you are wasting time filling up your day with appointments for somebody who is dead."

After that, she was very apologetic. "Oh, no," she said, "Not again!"

If you have a relative who is in a hospital or undergoing a major operation or making a will, ask them to write down all their passwords for you.

Book
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5488203/Why-technology-reminding-Ive-just-lost-Mum.html
The Art of Not Falling Apart by Christina Patterson, published May 2018, can be pre-ordered through amazon.co.uk.

Useful Websites
ancestry.co.uk
https://www.cwgc.org (Commonwealth War Graves Commission)
facebook.com
https://www.findagrave.com
(My memorial to my uncle is at /memorial/8841031/joseph-ronald-geduld )
flickr.com
forcesreunited.co.uk
friendsandrelations.com
gonetoosoon.org 
inmemoryof.co.uk 
linkedin.com
muchloved.com 
myheritage.com

You might also wish to check for family photos and add a post about the lifespan or gravestone on sites such as:
Instagram
twitter
And dating sites!

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several other posts on funerals. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Why Have Photos Disappeared From My Blog?

Problem
Photos are not loading onto my blog on blogger.com . Why.

Answer
I am getting a pop up message saying I have exceeded my photo allowance, not just on blogger.com but on Google.

Story
I thought this might be a scam. Before paying anybody anything on line, I check with family and friends, and on the internet. My family assured me that this request was genuine. Basically, it's like everything else on line. You are offered a certain amount of free usage. They hope that you will become hooked and eventually want to, or be forced to, pay more for greater use of the service.

You might take the view that you will do everything to avoid making the leap and start again elsewhere.

Or, you might take the view that you are getting great value from the service. If you are running a business, the cost is coming off against tax.

For me, the next problem is payment. Which credit cards and which password. You may have to wait some time until I sort this out.

Tips
First check with colleagues whether the person demanding money is genuine.
Clear clutter so you are not paying for websites you no longer need.
Then get your business credit cards and passwords sorted so when and if you decide to pay you are ready.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author and speaker.

How Long Does It Take To Write A Blog Post?

I have spent three hours editing photos and writing two travel blog posts. What takes so long?

Photo editing
Loading or rather downloading the photos from mobile phone to laptop. Deleting out of focus photos. Removing accidental photos of my feet, ceilings, and total blanks.

Putting a black heart to mark favourite on the best of three photos.

Adding names of people. Checking correct titles (such as worshipful mayor, mayor or mayoress).

Adding and correctly spelling names of places. Adding addresses and checking the numbers of the address and phone are correct.

Cutting parts of photos showing too much empty road in street scenes. Cutting blurred moving hands waving across corners of crowd scenes. Adding light so you can read names on bottles and shop fronts. Adding light so you can see people's faces in dark rooms.

Editing Layout of Photos
Inserting a photo at the right section of the text. Going to view to check it looks ok. Finding long areas of text and moving a photo or adding a photo to break up the long text.

Editing Page Layout of Text
Inserting side heading to break up the text.

Where I now have two identical sub-headings, cutting and pasting to move the paragraphs together and deleting the second sub-heading.

Labels
Adding labels. When I have too many and the post won't load and tells me I have more than twenty words, counting and deleting a couple of words.

Addresses and Websites
Adding an address and website so the reader can find more facts. Adding websites I have used in case I want to go back to them later and add more facts or pictures.

Checking the restaurant website address if valid. Finding out what it covers such as a menu, to tell the reader and add more facts to my blog post.

Adding a photo from Wikipedia. Checking whether I need to add the attribution of the photographer's name.

Signature
Adding my signature at the end. Remembering a call to action. Directing readers to other posts or blogs or websites.

Saving
Checking number of readers today, compared with yesterday. If numbers of readers are dipping, checking the nationalities of readers and which posts are favourites. If I have extra facts and photos, writing a second post.

Sharing
Sharing the post.

Break
At the tend of every hour setting a buzzer for an hour. Standing up, folding my arms behind my back to straighten my shoulders and prevent myself developing a hunchback. Focusing my eyes on a distance.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

French words of the day: Chez

Where are we meeting, your place or mine?
Chez moi. My place. 
No, too far. Non, trop lion.
OK. Chez vous. Your place.
Oui, d'accord - chez nous. (Yes, agreed - in accord or accordance. That's right - our place, the spouse or colleague agrees.)

Glossary
Chez - in/at the home of
Chez moi - my place
chez vous - your place
oui - yes
loin - distant, as in long way, also long time to get there!
moi - me/mine
non - no
notre - our (Notre Dame cathedral in Paris - our lady)
nous - we/ours
trop - too much (Silent last letter p. Pronounced trow to rhyme with throw. Memory aid - think of a whole troupe traipsing into your small house or shop)
votre - yours
vous - you/yours

Angela Lansbury B A Hons, teacher and home tutor, French and English conversation, spelling, grammar, proof-reading, packaging, translation and websites,