Green Park Station Outdoor Decoration

 The architecture of the building above Green Park station and the adjoining Marks & Spencer store is amazing. All along Piccadilly see the historic buildings.

Green Park underground railway station showing sculpture on the building above. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Spanish words which are the same as English, Easy, Difficult - and buying clothes

 

Flag of Spain.

Spanish is spoken in Spain, Mexico, South America. Also as a second language in the Caribbean and Central America and North America.

One word you probably already know is sombrero. It is a large brimmed hat for hot summers in Spain.

Spanish - English - words which are the same (except for accents)

artificial - artificial

comics - conics note accent on the o in Spanish

cookies - cookies (websites not cookery)

series - series

sombrero - sombrero / hat

web - web

Spanish - English - similar words

blusa - blouse

buen valor - good value (buen like buenas noches, good evening)

cine - cinema

clic - click

diciembre - December

familia - family

futura - future

importantes - important

musica (accent on the u) music

nacional - national

oficina - office

parque - park (noun)

un problema - a problem

rivales - rivals

teatro - theatre

Now, here are some useful harder words

Difficult Words in Spanish For Clothing

abrigo - coat

barato - cheap

Bragas de mujer - women's panties

calcetines - socks

camisa - shirt

camiseta - tee-shirt

Calzoncillos de hombre - men's briefs

cara (feminine) caro (masculine) - expensive

falda - skirt

gorra - cap

gorro de baño - bathing cap

gorra de béisbol - baseball cap

pantalones - pantaloons, pants (USA), trousers (UK)

ropa interior - underwear

traje de baño - bathing suit

vestido - clothes (think of vestments)

zapatos - shoes

Useful Websites for learning Spanish

duolingo.com

translate google

https://www.w3newspapers.com/spain/

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Is Christmas Celebrated Everywhere Like In England?

 

I ran an online club meeting with the theme of seasonal celebrations for my public speaking group Online Dynamic.

I wore a red santa hat with white edging. This is recognized in many if not most countries of the world.

I wore the same hat yesterday at the physical meeting of HOD club.

I used the seasonal hat again in an online poster

 Promoting our next HOD meeting, combined with a party and party food.

Online for Online Dynamic, an Indian lady who splits her tie between Mumbai and Dubai said she thought that Christmas was celebrated everywhere the same as England. With Christmas trees. And an angel on top. And parcels containing gifts underneath. And Christmas pudding containing alcohol. She lived near a Catholic church in Mumbai. She said it was very jolly at Christmas time. Christmas markets. And on the evening of the 25th.

I was able to show her things which we have in England which she has no previously encountered. Christmas crackers.

In Russia, which was not religious and banned religion under Communism, instead of Father Christmas, they had Grandfather Snow wearing blue with white.

In Korea they have had Christmas markets and carols starting for two months before Christmas. My Chinese friend, Mike, asks me, 'Do you have carols in England? Is everybody Christian?

The census has statistics on this sort of question. You also hear more news from surveys done by the local council.

I now have plenty of new thoughts and material for a speech about Christmas round the world for our HOD Christmas party and the weekly Online Dynamic meetings.

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Christmas Tree lit in Hatch End

 

Christmas tree in Hatch End. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Smaller Christmas trees are in shop windows. Some of the restaurants have trees outside, decorated with lights or baubles.

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Mayfield Villages Update

I wrote about Mayfield Villages in a previous post. It is a retirement block with a large downstairs communal area, with an indoor swimming poo. Here, for my own benefit as much as yours, is a reminder of what I have learned. Mayfield village, in Watford, north west London, is a retirement home for the active retired.  Not a nursing home, nor a home for those who cannot look after themselves. Although you can have a carer to live with you. One and two bedroom flats.

Advantages

1 The flats all have balconies.

2 Helpline in the flat. 

3 Call-in system, so if you don't call in they investigate to check if you are ill.

4 The swimming pool

The slender swimming pool has only room for three people to do laps up and down. So you have to book your slot. But most people prefer the sociable water aerobics activities, exercises with dumbells in water. 

Residents can set up their own activities. Once a month on a Saturday night the residents organize an activity or entertainment.

Any Disadvantages?

Not enough storage space for a hoarder. I have a three bedroom dwelling, with a large living room, a conservatory, a shed, a garage.  

The lease is only 250 years. If you are over 55 it won't lose value in your lifetime. Four generations of people could live there. I suspect that in the last hundred years, the lease will be extended at a cost to the then current owner.

But lots of people not quite ready to buy have stayed on the mailing list. 

How do you book an appointment? To see a flat and be on the mailing list for activities open to visitors who are potential buyers. 

The Brent Cross development will be one block, not two. One block sounds more convenient to me. No need to go out in the cold to get to the swimming pool, sauna and whatnot.  So I am more interested in Brent Cross. Which is nearer to the centre of London. And my family.

Is there a Jacuzzi. That's a brand name. The general term is spa bath.

Some people like to have a two centre day. Sit and read in one block. Then go back home to yours. For them, Watford is already open.

My contact is Gordon Osborne, gordon.osborne@mayfieldvillages.co.uk

Hach End festive lights and jollity

 

Reindeer outside Sea Pebbles fish restaurant.

Commemorating Harrow becoming a London borough.

Izgara Restaurant has red, white and green, greenery, baubles and red and white candy canes, an idea making sticks of rock look like a shepherd's crook.

Sea Pebbles fish restaurant entertains with reindeer, blue white and gold baubles and greenery and hanging stars.

Tanna's pharmacy has a white Christmas tree on the door, and a white reindeer of the left window.

The Steak restaurant has lights on the trees by the board proclaiming the lunch offer.

Kiyoto Japanese restaurant has white snowflakes scattered across the windows.

Practising Polish Pronunciation - on holiday or here at home

 

Poland has a lot to offer those on business and holiday. I have already seen Chopin's monument in Warsaw. The grave of the inventor of Esperanto language in Warsaw - on my wishlist is his museum in another city. The pretty southern former capital and trips to salt mines - and Auschwitz. The amusing ankle height dwarfs in Wroclaw are on my wishlist. Amber and Polish milk caramel sweets, I loved. I have written about these in my other posts. 

Over here in London we have Polish supermarkets catering to a lot of Polish people.

We have a Polish plumber. We have trouble saying his surname. 

I looked at the written explanations of the Polish language. It seemed that the z sound is like an h so that sz is sh and cz is ch. Easy-peasy.

So, a name ending czyk is more or less chick.

Then I looked at some videos. Type in speak or pronounce Polish and Youtube will show you a choice of half a dozen.

You have to add two more sounds which are not like English. The w is pronounced v like in German. 

The j is pronounced y like in many other languages. 

And three letters?There are a few more. Add a diacritic or a little tail and you change a c to a ch. Or is there a ts? And - Enough for one day. I shall come back to this tomorrow. At least I get a rough idea. 

Try it yourself.