The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

19 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Its the same with many cities, you don't have to go down very far to find the archaeology. London is a prime example and thats only a youngster compared to many cities. Even in the Americas cities built up since the arrival of the Europeans have hidden treasures beneath the streets. And thats without the likes of Mexico City which is built on the site of the Aztec capital.

Dave, Jamie and I are living examples of Archaeology that hasn't been buried yet.

[rodent279]

11 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Arthur Bostrom who played Officer Crabtree could speak fluent French.

 

Can't help thinking they must have been influenced by this:-

 

 

 

 

[rockershovel]

Peter Sellers defined the "comic Frenchman" in the English speaking world, mind you his cod-German in Dr Strangelove is rather good too. 

 

I've always enjoyed the effect my spoken French produces. I learnt at school, then became fluent working in Tunisia and Algeria.. acquiring a pronounced Arabic accent and vocabulary of Arabic words. French expectations of "French speaking British colleagues" aren't high and to be presented with someone who speaks in this fashion has a certain "shock and awe" quality. 

Edited December 19, 2021 by rockershovel

[Canal Digger]

On 18/12/2021 at 14:25, Doncaster Green said:

Bath Shed Show

I do like that name for that market

[AndyID]

At skool I didn't do German but I could always order food in restaurants in Germany without any problem. I did learn French but in France I'd get the Gallic shrug and be handed the English menu 

[AndyID]

Currently eating an exotic import breakfast food.

 

Weetabix! (from Canada)

 

It's not commonly available here but MrsID came across it and bought four boxes. It was quite inexpensive. Unfortunately there are no cardboard models to build on the back of the boxes.

[simontaylor484]

When we went to Disneyland Paris I was able to order in French successfully and have a basic conversation with the waiter this was 2014 I last had a French lesson in 1993. I was pleasantly surprised 

[Oldddudders]

I passed French A Level in 1966, but then didn't use it for many, many years. When Deb and I decided, circa 2002, to move to France, which we did in 2004, because she'd learnt French as a young child, I let her do the heavy-lifting on what we needed to do and when. Since she died in 2012, I have had to step up a bit, but my French remains mediocre at best. 

 

I arrived on Wednesday evening. I did my Day 2 test on Thursday morning and Sherry went and posted it in an appropriate box by 9 a.m. I am still awaiting the result, so may not step outside Sherry's flat. Boring. 

[AndyID]

11 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

 

I arrived on Wednesday evening. I did my Day 2 test on Thursday morning and Sherry went and posted it in an appropriate box by 9 a.m. I am still awaiting the result, so may not step outside Sherry's flat. Boring. 

 

I see a lot of people from the UK won't be able to ski Chamonix over the hols and the hoteliers there are not too happy about it either. Would the current restrictions affect you on your return to France?

[New Haven Neil]

I have a lot of negatives from the year, mostly surrounding losing the business still being hurtful for sure, combined with a bereavement (not CV19) and the curtailing of our favourite leisure events - TT and MGP motorcycle races, and seeing all the friends that come with that.  The total deflation of unemployment, that became retirement, and some personal physical issues didn't help.

 

But positives have been perhaps the realisation that there are some very, very good people in the world, who have helped in many ways, be it mentally or physically, and even to the extent of making a model building for me that I was struggling to wonder how on earth I was going to manage , completely out of the blue and not someone who I previously even had any correspondence with.  Some folk here on the rock have really stepped up and new friendships have been forged, with just the odd one terminated. Which also was a good thing as it turns out.  Some folk are also toxic, but these major events sort out the chaff big time.  I found debilitating physical illness created a similar scenario a few, er ten, years ago, should have learned the lessons then but this came as a reminder.

 

Christmas deccies? What are they!

[AndyID]

27 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Christmas deccies? What are they!

 

Pretty much redundant around here. Nature does a far better job IMHO

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by AndyID
pic

[Oldddudders]

56 minutes ago, AndyID said:

Would the current restrictions affect you on your return to France?

I have a carte de séjour - residency permit. That entitles me to re-enter France at will - I hope! I will find out on or about 12th Jan. But I must test negative in the previous 24 hrs, which is much more difficult in the UK than France.

 

OTOH the French passe sanitaire expects me to have a booster jab by end-January, otherwise I will not be able to travel far by train, nor go to football matches or nightclubs. Bum and po! I probably can get a booster in the UK, but attaching the certificate to my existing EU vacc cert is equally probably beyond the wit of man. Brexit was such a good idea, wasn't it?

 

We are due to visit Sherry's daughter and family in Crewe tomorrow, about 4 hrs drive, so unless my result comes through in the next 12 hrs that ain't gonna happen. Perm several other possibilities, including driving there on Xmas morning. Xmas Eve Sherry is due to play for the Crib service at her church here in Torquay . We will see. 

[simontaylor484]

I am in a similar situation to @New Haven Neil having to retire early through ill health. The health problems have been a battle then coupled with that the Mrs has been in and out of hospital including a nearly 3 week stay.

On a positive though the youngest has settled into school ok the eldest is doing well at college and I have been able to start doing a couple of jobs around the house 

[AndyID]

10 hours ago, rodent279 said:

Can't help thinking they must have been influenced by this:-

 

 

I don't think they ever used this one, but they might have:

 

"Deu yue know yuer minkey peed in my bier?"

 

"No, but if you hum a few bars I should be able to pick it up."

[AndyID]

Many, many moons ago I worked for a small company in Prestwick. Kenny Gibson and I worked on electronic stuff and when the phone rang anyone available answered it. The MD's first name was Hunter (although I suspect it was really a middle name) and when Kenny answered the phone he would announce in a loud voice,

 

"Hunter, someone wants to talk to you on the foen."

 

Hunter would usually respond with "The foen?"

[jamie92208]

We are due to set off for the UK in the morning. Legally we are in the same position as Ian so hopefully we will be OK.  A lot of today was spent downloading the new paperwork then filling in the pasenger locator forms. We have laid out well over £130 in test fees. The car is packed and in the shed so it doesn't ice up.  Beth has a hospital appointment  in the morning then we will be straight onto the autoroute.  Picnics for the journey have been packed and most of the shutters are already shut so in the morning there isn'tmuch to do.

 

As to French, I was usually bottom of my class throughout school, and scraped through O level with a grade 6 in 1968. However when I was 14, my despairing teacher parents sent me on a French exchange and I spent 3 weeks with a Parisian family and didn't speak any English during that time apart from helping a lost American tourist in the Louvre.  From that experience I was able to speak and to some extent think in French. By some miracle it got hard wired into my noggin and 55 years later It still works.  I has been fun but things have got better since we came to live here. Sadly there are a considerable  number of expats who have done very little to learn French and seem to be proud of that fact.

 

Jamie

 

 

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

4 hours ago, AndyID said:

Currently eating an exotic import breakfast food.

 

Weetabix! (from Canada)

 

It's not commonly available here but MrsID came across it and bought four boxes. It was quite inexpensive. Unfortunately there are no cardboard models to build on the back of the boxes.

I thought Weetabix was made from Crunchie Nut Cornflake boxes.

[PhilJ W]

4 hours ago, AndyID said:

Currently eating an exotic import breakfast food.

 

Weetabix! (from Canada)

 

It's not commonly available here but MrsID came across it and bought four boxes. It was quite inexpensive. Unfortunately there are no cardboard models to build on the back of the boxes.

 

10 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I thought Weetabix was made from Crunchie Nut Cornflake boxes.

Surely thats Shredded Wheat?

[AndyID]

26 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

We are due to set off for the UK in the morning. Legally we are in the same position as Ian so hopefully we will be OK.  A lot of today was spent downloading the new paperwork then filling in the pasenger locator forms. We have laid out well over £130 in test fees. The car is packed and in the shed so it doesn't ice up.  Beth has a hospital appointment  in the morning then we will be straight onto the autoroute.  Picnics for the journey have been packed and most of the shutters are already shut so in the morning there isn'tmuch to do.

 

As to French, I was usually bottom of my class throughout school, and scraped through O level with a grade 6 in 1968. However when I was 14, my despairing teacher parents sent me on a French exchange and I spent 3 weeks with a Parisian family and didn't speak any English during that time apart from helping a lost American tourist in the Louvre.  From that experience I was able to speak and to some extent think in French. By some miracle it got hard wired into my noggin and 55 years later It still works.  I has been fun but things have got better since we came to live here. Sadly there are a considerable  number of expats who have done very little to learn French and seem to be proud of that fact.

 

Jamie

 

 

 

 

 

Bon voyage!

 

At least you didn't get kicked out of French like some of us. They made me do Latin instead

 

I suspect we are at a similar latitude - 47.6N but maybe a bit higher at 660m ASL which means snow is not unusual although it usually alternates between freezing and thawing.

[AndyID]

I ordered a few power transistors from a biggish river in S America on Friday evening. They were projected to arrive on Monday but they actually arrived this afternoon (Sunday). Fantastic service but as we live about 20 miles from the nearest town I doubt if that did anyone a lot of good.

 

I just placed an order for some other (not urgent) stuff, but it gave me the option of pushing out the delivery date and I pushed it out about a week.

[jamie92208]

Bad moaning from a rather cool Charente wherecwe hardly ever get snow.  The council doesn't have snow ckearing equipment.  We had a lovely meal with friends last night. Then at midnight got a message from no 1 son that he's tested positive and now has to isolate for 10 days both he and his sister urged us not to come over and we reluctantly  devided to cancel.  Pah (oother multiple expletives  are available).  That ruddy virus.

 

Jamie

[rodent279]

One thing the pandemic in general, and lockdown in particular, has done, is shone a light on the toxic people in life. You know who your friends are when despite making clear that, due to the pandemic, you are avoiding shaking hands and bodily contact, but they insist on shaking your hand and giving you a hug. Normally I'm fine with this, but right now, no thanks.

I've almost totally ditched social media, due to the avalanche of attention seeking, self obsessed "look at me" posts, outrage triggers, fake news and just general trivial piffle. Yes, I know it's been that way for a long while, and I won't pretend I've not been guilty myself. The pandemic & lockdown just somehow made it more visible.

This, and a classic car related forum are the only social media sites that I use regularly now, because I have more control over the kind of posts that I look at. I've only got a Faceache account now because of parkrun, even Strava has become little more than FB for the more energetic minded-full of "look at me posts."

In a way it's a shame, because FB has some interesting railway feeds, but I just can't stick the irrelevant baggage that comes with it.

Maybe I'm just turning into Victor Meldrew?

[Tony_S]

9 minutes ago, rodent279 said:

Maybe I'm just turning into Victor Meldrew?

Eventually you get past Victor’s “I don’t believe it” and start commenting “Just as I expected.”

Edited December 20, 2021 by Tony_S

[rockershovel]

Learning languages is a variable thing. I've worked in various Arabic speaking countries but have zero knowledge of the language, spoken or written, other than simple daily courtesies like "chokra" or "hamdulla". This is pretty much universal among expats in ME.

 

I have sometimes worked with Japanese with similar results. An old friend of mine with a Japanese mother speaks it quite well, but finds it more trouble than it's worth, given the common Japanese convention that foreigners can't speak the language. 

 

I speak no Dutch despite working with them over time. They all appear to speak American English fluently and my employers have never shown any interest in my learning (a common practice towards native English speakers, in my experience). Same goes for Polish. 

 

I have no meaningful grasp of German beyond the Commando Comics level. Working with Germans hasn't played out well on my experience and I long ago, stopped responding to enquiries of that sort. Don't know, don't care and won't need it now. 

 

I have never made more than desultory attempts to actually learn Russian, but I have worked with Russian speakers and it does tend to rub off on you, especially if you learn the alphabet and they appreciate the attempt. I'm certainly not fluent but can hold some basic conversation. 

 

Azeri, Kazakh, Turkmen... nope. English and a little Russian will get you by, although local pronounciation of English can require a measure of acclimatisation. 

 

French..... well...... I know from long experience, that they are perfectly capable of understanding me if they so wish. My French may be eccentric but it's quite conventional in its way, plenty of French people speak that way. My written French is quite orthodox, since I learnt it at school and mostly practiced it writing reports or indents. 

 

I don't speak Italian, despite years of working with them. I just don't, never needed to learn or had any formal opportunity. No 1 Son did Italian GCSE but appears to have lost it again (interestingly enough, he had an Italian speaking classmate whose parents were born in UK, but who seemed to speak only Italian when he first presented himself for Year 1). I can read it a little, though. 

 

I can still read Latin although I could never speak it, still can't. However my good wife reckons that I don't so much read it, as know my small collection of classics by heart with prompting from the written word and she could be right. It's decades since I read anything "sight unseen", that's for sure. 

 

So despite my wanderings, I'm no linguist .. but that's the result of the various circumstances. If I wanted to and had the time, I would. Taking pride in living somewhere and not making some attempt  seems pointless. 

 

 

 

[SM42]

French. Learnt a bit at school, got an o level, just but it never seemed to stick. 

I can probably do he usual pleasantries and order an ice cream.

Mrs SM42 can hold her own in French. I just nod 

German. Did some at school. Dropped after a year. Not really got a chance beyond numbers and some road signs.

Mrs SM42 says she doesn't speak German, but managed a 20 minute conversation with an elderly couple on the Sorpe dam once. 

 

Polish. Doing my best and can get by, but not as good as I'd like and the grammar is a nightmare. 

I did have an epiphany with Polish and found that thinking in the language you are trying to speak is key.  If only I had known this years ago.

Mrs SM42 speaks it well 

 

Italian no chance. Mrs SM42 can hold down a stilted conversation 

 

Russian, just some pleasantries 

Mrs SM42 is fluent  but had no choice but to learn at school.

 

Latvian, Dutch and Japanese I can do the some of the usual pleasantries 

Mrs SM42 used Russian in Latvia as a last resort. 

 

Of course in the Netherlands, everyone speaks English. 

We did ask why once and the response was that they are " forced to learn it at school"

 

The big problem I have now is L2 interference and Polish becomes my default abroad and creeps into whatever language I am trying to mangle. 

You do get some odd looks, but often you get fluent Polish back.

We are very good at finding Mrs SM42" s countrymen wherever we go. 

 

Andy

 

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by SM42