English in Madrid

Source: Wikipedia (Robbie Shade) The Origins of Hogmanay A guid New Year to ane an` a` and mony may ye see! While New Year's Eve is celebrated around the world, the Scots have a long rich heritage associated with this event - and have their own name for it, Hogmanay. There are many theories about the derivation of the word "Hogmanay". The Scandinavian word for the feast preceding Yule was "Hoggo-nott" while the Flemish words (many have come into Scots) "hoog min dag" means "great love day". Hogmanay could also be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon, Haleg monath, Holy Month, or the Gaelic, oge maidne, new morning. But the most likely source seems to be the French. "Homme est né" or "Man is born" while in France the last day of the year when gifts were exchanged was "aguillaneuf" while in Normandy presents given at that time were "hoguignetes". Take your pick ! In Scotland a similar practice to that...

Source: You Tube (lukey123stratty)   Key Words: Queen Christmas 2008 speech Every Christmas Day afternoon at 3pm, families used to gather round the telly to listen to the Queen's speech. I say "used to", because I suspect that they don't do so in the numbers that they did in the past. Transcript Christmas is a time for celebration, but this year it is a more sombre occasion for many. Some of those things which could once have been taken for granted suddenly seem less certain and, naturally, give rise to feelings of insecurity. People are touched by events which have their roots far across the world. Whether it is the global economy or violence in a distant land, the effects can be keenly felt at home. Once again , many of our service men and women are serving on operations in common cause to bring peace and security to troubled places. In this 90th year since the end of the First World War, the last survivors recently commemorated the servic...

Do you prefer Kylie's version ... Source: You Tube (antasova) Key Words Kylie Santa baby . .. or do you prefer the purrrrrformance of Earth Kitt? She first sang it in 1953. Source: You Tube (VCIClassicMovies) Key Words: Eartha Santa Baby, Just slip a sable under the tree For me Been an awful good girl Santa Baby, So hurry down the chimney tonight Santa baby, A 54 convertible too Light blue I'll wait up for you, dear Santa baby, So hurry down the chimney tonight Think of all the fun I've missed Think of all the Fella's that I haven't kissed Next year I could be just as good If you'll check out my Christmas list Santa Baby, I want a yacht and that's not A lot Been an angel all year Santa Baby, So hurry down the chimney tonight Santa baby, there's only one thing I need The deed To a platinum mine Santa Baby, So hurry down the chimney tonight Santa baby, Fill my stocking with a duplex And checks Sign ...

Didn't he do El A BRITISH expat was yesterday among the top winners of Spain’s £2.1BILLION El Gordo lottery. Up to 1,950 people scooped £283,662 tax-free in the draw — which translates as The Fat One. They included a horde of revellers at one bar who scooped a total of £92MILLION between them. The complicated Christmas draw is designed to create as many winners as possible, and 32 million people entered. Tickets cost 200 euros, or £189 — divided into tenths called decimos, at 20 euros, or £18.90. Spaniards join work colleagues, families or even entire communities to buy tickets. Hundreds of thousands queued in the cold to snap up a share, hoping to beat the economic gloom which has left Spain with the highest jobless rate in Europe. The British winner, who has not been named, bought a ticket ending in a five because he was born in 1945. He is living in the Torrevieja area on the South East coast where shop staff celebrated with other winning customers. T...

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring , not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap . When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh , and eight tinny reindeer. With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled , and shouted, and called them by na...

Source: Wikipedia (Soerfm)   Here is a seasonal story for you to read over the holidays: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens . You can read the shortened, simplified version first and then you can try reading the original book. Source: ego4u.com   Take a note of any new words or expressions: Scrooge is the surname of the main character in A Christmas Carol. Someone who spends as little money as possible and is stingy   can be called a scrooge . as dead as a doornail means that someone or something is clearly dead. Other similar idiomatic expressions such as the one above: as deaf as a post means someone has great difficulty with their hearing. Can you guess how to complete the following with an adjective or a noun: as good as ____ as sick as a ______ as blind as a ___ as strong as an __ as white as a _____ as ___ as a fiddle (a violin) as ____ as a brush as ____ as a rake (un rastrillo) as ____ as a cucumber (un pepino) as ___ as a fox

Here is a seasonal song which also brings back some childhood memories for me . What is your favourite Christmas song? What songs remind you of your childhood? Source: You Tube (TopOfThePopsFan) Key Words: Boney M Mary's boy Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day. And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day. Long time ago in Bethlehem, so the Holy Bible say, Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day. Hark, now hear the angels sing, a king was born today, And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day. Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day. While shepherds watch their flocks by night, they see a bright new shining star, they hear a choir sing a song, the music seemed to come from afar. Hark, now hear the angels sing, a king was born today, And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day. Mmmmmm...... For a moment the world was aglow , all the bells rang out th...

Source:Wikipedia (Emilio Rodriguez Posada)   Here are a couple of reviews of hotels in Madrid to readers of an English newspaper. Do you agree with the description of hotels in Madrid? Hotel El Prado (a wine-themed retreat in Madrid's Bohemian literary quarter): Location In Madrid’s buzzy  and Bohemian literary quarter, close to the Thyssen and a short walk from Atocha station for high-speed trains to Seville. Character Not its strong point , despite the owners’ decision to give this 48-room hotel a wine theme (their second, marginally more upscale hotel, Lope de Vega, has a literary motif). Rooms Spotless and functional, with compact bathrooms. Some rooms have balconies, small plasma TVs and wifi connection. Room quality does vary. Room 407 is more attractive than most. Food Skip the hotel breakfast and go to a local bar for a café solo con churros. We like The young and perky all-female staff. The fun location, with endless tapas bars on the do...

Source: Pexels ( Andrea Piacquadio) Tips on How to Dodge a Hangover After a night of heavy drinking, if you're lucky enough to have found your bed, waking up isn't the most pleasant experience. That throbbing head , the vampiresque fear of daylight, that dry mouth... when celebrating with a drink and good company, we often forget the near future that awaits us. When the words, "I am never drinking again," echo through your head, you'll wish you'd thought of preventing the hangover rather than needing to apply cures. Here are some tips and ideas on how to keep that hangover to a minimum or (possibly) completely out of the picture: 1. Do not drink on an empty stomach. Eat something before you go out or engage in drinking. Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream quite quickly; the rate at which this happens depends on the type of food that is in your system. Carbohydrates and foods that contain a high fat percentage slow the absorption down. The ideal si...

Source: Wikipedia (Barcex)   Here are some lottery related stories: 2007: Spanish Christmas Gordo Lottery brings happiness to some Luck finally came into the life of José Gadin, a painter who had to retire because he was left injured after falling in an accident at work. He purchased   a ticket with the number of date the accident happened – the 6,381. Diego Muñoz from Motril purchased his winning ticket on the very morning of the draw and is now 100,000 richer at a time when his assets   had just been embargoed following a failed business venture. Lady luck can also be cruel. A priest in San Lorenzo de Zamora, Jesús Campos, told the local residents that he had dreamed the number 6,380 would win and therefore he purchased 30 series of that number. He sold participations for 2€ 50 across the village, but Sunday’s draw showed he was one number away, although in the Gordo that does give a small consolation prize. Source: typicallyspanish.com   2006: Acto...

Source: Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay Armed men in wigs pull off £70m robbery at top Paris jewellery store • Haul believed to be one of the world's biggest • Gang said to have detailed knowledge of shop French police yesterday ordered a Europe-wide hunt for a band of audacious armed robbers who disguised themselves as women in order to pull off one of the world's biggest jewellery robberies. Four men, some wearing wigs and female clothing, made a rapid getaway from the exclusive Harry Winston store in Paris after stealing almost every piece of jewellery on display and emptying two backdoor storage cases. Police put the estimated total value of the haul at €80m (£70m), making it by far the largest jewel robbery carried out in France. "This is certainly a record," said Doron Levy, a spokesman for the French union of jewellers. "It exceeds anything we've seen here going back years." The group burst into the upmarket jewellers a...

Source: Enzo Lo Presti en Unsplash Living with the wrath of the Mafia Not yet 30, Roberto Saviano has achieved what other writers only dream of: an acclaimed bestseller , which he has adapted into an Oscar- tipped film. But he lives in hiding , with only armed policemen for company. Gangsters from his native city of Naples have passed a death sentence on him. He has incurred their wrath after writing an expose of the Camorra, the Neapolitan equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia. Saviano's Gomorrah, a pun at the expense of the gangs and their biblical wrongdoing , has turned an unwelcome spotlight on their activities. A police wiretap on a gang boss in his prison cell detected the threat against the writer. Officers are treating it as credible, including its nauseating addenda that the hit should be carried out by Christmas , if at all possible. Saviano grew up in Casal di Principe, an unremarkable dormitory of Naples which is well off the itinerary of the crui...