English in Madrid

Judy Garland sang this song in the musical "Meet Me in St. Louis". Source: You Tube (warenarchive) Key Words: Garland Louis Christmas Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on , our troubles will be out of sight Have yourself a merry little Christmas Make the Yuletide gay From now on, our troubles will be far away Here we are, as in olden days Happy golden days of yore Faithful friends who are dear to us Gather near to us Once more Through the years, we all will be together If the fates allow Hang a shining star upon the highest bough And have yourself a merry little Christmas now Listen to the Coldplay version and try to complete the lyrics. Why not Google to discover the lyrics to your favourite Xmas song?

Use the labels to find anything related to Christmas: In Blog 3 you will find stories about the Christmas cracker, the Gordo and an unusual Christmas song. In Blog 1 you can listen to John Lennon and Bing Crosby sing a seasonal song. Right here in Blog 2 you can find posts about lottery superstitions and read Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Use the archives to find stories from Decembers past: In December 2007 you can read the story about how the Spanish tip generously . In December 2008 you can find a cure for hangovers . In December 2009 you are given a year's notice on the introduction of the smoking ban . Remember to at least write "I have read it" after reading very post!!!!

Here is a recipe for traditional Christmas pudding but you are too late if you want to make one for this Christmas. Make this pudding a couple of months before Christmas day. Feed it with booze regulary for the flavours to develop. Ingredients 225g/8oz golden caster sugar 225g/8oz vegetarian suet 340g/12oz sultanas 340g/12oz raisins 225g/8oz currants 110g/4oz candied peel , chopped 110g/4oz plain flour 110g/4oz fresh white breadcrumbs 55g/2oz flaked almonds 1 lemon, zest only 5 eggs, beaten 1 level tsp ground cinnamon 1 level tsp mixed spice 5g/1 level tsp freshly grated nutmeg pinch of salt 150ml/5fl oz brandy or rum Preparation method 1.Lightly grease 4x600ml/1 pint or 2x1.2 litre/2 pint pudding basins . 2.Mix together all the dry ingredients. 3. Stir in the eggs and brandy and mix well. 4.Spoon the mix into basins. Put a circle of baking parchment and foil over the top of each basin and tie securely with string . Make a string h...

Spain under state of alert over air strike chaos The Spanish government has declared a state of alert after a strike by air traffic controllers grounded flights, stranding thousands of travellers. The measure will allow widldcat strikers to be charged with a crime under the military penal code. About half of the controllers showed for their shift on Saturday morning but most refused to work, in a dispute over hours and conditions. National carrier Iberia has cancelled all flights until 0500 GMT on Sunday. There are huge crowds of passengers at Spain's airports, many hoping to get away at the start of a national holiday, many of them frustrated and angry, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Madrid. The army was called in to take charge of the country's air space on Friday, but cannot direct air traffic. Announcing the state of alert, Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said the air traffic controllers were trying to protect "unacceptable priv...

Today in Scotland, and indeed in many parts of the world, people are celebrating Saint Andrew's Day. The picture of the Scottish flag above is traditionally known as the Saint Andrew flag. It is thought to be the oldest flag in the world. It dates back to the 12th Century. The origins of Saint Andrew's Cross and Flag Whilst in Southern Greece Andrew stayed some time in the city of Patras where he healed many sick people. At the time the country was ruled by the Romans and he healed Maximillia, the wife of a powerful Roman General. She converted to Christianity. Her husband was so angry at his wife becoming a Christian that he wanted to stop this new religion and ordered his soldiers to put Andrew to the death. The origins of the St Andrews flag and cross comes from when Saint Andrew was crucified by the Romans at Patras (Patrae) in Achaea. His crucifixion was not like that of Jesus, but done diagonally on a cross of the form called Crux decussata which translates t...

Source: Melinda Gimpel on Unsplash RSPCA challenges decision to overturn will Couple left charity their £2.35m estate , but court later awarded it to their daughter The RSPCA today launched a high court challenge to a ruling that overturned a will leaving the charity a £2.35m estate after a daughter contested her parents' legacy. In a case with potential implications for the charity sector, the animal rescue organisation said it had a duty to fight the ruling "to uphold the wishes of those that choose to bequeath it a legacy". Christine Gill, 59, a university lecturer from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, last year won a high court battle to overturn the will in which her parents left their 287-acre farm to the charity. A judge in Leeds found that Dr Gill's " bullying " and "domineering" father had coerced her mother into making the will, in which they left everything to the RSPCA and nothing to their only child. But the RSPCA told...

Source:  bruno neurath-wilson on Unsplash Here is a link to three previous posts on the Present Continuous which includes a translation exercise, a song to complete and a cartoon to watch. In the post with the cartoon there is a link to Agenda Web , where you will find hundreds of exercises to choose from. Here's a song that you will all know but can you complete the lyrics : Source: You Tube (musiczone365second)  Key Words: Fools Lemon Tree I___(1)____ here in the boring room It's just another rainy Sunday afternoon I___(2)____ my time I got nothing to do I___(3)____ around I___(4)____ for you But nothing ever happens and I wonder I___(5)____ around in my car I___(5)____ too fast I___(5)____ too far I'd like to change my point of view I feel so lonely I___(4)____ for you But nothing ever happens and I wonder I wonder how I wonder why Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree I__(6)_...

Remember that you can also read and make comments about posts from the past; not just the recent ones! There are two ways to access past posts - either through the archives or labels. Among the posts from Novembers past: November 2009 : Giant of the air   Iberia/BA merger 20 years on from the fall of the wall November 2008 : Palin's prank phone call Berlusconi puts his foot in it again November 2007 : Tennent's lager advert My worst journey What is your favourite post from Novembers past? Among the labels are: Confusing words such as fun v funny, ill v sick, trip v journey .... Madrid   from stories about Olympic dreams to lottery wins. Phrasal verbs a chance to practice your phrasals Vocabulary Practice a chance to improve your vocabulary You can also find relevant labels at the end of the posts. Which labels do you find the most interesting or useful? I look forward to reading your comments on the old posts too even if it's just to say that you ...

Source: You Tube (ITV News) Key Words: William Kate engagement Royal wedding: Prince William and Kate Middleton say time is right for marriage Announcing their engagement Prince William said: " The timing is right now, we are both very, very happy." Miss Middleton added that joining the Royal Family was a " daunting prospect " but said: "Hopefully I'll take it in my stride ." The couple were speaking at a photocall hours after Clarence House announced that they planned to marry in spring or summer next year, delighting the couple's parents, politicians and well-wishers . Prince William asked for Miss Middleton's hand in marriage while they were on holiday in Kenya last month, and the wedding will be held in the spring or summer next year. She will then move in with her husband in Wales. This afternoon it was confirmed that the Prince proposed with the blue sapphire and diamond ring that his father, the Prince of Wales, gave to Diana...

The essays that I got the other day were good but not without a few mistakes. Correct the following sentences. I am studying English two years ago. English is very difficult; sometimes I don't understand nothing. I like talking but I like more listening. I'm civil servant and I only work in the morning. In my free time I love play padel. I play tennis and I like too to dance. I have blonde hair and black eyes. I love my job because is very creative. I think I am a positive and glad person. I'm not very talkative. I prefer listen. I live with my childrens, Maria and Javier. I love going to the concerts or listening direct music in small places.

Armistice Day silence falls overs Britain as millions honour the dead Two-minute silence to honour those fallen in combat since the first world war provokes a mixture of respect and protest Source:   Bart Ros en Unsplash Ninety-two years after the guns ceased firing on the Western Front, Britain today remembered its war dead, as millions observed the traditional two-minute silence to mark Armistice Day. Crowds gathered beneath glowering skies at war memorials throughout the country to lay wreaths of Flanders red poppies , marking the end of the first world war and commemorating the fallen of conflicts past and present. In shops and offices, railway stations and airports, heads were bowed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. At the Cenotaph in Whitehall, Big Ben's chimes yielded to the lone bugle strains of the last post, heralding the silence during a service attended by the archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, defence secretary ...

Here are some sentences with mistakes that I have taken from homework or heard in class. Correct them. I am married with Javier. We got married ten years ago. I am working here since 19 years. I have a really tired job. I think the English are too much polite. The Germans are hard working and are always in time. Everybody think I look like my father. Spanish people don't look up to other nationality. Most people hope come back to Spain one day. Did they immediately have successful? He was educated by his mother after his parents separated.

THE Netherlands has become the first country in Europe to overturn its smoking ban. A new liberal government is to allow smoking, though only in small owner-run bars with no other staff. Here one of the Dutch campaigners, from the Foundation To Save Small Bar Owners, explains why he is so pleased with the change : We had a blanket ban on smoking brought in here in 2008. It unfairly attacked small bar owners who couldn't afford to build outdoor smoking areas. And small bars, or pubs as we call them too, are a huge part of Dutch life. There are more than 3,000 of them. So two smokers' rights organisations decided to join forces with the bar owners. We felt it was a bad law. I know of many bars that never even put their ashtrays away. But now it is official and people are delighted. The latest polls say between 70 and 80 per cent of Dutch people are behind this partial lifting of the ban. This is great news for small bars and the common man. Lower-class pe...

Source: Wikipedia (Jose Mario Pires)   Pope Benedict XVI begins Spanish visit in Santiago Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in the pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela at the beginning of a two-day visit to Spain. He was greeted at the airport by Crown Prince Felipe and Church officials. The Pope will celebrate an open-air mass outside the cathedral and on Sunday travel to Barcelona. There he is due to consecrate the Sagrada Familia church, still unfinished more than a century after Antoni Gaudi designed it. This is Benedict's second visit during his papacy, and a third visit is planned next year for World Youth Day, a sign of how important the Vatican considers the health of the church in Spain. Only 14.4% of Spaniards regularly attend mass, and legal changes to allow divorce, gay marriage and abortion have caused concern to the Catholic church. But 73% of Spaniards still define themselves as Catholic. Kiss-in In Santiago, the Pope will pray at the tomb of ...

Spanish prostitutes ordered to wear reflective vests for their own safety Women touting for customers on a rural highway outside Els Alamus near Lleida in Catalonia have been told to don the yellow fluorescent bibs or pay fines of 40 euros (£36) under road traffic laws. Police claim the sex workers on the LL-11 road are not being specifically targeted because of what they do but because they posed a danger to drivers The prostitutes are in breach of 2004 law which states pedestrians on major highways and hard shoulders must wear the high visibility garments . A spokesman for the regional police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra said: "In the past couple of months the prostitutes have been fined for two reasons: for not wearing the reflective jacket and for creating danger on the public highway." The move follows recent legislation introduced by Els Alamus town hall to ban prostitutes from offering sex for sale in public urban areas. The mayor Josep Maria Bea ...

Ecuadorean super-snorer wins siesta contest in Spain A jobless security worker has won a competition billed as Spain's inaugural siesta championship, napping for 17 minutes in a busy shopping centre. Ecuadorean Pedro Soria Lopez took first place and 1,000 euros (£890) for his efforts - or lack of them. Judges praised the 62-year-old not only for the duration of his 40 winks , but also for his volume, notching up snores of 70 decibels - around talking level. The contest was run by Spain's National Association of Friends of the Siesta. It was part of a campaign to revive the Spanish power-napping tradition, which is seen as threatened by the fast pace of modern life . Over the course of nine days, 360 competitors were challenged to sleep for as much of a 20-minute period allotted to them as possible. Participants stretched out on sofas in the Madrid shopping centre while their pulses were monitored to check they were asleep. Judges awarded points for ...

Source: Pawel Czerwinski en Unsplash Ash Scotland calls for a ban on smoking in vehicles An anti-smoking charity has called for a consultation on banning smoking in vehicles in Scotland. Ash Scotland made the call, along with 32 other recommendations, as part of a strategy to tackle "Scotland's biggest killer". The charity said the change would highlight the impact of second-hand smoke on others. However, the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association said such a move would be a " step too far ". Latest figures suggest a quarter of all adult deaths in Scotland can be attributed to smoking-related diseases. Setting out their "Beyond Smoke Free" document, Ash Scotland said the country had taken major steps to cut smoking in the past six years, but that more needed to be done. The document calls for a consultation on introducing legislation to ban smoking in vehicles and the development of "robust" intermediate and endpoint target...