English in Madrid

Grisly or just country life? The mole photos dividing social media Warning - this story contains images some readers may find distressing For decades, mole catchers in the countryside have hung their carcasses on fences to be counted for payment and as evidence of their trapping prowess . But when hill walker Simon Lucas shared a photograph of the tradition on social media, he was unprepared for the ferocity of the response. "It seemed to really strike a nerve ," he says. Lucas, 61, a musician from Bristol, travels to the Lake District in Cumbria for one week every month and regularly posts pictures of his wanderings . In February, he was returning from a hike on the road which connects Borrowdale to Seathwaite Farm when something caught his eye : a row of moles had been hung by their pink snouts from a barbed wire fence, their outsized front paws groping lifelessly in the air. "I did think it was a bit grisly but I was mostly intrigued," he says. He put h...

Image created by Chat GPT From booze to black belts: Virginia's drunk raccoon suspected in karate shop break-in A raccoon that broke into a Virginia store and joyfully drank its way through the liquor aisle is now suspected of a wider crime spree , officials say. A Hanover animal control officer suspects the stripe-tailed mammal also broke into a nearby karate studio and then raided the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for snacks. "Supposedly, this is the third break-in he's had," said Officer Samantha Martin. The raccoon, now nicknamed the " trashed panda", was first discovered passed out in the bathroom of the Ashland liquor store two days after Thanksgiving. After sobering up , the unlikely outlaw was released back into the wild . A new study found the masked mammals known for rummaging rubbish bins for easy food, are evolving and getting comfortable around humans. Ms Martin says it's only a matter of time before the masked bandit stri...

  Image created by Chat GPT This is Bessie. She literally fell into my life. I noticed her from my flat as I was feeding the pigeons. The only way that she could have got into the garden is from the roof of one of the surrounding buildings - and it's a big drop . She had her hiding place that was impossible for me to reach. It took me ten days before I could catch her. I fed her every day and night, hoping that she would trust me a bit more. I sat in the dark, occasionally with the torch of my mobile phone to see her and talked to her so that she would gain my trust. Eventually , I was successful. I took her to the vet to see if she had a chip so we could discover who her owner was. But she didn't have one. So she has ended up with me. She is only about a year old so she is very playful . She  follows me around like a dog and she is very affectionate . 🐾 Bessie in the Garden She watched me from the ivy ’s shade , Eyes like lanterns, half afraid. I left her food, and wh...

Source: You Tube (Fane Productions) Key words: Judi Dench Owl Pussycat The Owl and the Pussy-Cat By Edward Lear I The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea    In a beautiful pea-green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money,     Wrapped up in a five-pound note . The Owl looked up to the stars above,    And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,     What a beautiful Pussy you are,          You are,          You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!" II Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl !    How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried :    But what shall we do for a ring?" They sailed away , for a year and a day,    To the land where the Bong-Tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood    With a ring at the end of his nose,              His nose,   ...

Spain's hot summer election: A simple guide Spain is holding a highly unusual election next Sunday at the height of a scorching summer, after four years of left-wing rule . Current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the vote in response to a dismal performance at the May local elections in which his Socialist party came second to main rival, the conservative Popular Party. No general election in Spanish history has ever been held so late into the summer, in this country of 48 million people. The timing of the 23 July vote has been widely  criticised when temperatures in many parts of Spain have reached 40C and up to 10 million Spaniards are on holiday. The Popular Party (PP) under Alberto Núñez Feijóo have their eye on victory but their lead has narrowed in the polls . To win a majority, they need to secure more than half the 350 seats in the lower house of parliament. Spaniards will also vote for their upper house. Neither the PP nor the Socialists are projected ...

Here are some more animals to add to the list of expressions. See A - D , E - H , K - M , O - P and R - S . Turkey This is a picture of a very friendly turkey who is being looked after, along with my Pepita the pigeon and many other animals, in La Voz Animal shelter. Cold turkey is the unpleasant physical reaction that people experience when they suddenly stop taking a drug that they have become addicted to. I tried quitting smoking for several years, using nicotine patches, gums, and even hypnotherapy. Eventually , I just had to go cold turkey and rely on my own willpower. He had been spending far too much time on dating apps, so he decided to go cold turkey and deleted all of them. Vulture Source: Photos By Beks en Unsplash A vulture is a person or organization that is eager to win an advantage from other people's difficulties or problems. The vultures started circling when they heard that Auntie had gone into an old people's home. A culture vulture is a person with an...

  Source:  Nacho Arteaga on Unsplash Choosing pets over babies is ‘ selfish and diminishes us’, says pope   Pontiff laments ‘ denied parenthood ’ and people who ‘substitute cats and dogs for children’ In a move likely to raise the hackles of millions of cats, dogs and their human cohabitees , Pope Francis has suggested that couples who prefer pets to children are selfish. Wading into a debate noted for its toxic tone on social media, the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics said substituting pets for children “ takes away our humanity”.  During a general audience at the Vatican, he said: “Today … we see a form of selfishness. We see that some people do not want to have a child. Sometimes they have one, and that’s it, but they have dogs and cats that take the place of children. This may make people laugh but it is a reality.”  Pet keeping was “a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity”, he said. The con...

Source: Yuki Dog on Unsplash An Introduction to Dogs   by Ogden Nash  The dog is man's best friend.  He has a tail on one end.  Up in front he has teeth.  And four legs underneath .  Dogs like to bark .  They like it best after dark.  They not only frighten prowlers away   But also hold the sandman at bay .   A dog that is indoors  To be let out implores.  You let him out and what then?  He wants back in again.   Dogs display reluctance and wrath   If you try to give them a bath.  They bury bones in hideaways   And half the time they trot sideways .  Dogs in the country have fun.  They run and run and run.  But in the city this species  Is dragged around on leashes .  Dogs are upright as a steeple   And much more loyal than people.  Well people may be * reprehensibler  But that's probably because they are * sensible r. * more reprehensible /...