Tell us something really trivial about your life (vol 24)
Discussion
iva cosworth said:
E che la portata del tuo Italiano ?
When Mrs C and I rented a villa on Lake Como near the Swiss border I developed dry eye. It's incredibly irritating. So I read up all the phrase books and dictionaries I could find in the villa and rehearsed what I should say to the pharmacist. I was fairly sure of my pleases and thank yous, but "occhio secco" was the key phrase. We drove to the chemist, I recited my lines, the pharmacist knew what I required, money changed hands, I said, "Arrivederci," and the pharmacist said, "Auf wiedersehen," because, obviously, no English person was ever going to try to speak Italian.It's shameful, I tell you.
pad58 said:
We are having a braised steak ,peas ,carrots, French beans with mashed spuds for tea.
I miss food like this during the summer months and it certainly makes a change from salad ,proper working mans food.
Yay! We just had our second roast dinner in three days. I miss food like this during the summer months and it certainly makes a change from salad ,proper working mans food.
One in Wales on Saturday courtesy of No.1 son and his Mrs and this one tonight courtesy of Mrs C.
Washed down with a - shoot me down in flames if you must - vintage Rioja. A 2007. Fantastic.
Yeah, red with poultry, I know. What can I say? I'm a Philistine.
Impasse said:
"You're only supposed..." etc etcFred Emney?
DickyC said:
What can I say? I'm a Philistine.
I thought that the leader of the Philistines was Yossa Marrowfat, but that's ancient history now.Then I stumbled upon this film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CRXnO9v0sA
Until I checked this evening, I had always thought The Italian Job was packed with older British comedy actors in large roles and cameos. Fred Emney, Benny Hill of course, Irene Handl and John le Mesurier but then I'm down to John Clive, Louis Mansi and Henry McGee. It's okay, I've been wrong before.
DickyC said:
"Auf wiedersehen," because, obviously, no English person was ever going to try to speak Italian.
That's surprising.Whenever I have an encounter with foreigners they ALWAYS speak English to me.
Either I look very English,the Union flag tattooed on my face could be a clue.
Or.
English is the default language when they don't know where you're from.
Got collared by an African looky looky man in Brescia this year,English spoken straight away.
Instead of a honeymoon, Mrs C #1 and I hitch-hiked round Europe in the summer of 1974. We called in on the family of the German girl she did a student exchange with. We arrived days before the postcard saying we were coming. The dad had been a PoW in Scotland for most of the war and had nothing but good things to say about the Brits and spoke a bit of English, Mrs C spoke a bit of German, Christina, her exchange partner, spoke quite good English but Christina's boyfriend was amazingly good. Between all of them our adventures were translated for everyone. In a lull in the conversation, I turned to the boyfriend and said, "YOOOO SPEEEAAAK VEEERY GOOD ING-GER-LISH." He said, Yes, I'm American."
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