Nov
21

Just bloggin’ along - in Italian

2005 | Filed Under Blogging, Italy, Language, Me | Leave a Comment

I’ve just started a blog in Italian: Ingliano - which is basically an attempt to teach myself how to write in Italian - something which I’m not too good at. So, seeing as the best way to improve your writing, IMHO, is to write, then that is just what I’m doing. There is no theme, so my entries will be pretty much about anything and everything, although they will not be quite as long as the entries in this blog have been on occaision. Writing can be difficult enough and I’ve seen some pretty ropey examples of the way that some English people can write, but writing in another language is yet more difficult, or so I reckon. But, I quite like writing, so I’ll give it a go. It should help with the re-facing of my website too, which is going to be primarily in Italian - seeing as it is aimed at Italians trying to get to grips with my first language. The experience should also help me to gain more of an idea of the trials and tribulations that Italians go through whilst attempting to write in Inglish too - which should make my teaching of the subject more effective. Well, that’s the theory, but only time and practice will tell.

This is a preview of Just bloggin’ along - in Italian. Read the full post (223 words, estimated 54 secs reading time)

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Nov
18

There’s no fire without smoke

2005 | Filed Under Italy | Leave a Comment

We have a wonderful neighbour. She's around 60 or so, retired and unfortunately a widow. Our neighbour joined the residents of the first floor at about the same time as ourselves and was the guiding light behind our pre-summer evening get together in the courtyard. She's really quite dynamic, but not in an annoying or pushy way at all. This lady also happens to be one mean cook and speaks Italian with a rather noticeable Germanic accent, which is common to the people of the Trento area of Italy, where she is from. I guessed she was from the Trento/ Alto Adige region as soon as she opened her mouth - much to her surprise. However, although she hails from this region and has been living in and around Milan for around 30 years, she still speaks with a noticeable accent. It's funny how certain accents always seem to persist and I remember a number of Scottish people who I knew who had been living in England for years, but somehow never really lost their accents - although their Scottish counterparts usually noticed that their accents had softened over time.

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Nov
16

New website

2005 | Filed Under Work | Leave a Comment

I've been upgrading my old site at the moment and things are coming along quite well, although I'm not sure I'll be able to get everything live by my self-imposed December the first deadline. The new site will include an affilliate based shop, so it'd be a good idea to have it 'open', so to speak, for the Christmas rush.

This is a preview of New website. Read the full post (308 words, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)

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Nov
16

Winter is sneaking up

2005 | Filed Under Italy, Milan | Leave a Comment

The week before last it was really quite warm. This week the temperatures are moving to below 10 degrees C. The transitions here between hot and cold have always been rather abrupt. In the UK the temperature slides down gracefully over a few months, whereas here, in the north of the lving museum at least, the temperatures fall like a brick dropped from a tenth floor balcony. One week you are sweating, the next freezing. Very odd.

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Nov
6

The busy schedule of a two and a half year old

2005 | Filed Under My son | Leave a Comment

Our little tornado of joy is charging around everywhere and making lots of mess - just like most other two year olds. He gets a kick out of hiding himself in the shower, so while his mum was about to have a shower we asked the little whirlwind if he'd like to too. The reply: 'Non posso' - 'I can't'.

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Nov
6

November and the fog that isn’t

2005 | Filed Under Milan | Leave a Comment


About five or six years ago, maybe longer, I can't remember exactly, I bought one of those rather daft, but very practical Russian style rabbit skin hats - very similar to the one in the picture:

This is a preview of November and the fog that isn’t. Read the full post (413 words, 1 image, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

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Nov
2

Apologies

2005 | Filed Under Blogging, This blog | Leave a Comment

Not been blogging enough due to other commitments (and an over energetic two year old!) - but I have not forgotten about this blog, however my future posts will be much shorter (and sweeter?!) from no on. Just like this one in actual fact.

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Nov
2

October

2005 | Filed Under Milan | Leave a Comment

October was a great month, some rain but predominantly warm and sunny. 20 degrees C. I can't complain, so I won't. Well, maybe just a little, you see the pollution levels are going up and up as a result of all the heating systems coming on. Milan is covered in a smoggy haze which persists until the early afternoon when the sun finally manages to burn the evil layer off - at least until the next evening.

This is a preview of October. Read the full post (275 words, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

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Nov
2

Playing chicken

2005 | Filed Under Italy, World News | Leave a Comment

Mild panic over here over the 'Chicken Flu'. Lots of adverse publicity has caused sales of chicken based products to plummet - and, in turn the politicos are back-peddling in an attempt to save chicken farms from extinction.

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