Tuesday night and onwards
So it was a big rush to get ready to go out after only just arriving home again.
I have to say that I wasnt really in the mood for an evening out and yet another big meal as I had been stuffing myself during the days away!! However, it was for charity and I didnt want to let our hostess down, so I made an effort to get at least a bit dressed up. One of the Spanish group and her chap picked me and one other of the group up and drove us all there in 1 car which was very handy since I didnt know where the place was!!! On arrival we found 3 others of our party and a crowd of unknown people. Jacquie had managed to sell 75 tickets (@£15.00 per head) and 70 people turned up. We had a 3 course meal which was quite nice (not fantastic, but reasonable) and in between each course they played some silly games for which you had to pay an entrance fee. Since they mostly involved standing up and sitting down several times and we were squashed into a tight corner, I opted to watch everyone else. At the end they sold raffle tickets for some really decent prizes - needless to say I didnt win anything!!
All in all the evening was a great success with nearly £1000 being raised for the local hospice and the Lions, who this year have chosen to support "Young Carers" and on our part ,we all enjoyed the company and the conviviality of the evening, so a great success.
On the Wednesday and Thursday I stayed at home and played catch up with chores and housework for a while before playing a load of computer games. I should have gone to the monthly U3A meeting on Thursday afternoon, but I just wanted to curl up in my own place for a bit. (It's lovely going out and about and seeing lots of new things, but sometimes it's lovely to just be at home as well)
This morning was Spanish. The first time we have all been together for quite a few weeks as illness and the weather disrupted our last 2 meetings. I had decided that we needed to work on our spontaneous conversational skills and to extend our vocabularly now, so I set up the topic of going for a meal and encouraged everyone to join in. We appointed a "Camarero" and gave him our orders for drinks and starters, asked each other to explain about our requests and so on. Sandra made the waiter go back and get ice and lemon for her gin and tonic for example.And I included as many of the phrases from the Spanish podcasts as I could. Everyone seemed to have a little phrase they had picked up which was different so we all expanded our vocab quite a bit. Then after coffee I got out a pile of cards with verbs on them (Spanish on one side, English on the other) and the dice. For the first round you had to pick a card, translate it then toss the dice and give the appropriate part of the verb in the present tense. (1=me, 2=you singular etc etc)
on the Second round you had to pick a card, translate then do the whole of the verb in the present tense. On the third round you had to pick a card and construct a sentence using any kind of assistance for the future tense(I am going to/would like to/am planning to etc). This all proved quite taxing, as we all realised that we hadnt learnt all those verbs as well as we had thought!!! It was terrific to see Jacquie our Armenian hostess really giving it a try this week, as she so often ducks out. It was also interesting that although she says she cant remember anything, when 2 of our number read out a short piece they had written, she understood nearly all of that. Everyone thought that it had been a really useful session and so we are going to repeat this pattern for the next couple of lessons, concentrating next time on main course, puddings and Tapas dishes. And follow it with more work on the verbs. I shall try to find as many new phrases to extend our vocabulary as possible.
Meanwhile, this afternoon I have to go and sign up for the other Spanish course, if I can get on to it. The group want me to play guinea pig (mostly as I can get it for a reduced price) and bring the new knowledge back. Seems like a plan as they say.
Tomorrow morning , I am off down to FK's house for the weekend to celebrate Beltane. (I was supposed to be going on the annual history walk, but the knee is still complaining a lot so I have ratted out and will join my fellow pagans in a ritual instead). I will, of course have to get back pretty smartish on Monday as the first of the new Spanish lessons is at 1pm!!!! (Note to self: just dont stop running!!!)and then later next week I am off with the Sweetie back to the same Hotel to use up the second voucher he had. This time I think we might go on the other little railway and maybe visit Appleby - home of the annual gypsy horse fair and other such delights. We shall see.
I have to say that I wasnt really in the mood for an evening out and yet another big meal as I had been stuffing myself during the days away!! However, it was for charity and I didnt want to let our hostess down, so I made an effort to get at least a bit dressed up. One of the Spanish group and her chap picked me and one other of the group up and drove us all there in 1 car which was very handy since I didnt know where the place was!!! On arrival we found 3 others of our party and a crowd of unknown people. Jacquie had managed to sell 75 tickets (@£15.00 per head) and 70 people turned up. We had a 3 course meal which was quite nice (not fantastic, but reasonable) and in between each course they played some silly games for which you had to pay an entrance fee. Since they mostly involved standing up and sitting down several times and we were squashed into a tight corner, I opted to watch everyone else. At the end they sold raffle tickets for some really decent prizes - needless to say I didnt win anything!!
All in all the evening was a great success with nearly £1000 being raised for the local hospice and the Lions, who this year have chosen to support "Young Carers" and on our part ,we all enjoyed the company and the conviviality of the evening, so a great success.
On the Wednesday and Thursday I stayed at home and played catch up with chores and housework for a while before playing a load of computer games. I should have gone to the monthly U3A meeting on Thursday afternoon, but I just wanted to curl up in my own place for a bit. (It's lovely going out and about and seeing lots of new things, but sometimes it's lovely to just be at home as well)
This morning was Spanish. The first time we have all been together for quite a few weeks as illness and the weather disrupted our last 2 meetings. I had decided that we needed to work on our spontaneous conversational skills and to extend our vocabularly now, so I set up the topic of going for a meal and encouraged everyone to join in. We appointed a "Camarero" and gave him our orders for drinks and starters, asked each other to explain about our requests and so on. Sandra made the waiter go back and get ice and lemon for her gin and tonic for example.And I included as many of the phrases from the Spanish podcasts as I could. Everyone seemed to have a little phrase they had picked up which was different so we all expanded our vocab quite a bit. Then after coffee I got out a pile of cards with verbs on them (Spanish on one side, English on the other) and the dice. For the first round you had to pick a card, translate it then toss the dice and give the appropriate part of the verb in the present tense. (1=me, 2=you singular etc etc)
on the Second round you had to pick a card, translate then do the whole of the verb in the present tense. On the third round you had to pick a card and construct a sentence using any kind of assistance for the future tense(I am going to/would like to/am planning to etc). This all proved quite taxing, as we all realised that we hadnt learnt all those verbs as well as we had thought!!! It was terrific to see Jacquie our Armenian hostess really giving it a try this week, as she so often ducks out. It was also interesting that although she says she cant remember anything, when 2 of our number read out a short piece they had written, she understood nearly all of that. Everyone thought that it had been a really useful session and so we are going to repeat this pattern for the next couple of lessons, concentrating next time on main course, puddings and Tapas dishes. And follow it with more work on the verbs. I shall try to find as many new phrases to extend our vocabulary as possible.
Meanwhile, this afternoon I have to go and sign up for the other Spanish course, if I can get on to it. The group want me to play guinea pig (mostly as I can get it for a reduced price) and bring the new knowledge back. Seems like a plan as they say.
Tomorrow morning , I am off down to FK's house for the weekend to celebrate Beltane. (I was supposed to be going on the annual history walk, but the knee is still complaining a lot so I have ratted out and will join my fellow pagans in a ritual instead). I will, of course have to get back pretty smartish on Monday as the first of the new Spanish lessons is at 1pm!!!! (Note to self: just dont stop running!!!)and then later next week I am off with the Sweetie back to the same Hotel to use up the second voucher he had. This time I think we might go on the other little railway and maybe visit Appleby - home of the annual gypsy horse fair and other such delights. We shall see.