Italian conversation classes started up again today. Most of us are really just keeping our Italian ticking over and more than anything I think we go for the social group. Everyone has now known each other for a number of years and we all get along fine. New people add themselves to the group and sometimes stay, sometimes leave. We are pretty welcoming but maybe we are not everyone's cup of tea.
It's very refreshing to go along to a class where no-one is putting pressure on the "students" to take an examination at the end of the year. We are all a little long in the tooth for such things now. Not that we can't pass exams; it's just that we no longer need to do so. And I'm pretty sure it's more fun for the teacher as well. In fact, having done this kind of thing myself, I know that is the case.
We did the usual first class of the year reunion thing with all of us telling what we had been up to in the summer. Our teacher had been to Greece and declared that the Greek remains they have in Sicily are much better than what she saw in Greece. When she expressed surprise at how little there is at the Parthenon in Athens by way of statues and such, we had to confess that most of that stuff is in the British Museum. There you go, British vandalism goes back a long way.
They seem to have been doing a similar thing at the Labour Party Conference, which is going on in Manchester. Not robbing Greek artefacts and ancient monuments but talking about their holidays. Goodness knows why. Anyway I read part of a speech by a member of the Shadow Cabinet where he went on about how he and his family went interRailing this summer.
One of the places they visited was Salzburg and while still at the planning stage they discovered that there you can do a Sound of Music Tour. You go around on bikes, apparently, and visit places seen in the film version of the musical. You can run through the field where Maria sang "The Hills are Alive" and things like that. Well, his wife decided that if they were doing it they needed to make clothes out of curtains! Because they did so in the film!
So she bought some curtain material, took it away with them and on the train between Munich and Salzburg they sewed. Lederhosen for the boys and headscarves for the girls. Really? The train must have gone very slowly for them to get all that stitching done. it's surely not that far between Munich and Salzburg. I have made quite a lot of clothes myself in my time, some of then stitched by hand, so I know what I am talking about. Headscarves maybe but lederhosen??? That's asking a lot. And who makes headscarves out of curtains? Another thing: they must have very amenable sons if they were prepared to wear short trousers with bib and brace and all made from curtains!
In any case, I don't remember any clothes being made out of curtains in The Sound of Music. Granted, it's a long time since I saw the film so I could be wrong. Please put me wise if that is the case. I do know that Scarlett O'Hara successfully made a new outfit out of green velvet curtains in Gone with the Wind. (There's a woman who knew how to sew! Or at least, she knew how to get the faithful remaining slaves to sew.) Heaven help us if that politician goes on an American Civil War Tour holiday!
As regards the lederhosen, I am afraid I think it's all a lot of ... (I almost said something rude) ... nonsense!
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Monday, 22 September 2014
Stereotypes, weather, reading stuff!
I am reading (or rather re-reading but it's so long since I read it for the first time that it's almost like a first time read) Tolstoy's War and Peace. 19th century Russia was a strange place, with an upper class who often spoke to each other in French, even though some of them did so quite badly. It's especially odd as they were at war on and off with France. How odd to be able to speak to your enemy in his own language and still continue fighting. I suppose the truth was that the upper classes of all countries had more in common with each other than they did with the peasants of their own country.
As often happens when reading a novel, I find myself wanting to shake the characters into a realisation and understanding of what a mess they are making of their lives. You can see little Natasha (I say little rather than young because she has barely got beyond playing with dolls when she is suddenly falling in love) about to make serious mistakes and mostly because silly Prince Andrei, who IS old enough to know better, went off and left her alone for a year. What a daft man! Setting himself up for heartbreak.
At one point Tolstoy gets into a bit of national stereotyping about self-assuredness:
"A Frenchman is self-assured because he considers himself personally, in mind as well as body, irresistible enchanting for men as well as women. An. Englishman is self-assured on the grounds that he is a citizen of the best-organised state in the world, and therefore, as an Englishman, he always knows that everything he does as an Englishman is unquestionably good. An Italian is self-assured because he is excitable and easily forgets himself and others. A Russian is self-assured because he does not know anything and does not want to know anything, because he does not believe it is possible to know anything fully. A German is self-assured worst of all, and most firmly of all, and most disgustingly of all, because he imagines he knows the truth, science, which he has invented himself, but which for him is the absolute truth."
Priceless!!! I wonder if he would still think that England is the "best organised state in the world".
He didn't mention Sweden in there. For most people the stereotype most representative of Sweden is, of course, IKEA, which I have just discovered has been around since 1943! Who'd have thought it. Anyway, here is a link to an odd set of pictures, artist. Ed Harrington's idea of what various monsters would look like if flat packed by IKEA.
And, while we're talking of Russians, here's a link to some interesting photos of the Permafrost Kingdom of the Yakuts, Permafrost Kingdom is a tourist attraction set in a cave in Us-Kut, the homestead of the Atlasov family of Yakut people. Yakuts are Turkic people who mainly inhabit the Sakha Yakutia republic in Russia.
When I first saw that last item, I read it as the Permafrost Kingdom of the Yakults. This surprised me somewhat as Yakult is a type of liquid yoghurt product that is supposed to be really good for you. I imagined a range of Yakult ice-cream.
Not that it's ice-cream weather here. After my moans about the disappearance if the Indian summer, the sun came out again yesterday, albeit in rather a chilly fashion. Today began very dull but got brighter intermittently as the hours passed.
Mornings are chilly. Autumn is practically here. I am determinedly donning lightweight running gear still, shorts and sleeveless vest-top, but if the mornings continue to be cold I will have to get out the cold weather gear.
Not quite frost in the morning yet but I bet we'll have some soon.I have just heard ground-frost forecast for a few places in England tomorrow morning! Brrrr!!!!
As often happens when reading a novel, I find myself wanting to shake the characters into a realisation and understanding of what a mess they are making of their lives. You can see little Natasha (I say little rather than young because she has barely got beyond playing with dolls when she is suddenly falling in love) about to make serious mistakes and mostly because silly Prince Andrei, who IS old enough to know better, went off and left her alone for a year. What a daft man! Setting himself up for heartbreak.
At one point Tolstoy gets into a bit of national stereotyping about self-assuredness:
"A Frenchman is self-assured because he considers himself personally, in mind as well as body, irresistible enchanting for men as well as women. An. Englishman is self-assured on the grounds that he is a citizen of the best-organised state in the world, and therefore, as an Englishman, he always knows that everything he does as an Englishman is unquestionably good. An Italian is self-assured because he is excitable and easily forgets himself and others. A Russian is self-assured because he does not know anything and does not want to know anything, because he does not believe it is possible to know anything fully. A German is self-assured worst of all, and most firmly of all, and most disgustingly of all, because he imagines he knows the truth, science, which he has invented himself, but which for him is the absolute truth."
Priceless!!! I wonder if he would still think that England is the "best organised state in the world".
He didn't mention Sweden in there. For most people the stereotype most representative of Sweden is, of course, IKEA, which I have just discovered has been around since 1943! Who'd have thought it. Anyway, here is a link to an odd set of pictures, artist. Ed Harrington's idea of what various monsters would look like if flat packed by IKEA.
And, while we're talking of Russians, here's a link to some interesting photos of the Permafrost Kingdom of the Yakuts, Permafrost Kingdom is a tourist attraction set in a cave in Us-Kut, the homestead of the Atlasov family of Yakut people. Yakuts are Turkic people who mainly inhabit the Sakha Yakutia republic in Russia.
When I first saw that last item, I read it as the Permafrost Kingdom of the Yakults. This surprised me somewhat as Yakult is a type of liquid yoghurt product that is supposed to be really good for you. I imagined a range of Yakult ice-cream.
Not that it's ice-cream weather here. After my moans about the disappearance if the Indian summer, the sun came out again yesterday, albeit in rather a chilly fashion. Today began very dull but got brighter intermittently as the hours passed.
Mornings are chilly. Autumn is practically here. I am determinedly donning lightweight running gear still, shorts and sleeveless vest-top, but if the mornings continue to be cold I will have to get out the cold weather gear.
Not quite frost in the morning yet but I bet we'll have some soon.I have just heard ground-frost forecast for a few places in England tomorrow morning! Brrrr!!!!
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Sheds! But not as I know them.
On the BBC Radio 4 programme "You and Yours" the other day they were talking about garden sheds. These were not your average run of the mill garden sheds but fancy sheds, even one that that can rotate so you can change your view. With such a shed, if you live in a house with a sea view you can sometimes have your shed looking towards the garden and the house and at other times looking out to see. The wonders of modern technology!
But why would you need such a thing? Well, the people on the programme apparently use their shed as a place to write, relax, listen to music. Such a place is not a shed but a kind of gazebo or wooden conservatory. And, I wonder, in such a life, what do you use your house for? Are these people's life-partners such ogres that they feel the need to escape from them? Surely, if you can afford a fancy rotating shed, you probably have a house large enough for you to find a place of "refuge" if you absolutely have to escape from your spouse. Our house is not huge but we still can find space to spend part of the day in separate rooms if we so choose. It's not hard.
Now, I can understand that if a person has a particularly noisy or messy hobby, involving machinery such a lathes, drills, potters' wheels or what-have-you, then you might need a shed as a place of work. Surely, though, writing or reading or listening to music, even composing music, is better done in a more comfortable place than a shed!
We have a shed in the garden. In fact we have two: a large-ish one and a smaller one that is little more than a lean-to. Even if they're were empty I would not choose to sit in there for any length of time to relax in any way whatsoever. The only time I ever felt remotely inclined to spend any time in a shed was when I was child and we used to make my father's shed into a kind of den. Mind you, to do that we had to clamber over boxes of seeds, various DIY tools and so on. And even then it was never a very satisfactory den: too cold in winter and too hot and stuffy in summer!
Our sheds are of a similar kind to my father's. They are not empty. Despite the fact that an elderly neighbour thought we were erecting a playhouse for the children on the day we put the first on up, they really are not inviting places to stay for any length of time. Our sheds are full of bikes, sledges, old plant pots and other such gardening stuff! In other words, the kind of paraphernalia that you don't want cluttering the house. Where do shed-writers, shed-listeners to music, shed-relaxers put all this stuff? In the garage? So where do they put the car? In the living room?
Once again I am struck by how different some people's lives are.
But why would you need such a thing? Well, the people on the programme apparently use their shed as a place to write, relax, listen to music. Such a place is not a shed but a kind of gazebo or wooden conservatory. And, I wonder, in such a life, what do you use your house for? Are these people's life-partners such ogres that they feel the need to escape from them? Surely, if you can afford a fancy rotating shed, you probably have a house large enough for you to find a place of "refuge" if you absolutely have to escape from your spouse. Our house is not huge but we still can find space to spend part of the day in separate rooms if we so choose. It's not hard.
Now, I can understand that if a person has a particularly noisy or messy hobby, involving machinery such a lathes, drills, potters' wheels or what-have-you, then you might need a shed as a place of work. Surely, though, writing or reading or listening to music, even composing music, is better done in a more comfortable place than a shed!
We have a shed in the garden. In fact we have two: a large-ish one and a smaller one that is little more than a lean-to. Even if they're were empty I would not choose to sit in there for any length of time to relax in any way whatsoever. The only time I ever felt remotely inclined to spend any time in a shed was when I was child and we used to make my father's shed into a kind of den. Mind you, to do that we had to clamber over boxes of seeds, various DIY tools and so on. And even then it was never a very satisfactory den: too cold in winter and too hot and stuffy in summer!
Our sheds are of a similar kind to my father's. They are not empty. Despite the fact that an elderly neighbour thought we were erecting a playhouse for the children on the day we put the first on up, they really are not inviting places to stay for any length of time. Our sheds are full of bikes, sledges, old plant pots and other such gardening stuff! In other words, the kind of paraphernalia that you don't want cluttering the house. Where do shed-writers, shed-listeners to music, shed-relaxers put all this stuff? In the garage? So where do they put the car? In the living room?
Once again I am struck by how different some people's lives are.
Saturday, 20 September 2014
Staying together and getting it together.
So Scotland decided to stay with in the United Kingdom, not by a huge majority but still, the country remains part of "us". The strange cloud formation I saw recently which appeared to foretell the loss of Scotland did not come to pass. I confess to feeling some relief as I was rather worried about what the consequences of splitting would be. And Alex Salmond has chosen to resign from his post as First Minister. It smacks a little of taking his toys away and going home because the gang won't play his way. But maybe I am doing him a disservice.
What are we going to get excited about now? For the last few weeks the atmosphere has been electric with expectation and anticipation. Now it's all a little flat. Analysis of how the voting went and which bits of the community voted in which way is not quite the same somehow. And yet, there is still a feeling that things must change, that concessions must be made, that democracy has been shaken up and woken up. Will great changes to our society take place? We shall see.
Back in normal life, things go on as ever. The Indian summer seems to have petered out a little here in our neck of the woods. Having had some fine, warm days, once I started to arrange things to do, the weather decided to let me down. Wednesday started fine and warm, I sat waiting for a bus with my bags of shopping in Uppermill in brilliant warm sunshine. By the time Phil's brother turned up for a walk later in the morning, the grey cloud had moved in.
Similarly yesterday. I had arranged to take my German friend Heidy for a stroll around the area. She always admires the pictures of "sunny Saddleworth" I put on Facebook and wanted to see them for herself. So, of course, the cloud came down again. We had a nice walk but it's not quite the same when the sun chooses not to shine. 
As for today, well, it's Party in the Park at the Cricket and Bowling Club up the road from us. Bouncing castles and food stalls abound. Local hopefuls are scheduled to make music on the stage. Planning has been going on for months. People have bought tickets online. The "music" pounds out from mid afternoon until eleven in the evening, at least. A zumba teacher exhorts the crowd to join in the dance with her. Is this Saddleworth's answer to Glastonbury? Phil says it's Saddleworth's answer to A Guía. Towards the end of August each year our peaceful sleep in our Vigo flat is disturbed by the over-excited sound of a fair going on on the promontory of A Guía, for all the world like Silcock's fair which used to come to the farm at the end of our road when I was a child. Noisy, a bit tacky and keeping you awake at night. And yes, Party in the Park probably has more of A Guía than Glastonbury about it. Mind you, the wellies were totally. Glastonbury!
For, as you might expect, the sun failed to shine on Party in the Park and sensible people were prepared for all eventualities!
It did, however, like all the best Spanish fiestas, end in spectacular fireworks, which I watched from our attic bedroom window!
Thursday, 18 September 2014
Still protesting!
Yesterday evening on BBC Radio Four's arts review programme, Front Row, they were interviewing the wonderful Joan Baez, still singing beautifully at 71. She is doing concerts in London and at various venues around Europe. Not Manchester, unfortunately! She described how had been concerned that she wasn't hitting the high notes as well as she used to and had even considered giving up performing. Fortunately, rather than do that she went to see her doctor to see if there was something physically wrong. Nothing at all. What he reckoned was happening was that she was mentally blocking herself because her voice was no longer as young as it used to be (it happens to us all) and she was subconsciously unhappy about it. So he referred her to a voice therapist. This was America, after all. He sorted it out and she now feels fine.
A few years ago, more than a few, probably about seven or eight years ago, we saw her perform in Manchester. She may not have hit the highest of high notes (this was pre-voice therapy, after all) but she still sounded good. At the time, she commented on how much she was enjoying performing in contrast to how scared she used to be, the stage fright she used to endure when she needed to stand up and sing in public. And yet, despite the stage fright, she did it.
She sang to the vast crowds on the day that Martin Luther King made his "I have a dream" speech. So it was, I suppose, inevitable that they asked her in the Radio Four interview about the USA having a black president. Her response was a comment on growing racism in the United States. In her opinion, some of the anger that right wingers felt they could not openly express when equal rights legislation came in is being expressed now against Obama. What is more she feels that racism is more rife than ever in the USA. This fits in with recent news stories of black women out for a night together, simply drinking and chatting in bars being accused of prostitution and even arrested. Then there was the actress who was arrested, again for prostitution, when she kissed her white partner in their car. A passer-by took objection to this and reported them! And along came the police.
Land of the free! I think Joan Baez perhaps needs to continue singing those protest songs.
A few years ago, more than a few, probably about seven or eight years ago, we saw her perform in Manchester. She may not have hit the highest of high notes (this was pre-voice therapy, after all) but she still sounded good. At the time, she commented on how much she was enjoying performing in contrast to how scared she used to be, the stage fright she used to endure when she needed to stand up and sing in public. And yet, despite the stage fright, she did it.
She sang to the vast crowds on the day that Martin Luther King made his "I have a dream" speech. So it was, I suppose, inevitable that they asked her in the Radio Four interview about the USA having a black president. Her response was a comment on growing racism in the United States. In her opinion, some of the anger that right wingers felt they could not openly express when equal rights legislation came in is being expressed now against Obama. What is more she feels that racism is more rife than ever in the USA. This fits in with recent news stories of black women out for a night together, simply drinking and chatting in bars being accused of prostitution and even arrested. Then there was the actress who was arrested, again for prostitution, when she kissed her white partner in their car. A passer-by took objection to this and reported them! And along came the police.
Land of the free! I think Joan Baez perhaps needs to continue singing those protest songs.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
After the dog sitting.
Well, my dog-minding and grandparental duties are over for the time being. Yesterday I caught up with things I needed to do at my house, as opposed to at my daughter's house.
Today I went to Manchester, armed with a list of stuff I needed to buy.
The Indian summer continues and Manchester was full of people out and about - girls in their summer clothes (Springsteen fans, recognise the borrowed line?) and blokes in suits carrying their jackets. The centre of Manchester is very pleasant In the sunshine. In Saint Ann's square they have set up a kind of artisan market, selling jewellery and odd-looking clothes, as well as some very nice food stalls. I bought some very good bread and Eccles cakes.
However, I am not entirely sure about this tendency to fill the square up with stalls so frequently. In June they have French markets, where you can buy excellent tarte aux pommes (French apple pie) and as we get close to Christmas there will be Christmas markets. But the square itself is one of the nicest places in central Manchester and should be shown off for itself once in a while.
With the Scottish independence referendum coming up on Thursday, someone posted on Facebook a mini- article suggesting that Greater Manchester should make a bid for devolution as well. After all, it has a bigger population that Northern Ireland and a larger economy than Wales. Here's a bit of the rationale offered: "What’s the point of it? It is hoped that a devolved Greater Manchester combined authority, with an elected mayor and control over taxes and spending, would be able to turn the city’s fortunes around."
Long ago when we were students we used to joke about demanding free rule for Lancashire. That was when Manchester was still part of Lancashire. So maybe we should support any bid for A Free and Independent Greater Manchester. Hmmm!!!
So I have been doing a lot of walking around today, which I have been reading is better for you than sitting down. Experts say that we spend half our lives sitting down – and studies show it increases our risk of dying from practically any disease you can think of.
It all gets quite scientific, as usual. Those who know these things tell us that reducing sitting time increases the length of your telomeres. So, what are telomeres? You may well ask! "They are the protective caps made of DNA and protein that sit on the end of chromosomes and try to stop damage during cell division. They affect how long cells live, with shorter telomeres being linked to diseases related to ageing, such as heart disease, many cancers, diabetes, obesity and strokes." The more we stand up, the better it is for our telomeres.
And it's no good expecting that going to the gym once a week will make up for sitting around the rest of the time. This is not the case. We need to be on our feet more. So it's a good job I was always one of those teachers who moved around the classroom all the time and rarely sat behind the teacher's desk. I was doing myself a favour and didn't even know it.
One study concluded by saying that an adult who watches an average of six hours of television a day over his or her lifetime can expect to live 4.8 years less than someone who does not watch television.
Is it even possible to find enough stuff to watch on TV so that you can spend six hours a day sitting in front of the set?
Enough of that.
I have been trying to organise a walk around our rather fine bit of the UK (or possible future Independent Greater Manchester) with a friend. Consequently I have been looking at weather forecasts online. I have come across several different summaries for the next few days but all of them are really saying the same thing.
What is the difference between "times of clouds and sun", "periods of clouds and sun" and "partly sunny"?
I would appreciate any sensible suggestions.
The Indian summer continues and Manchester was full of people out and about - girls in their summer clothes (Springsteen fans, recognise the borrowed line?) and blokes in suits carrying their jackets. The centre of Manchester is very pleasant In the sunshine. In Saint Ann's square they have set up a kind of artisan market, selling jewellery and odd-looking clothes, as well as some very nice food stalls. I bought some very good bread and Eccles cakes.
However, I am not entirely sure about this tendency to fill the square up with stalls so frequently. In June they have French markets, where you can buy excellent tarte aux pommes (French apple pie) and as we get close to Christmas there will be Christmas markets. But the square itself is one of the nicest places in central Manchester and should be shown off for itself once in a while.
With the Scottish independence referendum coming up on Thursday, someone posted on Facebook a mini- article suggesting that Greater Manchester should make a bid for devolution as well. After all, it has a bigger population that Northern Ireland and a larger economy than Wales. Here's a bit of the rationale offered: "What’s the point of it? It is hoped that a devolved Greater Manchester combined authority, with an elected mayor and control over taxes and spending, would be able to turn the city’s fortunes around."
Long ago when we were students we used to joke about demanding free rule for Lancashire. That was when Manchester was still part of Lancashire. So maybe we should support any bid for A Free and Independent Greater Manchester. Hmmm!!!
So I have been doing a lot of walking around today, which I have been reading is better for you than sitting down. Experts say that we spend half our lives sitting down – and studies show it increases our risk of dying from practically any disease you can think of.
It all gets quite scientific, as usual. Those who know these things tell us that reducing sitting time increases the length of your telomeres. So, what are telomeres? You may well ask! "They are the protective caps made of DNA and protein that sit on the end of chromosomes and try to stop damage during cell division. They affect how long cells live, with shorter telomeres being linked to diseases related to ageing, such as heart disease, many cancers, diabetes, obesity and strokes." The more we stand up, the better it is for our telomeres.
And it's no good expecting that going to the gym once a week will make up for sitting around the rest of the time. This is not the case. We need to be on our feet more. So it's a good job I was always one of those teachers who moved around the classroom all the time and rarely sat behind the teacher's desk. I was doing myself a favour and didn't even know it.
One study concluded by saying that an adult who watches an average of six hours of television a day over his or her lifetime can expect to live 4.8 years less than someone who does not watch television.
Is it even possible to find enough stuff to watch on TV so that you can spend six hours a day sitting in front of the set?
Enough of that.
I have been trying to organise a walk around our rather fine bit of the UK (or possible future Independent Greater Manchester) with a friend. Consequently I have been looking at weather forecasts online. I have come across several different summaries for the next few days but all of them are really saying the same thing.
What is the difference between "times of clouds and sun", "periods of clouds and sun" and "partly sunny"?
I would appreciate any sensible suggestions.
Monday, 15 September 2014
The things people say.
An Italian friend of mine posted an article to Facebook, essentially a list of things you should know about Italian or things that Italians say and apparently believe.
1) There is something called the colpo d’aria, and it can give you something called cervicale.
2) You should never leave your house with a wet head.
3) Having a cappuccino after dinner inhibits digestion.
4) Sparkling water helps digestion.
5) A digestivo, like an amaro, grappa, or limoncello, really does help you digest.
6) It’s dangerous to go in the water within three hours of eating, especially for kids.
7) Putting urine on a sting, especially from a jellyfish, helps it heal.
8) Air-conditioning makes you sick.
Each one was examined in turn. Some were refuted. Some were accepted as having a grain of truth. What struck me was that most of them could also have been said by a good number of Spanish people I know and, for that matter, some French.
I've mentioned number one before. The colpo d'aria is basically a draught and I know quite a number of people who suffer from "cervicales", plural in Spanish, as a result of sitting in draught. That's why even on sunny days you see women wearing scarves. It is, of course, conceivable that it's just a stiff neck with a fancy name!
Similarly, number three. You would almost never find a Spaniard drinking cafe con leche after a meal. Only guiris do that. The Spanish and the Italians maintain that the dairy produce causes the problem. But it's all right to have arroz con leche (almost rice pudding), leche frita (another popular dessert - literally "fried milk" - no idea what it really is) or flan, all with dairy produce in!!!
On the coffee question, a French friend of mine long ago told me that you should never drink more than two cups of coffee a day and especially not after 6 in the evening. Or tea for that matter. She said that she once did so and her stomach turned inside out!!! Is that possible?
Some of them would also have been said on a regular basis by my mother forty years ago, especially numbers two and six. How our ideas have changed since then.
As for number seven, well!? There was an episode of "Friends", years go, where one of the girls had to wee on another's leg because of a jelly fish sting.
So that one must be true!!!
1) There is something called the colpo d’aria, and it can give you something called cervicale.
2) You should never leave your house with a wet head.
3) Having a cappuccino after dinner inhibits digestion.
4) Sparkling water helps digestion.
5) A digestivo, like an amaro, grappa, or limoncello, really does help you digest.
6) It’s dangerous to go in the water within three hours of eating, especially for kids.
7) Putting urine on a sting, especially from a jellyfish, helps it heal.
8) Air-conditioning makes you sick.
Each one was examined in turn. Some were refuted. Some were accepted as having a grain of truth. What struck me was that most of them could also have been said by a good number of Spanish people I know and, for that matter, some French.
I've mentioned number one before. The colpo d'aria is basically a draught and I know quite a number of people who suffer from "cervicales", plural in Spanish, as a result of sitting in draught. That's why even on sunny days you see women wearing scarves. It is, of course, conceivable that it's just a stiff neck with a fancy name!
Similarly, number three. You would almost never find a Spaniard drinking cafe con leche after a meal. Only guiris do that. The Spanish and the Italians maintain that the dairy produce causes the problem. But it's all right to have arroz con leche (almost rice pudding), leche frita (another popular dessert - literally "fried milk" - no idea what it really is) or flan, all with dairy produce in!!!
On the coffee question, a French friend of mine long ago told me that you should never drink more than two cups of coffee a day and especially not after 6 in the evening. Or tea for that matter. She said that she once did so and her stomach turned inside out!!! Is that possible?
Some of them would also have been said on a regular basis by my mother forty years ago, especially numbers two and six. How our ideas have changed since then.
As for number seven, well!? There was an episode of "Friends", years go, where one of the girls had to wee on another's leg because of a jelly fish sting.
So that one must be true!!!
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