A fancy house no? Legend has it that a wealthy merchant had it built so that he could climb the tower and watch his ships coming in to Bristol up the river. Photos from an afternoon in the city, having a Change Of Scenery. Since we've had the dog we haven't been into town much at all, so at the weekend we went for a wander on the downs and around the nearby village. A nice change, but Bertie prefers the wide open places where the lead can be put away and he can be all free range.
Thank you all for your great suggestions on how to deal with anxiety. I have read your comments several times, and taken note of everything mentioned, all excellent ideas. I shall refer back to them from time to time as needed. As well as being good suggestions, your words were encouraging and made me feel not alone in feeling anxious on occasion. So thank you.
In other news I am toying with the idea of learning a few words of Welsh. Every time I go there I wish I could speak it. Or at least pronounce a few things. And now we have the mighty internet, I'm sure it can all be done online. It was either Welsh or Italian, or maybe Spanish. But as we can actually see Wales from here and I'm not likely to be in Spain or Italy any time soon, I thought I'd start local. And before too long it will be free to go there when they remove the toll from the bridges (at the moment it costs £5.60 to go to Wales). There will be no stopping me then.
Have you ever learned another language since school? I don't imagine it's easy, but just a few sentences would be very satisfying to know. I do love listening to people speaking it. And oh, the accent, perfection, I love it. The biggest boy and I went on a boat trip a couple of years ago when we were in North Wales, and I could have listened to the boatman (captain?) talk for hours.
I'm off to investigate online Welsh now. Until next time my friends, hwyl fawr.
I too suddenly discovered the beauty of the Welsh language (I blame reruns of "Hinterland") so I turned to Duolingo.com for online instruction- I'll never be fluent, but the minutes spent daily are sheer pleasure- now I need a trip "across the Big Pond" to hear it used in real time-and that scenery is positively exquisite-
ReplyDeleteAll regards-
Barb in Texas
Ohh.. that store in the first picture.. how I'd love a browse. I'd have to have one of those vintage baskets. I haven't learned a new language since school but I have tried to expand on Spanish which I took in school. Hola amigo! Como esta? Love that fancy house.. what fun it would be to look around inside. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteI've been brushing up on my school girl French using Duolingo. Like Barb, I do a few minutes each morning and really enjoy it. I hope that it's helping to keep my brain active! That shop at the top looks well worth a browse! xx
ReplyDeleteAnd good morning to you too :) Thank goodness for google translate. I wish you well with your welsh studies. We had a lovely Welsh deputy head at school and occasionally he burst into his native language during assembly. The children were always entranced as were the staff. I do keep trying with my French. Vocabulary brilliant, grammar abysmal. Hope you have a cheery week. B x
ReplyDeleteGood post and pictures. I'd like to see inside that Buy and Sell shop, I bet that it's a real Aladdin's cave. I never did enjoy learning foreign languages at school, and have always got by with a guide book, handful of words and much gesticulating. xx
ReplyDeleteLearning Welsh is hard! At school I did French & German and found them easy. When I retired, having moved to Wales, I went to classes. Did it for three years and then gave up! Live near the English border so no-one to practise with . . . excuses, excuses!
ReplyDeleteI relearned French as school French was almost like learning Shakespearean English. I also learned enough Italian to get by on holidays. It was a course on TV and very good. I found Italian an intuitive language to learn and more straightforward than French. Good luck with the Welsh.
ReplyDeleteThat certainly is a fancy house! It looks almost like two different houses joined together. I love the musical sound of the Welsh language too. I shall look forward to hearing how you get on.
ReplyDeleteI studied French for a long time and was very good at it, but I've never actually been to France. I spent about two days in Quebec once, but didn't get to speak much French beause everyone spoke English when I tried. Maybe someday. Now I wish I'd studied Spanish, since I live just hours from the Mexican border. I'm encouraging my children to study Spanish when they go to high school so they don't make the same mistake I made, as much as I do still love French!
ReplyDeleteDear CJ, As I travel a lot I love to use the little bits of language I have picked up - often the same phrases but in different languages. Signs in another language are ones I like to learn too. You know the ones - exit, entry, pull, push, stop and danger etc. etc. All of these help me to enjoy my travelling as I greet people, say goodbyes, ask for help and express thanks etc. Numbers are often fairly similar in many languages and even if you get them wrong, people usually get what you are trying to ask for. It all adds to the enjoyment of travelling. I do think that the Welsh language is far harder though, than many others, so good luck. When our daughter started learning German in primary school, we invited her friends to tea, and everyone had to practise their German at the table, so my husband and I also learnt some German too. Practising at the meal table helped the girls learning German to remember what they were learning in the lessons too. When we worked at the beach volleyball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics we greeted VIPs and competitors at the entrance to the stand in their own language if we could. Sometimes we got it wrong, but it was fun and we received some lovely responses. I shall be interested in how you get on. All the best. Regards, Robyn
ReplyDeletePhew! My comments are working again! Those river pics are just lovely. It’s such a beautiful place. Wishing you a peaceful weekend learning Welsh xx
ReplyDeleteHaving tried Italian and not been overly successful (entirely my fault for not practicing) I don't think I could begin to contemplate Welsh. It such sounds so alien!
ReplyDeleteOh do give it a go! I have been inspired to try too as my grandmother came from Anglesey. I am learning it through duolingo which I think it brilliant. Just a few minutes a day seems totally approachable :-) Maybe one day we can chat. How cool would that be :-) xx (although at my pace of learning that might be in 2030!!!)
ReplyDeleteI am trying to learn sign language because three of the kids I work with are unable to speak. Just simple things like, more, please, thank you, colors, animals, family members and such. It just makes it easier for them and it is a great fine motor activity. Rest and enjoy your week.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, I had a bash at Spanish, which I really enjoyed. It fell by the wayside as I had no one to converse with, that and I'm a teeny bit lazy!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you feel more in control now. I am so so glad that there is always someone out there reading blogs and having useful suggestions. I am more or less fluent in Italian and French, at least in my head (I have nobody to talk to). My native tongue is Swiss German, which is not an official language and all Swiss children have to learn proper German. I guess it is also my native tongue. Once upon a time, I wanted to be a translator at the United Nations. How I ended up a biologist remains a mystery. I fancy learning Gaelic, which I think has a similar linguistic origin to Welsh? So far though I have only managed to read the signs in the lift of the Gaelic school, once a year when we do a science outreach event there. Have a wonderful week. I shall sign off now and dream of being the owner of the beautiful mansion. Imagine that! xx
ReplyDeleteI did a course in Arabic at York University a few years ago (I went to a bilingual school for a while) and loved it. Go for it!
ReplyDeleteI always love your photos. I'm fascinated by learning languages. If you're feeling it and can do it, why not? It's for you, right?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're feeling a little less anxious. I've had my fair share of problems with anxiety. I still do, but I'm in a much better place after a lot of reworking/processing etc. I realize it's different for everyone. If you just want to chat about it w/a non professional please feel comfortable reaching out.
Prynhaun da! I am not a Welsh speaker but since I moved from Scotland to Llandudno 5 years ago I have been trying to learn Welsh. I emphasise "trying" cos it's not easy,but worth it because it is a lovely language.Two friends and I decided to meet once a week and try to learn together since the classes we joined went too quickly for us and we are quite proud of our progress but realise we will never be proper speakers. Llandudno does not have a lot of Welsh speakers so I don't get much practice, but when I do meet the Welsh speakers I know they are always pleased to help.I can really recommend going online to Duolingo which is a language learning site that includes Welsh. Good Luck from a Scottish person,if I can do it so can you! Megan.
ReplyDeleteSay Something in Welsh is absolutely the best Welsh language course - it's online and free and is the sort of course that actually gets you constructing sentences within minutes - no learning random words for parts of the body for weeks. Can highly recommend it. I tried Duolingo and although it's fun and convenient to do in odd moments here or there I always just felt I was parroting words and not actually speaking a language. The Learn Welsh podcast by Jason Shepherd is also a good resource that makes you feel as if you could actually talk to someone. Pob lwc
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