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Forget Me Not Posted by Geoff on May 26, 2015
Do you have problems remembering all those convoluted and seemingly arbitrary rules of Italian grammar? I’ve often found that simple mnemonic devices can really help. Here’s a nice easy one in the form of a flower: the humble Forget me not. It’s difficult to trace the exact origins of the forget-me-not’s slightly nostalgic name. Its Latin…
Back To The Future Posted by Geoff on May 20, 2015
Expressing the future in the past is an aspect of Italian grammar that causes perennial consternation amongst students. But what exactly does ‘the future in the past’ mean? The future in the past (il condizionale passato) is used to express the idea that in the past you thought something would happen in the future. For…
Is it Art? Posted by Geoff on May 19, 2015
Does anyone really know what art is any more? Artists have always pushed the boundaries, posed difficult questions and challenged our preconception. Perhaps it was always inevitable therefore that the line that divides what we considered to be art from ‘everything else’ would eventually blur and fade. One particular genre that has caused much pondering…
Un Passo Avanti Posted by Geoff on May 11, 2015
We have one final stop to make before the border, the famous ‘Last Chance Cafe’, our romantic sobriquet for a decidedly unromantic service station which provides us with the last opportunity to have a real cup of caffè before heading into the culinary wastelands of Northern Europe. It also gives us an opportunity to buy…
The Journey Continues Posted by Geoff on May 7, 2015
By Geoff, with Italian translation by Serena The traffic is surprisingly light, we compliment ourselves on having got up at five thirty a.m. and I feel a pang of guilt that I shouted at Gigia when she kneaded and purred me into wakefulness at five twenty. She knew that we had to get up. Like…
Our Journey Posted by Geoff on May 5, 2015
Saturday, 2nd May 2015: 05:20 a.m. “Wake up Geoff!” ”No, go away ………..” 05:21 a.m. “Geoff …. wake up!” “Gigia ………….. NO! 05:22 a.m. “Geooooffff ….!” ”Gigia … F#çK OFF or I’ll kill you!” ”purr … purr … purr …” 05:25 a.m. “Okay, I surrender!” So begins our two and a half day ‘adventure’, a…
Blame It On The Cat! The Solutions Posted by Geoff on Apr 24, 2015
As promised, here are the solutions to our quiz Blame It On The Cat! Well done everyone who had a go. Smokey’s errors are numbered and highlighted in red, with the corrections and explanations given below. I’d particularly like to thank the brave readers who posted their answers in the comments section. Now let’s have…