Friday, July 25, 2008

Communication Skills.



click to make me even bigger

A big THANKYOU to everyone who came over to Catalunya to see me.

Murph - I'm sorry about that business with the Mossos - my fault - I should have told you that dogs weren't allowed on the beach.

Don't worry, I'm sure the bichon frisé owner
will eventually drop the charges.

Anyway, as I said before, my Catalan isn't improving at all - so it's been great to have some English chat in the comments box.


But if it's absolutely necessary to communicate with the locals, this is what I do.....
....Assuming a beaming smile (not easy for me as you know but absolutely vital in this case) I wave my hands in self effacing, non threatening, apologetic gestures.

This seems to endear me to people along the lines of - here's another useless foreigner who can't be arsed to learn Catalan - but at least she seems pleasant and probably a bit simple.

Kindness usually follows.
Here are some residents who didn't demand much conversation.



Seeya Saturday when I shall return to face up to my responsibilities.

KAZ

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23 Comments:

Blogger I, Like The View said...

hope you're having as good a time there as it seems you are from here

by coincidence, I have a view of a heron from my new perch!

:-)

8:06 am  
Blogger garfer said...

The Catalans are even more up themselves than the Scots.

Bleedin' minorities. Repress the lot of them.

8:33 am  
Blogger Dave said...

It's summer over here now. I expect it will have finished by Saturday.

9:00 am  
Blogger Betty said...

The gnetleman in picture 3 has the same shaped legs as the heron on picture 4.

It's supposed to be raining at the weekend. I'd cancel the flight home if I was you.

9:43 am  
Blogger Rog said...

We need more of an explanation regarding why people slide out from the left and right breasts of a giant gorilla.

(As for the Mossos .... oldes civil police force? Not very civil to me.)

9:44 am  
Blogger The Mistress said...

What happened after you met up with Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men?

1:11 pm  
Blogger Geoff said...

So you don't talk louder in English? You're letting your country down, Kaz.

1:41 pm  
Blogger The Poet Laura-eate said...

Blimey, you're away AGAIN Kaz????

I can't keep up!

By the by, you have just won an award @ mine.

:-)

2:23 pm  
Blogger Romeo Morningwood said...

Why does the kiddie slide, which is unceremoniously hanging down from Kong's moobs, appear to propel children onto the tracks of an oncoming train? D'OH!

Shouldn't it be turned around so that they land in the pool?

I am certain that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.

2:43 pm  
Blogger Zig said...

I think you should point out to Murph that the last photo contains a REAL Labrador Retriever (probably) and he was never going to get away with it!

5:04 pm  
Blogger Rog said...

D'oh!!!!!!!! If it hadn't have been for that pesky witchy...

6:00 pm  
Blogger CyberPete said...

Is that Chaudes offering body massages?

And am I seeing the word SEX behind him?

That's a bit unsettling

*calls number to warn*

7:53 pm  
Blogger Roses said...

Why are you coming back? It's too late now. You've missed the bloody summer. According to the forecast last night, it's supposed to be tipping it down the rest of the weekend and all of next week.

Needless to say, it's bright sunshine and clear skies here. Quite frankly I think sacrificing chickens would be more accurate than the ITV weather forecast.

8:40 am  
Blogger tony said...

I woke up Late this Saturday morning .Its warm + sunny outside.......Welcome back........(although it will probably start raining by the time I click the "Publish Your Comment" Box!

11:53 am  
Blogger KAZ said...

View:
I'm home now.
Hope there's a lift to your perch on the 8th floor.

Garfer:
It's not like me to be non PC - but they can be a pain.
I suppose it's all Franco's fault - he tried to ban them language and all.

Dave:
As we stepped out of the airport last night it started to rain.
It didn't last long, but I took it as a warning.

That avatar is too boring.

Betty:
How observant you are.
Do you think they share a bladder problem?

btw - Nice of you not to contradict 'View'.
You knew it was a stork really didn't you?

Murph:
Well it seems perfectly normal to me.
How else would you get out?

Sorry again.

mj:
We all reacquainted ourselves with 'Weed'.

Geoff:
I do try hard to overcome the stereotype.

Laura:
I was then but I’m not now.
I’m a peripatetic blogger these days.


Donnnn:
This is a place where they make and diplay the things along the side of the road.
The full picture has Kong lined up with an elephant, a donkey and ...you get the gist.
They always cheer me up.

Ziggi:
You can be so cruel at times.
Rather like the owner of this dog .
He was shut outside on the opposite balcony.
I kept shouting 'woof woof' to him - but he didn’t speak English either.

Murph:
But you are so much more handsome.
A veritable canine George Clooney.

Pete:
Definitely - with hot stones (‘pierres chaude‘).
Or come to think of it - doesn’t that mean ‘Hot Petes'?
Is there something you should be telling us?

The word is UNIsex - this is so wrong as we all know it means BOTH sexes.

Roses:
Let’s hope there’s summat good on telly.
I missed it in Spain.

Tony:
As we walked out of the airport it started to rain. But only for a little time just to make us feel at home.
And it did!

12:36 pm  
Blogger Zig said...

Kaz you have brought the Spanish weather home with you!

I thank you I thank you I thank you I thank you

:) would that I could make that smile larger.

(I'm only inside to top up the fluids - thought I'd have a Sangria in your honour!!)

3:35 pm  
Blogger Zig said...

Actually I don't know how to make one so it's a Pimms but I'm calling it a Sangria in your honour instead. Hope that'll do, cos it works for me byeeeee.

3:36 pm  
Blogger KAZ said...

Ziggi:
Looks like I'm a bit of a witch too!

I got used to the early evening gin and tonic in Spain.

Perhaps I should go posh and try the Pimms.

Cheers!

7:35 pm  
Blogger CyberPete said...

UNIsex like U and I sex or Uneedsex?

Hmmmm

I hope he doesn't have big plans with the giant scissors in his hand

7:49 pm  
Blogger KAZ said...

Pete:
UNI means one!
So it sounds like DIY.

I love that guy. I'm sure those scissors would work wonders with your hairstyle.

10:08 pm  
Blogger CyberPete said...

True.

I definately need a shag.

10:27 am  
Blogger KAZ said...

As your unpaid English tutor I must point out:

1: It's definitely

2: Shag means only one thing in English.
A deep pile carpet.

6:22 pm  
Blogger CyberPete said...

Sorry dear. I will try to remember that.

Who's to say I'm not in need of a carpet like that?

6:47 pm  

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