Coconut fantasy
Vanilla ice cream sprinkled with coconut and almond shavings
How I loved ice creams.
We devoured many balls till we developed a sharp pain in our noses. Something like an ice cream headache described in medical papers.
We ate it from cones at the time. However I prefer eating it from a cup nowadays. Licking something in the street at my age seems inelegant for me.
The choice of ‘without everything’ (like glucose, lactose and gluten) options is poor. There is only one, usually mango.
My favourite ice cream dessert was the baked one. They put it into a heat resistant bowl, spread meringue on top and bake it until the meringue solidifies. Then it is decorated with coloured castor sugar.
Espresso doppio
Cappuccino
Cafe latte
Americano
These different sorts of coffees are well known in English speaking countries. Like some foods like croque monsieur or spaghetti bolognese they have kept their original names. The pronunciation may be somewhat different in London for example. My favourite was ‘pret a manger’ when I lived there. They pronounced it as if it were one word.
If milk is part of a coffee based drink it has always to be confirmed if the client is intolerant to lactose or not. If yes, plant based milk is supplied like oat or almond milk. If the client has gluten sensitivity, soya milk is a safe option.
To create froth from hot milk is usual with cappuccino and they also sprinkle cocoa powder or cinnamon on top of it.
They usually decorate it with a heart made of cocoa most of the time. They are usually drunk with a straw.
People often buy a piece of cake to go with it. Gluten and/or lactose free options are available most of the time.
Priority boarding
Flights in Europe are usually crowded and all the seats are taken.
It is worth paying for priority boarding to avoid queuing up and the bustle and hustle of finding your seat and placing your suitcase in the rank right above your seat. It may happen that there is no space at the time you arrive there. Stewardesses then usually sort it out that your luggage be placed in a compartment further down the aisle.
Before departure you are not allowed to access the toilet and have to fasten your seatbelt and readjust your seat. To find the proper buttons and slots to readjust my seat and fasten my seat belt remains a difficult task for me.
Check if your phone is in flight mood. Forget about using the folding tablet in front of you. Lights usually dim. Before taking off the plane reaches a high speed. Bells sound and lights are switched on. What a relief !This is the moment I have been waiting for.
Entrance
I was a locum in Keighley at the time. I couldn’t wait to visit Bronte’s house in Haworth (very irregular pronunciation!) for so many years and it was very close to the hospital, just 15 minutes by train.
I got off the train at about 11 am and followed the signs to arrive at my goal. I had to stop then stand and stare at the moment I reached the house. A green meadow was spreading in front of me to the horizon. The air was foggy which made the atmosphere so authentic. I arrived at the ticket office some minutes later. After paying I asked the Lady where the entrance was. No answer, deep silence even after my third attempt. As usual I spelt the word to her and asked what the matter with my pronunciation was. It revealed that it was not similar to the pronunciation of circumstance as I presumed. There remained plenty of words like children, bill or liver the pronunciation of which has remained an insurmountable obstacle till today.
A real mystery why native speakers never catch that.
Watch your step
Mind your head
It happens every so often that there is a small step downwards which is difficult to notice. In case you don’t follow the change of the depth in surface you may trip and fall. It happened to me twice lately and I pushed some items from the shelves with my outstretched hands. It was awkward but nothing broke. Anyway I collected some bruises and those superficial injuries are pretty sore.
As a matter of fact some people are prone to tumble over every now and again. It may be a subtle neurological disorder. I hope I am not one of them.
All I can do is try to be cautious and move slowly when entering a shop or any new premises.
