Today I went to Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo to the annual flower kermesse that is Orticolario. It was a lovely day, just warm enough with a fresh breeze off the lake. There were plenty of exhibitors including foreign ones ; I saw several French and a Belgian stand and some new entries, one of which… Continue reading Orticolario
Author: englishthatgrows
I have been living in Italy for a long time and I'm grateful for all the opportunities this beautiful, varied country has offered, especially art and music....oh! and food too. I also work here, doing the most exciting job possible (for a people-person like me) I teach English. New people, new ideas ,new methods to investigate,what more could anyone ask for!
Good Morning!
Today it really is a good morning! Two days ago we had a miserable day, very cold, drizzling rain, a really grey day. Your immediate reaction is "No, I'm not READY for winter yet". Ready or not, when it comes it'll come! I remember being on holiday once in the Maldive islands and the thought… Continue reading Good Morning!
More music!
Wednesday evening I went to Milan Auditorium to hear a very interesting concert; but I got more than I bargained for! First we heard Grieg's suite no.1 op.46 da Peer Gynt. It's a piece everyone knows and loves, particularly the descriptive "morning" shimmering like sunrays on water! After the interval Dvorak's Number 9 commonly known… Continue reading More music!
At long last!
This is my first video recording and it's just a taste of what we'll do in our conversation lessons. Lessons? More correctly I'd say practice. "Teacher talk" is very useful of course, it helps you get the rythyms of the language, so different from your own, but it's far more important for most people to… Continue reading At long last!
La Scala
Last night I went to La Scala to see Ali Baba, an accademy production. Actually a kind of glorified end-of-term show! It wasn't particularly good to tell the truth and I think most of the applause came from fond relations, but there again, everyone has to start somewhere. Cherubini's less-than-spectacular music didn't help either. I… Continue reading La Scala
Music
Yesterday evening I went to the Milan Auditorium for the first concert of the season. It was wonderful to be back, sitting in a comfortable seat, soft low lights and enveloped by great music. I've never really liked c.d's always preferring old-fashioned vinyl and I'm really happy it seems to be making a come-back. Maybe… Continue reading Music
Busy Day
Well, today will be a really busy day. This evening I am giving the presentation of the courses for the next academic year 2018/2019, and it's really exciting. Seeing old students who just come to say hello and keep in touch and meeting new people, prospective learners who are trying to make up their minds… Continue reading Busy Day
Recording
Well, this evening I decided to make my first recording! It's not actually my first because I have been practising, but it's the first that I have saved. I'll publish it and then we'll see if anyone feels like having a conversation with me, because, as I've said before, this is the main stumbling block… Continue reading Recording
oops!
Goodness me! I didn't realise just how much time had passed since I last wrote! This time of the year is pretty busy, setting up work, planning lessons, reading all I can get my hands on in order to work better. It's so exciting!
Autumn’s coming.
I guess we are starting to think about Autumn although most of us still have at least one foot still back in the holidays. We were smarter, fitter and maybe even happier then weren't we? And as far as I can make out, Autumn fashion is colluding with the approaching season to dampen our spirits. Blacks, greys,… Continue reading Autumn’s coming.
English that grows 