Phew

Pam and I enjoy doing our Spanish homework. We usually work independently and then compare notes. Sometimes (not often), this can lead to a little "discussion" which calls for the dictionary.

The problem is that there are so many words in Spanish that either have several meanings or are used in an idiomatic way that changes their meaning entirely. Take the phrase "desde luego" which cropped up in a piece of work last week. You might literally translate as "from until" but actually it means "of course".

At our last lesson, Eduardo explained something of the geography of Spain; from the Sierras to the Rios and then asked us to write something about the geography of the country we came from.

Neither Pam nor I are geographers. Apart from admiring the scenery, we took little interest in the geographical features of the area where we lived. Ask me to name the rivers in England and I can get to about five before drying up.

So the first task was to find out something about the geography of the Wirral where we lived. Then we had to simplify the information down so that we could write it in Spanish. Finally we had to go through and hopefully correct the Spanish; remembering to put in the necessary prepositions which we English often neglect.

The end result is as dry as those rivers I couldn't name but at least it is done.

Next week I hope we can write about something more "lively".