test please delete

[NickFitz]

Am leaving TPD for the evening so goodnight all

Goodnight Zippy

Remember, you may leave TPD, but TPD never leaves you

[Zippy]

Morning

[Zippy]

I think I'm the first in today

[BrowneIssue]

[BrowneIssue]

The only problem is that there will be no-one around to make me a brew in the morning

So, stop in bed.

[BrowneIssue]

I picked her up from school this afternoon and took her bike.
All her friends were looking at it and asking if she could ride it with stabilisers.

Not 'without'?

[BrowneIssue]

The Dutch always say that, but deep down inside they like it if you make the effort

I did German at school and wasn't bad at it. As a consequence I find I can read Dutch fairly easily.

I reckon Dutch is easier than German; it seems sort of like a hybrid of German and English.

Aren't the Dutch our longest-standing allies?

I've been to Holland a few times (and going back next year too for a conference) and can't find fault with the place. Nor the people.

[BrowneIssue]

One time Gerda and I were in a bar near Dam Square and I ordered our beers in Dutch. The barmaid brought the drinks and said a whole load of gobbledegook.

Confused, I turned to Gerda, whereupon she and the barmaid both burst out laughing.

It turned that she'd been saying what a nice change it was to
meet an English person who had taken the trouble to learn Dutch

I only have a smattering of spoken French and can write bugger all. Just my usual essential phrases such as "two beers, please" and "a double room, please".

Stood in a long fast food restaurant queue in the South of France, the bloke behind asked me something. I responded "Excuse noi, je ne parlez pas Francais".

The woman with him said something and the whole queue fell about laughing.

One of the others translated: "It sounds perfect to me!"

But I'm sure she said something quite different.

Not that I care. The French only exist to be a buffer between us and the Germans.

[zeitghost]

Morning all.

[BrowneIssue]

One time Gerda and I were in a bar near Dam Square and I ordered our beers in Dutch.

I spent a lunchtime with a big bruvva in a bar in Germany, ordering food and drink and doing some small talk with the manager all in German.

After the meal my bruvva asked me to translate a chocolate bar wrapper and I struggled with the ingredients. The manager intervened and translated.

That was when the manager came clean: he was from Walthamstow.

"I didn't say anything because you were doing just fine." That was nice.