Every June/July I watch the fig trees as their fruit starts forming. And every year, with a certain amount of regret, I notice the last of the figs falling on the ground, unclaimed after the seasonal glut. For at least the last three summers, I have intended to ask the lady down the road if... Continue Reading →
I have bitstripped
Bitstrip is a new Facebook app which is quite fun to use - provided your good friends also create their own Bitstrip avatar. It proved so popular within the first few days that the program crashed. The app writers were a little ambitious, and have now removed a few of the flexibility features which made... Continue Reading →
Read the fine print
This is a very ordinary story with no particular punchline. It started seven weeks ago when I made an appointment to see the doctor. I saw the doctor last week at our local health clinic. I live in Portugal and have finally got to the point when I understand most of what I hear, and... Continue Reading →
Coffee with Adam and God
I have never been to the Sistine Chapel, so have never seen The Creation of Adam in real life: I know that posters are printed of the hands of God and Adam with their fingers almost touching. I know this because someone once bought us one - and we framed it. Rather fittingly - or... Continue Reading →
Trumpets and translation
Even though we strive for – and frequently achieve – excellence, we translators are normally quite a modest lot. Except today, I received such wonderful feedback from an agency, I could not contain myself. I blew my own trumpet on Facebook, which I reserve for interaction with family and friends. In typical translator fashion, I quoted the... Continue Reading →
Your laundry is calling you
The other day, the poll on a translator forum asked how long we worked before taking a break. You will note that the question was not how often we take breaks. That would imply that most freelance translators stick to a rigid timetable. I, for one, cannot imagine that there are too many translators who... Continue Reading →
Pig misunderstands (again)
I grew up on a diet of similar jokes (without the drawings) from my father. If we bemoaned the lack of classical music concerts in Zimbabwe, he would say that the country had a lot of "culture" - agriculture. Then he would laugh his head off. Allison
I have just being doing a bit of blog admin, and clicked on one of the search engine items used to find my site.To my horror, it opened up in the Google browser, and my blog had been translated into a mangled mess of what might be construed as Brazilian Portuguese in some weird sci-fi movie featuring... Continue Reading →
Change management
Clearly, I am not managing my desire to change my blog's theme very well. I am exhausted by the time taken to choose this one because of the easy-to-read font. Depending entirely upon my whim and workload, this less-than satisfactory re-vamp may well remain unchanged for quite some time. Right now, fiddling about with the... Continue Reading →
pure chance
dream-catcher tossed one up landed in mine carried me away held me tight moved me inward and beyond followed me around all day it is coming back again tonight Allison
That elusive pair of jeans 