LIFE MUST GO ON

World Book Day - 23rd April 2020

In 1995 UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as that of the birth or death of several other prominent authors.
(In a historical coincidence, Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same date — 23 April 1616 — but not on the same day, as at the time, Spain used the Gregorian calendar and England used the Julian calendar; Shakespeare actually died 10 days after Cervantes died, on 3 May of the Gregorian calendar).

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, World Book Day is a charity event in March, held annually on the first Thursday and coinciding with the release of special editions. The annual celebration on 23 April is World Book Night, an event organized by independent charity The Reading Agency.
One hundred countries observe World Book Day.

Studies show reading for pleasure can reduce cortisol levels, better known to most of us as stress. It also improves memory and brain function. 
Fiction helps readers step into another person’s shoes and makes us more empathetic. Reading also increases attention span and can help you live longer.

23rd April, 2020

Steady improvement

Yesterday Spain had the lowest rate of new infections since the coronavirus crisis began. Besides,  the number of patients who have recovered and have been discharged from hospital increases every day. Apparently, the evolution of the outbreak is heading in a very good direction.

The major problem we face is the economic contraction foreseen by the IMF (International Monetary Fund) expecting a rebound in the fourth quarter with a significant recovery in 2021, thus confirming that we are talking about an intense crisis, but one with a limited duration.
We must try to go through the confinement with routines and patience. Keeping a daily schedule will help us reproduce something similar to the life we had before the lockdown.
Sport, study, games, music, social connection, meditation, DIY... are things we can do so that each day has a purpose. We have been cooped up at home for one month now but the sacrifice is worthwile.

I personally miss friends and family of course, but what I most long for is hugs and kisses. 

      HUGGING

     Feels good

     Dispels loneliness

     Overcomes fears

     Opens doors to feelings

     Builds self-esteem

     Slows down aging

     Eases tension

     Fights insomnia

     Is portable

     Requires no special equipment

     Fills up empty places in our lives

     Affirms Physical being

     Makes happy days happier

     Makes impossible days possible

     Is democratic, anyone is elegible for a hug

14th April, 2020

Elizabeth II, the British Queen and her very special speech to her nation

The Queen's Broadcast   (With subtitles). And below the video, you have the full script.
It is only the fifth time the monarch has given such a speech in her 68-year reign.

The Queen's four other special addresses:   

While her Christmas Day message is an annual event, only rarely has the Queen made rallying speeches at key moments in the life of the nation:

• A televised speech to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in June 2012
• A special address to the nation on the eve of her mother's funeral in April 2002
• A live broadcast on the eve of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in September 1997
• And a statement at the beginning of the land war in Iraq on 24 February 1991

5th April 2020

World Autism Awareness Day is April 2

On November 1, 2007, the United Nations (UN) called for one day each year to be designated as World Autism Day. On December 18, 2007, the UN General Assembly designated April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. It was first observed in 2008.

What is autism?

The National Autistic Society explains that, “Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world." 
“Autism is a spectrum condition. All autistic people share certain difficulties, but being autistic will affect them in different ways."
“Some autistic people also have learning disabilities, mental health issues or other conditions, meaning people need different levels of support. All people on the autism spectrum learn and develop.”
Autism Awareness is represented by the colour blue and multicolour puzzle pieces.

 Video: What is Autism? (2.41 min) Activate subtitles in the Configuration icon
2nd April, 2020

World Piano Day      

Piano Day is a worldwide celebration that takes place annually on the 88th day of the year, the 28th of March this year, because of the number of keys of the instrument being celebrated.

Deutsche Grammophon is set to mark World Piano Day with an international virtual festival featuring performances by stars like Maria João Pires, Rudolf Buchbinder, Evgeny Kissin, Vikingur Ólafsson, Jan Lisiecki, Joep Beving, Simon Ghraichy, Kit Armstrong and Daniil Trifonov.

Dr Clemens Trautmann, President of Deutsche Grammophon, comments: “Technology allows us to turn this year’s World Piano Day into an online space where masterful pianists can share positive and uplifting messages through music, performing on their own pianos and reaching people in their homes. We are deeply grateful to all those musicians who have agreed to take part and invite everyone to join the virtual festival audience.”

You can listen to these masters here:World Piano Day - Global Livestream, Deutsche Grammophon
28th March, 2020

Some vocabulary related to coronavirus in the news

• Hospital workers on frontline of coronavirus crisis.  En primera línea de...
• Our motivation is to get a vaccine as quickly as possible so we can hug each other again.              ... obtener una vacuna ... para que podamos abrazarnos...
• Rapid coronavirus tests. Tests de coronavirus rápidos.
• Pollution falls to record lows amid coronavirus lockdown. La contaminación cae a mínimos históricos en medio del confinamiento por coronavirus.
• Lack of protective materials such as masks.   Falta de material protector como máscaras.
• Coronavirs victims rise.   Las víctimas del coronavirus aumentan.
• The measures we have adopted will take effect.   Las medidas que hemos adoptado harán efecto.
• The latest figures supplied.  Las últimas cifras facilitadas.
• The Health Ministry. El Ministerio de Sanidad.
• 3,800 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospital.  ...se han recuperado y han sido dados de alta del hospital.
• Intensive care.   Cuidados intensivos.
• Health workers have been infected with the coronavirus. Los trabajadores sanitarios se han infectado con el coronavirus.
• The state of alarm.  Estado de alarma.
• Senior homes. Residencias de la tercera edad/ de ancianos.
• The military are carrying out disinfections. El ejercito está llevando a cabo desinfecciones.
• 100,000 reports have been filed for disobedience. Se han emitido 100.000 sanciones por desobediencia.
• There is behaviour that lacks solidarity. Hay comportamientos que muestran falta de solidaridad. 

 26th March, 2020 

The world is amid a great acceleration of coronavirus cases, Tokyo Olympics will be postponed to 2021, our economies head towards a deep recession and Spanish population has been put under strict lockdown.“This is the tough week, when we are all waiting to see if the measures we have adopted will take effect,” health authorities announce in Spain.

Lots of people are telecommuting, including thousands of teachers who are working hard to continue with their lessons online and keep in touch with their students.
What can students do?  Keep studying at home and cope the best you can with the restrictions.



24th March, 2020


Life must go on

I'm paraphrasing the words in the hit "The show must go on" by Freddie Mercury, who wrote it while he was dying of AIDS.

As the world is facing a dystopic crisis, we must try to keep the pace of our lives adapting them to new circumstances and backgounds.

 Staying in nowadays is not such a terrible confinement, our homes are really well-equipped with technology and supplies, so this is a challenge that offers us the opportunity to get in touch with friends and family, share time with our dearest ones (even if they are far from us) and above all, get to know ourselves better, refflect about the lives we live and about what we are learning along this process.

Today is the first day of spring... new life, new flowers, fresh air in our once over-polluted cities. 
Love to the world, from Burgos (Spain)

20th March 2020       

Easter in Great Britain

The Friday before Easter Sunday and the Monday after are a bank holiday (public holiday) in the UK. Over Easter schools in the UK close for two weeks, just enough time to digest all the chocolate.

Good Friday (Holy Friday).  When is Good Friday?  

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is a day of mourning in church and special services are held.

Why is it called Good Friday?

The name may be derived from 'God's Friday' in the same way that good-bye is derived from 'God be with ye'. It is 'good' because the barrier of sin was broken. 

What happens on Good Friday today? 

Since the early nineteenth century, before the introduction of bank holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Day were the only two days of leisure which were almost universally granted to working people. Good Friday today is still a public holiday in much of the UK. This means that many businesses are closed. 

Some Christians fast (go without food) on Good Friday. This helps them remember the sacrifice Jesus made for them on the day of crucifixion. Many churches hold a special service. This may be a communion service in the evening or a time of prayer during the day, especially around 3 o'clock as that is about the time of day when Jesus died. 

Many churches hold services lasting three hours. They may celebrate the Stations of the Cross, or take part in Passion plays and dramatic readings.


It is traditional to eat warm 'hot cross buns' on Good Friday. Hot Cross Buns with their combination of spicy, sweet and fruity flavours have long been an Easter tradition. 

Why do we eat Hot Cross Buns?                       

The history of hot cross buns dates far back to the pre-Christian era. It is thought that they are descendants of the small cakes offered to Eostre, the goddess of spring. They may have been marked with a cross even in ancient times, to represent the four quarters of the moon. In later centuries the church, unable to stamp out ancient pagan traditions, decided instead to "Christianize" the buns by associating the cross with that of Jesus.The pastry cross on top of the buns symbolises and reminds Christians of the cross that Jesus was killed on.

The buns were traditionally eaten at breakfast time, hot from the oven. They were once sold by street vendors who sang a little song about them.

"Hot cross buns, Hot cross buns, 

One a penny, two a penny, 

Hot cross buns."

Other traditional Good Friday food. It is traditional to eat fish on Good Friday instead of meat.

Good Friday Traditions 

Traditionally Good Friday was the day when everything was cleaned and whitewashed in preparation for Easter Sunday. 

 Holy Saturday. When is Holy Saturday?

It is the Saturday before Easter, the last day of Lent and is the day when Christ's body lay in His Tomb. In the early church Holy Saturday was a day of fasting and preparation for the Easter Vigil.

  Traditional Holy Saturday Event

The Bacup Nutters Dance traditionally takes place on this day in the small Pennine town of Bacup. Each year a team of folk-dancers with blackened faces dance through the town from boundary to boundary. A form of morris dancing, the blackened faces may either reflect a need for the dancers to disguise their faces from evil spirits, or have a mining connection. The tradition of this dance is thought to date back to 1857. 

      Easter Saturday

Holy Saturday is also often incorrectly called Easter Saturday, a term that correctly refers to the following Saturday after Easter.

Easter Sunday / Easter Day. What happens on Easter Sunday today?

Christians gather together on Easter Sunday for a Sunrise Service. This service takes place on a hill side so everyone can see the sun rise.

Some Christians take part in an Easter vigil, lighting a new fire outside the church early on Sunday morning. The Easter Eucharist is a particularly joyful service. It is a popular time for baptisms and renewal of baptism vows.

The Traditional Egg Gift       

The traditional Easter gift is a chocolate egg.

The first eggs given at Easter were birds eggs. These eggs were painted in bright colours to give them further meaning as a gift. 

As chocolate became more wide spread in the 20th Century, a chocolate version of the traditional painted egg was developed. The size of the chocolate egg has grown over the years and is now more likely to be the size of an ostrich egg rather than a small birds egg. 

 Easter Presents 

Chocolate eggs are given to children. The eggs are either hollow or have a filling, and are usually covered with brightly coloured silver paper. 

Around 80 million chocolate eggs are eaten each year in Britain. 

 Easter Egg Hunt 

Small chocolate eggs are hidden for the children to find on the traditional Easter Egg Hunt. In recent years this game has been linked to the Easter Bunny, which only arrived in Britain relatively recently. 

Origins of Colouring Eggs at Easter 

Decorating and colouring eggs for Easter was a common custom in England in the middle ages. Eggs were brightly coloured to mimic the new, fresh colours of spring. The practice of decorating eggs was made even more famous by King Edward I of England who ordered 450 eggs to be gold-leafed and coloured for Easter gifts in 1290. 

Special Food at Easter 

After the lean months of winter and the fast weeks of Lent, food at Easter was always a special treat. Easter day, like Christmas day, is also associated with special food. 

Boiled eggs are traditionally served at breakfast, then Easter cards and gifts may be exchanged. 

Roast lamb is the traditional meat for the main meal on Easter Day. It is served with mint sauce and vegetables. The traditional puddings are custard tarts sprinkled with currants and flat Easter biscuits.

 

Simnel cake is baked for tea.

 

The Simnel cake is a rich fruitcake covered with a thick layer of almond paste (marzipan). A layer of marzipan is also traditionally baked into the middle of the cake. 

Eleven balls of marzipan are placed around the top to represent the eleven true disciples (excluding Judas). Originally the simnel cake was a gift to mothers on Mothering Sunday in Mid Lent. 

Easter Monday

Easter Monday, another public holiday in much of the UK, has little religious significance but is the occasion for numerous secular customs. 

Egg rolling 

Egg rolling is very popular in England and is an Easter Monday sport. Hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a hill. Customs differ from place to place. The winner's egg may be the one that rolls the farthest, survives the most rolls, or is rolled between two pegs.

Dressing Up For Easter    

Easter was once a traditional day for getting married, that may be why people often dress up for Easter. Women would make and wear special Easter bonnets - decorated with flowers and ribbons. Even today in Battersea in London there is a special Easter Parade, where hand-made bonnets are shown off. 

Why does the date of Easter move?

Easter is called a moveable feast because the date of Easter changes every year. Easter Sunday can fall on any date from March 22 to April 25. The reason for this variation in the date of Easter is based on the lunar calendar rather than our more well-known solar one. 

Easter always falls on the first Sunday following the full Moon (the Paschal Full Moon) either on or after the Spring Equinox (March 20 or 21). If the Full Moon falls on a Sunday then Easter is the next Sunday.