Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [89]


They do, but it's more the school supply end rather than professional. Still it's ok for just a bit of casual daubing ;)

Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [278]


The term you want is 'sediment'. During the winemaking process it's known as 'lees'. Cheers! :)

Work / tram driver foreigner [31]


They're not mine because I'm Irish :) I live in Poland though. Anyway I wish you luck, hope it all works out for you.

Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [89]


That's true. In some of those very complex paintings like cityscapes, the perspective is so well captured because they had a primitive form of projector on the go, the camera obscura.


That man is a legend. One of the first contemporary artists that I discovered back in my mid-teens and he's still going strong and always doing something new. I remember reading an interview with him from the 1990s and at that time anyway he was still doing four hours of drawing each day, just as a technical discipline and that was about 30 years after leaving college. And here is the great man himself talking about the camera obscura:

Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [89]


Sorry Paulina, just noticed that you asked me this about why I don't paint anymore.

There's no doubt that art college definitely killed some of the joy of art for me. After I left I didn't even touch a pencil, let alone a brush for about two years! But I have taken it up again from time to time over the years. At the moment, I have some ideas for something I'd like to do but I need a lot of time and solitude to produce art work. I need to lose myself in it :) I don't know about you but I have to go into another world and I find that very hard to do nowadays for a number of reasons.

However, I remain optimistic that I'll manage it at some point :)


If only! But if you ask one of them nicely they might be able to suggest cheaper alternatives :)

Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [89]


That one calls for a Jesus, Mary and Joseph!


It just stops thinner paper from buckling with water based paints. When it's dry you cut the picture off the board by running a blade/craft knife round the edge along a metal ruler. It comes out really lovely and flat.

Btw don't forget Faber Castell products. They're cheaper than Winsor and Newton and better quality than Daler-Rowney.

Gouache is a great medium, so versatile. You can use it like watercolour and you can also use a palette knife and paint impasto with it though I'd only do that on heavier paper.

Work / tram driver foreigner [31]

The regulations on employing foreign nationals in public transport seem to vary from city to city. Warsaw seems to not want foreign drivers. There are some special training courses for Ukrainians but that seems to be because of the war and giving refugees a chance to find work. These courses are for Ukrainians only.

I did a bit more looking into the process for being a tram driver and it IS possible in theory for a foreigner to drive a tram in some Polish cities anyway, but you have to do a training course and that will be conducted in Polish so ................. it's probably better to improve your Polish skills. It will be more useful to you anyway if you want to live in Poland.

A bit puzzled as to why you are considering living in Ukraine. Much harder life there than in Poland.

History / Life in communist Poland - personal relations [397]

Sweet Jesus is what we call an 'aspiration'. There's a whole list of them that are permitted by the Catholic church and are lavishly used in Ireland.

Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [278]

Funny you should mention Georgian wine! We've been drinking that lately - Mr Atch says it tastes like 'old' wine, the kind you'd expect to get at a banquet a few hundred years ago :) We've also been going for the semi-sweet. It's like drinking intoxicating grape juice. Delicious.

Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [89]


Sweet Jesus! That's expensive even in Euros. I had sable brushes when I was a student and they were expensive but not that bad. Maybe it's to do with the decline in the fur trade, conservation and that sort of thing.

Ok,then Daler- Rowney is another old standby. Basically any brushes that you use for watercolour can also be used with gouache. As for paper, you can use a lighter weight if you stretch it. I used to do that a lot as a student. If you're experimenting you won't want to use expensive, heavier paper. So you can just use regular drawing paper but soak it and tape it to a board with masking tape. Otherwise use 300gm or heavier.

• 
  
  

Life / danger of animals during hiking in poland [21]

The ticks and mozzies are the worst thing, that's true. The ticks in particular are a big problem in forested areas. As for boar, I've lived in a house near the forest and never saw one but saw evidence of them - they seem to be most active at night? During the day you could see where they'd been foraging and where they'd been sleeping but I think they prefer to avoid humans. That's how it seemed to me as a casual observer anyway.

Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [89]


As a matter of fact she's far more likely to become a star of the notoriously fickle art world by drawing ONLY on squared paper and making a thing of it. I can see it now, a major exhibition with all the artwork on squared paper with a certain type sipping their Pinot Noir and trying to decide what profound statement she's making.

@Paulina, I don't paint at all these days so there may be new products on the market but in general you can't go wrong with Winsor & Newton, really top quality paint. Also sable brushes, but I'm sure you know that already. They're very expensive but they last pretty much for a lifetime so they're worth the investment for a serious artist such as yourself.

Your drawings are really nice. The blonde/redhead has a slightly pugnacious set of the head and shoulders. She has real attitude - self-portrait? :)

My favourite though is this one. It's very fluid, lots of movement, very free and quite beautifully executed - and there's a humour/quirkiness to it that I like:

• 
  
  

Work / tram driver foreigner [31]


He was being tongue-in-cheek. This strange phenomenon is known as 'a sense of humour'.


How charming. Incoherent but charming.

Work / tram driver foreigner [31]


There must have been a dire shortage of bus drivers. Ukrainians are allowed to train as tram drivers in some cities but not Warsaw I believe.

Real Estate / Move from Canada and buy an apartment in Krakow? [22]


When you want to pop out to the shops for a loaf of bread or a chocolate bar .................

I took a look at some of the OP's old posts. He's posted here a few times over the years. He has a few issues with depression etc. The city is probably better for him so he doesn't end up socially isolated.


freedom.pl/

morizon.pl/

A lot of new builds are very flimsy and poorly constructed. I know a few people living in new apartment blocks in Warsaw who can hear everything from the neighbouring apartments. Also know somebody who has plaster falling off the ceiling already and needs to get it renovated. Be aware too of 'noisy neighbours' which really is a major issue in Polish cities. I know somebody who lives in one of the more expensive districts of Warsaw in a 'luxury' block and he says his neighbours are 'patalogia' in suits.


You may have but what difference does that make in your day to day life? Kraków is not the nicest place. The air quality in winter is absolutely toxic.

Here's what the EU says:

The city is aware that despite the clear decline in pollutant concentrations, it still has a long way to go. Particularly important are the issues of reducing pollution from transport or inflow emissions from municipalities adjacent to the city which currently have the greatest impact on the air quality in the city.

The city's goal is to intensively influence the neighbouring communes by sharing experiences and stimulating them to implement a low-emission policy.

If I were you, I'd go for the coast, Trójmiasto, access to the sea, clean air, better quality of life, three cities to choose from, good employment opportunities in Gdańsk.

Work / tram driver foreigner [31]

You'd need to speak Polish.

UK, Ireland / Is it good for Poland as Sinn Fein will win today in Northen Ireland [262]


I just checked and unfortunately they've already closed it. They reached their target and beyond so they closed it in order to give the money to the family.


Apparently they got into a verbal row outside a shop with a bunch of scumbags and were then followed. You can be sure the Gardai will leave no stone unturned to identify them.

Love / Polish guy canceled 3rd date on me, is he uninterested or am I reading too much into it [32]

Well, a man who can't go for more than the first date without expecting sex is no loss to any woman. I'm sure she can do better than that.

Off-Topic / Happy Easter, everyone! :) [76]

Yes, you can buy it in Auchan. They stock Polish lamb all year round though it's shockingly expensive and the cuts are a bit weird. The chops are not what we'd call a chop in Ireland and the shanks are tiny. The leg of lamb is the best value. They sometimes have British or Irish lamb and Biedronka occasionally have Irish lamb, but very rarely.

Love / Polish guy canceled 3rd date on me, is he uninterested or am I reading too much into it [32]

@Americangirldoll, firstly very few people on this forum are Polish or have any connection to Poland so I'm not sure you'll get any great cultural insights. I'm not Polish either but I am married to a Polish man and I live in Poland.

Here's my view. It kind of depends on his age. You say he's been living in America for eight years. Most Polish guys get married in their twenties or thirties. If he's older than that and still single, he's probably not interested in a serious relationship but will string you along for sex and home-cooked meals for as long as it suits him. If he's younger, there's a good chance that he's already married or involved elsewhere, especially as you met him online and don't really know anything about him.

My advice is be careful. Just wait and if you don't hear from him again, don't contact him. Just let it go.

If you do hear from him again, you need to see where he lives etc. to be sure he's really a single guy.

Final piece of advice, don't have sex with guys you barely know. Have a bit of self-respect. If he really likes you, he'll wait. If he pressures you, he's bad news. Best of luck!

Food / Poles have a more loving attitude to food than here in the UK [69]

Pawian, why do you photograph food all the time?? You don't just do it at events but at home too. Dlaczego?

Food / Poles have a more loving attitude to food than here in the UK [69]


Here's a typical staff room lunch in the UK ...........

• 
  
  

Food / Poles have a more loving attitude to food than here in the UK [69]

The photos are great - remind me of 1970s dinner party/buffet food :)

Life / Neoliberalism and family formation in Poland [100]


Well, speaking for myself, I prefer a man who displays basic manners and common courtesy - and not just towards me or women in general but towards everybody.


And neither am I. For example, early proponents of women's rights in England (and some of them were men) advocated for equal educational rights for girls. That was a massive issue. Sir Thomas More who died in 1535 insisted that his daughters have the same classical education as his sons, which was pretty much unheard of in those days. His daughter Margaret Roper was a classical scholar and translator of considerable repute during her brief lifetime. For centuries it was about women being routinely denied equality of opportunity in a range of areas, not just in voting.


I know Americans generally dislike nuance and complexity but it's just not that simple.


He takes advantage of foolish or unstable young women and makes money from selling pornography.

Life / Neoliberalism and family formation in Poland [100]


Feminism has its roots in works like England's 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' by Mary Wollstonecraft which was published in the late 1700s.


On his own website he said the following:

"My job was to meet a girl, go on a few dates, sleep with her, test if she's quality, get her to fall in love with me to where she'd do anything I say and then get her on webcam so we could become rich together,"

"I had 75 women working for me in four locations and I was doing $600,000 a month from webcam," he said in a podcast interview.

He's just a a low-life.


Really? The latest news from two weeks ago is that they will be tried in Romania and then extradited to the UK for trial there. The English police already have the European arrest warrant.

He claims to be under instruction from God ............. I suppose that's useful if he wants to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

Off-Topic / Happy Easter, everyone! :) [76]


Roast leg of lamb, that's the traditional Easter dinner in Ireland.

Off-Topic / Happy Easter, everyone! :) [76]


A joyful Easter to you Johnny and wishing all our members Easter Blessings.

Genealogy / Anyone from Berezka / Brzuska near the Ukrainian border ? [53]


According to the sources I checked, the village of Berezka was destroyed by the Germans and abandoned by the villagers.

'The church is visited by former inhabitants of the village who emigrated after the war or were displaced, and by their descendants. Services are sometimes held here in memory of those who lived here.'

Of course it's possible that some villagers returned and settled there so I suppose one could check what the 'local' names are and see if there are any people of that name living in the village today. They might have a few tales of the 'my granny used to say' variety.


I know, she needs to go to Ireland for that :)


You're welcome :)

Genealogy / Anyone from Berezka / Brzuska near the Ukrainian border ? [53]

I'm not sure it's worth visiting there to be honest. The problem with these Polish villages is that they were small rural settlements with wooden houses which have mostly disappeared and there is now nothing much to see other than modern buildings and the locals have no historic connection with the area and don't have any stories to share. However the ruins of the church are there but it's an Orthodox church.

If you like walking in hilly places and forest trails etc. you might enjoy a couple of days in the area and there's a river, so nice countryside.

Here's a link to Google streetview so you can see what the village looks like:

instantstreetview.com/@49.390782,22.387613,270.58h,3.65p,0z,-2PLe8KH3vM3_no4lbtABg

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [849]


That's nice :) I especially like the pic where they've done some kind of project and there are photos of the beautiful coastline. How come I wasn't invited? ;)