Life / Poland Is A Gem In Europe [71]


Yes, most of those newer or high end cars are leased - and there's a huge trade in 'odzież używana' imported from the UK. Surveys show that 70% of Polish people shop in secondhand clothes shops.

Life / Poland Is A Gem In Europe [71]

Yes, many people are in debt and very few have any significant savings.

As an Irish person, I find the quality of Polish meat and dairy produce quite low compared to Ireland but it has improved a lot in recent years.

As for the other things you mention, take the opportunity to travel to other European countries if you can and you'll see the same differences between them and the USA.

notesfrompoland.com/2021/01/21/a-quarter-of-poles-have-no-savings/

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


I know somebody who rented a cottage on her estate back in the 1970s. (It was actually the cottage that Beatrix Potter used as the model for Mr McGregor's garden.) He was a London-Irish guy, a professional musician, a drummer based in London and wanted a place where he could practise without disturbing the neighbours. He happened to know somebody in publishing (you know what the London arts scene was like back then, a village in many ways) and she arranged an introduction having put in a good word for him.

He was duly invited to afternoon tea at the 'big house'. He was warned by his publishing friend 'don't wear jeans' so he donned a velvet jacket and his only pair of trousers, mohair ones which he found he could barely squeeze into, not having had reason to wear them for some time.

On arrival at the Cartland house, he was met in the hallway by her son, fussing and flapping, who ushered him into the drawing room and there was La Cartland herself, in the ubiquitous pink froth and frills. He was waved to a seat and the son did mother with the silver teapot and generally danced attendance on his mama) She was quite loquacious and took a liking to her visitor, but as tea progressed the agony of his too-tight trousers was taking its toll and he began to suffer chest pains due to the inhibition of his blood circulation. Just as the mist was descending before his eyes and he thought he was about to pass out, she informed him that she was happy to let him have the cottage on two conditions.

1) He must never allow himself to be visible in the grounds when she was out there with visitors.

and

2) That he must never invite any guests with beards. 'I detest beards' she informed him.

Anyway a few weeks later after he moved in, he was strolling around the grounds and in the distance he spied her with a group of guests. She was leading the way, wearing a ball gown in the middle of the afternoon, carrying a parasol and dancing.

A couple of weeks after that he was summoned into the presence. She was not best pleased.

'I hear you had a visitor with a beard at the weekend. I told you I will not tolerate beards.'

'Well his name is ................ He's -'

La Cartland cut him off mid-sentence.

'Oh, yes, I know who he is. He has a First from Oxford you know. That's quite different!'

Anyway, apart from that he never had any bother with her. He said the son was far worse than she was!

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]

You just need to be a good observer of the students - and it needs to matter to you. If you have those two qualities it can work.

cambridge.org/elt/blog/2023/03/12/teaching-students-how-a-bit-of-kindness-can-go-a-long-way/

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]

A better thing than stripes for exemplary grades would be stripes for the most community spirited, kindest, most helpful and thoughtful to others, in short students who by their attitude towards their peers and their environment make the school a nicer place to be. Not every child is academic and may not have the support they need at home for homework etc. but every child can aspire to be the best person they can be.

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]


You said 'the Europeans' - most of them are not native English speakers so who are you talking about?

The English speaking Euros like the Brits and the Irish understand what the solstice is. In Ireland 'the longest day of the year' as we usually refer to it is a big deal, as is the 'shortest day of the year' in December, the winter solstice.

Language / translation help for a video in polish [3]

Nobody will be prepared to translate and prepare a transcript of such a long video - half an hour!

You need some kind of voice to text translation software. This is a free one.

notta.ai/en

I've never used it myself but I know people who have and they say it's good. You might need to download the video from YouTube first and save it to your computer. You can do that here:

en1.savefrom.net/1-youtube-video-downloader-2cs/

Edit: Sorry just realised you've already tried translation software. Only other suggestion is learn Polish asap! If you're interested in Polish dramas it might be a good idea.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

A selection of delightful outfits that any lady would be happy to wear :) and they can be easily run up on a sewing machine during your free time!

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News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]


I'm sure his padded cell already does that job nicely 😀

News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]


Are you talking about the Roman empire?


I described London. London is not in Ireland dear.


How very dare you! 😂I thought housewifery was God's most noble calling, according to you. Anyway, what makes you think I'm 'just' a housewife? I only do that as a sideline when I'm not busy with my work as Secretary General of the United Nations.

Built by men ............. while the women were busy bearing numerous children. Hard to build a road when you're pregnant - again. How many children did your great-grandmother have? Mine had eleven before she died at the age of 37, in childbirth. The baby lived for a short time. Of her eleven children, six survived to adulthood. The other great granny had only six because her husband died and she didn't remarry - too busy running the farm and seeing to it that her children got a good education.

Anyway, you're a complete weirdo and know nothing about what normal people want. Normal people like to walk, not sit on their arses all day gorging on burgers.

News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]


oko.press/sondaz-klopot-w-koalicji-wyborcy-trzeciej-drogi-i-lewicy-rozczarowani


The normal pattern of development in older and more developed societies than the USA is that of a small centre which gradually incorporates the surrounding villages, each of which maintains its individual character, services and amenities. For example, Chelsea in London:

"It's made up of not one, but a series of villages. "The southside of the Kings Road, spanning from Cheyne Walk down to Chelsea Harbour is incredibly sought after, in particular Old Chelsea to the east and the Ten Acre Estate further west," says Ed Boden, head of sales at Strutt & Parker Chelsea. "Brits and Europeans dominate here, driving the restaurants and boutiques lining the Kings Road. Families head here for the space, proximity to the river, and fantastic schools, all while having access to a buzzing social scene. With Georgian architecture, stucco-fronted houses, and river views, for the few houses that come to the market each year, appetite is strong and sales often competitive."

And it has a great hospital :) the Chelsea and Westminster.

bridgesandballoons.com/villages-london/

But I suppose some bland suburb with a 'highway' and a Walmart is preferable.

News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]


Latest polls show that among supporters of Tusk's party, 89% are satisfied and only 9% said they are disappointed.
.


Finally, the poll asked respondents who said they hold no party affiliation whether they assessed the ruling coalition or the opposition more favourably. The proportion choosing the ruling coalition, 42%, was significantly higher than those picking the opposition, 10%


What's wrong with that model?

Off-Topic / Things We Love [307]


Very nice, didn't know that poem.


That's probably just because of the banjo accompaniment (though of course that's not an Irish thing),

The original Irish song which provided the melody for Raglan Road is performed in the link below by a cross-section of Irish people. But yes, otherwise Irish music had an influence on American folk music of course but it was more of an Ulster-Scots influence, rather than Gaelic Irish.




However, the Ulster Scots and Gaelic Irish often used each other's tunes and there's many a heated argument over who 'owns' a particular air :) This one is a great example, it's a war song that was shared by both the Jacobite Catholic army and the opposing Ulster side under King William of Orange better known as a shower o' bastards - ;)

Off-Topic / Things We Love [307]


He wrote it for Maude Gonne, whom he pursued unsuccessfully for years. He wrote two poems for his children, one for his son and one for his daughter but he wasn't that interested in his children I think. Apparently he once encountered one of them in the hallway of their home, regarded the child with a puzzled air and enquired 'whose child are you?' 😂 I think that might have been his son Michael who was a well known figure in Dublin musical circles.

Btw. you have quite a poetic turn of speech there yourself in your analysis!

I like Byron.

'She walks in beauty
Like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies
And all that's best of light and dark
Meet in her aspect and in her eyes."

And Irish poet Austin Clarke

"Brightness was drenching through the branches
When she wandered again,
Turning the silver out of dark grasses
Where the skylark had lain,
And her voice coming softly over the meadow
Was the mist becoming rain."

Who but an Irishman could write so poetically about a lost cow!

and Patrick Kavanagh............

"On Raglan Road on an autumn day I saw her first and knew
That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue;
I saw the danger, yet I walked along the enchanted way,
And I said, let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day."

He put the words to the tune of an old Irish air from the 1600s called Fáinne Geal an Lae and 'gave' the song, as we say in Ireland to Luke Kelly in the Bailey pub in Dublin, one evening.

Off-Topic / Things We Love [307]

His poetry is lovely. We did a lot of it in secondary school. My mother's favourite was 'The Cloths of Heaven' - she used to quote it in the long, long twilight of Irish summer evenings :)

"Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light"

I'll let you discover the rest of it for yourself :)

Off-Topic / Things We Love [307]


William Butler Yeats.

literatura.wywrota.pl/wiersz-klasyka/44782-william-butler-yeats-the-lake-isle-of-innisfree.html

ksiegarnia-armoryka.pl/autor/william-butler-yeats

Off-Topic / Things We Love [307]


"And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings."

History / What should Russia and Poland do to become if not friends, then at least not enemies? [945]

He's holding his feet in a rather jaunty position. All he needs is a top hat, tails and a cane.

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Language / Why is the Polish language so difficult? [309]


It's the same with Irish :) Welcome back Roz, you haven't been here for ages. Hope you're keeping well 🥰

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1199]


Can you clarify that sentence?

Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [396]


Correction, it was one year ago! He's still a little spring chicken :)

Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [396]


I have a great aul memory for people's personal business (or do I?) and I remember that Alien celebrated his sixtieth not that long ago (or he was soon to do so), so it's probably not a zero birthday. But our Alien is a bit of a bon viveur anyway so I'd say champers on the birthday is par for the course :)

Edit: just checked and it was two years ago and he had the same champagne!

Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [396]


Many Happy Returns :)

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Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [396]

Can't beat a bottle of Bolli :) That's was our wedding champagne, Bollinger Special Cuvée. It's a very nice, affordable champagne, far nicer in my non-expert opinion than Tattinger or Moët & Chandon.

Was it your birthday Alien?

Food / Polish Golabki (Golomki) Recipe [41]

A bit like how the 'z' at the end of words is pronounced 's'. Are you a fan of Professor Miodek? I love his work. He did a great explanation of how the pronunciation of jabłko has been corrupted over the years and how it should be pronounced.

Language / Why is the Polish language so difficult? [309]


No, you didn't. I've heard it from other people - my own husband for one. I must ask him where he first heard it. I think it was at school from one of his teachers. It was a bit different, more along the lines of the grammatical complexities being a way of preventing spies infiltrating because it would be impossible for an outsider to every sound truly native.

Language / Why is the Polish language so difficult? [309]


That theory is not new. It's been around for years - how come you've only heard about it now??

Off-Topic / Let's talk about shoes [333]


I have them in white for summer; they look quite acceptable - and I have red ones with sheepskin lining and gold embroidery for winter. I prefer open back because they can slip on and off quickly. I only started wearing slippers in the house during the day when I came to Poland.

In Ireland I followed in my granny's and mother's footsteps - literally - by having house shoes. That was quite common in their generations. We also had them in school. You had to change into your indoor shoes which had rubber soles in order not to mark the parquet floors in the convent. Everybody had the same. It was part of the uniform.

USA, Canada / Why Americans don't allow men to be in briefs at the beach/swiming pools? [90]


Not hard for me to believe at all as I am one myself - and I have no interest in looking at strange men's nether regions, thank you very much. But then, I'm Irish and the beach means something different for us. Mostly we prefer to go somewhere quiet with few people. The 'seafront', the bit nearest the town/hotels/shops etc. is for families mostly.

USA, Canada / Why Americans don't allow men to be in briefs at the beach/swiming pools? [90]


Shoes maketh the man. Remember in Silence of the Lambs when Hannibal Lecter says 'you're just one generation away from white trash with your good bag and your cheap shoes' :) You see, she bought an expensive bag because she thinks that's what people will notice and didn't understand the importance of shoes. I once saw a documentary where the sales assistant in a very upmarket London shop said that she never judges customers who appear scruffy. She glances at the shoes and that's how she can tell if they have enough money to make a purchase.