Hello

I'm over the moon because I finally found it! https://bit.ly/3qGAvV1

Alan Davis

Hi.Good decision

I should have tried it earlier! https://bit.ly/3nkFHMt

Alan Davis

Yo! Dear.Popular solution

Just the thing! https://bit.ly/3rFBAhu I love it!

Alan Davis

re:

   

http://exemple-memoire-technique.com/well.php

   

Alan Davis
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

From: Alan Davis

http://manzanitablockwatch.com/new_job.php Alan Davis Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

Where has Alan been?

Well a big hello to the students and teachers at El Villar. I hope some of you still remember me, even though you have all grown up since I first came to the school in 2011?
Since Coral and I visited in November 2014 we have had a very busy time. In April 2015 we were lucky to visit the Eastern Mediterranean for a huge Australian remembrance day at Gallipoli, in Turkey, and then visit the fabulous Greek islands, some of Italy, and the small countries along the eastern Adriatic coast, such as Croatia. We also visited Venice, and travelled by train to Milan Paris and London. We had to go to London for our son's wedding, which was on the last day of our holiday.
One of the most interesting NEW things we saw during our travels (most things in Europe are very old, are they not?) is the only one in the world...the Sea Organ of Zadar (Croatia). It is like a super big mouth organ, which is played by movement of the sea.

More details can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_organ and at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSrgFDx7dpg
Until next time, study hard and be good for your teachers and parents,

Alan

Penguins in Sydney?

When Mercedes visited Australia a few years ago she lived in Sydney, and did a lot of touristic things. I wonder if she knows that Sydney Harbour, near Manly, is the home of a colony of Fairy Penguins. Maybe Mercedes actually visited Manly on the Ferry, and got to see some of these marvellous tiny birds.  You must ask her.

Did you know that wild Penguins live only in the southern hemisphere, with most being found in Antarctica where it is very cold all year round.  There are many different types, with the largest being the Emperor Penguin (remember the movie Happy Feet) and the smallest being the Fairy or Little Penguin. Adult Fairy Penguins weigh no more that 1 Kilogram, and are no more than 30cm high.

Follow this link to learn more about these little fellows:

http://users.tpg.com.au/users/battagli/Penguins/Fairy%20Penguin%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

Fancy that, Australia is the home of Kangaroos and Koalas, but also of Penguins.  Do you think Australia might also be the home of Seals and Polar Bears?  I wonder??

Until next time, happy researching.

Alan

Migaloo

Welcome back from holidays.  While you were away I did some research for something different, and also Australian. This is what I found...Migaloo (aboriginal for ''white fella") the white Hump Back Whale.

Every Spanish Summer, which is the Australian Winter, thousands of whales from Antarctica (a part of which belongs to Australia) migrate to the warm waters of Northern Australia, near Cairns and Port Douglas, to have their babies.  One of them is an albino or white whale that Australians have named Migaloo.  That's him doing a "breach" in the photo above.  The youtube video below shows you more.

As a result of this annual whale migration up and down the eastern Australian coast there is now a rather popular tourist activity called "whale watching".

Whales migrate from cold to warm water is other parts of the world besides Australia.  See if you can use Google to find out where, and maybe what types of whales are involved.  In Australia the Hump Back is very common, so too is the smaller Minke whale.

Until next time, have great fun researching and learning.

Alan

Another Australian animal!

A big hello to all my friends at El Villar!

I know how you all love animals. I do!  and Australia has many different kinds, just as you do in Spain and Europe.

The picture below is of a bird that lives in my street, is very sleepy during the day, and hunts insects and small animals at night.  It even has special feathers on the leading edges of it's wings, so that it flies very quietly..isn't that special.  Finally, it has a mouth shaped very much like a frogs mouth.  It's not an owl, sooooo can you tell me what you think it is?

I wonder if your 'google skills' can find this bird, and it's other features.

Until next time,

Alan

Another interesting animal!

Hola again, from Australia!

Another wonderful animal from my travels.  Do you know what it is?  No helping Mercedes!

Every year about January/ February these animals return to a famous harbour and city in the United States of America.  I wonder if you can guess the name of the city?

These animals make their home on wood pontoons, built especially for them, and they are quite a tourist attraction.  See how they like "snoozing" on the pontoons.

Alan is looking forward to hearing your answers.

Until next time, study hard and be good.

Alan is back from his vacation!

Well a big hello to all my friends at El Villar.  My wife and I are finally back from our last "around the world" vacation.  We had a great time in London, visiting our son, and then on the cruiseship "Aurora", sailing from England to Australia via the Panama Canal.  A map of our travels is below...there are lots of interesting places to 'google' if you are interested.

Because of very rough seas, our first port of call was La Coruna (do you know where that is?). We then sailed past the Azores to Antigua in the Caribbean Sea, onto Aruba and then through the Panama Canal.  From here we sailed to San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua, to visit the oldes city in the Americas called Granada. We had a very long sail from here to San Francisco in the USA. From here we visited Honolulu, Pago Pago, Tonga, Auckland, Bay of Islands (top of New Zealand), and Sydney. We arrived home in Toowoomba on February 18.

In my travels I am always on the lookout for interesting animals, and this time I had an unexpected surprise in Aruba. While we have lots of lizards in Australia, I had never seen such interesting animals as the Green Iguana...and they are not afraid of humans either.

I wonder what you can find out about these interesting creatures?  What do they eat? Where do they live? Can they swim? What colours are they? and so on.

I hope that I have not given you too much to read and investigate? But you are good students, Si!

Until next time,

Alan

TAZ! Do you know him?

Well, my friends, I see from your blog that it is Christmas time again....BUT, there is no snow in Australia.  Just like Spain in summer, it is very hot.  We have to eat our ice cream very quickly, otherwise it melts and runs all over the place as a sticky mess.

I see from my last post that no one knows this strange animal.  Or were you too shy to try?

Well, the little animal is a Tasmanian Devil, and the cartoon character is TAZ.  Have you heard of him?

What can you tell me about Tasmanian Devils?  Where do they live, what do they eat, and so on.

Coral and I are travelling to London again soon, to see our son who is still teaching Math in London.  To be different, we will be having Christmas Day, December 25, in Dubai.  Do you know where that is?

We fly to London on December 27, and then after a week, we board a cruise ship Aurora to sail back to Australia.  We are looking forward to sailing through the Panama Canal.  Do you know what that is, and why it might be important.

We arrive back in Australia on February 18. I will blog some more when I get home.

I hope that you have a happy and holy Christmas, and that we might meet again some time in 2014.

Your good friend

Alan

Another strange animal!

Hello again my El Villar friends.
It does not seem to be three weeks since I last blogged, but it is.  I think I have been very busy.
Have you noticed how quickly time goes by when we are busy with our lives?  And how slowly it goes when we are bored?
I have another strange animal for you.
Not many Australian animals have been drawn in the cartoon world.  Nemo the fish is one. Nemo is the star of a Disney film.  The animal below is another.  Mercedes may have seen one, but maybe not!

Can you tell me what the name of the animal is, what part of Australia it lives in, and the name of the cartoon character which takes it's likeness.

I wonder if some students other than Lidia can answer the questions first?  Go on, you can do it!

Until next time,

Alan

What is this strange looking animal?

Wow! an animal with ears like a rabbit, eyes and nose like a mouse or rat, long tail like a small kangaroo or wallaby...and it even hops like a kangaroo, and burrows like a rabbit.  Like kangaroos, it is a marsupial...it has a pouch to carry it's baby in.  And guess what...the pouch faces backwards, just so it does not get dirty when digging burrows.  How smart is that?  More! it lives in the desert, and like koalas does not drink water.  There is not much water in the desert, so that is a good thing too, don't you think?

I wonder if your teachers have guessed what the animal is?  Mercedes might know, as she has visited Australia?

See if you can find it's aboriginal name, and let me know your answer.

Until next time, big hugs from your friend Alan from DownUnder.

mi amigo Bluey el periquito

A big HELLO to all my friends at CP Ntra.Sra. del Villar.  I notice that the Blog is very quiet this year.  Has the "cat got your tongue"?  That's an English expression meaning "why are you so quiet, can't you talk?"

No doubt you are very busy with your studies?

Coral and I have been very busy this year too.  We play sport four times a week, which does not give us much time for other things. We love our Table Tennis and Model Air Plane flying!

I have a new friend.  My daughter Angelina found this baby Budgerigar on the walk way near our house. He was hungry and not able to fly very well, so HE adopted us.  His name is Bluey. We did not know at first if it is a boy or girl...so Bluey was chosen as a name because it can be either.  Do you like that name?

Bluey loves doing tricks in his cage. He can swing upside down, and climb all over the bars of his cage.  We think he is smart.  We hope to be able to teach him to talk.

Now, Budgies are found all over the world. They are a popular pet.  But did you know that this little bird is a native of Australia. True!  Can you find out what the most common colour is?  It isn't blue!

We now know Bluey is a boy...do you know how we can tell this?

I hope that you can find time to write, just a little.

Your old friend,

Alan

What did you do on Vacation?

Well, a big hello to our English students at El Villar.

If I am reading your Schedule correctly, you are now back at school, and hopefully have moved on to the next grade.  I hope those who have moved onto high school will continue with their English studies, as having a good knowledge of English will help with future careers, as well as with any travel they might plan. I really do wish that I had the chance to learn Spanish as a young man.

Well, my friends, what did you do on your vacation?  Did you travel to some place interesting?  Did you learn any new sport or skill?  How about computer games or television?  I hope you were not what we call "couch potatoes"?

When I was travelling across the Pacific last February, our ship stopped in a part of Tahiti called Bora Bora.  See if you can find it on an Atlas.
The children of Bora Bora are very poor, and have little chance to play with computers or even watch television.  They would like to play football, but there is not much suitable land for playing fields. BUT, they do have a wonderful safe lagoon for water activities and, of course, they all swim like fish. Most children also have access to a canoe and they spend a lot of time practicing in them.

And when a ship comes into the lagoon, they love riding on the wake of ship Tenders or Ferries that are used to ferry ship passengers to shore.  Below is a photo of this activity.

That's something a bit different, is it not?  Would you like to try that activity, instead of football, maybe?

I hope to write again soon.  Until then, see what you can find out about Bora Bora and Tahiti.

Ferdinand Magellan

Well Hello again, and thanks to all who have used their English to reply to my earlier blogs. Well done, and keep on trying.
With this blog I continue with my travels on the good ship Arcadia.
A very long time ago a sea captain by the name of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese working for King Charles I of Spain, was the first person to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, via South America. He is credited with discovering the Strait of Magellan, a difficult but more safe passage than via Cape Horn.  Do some research and see what you can find out about all this.
In my travels we did in fact sail into the Strait of Magellan, and visited a port city which overlooks the Strait. It's name is Punta Arenas. A photo of the city, and of the cruise ship Arcadia at anchor in the Strait is below. The photo was taken from the top of a ski trail, at the very end of the Andes Mountains in Chile.  How about that?

The following is a drawing of the Strait of Magellan, with the location of Punta Arenas marked for us.

A statue honouring Magellan, and the local Indians, is located in a beautiful Square in Punta Arenas.  It is said to be 'good luck' to hold the foot of the Indian's statue, as shown below.

Now, do you know about Cape Horn, at the very bottom of South America?  If not, do some research.  It is very isolated, and can be very dangerous.  In our journey to Punta Arenas, Arcadia sailed around the Cape, which is actually part of an island. A photo and map are below.

Until next time, study hard, practice your English....and see if you can tell me something about Magellan or Cape Horn that I may not know.

Alan

Back at School I see!

Well, my friends, I see from the school Schedule that vacation has ended and that you are therefore back at school, ready to learn many more new things.  This is correct, is it not?  Did you have a great time on vacation?  I hope so.

As you know from my last post, I had a long vacation that came to an end on February 25.  Like all goods things, it came to an end.  But it was a very interesting and relaxing experience.  I will have to do something like that again one day, when I have saved some more money for travel.

One of the most interesting places that I visited on my cruise is Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. The people are very friendly and energetic (they love to dance Samba, especially at Carnival time), and there are many interesting sights like Sugar Loaf mountain, Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, and the giant statue Christo Redentor on Corcovado Mountain. One of your teachers, Sandra, took my wife and I to see Cristo del Otero in Palencia, which is very impressive, but I think Christo Redentor is a little higher and a bit bigger.  That is something for you to research.  Which one is biggest?

Some memorable photos from Rio are below:

This is a view of Sugar Loaf from the first Cable Station (there are two stations)

This a photo of a part of Rio, taken from the top of Sugar Loaf

And this is the "Big Fella", as my wife calls him..Christo Redentor.

It was a very cloudy day on the mountain, so we were lucky to get such a photo.

Until next time, my friends, be good, and study hard!

Alan

Alan is back in Australia

Hello to all my good friends at CP Ntra.Sra. del Villar!  Coral and I have finally finished our long vacation, and we are back home in Toowoomba, Australia.  Just in time for lots of rain and floods, similar to last year.

We had a great time visiting all our teacher and student friends in Laguna, Arroyo, and Valladolid.  How you all have grown since we first visited in 2011. And how your English has improved too...keep up the good work. A big clap for your Director and her excellent teachers too. They are doing wonderful work.

I will try to keep up with my posts to your blog, and for a short while will include some photographs of my travels. I also have an interesting one from near Valladolid...I wonder if you can tell me where the photo is taken?  But first, apart from London, Spain, and Vienna (Austria), where did we travel. Well, a world map of our travels is below... the red line shows where our ship Arcadia sailed.

The ports and countries we visited are: Southampton (UK), Tenerife (Canary Islands) ,Recife (Brazil), Salvador (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Montevideo (Uruguay), Port Stanley (Malvinas), Cape Horn (Chile/Argenina), Punta Arenas (Chile), Chacabuco (Chile), Valpariso/Santiago (Chile), Easter Island (Chile), Pitcairn Island, Papeete/ Bora Bora (Tahiti), Suva (Fiji), Noumea (New Caledonia), and home to Brisbane (Australia).  Can you find these places in your school Atlas? or maybe Google?

Now, one of your great teachers took Coral and I to the place in the photograph below.  We had a great time.  Can you tell me where it is?  What is the closest village?

For the Science students, the following photograph was taken way down in the south of Chile. Do you know what it is, and how it got there. Why is it blue in colour, and where does the waterfall come from?  I wonder if your teachers know, or maybe your parents can help?

Until next time, be good, study hard....and Happy Easter to all.

Alan and Coral

Look who I found in Australia!

Do you know this lady?  Of course you do.  And while you were on vacation she found her way to Australia, and visited my family in Toowoomba.  I will let her tell you about the pictures in this blog, and many other exciting stories too, I'm sure.

The photograph below was taken by Mercedes, and is of my daughter with El Gato Bob.  My daughter is a school teacher too, and likes Bob very very much.

I hope that you had a very happy vacation, and that you are now ready for an exciting year of learning.  Study hard my friends, and one day you too may get to visit Australia.

See you later,

Alan

Blue Mountain Parrots/Lorikeets

The Blue Mountain Lorikeet or Parrot has many names as it is found all around Aurstralia, not just in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney. In Toowoomba they are called Rainbow Lorikeets, probably because they have as many colours as a rainbow. They are very pretty!

These birds can become very friendly, especially if people put seed or acacia flowers out for them to feed on. Some Australians keep them as pets, and they can be trained to talk and do tricks.

If you would like to know more about this bird, go to this link and play the video too. http://www.australianwildlife.com.au/rainbow.htm

They are very noisy, aren't they?

Famous Limestone Caves

Hola!
When I finished my last post to the blog I remembered that I know someone from Valladolid who may come to Australia, and that I suggested that this person should visit some famous Australian caves, not far from Sydney.

In Spain you have limestone caves too, and I think they are a little like the Jenolan Caves which were discovered back in about 1860. Do you know the names of any Spanish Caves and where they are located?

Some photos of the Jenolan Caves, located in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, are below.

"Three Sisters" in Blue Mountains where Jenolan Caves are locate

Entry to Jenolan Caves

Broken Column - maybe from earthquake?

A large white Stalagmite - it rises from the cave floor

Stalagmites and Stalagtites everywhere

A lot more photos may be found on this link - watch the slide show:

http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/towns/jenolan-caves/ 

Now, do you happen to know which tiny flying animal is often found in caves?  The one I am thinking of is not a bird and is blind...wow, do you know what it is?

Australian Butterflies

Wow! Spain has many beautiful butterflies.  I did not know this until today...we are never too old to learn!

Australia has about 400 different butterfly species, and like Spain, many are very pretty too.

Two well known Australian butterflies are the Ulysses (the blue one above), which can be quite large, and the Cairns Birdwing (the bottom photo).  Both are found in the tropical north of my country.

How many Spanish Butterflies can you name?

Until next time, study hard and be good.

Alan

A famous Spanish Knight!

Sorry for not writing for so long, my friends.  My wife Coral and I have been very busy fixing a few medical problems. Coral had a little operation on her right knee, and I had a new lens put in my right eye. We are well now!
Do you know where you might find the statue in the photo?  Which city?
I found it interesting that you have a blog posting on Robin Hood...and that you went to the theatre to see a drama about Robin.
When I was in primary school, a long time ago, two famous actors appeared in a film titled El Cid, and the whole school was taken to the movie theatre to see the film.  I have had an interest in Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid Campeador) ever since. Do you know his legend?
I find it amazing that some 50 years after I first saw the story in film that I came to visit that part of Spain, Castilla y Leon, where history was created. Unfortunately, I did not get to visit Burgos....we will do that next time we visit Spain.


Have any of you seen the movie that I saw a long time ago?  Ask your teachers if they know the movie and the actors?  The male actor played Ben Hur, in the movie of the same name.


Coral and I hope that you had a pleasant Easter, and that you had an interesting school vacation. 

A Birthday Vacation

Last year I had a wonderful 60th birthday at your school...do you remember?  Many of you made great birthday cards, which I brought home to Australia, to show my friends and family.

This year, for my 61st birthday last week, I again did something different.  My wife Coral and I went on a short 2 day journey, from Brisbane to Sydney, on a very big cruise ship (over 80,000 tonnes).  The ship's name is Arcadia, and a picture of her bow (the front) is below.

Do any of you recognise the building on the right side of Arcadia's bow...and where might Arcadia be berthed (a nautical term for "tied up")?

On the morning of my birthday the Arcadia berthed very early and I was able to take this photo of a very famous structure...do you know what it is, and where?  Finally, can you remind me of what day my birthday was on?  There is a clue in the picture!

Now for your final challenge, can you find Brisbane and Sydney on a map of Australia and see how far it is between the two cities?

Hasta la proxima!

Alan has a cat...his name is Bob

Do you have a pet?  What is it...a dog, a cat, a bird...or maybe even fish?  My wife and I have always had pet cats..well, since we bought our first house...our first cat came with our first house, and his name was Moey.  Moey lived a very long time. We had him for 23 years.

My son Andrew missed Moey so much that we had to replace him with a similar looking cat...his name is Bob.  Bob is now 17 years old, and we have had him since he was a kitten.

Bob likes to help with chores around the house...he just loves to watch Coral do the ironing.  Here are some photos of Bob:

In the photo above, Bob is lying on my wife's sewing table, watching her do the ironing...he has a clothes hanger on his paw.

Do you remember Nemo?

Do you remember Nemo, what he is, where he lives, and what he eats?

Well, first of all, Nemo is a star of a Disney movie....did you see it?  He is a member of a family of fish commonly called Clown Fish.  Clown Fish usually look like the one above, but they are not always orange with white and black stripes.  A different one is shown below:

Isn't this one pretty?  Yellow with blue stripes.  Do you see more colours?

Clown Fish live in tropical Coral Reefs, one of which is a very big reef off the east coast of Australia...the Great Barrier Reef, which is so big it can be seen from space by astronauts.  Other tropical reefs are found in the Indian Ocean and in the Red Sea....do you know of other such reefs?

Clown Fish live among, and sometimes within, sea anemones which have poisonous tentacles.  The Clown Fish is not hurt by the tentacles, and actually helps keep this sea creature clean by eating food scraps it has not consumed.  The Clown Fish also eats algae and plankton...very very small plants and animals that live in the sea.



The following is a picture of  a Clown Fish living inside an anemone:

Can you see the fish?  Look at the tentacles he is hiding behind...they are colourful too!

And here is a picture of Nemo's home...the Great Barrier Reef, from Space...the Reef is the white bits inside the blue ocean...the brown and green is Australia.  How about that?







DAMPER - Australian Recipe for your Restaurant

Australian DAMPER

"Damper" is a simple bread originally made by Australian Stockmen (cowboys) when camping out away from the Cattle Stations. Traditionally it is made in a cast-iron pot with a lid, called a "camp oven". The entire pot was either covered in hot wood coals or the camp oven was placed in a hole in the ground and surrounded with hot wood coals. It was usually spread with Butter and Syrup or Treacle and served with tea made in a billy over the camp fire.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 450g (3 cups) self-raising flour
• Pinch of salt
• 80g butter, chilled, cubed
• 185ml (3/4 cup) water (or half milk/half water)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add the water to the flour mixture and use a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until the mixture just comes together, adding 1-2 tbs extra water if the mixture is a little dry. Use your hands to bring the mixture together.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Shape into an 18cm disc and place on tray. Use a sharp knife that has been dipped in flour to mark 8 wedges on top. Dust the damper with a little extra flour and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the damper is cooked through and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Transfer to a wire rack for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature. It is best eaten warm on the day it is made.



Damper in a Camp Oven - see the hole in ground with hot wood coals on the lid

Another famous Australian animal!

Welcome back to school.  I hope you had a happy vacation over Christmas and that you are now ready for more interesting studies. We had a quiet Christmas in Toowoomba, and it was not too hot.

More on Australian animals!  Do you know this one?  It is on Australia's two cent coin, which is no longer used.  Japanese people love this animal, probably because they like dragons.  This animal is a Lizard, and it is sometimes called a "Bearded Dragon" or "Frilled Lizard". There are many different types of this lizard in Australia, and they can be found even in my garden...or out in the desert.  When they want to defend themselves they puff out the the big collar of skin around their head.  Just like in the pictures below.

Some children keep them as pets.  They can bite, but are not poisonous.

Until next time, study hard and practice English every day.

Alan