If you’re looking for great posts on a wide range of topics, simply scroll down the page for excerpts of our latest Personal A to Zs from around the world or search by letter or category.
Better still, why not join in the fun with a Personal A to Z of your own?
To find out more, read About My Personal A to Z Challenge then register to add your Personal A to Z Challenge and posts or visit the FAQs page if you’ve got more questions first.
Six years ago, I took my first-grade daughter to her first track practice. I was her soccer coach when she was very young – back in the days when what the girls most needed was a mom to keep them at least a little bit focused and running in the right direction during the games. Anyway, I noticed that any time I encouraged her with my coaching wisdom, shouting out “Beat her to the ball!” during a game – she always could do it. No matter where she was on the field at the time. I also noticed that as she flew across the field, she had a happy smile on her lips the entire time.
To read the more of this post, click here.
D covers an artist whose name you are probably not familiar with.
I’m going to make myself unpopular with my fellow Personal A to Z of Portugal bloggers by doing two posts using the letter K, which isn’t the easiest letter to find a topic for. Nevertheless, the abundance of kiwi fruit in Portugal means I’ve got something to say about them and a couple of scrummy recipes to share so I thought I’d combine them into this post.
Kiwis are a prime example of why it’s best not to judge by appearance. They may be ugly, brown and hairy on the outside, but slice them open and you get a feast for the eyes with their jade green flesh and uneven ring of tiny black seeds. When ripe, they’re deliciously juicy and sweet but if you try eating them before they’re quite ready, they can be a bit tart.
photo by Craig Damlo on Flickr.com
For more kiwi fun and a couple of recipes, click here.
The worst thing about acrylics is that they dry fast, and the best thing about acrylics is that they dry fast” Debbie DeBaun
Acrylic Paints
Love ‘em or hate ‘em! Acrylics certainly divide the art community down the middle!
Click here to read more about acrylic paints - and also to find out about my first featured artist – Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
Adelaide is the capital of the state of South Australia. It’s about 1700km from Perth and it takes about 3,30h to fly there, and they are 2,30 hours ahead of WA. (We don´t have daylight savings in Western Australia).
It’s a smaller city than Perth, with a lot to see in the neighbouring regions – two distinct wine regions, the Hills, etc. The River Torrens creates a division between the city centre and the suburb of North Adelaide, and both are surrounded by various parks creating a green ring around the city.
Read more at: http://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/to-z-of-australia-is-for-adelaide.html
I had been struggling to find a suitable “H” topic for Our A – Z of Australia. Mr O has a friend who lives in the USA and is here for a short visit to his wife’s parents. As Mr … Continue reading
As K is not an original letter of the Portuguese alphabet, but one adopted into it in following the Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement of 1990, it was a bit of a quandary what to write. After all how do you write about a subject significant to the country when there are no native words beginning with the letter?
However it didn’t take long to figure out what to write about. It’s a subject I love, the Knights Templar and they are as significant as you could get when it comes to Ks in Portugal.
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, or Knights Templar as they are more commonly known, are shrouded in mystery. Myths, legends and exaggerated stories have been passed down the centuries which have only enhanced their appeal.
Click here to read more
Who exactly should you kiss in Portugal? When should you kiss them? I don’t mean full on romantic smooches, which are obviously reserved for very special people. I’m talking about the friendly greeting kisses, one on each side of the face. Although it’s an integral part of life here, I’m afraid social kissing in Portugal is something I still haven’t worked out properly.
After almost eight years of living in countries where kisses form part of social greetings, you’d think I’d have sussed out who I should and shouldn’t kiss but sadly, I’m still confused.
Read on and help me out here.
Blowing Kisses by Anita Barreto on Flickr.com
Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, or aleph-beis. It is my favorite Hebrew letter for the same reasons I like the number eleven; the way it looks, and sound of its name. It is pronounced AH-lef and is a silent letter.
Coincidentally, the German word for eleven is elf, which is, as you can see, similar in sound to Aleph. Lynette, of wordtabulous fame, pointed that out to me the other day. Thanks, Lynette!
To read more of this post, please click here
The River Douro rises in Spain and flows 897 km till it reaches the Atlantic at Porto. Over 100 of these kilometres form the border with Spain in a series of narrow canyons- an effective barrier between two often warring nations. The third largest river on the Iberian Peninsula, in recent times the river has been tamed by a series of locks and dams, making it navigable for all of its Portuguese length.
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“Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue” Ayn Rand
I am no Economist – so please don’t expect this to be an in-depth serious economical or political debate! There has been so much written and spoken about the current global economic downfall – and every day on the news there is more to digest and follow.
But the current crisis affecting a large portion of the world has certainly had an impact in Portugal – so I couldn’t pass over the Economy in this A to Z of Portugal.
Alongside a bit of economic context I’ll have a go at explaining what the current climate actually feels like out here – in terms of lifestyle, shopping and business opportunities – and apologies for those of you reading who know far more about this than I ever will! (And please do add your comments – this is a ‘starter for ten’ post!)
Click here to read more…
When I was a senior in high school, we had so much snow in northern Indiana, we didn’t have a full week of school any time from the end of October through March. The following year, when I was in college in southern Indiana, we were hit with blizzards, there was a coal strike, the university couldn’t heat the campus, we ended up getting 3 weeks for spring break, then had to come back and have classes on Saturdays to make up the lost frozen time. As an adult living in the Northeast, I survived a winter “storm of the century” at least three times.
To read the rest of this post, click here.
Hambre means hunger, and when I used to think of people being hungry, I thought of Africa and deserts, millions of people with no food or water anywhere, not a Caribbean island rich in agriculture, fruit and vegetables, coffee and cocoa, meat and fish. I could bore you with figures from the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the UN and a whole host more, but suffice it to say that in the Dominican Republic 29% of people are below the poverty line and the same number again just above it. The problem starts at birth, as breast feeding is not the norm. Some say due to culture, some that the women think it will destroy their figures, some that they need to be seen to buy formula as it shows they are rich and only the poor breast feed. Formula is expensive and needs to be mixed with clean water. Many use well water to mix it, some use flour and water so it looks like formula, and other such concoctions.
To read more or leave a comment just click here
Some of you may already have read some of my Personal A to Z of Portugal posts on my Algarve Blog. Well I can’t have my other blog missing out, now can I?!
So I will be writing about My Personal A to Z of Art here on The Thought Palette.
I am going to write about a range of things – and for each letter of the alphabet I will describe a technique, material or art theme – and combine this with a spotlight on my favourite artist for that letter (I’ll try to use surnames!) – which will be a real challenge for me to have to choose only one artist each time! I will also have a real mixture of artists showcased – some old and some famous ones and also some lesser known ‘heroes’ of mine.
Click here to find out how I am going to organise things: My Personal A to Z of Art and look out for the first post coming soon!
When I was around twelve years old, I read a book called “Nobody Loves a Drunken Indian.” Ever since, the number eleven has been my favorite number. Why, you ask? One of the characters in the book was named Eleven-snowflake. He wasn’t the drunken Indian, Flapping Eagle, who was played by Anthony Quinn, in case you wondered. Eleven-snowflake was Flapping Eagle’s best friend and a quiet, introspective fellow. Anyway, that’s how it all began. Eleven is an interesting number. Not only do I like the sound of … To read more of this post, click here
I was reading a couple of blogs recently that are covering Portugal by the alphabet. What a terrific idea from Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal’s blog! I’ve decided to start my own listing and join the fun.
Today, I’ll cover A to C.
A=Algarve. It’s the southernmost region of the country. The first time I remember travelling to the Algarve, I was a young teenager. There are a number of lasting memories from that trip: the pastry shop with all the little fruit-shaped marizipan confections; crystal blue waters….
Want to read more? Read the rest and comment over here.
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, which seems the perfect time to mention the wonderful embroidered handkerchiefs of northern Portugal. You can find them, or products inspired by them, in most souvenir shops in Portugal but they used to serve a practical purpose in the romantic lives of people from the Minho. Much like a traditional valentine, these handkerchiefs were made to ask “will you be mine?” although they could be sent at any time of the year, not just on Valentine’s Day.
Translation: The axe cuts firewood easily but no axe in the world can cut our friendship
Once a girl reached marriageable age and had set her sights on a young man, she would embroider a handkerchief of love especially for him.
To find out what happened next or leave a comment, continue reading here.
Our A – Z of Australia focusses mainly on aspects of Australian life that my family find different or interesting. One of the biggest differences between what my family are used to and Australia is the open spaces and the trees, grass and other greenery.
I remember when Mr O and I drove to Daylesford the first time, he kept saying so many trees, so much space. “You could build houses here!”
I spent time explaining we didn’t want to build houses there, we like our green spaces.
After the children arrived home with Mr O, I was asked “Why is there so much grass?” By then Mr O was studying horticulture, so I suggested to the young man questioning, he should ask his father!
http://teamoyeniyi.com/2012/02/13/g-for-grass-greenery-gardens/
What Kabbalah is not, is Jewish mysticism. In fact, mysticism doesn’t even play a role in Judaism, the Hebrew language or its Literature. The misnomer may be due to the fact that, according to the Kabbalah G-d is esoteric and cannot be described–therefore mysticism must be involved.
The Hebrew word “Kabbalah” translates to English as “that which is received.” It is the portion of the Jewish belief system through which Jews attempt to understand the Nature of G-d, life, and the human soul. Kabbalah is, essentially Jewish tradition, and a way of life.
To read more of this post click here
The whole idea of cockfighting is pretty horrifying to me, but it is a major part of Dominican culture, some say the biggest sport after baseball. It dates back to before the Spanish arrived and is enjoyed by rich and poor alike. The word for cockerel is gallo in Spanish, the cockfighting ring is a gallera and the man who owns the bird is called agallero. Plenty of letter G for this post in the A-Z of the Dominican Republic. I did consider calling the post “Dominican men and their cocks” but I thought people searching on Google may end up being disappointed.
To read more or leave comment please click here
When we think about The Netherlands, we think about bikes and cycling paths. It’s one of the country’s trademarks. This interesting video tells us how cycling became so common in The Netherlands almost 40 years ago.
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Ouija boards scare the crap out of me. I’ve “played” with them several times and had two frightening experiences: once as a kid and the last time in my 30′s.
Shudder!
The first unnerving experience occurred at about age 13. My cousins and I were playing and the so-called Mystifying Oracle began circling the board faster and faster. I mean FAST! We took our hands off of it and it continued moving of its own volition. Finally, it flew of the board and hit the wall. Unfortunately, I don’t recall the questioned we’d asked, but apparently Ouija didn’t like it. Or, it could have been due to the fact that we’d lost (as kids are wont to do) the brown felt slider-feet of the Mystifying Oracle, and shoved wads of toilet paper in the holes as substitutes. Now that I think of it, no wonder the thing was annoyed.
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Okay, fine. I know “bookclub” is not a single word. But that’s how I think of it – a sort of separate entity – something that is a bit different from just a “club” that is about “books.” I mean, that could describe a lot of different situations. It could describe a group of people who are writing books, selling books, restoring books, translating books. Looking at it a different way, it could mean you’re using a book to hit people with.
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If you’re hungry for a food-related A to Z meme, try this one. All you have to do is: copy the questions into a new post, either on your own blog or on this one write up your answers maybe … Continue reading
It’s mid-February and the mimosa trees are about to blossom, signalling the start of Portuguese spring in my eyes. Pretty soon, the hills around me will be covered with bright yellow splodges, as though someone has dipped a sponge in yellow paint and dabbed the landscape. Already, the mimosa trees seem to be covered in a furry yellow mould as the buds begin to open.
In another week, clouds of tiny yellow puff-ball flowers will dominate the silver-green feathery leaves underneath them. My drive into Coimbra will be studded with lemon-coloured trees. One of my walking routes will take me through a golden arch formed from the mimosas that grow either side of the track.
“B”….mmmm…. as it is always fun to learn about another country’s linguistic heritage, I thought I would share some slang words we use here in South Africa beginning with “B”. I can immediately think of at least eight off the top of my head and I would think there are more.
I am an English speaking South African, but we use many Afrikaans and also some African words as slang, in fact, our language is literally peppered with such words so much so that I always make a very definite effort when chatting to tourists or foreigners not to use slang as otherwise I think they would assume we are speaking some sort of dialect….
Click here to read more of this post and leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.
Cape Town has a wonderful Mediterranean climate with mild winters and pleasant summers. With eleven hours and more of summer sunshine, basking on the beach, hiking in the mountains, cycling around the Peninsula, watching another gorgeous sunset or just relaxing in your garden are the order of the day. Not always though…..
Down here in “slapstad” (sleepy city) as the people up country call Cape Town (obviously they are just jealous and wish they could live here too), something else which we are (in)famous for is our strong south- eastern wind, which is known locally as the Cape Doctor or the south easter.
Continue to read and comment on this post HERE
Fremantle, or Freo as the locals affectionately call it, is the main sea port for Perth, and it´s about 20min drive from the city centre. It was named after Captain Charles Howe Fremantle, and English naval officer who established a camp in the area.
It´s a multicultural city, with charming 19th century architecture and a fascinating maritime and convict history too
Read more by following the link: http://www.sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/to-z-of-australia-f-is-for-fremantle.html