Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Learn Real Polish

The heat wave passed and we're back to 25c with partly cloudy skies and a lot of rain last night.

Listening today to one of my Learn Real Polish stories today I was happy that I could understand everything. Most of the stores(70) are not using complicated words but do introduce me to new words. It's a lot different and easier than trying to read Gazeta Wyborcza where the language is advanced and complicated for me.  The author of the program said it's better to read stories from the level of my understanding but I think reading more advanced stories is also good to learn more words.  Of course it takes me a lot longer to read a story from Gazeta and I always have to look up a lot of words in the dictionaries I have.

Fala upa艂贸w min膮艂 i wracamy do 25c z cz臋艣ciowo zachmurzonego nieba i du偶o deszczu w nocy.

S艂uchaj膮c dzisiaj jeden z moich Dowiedz si臋 prawdziwym polskim historie dzisiaj jestem szcz臋艣liwy, 偶e mog臋 zrozumie膰 wszystko. Wi臋kszo艣膰 sklep贸w (70) nie u偶ywasz skomplikowanych s艂贸w, ale nie wprowadzi mnie do nowych s艂贸w. Jest wiele r贸偶nych i 艂atwiejsze ni偶 czyta膰 Gazety Wyborczej, w kt贸rym j臋zyk jest zaawansowane i skomplikowane dla mnie.Autor programu powiedzia艂, 偶e lepiej, aby przeczyta膰 historie z poziomu mojego zrozumienia, ale my艣l臋, 偶e czytanie bardziej zaawansowane opowie艣ci jest r贸wnie偶 dobre, aby dowiedzie膰 si臋 wi臋cej s艂贸w. Oczywi艣cie to bierze mnie wiele d艂u偶ej czyta膰 histori臋 z Gazet膮 i zawsze patrze膰 si臋 wiele s艂贸w w s艂ownikach mam.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Peaceful day.


A cooler day today with no sun and raining a little so it's better. Thunder rolls across the sky like Thor throwing his hammer but without lightning. We woke up late with nothing special to be done except studying and a little domestic work. I think this whole week is going to be like that. Maybe it's time to do a little work on the family history book and update it. I thought we were going to Krakow this coming Friday but Joan reminded me it is not until the 9th. She makes a fine secretary :-)

I received a nice email from a lady in the U.S. who I encouraged to come to Poland and further her own research of her family here.  It was successful and she was able to find some members she didn't know before.

I have to say a special Happy Birthday to cousin Marilyn Mapes from Michigan. I had the pleasure of meeting her and her daughter, Kim, a few years ago when the came to Poland to meet with relatives here from my great grandmothers side of the family. Marilyn is two years older than me and full of energy and an adventurous spirit. Last year and now this year she went to Alaska to work in a resort for the summer. I haven't been to Alaska but now I can see it through her camera lens and that's nice.



Ch艂odniejsze dni dzi艣 bez s艂o艅ca i deszczu troch臋 wi臋c lepiej. Thunder toczy si臋 po niebie jak Thor rzuca m艂otem, ale bez pioruna. Obudzili艣my si臋 p贸藕no, nic specjalnego do zrobienia, z wyj膮tkiem nauki i troch臋 pracy domowej. My艣l臋, 偶e ca艂y ten tydzie艅 b臋dzie tak. Mo偶e nadszed艂 czas, aby zrobi膰 troch臋 pracy nad ksi膮偶k膮 historii rodzinnej i aktualizowa膰 go. My艣la艂em, 偶e jedziemy do Krakowa w najbli偶szy pi膮tek, ale Joan przypomnia艂a mi, 偶e nie jest a偶 9.. Ona sprawia, 偶e ​​grzywny sekretarz :-)

I otrzyma艂 d艂ugie maila od pani w USA, kt贸rzy I zach臋ca艂 do przyjazdu do Polski i dalej jej w艂asne badania swojej rodziny tutaj. To by艂 udany i by艂a w stanie znale藕膰 niekt贸rych cz艂onk贸w nie zna艂a
wcze艣niej

Musz臋 powiedzie膰, specjalny Wszystkiego najlepszego kuzyna Marilyn Mapes z Michigan. Mia艂em przyjemno艣膰 spotka膰 si臋 z ni膮 i jej c贸rka, Kim, kilka lat temu, gdy przyjecha艂 do Polski, aby spotka膰 si臋 z krewnymi tutaj z mojej wielkiej strony bab膰 w rodzinie. Marilyn jest dwa lata starszy ode mnie i pe艂na energii i ducha przyg贸d. W zesz艂ym roku, a teraz w tym roku pojecha艂a na Alask臋 do pracy w o艣rodku na lato. Nie by艂em na Alasce, ale teraz widz臋, to przez jej obiektyw i to jest mi艂e.
 
 
 

Sunday, July 28, 2013

The slaughter house.




Years ago Pozna艅 had a slaughter house similar to the one in Chicago called The Stockyards where they would kill animals and sell the meat. It's been closed for some time but all of the buildings remain in their red and yellow brick structures.  I've always been interested in seeing inside the gates of this place so today was the day we did it because each weekend they hold a "flea market" in the parking area inside and there you can find many interesting things to buy like antiques, clothing, fresh vegetables dvd's, records and even dish soap.

We thought we would go in the morning when the temperature was not so high but today, even at 10:30, it was already 34c and not our kind of weather but nevertheless we went and walked around. Most interesting to my were the buildings but also the antique furniture.  One chair, or throne, caught my eye because of the craftsmanship but, unfortunately, someone had decided to spray it all silver.  Of course we didn't buy it because we have no room for such a chair and the paint would have to be stripped off. I didn't ask the price but due to it's size I suppose it would not be cheap. Out of curiosity we may go back next week to ask the price if it is still there. I can just imagine some "royal" person sitting on that throne.

We needed to cool off after walking around in the sun for an hour so we went to the rynek for cold coffee and got there just before the famous goats made their appearance on the top of the town hall at noon. Each Sunday at 11:00 a local orchestra performs in front of the town hall for an hour and a half so we had a chance to hear them.  We went back home, took cold showers, opened all the windows to get a breeze running through our flat and spent the rest of the day talking, watching movies and having supper.

Lat temu Pozna艅 mia艂 rze藕ni podobn膮 do tej w Chicago o nazwie gdzie mia艂y Historyczne zagrody dla byd艂a zabija膰 zwierz臋ta i sprzedaj膮 mi臋so. To zosta艂o zamkni臋te na jaki艣 czas, ale wszystkie budynki pozostan膮 w czerwone i 偶贸艂te konstrukcji murowanych. Zawsze by艂em ciekaw, wewn膮trz bramy tym miejscu, wi臋c dzisiaj by艂 dzie艅, 偶e to zrobili艣my, bo w ka偶dy weekend 偶e posiadaj膮 "pchli targ" na parkingu w 艣rodku i tam mo偶na znale藕膰 wiele ciekawych rzeczy do kupienia jak antyki, odzie偶, 艣wie偶e warzywa dvd, rekordy, a nawet mydelniczka.

My艣leli艣my, 偶e idziemy w nocy, kiedy temperatura nie by艂a tak wysoka, ale dzi艣 nawet na 10:30, by艂o ju偶 34c, a nie nasz rodzaj pogody, niemniej jednak poszli艣my i chodzi艂. Najbardziej interesuj膮ce dla moich by艂y budynk贸w, ale tak偶e zabytkowe meble. Jedno krzes艂o lub tron, wpad艂a mi w oko ze wzgl臋du na kunszt, ale, niestety, kto艣 zdecydowa艂 si臋 rozpyla膰 wszystkie srebra. Oczywi艣cie nie kupi膰, bo nie mamy miejsca na taki fotel i farby musia艂yby by膰 wyci臋te. I nie pytaj o cen臋, ale ze wzgl臋du na jego wielko艣膰 Przypuszczam, 偶e to nie b臋dzie tanie. Z ciekawo艣ci mo偶emy wr贸ci膰 w przysz艂ym tygodniu, aby poprosi膰 o cen臋, czy jest nadal. Wyobra偶am sobie jak膮艣 "kr贸lewsk膮" Osoba siedzi na tym tronie.

Musieli艣my si臋 och艂odzi膰 po chodz膮 w s艂o艅cu na godzin臋, wi臋c poszli艣my do rynek do zimnej kawy, ale nie tu偶 przed s艂ynne kozy pojawili si臋 na szczycie ratusza w po艂udnie. W ka偶d膮 niedziel臋 o godzinie 11:00 lokalnego orkiestra wykonuje si臋 przed ratuszem na p贸艂torej godziny, wi臋c mieli艣my okazj臋 us艂ysze膰 je. Wr贸cili艣my do domu, wzi膮艂 zimny prysznic, otworzy艂 wszystkie okna, aby uzyska膰 powiew przebiegaj膮cej przez nasze mieszkanie i sp臋dzi艂 reszt臋 dnia rozmowy, ogl膮danie film贸w i po kolacji.

 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Hot day!

A hot day, 36c so we stayed inside all of the day. However, in the morning when it was cooler I took down all of the curtains so Joan could wash them and while she washing them I cleaned the windows. Tomorrow it is suppose to be even hotter, 38-40c. I hate this kind of heat.

Talking with my acquaintance from Krakow she recommended visiting Schindler's factory and a few other places in Podgorze, a suburb of Krakow.  Also, she said we should visit the exhibition called The Human Body which is suppose to be very interesting. We will meet each other sometime on Sunday but don't know what time yet.

Gor膮ce dni, 36c, wi臋c byli艣my w 艣rodku ca艂y dzie艅. Jednak rano, kiedy by艂o ch艂odniej I zdj膮艂 wszystkie zas艂ony tak Joan mog艂aby umy膰 je, a gdy ona pranie czy艣ci艂em okna. Jutro jest przypuszcza膰, aby by膰 jeszcze cieplej, 38-40c. Nienawidz臋 tego rodzaju ciep艂a.

Rozmowa z moich znajomych z Krakowa poleci艂a odwiedzaj膮c fabryk臋 Schindlera i kilka innych miejsc w Podg贸rzu, dzielnicy Krakowa. Ponadto powiedzia艂a, powinni艣my odwiedzi膰 wystaw臋 Human Body, kt贸ry mia艂 by膰 bardzo interesuj膮ce. Spotkamy si臋 kiedy艣 w niedziel臋, ale nie wiem, co jeszcze czas.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Saved again.

Yes, once again Zbyszek saved us.  The problem this time was concerning my GPS system that I bought last August and now won't even turn on. I thought it was because the battery was dead and plugged it into my computer to recharge but it wouldn't even connect. I tried it on both computers and then the car but still it wouldn't charge. I wrote and email to the support system of the company that makes it and they wanted proof of purchase in the form of the original sales ticket or invoice. I looked everywhere I could think of but couldn't find it. However, I did have the bill from our credit card of payment and I sent that to them.  They replied that in order for them to honor the one year warranty I needed the original sales receipt from the store where it was purchased, not the credit card payment.

Enter Zbyszek.  He came for my Polish lesson and I told him about my problem.  He said he would meet me later at Saturn, the store I bought the GPS at and talk to the service center.  We met at 3:30PM with the GPS and credit card receipt.  He talked with a representative, told them my problem and they said go to the information counter and they would look up the original purchase ticket. Once the representative had that proof of purchase with the last year they would repair the unit at no charge to me. This was a blessing because the GPS company wanted 75 Euro(300) zl and the unit only costed 500zl when I bought it last year.

Information, after searching for about 20 minutes, found the receipt, made a copy for me and we gave it to the service department.  With that proof they will repair for free within two weeks.  So, once again, Zbyszek saved us time, aggravation and money.  It was only natural to take him to Kandulski's afterward and buy him coffee and cake.  If you want a definition of the word Friend, it's easy........Zbyszek.

Tak, po raz kolejny Zbyszek uratowa艂 nas.Problem ten czas by艂 o m贸j system GPS, kt贸ry kupi艂em w sierpniu zesz艂ego roku, a teraz nawet nie chce si臋 w艂膮czy膰. My艣la艂em, 偶e to dlatego, 偶e bateria by艂a martwa i pod艂膮czy艂em go do mojego komputera, aby na艂adowa膰, ale to nie b臋dzie nawet po艂膮czy膰. Pr贸bowa艂em go na obu komputerach, a nast臋pnie na samoch贸d, ale nadal nie b臋dzie pobiera膰. Napisa艂em i e-mail do systemu wsparcia firmy sprawia, 偶e ​​to i chcieli dow贸d zakupu w postaci orygina艂u biletu lub fakturze. Szuka艂em wsz臋dzie, co my艣l臋, ale nie m贸g艂 go znale藕膰. Jednak mia艂em rachunek z naszej karty kredytowej, wp艂aty i wys艂a艂em do nich. Odpowiedzieli, 偶e w celu ich uczci膰 roczn膮 gwarancj臋 musz臋 oryginalny paragon ze sklepu, w kt贸rym zosta艂 zakupiony, a nie p艂atno艣ci kart膮 kredytow膮.

Wprowad藕 Zbyszka. Przyszed艂 do mojej polskiej lekcji i powiedzia艂em mu o moim problemie. Powiedzia艂, 偶e spotkamy si臋 p贸藕niej w Saturn, w sklepie kupi艂em GPS co i m贸wi膰 do serwisu. Spotkali艣my si臋 na 15:30 z GPS i otrzymania karty kredytowej. Rozmawia艂 z przedstawicielem, powiedzia艂 im m贸j problem i powiedzieli, przejd藕 do licznika informacji i oni odnale藕膰 oryginalny bilet zakupu. Gdy przedstawiciel mia艂 tego dow贸d zakupu z ostatniego roku b臋d膮 naprawy urz膮dzenia bez op艂at dla mnie. By艂o to b艂ogos艂awie艅stwo, poniewa偶 firma GPS chcia艂 75 Euro (300) z艂, a urz膮dzenie tylko kosztowa艂 500z艂, kiedy kupi艂em go w zesz艂ym roku.


Informacja, po wyszukaniu na oko艂o 20 minut, okaza艂o si臋, 偶e odbi贸r, zrobi艂 kopi臋 do mnie i da艂 go do serwisu. Z tego dowodu b臋d膮 naprawia膰 za darmo w ci膮gu dw贸ch tygodni. Tak wi臋c, po raz kolejny, Zbyszek uratowa艂 nas czas, nasilenie i pieni膮dze. To by艂o naturalne, by zabra膰 go do Kandulski-tych p贸藕niej i kupi膰 mu kaw臋 i ciasto. Je艣li chcesz definicj臋 przyjaciel s艂owa, to proste ........ Zbyszek.




 

Thoughts

Most of my thoughts yesterday were about a first cousin who is not doing well and remembering the good years we spent together growing up. Later in life we shared an apartment in Chicago and that was also good. Mostly I remember how he was always true to his love of music and continued playing throughout his life. I know at my age I'm losing people I love but it's never easy to accept.

Today we did the usual food shopping, paying  164zl because Joan had to buy some things we were out of, like shampoo, window cleaner, etc. and that's why it was so high.

One good thing, we think, is that they removed the security block to the garages that are used by tenants of our building and we hope they don't replace it. I don't think it makes the garages any safer and the person in charge of it was relentless in putting it up when someone left the building.  Even if you were gone for ten minutes, when you came back you had to get out of your car, unlock and put the gate down and then drive in. Now we can come and go with no problem. We hope it stays that way.

Wczoraj wi臋kszo艣膰 moich my艣li koncentrowa艂a si臋 wok贸艂 mojego pierwszego kuzyna, kt贸ry nie czuje si臋 najlepiej oraz na przypominaniu sobie dobrych czas贸w, kiedy razem dorastali艣my. P贸藕niej, byli艣my wsp贸艂lokatorami mieszkania w Chicago i to te偶 by艂y dobre lata. G艂贸wnie pami臋tam, 偶e zawsze by艂 wierny swojej mi艂o艣ci do muzyki i gra艂 przez ca艂e 偶ycie. Wiem, 偶e w moim wieku trac臋 ludzi, kt贸rych kocham, ale to nigdy nie jest 艂atwe do zaakceptowania.
 
Dzi艣 zrobili艣my zwyk艂e zakupy 偶ywno艣ci, p艂ac膮c 164z艂, poniewa偶 Joan musia艂a kupi膰 kilka rzeczy, kt贸re si臋 sko艅czy艂y, jak szampon, p艂yn do mycia mycie okien, itp., i dlatego rachunek by艂 taki wysoki.
 
Jedn膮  dobr膮 rzecz膮 - tak my艣limy - jest to, 偶e usuni臋to barier臋 wjazdu na teren gara偶y, kt贸re s膮 wykorzystywane przez lokator贸w naszego budynku i mamy nadziej臋, 偶e nie b臋dzie ona wymieniona na inn膭. Nie s膮dz臋, by taka ochrona poprawia艂a bezpiecze艅stwo gara偶y, ale osoba odpowiedzialna za to by艂a nieugi臋ta w stosowaniu go, gdy kto艣 opuszcza艂 budynek. Nawet je艣li kto艣 wyjecha艂 na dziesi臋膰 minut, to po powrocie musia艂 wysi膮艣膰 si臋 z samochodu, odblokowa膰, opu艣ci膰 barierk臋 w d贸艂, a nast臋pnie wjecha膰. Teraz mo偶emy wje偶d偶a膰 i wyje偶d偶a膰 bez problemu. Mamy nadziej臋, 偶e tak pozostanie.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Today

A warm weekend predicted, 35c so I think we'll be staying at home. Because of the crosswinds in our flat it doesn't get that hot.

Met with Zbyszek today at Kandulski's and they gave us a card for free coffee after 10 visits. Shouldn't take too long to fill that card.

I'm currently reading articles in Gazeta Wyborcza as part of my learning. Reading to understand, then looking up words I don't know or haven't used. A conversation partner is working with me on this and helping to make sentences with the new words so I don't forget them. It's a little harder because of the advanced language(for me) but I think it can't hurt to do it.

Przewiduje si臋, 偶e weekend b臋dzie ciep艂y, oko艂o 35C, wi臋c my艣l臋, 偶e pozostaniemy w domu. Ze wzgl臋du na wiej膮ce boczne wiatry , w naszym mieszkaniu nie jest gor膮co.

Spotkali艣my si臋 dzisiaj ze Zbyszkiem u Kandulskich, kt贸rzy dali nam kart臋 na darmow膮 kaw臋 po 10 wizytach. Nie powinno zaj膮膰 zbyt du偶o czasu, aby wype艂ni膰 t臋 kart臋.

Obecnie czytam artyku艂y w Gazecie Wyborcze,j jako cz臋艣膰 mojej nauki j臋zyka polskiego. Najpierw czytam aby zrozumie膰 tekst, potem sprawdzam s艂owa, kt贸rych nie znam lub nie u偶ywa艂em. M贸j rozm贸wca pracuje nad tym i pomaga mi utworzy膰 zdania z nowymi s艂owami, 偶eby ich nie zapomnie膰. Jest to troch臋 trudniejsze, ze wzgl臋du na (jak dla mnie) zaawansowany j臋zyk, ale my艣l臋, 偶e nie zaszkodzi to zrobi膰.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Movie time

Spent the night with our friend Zbyszek talking and watching a movie.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Shopping day.

A nice day today so we started it at 10:00 going to the rynek for breakfast. One of the few places open that early was our old restaurant Room 55 so we went there. Joan had eggs and bacon and I had eggs and ham. The food is good but  even at that time in the morning the outside caf茅 was a little too warm for us.  We use to like this place but since they put up the half partitions blocking the wind we stopped going there.

After leading the rynek we passed by the old slaughter house that has been vacant for years. Now, in the parking lot on the weekends they have a flea market where you can buy just about anything.  The place was packed full of buyers and sellers and we made a commitment to ourselves to go next Sunday and check it out.

Our next stop was at Pestka, one of two shopping areas we frequent, to look for a pair of sandals for Joan.  We spent about an hour there, didn't find what she wanted and so we went across the street to the Plaza to resume the search.  An hour and a half later, still not finding what she wanted, we went to Galeria Malta on the other side of town.

In the first store we went into she found a pair she liked and bought them. HALLELUJA!!  She thought we were done but I asked her to look for some new summer blouses because she hasn't had a new one in some time.

We were close to Marks &Spencer, an English owned department store, and she looked while I helped her. She picked out two that she liked and I gave her two more that I thought were nice so she tried on all four.  In the end she bought two because the others either didn't feel or look right when she had them on.  She was happy with the blouses and sandals and I was happy she had something new. I'm not a fan of shopping, myself, but I like shopping with her, for her, and the happiness it brings her.

Mi艂y dzie艅 dzisiaj wi臋c zacz臋li艣my go na 10:00 idzie na Rynku na 艣niadanie. Jedno z niewielu miejsc otwartych, 偶e na pocz膮tku by艂 nasz stary pok贸j restauracja 55, wi臋c poszli艣my tam. Joan mia艂 jajka na bekonie i mia艂em jajka i szynk臋.Jedzenie jest dobre, ale nawet w tym czasie w nocy na zewn膮trz kawiarni by艂o troch臋 za ciep艂o dla nas. U偶ywamy jak to miejsce, ale poniewa偶 przygotowane partycje p贸艂 blokuj膮ce wiatr zatrzymali艣my si臋 tam.

Po opuszczeniu Rynku min臋li艣my starej rze藕ni, kt贸ra zosta艂a nieobsadzone przez rok. Teraz, na parkingu w weekendy maj膮 pchli targ, gdzie mo偶na kupi膰 prawie wszystko.Miejsce by艂o pe艂ne kupuj膮cych i sprzedaj膮cych i zobowi膮za艂a si臋 do siebie, aby przej艣膰 w nast臋pn膮 niedziel臋 i to sprawdzi膰.

Nasz nast臋pny przystanek by艂 w Pestka, jednym z dw贸ch centr贸w obszar贸w mamy cz臋ste, szuka膰 par臋 sanda艂贸w na Joan. Sp臋dzili艣my oko艂o godzin臋 tam, nie znale藕膰 to, czego chcia艂a, wi臋c poszli艣my na drug膮 stron臋 ulicy do Plaza, aby wznowi膰 wyszukiwanie.P贸艂torej godziny p贸藕niej, nadal nie znalezienie tego, czego chcia艂a, udali艣my si臋 do Galerii Malta na drugiej stronie miasta.

W pierwszym sklepie poszli艣my do odkry艂a par臋 jej si臋 podoba艂o i kupi艂em je. Alleluja! My艣la艂a, 偶e zosta艂y wykonane, ale poprosi艂em j膮 do poszukiwania niekt贸rych nowych bluzek letnich, poniewa偶 nie mia艂a nowy jaki艣 czas.

Byli艣my blisko do Marks & Spencer, angielski owned towarowy, i wygl膮da艂a, a ja jej pom贸g艂. Wzi臋艂a si臋 dwa, 偶e lubi i da艂em jej dwa bardziej, 偶e my艣la艂em, by艂y 艂adne, wi臋c stara艂a si臋 na wszystkich czterech. W ko艅cu kupi艂a dwa, bo inni albo nie czuje lub spojrze膰 w prawo, gdy mia艂a je. By艂a zadowolona z bluzek i sanda艂y i by艂em szcz臋艣liwy, 偶e mia艂a co艣 nowego. Nie jestem fanem zakup贸w, ja, ale lubi臋 zakupy z ni膮, dla niej, i szcz臋艣cie przynosi jej

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Life style.

This morning I woke up and realized I've fallen into a routine when I wake up. It's only altered by the time I get up. If, for some reason, I'm up early, like at 5:00AM, first I walk into the dining room where the computer is and turn it on, then I go to the kitchen and put water on for coffee. After that it's off to the bathroom to wash my face, use the facility and go back to check emails from the night before. At that time of the early morning I always plan to go back to bed when I'm done shortly but if I get some idea in my head about something I pursue it until I have the answer and sometimes don't go back to bed until night time.  It seems to me the only time that I sleep completely through the night is when I'm on vacation and I think that is because we are constantly on the go during that time and by night we are tired. We used to think, Joan and I, that living in Poland was one long vacation but now we think it is just our life style. We don't get up in the morning because we have to, we get up because we want to. In our previous life style, vacation was two or three weeks but we always knew when it would end. Now we don't know when it will end. It will, of course, when our lives are over but hope that will be in the distant future.

So, today was the day to meet with cousin Olivia and her boyfriend in front of Room 55 in Stary Rynek. We got there at 2:15 and they were sitting in the outside caf茅 waiting for us. Oliwia introduced us to her boyfriend, a tall, young man from England and we ordered coffee and started talking. About an hour an a half passed and they had to leave for another commitment they had so we came back home.  We were going to go shoe shopping for Joan but she thought it was better to do tomorrow.

Dzi艣 rano obudzi艂em si臋 i zda艂em sobie spraw臋, 偶e zakocha艂am si臋 w rutyn臋, kiedy si臋 budz臋. To tylko zmieniony przez czas wstaj臋. Je艣li z jakiego艣 powodu, 偶e jestem ranny, podobnie jak w 05:00, najpierw id臋 do jadalni, gdzie komputer i w艂膮cz go, a potem id臋 do kuchni i szuka wody na na kaw臋. Potem to si臋 do 艂azienki, aby umy膰 twarz, skorzysta膰 z mo偶liwo艣ci i wr贸ci膰, by sprawdzi膰 wiadomo艣ci z poprzedniej nocy. W tym czasie rana zawsze zamiar wr贸ci膰 do 艂贸偶ka, kiedy sko艅cz臋 nied艂ugo, ale je艣li mam jaki艣 pomys艂 w mojej g艂owie o czym艣 I kontynuowa膰, dop贸ki nie ma odpowiedzi, a czasami nie wr贸ci膰 do 艂贸偶ka, a偶 razem noc. Wydaje mi si臋 tylko raz, kiedy spa膰 ca艂kowicie przez noc jest kiedy jestem na wakacjach i my艣l臋, 偶e to dlatego, 偶e jeste艣my ci膮gle w podr贸偶y w tym czasie iw nocy jeste艣my zm臋czeni. Zwykli艣my my艣le膰, Joan i ja, 偶e 偶ycie w Polsce jest jeden d艂ugi urlop, ale teraz my艣l臋, 偶e to jest po prostu nasz styl 偶ycia. Nie mamy si臋 rano, poniewa偶 musimy, mamy, bo chcemy. W poprzednim stylu 偶ycia, urlop by艂 dwa lub trzy tygodnie, ale zawsze wiedzia艂, kiedy to si臋 sko艅czy. Teraz nie wiemy, kiedy to si臋 sko艅czy. To, oczywi艣cie, kiedy nasze 偶ycie jest wi臋cej, ale mam nadziej臋, 偶e b臋dzie w odleg艂ej przysz艂o艣ci.

Tak, dzisiaj by艂 dzie艅, aby spotka膰 si臋 z kuzynem Olivia i jej ch艂opaka przed pokoju 55 na Starym Rynku. Dostali艣my si臋 tam o 2:15, a oni siedzieli w kawiarni na zewn膮trz czeka na nas. Oliwia wprowadzi艂 nas do swojego ch艂opaka, wysoki, m艂ody m臋偶czyzna z Anglii i zam贸wili艣my kaw臋 i zacz膮艂 m贸wi膰. O godzinie p贸艂 przekazywane i mieli wyjecha膰 do innego zobowi膮zania mieli wi臋c wr贸cili艣my do domu. Mieli艣my i艣膰 na zakupy but贸w dla Joan, ale pomy艣la艂a, 偶e lepiej zrobi膰 jutro

Friday, July 19, 2013

Surprise call.

A surprise call today from cousin Olivia who is in Poland for a little vacation and called to ask if we could meet tomorrow afternoon as she will be in Pozna艅 for the weekend.  Of course I said yes and so tomorrow we will meet in the rynek about 2:30PM. She came with her boyfriend so it will be the first time we meet him.  It's always a pleasure to see her and find out how her life in England is doing. She's been the for several years but I keep hoping she will move back to Poland so we can see each other more often.

I had a nice conversation with the lady I regularly spoke with on Skype but our conversations have somewhat interrupted with summer vacations and now renovation of her flat. She told me that in the six months we have been talking she hears and improvement in my Polish but. of course, it never goes fast enough for me.  Some phrases or words do come out automatically now but the English speaking brain still gets in my way. Oh well, it doesn't stop me and that's a good thing. Since coming back from Spain I've been studying harder, spending more time listening and speaking and that's what I need.

Po艂膮czenie niespodzianka dzisiaj od kuzyna Olivia, kt贸ry jest w Polsce troch臋 wypoczynku i nazywa si臋 zapyta膰, czy mo偶emy si臋 spotka膰 jutro po po艂udniu, jak ona b臋dzie w Poznaniu na weekend. Oczywi艣cie, 偶e tak i tak jutro spotkamy si臋 w Rynku o 14:30. Przysz艂a z ch艂opakiem wi臋c to b臋dzie pierwszy raz, kiedy si臋 z nim spotka膰. To zawsze przyjemno艣膰 zobaczy膰 j膮 i dowiedzie膰 si臋, jak jej 偶ycie w Anglii robi. Ona by艂a na kilka lat ale wci膮偶 maj膮c nadziej臋, 偶e wr贸ci膰 do Polski, dzi臋ki czemu mo偶emy zobaczy膰 siebie cz臋艣ciej.

Mia艂em mi艂膮 rozmow臋 z pani膮 I regularnie rozmawia艂 z na Skype, ale nasze rozmowy s膮 nieco przerwany z letnich wakacji, a teraz remont jej mieszkania. Powiedzia艂a mi, 偶e w ci膮gu sze艣ciu miesi臋cy m贸wili艣my s艂yszy i poprawa w moim j臋zyku polskim, ale. Oczywi艣cie, nigdy nie idzie wystarczaj膮co szybko dla mnie. Niekt贸re frazy lub s艂owa przychodz膮 automatycznie, ale teraz English speaking m贸zgu nadal wejdzie mi w drog臋. No c贸偶, to nie zatrzyma mnie i to jest dobra rzecz. Od powrotu z Hiszpanii Uczy艂em si臋 trudniejsze, sp臋dza膰 wi臋cej czasu s艂uchania i m贸wienia, a to jest to, czego potrzebuj臋.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Good night!

Zbyszek came over last night before I wrote my blog so I missed yesterday. We met him, as usual, at 2PM in Kandulski's and invited him to come over at 7PM to view the pictures I took while in Spain and share a bottle or two of Spanish wine.  It took about an hour and half with the pictures and telling the story of our trip and where each picture was taken.  When it was over we adjourned to the balcony because it was such a nice night and continued our conversation until about 11PM when he called a taxi to go home.  Like me, he doesn't drive when he has had something to drink and between Joan, Zbyszek and I we finished off the three bottles of wine we had. It's unusual for us to drink so much wine but we were at home, the night was nice and the conversation good so we just kept talking, sipping the wine and by the time we were done all three bottles were empty.  Naturally, we slept in this morning because all we had to do was food shopping for the week.

At 1PM we went to Real, did the shopping spending only 107zl this week and then returned home to study and a little domestic work.

Zbyszek wpad艂 do nas ostatniego wieczoru zanim zacz膮艂em pisanie bloga, wi臋c go nie zrobi艂em . Spotkali艣my go, jak zwykle, o godzinie czternastej w Kandulskich i zaprosi艂em go, aby przyszed艂 na godzin臋 dziewi臋tnast膮 na pokaz zdj臋膰, kt贸re zrobi艂em podczas pobytu w Hiszpanii oraz by podzieli膰 si臋 z nim butelk膮 lub dwoma  hiszpa艅skiego wina. Ogl膮danie zdj臋膰, opowiadanie o naszej podr贸偶y i obja艣nianie, gdzie ka偶de zdj臋cie zosta艂o zrobione – trwa艂o oko艂o p贸艂torej godziny. Kiedy zako艅czyli艣my t臋 cz臋艣膰,  przenie艣li艣my si臋 na balkon, bo to by艂 taki mi艂y wiecz贸r i Zbyszek kontynuowa艂 rozmow臋 do oko艂o godziny dwudziestej trzeciej, kiedy wezwa艂 taks贸wk臋 do domu. Podobnie jak ja, on nie je藕dzi samochodem po wypiciu alkoholu, wi臋c Joan, Zbyszek i ja wypili艣my trzy butelki wina, kt贸re mieli艣my. To niezwyk艂e dla nas, aby wypi膰 tyle wina, ale byli艣my w domu, noc by艂a mi艂a i rozmowa dobra, wi臋c po prostu prowadzili艣my konwersacj臋 popijaj膮c wino do czasu, a偶 wszystkie trzy butelki by艂y puste. Naturalnie, spali艣my do p贸藕nego rano, poniewa偶 wszystko, co musieli艣my zrobi膰, to zakupy 偶ywno艣ci na tydzie艅.
 

O godzinie trzynastej poszli艣my do Reala, zrobili艣my zakupy za 107z艂 na ten tydzie艅, a nast臋pnie wr贸cili艣my do domu, by si臋 pouczy膰 i wykona膰 niekt贸re prace domowe.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Bigfoot found.

Many people over the years in the world have declared they found Bigfoot.  Well, today Joan and I did.  It wasn't the big, hairy creature every person thinks but a coffee shop in Pozna艅. It is just where the address says.  Well, everyday except Sunday when it is closed. It's in the pasaz Apollo just past the Green Elephant restaurant, on the left hand side. In front are some chairs and small tables and through the door is the shop. It serves many different kinds of coffee and tea and is owned by an American from Seattle, Washington.. We ordered two caf茅 mrzona's(cold coffee) and had a nice conversation with him and his partner. There was also a Canadian there and the five of us talked for about an hour on different subjects, exchanged our stories and why we were in Poland. You can find out more about it at his FB site and if you're in the neighborhood you should stop in and say hello.
https://www.facebook.com/BigfootCoffeeShop

It was a good weather day and we enjoyed being outside again for a while.  After our trip to Bigfoot we came back home and I did some studying while Joan continued her daily search for new recipes.

Thanks Anna for sending in your comments about the plants and flowers I took pictures of.  We knew about the hydrangea's but the Miko艂ajek Pomorski was a name we didn't know for this plant.
Wiele os贸b w ci膮gu roku na 艣wiecie zadeklarowa艂o znale藕li Bigfoot. C贸偶, dzisiaj Joan i ja. To nie by艂 du偶y, w艂ochaty stw贸r ka偶dy my艣li, ale kawiarnia w Poznaniu. To jest po prostu gdzie adres m贸wi. C贸偶, codziennie z wyj膮tkiem niedziel, kiedy jest zamkni臋ty. Jest w Pasa偶u Apollo tu偶 obok restauracji Green Elephant, na lewej stronie. Z przodu s膮 jakie艣 krzes艂a i stoliki, a przez drzwi jest sklep. Obs艂uguje wiele r贸偶nych rodzaj贸w kawy i herbaty i jest w艂asno艣ci膮 Amerykanina od Seattle, w stanie Waszyngton .. Zam贸wili艣my dwa kawiarni mrzona-tych (zimna kawa) i mia艂 艂adny rozmowy z nim i jego partnera. Nie by艂o r贸wnie偶 Canadian tam i pi臋膰 z nas m贸wi艂 przez oko艂o godzin臋 na r贸偶ne tematy, wymienili艣my historie i dlaczego byli艣my w Polsce. Mo偶esz dowiedzie膰 si臋 wi臋cej o tym na swojej stronie FB i je艣li jeste艣 w okolicy nale偶y zatrzyma膰 si臋 i powiedzie膰 cze艣膰.

https://www.facebook.com/BigfootCoffeeShop

To by艂 dobry dzie艅, pogoda, a my cieszyli艣my si臋 na zewn膮trz znowu na chwil臋. Po naszej podr贸偶y do Bigfoot wr贸cili艣my do domu i zrobi艂em kilka studiuje, Joan kontynuowa艂a codzienne poszukiwanie nowych receptur.

Dzi臋ki Anna nadsy艂ania swoich opinii na temat ro艣lin i kwiat贸w zrobi艂em zdj臋cia. Wiedzieli艣my o Hortensja-tych, ale Miko艂ajek Pomorski by艂 nazwa nie wiedzieli艣my do tej ro艣liny.