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Language problems,

 The other day my neighbour banged on my door and asked to borrow something.  I didn't understand what she meant, so she said blanc en neige.  White on snow.  I shook my head, so she hurried back to her apartment and re-appeared with a bowl containing egg whites.  Ah she wanted a hand mixer to beat the eggs whites but blanc en neige?  Then it clicked, whites to snow.  This conjures up  something so much nicer than ' beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.'

I was trying to phone a dentist but the recorded message said they  would be closed until the 9 May so today I tried again.  Same message except 'en plus' had been added.  Does that mean it could be closed after the 9 May? I wondered.  'Mm', my neighbour said, 'it could mean anything.'  Well if the  French  don't understand it how am I supposed to figure it out?

The 9th May is Putin's excuse to show the world that he is important.  Why did every news channel show him inspecting his armed forces and weapons?  They don't normally so why give him exactly what he wants - world attention.  They should have simply ignored him and his ridiculous goose-stepping generals, or overlaid it with scenes of death and destruction being carried out in his name in Ukraine.

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