Speak with Nick

My favourite memories from our two week Fly and Drive to California back in 2007.

You can listen to this podcast and read a full transcript on my website. / Puoi ascoltare questo podcast e leggere contemporaneamente una trascrizione completa sul mio sito: www.speakwithnick.it/fly-drive-california

This year, my family and I decided to take a road trip to England from our home in northern Italy. It was a trip that took us to five different countries: Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium and England.

Listen to this podcast with a full transcript and a language focus to help you on my website here: ⁠https://www.speakwithnick.it/category/podcast/

Probably the best thing about reading for pleasure is when you become lost in a story and its characters. You can easily forget you are reading in a different language! It’s in these magic moments that we naturally acquire new vocabulary without even trying to learn!

Listen and read a full transcript of this podcast here:

https://www.speakwithnick.it/podcast

English is the most common form of communication in business, travel, leisure and entertainment. So, if you want to broaden your horizons or improve your position in the world it’s a no brainer; learn English. But if it’s such a good idea to learn English and many people want English as their second language, why do so many people struggle?

Listen to this podcast and read a full transcript at the same time on my website: speakwithnick.it

I decided to speak with my American friend Liz Jackson from Boston about the famous American holiday Thanksgiving. I’m from England and I have never experienced a Thanksgiving, so I was keen to talk to Liz about it. And I learned some interesting things that I didn’t know about the origins and how it compares to Christmas.

Listen, read a full transcript and use my Language focus to help you here:

This podcast is the spoken, chatty version of an article I wrote about tea. Yes, I’ve got a lovely … mmm, cup of tea with me right now. And so I wrote this article and a lot of you have asked for the audio version.

So the article starts with a ‘did you know’. Did you know? Tea is considered the quintessential drink of the English people, but ...

You can listen to this podcast and read a full transcript at the same time on my website: speakwithnick.it

Hi, I’m Nick Simcock, an English Language coach. I help Italians to unlock their English.

Memories of Bonfire Night in England

Well, in my last podcast about Halloween I mentioned Bonfire Night.

What is Bonfire Night? Well, it’s also known as Fireworks Night, or more precisely Guy Fawkes Night. It’s an annual commemoration observed on the 5th of November in Great Britain, involving bonfires and fireworks displays.

And to understand the history we need to go back, back to London in 1605 and to the events of the 5th of November …

A full transcript of this podcast with a language focus can be found on my website here: www.speakwithnick.it/category/podcast/

Memories of Halloween in England

Hi I'm Nick Simcock. I'm an English language coach. I help Italians to unlock their English.

In this podcast today I want to talk about my memories of Halloween.

From all the different festivities in England that I remember, Christmas, Bonfire Night, birthdays, Easter, I think the most magical was Halloween and I have some great memories. They're divided up into three main things, choosing a costume to wear to go trick or treating in, making a Jack-o’-lantern, making a … carving a pumpkin, and then also yeah, going out and doing the trick or treating, which was like just so exciting, really really so exciting.

For a full transcript of this podcast send me a message to [email protected]

Hi, I’m Nick Simcock, an English Language coach. I help Italians to unlock their English.

Houses in England - with my wife, Laura

There isn’t enough space here to include a full transcript of this chat, but if you want a copy of the transcript or you have any questions for me or Laura then send me an email to [email protected]

Per avere il meglio da questo podcast segui i miei consigli. 

* Non sentirti deluso se non capisci tutto, è normale non capire tutto! Non giudicarti negativamente, ma sii curioso, positivo e aperto ai nuovi suoni e ritmi che senti. E’ normale dover ascoltare più di una volta!

* Cerca online qualsiasi parola o frase che non conosci. Ascolta usando il tasto pausa per ripetere ad alta voce tutte le frasi che senti. Parlare ad alta voce senza paura, è l’unico modo per praticare davvero lo speaking.

* Quali sono le nuove frasi che potresti integrare e usare nella tua vita?

Buon ascolto! Enjoy your listening!

The Power of Decluttering

Everyone has some stress in their lives when they are confronted by their “to do" list. A little stress can be a positive reaction, it helps you to get things done with energy, but it can become overwhelming if it continues for too long with no breaks. What can we do to alleviate stress in our lives?

There are many different and valid approaches we can adopt to combat stress, such as keeping a diary, learning to say no to people without guilt, meditating, yoga. Many things can introduce positivity, calmness and clarity into our busy minds.

But one thing you should definitely do is look at your home as a possible source of stress and confusion. You can understand a lot about somebody by looking at their home, because the spaces we live in externally reflect the way we are on the inside. And our living and working spaces can perpetuate order or disorder in our lives.

Our homes should be sanctuaries of comfort, security, relaxation, space and clarity. Everything should have a place and be in that place when not used. According to the method KonMari, from the Japanese organising consultant Marie Kondo, 80% of the confusion in the home is caused not by a lack of space but by a lack of organisation. Statistics say that on average we lose 16 hours a year just looking for our car keys.

I’m sure you know that positive and refreshing feeling created by clearing out rubbish, then cleaning and reorganising a room. But if you’re a hoarder and you’ve been holding onto every single object that has passed through your front door since you can’t remember when, then maybe the idea of decluttering can fill you with dread - where do I start? How do I let go of things?

Well, the important thing according to the experts is to start. The famous KonMari method teaches you to tidy up by category not location, the first category is clothes. So you gather all the clothes you have into one location, so it’s easy to see what you have, what you really need and what you can let go. If an item no longer serves a purpose and it gives you no joy, you should sincerely thank it for its service and let it go.

And once you’ve done a big sort out, you should schedule a declutter at least once a month. It’s best if all members of your household are involved, and also know that they know where things live - the keys go here, shoes live here, and so on. You can also adopt a “one new thing in, one old thing out” rule, to avoid a buildup of new clutter. We must free ourselves of the old to make space for the new. Give away, throw away, sell or donate, learn to let go.

Nobody told us about these good living techniques at school, but they are without a doubt an important part of finding harmony between your home, your things and your life.

If You enjoyed this podcast you can find out more about me on my website - speakwithnick.it

Ciao for now!

Language Focus

“... confronted by their to do list”  - trovarsi di fronte ad un elenco delle cose da fare

“overwhelming” - schiacciante, enorme, travolgente

“a source of stress” - una fonte di stress

“Everything should have a place and be in that place when not used” - Ogni cosa dovrebbe avere un posto e rimanere in quel posto quando non viene utilizzata

“a lack of organisation” - una mancanza di organizzazione

“a hoarder” - qualcuno che accumula in modo compulsivo

“decluttering” - fare ordine e liberarsi di cose che non servono più

“to tidy up” - fare ordine, mettere le cose al loro posto

“a big sort out” - un grande riordino

“give away, throw away, sell or donate” - dare via, buttare via, vendere o donare