Styles
Sizes
Most covers are the small size 18-21 inches. A website on ebay offers assorted sizes
I bought one in Singapore.
You can buy them from Temu and Amazon. They need to be the right size, and have gaps for the handle at the side and the pull up handle. They are thick enough to protect against dust. But will they stay in place and protect from scratches?
If you have a black suitcase it's a good idea to add a cover to identify your suitcase for speed of collection. If somebody took our suitcase off the rack and left it in a corner you will spot it from a distance. Save delays and avoid loss.
Also spot anybody trying to go off with your suitcase.
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Which shopping centre next?
Big Brent Cross?
We used to love Brent Cross. Free parking then. Shopping all indoors, lots of little shops pinned, sandwiched, between two big stores, Fenwick, Waitrose. I used to spend all day there.
Locked In
I once got locked in. I was stuck with a baby buggy. (Americans say stroller.)
The escalators stopped. So I went back, waited for the lift, and I took the lift down to the ground floor.
But the doors from the store to the inner mall were locked.
I phoned security from inside a lift (Elevator to my American Readers.) After a long wait, the caretaker found me. He let me out.
I got home late.
I said to my husband, "You would never have known where I was, whether I was still inside, or whether I had left!"
He retorted, "I would eventually have gone to look for you. I would have known you were inside. Your little lime green car would have still been in the car park. The only car in the car park. My wife - still inside the shopping mall - at midnight."
Bargain Hunting Day Out?
My dear shopaholics - where else can you, we, go shopping? A day trip from London.
Westfield.
Galleria.
More Mega Store Shopping Malls
Discount stores.
Happy Harrow
Harrow when you are in a hurry, is more compact, with two malls, and the enclosed pedestrian area outside, on holidays filled with extra shopping stalls or kiddie rides.
The two malls are named St George's and St Ann's. Anne without an e. The same name as a road outside.
I used to be unable to remember which was which. Then one day I had my mobile phone ready to photograph and I looked up and I realized that St George's had friezes of the story of St George and the dragon, all around the ceiling two storeys above.
For clothes shopping you have Marks & Spencer, or Primark. For bargain groceries, Lidl.
Out in the main street, where buses pass, lots of smaller shops, such as Dyson.
Back to the car park at St George's.
On the way we stopped for a reviver of a snack. Starbucks.
Starbucks
An assortment of coffees. A variety of seating styles. The snacks were in short supply by late afternoon, but there's always something. We found a tasty, crunchy biscuit.
The St George's Car Park
You pay by the hour. A car park pay machine is upstairs on the gallery just by the jewellery shop.
Remember to pay indoors 'on the ground floor'. Signs say you can 'pay on exit' but it didn't work for us. They have automatic number plate recognition. So once you have paid for the exit, (up on the mezzanine), you just approach the barrier and it lifts.
Other useful shops in and near London include Costco near Bushey and Watford, the big Borehamwood Tesco Extra supermarket, and the London Designer Outlet at Wembley.
Happy Shopping!
Useful Websites
https://www.costco.co.uk/refer-a-friend
https://www.stgeorgesshopping.co.uk/
https://www.stannsshopping.co.uk/
https://www.londondesigneroutlet.com/?utm_source=googe_business&utm_medium=organic
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186217-Activities-c26-t140-England.html
Bonoo Hampstead restaurant in Hampstead has an amusing and amazing flower-covered exterior, plus inside walls and ceiling to match. A touch of class, elegance, romance.
What does the name mean? It is not the owner, but a word evoking an Indian chef's philosophy, an instinct for natural harmonising flavours. Their website explains. A bit abstract, and I don't know if it is Sanskrit or Hindi, so to remember the restaurant's name I think bon, which is French for good, and OO - amazingly different.
We saw a chef wearing a white hat.
This restaurant is a favourite of other members of our family because the restaurant staff are willing to discuss the spiciness of the dishes and get food made up less spicy which is what most of us want.
My favourite dish was the potato starter, Aloo tikki chaat. I also liked the Crunchy mango salad. And the pumpkin seeds and coconut naan.
They have another branch in Muswell Hill, which they told me has the same food but different decor.
They gave our small child a toy at the end of the meal.
The Surprise
I wondered whether the Kindersurprise really was from the famous company. I checked the leaflet which I had saved. I found the company website. You can buy the Kinder surprise at several UK supermarkets including Tesco.
Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
The toy is cheaper than I expected. Under two pounds. One pound forty. And a pack of three is under three pounds. So you could use them in a party goody bag, or for your own family's child, or a visitor's child, when you travel to any restaurant to entertain your child and want to keep them entertained and to stop them running around.
Address
675 Finchley Road
London NW2 2JP
Tel (020) 7794 8899
Useful Websites
kinder.com
For more details about the restaurant food and drinks see my post on my other blog
wineanddine angel.blogspot.com
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In the UK British summer time ends the last Sunday in October. In 2024 that is October 27th.
SUMMER TIME SATURDAY
The clocks change after midnight on Saturday, so if you are in bed before 2 a,m, no problem.
Two in the morning is the change over TIME
WINTER TIME SUNDAY
When you get up in the morning some of your clocks may have updated themselves. In the UK my family's computers, laptops, mobile phones, and clocks on radio links had adjusted
Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Old fashioned watches with the four teeny wheels had to be checked by hand. You might want to check your car clocks. Also we had to do the cooker and the microwave.
Portugal
Portugal, which is on the west of Europe, keeps the same time as the UK, including the British summer time changed forward and back on the same dates.
EUROPE
The rest of Europe also keeps summer time and changes their clocks. However, France, Spain and the rest of Europe, being geographically further east, are an hour different.
Memory Aid
A good memory for when you change times and in which direction, is in American English. It is Spring forward, Fall back.
The clocks change over the weekend to minimize disruption to the working week.
How does this change affect your Sunday.? In the morning, if you went to bed at midnight nd got up at 8 am, you had eight hours sleep, but the clocks are re-set to seven so you have an extra hour in the morning.
However, in the evening, when your body clocks says it is midnight, the clocks are telling you it is only 11 pm. If you go to bed at your body clock time you will be tired if you get up at the clock time on Monday morning.
If it gets dark at 7 pm, yesterday (Saturday) in London or Lisbon, today Sunday the clocks are saying it is only 6 pm when it is getting dark in the UK and Europe from now on it gets light earlier in the morning (supposedly helping farmers) but dark earlier in the evening so we need the Xmas lights to brighten the streets for shoppers and drivers from November.
USA
America observes daylight saving time, except for the states of Arizona and Hawaii.
AUSTRALIA
The seasons are reversed. Clocks change on different days.
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I remember seeing signs at the front of buses where people would stand and talk to the driver. The signs said:
DO NOT DISTRACT THE DRIVER !
You can buy these signs from Amazon.
Warning Children
When getting into a car with children in the back, either a parent sits at the back, or if the children are over toddler age tell them not to distract the driver.
If they are distracting, stop until they calm down.
Keep their seats apart, on either side with a gap in the middle.
Or put a large cushion, pillow, sleeping bag, soft box of soft toys, toy box, or toy or teddy bear in the middle seat.
Consider putting a barrier between the back and the driver, if you have a pet or child in the back.
Children should not be hitting each other in the back of a car.
Prevention is better than cure. You can buy dividers to separate children in the back seat.
Nor should children lark about, run zig zagging along when running along a street because drivers thinking the children will run into the road may swerve and hit other traffic..\
Running and waving arms about also distracts other pedestrians who wonder if they will be deliberately hit by aggressive people, or accidentally tripped up.
Pets & Car Dividers
Pets off the leash, or running along the pavement as if they might run in the road also distract drivers.
Finally, pets in cars
You can buy pet guards, like meshes, for between the two front bucket seats.
Taxi Protection
Taxi drivers and owners of shared taxis can buy guards to protect drivers from assault and distraction. In Asian cities such as Shanghai I noticed taxis had glass, which I presumed was bullet proof to protect the driver from robbery.
In the old days it was normal for a taxi driver to have a sliding glass behind his head. In those days it was to provide privacy for the passengers in their conversation, rather than for the driver's comfort. The driver would slide the glass to one side in order to check where the passenger wished to alight, or to ask for the fare money and wish the passenger a pleasant onward journey or stay.
Drive safely and arrive safely!
.Useful Website
Distracted Driver Report & Passenger Fatalities
Warning Sign For Passengers
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Distract-Security-Passenger-Protection-Landscape/
Back Seat Divider To Separate Children
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jet-Creations-Inflatable-Backseat-Divider/dp/
Other Driver Distractions Separation & Safety
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_traffic_safety
https://www.cdc.gov/distracted-driving/safety/index.html
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/be-safe-passenger
https://www.drivershields.co.uk/
Drivershields.
Car Dog Guard Pandora
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Candora-Organizer-Stretchable-Universal-Accessories
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No news is good news, goes the old saying. Because newspaper headlines and the ones which grab out attention are often about wars, individual deaths, murders, accidents robberies and scams.
Those Who Avoid Bad News
I have one friend who has a sick, elderly husband. Yet she is very active in the community. She goes to art exhibitions. But she says she doesn't read the news because it is depressing.
I, on the other hand, read the news because it is vital to me when I am travelling.
Flights Affected Worldwide
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I always remember 9/11, when I and my husband were in Singapore. A friend in Singapore phoned told me, gasping, "Turn on the news because a plane flew into a tower block in New York!"
My husband and I were busy packing to go to a conference in South Africa the next day. I am creative and easily distracted, but my husband is scientific and focused.
My husband said, 'We should get on with our packing, not waste time reading or watching the news from far away. It won't affect us, or out travel plans."
But it did affect our travel plans. Changi was badly affected. Signs did not say where to go. Finally, after an hour's wait, go to this gate. Then Change - Go to that gate.
Why? Firstly, because the planes which were supposed to land in the USA were turned back. Those planes supposed to arrive in Singapore from the USA did not reach us. Passengers, as well as planes were diverted. Planes had not enough passengers, or too many passengers, had to land at different airports.
Secondly, a nervous potential passenger, scared to fly, sent a bomb scare threat to give himself an excuse not to fly.
Security was stepped up at the airport so the opening of bags, checking of bags, questioning as to whether you packed your own bag, was increased.
People cancelled flights because their events were changed, their holiday destinations changed, meetings were cancelled.
I read the news for the bad news and for the good news.
On my travels, I read local papers to know about local events and people. When I go to another country, I read their newspapers. I need to know the bad news, dangerous roads, pickpocket hotspots.
Discount Delights
But I also want to now the good news. Restaurants which won awards. Discount stores. Free drinks with meals Tourist deals on two tours for the price of one. Free delivery to my hotel or home.
Today in the online news I see three different kinds of news story. First, war in the middle east.
Secondly, a teenager who killed his parents and siblings in the USA. I am wondering if we need to be teaching the next generation worldwide not to fight over grievances going back three generations, or even three weeks. Or are memories of old fights a warning of dangers to come?
Skyscraper Balcony & Window Falls
The last dramatic story I read was from the UK and it was about a pregnant mother of five who fell out of an open window in a skyscraper where she lived.
Five children in a skyscraper with open windows strikes me as a danger, even without a mother who has a lot on her mind, and no foresight to use birth control.
Not everybody would agree with me on the birth control issues. But I still think there is mileage in this question. Why is a family of five housed in a skyscraper where you can open and fall out of windows?
USA Hotel Window Precautions
I remember visiting a hotel in a skyscraper in American. The windows did not open, to prevent accidents.
Skyscraper Versus Ground Floor Motels And Garden Cities
We need to rethink the advantages for families of garden cities with accessible employment and shopping and health services. We need to rethink ground floor living.
Skyscraper, Balcony and Window Security
We need to rethink windows which have air vents. Maybe add bay window for views. But not windows which open wide. Consider grilles. As is done in Singapore before you can get a license to have a cat in a flat.
In the UK a copany called Omlet makes a caat balcony run.
Alarmed Fire Escape Doors
Instead alarmed windows, and fires escape doors with alarms to prevent burglary through the fire escape and to alert residents and neighbours and caretakers and fire services when children run out or fires break out.
News At Night And Good Sleep
But that is the future. What is the message for you now? It used to be the case that the ten o'clock news was the last thing at night and people did not watch because it worried them before they tried to sleep. So the news always ended with a funny or happy story.
After reading the news last thing at night, I try to read something jolly, or watch a humorous item on YouTube.
Happy Thoughts & Plans
When travelling, I gather up free newspapers. I often don't have time to read them thoroughly when busy travelling during the day. So last thing at night I cut out the coupons for offers to chase the next day. I note these welcome thoughts and plans in my diary.
Useful Websites
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13991417/pictured-pregnant-woman-died-tower-block-fall.html
https://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/cat_products/cat_balcony_enclosure/
Please share links to posts you enjoy reading, and re-reading. See my similar post including seasonal Halloween clothes on my blog dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com
https://dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com/2024/10/what-news-at-home-and-overseas-tells-us.html
Following reports of the tragic death of Liam Payne of One Direction, who either fell or jumped from a hotel balcony, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America. Newspapers published reports and the phone call made by the hotel employee who was concerned about the hotel guest who was drunk or on drugs and had gone to a room with a balcony. (The call is in Spanish - newspapers give the English translation.)
Balconies and Safety
Alcohol drugs, balconies you can climb or fall off, what could go wrong? The hotel employee was already concerned about the guest and the balcony.
What can we ban? We already restrict alcohol and drugs, but now perhaps we should look at balconies.
Police And Safety
In some cases it is an advantage to call police as this could protect property and life. Ambulance staff might be sent away by a person who declines treatment. However, police might stay to question the person being investigated. If that person becomes aggressive, the police might arrest the person, who, if they assault the police officer, or resist arrest, might be taken to the police station and places in a locked cell, or a padded room. This would protect the property, other people. and give the person time to calm down and be released into the care of a family member or responsible person.
The name Payne, sounding like pain, in retrospect seems ominous. Maybe the name Joy would be more positive.
If you are travelling to a major city, the waxworks might have a display featuring your favourite band.
Madame Tussauds London has a One Direction display.
Useful Websites daily mail report
I once read that the majority of accidents overseas in Europe happen near the ferry ports where people driving off the ferry forget to drive on the other side of the road.
Wrong Way Driving
A new type of accident seems to be popping up. People driving the wrong way down a motorway. In the old days there were lay-by stops at intervals along motorways, and hard shoulders. Then the hard shoulders were removed to increase traffic flow without spending more money, to get an extra lane.
If you go to South east Spain to Benidorm, Alicante or Valencia you might pass lines of vines, see signs to Vineyards offering tastings or in restaurants and supermarkets come across wines made with the local Monastrell grape.
The wine grape known as Mourvèdre in France is called monastrell in Spain. The grapes are dark red (I call them black) and are tannic, dry in the mouth. That's what some people love. I used to hate tannic wines, but am gradually getting used to them. But the red or black grapes are also the source of some rose wines and some delicious sweet wines, to finish the meal, or in my case drink all the way through.
You might drink these wines on holiday in Alicante or Valencia, visit a vineyard or bodega for a wine tasting there.
Or buy from a supermarket in London, England or elsewhere before you go or just to find out in case you ever go there. (The same grape pops up in the USA and Australia.)
Eleven wines at different prices.
I went to a wine tasting, a Monastrell Masterclass and walk-around Tasting on 14th October 2024 at a Asia House in London.
The Monastrell Grape Masterclass
Growing vines to make wine in Spain dates back many years. The name monastrell probably comes from the Latin for monastery.
The monastrell grape grows in the sunny south-east of Spain. During the masterclass I learned that wines can thrive in hot climates without irrigation, (sending their roots deep down).
Uprooting old vines to replace them with orchards might seem a good idea short term. However, orchards need water. If the climate change results in less water, as predicted, those areas which saved their vineyards might be glad of their old vines in years to come.
Food to Match Monstrell Wine
Other fascinating facts. A popular saying is that what grows together goes together. What kind of food goes with Monastrell wines? Anything unusual? Distinctive? A local speciality? Yes. For those seeking something savoury, rice with rabbit and snails.
Paella From Valencia
It is not called paella. Paella is the speciality of the city of Valencia.
Monastrell
If you are looking for something sweeter or more familiar, Spain has an eggy bread, similar to what in England is called French toast. We were assured it goes very well with Monastrell.
Sweet Wine To Savour
I like sweet wines. So it was no surprise that my favourite was the last. One always finishes dinner with a sweet wine to go with sweet desserts, so even without any food, we finished with a sweet wine.
The Sweet Spanish Wine
The wine comes in a tall slim bottle, like sweet ice wines around the world. At thirty pounds, it is not cheap. (If you want a cheaper, strong dry red, there are at least three Monastrell wines costing around thirteen pounds.)
Secrets of Spanish Names Revealed
The name Silvano Garcia Dulce Monastrell 2019 was not memorable when I first glanced at it. However, when I researched the meaning of the words, they came into focus, close-up, vivid.
Bodegas Silvano Garcia
The bodega is the place where they serve you the wine which is grown on vines nearby. Silvano Garcia is a man's name.
Silvano - Meaning?
Silvano is a personal name which means someone who lives in the forest. Or woods. Silvano comes from the Latin word silva which means wood.
Silvano was the Roman God of the forest.
Garcia - A Popular Name
Garcia has an accent on the i for emphasis. Like pronouncing the name Maria, you say the penultimate vowel strongly.
Garcia means young, or young bear cub. In Germany a young bear is strong and courageous, and also means brave spear, or brave in battle.
Garcia is a popular surname. In fact, it's the most common surname in Spain. The second most common surname in Mexico.
Dulce means sweet. (Think of the English phrase describing a voice having dulcet tones.) Think of the Italian film titled La Dolce Vita. So Dulce means sweet wine. Monastrell is the grape. DO Jumilla, origin the Jumilla area.
Wine Visit In Spain
When you visit the area, you can visit the winery for a tour. Wines available locally are of course cheaper. Their website shows the sweet wine at 14.95 Euros. But then you have to transport it back to England or your country, unless you want to drink it here in Spain.
They also sell jams made from their sweet wines, at prices from about 1.90 euros to about 4.90 euros.
They have various tours at different prices and can arrange a wine tour followed by dinner.
Useful Websites
https://www.monastrell.org/en/monastrell-spain
Wiki on Mourvedre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourv%C3%A8dre
https://recipes.fandom.com/wiki/Monastrell
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Don't hike solo. But what if one of you wants to turn back from the group?
Upload maps onto your phone so you can use them when you have no wifi reception.
Satellite communication devices.
Remember, safety in numbers.
Useful Websites
See the comments.
All's well that ends well, as Shakespeare's play title remindes us.
To Protect Lanlords and Tenants
The contract needs a cleaning and tidying manual added as a supplement.
Cleaning
How does the vacuum cleaner work? How often do you use it? Why?
How to clean stains off carpets.
Most stains and simple repairs can be seen on You Tube, or wikihow, or the guides from DIY stores such as Wickes and B & Q and Homebase.
How To Clean Wine Stains off furniture.
The same as for carpets, but check an inconspcous area first to be sure you are not removing the dye from the fabric.
Report Leaking Taps Quickly
Why?
Leaking taps are creating moisture, leading to mould. Breeding flies, mosquitos, fleas, silverfish. All these can spread illness and/or eat the fabric of your clothes, or infect your food. Insects attract things which eat insects.
Fleas attack pets. Repel your visitors. Flies attract spiders. Repel your visitors. Excrete on your food.
Insects breed in flour.
Mould makes life harder for those suffering from allergies and asthma.
Central Heating
Before calling in an expensive electirican or plumber because the heating doesn't work, try this:
Check the thermostat controls in the living room, hall and bedrooms. Does the controller have a battery. Install a new battery. Maybe the power was low because the battery was low. Or the contacts were dirty.
Maybe re-setting will fix the system.
My son just fixed his home central heating this way.
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The winter fuel allowance has gone for seniors. Unless you can claim for being low income or disabled. That is the bad news. m
And you have to claim for it. Alas. Unless you are poor. But the poor may be poor in three ways.
Poor People
Poor people meaning unfortunate people, as well as the poorly (sick or unwell). Poor people might be mentally or physically disabled or old. Many of the elderly haven't the know-how nor strength of will nor energy to keep dealing with forms and questions and passwords to claim. You need to read pages of instructions ... Oh, dear.
The Good news - Free TV license
The TV license means the BBC TV license. The commercial ones are paif for by advertising.
Who gets it? Single widows over seventy five. But those in couples must both be over seventy five. (Yes, that means both of an elderly couple, since the younger one presumably has income to support the other older one.)
This cost about twenty thousand pounds for the made to measure straps and concrete.
The concrete had to be eight feet deep. Not like erecting a tent which takes you a short time.
However, I have seen what the cost is of cleaning up, re-housing, repairing buildings. And you need to clear your garden and nearby roads.
You must replace lost possessions exposed to rain.
Add in the cost of paying for hotels during the hurricane and waiting for the roof to be repaired. Maybe the cost of concrete and straps is worth it for an individual, a major building, or even a whole street. Consider campaigning for a grant from the governement or local city or charity or a whip round. \
Useful Websites
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13952211/Florida-man-gives-update-house-using-straps-shield-against-Hurricane-Milton.html
Photo in Wikipedia by Adog of damaged roof in Florida
What is fair and what is baiased?
In a court both the prosecution and defence are allocaated time to speak. TV programmes and news reports shoud be fair.
The panel and audience, like supporters at footbll matches, and seats for bride and groom in a traditiona church, should be allocated equally.
The microphone should be given to each speaker for the alloted time, no more, with a warning light to wrap up, and no interruptions, nor hceklers.
| Photo by M. Rehemtulla |
Cats and dogs and other animals can be terrified of fireworks. Also displays have injured animals, children and adults.
The good news is that safer displays could be on the way. They cost less in clearing up. Less cost in injuries. And it seems that the public like the laser displays which can be used not just in the sky but to light up buildings.
I'm all for music to go with displays instead of startling bangs and unnerving whizzes.
Useful Websites
https://www.rospa.com/policy/home-safety/advice/fireworks-safety
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fireworks_accidents_and_incidents
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworks_law_in_the_United_Kingdom
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When I see a problem I look for a cure. I see cars overturned in a hurricane in Florida. Why weren't those cars in garages. I prsume some of the houses had one garage but two cars or two garages but three cars.
If the cars were not in garages, why? Did people want the cars outside ready for a quick getaway, or not in danger of being under a falling roof>
In that case, you need stronger roofs. A car overturned outside the house is no good anyway.
When rebuilding starts, you need enough bedrooms for each person and enough garages for each car. Why enough bedrooms? because each person breathes out water vapour. That grows mould. In the UK a man with eleven children complained because his house had mould .
Relevant Websites
https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/hurricane/hurricane-vs-typhoon.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13943611/Tornado-Florida-Avenir-neighborhood-Hurricane-Milton-Palm-Beach-Gardens.html?ico=comment-anchor#comments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_cyclone_preparedness
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13942993/florida-man-strap-house-hurricane-milton-viral.html
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I lived on and off in Singapore for about thirty years. I was there in the British winter, back in the UK for summer. Singapore changed and improved a lot with many useful changes to streets and homes.
Covered Pedestrian Ways
When I first went there the old town areas had the five foot ways which were wide covered pavements, a bit like the cloisters in England's Oxford and Cambridge colleges. Shelter from the rain. Also shelter from the hot sun.
Later, the suburbs filled with apartment blocks, HDB (ssate housing estates) and local schools. In the last decade the new town planning system was to build covered ways between the new (and old) underground railway stations and the local housing estates and schools.
This was to protect pedestrians children, the elderly, those who did not drive. And it encouraged those who had a choice to leave the car at home and take the trains on the new lines.
Rebuilding Plans
Major rebuilding will be necessary around the world.
Due to Wartime
Ukraine. Russia. Gaza. Beirut and the Lebanon. Israel, kibbutzim and cities. Maybe more countries. I was shocked to read that the kibbutzim have safe rooms and bunkers,.Yet they cannot keep out assailants.
American cities have bunkers in major buildings and hotels.
Singapore railway stations have signs about the stations containing safe areas. Buildings are on stilts with a void deck to cope with flooding.
Natural Disasters and Climate Changes
For example, flooding in Florida in the USA. Earthquakes in California in the USA. Indonesia. Volvanoes. Tsunamis.
Flooding by rivers, seas and oceans.
Prevention - Balcony Falls
Fires in High Rises
The UK has to fund a major progrmme of replacing cladding.
In Canada years ago Haabitat was built stepped like a pyramid so that jumping off a blcony took you no further than one floof below.
Grenfell in London, England.
Prevention - portable fire escapes, folding rope ladders for travellers to keep in their luggage in cars, when staying in skyscrapers instead of ground floor motel bedrooms.
Balconies
So many people falling off balconies. Climbing on balconies. Cats falling off balconies. Children falling out of windos.Cleaning is done from professionals on the outside, not maids or home owners leaning out.
Lessons Learned
What lessons have been learned?
The Titanic taught us tht ships need lifeboats with enough places for everybody. But a chip titlted on its side might not have usable, launchable lifeboats. That's why you don't wait until the last moment before evaluating. Women and children who are less agile are evacuated first.
Life boats need to be stocked with food, drink and a fishing line, first aid, a spare life vest. Flares for signalling to ships. Maybe even a line for nearby swimmers to cling to, without clambering into the boat and upending it.
Survival. Surely survival including first aid, cooking, weather watching basics (sun rises in the east shadows, and so on, safe and unpleasant plants, repairing shoes, surviving, town planning, growing and grafting plants.should be taught not just to scouts but to all schoolchildren. The Japanese teach children to clean their classroooms and school.
Califormian hotels have windows which cannot open so you cannot fall out.
Hotel and Plane and Train Evacuation
I sit in an aisle seat. Quickest way to toilets. And exits. If I want a photo from the window, I ask somebody near the window to take a photo for me.
Different countries have different minimum heights for
Basements and Candles
I don't like to be in basements with candles. New Year's Eve. Disco disasters and wedding disasters from giant flames and flammable decorations. Tables blocking the route to exits.
We have electricity. Battery candles for birthday cakes. Electric imitation candles.
Safer Roads
We have Belisha beacons, zebra crossings, bleeping pedestrian lights. traffic lights. Pedstrian barriers. Stopping lines a few yards before the pedestrian or trafic light. Pedestrian bridges
Singapore and Cats
Caat flaps can be conveient for cats.
Cat Repellent
In London, a woman was afraid of cats and her neighbours got two cats and often let them out. The.husband of the woman who was afraid bought a cat repellent device which he installed outside his balcony door. Would be pet owners must put metal bars across balconies before acquiring a cat.
Useful Websites
https://thecatpeople.sg/cat-safety-with-cat-proof-balconies/
pistbye cat repellent on Amazon
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In the heart of London.
Fortnum and Mason exterior. Photo by Trevor Sharot.
Fortnum & Mason has coffee to go and a good wine section.
Expect the unexpected. Reduced price las day smoked slamon. A salmon and spinach tart under in a pastry lattice.
Near Piccadilly is Jackson's of Piccadilly.
Useful Websites
