Paddington Bears - in England and South America, the trail

 

Paddington Bear on Paddington station, London, England, UK.

Nearby is the Paddington Bear shop.

The trail though London includes Paddington station with the bear statue, Buckingham Palace, buying marmalade in Fortnum's, and a big bookstore for a Paddigton bear book. (What about Hamleys toy store?)

If you've done all that, you can see the Paddington Bear statue in Lima, Peru.

Paddington Bear statue in Lima, Peru.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddington_Bear

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/family-activities/paddington-bear-itinerary

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Coping with bereavement - royal or personal

 

One thing the queen knew, that dogs are devoted to you and a comfort in times of trouble.

This photo is from Facebook, from my friend who introduced me to Toastmasters International, Indra.

Customs vary, the rich and the poor, the English and the Irish, the Christian and the Jewish, Victorian and modern, UK and China.

What are the steps in coping with bereavement?

1 The married or elderly person making a will and giving instructions regarding their burial or cremation, funeral or memorial. 

2 Paperwork. Refusal to believe it is about to happen, or has happened. Guilt. Anger. Acceptance. Moving on.

3 Display or transfer of Body. Viewing. Retrieving jewellery or placing it on the body. Travel.

4 Notices to relatives that somebody is dying, has died, and the funeral. (Protocol varies.)

5 Funeral includes speech by the nearest and dearest and/or a minister. Music. Readings. Order of service.

6 Burial. Return to relax at funeral tea. 

Wake. (In New Orleans a jazz music and dance parade celebration of the dead person gone to heaven.)

Letters of condolence. BOOKS of condolence. Cards. Thank you cards. Gifts to charity. Flowers. (Not for Jewish funerals.) Suitable wording. 

At a Jewish shiva, or evening prayers, you wish the family 'long life'. Why? Maybe to be positive and forestall the desire to commit suicide to be no longer alone or to join the loved one in heaven.

7 Will. Distribution of goods. Paperwork and taxes/probate.

8 Family agreement or argument!

9 Demonstration of grief - or appearing composed in public, crying in private.

19 Flashbacks, blaming self or others. Refusal to accept it. Anger. Stoicism. Depression. Relief (that suffering is over).

11 Dealing with well=wishers, and enemies or debt collectors.

12 Payment for funeral. Selecting tombstone and wording, giving dates of birth, and death, and survivors, and a motto or description. In Russia, Greece, and other countries, a photo or statue or monument showing the face and body and profession or hobby of the deceased.

13 House clearance.

14 obituaries - preparing and/or reading.

15 Preserving or disposing of or house clearance.

16 Distributing photos and mementoes.

17 Moving on - remarriage.

18 Consolation from pets or children or carers.

19 Talking it through.

20 Escapism. Holidays. Moving on. 

21 Lessons learned - for dealing with death, preparing one's own will and distributing one's own money, property or other assets.

22 Preserving fading memories. (Gravestone settled and visited on one year anniversary. "Stone-setting'.

23 In some countries the body is dug up and dressed in new clothes: 

A) (Sulawesi, Indonesia), set at a dinner table with the family. 

B) Madagascar, Africa.

Useful Websites

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/13/whats-behind-the-mystery-of-thousands-of-excess-deaths-this-summer

https://community.sueryder.org/c/coping-with-bereavement

https://www.i4give.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_state_funeral_of_Elizabeth_II

Indonesia

https://directfuneral.com.sg/embalmers-and-what-exactly-do-they-do/?gclid=CjwKCAjw1ICZBhAzEiwAFfvFhJbouiaxEjekqc_oEEpIvW5VK2aHf9IPnzdQpSJa8-BghGa_8Xdz8xoCIvkQAvD_BwE

https://tribuneonlineng.com/families-dig-up-corpses-of-relatives-dress-them-in-new-clothes-in-indonesias-bizarre-festival-12-photos/#:~:text=festival%20(12%20PHOTOS)-,Families%20dig%20up%20corpses%20of%20relatives%2C%20dress%20them%20in%20new,Indonesia's%20bizarre%20festival%20(12%20PHOTOS)&text=Every%20August%2C%20families%20gathered%20to,of%20their%20ancestors%20in%20Indonesia.

https://nypost.com/2018/01/05/villagers-dig-up-dead-relatives-and-dress-them-in-bizarre-ritual/

Madagascar - new clothes on old bodies

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FaItWmA0BQ

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Fun Food With Drink At ProWine: vegan meat made from plants, mock cheese from almond milk

 ProWein started in Germany, promoting wine. Now it is in several countries annually. Before Covid stopped the shows, the exhibition was attracting 7,218 visitors to 270 exhibitors, showcasing 33 countries. 

How did covid hit the hospitality industry and how much have consumers lost and gained? When Singapore Airlines stopped flying they had huge stocks of wine. At one point they did wine tastings for their PPS customers. Products which could no longer be sold in-flight, were offered mail order for home delivery.

67 at Mall had planned to open a new business in a prime central location in Singapore, top floor at the crossroads overlooking Orchard MRT station.  The whole business project was suspended. But when things started moving again, they built, promoted and now have 15 sommeliers.

Looking at this picture, I can see that you could write the letters of a simple word such as the initials of a person's name or a company name, such as Ava or M & S, using diced cheese.

Morcheez

From Singapore, Morcheez cheesecakes include Yuzu, Durian, blueberry, apple crumble, mango, peanut butter, and Tiramisu.

Cakes and Sweets

Drinks

Soya milk drinks.

Dirtycleanfoodasia.com

Wines

Mount Faber Singapore Sling.

It is a trade show. The purpose is to link up B2B (business to business). 

So how does this help you and me as consumers? What is going to be on sale in the supermarkets, shops, restaurants and hotels, this season, Christmas time, and in the future? What are the trends?

The big surprise to me was the volume and variety of plant-based imitation meat products. Chicken, lamb, beef. 

I was at the ProWine Sept 05-08 in 2022.

Next events, B2B (business to business, trade only), are 

27-29 Sao Paolo, Latin America 

17-18 Oct 2022 Mumbai, India

08-10 Nov 2022 Shanghai, China

19-21 March 2023 Dusseldorf, Germany

10-12 May 2023 Hong Kong

Useful websites.

Dirtycleanfoodasia.com (Oatmilk in 1 litre milk carton sizes)

https://frostyboy.com/

Marcona Roll - Almond milk roll like a soft cheese roll, made from Spanish almonds, coated with orange papaya or yellow pineapple pieces.

www.alimentias.com

Prowine-singapore.com

https://www.theyoghurtshop.com.au/

www.theyoghurt.shop/mor

Rainbow Library - for Selfies in Sydney, Australia

You no longer need feel foolish about sorting your books by colour instead of author. 

Here's a picture of a rainbow of books. I found this on Flickr.

Istock wanted me to get free by signing up to pay and getting first month free.

On unsplash, which is free photos I found this

The largest I have seen is in one of the world's hitherto little known libraries, in Australia, which has created a rainbow effect from books with great success.

Take your cue from the award-winning underground library. From the outside you see a wall of glass mirroring the sky.

I don't understand how to give correct attribution to this photo from Wikimedia Commons. The author is Picasa. The author and user is somebody else, user Sardaka.

In the colourfully named Green Square, Sydney. 355 Botany Road, Zetland, Sydney, Australia.

Inside is the original wall of rainbow coloured books. 

Inside is an attractive outdoors area.The Courtyard.

Photo side view showing the building slopes back downwards. Picture again from Sardaka.

From the outside, the Infinity building, behind the library, in the picture, I presume actually on the left, looks even more striking.

Again, photo from Sardaka, in Wikimedia.

It is not a silent space. There's a children's room. And a music room you can hire, which comes with instruments you can use such as electric guitars.

You (members) can also borrow a ukelele for up to three weeks.

Useful Websites

https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/libraries/green-square-library

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/travel/article-11202649/Green-Square-Librarys-rainbow-reading-wall-dubbed-instagrammable-spot-Sydney.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed_article&ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed

https://www.wikihow.com/Organize-Books (includes a section on colour)

Paddington Bear in London - and bears - and sandwiches and unwrapped flowers for the queen?

 Time to produce a machine washable Paddington bear which can be given to hospitals. They won't accept things which could be contaminated.

Statue of Paddington Bear eating a sandwich in Leicester Sq London.

Picture Matt Brown in Wikipedia, from Flickr.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11202125/Mourners-asked-stop-leaving-Paddington-bears-marmalade-sandwiches-honour-Queen.html#comments

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/family-activities/paddington-bear-itinerary

Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrated with Mooncakes

 September 10th 2022 is the date of the mid-autumn mooncake festival. It is celebrated all over Asia, in China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong as well as major cities and pocket or places around Asia and the Far East such as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. From the point of view of the westerner, the major delight is the abundance of moon cakes. They are the size of muffins but solid, as heavy as cricket balls. full of sugar and calories. Traditionally, they have a pastry outside and a filling of a thick paste featuring strong flavours of exotic fruits. 

As an antidote to that sweetness, the more expensive ones have one of two tiny salted duck eggs in the middle. The varieties are constantly expanding. 

Snow Skin

You can now buy white ones with an almost transparent snow-white gelatine or jelly like paste on the outside. The snow effect comes from glutinous rice flour.

You can even buy ice cream ones from ice cream shops, but because they would melt these are mostly for consumption at the shop rather than for home delivery.

Luxury Gifts

I was told that moon cakes are cheaper in Taiwan. In Singapore they are big business, given to clients, in fancy keepsake boxes. The outsides have colours and gold and fretwork and tassels. Inside you might have four compartments for four mooncakes, or two drawers, tor three drawers, or four drawers.

Hotel foyers have huge displays, often the hotel's own unique designs at ever increasing prices. If you are lucky, the vendors will have trays with teeny cubes or triangles to try.

You can buy moulds for mooncakes.

Mid-autumn mooncake" (中秋月饼)

The popular lotus seed or lotus paste mooncake. I like red beancurd.

The mooncakes online from Fairprice cost under ten dollars. But by 7 pm Fairprice supermarket had completely sold out. They suggested trying ToastBox.

Toast Box Price and Choice

Toast Box sold a selection in a fancy box for 42 Singapore dollars and eighty cents. I think it would have contained four, but my husband on the phone to me from the supermarket was not sure.  He then found one for twelve dollars, sweet or salty. I opted for sweet. They were offering a reduction in price, about ten percent off.

Toast Box Pastry Texture

Traditional mooncakes have a thick hard, crumbly pastry, like biscuit base, sausage pie, overcooked shortcrust.  The Toast Box one had a softer outside, more like puff pastry or a solid croissant.

Toast Box Mooncake Shape

The ones from Toast box were flatter, more patty shape than fairy cake or muffin shape.

Toast Box Flavour

The Toast Box version at first seemed a poor relative, not as thick, solid and calorific as a traditional mooncake. However, as with most sweet things, they are addictive. By the time I had reached my third mouthful I was quite keen on the lighter style. I particularly liked what tasted like crunchy almond nibs on the base.

I shall, of course, have to try a few more. In the interests of research. I am sure you understand.

Useful Websites

https://www.fairprice.com.sg/product/prestigio-delights-lotus-paste-double-yolk-mooncake-180-g-90141002?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6_CYBhDjARIsABnuSzqoTmivI4NL7jBe8llIkCAsZKfM6iacogPsvPBRNPxuJEwVoRyr2EgaAs6TEALw_wcB

https://www.facebook.com/toastboxsingapore/posts/these-traditional-teochew-style-mooncakes-from-thye-moh-chan-are-made-with-delic/3213940525320115/

Great recipes:

https://zhangcatherine.com/mooncakes/

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2021/09/food-and-fun-at-autumn-harvest.html

HM Queen Elizabeth II died Sept 8 2022. What changes does this mean for you and the world?

Queen's Christmas message. (The Queen's Speech is what she gives to the opening of Parliament.)

'The queen is dead. (1926-2022) Long live the king.' TV programmes had already been cancelled in the afternoon of Thursday September 8th 2022 when the family were summoned to Scotland. She died at Balmoral in Scotland. 

Balmoral, Scotland, privately owned.

Who Heard?

The members of the royal family were told she was failing fast and were called to Scotland.

A TV presenter was already wearing a black tie. In fact, all the BBC presenters were in black from the time of the announcement about the queen being under medical supervision.

The flag, the Union Jack, on Buckingham Palace, was lowered to half mast. Phones began pinging with alerts about the news.

A back-edged announcement appeared on the gate.

Notice on Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland, the queen's - now the king's, official residence.

Holyrood Palace.

What Next?

Next will be the funeral. In London, England, UK. 

But for everyday life in the UK, and overseas, what does this mean?

1 UK passports will change. Anything with the words queen will change to king. This means

2 Notes and coins.

3 Postage stamps.

4 Pillar boxes. (Post boxes. Americans say mail boxes.)

5 Magazines, newspapers and books and postcards with stories and photos about the queen and her era.

6 TV programmes on history.

7 Uniforms of the military.

8 Stamps around the world.

9 Souvenirs - postcards, tee-shirts, mugs. 

10 Next Christmas we will have the king's message.r countries around the world will be making changes to stamps - as well as souvenir shops.

In addition to postage stamps and regalia in the UK, 

Why so many changes? All so costly. Unnecessary. We have always been the UK, not the UQ.

The Queen's body will be displayed in Scotland, where she died, displayed at a religious building, then moved to London. 

In London the coffin will move from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in Westminster Palace (which is across the road from Westminster Abbey) where she will lie in state so that the public can file past and see her for the last time.

On the day of the funeral members of the royal family will follow the slow transfer of the coffin down The Mall.

The funeral service will take place in Westminster Abbey, with former Prime Ministers of the UK and heads of state from overseas. Expect security to be tight.

Afterwards, the coffin will be taken in a hearse (carriage for the coffin) to Windsor. 

The final place will be St George's chapel. The royal family, guests will observe a choir singing hymns. The body will be lowered into the vault below the quire. (Centre or crossing point of the arms of the cross shape of the building.)

On the day of the funeral any sports events previously planned for that day will be cancelled. So will strikes. It will be a bank holiday and schools will be closed. 

Who will be affected? 

Cancellations

Horse racing, cycling, golf, football. The Last Night of the Proms, an evening of patriotic and jolly music, cancelled. the good news is that strikes will be cancelled.

Certain flags will fly at half mast for a brief period (quite complicated as to which flags and how they are raised when the new king Charles III is being proclaimed - sworn in?), and events will be televised around the world.

Additions

Bells will be tolled. Canons will be fired (in Wales).

Glossary

casket - American term for the box for a dead body, strictly speaking a basic four-sided rectangle

catafalque - platform for a coffin

coffin - a fancy six-sided box for a dead body (the term coffin is the most usual one used in the UK)

quire - area where the choir (or group of singers) is seated (also a sheaf of paper) 

King Charles III

King Charles III.

Queen Consort Camilla

Places To Visit

UK

London

Buckingham Palace, London, England

Flowers from members of the public.

The Mall

(Black taxi cabs gathered with lights on.)

Piccadilly - pictures of the queen

Scotland

Edinburgh

USA

Times Square

Paris, France - Eiffel Tower

Tel Aviv

Australia - Sydney Opera House picture of queen on the sails, Friday 10th Sept and Saturday 11th Sept nights.

Useful Websites

On You Tube I was offered links to subscribe to the UKs BBC news and America's NBC news.

Plans for the funeral, from the BBC

Map of St George's Chapel, Windsor

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60617519

Changes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11195633/Cash-stamps-police-helmets-passports-different-King-Charles-III.html#comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Elizabeth_II

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/death-queen-elizabeth-marked-around-world-with-tributes-flowers-2022-09-08/

Sights

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11196967/Sydney-Opera-House-lit-image-Queen-honour-late-monarch.html

Angela Lansbury, English language expert and speaking and language trainer, travel writer specialising in places: countries, museums, restaurants (wine and dine), romantic destinations, people (famous), and events. Practical, amusing and entertaining books, articles and blogs.