London's Tourist Tuk Tuks

 

These were parked near Embankment station. The cost comes down divided between three friends. If the

Charge is by time and distance rather than by person.

 

Canary Wines

 

Central London Wine Society held one of its twice a month wine tastings, in July, on the theme of Canary Islands wines. The presenter was Trevor Sharot, author of a book on island wines, called Isle drink.

Canary Island Wines

He had brought back wines from the big island of Tenerife and smaller La Palma.

 His slides showed that the cheeses were from cows, sheep and goats. One of the cheeses was wrapped in vine leaves. 

You can buy a small selection of Canary wines from the Wine Society which had a few basic popular and affordable wines. Trevor had enjoyed tasting those a month earlier at an event run by Christos.

Trevor"s wines included one much more expensive wine. He also had a tasting sheet with a map of tthe islands and vineyards he had visited showing where each wine came from.

His slides showed the different styles of vine training, taking into account the winds. And highest vineyard. 

Perhaps most memorable was the picture of the vineyard engulfed by the most recent volcanic eruption on La Palma around the time of Covid. No lives lost in the eruption but the vineyard owners' homes, vines and businesses needed finance and time for replacing. 

An enjoyable informative and entertaining evening.

Backpack cum trolley bag - size and safety

 I like the idea of a backpack cum trolley bag. The trolley feature is useful to relieve your back. But going up stairs if you have a second bag, it is handy to be able to put it on your back and leave your hands free to hold the banister, or help a child or older person. The trolley is useful if it is flat on top and can balance something else.

I watched a useful video about the extra features of one trolley rucksack, which was selling at near a hundred dollars/euros/pounds. 

Price Point & Postage

On ebay I could see prices ranging from about 14 pounds, 13.99. Some of them charged six pounds for postage which brought them up in the range or rivals selling around 19 or twenty. However I found one which was the cheaper price, post free. Then I read the description and saw it had two wheels. What was the specification for the others?

You might need a bigger bag or one with a front pocket if you are travelling with a laptop or a book to read, or just extra brochures.

Beware Of Muddling Matching Suitcase Sets

You could buy two bags, one to use as a backpack, the other as a trolley bag, to look co-ordinated. Fine if you are single. Or the bags are different sizes.

But beware of his and hers bags in identical sizes. Once my husband and I both had identical black bags. We were lucky to be on similarly timed flights the same day from the same airport going in different directions.

Five minutes after we said goodbye he came dashing back to find me. He realised he had my bag and I had his. He was about to arrive at a conference, having gone through various security inspections with high heeled shoes and ladies underwear. Minus his laptop.

 I would have arrived minus - well, you get the idea, the message.

Add Stickers, And Covers, To Suitcases

Some people don't want brand new luggage in poor countries because that makes them a target. They also think bright colours are conspicious and attract unwanted attention. One solution is to put an old stained tee-shirt on your suitcase in public places, which also covers exposed zips and soft parts which could be slashed.

The old faded, stained or torn tee-shirt can be removed when you arrive at your conference, business meeting, or expensive hotel and want to look smart.

The solution to this is a second colour tag or sticker or painted stripe on one or both. 

Backpack and Suitcase Colour Choices

I like pink, orange and red. My husband sometimes uses my suitcases. He doesn't want pink, but can manage with red or orange. Some of the suppliers had sold out of the pink, red, and orange options. However, they had purple, blue and green. I have a large blue and green suitcase bought on holiday to replace a broken item same size. That was my only colour option in the size large enough to take the items already with me. So the blue or green smaller bag would co-ordinate with my larger suitcase, as well as going reasonably well with my orange, pink or red summer clothes.

Backpacks At The Front

Regarding backpacks, several online websites and videos warn against having valuables in pockets on a backpack worn on your back. The suggestion is to wear the backpack on your front in crowded places, lines for buses or at attractions, or sales.

There you have it. All the options to check on.

Buying On Holiday

The bigger department stores and bargain stores have suitcases. You can buy before leaving home, or bring back an extra bag from holiday for souvenirs such as heavy bottles of wine.

We did this, paying extra for the transport of another check in bag on RyanAir, but only one way, not the outward journey. 

Websites - Useful Backpack & Suitcase Sources

amazon

ebay

temu

Prepare For Emergencies - Like in Japan and the Philippines

Be Prepared

The scout's motto is be prepared. Scouts are constantly learning new skills. How to read maps. How to cook food. 

Outdoors

Hiking and camping holidays teach you what you need to survive, alone or in a group. Protective clothing. Food and drink. Knowing the weather. 

Planning a route. 

Telling people where you are, where you are going, when you will be back. 

Avoiding Danger

Check weather forecasts. Watch out for wild animals. Avoid dangerous places. Avoid dangerous activities.

Have insurance. Keep the number of who to call in your pocket. 

Know the location of the nearest hospital and emergency department. Does the hotel or ship have a resident doctor or nurse or first aider?

Hotels

Hotels show you escape routes on the back of bedroom doors. 

Know the location of the fire extinguishers.

 And the fire exits. Are they locked or blocked? If I am in a group and arrive first, but see no fire extinguisher or exit, I pick a table near the front entrance.

Trains

One man who survived a train crash, fatal to other passengers, explained how he was able to save himself and his family. As he entered the carriage and took his seat, he had simply noted the location of the nearby window and how to open it.  

Types of situations: 

Fire. Flood. Food poisoning. Earthquake. Plane crash. Boat sinking. Rip tide when swimming. Avalanche. Tsunami. Storm. Wild animals. Escaped pets. Active shooters. Riots. Burglars. Carbon monoxide. Sink holes. Car accident. Robbery. Kidnap. Wrongful arrest or imprisonment. 

Rescuing Others

Drownings in pools and on beaches.

Fires in homes and entertainment and hospitality venues.

In Japan it is usual to have an emergency bag close to your front door to grab as you exit in the event of an earthquake, tsunami or any other emergency.

Apparently the British government plans to issue advice to every household in Britain.

 You would need everything for a weekend away, plus more food and drink and first aid equipment and documentation. But a small enough bag to carry.

I have seen people saying we don't have need for this because the UK is not in an earthquake area. 

What if you travel to an earthquake area on holiday? I was take by surprise by an earthquake on a Greek island. 

I was a travel writer on a press trip, a guest of the government tourist promotion. Ironically, we were listening to a speech, in Greek, about how safe the island was. A translator summarised briefly in the pause after every fifth sentence. In fact, the safety they were talking about was robbery.

There was a huge crash. The drinks in our drinking glasses shook. The Greeks all ran out. I thought a lift had fallen. (Americans say elevator.)

Then one of the fellow brits said, 'I think that was an earthquake. If they have all left, we should leave.' So we ran outside.

The following day we went to a museum and read about a major disaster which had happened to the island a decade or more previously.

When I arrived on La Palma in the Canary islands in June 2026, I had no idea that a major volcanic eruption has happened less than a decade earlier. The museum's day by day videos kept me mesmerised for several hours, whilst my husband was hiking.

In the UK there are people living in houses along crumbling clifftops. Others are in houses built on flood plains. These are disasters we know about. Sink holes appear suddenly over areas which have been mined a century ago. In the UK. And many other countries. 

We also have flash fires. In nightclubs. Such as the one in January in Switzerland. Safe, law-abiding, affluent Switzerland.

Suggestions

First aid kit and first aid instruction book, including bandages, first aid equipment and sterilisers such as wipes. I would include waterproof bandages and tape.

Survival book.

Language translation. learn the language before travelling.

I spent a year learning Spanish. When I fell down a flight of stairs on holiday in La Palma in the Canaries, I shouted, 'Help, help, help.' 

Nobody answered. 

I then reckoned that most of the hotel staff spoke Spanish. So I shouted, 'Ayuda', meaning aid or help, in Spanish. People came running.

What if you are just stuck for hours, waiting for a replacement plane or ship? 

Toys, games or entertainment, for yourself and others, while waiting. A pencil and paper to draw noughts and crosses, make a fortune teller. A tiny pack of playing cards.

Water, drinking cup, maybe water purifier.

Seeds to grow edible plants. 

Small tins of food with tin opener. I would opt for sardines.

Also plant edible plants in your garden. Every garden should have an apple tree, and a tree growing nuts or other suitable food for protein. 

Two scenarios require opposite action. One is escape. The other is stay in place because roads are blocked, or the doors are blocked, and you are beseiged or waiting for help. So you need food and drink in the pocket of your coat or dressing gown. 

Aircraft

What are you given on an aircraft? Bulk to protect you. Flotation device for landing in the sea, river or lake, or flood water. 

Whistle to make sound which carries, or small bell if you are too weak to shout. Or mirror for signalling, to rescuers for away or overhead in aircraft.

Supplies for others, children, pets, the elderly, those you meet on the way to safety.

Identity documents. Insurance documents. Driving license.

Fire Survivors

The people who survived a fire in a hotel because they were by the hotel swimming pool, wearing shorts. They needed regular clothes. Also credit cards to buy clothes, and food, and accommodation, and transport to travel home.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15977097/Householders-told-prepare-major-emergencies-new-government-public-information-campaign.html

Wine and Whisky Tasting In London

 

Left Jano @whiskysky_official on Instagram

Whisky Dinners In Pinner

Jano holds dinners with 5 whiskies, once a month, at a restaurant in Pinner, Middlesex. 

Right Angela Lansbury of Central London Wine Society.

Central London Wine Society

It meets the middle two Wednesdays in the evening at the Civil Service Club near Trafalgar Square. The cost varies from about £30 for tasting about 7 wines, double that cost yet sold out with a waiting list for tasting more expensive premium wines, with commentary from the presenter. See media such as Meetup and Eventbrite to secure a place and get admission to the venue.

Swimming, Swimming Lessons, and Safety

Hotel swimming pool with wheelchair ramp. Tenerife. Canary Islands. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Falling in Water, Paddling and Swimming Hazards

1 First, what are the hazards? 

2 Secondly Possible prevention? 

3 Thirdly Rescue

1 a In residential pools, children who cannot swim falling into pools.

1b Shelving beaches.

Prevention

Not just warnings on the radio and in newspaper. Flags and multilingual signs on beaches. Patrols by life guards, paid or volunteers. Instructions on helplines, and actions. This might include warnings about shelving and riptides, fines for allowing unaccompanied minors in water known for shelving and ripyides. Instructions to form human chains from land into the sea?

1c Bad weather, storms, waves, and riptides.

2 Safety Solution - Swimming Lessons

In the UK Key stage 2 requires children to have swimming instruction.

What is key stage 2? Ages 7 to 11. 

As far as I can see, this means that by the time a child leaves the school at age 11, it should be able to swim. But it doesn't mean that at 7, 8, 9, or 10 every child must be able to swim.

I read in a forum of comments on a newspaper article that although Key stage 2 in the UK requires that children should be taught to swim, some Councils have found it challenging to put this into practice because of the closure of public pools. In that case, in my opinion, parents and others should start local newspaper campaigns to secure funding either from government sources or sponsorship.

3 How about adding swimming lessons for parents? Including life-saving. I know from experience, trying to save my mother who swam into the deep end of a pool, that if you try to rescue a bigger person, facing them, they put their arms around your neck and drag you under with them. You need to approach them from behind and hold their head out of the water.

2  The same lessons for carers.

Instruct children not to swim in open waters, only to swim in pools where other people are nearby, or where there are lifeguards. 

Websites About Swimming, Safety, and Dangers

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15973395/father-saved-boy-drowning-mother-son-swim.html

https://www.swimming.org/schools/swimming-national-curriculum/

https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/teaching-resources/community-education-workshops/first-aid-workshop-for-adults

Free Swimming In Pools

https://be-well.org.uk/what-we-offer/swimming/free-swimming/

Free Swimming Lessons

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/culture-and-sport/leisure-and-sport/swimming/free-swimming-lessons

https://findyour.islington.gov.uk/kb5/islington/directory/service.page?id=wMG2NtgjYTk

Updated text and websites on Monday July 14th 2026.

Italian translation from the menu of Italian Restaurant 2 Veneti in London

Veneti means Venetian. so 2 Veneti is two Venetians, the owners.

Italian - English

bianco - white

con - with

del - of the

e - and

erbe - herb

fegato - liver

giorno - day

insalata - salad

limone - lemon

nero - black

pere - pear

pesce - fish

pollo - chicken

salmone - salmon

salsa - sauce

verdure - vegetables

vitello - veal

Zuppa - soup

English - Italian

and - e

black - nero

chicken - pollo

day - giorno

fish - pesce

herb - erbe

lemon - limone

liver - fegato

of the - del

pear - pere

salad - insalata

salmon - salmone

sauce - salsa

soup - zuppa

veal - vitello

vegetables - verdure

white - bianco

with - con

-ends-

Duolingo has free online courses for Italian speakers. Languages covered are the expected Romance languages, English, Spanish, Portuguese and German, but also Chinese, Japanese and Korean, Maths, Music, and Chess.

2 Veneti

10 Wigmore Street

London W1U 2RD

Useful Websites

https://www.2veneti.com/

https://www.2veneti.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/MENU

duolingo.com

https://www.duolingo.com/courses/it

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cicchetti