London Souvenirs

 From Gift Box

Opposite even larger is Blimey Britain.

Wines from Cyprus

 

Pappoulos means grandfather in Greek. A red wine from Cypros.

Oenou means Little John.

Importers of Cypriot wines to the UK,  

Thomas Page & Marina Nicoli.

My favourites were

Website

Pinterest

Love from.cyprus

Lost Keys - Problem Solved

Lost Keys Problem Solved. Comical Poem by Angela Lansbury. 

Where did I lose my keys?

Did I lose them, did they lose me?

Lost Property has lots of them

To prevent burglars, with no name

I bought a bag containing a key chain

It was fixed I was so glad

But when the bag fell apart

I felt very sad

I cut out the ribbon

Thought, I'll sew it on my new bag

I didn't need to sew it

Used a large safety pin I had

I kept my keys on the lanyard

Pinned inside every bag

Soon I had forgotten

Lost key troubles I once had

When I went out without a bag

I pinned keys to my pocket

Not sewn, just with a safety pin

Like plugs stuck in a socket

Now I always have my keys

Although my pocket's heavy

I never have to wait and hunt

Nor pay the new key levy

Once mother lost her house keys

Found after mother died

We found them in her straw holiday bag

When we looked inside

My son lost our front door keys

We added two more locks

They were under his friend's sofa

Their cleaning lady rocks 

I've made a list of places

Where keys like to hide

Inside a coat, or jacket

A suitcase, search each pocket

Like losing your train ticket

To prevent the loss, day and night

You simply must decide always

Which pocket, left or right

When I go to a conference

Or on a one hotel holiday

I keep the bedroom key on a lanyard

Round my neck. There it stays all day.

Some people lose keys often

It's a losing keys disease

It's no good asking dead mother

Or God, upon your knees

Just have a designated place

Inside a hollow book

In your jacket's right hand pocket

Or inside a cupboard on a hook

In a hotel beside the bed

Or the hook behind the door

Or on the door handle, or floor

I'm sure you can think of more

I've made a list of places

You can find lost keys

So when we go to your home or room

Find your keys quickly, please.

-ends-

Please share links to your favourite poems. I wrote this poem for my blog, comical poems hazel nutter.blogspot.com. For this travel blog I added the lines about holidays and bedroom keys I am copying this poem to my dress blog, dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Chewable Pills Supporting Bones, And Safe Falling At Home, On Holiday, And In Hotels

A major cause of accidents at home and overseas for the elderly is falling. You could fall off a ladder or roof fixing a roof at home. (This happened a couple of years ago to a relative in the USA.) 

You might fall down stairs at home or in a hotel. When you are younger, you might laugh and forget if you fall off a chair whilst changing a light bulb, or trip over a paving stone. When you are older, you cause more damage, or alarm, when you fall over a pothole, up or down steps into your house or a building. 

You might often simply trip over your own long skirt or shoe laces or bump into a trolley at a supermarket, or fall for no apparent reason at all. That's without being drunk, overtired, jet-lagged. 

Frequent Falls On Public Transport

Signs on the London underground railway, nicknamed the tube, warn you to hold onto the handrail of the escalators. They say accidents happen every week.

Mind the Gap is a sign used in the UK, China (Hong Kong), and Canada.

Mind the gap sign in Victoria station, London, England, UK. Photo author WillMcC in Wikipedia.

Prevention Of Falls

Prevention is better than cure.

What precautions can you take? The NHS Falls Prevention issues a booklet of exercises left by a trainer for those patients at risk of falling.

I have two relatives who take Alendronic, to strengthen bones. This is a prescription drug.

Chewable Adcal

Adcal, chewable calcium and vitamin D is currently in 2026 available in UK chemist shops (Europeans say pharmacies, Americans say drug stores) for anybody to buy. Adcal is free on the NHS in the UK to those British residents who are eligible for free medicine because of low income and/or advanced age and medical need.

It comes in more than one flavour. Lemon. Multiple fruits. 

You can also buy it online. Prices vary. You can search for the cheapest supplier, taking into account whether postage is included or extra.

Practical Information Falling Safely

Safe Falling Demonstration

I recall at a |Toastmasters International club in Singapore, which met at the Sheraton hotel, the late Laurence who had had part of one leg amputated, enjoyed shocking the audience by pretending to fall up the steps to the middle of the dais. He would fall and immediately right himself, and gleefully lift his trousers to show his wooden ankle. 

He always got applause and was voted the best table topics speaker. (He was volunteering to give 2 minute impromptu speech on one of the topics which in the 1920s when TI started in the USA were on pieces of paper on the table, face down, selected randomly.)

After writing this poem I started wondering how you avoid a fall. I seem to remember that he had learned to fall safely at martial arts classes, which are very popular in Singapore, and taught to all ages in the Community Centres in every area.

I have spoken to many people who train for marathons. In the months ahead of a triathlon, they practise running, plus swimming or cycling. 

My husband, when we lived in Singapore, used to run down and up the stairs to our flat on the 12th floor of a skyscraper. Good practice for a marathon, or if the lift fails. 

But what about falling?

I asked AI for advice on falling.

Advice On Falling

Minimize the impact and protect vital areas of your body using specific physical techniques:

Protect your head: 

Tuck your chin firmly into your chest immediately to prevent your head from whipping backward and striking the ground. Wrap your arms around your head to shield it from debris or hard surfaces.

Roll with the fall: 

Avoid keeping your body rigid. Instead, try to curve your back and roll along the fleshy parts of your body (such as your shoulder, hip, and thigh) to distribute the impact over a larger surface area rather than a single point.

Avoid breaking falls with straight arms: 

Never extend your arms stiffly. Also don't lock your elbows to catch yourself, as this often results in wrist breaks and hairline cracks, dislocated shoulders, or broken collarbones. If your hands must hit the ground, keep your elbows slightly bent.

Fall sideways if possible: 

f you feel yourself losing your balance backward or forward, try to twist and land on your side. Landing flat on your back can knock the wind out of you or injure your spine. But falling directly forward risks injuring your face, mouth and teeth area.Keep joints loose: Allow your knees to remain slightly bent rather than locked straight to help absorb some of the shock.

Sources Of Information On Safe Falling

I asked where Gemini got the information on falling.  

Gemini took the essential points from Mayo Clinic on Fall Prevention, and Medical Guardian on How to Fall Safely. Gemini rewrote the information without technical terms, without long words such as velocity. Gemini also left out advice on clothing and furniture.

I have further edited Gemini's text into simpler, everyday language, leaving out such terms as kinetic energy, trauma, dental, while, fractures. This helps me to grasp the facts at a glance, as well as helping all my readers in countries such as Singapore, whose location is listed in my blogger's Google analytics pages.

I have recorded this advice, firstly for my own benefit. Secondly, I am sharing it with you so that you can send me corrections or updates, and to save you time so you can start your own research if you or your family might need more information, or more accurate information.

This is intended to entertain and provide information so you can be informed and prepared when asking professionals for help relative to your own personal situation. This is not a map, just a signpost to places with maps. Please check the latest up to date expert information from sources in your area and relevant to your needs.

No wonder doctors are concerned about building bones and preventing falls.

Falling is the leading cause of injury-related death among older adults aged 65 and older.

The most authoritative and reliable sources tracking these statistics include:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The CDC tracks mortality data and emergency department visits through its National Center for Health Statistics. Their tracking shows that falls among adults 65 and older cause tens of thousands of deaths annually (with figures surpassing 43,000 deaths per year in the U.S.), making accidental falls the number one cause of injury death for this demographic. You can explore their datasets and reports directly on the CDC Older Adult Falls Data page.

• World Health Organization (WHO): Globally, the WHO reports that falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide, noting that older adults suffer the highest burden of fatal falls globally. Their global estimates and risk factors are detailed on the WHO Falls Fact Sheet.

• National Council on Aging (NCOA): The NCOA compiles extensive research from federal health databases, highlighting that roughly one in four older Americans falls every year, cementing falls as the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for the demographic. Their summaries can be found via the NCOA Falls Prevention Resource Center.

Look after yourself. Happy holidays, and stay safe, fit, and healthy!

Useful Websites

https://fyldeclinic.co.uk/products/adcal-d3-chewable-tablets

-ends-

Please share links to your favourite, useful posts.

Where To See Popular, Traditional, Modern, Serious, Humorous, and Minority Interest Statues And Monuments

Mr Bean at Leicester Square.
 

Popular Statues

Mr Bean is not a has-been. His videos are loved worldwide. In Singapore when I was teaching my pupils loved videos of him attempting to cheat in exams.

UK Royalty

In the UK statues of Royalty and peers are in London, Nelson's Column in Traflagar Square, Piccadilly, and inside and outside cathedrals and city squares. 

UK Royalty Worldwide

Queen Victoria's statue is in squares worldwide.

Kings, Queens and Bishops are in central squares. Royalty and Presidents are outside Parliament buildings.

Belgium

Famous mythological characters and animals, cherubs and children include Belgium's Mannekin Pis.

Outside parliament and municipal buildings you will find city founders.

Jewish, Spain & Arabic Maimonides

The seated statue of Maimonides commemorates the writer of The Guide For The Perplexed. Maimonides was Jewish, but wrote in Arabic. He left Christian Spain and became the revered physician for a Moslem ruler. He is revered by Arabs and Moslems in several countries as well as by Jews.

Moslem India & The Taj Mahal

Because of the taboo against worshipping statues in the bible, Islamic countries and those with Islamic rulers and communities do not have statues. Instead they have buildings and monuments named after those they wish to commemorate. For example, the Taj Mahal, built by the widower to commemorate his beloved wife in India.

The USA and Pocahontas

Photograph Famous Statues And Buildings In Person Optionally Add Yourself Later Online

The lovers meeting statue at Paddington Station. London, UK.

Cut Out Illusion

At Stansted airport, a souvenir shop had a cutout of Queen Elizabeth. I stood beside it for a photo. 

I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but it seemed a good idea. Later I used the picture for a poster promoting my talk to a Toastmasters club about Britain and British royalty. 

When I returned via Heathrow I looked for it. I had forgotte that I had originally seen it at Stansted.

Anyway, I never saw that cut-out again. So I was very pleased that I took it the first time. What else can you do with a photo cut-out of yourself beside a cut-out, or a statue? Or a wedding couple, beside a statue?

 Sit Or Stand beside A Statue, Lean Against A Landmark

When visiting a wedding, you can stand beside the bride and groom at a wedding, or a cut-out of them at the ceremony or Reception breakfast, lunch or dinner hall entrance. 

For a cut-out to use later, a bride and groom can stand beside a statue.

Singapore Wedding Photos

In Singapore, photographers lend a series of outfits to the bride and groom for pre-wedding photos. They take a tour of statues and landmarks and waterfalls as backdrops. A cardboard cut-out of the couple can be placed at the entrance to the wedding reception hall, if necessary beside an arrow pointing left right or onwards, so in a huge hotel you know you are in the right place. The cut-out costs money but no need to pay somebody to stand directing visitors.

Hotel & Stately Home Garden Statues

Many stately homes have statues. Usually on a plinth. This means they are higher than you are. To make yourself larger, you need to stand further forward towards the camera.

Prevent posing of bride and groom in their regalia alongside statues of nudes in hotel gardens, or the naked David in Italy. That suggestive photo can feel funny at the wedding or on honeymoon. However, the picture looks wrong, obscene, in later years.

If I stand in a room with four volunteers, I can demonstrate two illusions you can create with photography.

Standing Distortion Illusion

If you went to Italy you could photograph the leaning tower of Pisa, and make it look as if you are pushing it upright. Is that silly, or amusing? It is clearly not real, but an optical illusion, in which you look the same size because you are standing in front. 

Horizontal Distortion Illusion

This distortion reminds you of a lesson I learned when I was a teenager. If you photograph somebody lying horizontally on a flat beach and stand just in front of them, it looks as if they have a tiny head and big feet in front.

Do you want light relief, an escape from stress? Or serious reflection? Or some of both?

Selfies For Identifying Picture Copyright

What is the advantage of the photo of yourself pushing up the learning Tower of Pisa? For me as a photographer and travel writer of articles for magazines, books and blogs, it identified the picture as mine. 

Like Hitchcock appearing in films, it satisfies my own pride as a creator, and the kudos of putting yourself in the picture. 

More practically, it helps me identify a picture I have taken, which is different from anybody else's.

Personal Interest

My thought was that I should not intrude myself as an unknown nobody alongside a more famous person. However, when I rehearsed the draft of my speech to the SALT Toastmasters International speakers' training club online, my evaluator said the pictures would be more interesting to my live audience who know me if I was in the picture. 

Similarly, to your own family and friends, yourself with the Tower of Pisa is of more interest. 

Controlling Your Copyright

You can easily see if a picture is yours when checking to repeat pictures later in a blog or article or book. I have not yet been in a position of suing a big organization which has used my pictures without paying me. 

Preventing Accidentally Infringing Copyright

The reverse is the case. I look at pictures and don't know whether they are mine or whether I have inadvertently copied a picture used privately for educational purposes, and later used it without credit in a book which is sold commercially. I dream of one day selling a best selling book on travel or photography or speech writing, which is my copyright and makes me money.

Human Scale

You can create light-hearted souvenirs of stays abroad with distinctive photos of yourself leaning against, or measuring tall landmark buildings. Or sit with statues. Here's a list of possibilities. 

How To Create The Illusion

The problem for most people starting out in adapting photos is the skill needed. How do I get a photo of myself apparently pushing up the landmark, or even sitting next to a statue?

Sitting next to a statue is easy if you have one within a few miles at your home city or holiday destination. But you need time to check and re-take the picture. In practice, I have found that on a fine day, on a sunny weekend of national holiday, you might have to wait while others take their turn at taking photos.

Queues For Photos

In Asia, in Cambodia and Vietnam, whether we were in a hire car, or big coach, or little tri-shaw, you might have a ten minute wait or longer to take one of two or three photos of a statue  of Buddha, or a tall historic bent tree growing out of a leaning wall, behind a queue of families, from a coach party, each wanting a photo of the whole group, then just themselves, on their own camera. I recall once having to miss out on a photo because the guide called me to join the coach which was waiting to depart.

Using AI After Your Trip 

Nowadays not only a professional photographer but Mr and Mrs Tourist, or any at home AI user can adapt a photo. It used to take my husband several hours editing photos to add open eyes to a group photo where the poses were all perfect except for one person with shut eyes. More hours were spent removing the host's picture including his ex-girlfriend from last year's party for this year's party. Now editing buttons on a camera can open eyes. 

On my Samsung phone, the editing buttons include lassoo which can include only me. I can  cut out odd arms and legs and feet and whole bodies of bystanders. I also remove litter. Instructions to AI can do this quickly.

Serious Prayer Poses

For more serious statues, such as that of  Emmeline Pankhurst the suffragette killed by a horse, or nurse Edith Cavell shot by the Nazis for helping allied soldiers escape,  you might instead of grinning, look serious and hold your hands held up in prayer. 

Namaste Hand Positions

Alternatively use the similar namaste Asian greeting with hands palms together carefully positioned.

I asked Gemini for the meaning of various positions.

in what area of the body are hands placed for traditional namaste greeting does it matter

Hands are placed at the chest level (near the center of the chest or heart chakra) with the palms pressed together and fingers pointing upward. For a more respectful or formal greeting, the hands can be raised higher toward the chin or between the eyebrows (the third-eye chakra), which is common when greeting teachers, elders, or spiritual figures.

Does it matter? Yes, the height of the hands carries traditional meaning regarding respect and hierarchy:

• Chest level: Standard greeting for peers, friends, or everyday acquaintances, symbolizing equality and the meeting of hearts.

• Face or third-eye level: A deeper sign of respect, reverence, or submission used when showing utmost respect to teachers, elders, or deities.

Next let's look at where to find photos or real life statues and of your favourite people and interesting building to illustrate your blog, book, talk, or next holiday visit.

I shall start with those nearest me in the UK.

UK Seats and Statues

London

1 The Swan, Piccadilly

2 Mr Bean, Leicester Square

3 Stephen Fry, 

Near Trafalgar Square

4 The Wild Table of Love

Two stools where a pair of visitors can perch. Popular perch for Mum and child, or couples. Praed Street, outside Paddington Station. The two sculptors from down under have more similar sculptures around the world.

5 Brunel 

Engineer Brunel, who took over designing the station when his father died, built the railway west to Wales, and the ship sailing to the USA. He is seated looking serious on a plinth inside Paddington station

6 Paddington Bear, small, standing, on a platform inside Paddington Station. 

7 Betjeman, bronze statue on the upper concourse of the poet and railway enthusiast who campaigned to prevent the demolition of the station and hotel. 

8 The Lovers meeting. Huge statue up on the upper deck of restaurants and hotel entrance.

9 Churchill and Roosevelt

 The Allies. Sit between them

10  Charlie Chaplin

11 Spike Milligan

In St Stephen's gardens, by the Stables cafe at the lower entrance. He was in addition to being a comedian, the president of a local heritage society so they honoured him with the bench. He is famous for the humorous message engraved on his gravestone, 'I told them I was ill'. The cemetery authorities banned it, so it was written in Gaelic. 

12 Shakespeare - 

The Shakespeare bust is outside historic Guildhall, whose exterior is always accessible. You might want to time your visit to enter the building and see the free art gallery including famous Victorian and Edwardian artworks. (Also glimpse from above a lower floor basement which has Roman remains discovered during rebuilding more recently. You might choose to pay to visit the Roman remains close up.)

13 Amy Winehouse

Standing statue of the singer and songwriter. Camden, Londonl

UK - England

Liverpool

14 The Beatles 

Liverpool, England. Bronze Life size statues of long-haired lads John, Paul, George and Ringo walking along the historic waterfront at Pier Head in Liverpool, England, UK.

15 Lowry

On a bench where he used to sit near his home in the Manchester area. His paintings of local factory buildings and stick figures or leaning crowds are in a Manchester art gallery.

UK - Wales 

A bike trail has several silhouettes cut into steel at intervals along the trail behind benches where you can stop to rest.

UK Scotland

Paddington Visits: The little Paddington bear in Edinburgh and other cities

UK Northern Ireland, 

Belfast - capital

C S Lewis Square Statues

Ireland /Eire

Dublin - capital

Brendan Behan, Irish novelist

The Netherlands

 A monument to Erasmus is in Rotterdam.

USA

Mark Twain, USA.

The  bronze statue of Mark Twain sitting reading on a park bench is at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

Similar outdoor literary statues are at Elmira College in Elmira, New York (where he wrote many books).

Useful Websites On Seated Statues, Leaning on Landmarks

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/portrait-bench-https://www.photohound.co/spot/cwmafan-portrait-bench-

https://www.bkor.nl/en/beeld/geboortehuis-erasmus/#gallery-2

See my previous posts on seated statues and leaning on landmarks.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Statues Where You Can Sit and Stand Beside Singers, Writers and Your Favourite Historical Heroes And Heroines

Mark Twain, USA.

The  bronze statue of Mark Twain sitting reading on a park bench is at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

Similar outdoor literary statues are at Elmira College in Elmira, New York (where he wrote many books).

The Beatles, Liverpool, England. Bronze Life size statues of long-haired lads John, Paul, George and Ringo walking along the historic waterfront at Pier Head in Liverpool, England, UK.

Do you want light relief, an escape from stress? Or serious reflection? Or some of both?

You can create light-hearted souvenirs of stays abroad with distinctive photos of yourself leaning against, or measuring tall landmark buildings. Or sit with statues. Here's a list of possibilities. 

I shall start with those nearest me in the UK.

UK Seats and Statues

London

1 The Swan, Piccadilly

2 Mr Bean, Leicester Square

3 Stephen Fry

4 The Wild Table of Love, Praed Street, outside Paddington Station

5 Brunel, inside Paddington station

6 Paddington Bear, inside Paddington Station

7 Churchill and Roosevelt

8 Charlie Chaplin

9 Spike Milligan

UK - England

Lowry

UK - Wales

UK Scotland

Paddington visits, Edinburgh

UK Northern Ireland, capital Belfast

C S Lewis Square Statues

Driving south you come to Eire, the Republic of Ireland and capital Dublin

Ireland

Dublin

Brendan Behan, Irish novelist

 A monument to Erasmus is in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Why should I care about whether a statue is bronze or marble? What difference does it make?

Ask Gemini told me:

Statues created in materials other than bronze differ fundamentally in how they are constructed, how they interact with people, and how they endure the elements over time.

Material Varieties and Differences

• Stone and Marble: Carved rather than cast, stone statues have a heavy, monolithic presence. Unlike bronze figures that often invite you to sit closely on a lap or squeeze onto a bench, marble or stone figures (such as classical busts or historical monuments) are typically mounted on high plinths or pedestals, separating them from the viewer to prevent natural skin oils and weathering from eroding the detailed carving.

• Laser-Cut Corten Steel: As seen in public art installations like the Sustrans Portrait Benches, these are flat, two-dimensional metal silhouettes rather than three-dimensional sculptures. They rely on negative space, crisp profiles, and intentional weathering—forming a stable rust-orange patina—to frame views rather than mimicking a realistic, touchable human form.

• Resin and Fiberglass: Frequently used for modern, lighthearted, or temporary public art trails (such as painted animal sculptures or pop-culture characters), these materials are lightweight, inexpensive, and easily molded into vibrant, highly colorful finishes. However, they lack the structural longevity of metal or stone and are prone to chipping or fading under prolonged UV exposure.

• Wrought Iron and Steel Fabrication: Used for structural or stylized figures (like abstract public art or welded wire installations), these pieces offer incredible tensile strength and transparency. Instead of a solid mass, viewers can often see right through the sculpture, blending the artwork into the surrounding landscape rather than dominating it.

Useful Websites On Seated Statues, Leaning on Landmarks

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/portrait-bench-https://www.photohound.co/spot/cwmafan-portrait-bench-

https://www.bkor.nl/en/beeld/geboortehuis-erasmus/#gallery-2

See my previous posts on seated statues and leaning on landmarks.

Please share links to your favourite posts.