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Friday, October 31, 2014

Wine shop in central London

Around Wine stocks wine fridges and dispensers by EuroCave.

Wine dispensers, four bottles of opened red at one temperature, four bottles of opened white at another, room for more bottles at the right temperature behind. For a restaurant or wine bar, or connoisseur,  At about £6000 (£5000 without the VAT) that's half the cost of rival systems.


Bottle paperweights for Xmas presents




Bottle openers



Decanters


Carriers

You can also buy all kinds of Reidel glasses and unusual decanters, bottle openers, Xmas gifts, magazines on wine, bottle transporters of all sizes from covers with handles for one bottle to hat box shape suitcases for carrying glasses to big suitcases for bottles.

Finally a glass cloth.

Bridge Shop on Baker Street

The bridge shop is on Baker Street in Central London. You can buy bridge table cloths and all kinds or cards, card sets, playing cards with score cards and ties.

Giant playing cards are used for events such as Bingo and club events. One couple used the large cards as table mats and table centrepieces for a themed Alice in Wonderland wedding.


If you collect playing cards as I do, look at the selection of Heritage brand cards, grouped together.

Chess shop in London

The shop is in central London, easy to find. Just walk south from Baker Street station and Madame Tussauds towards Oxford Street and it's on your left. The front is quite small but there's lots to see inside.

Chess books. Chess for children.

Chess sets.

The shop combines a bridge shop and a chess shop. A chance to polish off two sets of Xmas presents for family, friends, colleagues or your own wish list.

Who reads this blog, any blog, popular blogs?

Every day I watch the number of readers of my blog and try to work out what are the popular subjects. This month Halloween spider cake, although it's in a local suburban UK shop, got more viewers than top restaurants in central London.

American Readers
I view my readership stats provided by the site and compare yesterday versus today. I know that most of my readers are in the USA. Presumably simply because there are more English speaking computer owners there than anywhere else in the world.

London as A Topic
 If I write about London, and I am a Londoner, they may be Americans planning a trip to London, or interested in London, or fondly reminiscing, or armchair travelling.

Isolated Small Areas
I expect to get a surge in Singapore readers when I write about Singapore, but I don't. I puzzle over a lone reader in the Ukraine or Russia. Is that somebody in a hotel on a business trip? Or an isolated traveller? Someobdy stuck, unable to travel, in a war zone? Or a prisoner in solitary confinement seeing me as a link with the far off world? (As a creative writer and author I have to constantly fight down the urge to write a short story about what I imagine every other sentence I write.)

Time Travel
I look at the time difference. Oddly enough my computer says 1.50 A.M. when it's 8.51 in the morning in the UK.

Top Subjects
If you take magazines, years ago IPC, when I was working there, did a survey and found that the top subjects were Cookery, Gardening, and Fishing. That might explain the popularity of the spider cake post.

Top Blogs
How do you get more readers? By being different? Or copying the leaders?

Somebody has analysed the top blogs. The average can be the mean or the mode, the typical reader, or most common readers, or simply the middle point in the range.

Here's a guide to readers of the top blogs.
http://royal.pingdom.com/2013/03/01/blog-readership-demographics-2013/

Bistrot De Luxe - More Information And Amusement

We spent the first ten minutes of our lunch commenting on the restaurant name.  Galvin, to me sounds like a cross between Calvin (as in Calvin Klein American youth clothing company) and the boy's name Gavin. It's actually a family name or surname, of two brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin.


    How do I know that? Because I took a photo of a card in the restaurant and read it when I got home later.

   Bistrot de luxe is an oxymoron, Greek for two contradictory words. Bistrot, French for cheap and cheerful, de luxe, French for of luxury.


    On the way in I'd noticed the heritage plaque on the wall next door recalling that this area was HQ for the SOE, Special Operations Executive, a polite word for spying for our side, initials not to be confused with SEO, which is Search Engine Optimization, which means marketing websites, or making yours most likely to be found by search software used by the consumer searching online on their computer at the desk, laptop or phone.
   If you are speaking about something secret, such as spying for a country or company, winning the lottery by gambling, your divorce, ex or current affair, don't sit at the too close for comfort tables opposite the door but tell the staff that like Greta Garbo you want to be alone. (I can tell you word for word the business conversation of the people who sat on my left and at one point my companions complained that I wasn't giving them my full attention.) If you have better hearing on one side than the other, try to sit so you hear your table and not the next one.
   

GALVIN'S BISTROT DE LUXE, LONDON

The name is strange but if it's familiar you've probably heard of the more expensive Galvin at Windows at the top of the Hilton Hotel. Here's a set lunch of top quality at a reasonable price, the original restaurant. Just walk south from Baker Street stati

The ladies has floor to ceiling doors. BeeKind hand gel and lotion.


Set menu of three course. Amuse gueule to start of tiny cheese bite. Yummy.

The table has white cloth and napkins, choice of wall banquettes or chairs, a flower in a small silver vase, a gourd for decoration.

The wine was wonderful. We had a chianti.

YES, great food.

My starter was Ok, rather tasteless egg with very salty cod cake - and not much of the vegetable - I expected a really tasty seaweed. The bread was nothing special, rather too crisp with huge holes, but I liked the butter presented on slate.

But I was too busy sipping the wonderful wine to be bothered about my starter. I was soon onto a wonderful main course of chicken in the tastiest sauce.


The best dessert from the set menu, quince, tasted like pear, fresh, with sprinkles and very tasty.


Creme caramel with figs from the main menu.

Coffee comes with spherical chocolate containing liquid raspberry.


I've heard they hope to get a Michelin star. They deserved it for the main course and dessert. the coffee cups were colourful. What else do they need to do? I've turned the cup as it should be with the name visible to the diner, the handle on the right and the spoon across the top so it is not knocked off when you lift the cup. it was presented at an angle. But for food alone, it's nine out of ten.



Thursday, October 30, 2014

Packing for a weekend away/conference YOUR PACKING LIST

First make a list. (You can print this as a checklist.)
Tick inside oval against items packed to go; and second tick when packing to come home
Your first item to locate is

Suitcase
00 Suitcase
00 padlock and
00 key.
00 Spare key.
00 luggage strap
00 luggage label
00 Folding string bag/tote bag for souvenirs/books/magazines.

Travel comfort
00 Pillow
00 toothbrush
00 eyeshades
00 cash.
00 Brimmed hat
00 driving glasses.
00 Map.
00 Satnav or GPS watch.

Travel Clothes
00 Coat
00 shoes
00 umbrella.
You outfit should be comfortable for travelling. This outfit is the first one seen by the hotel reception and conference hosts when you arrive. If you are late you might go straight into lunch or dinner or a meeting.

Hotel and Travel
Check the hotel, conference centre address if different, person to call if there's any problem. Check Tripadvisor for rooms, in case you want to request a quiet back room, or sea view. Check destination restaurants in case you don't like the hotel food and want to meet somebody from another hotel.

Weather
Consider weather related items:
00 Umbrella.
00 Raincoat
00 Hood
00 Boots
00 Warm hat and
00 gloves.
00 Sunglasses and
00 insect repellent and
00 fly spray.

Cleaners
If you are fussy,
00 Spider Away
00 insect repellent
00 stain remover
00 wet wipe
00 hand gel.
00 Pillow case and/or pillow.

First Aid
00 Elastoplast
00 bite soother
00 Skin cream.

Night clothes
00 Night dress or pyjamas.
00 Slippers.
00 Wrap.

Underclothes
00 Bra
00 Pants
00 Socks
00 Tights
00 Vests.

Day clothes.
00 Dress
00 Trousers
00 Skirt
00 Blouse
00 jacket
00 scarf.

Evening clothes.
00 Black /sequin Evening dress
00 White shirt
00 tie
00 Black suit
00 Evening scarf
00 Hair clip.

Fancy dress.
00 Dress./suit
00 White Sheet.
00 Black cape
00 Witches' Hat.
00 Placard for name of outfit.
00 Felt tip pen.
00 Sewing kit.
00 Scissors.
00 Glue.
00 String.
00 Mask.
00 Face paint.
00 Bow tie.
00 False moustache.

Technology
00 Mobile Phone.
00 Charger.
00 Plug.
00 Lead.
00 Extension socket.
00 Light bulbs.
00 laptop
00 laptop bag
00 mouse
00 lead
00 pin numbers encrypted

Food and Drink
00 Water.
00 Hot drink/thermos
00 Knife
00 fork
00 spoon
00 plate/bowl
00 drinking cup
00 Fruit. apple
00 Fruit grapes
00 Nuts.
00 Chocolate
00 biscuits
00 cheese
00 Tinned sardines for emergency.
00 Rubbish bag.
00 Swiss army knife
00 bottle opener

For Destination
00 Bottle of still water.
00 Bottle of alcoholic drink.
00 Bottle of juice.
00 Fruit.
00 Chocolates.
00 Thank you card/
00 birthday anniversary card

Toiletries
00 Plastic jug and lidded container or emergency potty or Campervan toilet.
00 Tissues,
00 Toilet paper and
00 wet wipes.
00 Hand gel.

Destination Toiletries
00 Washbag with
00 flannel and
00 small towel.

Sports equipment
00 Swimsuit.
00 Swimhat.
00 Plastic shoes.
00 Small towel.

Gym/running kit
00 shoes/trainers
00 socks
00 shorts
00 tank top
00 gym towel

Stationery
00 Diary
00 Notebook
00 Pen
Conference agenda
00 business cards and box
00 books to sell
00 Leaflets or brochures.
00 address Book for new contacts.
00 Stationery set: -
00 ruler,
00 hole punch,
00 stapler,
00 sellotape,
00 eraser,
00 pen,
00 pencil.
00 card index cards
00 treasure tags/ribbon
00 Notes for your speech/address
00 Books to read
00 Magazines to read
00 File or folder for conference papers
00 2nd folder for destination papers marked with name of city

Arts and Crafts
00 Sewing kit.
00 Sketchpad and colours or paints and brushes.

Contacts
00 Names, titles and phone numbers of colleagues you hope to meet.
Recent activities and awards of VIP speakers you might meet.

00 Pack pills and
00 medications.
00 Perfume/deodorant.
00 Plugs.

Last check Before leaving home
00 give family your address and
00 water plants.

Wear
00 necklace,
00 bracelet and
00 one adjustable size ring - no more to guard against loss.

If walking take
00 walking shoes and
00 binoculars.

Also any cards you might need:
00 Credit cards; pin numbers.
Loyalty cards:
00 Tesco
00 Waitrose
00 Starbucks
00 Costa.
Entry cards e.g.
00 National Trust.

Researching/ordering/booking
00 Cancel or order weekend newspaper.
00 Check the hotel website and Tripadvisor on choice of rooms.
00 cost of WIFI
00 cost of parking
00 book optional tours.

00 Rehearse your one minute self-introduction elevator speech.
e.g. My name is Angela Lansbury. I'm the author of two books on quotations. I'm looking for tips on how to give a prize-winning international speech.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Music Museums & Statues by Country A-Z

An A-Z of Musicians' statues, monuments and museums, by country, so you can see what's in the country you are staying in or visiting.

AUSTRALIA
Giant guitar statue outside museum of Australia's country music singer.

Kylie Minogue statue

AUSTRIA
Vienna
You can buy Mozart chocolates with his picture.
Statue/monument of Mozart on grave in cemetery. (I went there a while back and wrote an article on Vienna based on the theme of music.)

CUBA
John Lennon statue in Havana


EUROPE
Stradivarius statue

GERMANY
Musicians of Bremen
Mendelssohn's Grave

Bach

Beethoven

POLAND
Chopin Museum, Warsaw
Chopin statue, Warsaw
Statue of musician and piano Lodz





SWITZERLAND

UK

UK
London
Handel's Organ in St Lawrence's Church, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware

V and A

http://www.classicfm.com/discover/music/inspiring-composer-quotes/joseph-haydn/

Amy Winehouse statue, Camden

Freddie Mercury, Dominion theatre, London







  • www.musicalmuseum.co.uk/

    Greater London
    020 8560 8108
  • Musical Museum | Home

    www.musicalmuseum.co.uk/

  • Coventry Museum

    Liverpool
    Monument to John Lennon




    USA

    Elvis Presley

    Home of singer of He'll have to go

    Opryland, Nashville, TN

    Willie Nelson, Country Music singer, statue, Austin, Texas

    John Lennon statue






    MORE INFORMATION

    http://www.pinterest.com/genoxa/famous-musicians-in-bronze-and-stone/

    http://listosaur.com/entertainment/10-great-statues-honoring-legendary-rock-musicians/

     Post under c o n s t r u c t i o n .  When I typed the word correctly, the spell checker turned it into contraption. Post under contraction.Oops. I uploaded it when I meant merely to save it. Come back for more tomorrow.


    Tuesday, October 28, 2014

    How to Travel Light or Be Prepared - To Switch Flights?

    Travel light on short trips (less than a week) but be prepared for longer trips (e.g. 3 months over the winter in Spain or Singapore). 

    How to Travel Light

    The tube train map, such as London underground or your home city underground will help if you find your flight is cancelled or your passport is not accepted by the airline (happened to me going to the USA - passports had turned to new style) and you don't want to pay for a taxi home from Heathrow. 

    How To Travel Fast
    Track Transport
    The destination city underground railway or city centre street map, and the national railway map can be helpful. For example, we wanted t travel from Warsaw to Krakov, the second city. In Europe, you could download the Berlin transport map and your hotel location.  Supposing there's an airline strike. It's handy to know the nearest airport to connect you to home. 

    Cancelled Flights
    I was at Heathrow airport and passengers were all waiting for a delayed flight coming in from the USA. After an hour's delay strangers who were sitting near each other got talking. An American started making phone calls on his mobile phone. He said to us, No point sitting here waiting. I'm going to re-book my flight on another airline. 

    Somebody else said, "But it might arrive in another half hour or so."

    "No, it won't," said the savvy American. I just rang America and that flight has not departed from New York yet, so it can't be here for several hours. Want to get a flight on a plane? Follow me."

    Overnight travel kit

    What do you need when you travel?

    Your first items are your travel jacket with a safe pocket for your passport and tickets and the suitcase and wheel-on bag, which seems to self-destruct between one trip and the next, losing a wheel, the keys, zips which no longer zip up, the torn luggage tax, the outside needing a wash and time to dry, even the inside plastic disintegrating, and the missing colourful clip on ribbon which identifies your black suitcase from two dozen others on the carousel when you are waiting to claim luggage going out and coming home.

    My preference is for coloured luggage. After 9/11 we were on a Singapore Airlines flight which had a bomb scare. The plane parked at the far end of a distant runway. We were divided into family groups and one group at a time, escorted by army lads with machine guns, plus a few fire engines and ambulances, we had to run along a mile of luggage trying to find two black suitcases which were ours.

    Later, after one of my wheel-on bags broke, the only bag I could find reasonably priced was a half price bag which obviously nobody wanted because it was covered in pink roses. However, roses came to our rescue. On the next flight our luggage went missing. As we stood, disconsolately filling in forms for lost luggage. As I wrote down, 'pink case with flowers', a distant pink patch the opposite end of the airport caught my eye.

    I ran towards it, increasingly excitedly. My family watched from a distance, as I did something resembling a cross between a Maori war dance and Swan Lake's pirouetting heroine. I leapt with arms aloft to signal success, around our blush pink luggage. They understood. I got a Mexican wave, sets of arms waving back in unison to acknowledge my success.

    Treble victory. I had found my luggage. I had found their luggage. I was winner of the buy the best luggage competition.

    Packing Lists
    One person I know who travels regularly keeps his packing list on the back of his wardrobe door. I keep packing lists on my computer. I used to have seasonal packing lists. Winter included ski clothes, gloves, sunglasses, suncream. The summer list included sun hats and sun cream. The logical place to keep a printed copy of you packing list is on the inside lid of your suitcase. With columns down the right hand side for ticks so you can tick each item packed to go, and each item packed to bring back. That way you don't leave behind the slippers under the bed, the night dress under the pillow case, the hat in the wardrobe, the bathrobe on the back of the bathroom door, nor toddler's teddy in the hotel cot. We once did that and had to drive thirty miles back to retrieve it.

    Airport Shopping List
    List the numbers of people you might meet and what you might take them. What is the price of wine and chocolates at the airport. Can you buy cheaper in the supermarket at home or at the destination? Take the home supermarket price with you, to work out whether it's worthwhile buying goods at the destination to bring home as a souvenir for yourself or the neighbours, babysitters and house sitters who looked after your plants and post and pets.

    Shopping List
    Before travelling, I would visit a pharmacy, a stationery store and a supermarket. At the pharmacy I would stock up with lemon or lavender scented soaps and other items to ward off mosquitos. Plus small sizes of all those things one needs, Bonjela, lip salve/balm, small tube of healing ointment. Anything not available, second chance at the supermarket.

    At the supermarket I would look for notebooks. If no luck, at the stationery store I would buy small notebooks for each destination. Whilst in the stationery store and supermarket and newsagent I would look for a couple of cards, birthday, wedding, baby.

    I had a list of items to buy on my first shopping trip at the destination. In Singapore I headed down to Mustapha's department store. I needed a gym kit. Trainers and socks. A tote bag and matching baseball cap.

    Off to the local pharmacy. Mosquito repellent and after bite cream. In Australia and sometimes imported from Australia to Singapore you could buy a spray or roll on which combined insect repellent with sun cream.

    You can also buy sun-impervious and insect-proof clothes from specialist shops.

    The best place to buy jackets with inside pockets? For winter, ski jackets. For summer, look for photographer's jacket, a camping jacket, a hunter's jacket, a fishing jacket, any sports or outdoors shop.

    In your pockets:

    Umbrella.Travel toothbrush, toothpaste,
    Travel pillow, eyeshades.

    Passport. ID photocopy.

    Mini first aid kit.

    Spare underwear. Or bikini. Swimsuit so you can shower in leisure centre and have a swim while waiting for porters to deliver luggage and before leisure centre opens.

    Stamped addressed envelope. So if something is confiscated at security it can be posted home to you, rather than lost or having to remember to claim it and get delayed on the way back.

    Elastoplast. Toothpick and floss. Comb.

    Address and phone of venue and organiser. Address of nearest doctor, dentist and hospital at destination. Much easier to check them out in advance.

    Nail file and tweezers. Bottle opener. Wet wipes.

    Spare shoes/overshoes (from a gym). Footwear suitable for destination.

    £1 coin. Waitrose card to get a free coffee. Spare wrapped in foil chocolate bar/biscuit/small cake. Tube train map.

    Stamped addressed padded bag in case you have souvenirs too big to go in luggage.

    Something to read.

    Newspapers and magazines cluttering up your home to read on the plane and throw away. Notebook and pen. Miniature round ended sewing scissors for cutting addresses or coupons out of newspapers.

    Phone with camera, to use as a camera, and phone home if you have trouble on the way to the airport, even if it is an old one and you are getting another phone at destination country.

    Coins in both currencies for phone boxes and rinks at airport. Small change to tip taxi drivers, porters, buy a drink.

    Spare socks if you are in sandals in case it rains.

    Dictionary and/or phrase book with language of destination. If none handy, download and print off a quick guide. Can't find one? Use google translate for a few handy words and print the results.

    Compact Clothes
    Reversible dresses, skirts, blouses.

    Reversible jackets.

    Co-ordinate your travel outfits in three colours, such as black, red and white. Or navvy yellow and green. Or chocolate brown and beige and cream with a gold scarf for evenings.






    Monday, October 27, 2014

    Jewish Museum in Warsaw Ghetto Open Tuesday Oct 28 2014

    Poland was called Paradise for Jews, before WWII. A museum exhibition is designed to celebrate all the aspects of Jewish cultural life in Poland (instead of only death and the Holocaust elsewhere in Poland). The museum itself is all new and modern with a glass exterior.


    I saw the museum being built on a tour of Warsaw. Huge and impressive. A wonderful new museum celebrating old Poland. Inside the museum is the magnificent reproduction of the ceiling of a synagogue in the Ukraine.



    Near the museum, still standing, is the only surviving synagogue in Warsaw. The White Stork synagogue building was saved because it was used for stabling horses.

    You are bound to be taken past it on a general Warsaw city tour.

    Jewish and Polish Favourite Food
    If you take a specific tour of Jewish Warsaw, you can end at a Jewish restaurant. Most of the dishes you get in London restaurants are Ashkenazi (German and Northern and Eastern European). That means bagels and beetroot soup, dumplings and potato cakes.

    As opposed to southern Sephardi (from the Spanish, including Portuguese and Italian Jewish areas, speaking Ladino), which means more rice and pasta.

    Most of the dishes I thought were 'Jewish' turn out to be standard Polish fare. Beetroot soup was on the menu of most of the restaurants I visited on two trips to Warsaw. You have several kosher or Jewish style restaurants to choose from. See trip advisor for the latest reviews.

    I was taken to Magat restaurant. Tel. (022) 624 99 24.





    I suggest you find out what kosher or merely Jewish style food is available on your route, bearing in mind that arriving on sabbath or a Sunday Monday may affect what is open and whether it will be easy to get a table and if you have to book or arrive early.

    (If in London go to the Jewish Museum in Camden Town, and/or try B & K Salt Beef bar and restaurant, Edgware or Hatch End. Not for the atmosphere, not for strictly kosher, just for filling food - chicken soup with kneilach - (dumplings), potato cakes, salt beef and lokshen pudding (noodle pudding). You can get food to takeaway and eat when you get home.

    Famous Jews from Poland
    We have lots of Poles living in London, UK. Who are the famous people worldwide who were born in Poland, brought up in Poland, or who had Polish ancestry?

    Cohen, nicknamed Two Gun Cohen, from a Polish family. As a boy he went from London, England, to Canada, to China, hobnobbed with all the famous greats of China, and ended up back in England. buried up north.

    Polanski, the film maker, who has immortalised a piano playing pole in the film The Pianist. Polanski has made many films, including Knife in the Water, Chinatown, Repulsion.

    John Monash, Australian WWI hero, who has a university in Melbourne, Australia, named in his honour.

    Jacob Epstein, the American-British sculptor.

    Nelly Ben-Or, Holocaust survivor, who was hiding in Warsaw in WWII, now a renowned musician living in Northwood, England.

    Max Factor Snr, who gave us the word make-up. He founded the international company.
    Helena Rubinstein was born in Krakow, previously the capital of Poland.

    Isaac Bashevis Singer, Nobel prize winner, writer.

    Marie Rambert founded Ballet Rambert.

    http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/.premium-1.622797
    (Article shows good pictures of the inside of the museum.)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_the_History_of_Polish_Jews

    London Clocks & Worldwide Clocks - Are you in time, on time - watch the world's clocks


    London Clocks
    Last weekend in London the clocks went back.
    Big Ben in London is one of the world's famous clocks.

    It featured in the film The Thirty Nine Steps directed by Alfred Hitchcock with the hero Hannay hanging onto the clock face hands. The book was by Scottish author John Buchan. A stage play of The Thirty Nine Steps is on in London.
    www.love39steps.com

    You can see a weathervane featuring Old Father Time at Lords Cricket Ground in St John's Wood which is just north of Baker Street, on the bus or underground train. As it's high up you might be able to spot it from the top of a bus or a nearby building.


    Clockmakers' Museum, London, UK
    Closed - whilst moving to London's Science Museum where it will be in the Time gallery, opening next year in summer 2015.

    Clocks & Watches Gallery, British Museum, London, UK

    Clocks in Wales
    Newport clock


    Clocks in France
    Rheims


    Canada
    Steam clock, Vancouver
    (See video in Wikipedia)

    Germany
    House of 1000 clocks, Triberg (see Tripadvisor)

    USA
    National Watch and Clock Museum, PA
    http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g52399-d102891-Reviews-National_Watch_and_Clock_Museum-Columbia_Lancaster_County_Pennsylvania

    Sunday, October 26, 2014

    Time quotations

    Today the clocks went back.

    Quotations on time listed in alphabetical order:

    A stitch in time saves nine.

    A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday
    Bible

    If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    Kipling poem If

    Give me one minute more
    Song
    Give me five minutes more
    Song by Frank Sinatra

    Hickory, dickory, dock
    The mouse ran up the clock
    (Nursery rhyme)

    How did it get so late so soon ...
    Dr Seuss

    Now is the hour
    (Song)

    Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone
    Poem Funeral Blues by W H Auden

    There is a tide in the affairs of men which if taken at the flood leads on to victory.
    William Shakespeare 1564-1616


    Time and tide wait for no man.

    Time heals all wounds.

    Time is everything. Five minutes makes the difference between victory and defeat. (Horatio Nelson, 1758-1805), won the Battle of Trafalgar but died on his ship the Victory. Also said England expects every man to do his duty.)

    Time is money.
    Benjamin Franklin

    Time you old gypsy man, will you not stay, put up your caravan, just for one day.
    Ralph Hodgson (9 September 1871 – 3 November 1962 - see article in Wikipedia.)

    A modern Greek proverb, 'Man raises but time weighs', is inscribed in the USA on the Thomas Jefferson building, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

    Quotations are inscribed above eye level on a frieze around the outside of Bluewater giant shopping mall in the UK.

    For more quotations online see brainy quote

    GREENWICH MEAN TIME VISIT, LONDON

    Greenwich Park, GreenwichLondonSE10 9NF

    Find the time line and be photograph astride it.

    In Belgium there is a sculpture of time.

    Spring Forward, Fall Back - Timezone Tales

    TIME
      Time and tide wait for no man. Einstein says we all have the same amount of time. People have been recording time since Sumerian times. Sand clocks. Sundials. Watching the sun, the moon and the stars. Back in biblical times, and still done by Orthodox Jews today, you verify that the Sabbath starts when you can see three stars.

      When you are walking around when it gets dark you go home because you trip over in the dark, bump into things, lose your way and feel tired when it's dark. (Of course animals are mostly nocturnal, so it's safer to stay home at night, especially as they are adapted to seeing in the dark, whilst humans are adapted to living in the day.

      If you want to fall asleep, shut off noises and light. On a airplane those in charge pull down the blinds. In first class and on some planes in economy class you are given eyeshades. When it's wake up time, the lights go on.

    TIMEZONE TRAVELLER VISIT; GREENWICH
      Today in the UK clocks went back. Greenwich mean time. You can go to Greenwich in South London, UK, and be photographed standing astride the timeline.

    Changing Clocks
    Have one self-adjusting radio clock in your house which changes with automatic co-ordination with




    Changing Watches
    The tricks are:
    1 Learn how
      How to change your watch? Read the instructions. Explain how it works to somebody else. Change it every day for a week, ok, for three days.

    2 Keep instructions handy
    I   have mine pinned in the lower middle of my kitchen  pinboard.

    3 Failing all else, find your brand of watch on the internet and google for the instructions from the manufacturer or a forum from other users.

    When Do Clocks Change
    2 am on  Saturday night (technically Sunday morning) so that minimum disruption is caused to the working day.

    Which Clocks To Change
      Home clocks. All household clocks. Kitchen, lounge.  Oven. Microwave. Computer. Entrance hall. Clock in garden or on front or outside of building.


    Checking Appointments
    The organiser should call everybody else on the day. Fifteen minutes after arrival time, call everybody who has not turned up to check.

    Checking Travel
      Check your watch. Your phone. Your phone time and alarm. Your laptop time and alarms.

      Caretakers should check clocks on hotels, stations, airports, ferries etc.

    The Traveller
      Check the day and time of your departure and arrival.
    Co-ordinate taking of daily pills.

      Check mealtimes at destination. Will you be arriving after the evening meal service has finished? Or in time for breakfast and lunch and dinner?

    TIME TRAVEL TROUBLE TALES
    EUROPE
      In Europe we drove back and forth across the border from Portugal to Spain. We didn't realise they were on different time zones. It was Christmas and we were told we could only have Christmas dinner if we finished early, by 9 pm because the staff were having their own dinner. No problem, we said. We looked at our watched. We had an hour and a half we thought. We were half way through our main course when the staff sat down to their own dinner. We thought, they've started early. We sat over our desserts and coffees, watching the staff have their own dinner.
      Next morning we discovered we were an hour out with our breakfast time. We then realised the time difference and they'd been polite, no doubt wondering why we were still sitting in the restaurant during their Xmas party. Oh, dear, what an embarrassment!

    ASIA
    If you are leaving the US or UK and flying East, don't just tell your hosts your departure date, tell them your arrival date. We told our friends in Singapore that are travel date was Saturday. They made us a home-cooked welcome dinner on Saturday night. We arrived on Sunday.

    AUSTRALIA
    I phoned Australia from the USA. I was told that the person I was phoning was out to lunch. I gasped,  "It's nearly dinner time - that's a late lunch for a Friday. He runs his day late."
    The reply I received was, "But it's Saturday here and he's gone out for an early lunch. He's running on time or early."

    USA
    I could never remember which way around the world the clocks went forward and back. Until the death of Kennedy. Afternoon in Dallas, on evening TV in London.

    The other thing to remember is that time zones change across America vertically so that California is on a different time zone to New York. I had grasped East Coast time relative to the UK when phoning home to my parents in London.

    But back in London, I forgot that California was another couple of hours different. When my beloved late uncle died, I found the address of somebody who had sent him a Xmas card and long letter. I phoned her and said, "Hello, I'm calling from England. I'm afraid it's bad news, my uncle has died." After a long pause, she replied, "I'm sorry to hear your uncle has died. But who is he and who are you? I'm sorry, I"m not very wide awake, it's the middle of the night here."

    So check your watches and clocks today. And put Greenwich timeline on your mental travel list.

    Trick or Treat? What's Hot In The Ice Cream Shop?

    Baskin Robbins have ice cream of the month for £1.50 in a cone. 
    Trick or treat, they joke.





    But for those of us who think it's too chilly for ice cream and want to warm up, there are six hot treats.

    The two cheapest treats are £3.95, for hot waffle with a scoop of ice cream. Or chocolate brownie with a scoop of ice cream. If you are willing to treat yourself to a dessert costing £4.95, you can have Chocolate Fondant, American Style Pancake, Sticky Toffee Pudding, or Rocky Road Brownie. 
    These are all from Baskin Robbins in Hatch End. You might find other flavours at other branches and in other months.






    Sea Pebbles Secret Behind the Smile


    Sea Pebbles - see the fish motif with the name Sea Pebbles above it on the t-shirt? Yes, this is the man you've seen for years at Sea Pebbles fish and chip restaurant and take-away in Hatch End. The reason why he's smiling is because he has a new restaurant opening within the next month, fortnight hopefully, in Bushey Heath. It's where the Catch restaurant was, just near the car park. As soon as the builders have got it all ship-shape, so to speak. It will be open. If you are driving through the area, keep your eyes open for the new restaurant. He's promised to email me when it opens. I gave him my card. I hope he remembers. I want to see it and sample the fish and chips.

    Halloween Spider Cake & More In Hatch End


    A shopper stops to take a photo of the Halloween cakes at Genuine Cakes.

    Here's a funny face looking a bit scared and a spider cake.

    The sign reads Now taking orders for Halloween cakes. Enquire in the shop for more details.
    Under the words they've written Happy Halloween with some flying birds or bats and four ghouls. On the shelf below are a cake with a spider's web on top, another with eyes with caption of the ghost or the onlooker saying, "Mummy, is that you?" On the right is a box of six halloween individual person cupcakes. See detail in the close-up below.

    One of the mini cakes has a white skull silhouetted on a chocolate background.
    Above is a brown spider on an orange disc on a chocolate background. Plus more designs. 





    A cake with a pumpkin, a witch's hat, and a coffin.



    Lastly, here's a white five-tiered wedding style white cake for a big occasion, with imitation red dripping blood, I presume, maybe actually strawberry or raspberry flavour drizzle.

    All from
    Genuine Cakes, 411 Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, Pinner, Middlesex, HA5 4JR, UK.
    Tel: 020 8228  8585.
    www.genuinecakes.co.uk
    To to their website and look at their birthday cakes gallery. My favourite pictures of cakes are the dog and the piano keys. 

    If you are a tourist or a reader from overseas, Hatch End has an overground station linking to Euston. It's a suburb in NW London.

    Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, poet, can be seen and contacted on Youtube, linkedIn, Facebook. No genuine offers of food or drink refused.



    Saturday, October 25, 2014

    Picasso Museum Opens In Paris


    "Good artists copy. Great artists steal." So said Picasso. (For more quotations see Brainyquote.com)

    Pablo Picasso was born 25 Oct 1881 and his museum in Paris has opened 25 Oct 2014 in Paris. After five years of renovations.

    Picasso is famous for his blue faces with odd angled noses and for his large painting Guernica (displayed at Reina Sofia museum in Madrid, Spain), a political statement about the horrors of war. I read somewhere that he said he painted all in blue because he had run out of other paints.

    Make of that what you will. You might think that I have mis-remembered. That myths grow up to account for anything. That he was joking. And the reporter had no sense of humour. That Picasso was honest. Went from rags to riches. That a true artist can make and beautify from anything. That necessity is the mother of invention. That a poor artist today can hope to one day become as famous and successful and appreciated as Picasso.

    If you want to read about the importance of Picasso and his painting Les Demoiselles D'Avignon and cubism go to the site
    http://www.pablopicasso.org

    But Picasso painted many more pictures, extremely colourful. With beautiful swirly curly shapes. He  presented new ways of seeing faces, people and landscapes.

    The Paris museum had been closed for five years for renovation so as a tourist I had forgotten it. The museum is huge. It contains sculptures, pottery, also artworks Picasso collected from other artists who were his friends.

    If you can't get to Paris right away, put it on your wish list. If you are in London, England, see the Rembrandt exhibition. If you are in Spain you can visit the Picasso museum in Barcelona. Other works by Picasso can be seen in art galleries in New York and other US cities. You can get an idea of where from the pictures in Wikipedia. Somebody has done all the research for an article in the uk's Telegraph newspaper.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/11184945/Picasso-Where-to-see-his-works-around-Europe.html


    Beautiful pictures on the BBC website.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29758658

    What of Picasso's life? His name is Spanish and he was born in Spain, in Malaga, but spent most of his adult life in France and died over dinner and was buried in France.

    Wikipedia has a fascinating account of Picasso and WWI and WWII and the Spanish Civil war and his relationship with other artists such as Dali and communism.

    Picasso's Death Over Dinner in France
    Picasso lived to the age of 91 and died over dinner. (8 April 1973). His wife was devastated and later shot herself. On a happier note, better to die over dinner with family and friends than a lot of other ways, in fact most other ways. And better to die, world famous, at 91 (still able to get around at home) than unknown and all the other years up to 91.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso



    Les Demoiselles D'Avignon
    USA
    From Wikipedia 
    (See full details in Wikipedia.)

    Angela Lansbury, author. See Lulu.com for books including:
     Quick Quotations
    Who Said What, Where, When? 

    Pumpkin Plain, Pumpkin Pie, Can I save it or will it die?

    Pumpkin is a winter squash, orange on the outside, although cooked it can turn into a greeny yellow colour. Pumpkin pie, a deep dish pie, on Thanksgiving Day is an American tradition. I had a wonderful pumpkin pie at the American club in Singapore during Thanksgiving Day week.

    Apparently the same applies in Canada, where the festival is called L'Action to Grace. The pumpkin is also popular in Europe. Italians turn the flesh into a savoury filling for ravioli. You can also roast the seeds for snacks and eat the flowers which are elegant decorations for the table or plate, rather like orchids.

    Now orange pumpkins of all sizes are on sale in UK supermarkets for Halloween. Then pumpkins will come down in price. It will be a good time to buy. But how can should you store them and how long?

    We were so pleased with home made pumpkin soup, which was a cheap meal and more, we plan on buy pumpkins to store. How long will a pumpkin last?

    If you just leave your pumpkin on the kitchen work surface:
    All winter, until Xmas, if you are lucky until Easter. If it goes bad, goes soft and starts smelling evil and leaking, too late, you'll have to throw it out.

    If you can keep it in a cool dark place, it'll last a few months.

    Cut open, you can freeze it and again it lasts a few months.

    Cooked and made into pumpkin pie and the whole thing or leftovers frozen, again a few months.

    There's a good chart on this site:
    http://www.eatbydate.com/fruits/fresh/how-long-does-pumpkin-last/

    Geography Quiz

    Here's a geography quiz. I think you'll enjoy this one. I never win quizzes in pubs and find those on my area of expertise, writing, a challenge, even on a Writers' Holiday. However, I did well on this one. I always enjoy a quiz where you have the possible answers presented. I looked at some of the questions about which I could not be sure of the answer and used my knowledge of the language of the country to confirm my decision. I thought they might be trick questions, like a model of an Eiffel Tower being not in Paris but in a model village in Japan, but they were not. See how you get on.

    http://anotherquiz.com/can-you-answer-10-geography-questions-(tough)/index1.html

    Food & Drinks magazines to read on the train or plane


    You could read one of these magazines and newspapers about food and drink on your train or plane. If you think you know as much as or more than their staff and freelance writers, you could read through a copy, note down your own suggested article and email a query letter to the editor.

    Magazines and Newspapers About Food and Drink
    (Some of these titles have an ampersand instead of the word 'and' but my computer turns an ampersand symbol into HTLM code instructions so to be sure you can read something which looks and sounds sensible I have written out the word and.)

    50 Best Restaurants
    Artisan
    BBC good food magazine
    Beer and Brewer
    Big Hospitality
    Caterer and Hotelkeeper
    Caterer and Licensee
    Chef Magazine
    CLASS
    Drink me
    Eatsleepdrink magazine
    Fine Food Digest
    Food and Drink
    Food and Wine
    Harpers Wine and Spirit
    Imbibe
    Occasions
    Olive magazine
    Restaurant Magazine
    Speciality Food
    Staff Canteen
    Stockpot
    Tandoori
    The Publican's Morning Advertiser
    University Caterer
    Waitrose Weekend

    Websites
    appetitemag.co.uk
    beveragetradernetwork.com
    buysubscriptions.com
    decanter.com
    deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipe
    drinksint.com
    drinksmag.com
    drinkmemag.com
    fine-winesmagazine.com
    imbibe.com
    jamieolivermagazine.com
    justdrinks.com
    magazinesdirect.com
    northeastflavour.com (New England, USA)
    sainsburysmagazine.co.uk
    tastebudsmagazine
    tastetheseasons.co.uk
    thedrinksbusiness.com
    wineandspiritsmagazine.com
    wineconomist.com
    winemag.com
    winemerchant.com
    winesandvines.com
    winespectator.com
    world-newspapers.com/food
    wsta.co.uk wine spirits events (NB Some events are for consumers, others trade only.)

    You might also be interested in:

    Taste
    regional magazines which carry restaurant ads, articles on farmers and food factories, and recipes.
    For example, for Kent, the garden of England: kent-life.co.uk or visitkent.co.uk; similarly surrey-life.co.u,

    Suggested words for google searching: allergy, beer, cater, chef, cider, cook, coffee, cookery, diet, drink, eat, food, gluten-free, health, magazine, newspaper, recipe, restaurant, sugar, spirits, taste, tea, vegan, vegetable, wine. Also see names of supermarkets such as Waitrose, and wine sellers such as Majestic.

    Friday, October 24, 2014

    Encyclopaedia Titanica


    Everything you wanted to know about the Titanic in neat easy to navigate order on the opening page of encyclopaedia titanic, an amusing pun on Encyclopaedia Britannica. Titanica has another amusing double meaning, about the Titanic ship, a large ship, but also a large collection of facts about the ship.

    On the encyclopaedia titanic website the very handy passenger list allowed me to check in two minutes which Guggenheim was on the ship - it was Benjamin Guggenheim. I could not find Mr 'Macy' but a search for Macy instantly turns up Isador Strauss who was co-owner of the Macy's department store, plus links to other articles bout who had founded the department store, and what happened afterwards.

    http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

    Also see my previous post on the Titanic, entitled Titanic Travel Wishlist.

    Business meetings abroad - where? At Coffee shops and pubs

    5 A city or countryside coffee shop or pub

    a) Choices
    Many pubs and coffee bars will be nearby. You want to know the name to book it, or check opening times. Or the address to tell the colleague where to meet.

    b) Challenges
    Where to go? If you need a nearby place, having just met a colleague at a station or hotel and want somewhere quiet nearby to sit over coffee, you can use a search ap on your phone.

    Solutions
    We recently discovered here.com which is similar to google street view. It gives pictures of the nearby location, 3D pictures, you can even see the name of every restaurant and coffee bar or big store containing restaurants and coffee bars. I can't find an ap on here.com for an iPhone but it seems to be available for lots of other phones.

    One great advantage is that you can download the map. So you are not lost if your phone loses a connection. If you have an attached printer you can print off the map at home or at a hotel business centre.

    here.com


    Business meetings abroad - where? At Restaurants


    Restaurants and Planning A Business Meeting
    a) Choices
    Restaurants with wifi

    b) Challenges
    Some clubs don't allow use of mobile phones. (I found this in Tanglin Club, Singapore.)
    Some hotels jam conference wifis to make guests pay the hotel charges. There was a recent court case about this in the USA. If you want to read about it online search for Opryland and Mariott and Nashville.

    c) Solutions
    First check that the restaurant has wifi if you need it. Find out if this is for non-residents of a hotel. Get the password.

    Find out if phones are allowed in the hotel restaurants.
    Sometimes there is a separate business centre in the hotel. Or meeting rooms. There may be a charge for using them for business.

    At a recent business meeting in London, we checked out
    a) Top Michelin star restaurants with special bargain lunchtime offers.
    b) Clubs with reciprocal arrangements (for example, the Tanglin Club in Singapore has reciprocal arrangements with several clubs in London). You may need time to ask your home club to prepare a letter of introduction and if you have to leave the letter with the club reception you might want half a dozen copies of the letter.
    c) On the move and last minute - the restaurant opposite a coffee shop - phone number on the restaurant fascia. The home country host meeting organiser googled the name of the restaurant and booked in through book-a-table. The restaurant pays the booking free and the customer does not pay a charge.

    You can also check the menu on line. You can look for the wine list. You can ask if the wine is in stock and get it chilled in advance.

    d) Finally, there's the option of a private room at a restaurant. Private rooms aren't just for weddings. For a business meeting or presentation, AGM, whatever your needs, a private room might allow you to order in restaurant standard food, with the ability to discuss business without being overheard, no distractions, and able to use phones and laptops.

    At a top hotel, or a small family run place keen for business, if you are lucky and plan carefully you will be treated like royalty.


    Business Meetings Abroad where? Airport lounges


     Airport Lounge or Hotel in Transit
    a) Choices
    Check out the airline lounges airside and land side. Check time needed for stopover and be sure to adjust for changing time zones.
    b) Challenges
    You may be too short of time to leave the airport on one leg of the journey or going in one direction.
    c) Solutions
    Meet at an airport lounge or airport restaurant or airport hotel restaurant going one direction. Meet again on return journey.
    d) Find out if any airlines affiliated to your carrier have lounges airside or land side. Also if the person you are meeting has a link with an airline which has a lounge.
    e) If all else fails, find a coffee shop in the airport.
    f) Or a coffee shop in a hotel adjoining the airport. Or a hotel with a shuttle bus.

    I had this problem as a travel writer visiting St Louis in the USA. The PR for the city arranged to meet me and my family on our outbound stopover in the middle of the American continent flying East for only about an hour between East coast Washington DC and West coast America. During the first stop we went through the paperwork, brochures showing attractions of the city and arranged our itinerary for our return which he arranged whilst we were away.

    On the longer return trip we had a four or five hour stopover. The PR for the tourist board met us at the airport with a car and took us on a tour of the city to a hotel, a restaurant for a quick lunch, and a museum, then up the Gateway Arch (pre-arranged with the attraction PR with complimentary tickets for the press but also to bypass the queue), then raced back to the airport to get us on the flight home.

    Angela Lansbury is a travel writer, photographer, author, speaker.
    See more about and by Angela Lansbury author on Lulu.com Facebook LinkedIn


    Business Meetings Abroad - where? Skype calls

    There are six ways of arranging meetings with international colleagues,
    1) by conference call,
    2) airport lounge or hotel meeting when in transit,
    3) your hotel
    4) at a town or country club, using reciprocal memberships
    5) or a city coffee shop,
    6) restaurant.
    You might try all of these, on one business trip, or over the course of a year, as I have. Let's start with the conference call, saves flying. But first time for any of your users can lead to chaotic conference calls.

    1 Conference Call
    a) Choices
    You can save on the cost of international calls by using Skype.
    I've seen this done across three continents with companies the size of Nielsen, and also participated in multi-city conference calls with not for profit Toastmasters International speakers clubs.

    b) Challenges
    i) Across three time zones, e.g. USA, Europe and Asia, you may find that your VIP in the office in the USA always arranges conference calls in office hours which mean that people in other parts of the world have to get up early or miss their weekend social or club or sports meeting or family events such as birthday parties.
    ii) One or more of the participants may be unfamiliar with the system and unable to hear or see or be heard and seen as you take each of half a dozen members in turn for their comments on each item of your agenda.

    c) Solutions - Preparation and Troubleshooting
    iA) Organisers in head office in the USA. Vary meetings days and times, e.g. first week of month or uneven weeks (1st, 3rd, 5th) use mornings in home or head office country, alternating weeks, use evenings in home country. Or change from Mondays to Fridays so you are not always taking your Asian staff away from their family or club or social meetings. Or simple ask staff if they have any regular or intermittent events at those times. You may think work is a priority over social life, especially with new staff, or even with long-time staff, but to keep goodwill and prevent staff leaving from overload it's a good idea to check every now and then.

    iB) From the employees point of view, the head office cannot know that you are taking an exam for a course which is run on a certain evening a week, nor that it is your wedding anniversary. Instead of saying that you cannot attend or feigning sickness, let the others know of your plans in advance.

    For example, you could ask the others where they recommend you take your spouse for your wedding anniversary dinner, and book the restaurant they suggest, and thank them. If they then decide they must hold a meeting that date and time, they may remember your dinner and realise that your are losing money on the booking and disappointing the family. The company (boss) might apologise, rearrange the conference call, or send flowers and a card or a gift to your spouse by way of apology and so that their special day is still special and to create goodwill.

    ii) When trying this out with a new team, it's a good idea to have a short run with just two of you with the leader and each user so as to troubleshoot. This will get the newcomers up to speed with the system and prevent multiple users avoid all those delays whilst newcomers to the system say, I can't see the picture, I can see you but can't hear you, how do I increase the volume etc.

    Thursday, October 23, 2014

    New Noah's Ark to visit in the Netherlands, and taste Noah's pudding in Turkey


    All About Noah's Ark
    Noah's Ark was described in the Middle East in biblical and pre-biblical times, built before the great flood, survived the rising waters and supposedly sailed off and landed safely in Turkey where you can find its reputed remains - and disputed remains. You can take a tour to Noah's mausoleum, and eat Noah's dish - but now western Europe has a large reproduction of Noah's ark as a tourist attraction in the Netherlands.

    Babylonian Text And Reconstruction
    Earlier in 2014 I saw a Channel 4 TV film about the reconstruction of Noah's Ark based on the dimensions found in a pre-biblical Babylonian script taken to Babylonian text expert Finkel at the British Museum in London. Finkel was so excited to have detailed dimenions and instructions, that he went off to find somebody to build the huge boat and make it ship-shape, completely round, and seaworthy.  Welsh coracles and Indian fishing boats are also this shape, resembling a donut or bagel, which seems odd to those of us used to modern bullet-shape boats which fly through water like pointed arrows.  Finkel's builders were in the quiet backwaters of India.

    Netherlands Tourist Attraction in Dordrecht
    Now here's another. The Dutch version is a tourist attraction. It has two amphitheatres where you learn more. Noah's ark is a cultural heritage, a childhood toy, a tale from ancient Babylonian times, taken to Finkel in the British Museum, and is known from religions texts, from Genesis in the Hebrew Bible to Jews, in The Old Testament to Christians, and in a later version transmitted to Moslems.

    A reproduction of Noah's Ark, as long as a football pitch and four storeys high is located at Dordrecht, and is now open to the public. Admission costs €7.50 (£5.95) for children and €12.50 (£9.90) for adults.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2800344/four-storeys-tall-longer-football-pitch-real-life-noah-s-ark-took-three-years-build-floats-water-comes-animals.html#ixzz3GwIaxXDf
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah's_Ark


    See Wikipedia for picture credits and more details.

    Turkey's Noah's Mausoleum
    I must add this to my book Jewish Travel Tales and Guidebook. Noah must be one of the earliest travellers in the bible of whom we have evidence. His boat was supposed to have landed in Turkey where you can see and visit a hill named after him. Also Noah's Mausoleum.

    Searches for Noah's ark are nicknamed arkeology.

    Noah's Dessert In Turkey And Nearby
     In Turkey you can taste a national Noah's dish, a dessert called Noah's pudding made from fruit and nuts. It's Turkish name is ashure, and it's of Armenian origin. Ashure is also the Moslem version of the dish celebrating a later event. The dessert is also popular in surrounding countries. 

    Noah's family are supposed to have made this dessert from leftovers to elaborate their safe arrival on dry land after the flood. How do you remember the name? Here's a mnemonic I've made up for myself and you. So, Noah's family came ashore and made ash-u-re. (I have to keep evading the spellchecker which turns unusual words into the more popular words.) 

    Lots of different recipes for it, highly calorific, eaten in winter and all year, can include grains, rice, chickpeas, fruit nuts and orange or lemon peel which has been sugared. (I keep trying to write c - an - died but spell checker turns it into dandies).
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashure


    More Information

    For more about the Babylonian tablet taken to bearded expert Finkel,
     who looks a bit like Noah, 
    at the British museum 
    and the reconstruction of the circular Noah's ark using Indian expertise see
    theguardian.com/culture/2014/jan/24/babylonian-tablet-noah-ark-constructed-british-museum

    (Sorry, dear reader, about the absurdly short lines.
    Long ones disappear off the page.
    Everything looks fine on the page where I write and edit.
    But when I check in VIEW - the layout has changed.)

    You can also see various accounts of Noah's Ark on Youtube.

    Jewish Travel Tales and Guidebook by Angela Lansbury Lulu.com
    More by and about Angela Lansbury Author 
    on Youtube, LinkedIn, Facebook.