Songwriting courses, Writing and Painting Holidays

I looked for songwriting courses in previous years and found they were at the extreme ends of the market. Either you paid thousands of dollars to stay at five star hotels in Hollywood to meet top producers and professionals. Or you could pay peanuts to sleep in a sleeping bag in a location requiring a trek with a backpack to stay with teenagers in tents.

I succeeded in finding songwriting courses at Swanwick Writers' Summer School but these were not a regular feature.

In some of the courses you paired up. In others you got into groups of four or five.

1) My first tip: It's a good idea to sit near somebody you would like to meet or co-operate with.

However, be prepared for your favourite to leap up and cross the room to escape you and seek a more promising partnership.

2) Chat up the person you are sitting next to. Make a friend of them. That will increase your chances of having a willing partner.

3) Make a contact and exchange details. You may want to stay in touch if they move.

4 Be prepared to make a quick getaway if they are only accompanying a partner, walked into the wrong room by mistake, or they cough or sneeze all over you and your immune system is down, or they don't speak English and you don't speak their language and you are writing English language songs.

On the other hand, if they have a physical or professional handicap, and you can supply help, you might be able to team up with grateful and reliable partner.

How do you make a getaway? By moving to a seat nearer the front, leaving the room to go to the toilet or fetch a pen and turning via another door. Greeting another mere acquaintance like a long-lost friend. Being honest: 'Lovely to meet you. I'm looking to pair up with somebody from my town/city/country so we can write French songs/I'm looking for a composer/songwriter/guitarist/singer for duets. Here's my card. Thanks for yours. Hope you find a composer/singer - if I meet one I'll send them to you.'

It's often hard to decide whether to make one great friend by chatting the whole half hour or hour of a meeting or coffee break with one person, or circulate around a room meeting twenty.

If you do move on around a room and later feel bad about it, to be sure your potential friend didn't feel abandoned. Remember their name, and wave enthusiastically, greeting them by name, when you see them nearby. Introduce them to others. Follow-up by emailing them cordially.

Send out a newsletter in which you mention them warmly and mention their skills or endeavours enthusiastically.

After the course, do the homework, perhaps in a group with those on the course. If you don't want to share your best song, do another just to share and practise.

Have a dedicated songbook for handouts, notes, ideas, songs you start composing when the workshop plays demos.

You can prepare a notebook in advance with a series of pages at the start, middle or end, or in a divided lined notebook, the sort sold in large stationers and university bookshops used for schools and university coursework. Make an index at the front and head each page with any starter such as Title, opus 1 /....100, by (your name or pen-name or the famous song-writer); have a column on left or write or end with a ruled off ruler wide section for copyright notice or call to action such as email to course leader (email eg john smith@johnsmithsongs.com) / finish by November for songwriting competition deadline Dec 31.

Pack any previously written songs with which you need help, or to read out in class for comments.

Ask conference leader to point out the songwriting workshop leader. Find them over coffee in advance to ask questions such as: Will we need to bring anything; what books do you recommend; can you give us some advice on finding a composer.

Often a course leader has no idea of the people who will be on the course, and does not know whether to pitch at amateurs or professionals. Therefore they will be glad to have the chance to research answers to questions. You can then sit in the front row smiling or nodding and they will feel they have a friend in the audience.

Magazine Ads
A quick way to find courses in any subject is to buy or read at a library a magazine on your subject (writing, songwriting, painting, motorcycling, whatever). See advertisements and write ups. You will also find adverts for courses alongside your website searches.

Sometimes a course on your subject will be offered for partners on other more focused courses on other subjects. For example, the Fishguard, Wales, Writers' Holiday in the summer usually offers a painting course which is popular with non-writing partners and spouses.

Facebook And Forums
You can also check out on Facebook websites of courses you are attending (or courses you cannot attend) and put out an appeal such as:

'Hello, Swanwickers. I shall be attending this year and would like to meet a songwriter/ children's book illustrator/painter. / I shall not be able to attend this year (because of my broken leg/whatever/but would love to hear from somebody else stuck at home who would like to exchange songs/poetry/discuss plots. / I would like to swap ideas on selling online miniature illustrated songs and poems.'

Here's my latest research into songwriting courses and events.
songwriting.co.uk
imw.co.uk

If you can't or won't travel, or can't or won't pay for a course, look at Coursera.
coursera.org - work on the internet April 21-Jun 7. Join for free. 6-8 hours work a week.
As far as I can see, if you want to get a certificate you have to do three stepped advanced courses and a project for 3 x £32 but you can pay for two years upfront or pay for each course as you take it. They like you to do a basic music course first and songwriting second or third.  I have managed signed up for the free songwriting course.

Useful Books On Songwriting
Instant Songwriting Musical Improv from Dunce to Diva by Nancy Howland Walker
Better Songwriting by Pat Pattison. The course leader's book for Coursera course on songwriting, available new and used and as an ebook from Amazon.

If you visit Nashville, Tennessee, USA, the museums and theme parks sell books on songwriting. If you have a friend going and they are likely to bring back a gift, or you are going and are looking for a gift, you might prefer a book to a tee-shirt.

If you are a general writer going into songwriting, print a business card or flyer with your contact details.

Update 2022

This link popped up on my screen

https://welcome.online.berklee.edu/general-download-berklee-online-songwriting-handbook.html?pid=6963&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bol-gen-google-adwords-songwriting-handbook&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhqaVBhCxARIsAHK1tiPTBmhNnaEJdFndwXVaioDBd_MyyW3VowpMM4oiZM8rLtebBKDs0wwaAhgkEALw_wcB#?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=bol-gen-google-adwords-songwriting-handbook&utm_content=

Summer courses in speaking, storytelling and more

Speaking and Storytelling
To hear the world's top speakers in the contests:
Toastmasters International Convention 2015
Caesar's Palace Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Aug 12-15 2015.
www.toastmasters.org/convention

What's new and to do in Las Vegas:
Tour hotels:
Bellagio hotel: jumping fountains in front; Circle du Soleil; art gallery.
Flamingo Hotel: flamingoes in centre; history plaques.

Art exhibitions:

Mafia Exhibition:

See more information:
lasvegasweekly.com
justluxe.com

Las Vegas is in Nevada. Arrive early or stay on later and take a half day or day trip, eg to the Canyon.

Storytelling Worldwide in Toastmasters International
Storytelling is in one of the advanced manuals of Toastmasters International.
You have five projects. One involves reading a classical story, which could be a myth, a fairytale, a religious story with a moral. Another Project involves making up a personal story from your own life.

Storytelling Courses UK
If you wish to focus on storytelling, look at the website of the Society for Storytelling.
sfs.org.uk
National storytelling week 2016 is in January and February.

See also:
School Libraries Association
National Libraries Day.
bristolstoryfest.co.uk
beyondtheborder.com
settlestories.org.uk
thestorytellers.com based in London, England.
city-academy.com Storytelling courses in London EC1.

Storytelling USA
storytellingwithdata.com For businesses, in USA.
National Storytelling Network USA - see storyrnet.org

Other Storytelling Events Worldwide
See Wikipedia World Storytelling Day (covers Sweden, Australia, spring and autumn equinoxes).
See also Storytelling festivals. Events take place worldwide including Asia, India and Canada.

See also on the internet Performance Poetry.
(Come back - adding more and pictures later.)

French words of the day: entrée

entrée - introduction (but in some restaurants with French menus the entrée is the main course and the starter is called hors d'oevre which means outside (of - de) (the) work
Maitre d'
Memoir

I hope the Maitre d' will write about the hors d'oevres and Entrées in his memoir.

How does a memoir differ from an autobiography? A memoir is a memory, a selective memory, for example giving only your work experience as a ballet dancer, in a theatre, or part of your work life as head of a company, with a focus. An autobiography might take in your entire life from your birth until retirement. 

French words of the day: soiree

Soiree - soir means evening, as in b o n s o i r (not bonsai, the word chosen by this site's spellchecker) good evening
A soiree - a little evening, a cultural evening at a private house such as a music soiree accent on the first e so it is pronounced ay.

Staples stationery/office shop gone from S Harrow, Sportsdirect opened

The Staples stationery shop has gone from the South Harrow shopping area beside Waitrose and Dunelm Mill.

(Oh, dear. Spellchecker has tried to turn supermarket W a i t r o s e into Waitress.)

Sports Shop
The replacement shop is a Sportsdirect.com

What's New In W a i t r o s e?
Waitrose has expanded their stationery section slightly but no way can it match and make up for the wide choices of furniture, desks, chairs, printing and more we used to be able to buy from Staples.

Waitrose is still offering its regular, high spending customers with Waitrose cards a coffee and/or newspaper.

At the back of Waitrose is the cake section. For special occasions, such as birthdays. Currently a good price for a DIY birthday cake, a small sponge. Good enough to write on or place a candle.

(For a wedding cake, to support tiers with a heavy second layer of cake pressing down on four small columns and elaborate decoration you need a solid fruit cake base with a thick layer of solid white icing on top of the lower cake.)

The football cakes are cute, too.

Useful Websites
https://www.storelocate.co.uk/waitrose/

https://www.storelocate.co.uk/waitrose/south-harrow.html

Please share links to your favourite posts

Oxfam gone, new charity shop Hatch End

Winery Wishlist for Visits to South Africa

When I visited South Africa I drove out of Cape Town to lunch at a winery. On my next trip I shall research wineries carefully in advance, checking which ones have great restaurants, interesting wines to taste, unusual buildings or special landscapes.

A new friend who has often visited her family in South Africa told me about the three wineries where they take visitors out of Cape Town. I saw her photos and you can see photos and read her write-ups on TripAdvisor.

1 Belaire Graff
The Belaire winery (bel or belle meaning beautiful, aire is air) was bought by the jewellery Graff and made even more beautiful. Stunning views of a mountain like the Matterhorn with a sharp triangular top, foliage and flowers such as birds of paradise, yellow and purply blue.
The whole area is landscape gardened and adorned with giant sculptures depicting the people and animals of South Africa, twin human heads, and man-size gamboling animals.

Inside you find two great restaurants.  I liked the light fitting of a flock of swallows circling. The choice of restaurants is Asian or Western.

2 Vergelegen Winery
The name is pronounced Fair - che (like Scottish loch or clearing your throat) lechen (again a clearing your throat ch). The name means long leg, or remote place, originally quite a walk from anywhere.
It's a traditional and local Cape Dutch house with beautiful gardens. For a contrast, then see:

3 Ernie Els Winery
A granite structure, ultra modern, with a big oak door, and views, great for a light snack.

You might want to reverse the order of direction or start with number two, the traditional one, and end with the sculpture garden and linger over a meal stop.

Anzac Day in Australia, New Zealand, London and worldwide

Today for Anzac Day the Australian flags and New Zealand flags have been flying all over the English speaking world, certainly in London, England, as well as Canada (whose soldiers were also at Gallipoli), various islands, and of course in Australia and New Zealand.

The short quotation we recall easily is 'for your tomorrow they gave their today'. But even more relevant to Gallipoli is the quotation from the speech given there by the Turkish leader, Kemal Ataturk, a masterpiece of the rhetoric of reconciliation. "Having lost their lives in this land, they have become our sons as well." The words of the founder of the republic of Turkey are on monuments in Turkey and Australia.

Memorials to the Australian and New Zealand forces and Canadian forces include one to Australian forces at Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner in London, at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli in Turkey, in northern France, and in Australia and New Zealand including Canberra.

The 2015 ceremonies included a dawn Maori war dance, and H M Queen Elizabeth II laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in London.

Ceremonies start at dawn, which is when the Gallipoli battle started a century ago on April 25 1915. A drink associated with the day is Gunfire tea or coffee, a cup of tea, or coffee, with a shot of rum added, which was served to soldiers before battle for Dutch courage. (See wikipedia for article on Gunfire drink.)

Members of the Royal family wear all black or mostly black. The royal family and military personnel wear their wartime medallions. Members of the public carry flags, or wear garments, shawls or hats displaying flags, or jewellery, or face paints, or tattoos of flags.

ANZAC - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

See more on
anznacday.org.au
wikipedia/wiki/anzac_day

PS Sorry about the lower case of turkey. I keep changing it to Turkey in the list of labels and the spellchecker doesn't recognise the country name and keeps changing it back to turkey.

Summer Writing Courses

Writing courses in the UK attract visitors from all over the world. Our writers also travel. If you are looking at the UK, here are some options:

JULY WRITING
WRITERS' HOLIDAY at FISHGUARD HOTEL, WALES (Formerly at Caerleon)
Also spring and autumn writing weekends.
I have been sent an invoice for £499 (deduct £10 if you paid that deposit last year).
NB Different prices for sharing double room and for a single room - it's a hotel. Some rooms at front have sea view, others don't, but mostly you are not in your room. You can sit outside on the terrace and have an extra day there. Hotel was used in films.
Free trip/time one afternoon midweek.
Courses - choose one of 5, second course choose one from 6-11.
Stay on for half board price of £49 per day.
Free parking. Station very near but it's uphill dragging your case to the hotel and they will collect you.
Run by Gerry and Anne and their family.
Courses include
1 Children's writing Anita Loughrey
6 Using photos to sell more by Simon Whaley.
Also Travel writing, poetry, contemporary romance, painting and drawing, historical novel, crime writing, short story.
Last year we went to Fishguard for the first time. We drove back to London stopping at a Welsh vineyard and seeing an evening performance at a Royal theatre in Bath, reaching NW London before midnight.
www.writersholiday.net

AUGUST SWANWICK Writers' Summer School, Derbyshire
Saturday 8 Aug to Friday 14 August.
email: secretary@swanwickwritersschool.org.uk
Swanwick also has a Facebook page.
Prices vary according to accommodation:
Prices: Main house standard £440 (washbasin in room, bathroom in corridor); main house en suite £535.
Lakeside £535.
Alan Booth Centre £595.
Part time accommodation (£130; £85 on Saturday from 4 pm.) from mid morning coffee on arrival day and one breakfast on day of departure.
Day visitors (no breakfast, starts after breakfast, includes other meals lunch and dinner £90; Sat £45.
Coach pickup and return from Derby Midland station at 3.45 and 5.15pm on the Saturday and returning 8.30 am prompt on Friday 14 Aug at £12.50 non-refundable.
You could continue north to the Edinburgh Festival.
Run by a committee of friendly and dedicated writers.
www.swanwickwritersschool.org.uk

SEPTEMBER WRITING
WARWICK UNI
2015 Warwick Festival of Writing
4-6 Sept, 2015 Conference Park, Uni of Warwick. Orangeades by National Association of Writers' Groups.
Three days £300 for non-NAWG members, and £270 for members.
www.nawg.co.uk
The university of Warwick offers delegates bars, cafes and restaurants and free use of the Fitness Centre and indoor swimming pool. Free parking permits are available to delegates.
You have t check out by 9.30 on departure day.
Non-writing partner for the whole weekend without the four workshops, £220 for non NAWG members, reduced for NAWG members to £190.

Others:
ARVON
Writing courses and retreats - where you spend your time mostly writing, rather than listening to others talking about writing. You may have to cook your own food in teams for just one meal - which could be a good thing to learn for the reclusive writer. To help you start and finish a novel. Grants available to help you with course fees.
Arvon.org

Comedy Writing Courses
All year, run in London by Amused Moose, and all over the UK by others. If you can find a comedy course in Edinburgh, ending in a performance, you might be able to attend a reunion party in London whose guest list includes other performers and talent spotters.

Overseas: Look for:
Courses in Europe.
Australia.
Songwriting (in expensive five star hotels in USA) - look for magazines, Nashville, Hollywood, Florida.
Songwriting in UK. (Expensive hotels for worldwide hits; or cheap campsites for the guitarists and folk singers. Swanwick has run two songwriting courses. I hope they will repeat them.)
WEA

Courses are advertised in writing magazines sold through newsagents and by subscription and available at festivals.

I'm saving this and stopping for coffee. Will add more details and photos later. Come back for more.
Angela Lansbury BA Hons
Author of ten books by mainstream publishers including:
Wedding Speeches and Toasts (Ward Lock / Cassell)
Etiquette For Every Occasion
Also ten recent books including:
Quick Quotations for writers and speakers (Lulu.com)
Who Said What When (Lulu.com)
Poetry Workbook
Writing Poetry For Fun
See more by and about Angela Lansbury author on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube (performing poetry).

London's Weekend Travel: St George's Day and The Marathon

Saturday 25th April 2015 is The Feast of St George. From noon until 6 pm you can enjoy events at Trafalgar Square.
London.gov.uk/stgeorges

I picked up a red and white flyer at a London station. The cross of St George is red on white. I know. I have the colours and design on a pair of Wellington boots.

The flyer temptingly talks of free fun for everyone, a feast of English food, stalls selling treats, live cookery demos, live music from brass bands, a singalong and knees up, plus a medieval jousting tiltyard to entertain children.

They say, come dressed in red and white to celebrate this national day.

What's more, they invite you to share you event photos.

See next post for Sunday's Marathon.

Angela Lansbury B A Hons, travel writer, author and speaker.

I looked up St George's Day and was horrified to find that the wikipedia entry stating that the date was April 23rd was followed by my post listing the celebrations in London being on the 25th. Then I realised that the festivities were being celebrated on the nearest Saturday, and I had not made an error. To prove it to myself and you I show the leaflet which gave me the information.

on Google 

Quotations on Wine at West Street Vineyard in Coggeshall

Age is just a number. It's totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine, said Joan Collins.

West Street vineyard in Coggeshall has a restaurant decorated with quotations about wine - even in the elegant ladies toilet.

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading, said Henry Youngman.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

English Wine Barn, West Street

Coggeshall, Essex CO6 INS

tel: 01376 563303

www.weststreetvineyard.co.uk

on Facebook and Twitter @weststreetwine

See previous post about lovely buildings to look at in Coggeshall.

Angela Lansbury BA Hons, Author, speaker, photojournalist, travel writer. More by and about Angela Lansbury author on Facebook, lulu.com, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Wine Festival in Coggeshall October 2015

Note this in your diary.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

English Wine Barn, West Street

Coggeshall, Essex CO6 INS

tel: 01376 563303

www.weststreetvineyard.co.uk

on Facebook and Twitter @weststreetwine

See previous post about lovely buildings to look at in Coggeshall.

Angela Lansbury BA Hons, Author, speaker, photojournalist, travel writer. More by and about Angela Lansbury author on Facebook, lulu.com, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Travelling to a funeral, or wedding - check the dress code

Dress codes vary from country to country and religion to religion and from one event to another. Some funerals specify: Wear colours.

I arrived at an orthodox Jewish funeral and was amazed to find people dressed for what looked like a Sunday picnic.

An Israeli told me that in Israel, because of the hot weather, people arrive at funerals in hot weather clothes - even shorts! (I suggest you always check first with the hosts.)

Some funerals have black only for the chief mourners, next of kin, parents, children and siblings. I once turned up all in black to a funeral where everybody was in bright colours and people thought I must be the mother or widow and kept coming up to me and paying respects and giving condolences for my loss.

In April 2005 I wore a reversible rust and pink dress with a co-ordianting patchwork olives and plums. I arrived at a Catholic church to find over two hundred people dressed all in black.

One man had a black outfit with a red scarf. One woman wore a purple coat. Purple is a traditional half mourning colour. Then there was me. Oops.

I looked down at my jacket which had a black lining and thought, I must be able to reverse this. What if it has a label?  I'll hang the hood over the label.

I squirmed and wriggled a lot during the service. My family shushed me. I managed to take off the jacket and put it back on inside out. Then I found two black pockets on the front. It was designed reversible!

My dress was also reversible. But I could not change during the service.

Where were the toilets? The church had no toilets. I was directed to the church hall. But it was locked. A nearby pub - would using a pub toilet when I wasn't drinking be a chutzpah? No - the place was full of people dressed all in black, obviously buying drinks before and after the church service. Our crowd had taken over the place.

My spare rainhat, luckily, was reversible with black on one side and a red lining. Despite the red lining, I thought that was good enough.

I then realised I was wearing a black half slip. Putting that on the outside of the dress, mostly covered by the thigh length black jacket, made me three quarters black. It had a lace edge. Never mind. Wearing underwear as overwear is a fashion of this decade. Better black anything, less conspicuous than a colour. Now I was nearly all in black except for the rust colour hemline. (If I'd thought, with a few safety pins, or two, I could have pulled it up. Or even tucked into my waistband to shorten it.)

Several well coiffured blonde ladies looked like models at a cocktail party, with figure hugging back dresses and stiletto heels. The widow was also blonde, dressed all black, so it was hard to find her in a crowd with half a dozen immaculate slim blondes in black.

The dress code has nothing to do with whether the service is a burial or cremation. The Catholic 'family only' cremation preceded the 'memorial service' later that day in the church. Everybody dressed all in black suits then drove for drinks and canapés at a cricket club, indoors and outdoors.

If in doubt ask the hosts. And wear reversible clothes. or carry a spare set of scarves in black and colours.

NB In some Asian cultures, white, like a shroud, is for funerals and a bride wears red. At most UK weddings if the bride wears white nobody else should for fear of distracting attention from and competing with the bride.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

The Royal Oak restaurant, Pale Street near Maidenhead, Berkshire

Where to take family or friends from overseas for Sunday lunch out of London in the countryside? We really wanted somewhere on the river but the forecast was overcast weather so we settled for a country pub with good food, cross-checking the Good Food Guide and Michelin. Our first choice was an old favourite at Bray, but they were fully booked. We found The Royal Oak pub restaurant.

From the outside it's a plain white traditional building, but the Michelin signs in the window are promising, and one step inside the door - low step - mind the step - you see a smiling face to welcome you, a fireside, an old pub and beyond that a bright, white modern restaurant.

Pre-starters

Main courses

I ordered chicken. 

The fish and chips came with large chips. 

Desserts

Rum baba

Rhubarb crumble

What's not to like? Not enough vegetables, unless up you pay for a side order or think potatoes are vegetables. Bread is a paid for pre-starter. Twelve and half per cent service charge. Fifteen minutes wait for the rhubarb to be cooked through. But the well-heeled, well-spoken crowd did not look like they were in a hurry, not watching the time nor counting the pennies.

Lots to like about this place, apart from the food and wine list: the bag hook marked bag in the ladies toilet, the garden area where you sit watching the wall waterfall, the toothpicks in a cover like a mini matchbook. 

The Royal Oak

Haley Street

Little field Green, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 3JN

reservations 01628 620541

info@theroyaloakpaleystreet.com

www.theroyaloakpaleystreet.com

Angela Lansbury BA Hons, author, travel writer, photojournalist, speaker. More about and by Angela Lansbury the author on Lulu.com, Facebook, linkedIn, YouTube.

Tasty Juice and Kebab at Banana Restaurant

Walking from Sadlers Wells back to the underground station looking for a coffee bar, you see most coffee places are shut. Pop into this place on the off-chance, and you will be tempted to eat. 

Best of all are the fresh fruit drinks. Orange and apple with various additions. 

The chicken satay, with spicy peanut sauce, is tasty.  

Coffee is good too, even the decay with cream and sugar sachets. They have toothpicks. Toilets downstairs. Some seating is backless benches, which seems very popular with groups. We managed to secure a table with benches seating one side, chairs with backs the other side.

Service is fast and friendly. Decor amusing, with a toy gorilla looking across the room.
Banana Tree
412-416 St John Street
London EC1V 4NJ
Tel: 020 7278 7565
islington@bananatree.co.uk
Join their mailing list for offers
www.bananatree.co.uk/signup
Also at: Maida Vale, West Hampstead, Clapham Junction, Watford, Bayswater, Angel, Soho, Milton Keynes.
bananatree.co.uk
Facebook twitter @babanatree

Angela Lansbury BA Hons, travel writer, speaker, author. Also on Linked, Facebook, Twitter, lulu.com.

Colchester - old and new?

Colchester has an old name. Chester is Roman for town, as in Colchester, Winchester, Chester. As we drove through the buildings reminded of Norwich, also on England's East.

Everywhere we saw signs to Colchester Zoo. 

Eat pansies, drink wine, at the vineyard in Coggeshall

Driving out of Coggeshall, not intending to stop, we saw a vineyard, and knew you could eat there because a family with children's party balloons sat on the terrace. Inside you are greeted by displays of elegant bottles, jams, gifts. Beyond is you find overlooking the vineyard a delightful fresh black and white decor with amusing quotations about drink and wine on the walls.

This is the Enoteca machine enabling you to have a small taste at a low price, small being good if you are driving.

If you prefer not to drink at all, the menu includes a crab starter - which one of my group enjoyed (I'm allergic to shellfish). I can vouch for the flavours of the trifle dessert with two colours of edible pansy petals on top.

Edible pansy petals.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

English Wine Barn, West Street

Coggeshall, Essex CO6 INS

tel: 01376 563303

www.weststreetvineyard.co.uk

on Facebook and Twitter @weststreetwine

See previous post about lovely buildings to look at in Coggeshall.

Angela Lansbury BA Hons, Author, speaker, photojournalist, travel writer. More by and about Angela Lansbury author on Facebook, lulu.com, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Colourful Coggeshall - must see near Colchester on way to Clacton

Coggeshall has been known for its old buildings but not it has a new variation on the old, adding colours such as red to turn the old black and white medieval or Victorian building into red and black, and tasteful pastels of green and cream and pink and white and pale powder blue making a soothing, pleasing variety of shop and house fronts, reminding me of colourful coastal villages in Norway.

Even on a short ten minute stop we really enjoyed driving through, parking for a photostop, looking at the old frontages.

Even a modest house with no garden can be identifiable and jolly with a contrasting front door. Here adjacent houses are united with a white and green theme. One has a green door and white windowframes on yellow background, The other has white door and windowframes on a green background.

Several buildings have interesting plaques.



A Bright Blue Building
Even the brightest blue looks great.

The blue of the tower is echoed by the blue square notice, and the small blue circular plaque over the door. 

Bright blue wooden horizontal planks, a yellow door, a green plaque, adjacent green wall with the blue noticeboard - it works. As you see the address is Stoneham Street.

One brightly coloured building amongst a sea of black and white, early browns, or granite, grey would look garish. But once you have a few colourful buildings, the others blend in beautifully, preserving the quaintness of the quirky old, yet creating a lively, clean, modern welcome.

I loved the houses decorated with the dog and birds, creamy yellow and brown.

Another has a white fleece ram, on an all white house, white door, white window frames, white front, very clean and fresh.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Angela Lansbury is a photo-journalist, travel writer, author, speaker.

See next post about the vineyard restaurant and shop on the way out of Coggeshall driving back to London.

New in Next - Costa in Clacton

We drove round and round, past the sea and seafront trees, and fresh air, looking for guaranteed good coffee in Clacton. Then round the back streets and charity shops and residents parking. (Couldn't risk waiting forever and driving back to London before finding a loo, I went to the public toilet. Reading the sign overhead warning that the entrance was on video, I thought they're watching, and retreating in embarrassment finding I had walked into the gents where a gentleman fortunately was not facing me. Having lived overseas, I have learned the half squat, feet on floor, so even a dirty toilet seat or one which looks clean but might be full of invisible germs hoping for a host does not phase me, I tell myself. However, my bag is heavy and there's no hook and I don't want it on the floor. How do storks and dogs manage the lop-sided plant-watering?)

The only coffee shop was closed so I asked the man working next door, 'Excuse me, d'you know a Costa, or Starbucks or ... anywhere good for coffee?"

"Yes, just over there at the end of the road, in Next in the shopping centre."

My first thought is, "Not in a shopping centre, we'll have to pay to park, spend 30 minutes fighting crowds to find the shop, then it'll be in a windowless corner. But I am delighted to find that the Costa is instantly visible adjacent to the car park and the windows of the upstairs Costa are easy to locate. One mark for easy parking, One mark for easy to find. One mark for windows.

Great welcome from the cheerful Latvian lady, young lady, in charge. She said she was previously in the largest of several Costa branches in Colchester and had already recognised customers she knew from her previous Costa. She rushed to carry my tray, keen to keep us happy, nothing was too much trouble.

Great coffee and almond bake cake. Newspapers to read. Brand new one person toilet, unisex with washbasin inside. never mind that the blower turns on if you lean to the left as you walkin Never mind that the tap turns on automatically if you lean to the left as you reach the toilet. It's all sparkling clean. I make sure when I leave it's equally good to find. Back to an espresso with panne - a spiral of cream on top. And my favourite almond cake.

A table for two with armchairs is by the serving area. If you prefer, you could choose upright chairs, or go over by the window. If you don't want to lose calories galloping up and down stairs or have a pushchair or wheelchair there's a lift at the back of the store bringing you out near the serving counter. Bliss.

 Clean and comfortable, coffee and cake. What more could you want?

Only opened Last Thursday. They'll be really pleased to see you, all smiles. Welcome you in and wave goodbye with a 'Do come back!' 

German word of the day - doppelganger

Doppelgänger - double /lookalike - literally doublegoer.

Imagine the conversation in German

Du bist
Nein!
haben sie
ein Doppelgänger

French word of the day - extraordinaire!

I found another word of the day - extraordinaire!

No prizes for guessing this means extraordinary.

French words of the day: clafoutis; gauche;

clafouti - Fruit tart
gauche - left, as in rive gauche - left bank of the river; left-handed, clumsy physically or verbally

For example, I am too gauche to make a fruit tart
or
I am not too gauche to present a fine fruit tart, or clafouti, at a grand occasion.

brasserie - originally a brewery, serving food, now a cheap restaurant, often a grill
force majeur - looks like major force doesn't it! Act of god. Irresistible force. Event you cannot anticipate nor avoid.
renaissance - rebirth - a period of new art
tisane - aromatic/herb-flavoured tea
julienne - strips of carrot or other food chopped the size of half a finger with a square cross-section
chiffonard - wafer thin, like chiffon, finely cut leaf vegetables used as a decoration
jardiniere - from the garden (j a r d i n - sorry to split the word up but spell checker keeps turning it into garden) - garnish of mixed vegetables, or a pot stand
macédoine - from Macedonia, like the people from their, a mixture or medley of fruits and/or vegetables
paysanne - peasant style, farmer's style, country style, simple style, diced vegetables, simple sauce
sangfroid - literally cold blood - sang is blood, froid like freezing is cold, calm, unflappable 

Top Ten London Restaurants - add Sally Clarke's to my and your lists

Clarke's restaurant is near Notting Hill underground 'tube' station, a short pleasant walk along the street of restaurants, antique shops, clothes shops and wine shops. You are greeted at the door where you see a display of signed copies of Sally Clarke's cookery book at about £20. It's now on my list of things to buy.

The main room is large and elegant with a huge spoon and fork hanging on the wall, a fireplace, white tablecloths. Service is friendly and fast. You just look up and catch somebody's eye.

The evening dinner menu is similar to what you can read on their website. You have a choice of the £39 set meal, alas only one choice, and the main course was steak, a pity, because not everybody wants steak and two diners would like to have different dishes in order to fast each other's.

I ordered a la carte, which is very pricey, but delicious. 

There three breads were delightful. Made me want to go back another day and buy from their bakery shop over the road. One bread had sesame seeds on the outside, another poppy seeds, the third contained currants or dates, whatever it was very succulent and tasty. With butter.

Cocktails, as they say, to die for. Containing fresh orange.

My starter was a souffle. Tasted eggy with cheese on top. Wonderful.

Main courses were flavourful with vegetable crisps, although not a huge amount of vegetables.

Desserts, delightful, although I thought the rhubarb would have been more succulent and flavourful if it had been cooked more.

The truffles were like little eggs with a thin crack in the mouth hard dark chocolate contrasting with the soft, suck it centre.

I finished with a ginger infusion (tisane). I looked in the pot which seemed to be stuffed with teabags. Whatever it was, it worked. Aromatic and tasty. A shame not to have had a flask in which to decant it to take the leftovers home.

I went there for an anniversary. At my request, at the last minute on arrival, they put a candle on both our desserts. I would have liked the words Happy Anniversary in chocolate. 

I wish I could afford to eat there regularly.

Can't wait to go back. Signed up on their mailing list and hope for some offers of bargain lunches.

Sally Clarke's
124 Kensington Church Street
London W8 4BH
Tel: 020 7221 9225.

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer, author, speaker.

Free leaflet Poems on the Underground celebrating Irish poetry

Ten poems, three by  W. B.Yeats, one by Seamus Heaney, one by Louis Macneice and more. Look in the racks in London Underground stations.

Travel Photo Books

I have thousands of travel photos on my computer (plus many more albums of prints, boxes of prints, and albums of slides, and boxes of ancestors' travel slides}. Even with some of my travel pictures used in travel articles which are framed and displayed not he walls of my home, my own family don't see the majority of the pictures. I want to enjoy them, and to pick out the best to show others. The answer is a photo book.

The cost of a coloured photo book is not cheap. At £20 for printing a paperback and double that for a hardback book, you can hardly make a living when you have to add in postage and double the price.

Lulu
The advantage of Lulu is that I have set it up already for all my other books. I am familiar with the login process, they have my address.

Apple
The advantage of the apple book is that you can ask for help during a one to one lesson if you are on an apple mac laptop and have already paid for a year's lessons.

Here are the results:

Lulu
I ordered a vertical paperback to display my caricatures, paintings and photos. You have a choice of themes. I wanted lots of warm orange or red as background for the front cover and inside.

But when I started making up the book, I discovered that the background colours seemed allocated to the size of the pictures. A large vertical picture with a caption box underneath came out with a green background. Two horizontal pictures with a text box between them had a yellow background.
If you alternated the pages with text boxed you would get two contrasting background colours. For example, green on the left, yellow background on the right.

If you selected all large pictures it would be a book with an orange cover and all green inside. You would have in a 20 page book, 20 large pictures, all double page spreads.

The cover was very good, colourful and striking, with a large space for a picture.

The title page had no picture, not even a tiny box for a publisher's logo (if you wanted to have a publisher's name and a logo, or for several types of books, two logo, such as one for adults' books, such as a city or country landmark, a drawing or photo of your home, or a postage stamp size picture of the author/photographer, another for children's books, such as a baby, your child for whom you had made a record of their childhood birthdays or holidays, or a children's swing.

Inside you could increase the number of pictures. If you chose on every page, four pictures on an orange background. The set of four took up the whole page and had no caption/ text box. My first attempt was to use the text box on the adjoining page. Then you had to decide how to make a consistent set of captions through the book. Would I caption the pictures 'Left to right top row, left to right lower row'.

When I was a sub-editor on Woman's Realm on IPC magazines, we were instructed to use the words upper and lower, not top and bottom which sounded rude and distracted the reader.

An alternative wording would be: Clockwise from upper left. This take up space of four words.

The other difficulty with a caption on a different page occurs when you move the pages. The Lulu option enables you to change the order of the pages. This is handy if you want to group two pictures of the same location or person. Or you could re-arrange your photos or paintings in date order. Fore example, our first trip / honeymoon to Paris, our anniversary in Paris, or Paris in the 1900s, our / our parents' trip(s) to Paris in the Fifties, our / their / your trip(s) to Paris in the Sixties.

The advantage of Lulu is that you have the choice of marketing your books to the public, or making them available for family and fiends to download through the system.

However, it seems odd to have nothing on the back cover, no photo or text box. A wasted space.

Apple
Apple is more designed for you to run off one or two copies for your own use and distribution.

However, as a display book of the sort of paintings, photos, caricatures, you can offer as a service for charity or as paying business, the Apple book enabled me to add text and photos on the the back cover. I inserted the text Caricatures by Angela from £5 to £500.

When I showed the family my Lulu book, they were delighted and impressed. When they saw the Apple book, they were even more impressed by the professional quality

Dwarf Entertainment Village in China - another attraction for my wish list

A great idea. A place of security where the little people are given security and employment, a chance to meet and marry others like themselves.

I found this on the BBC News.

I've got a little list: owl cafe, Japan

Here's another for my must see list: Owl cafe in Japan.

I just read about the pop-up own cafe in London. It had to change venue because despite the literally hundreds of people wanting to visit, equally large numbers objected to it on the grounds it was cruel to owls.

I was interested to read that it's illegal to release tame bred in captivity owls into the wild, presumably because they cannot fend for themselves.

One person said that owls don't like to be touched nor stoked. Another claimed that owl love to be petted.

I once encountered an immobile owl on the desk of a safari park. I assumed it was a model and said, that's cute, patting it on the head. It opened it's eyes. I got a shock! It didn't seem particularly upset. But I was.

Sandcastle art competitions, exhibitions and museum

The Sandcastle Art museum in Japan is on my wishlist, from yesterday. I had lost track of but found it on TripAdvisor. Yes, today I found it, Tottori Sand Museum, on TripAdvisor. Tottori is a seaside town known for high sand dunes, on the west coast of Japan. The museum has changing exhibitions.

See also
Pinterest
Japan-guide.com Look under museums.
wikipedia sand art and play
https://www.dmoz.org//Arts/Visual_Arts/Sculpture/Sculptors/Sand_and_Ice/

Travel Wishlists and Wedding Gifts: Sandcastle Art Museum

The Sandcastle Art museum in Japan is on my wishlist, from yesterday. I've already lost track of where I saw it. Was it on TripAdvisor, or Metro, or The Evening Standard, or the BBC travel website, or the Daily Mail online? Today I found it, Tottori Sand Museum, on TripAdvisor. Tottori is a seaside town known for high sand dunes, on the west coast of Japan. The museum has changing exhibitions.

From Wikipedia. See Wikipedia for more details on this photo and for other pictures.

(For more details see next post.)

Recording A Travel Wish List
My travel organiser vow is to note my wish list immediately on a page in my diary. No room in the diary? I create lists on the blank endpapers of books. In my new diaries I start my making on index of black pages which don't yet have headings.  If I've started a diary late in the year, I re-title earlier pages.

When I go on holiday, I have a wishlist of sights to see at my destination in order or priority.  I check opening hours and closing days. So much easier to research on the computer or laptop at home than trying to do it when looking for an internet connection overseas in a hotel which charges, or an isolated location, or a cafe where you need a code whilst the waiter is busy taking orders from customers.

You may be able to make yourself a wishlist on a wishlists, you can add it to your own profile. Or find a book on it and add it to your reading wishlist, or for your birthday presents wishlist, even guides to read on your honeymoon on your engagement party or wedding list. If nobody buys them for you, you have a note for yourself, and can use cash you are given to buy the books or entry fees.
If you are art lovers and already have everything, perhaps a museum, art gallery or zoo annual membership, or even a life membership of an organisation such as a golf club or a society supporting a National Trust or bird watching with entry to the local centre, safari park, national gardens, restaurant club, wine society or a zoo.

If the books are too inexpensive for a single present, they can be used to top up the expenditure on another gift. For example, in some countries you display gifts on a table with the donor's name, so you might have a book with a display card saying, Aunty May bought us a washing machine and this lovely book on ...  

Display of Ship Mauretania in Doubletree Hilton by Imperial Wharf Station

Doubletree Hilton hotel is within steps of Imperial Wharf station. Now is a good time to visit because in the lobby window is displayed a large model of the ship Mauretania. The Titanic, Lusitania and Maretania are three famous grand ships from a bygone era.

The model was built for the shipbuilders Swan Hunter. The story of the Maretania is on a board. From Charles Miller Ltd.

As the board explains, the model is from Charles Miller Ltd, auctioneers. If you want to see this model displayed at the DoubleTree Hilton, hurry along. And if you want to bid on a model of a ship or any other fine art. check out Charles Miller Ltd.

Hotel Bedroom Prices
I asked the price of a night at the DoubleTree Hilton. They did not have a printed tariff to give me because the prices vary. I asked, what's the cheapest room tonight? I was told £99.

You want to check whether a hotel in London, or anywhere, includes breakfast. You might want to negotiate for a rate which includes breakfast, or pick the breakfast included rate if it makes your accounting easier if you are on expenses. If not, Tesco, opposite the Double Tree Hilton at Imperial Wharf, sells a good selection of sandwiches, fruits and snacks.

More about the Mauretania from
http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/mauretania/
Angela Lansbury, author, travel writer, photojournalist, speaker.

Tips On Buying A Big Dictionary

Tips on Buying A Dictionary
If you visit France, look in a French bookshop for a big French-English dictionary, better still one which translates both ways. However, if you can afford it, buy the two volume version if that gives you more words in total.

I was in a shopping mall in Brent Cross, London, for an Apple lesson, and found two or three in the large branch of W H Smith. Other good places to look would be the large bookshops such as Foyles, Waterstones, Gaunt in Marylebone, Borders, and Times bookshop and Kinokunia the Japanese bookshop in Singapore. Plus, of course, Amazon and Ebay which sell new and secondhand books.

Bulk and Weight
Assuming you have the strength to lift the one volume version, and the space to store it on the bookshelf or desk.

If you are in England, go into a big bookshop and look for the biggest dictionary you can see. You should find two or three at varying prices. Pick a word or phrase and check how it is translated in each of the dictionaries.

Print Size
You may wish to pick a dictionary with smaller print and more words. Or a dictionary with bigger print and fewer words. Or buy the dictionary with smaller print and buy a full page magnifier and keep it stored beside the dictionary.

Alphabet
A large dictionary sometimes has the letters of the alphabet down the sides. This is very useful.

Extra Information: Introductions
Also look at the introduction and endings. Some dictionaries list verbs, new words, proper names, Geographical names, foreign words, all kinds of useful information.

Book Cover Protection
You might wish to cover the dictionary to prolong its life and keep it looking pristine for your own pleasure and in case you wish to sell it or give it to somebody else later.

Angela Lansbury BA Hons
Author, photojournalist, caricaturist, translator, speaker

Trouble Translating a Nail File? Hear my story

My first attempts at translation were giving a vote of thanks to our French hosts when I was on a press trip to the Loire valley. I started thanking our hosts in English, saw the smiles from my fellow journalists, but blank looks on my French hosts' faces, and started translating. It was easier to translate almost word for word, kept everybody interested as well.

Translating At Conferences
Later, at a car company tour, we ended up at a conference centre. One of the fellow journalists asked for a translator from French and none was available at short notice. So I sat between two English journalists and gave them both a whispered translation.

Simultaneous technical translation when I was at a French motoring convention had seemed surprisingly easy. The longest most technical words were the same in both languages. If I missed something out, nobody knew or cared. My translation served two functions. It enabled the English journalists to pretend they had heard every word and enabled them to thank the hosts and discuss the gist of the advantages of the latest models of cars. It also stopped them being bored in a conference of long 15 minute, 20 minute, and half hour speeches.

I thought translating with the aid of a dictionary would be easier. I was wrong.

Translating Websites and Packaging
When I was translating French and English websites and packaging, I bought the biggest dictionary I could find in French, Spanish and German. I had thought I could speak fluent French.

Searching
My biggest challenge was the word nail file. I did not want to admit to the company which assumed I was an expert that I was having trouble translating it. So I tried going onto websites selling cosmetics. When I looked it up in translation online, in my big dictionaries, I found nails which you hammer, and files for carrying paper. I then spent time in the cosmetics departments, and photographed products, so long that their store detectives asked me to leave.

Eventually I found the answer. I was very pleased with my diligence and success. However, a week afterwards, after all that time, effort, and money, I discovered that the samples of packaging from the company employing me had already used the correct word in other products' instruction leaflets.

Angela Lansbury is a speaker, website editor, author, photojournalist, caricaturist

French words of the day: exposé; faux pas

French

Faux pas - literally false step. Metaphor for mistake.
An exposé - what can I say? French for a secret, such as a film star's or politician's exciting love life, or immoral activities, exposed, revealed. The biography of a popular person, no holds barred.

English
No holds barred - now there's an English-ism, presumably a metaphor from boxing?)
When I have time I can check it. Where to look?

Glossary (list of words explained)
simile - similar to, for example 'in her large skirt, she looked similar to / like a ship in full sail'
metaphor - (compare one thing with another, then drop the word like and say x was y, for example 'she was a ship in full sail'

Use:
Books on idioms and phrases.
Online dictionary

French words of the day: al dente, dalliance, nuance

al dente - to the teeth i.e. almost raw, lightly cooked or crunchy
dalliance - hm ... more than a friendship, loitering with intent - as the old English song said, "don't dilly dally on the way!"
nuance - variation, subtlety

The vegetables were cooked al dente, in a hurry, because the chef was planning a dalliance, if you get my nuance.

Angela Lansbury BA Hons
Speaker, teacher, tutor, author

Cheap eating out in England: budget breakfast, sandwich for £1

Where can you get a quick bite to eat? Breakfast bargains include the Wetherspoons pub breakfast, but, be warned, be aware, coffee is extra. But it's a large cup. So both coffee and cooked breakfast will cost you four pounds, with two pennies change. If you've got coffee at home or in a hotel nearby, then it's only three pounds with a penny change. Served until noon. Then what?

What about lunch, elevenses or an early tea, not sugared cake but something which sounds more sensible, a sandwich? If you are in a London suburb such as Harrow, you can look for a pound shop which has a chicken sandwich for £1.

I was walking around Watford's mall, Intu, and had quite despaired of finding a £1 sandwich, when I spied one on the shelves at Boots Chemist. They have cheese and mayo in brown bread. No veg, but hey, it's only £1. 

 You have to keep looking for the £1 offer section. I went past the whole sandwich section and missed it. Then I checked again and found it. The sandwich selection also includes tuna.
If you are after fruits and vegetables they have that too, but it'll cost another two or three pounds.

Want a drink in a garden? The weather forecast for London is a warm week ahead, maybe a cool drink and a little vitamin D from the sunshine in the garden at the back far from the traffic. Or at least a pavement area with some hanging baskets and pots of flowers at the front? The classic Pimms from £2.35 a glass.

What about dinner? Hungry before you get home? Between 6 pm and 8 pm Tescos, including the Tesco Express stores you see everywhere, open until 11 pm, have marked down sandwiches and other items such as yogurts.  

If you expect to use these places a lot, you can get a Boots advantage card, with extra deals for over 60s and Parenting club for members who are pregnant or have a child under three years.

Or a Tesco card.