French and German words of the day

French
les liaisons dangereuses (film title) - the dangerous relationships
liaison - relationship, affair, connection, meeting, tryst, rendez-vous
rendez-vous - meeting place/meeting/event literally render yourself

German
ersatz - false, synthetic

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, English teacher

Westminster: the Abbey, London Eye and More

London underground stations which are great destination hearts include:
Baker Street: Madame Tussauds; Planetarium; Sherlock Holmes Museum; Sherlock Holmes Statue.
Trafalgar Square: Trafalgar Square; National Gallery; National Portrait Gallery; Nelson's Column.
Westminster: Westminster Abbey; Houses of Parliament and Big Ben; Statues of Churchill and others.

Baker Street is one of my favourite stations because of the wonderful tiles and murals which show the history of the area, Sherlock Holmes. Colourful, historic, artistic, lots to look at.

Westminster station is the opposite, grey, dim and futuristic with enormous escalators and wire netting, which I understand i to prevent birds nesting. It's depressing. A bit like Dhoby Ghaut in Singapore, although Dhoby Ghaut has some lighter, jollier parts. At Westminster you feel like a cog in the wheel of the universe. Westminster station has several exits, clearly marked. However, the moment you are outside at ground level the contrast is truly amazing. Wonderful historic buildings. The grey of ages brightened by cleaning into white. Not as white as the Taj Mahal. But by London standards, a lovely clean.

The exit we chose led us straight upstairs to a view of the Houses of Parliament. The street was an instant entertainment, chic full of colourful red buses, open top tour buses, taxis of all colours. I even saw a set of toilets riding by on a truck.

Westminster Abbey

Within sight is the London Eye, a wheel you can ride but you must book timed tickets because it is so popular.

Westminster Abbey had long queues but the outside alone is an entertainment and a marvel and a thousand photo opportunities. In the evening in winter the lights inside enable you to see the stained glass windows from the outside. I'm sure the shop is full of amusements and souvenirs.

The statue of Churchill is impressive. What a huge bulldog of a man he appears to be. 

An orientation board near the Westminster Abbey shop shows you the landmarks to you can identify them.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright Angela Lansbury.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Identify music when travelling

If you are in a car and listen to the BBC you should be able to adjust your satnav screen to show the programme you are listening to and the music now playing.

On your mobile phone you should be able to play back a note or two or a couple of chords from an orchestral piece or even hum or chant the opening refrain.
How to find music: Soundhound. It is an ap.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Going to a concert or opera? Some musical terms

Going to a concert or opera? Reading the reviews in advance? Here are some words you might wish to translate for your own benefit or for your adult or child companions.

bass - low, could be an instrument such as the double bass, bass tubor, in jazz means the double bass string instrument
baton - stick for conducting
brio - liveliness, con brio means playing in a lively style. Gusto is a similar word.
caveat - warning
cogent
conundrum - puzzle
duplicitous - cheating
farcical - ridiculous, nonsensical randy or on heat
finale - final or end set-piece
ingenious - clever, intricate
libretto - from the word book, the book of the music
liturgy - scriptures
lubricious - randy or on heat
lyric - words to the song, verse
masquerade - masked, pretending
mezzo soprano - mezzo is middle as in mezzanine
oratorio - style of music, usually a liturgical setting (holy or church)
poignant - from the French, makes you want to cry, touching, pointed
potent - powerful
proliferate - found everywhere, scattered, numerous
soprano
tenor
trio - three singers or players
trope - received wisdom, like a cliché, a piece of folk wisdom, like an old wive's tale, but not necessarily wrong
viola - twice the size of the violin
virtuoso - expert, highly skilled performer, near genius
visceral to do with the guts
woodwind, clarinet, oboe, bassoon flute,
brass: trumpet,trombone, French horn, tuba
strings, stringed instruments (in increasing size): violin, viola, cello (short for violoncello) double bass (bass is just an abbreviation)
percussion four instrument, drums,
bells: xylophone, Glockenspiel, tubular bells, gamelan of Asia is part of the same family - and piano
groups of four instruments in an orchestra: piccolo is a soprano flute

German
lieder - song(s)

Other instruments and words in reviews
harp
contra bass
cor Anglaise (meaning English, French word for English, in recprocation for us speaking of a French horn)
Hogmanay - Scottish winter festival
Kabbalah - Jewish, to do with mystical scriptures, made popular in modern times by singer Madonna

ghoul - ghost
misanthropic - hating mankind

(Post being researched and written and expanded - come back tomorrow)
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author and speaker

German and French words of the day: leitmotif; idée fixe

Please forgive my fixation with French of German words. Read England's Sunday Times and you will come across many words you half know.

Leitmotif - this is what Wikipedia has to say:
A leitmotif or leitmotiv /ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf/ is a "short, constantly recurring musical phrase"^[1] associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of idée fixe or motto-theme.^[2] The spelling leitmotif is an anglicization of the German Leitmotiv, literally meaning "leading motif", or perhaps more accurately, "guiding motif". A musical motif has been defined as a "short musical idea ... melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic, or all three",^[3] a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes ...
So now we have two words in French

idée fixe - idea fixed or fixed idea, fixation, obsessive repetition of an idea or symbol

French words
couturier - clothes designer (high class)
decor - as in decoration - what is deigned and added to the walls by the interior designer, the furnishings the style
grandeur - the quality of being grand
nuance - subtle suggestion, hint of another meaning
over - work, as in hors d'oevre - in English nowadays we would call it the starter, literally outside of (the) work; another word using o e v r e is manoeuvre  a movement or manipulation, hand work (la main the hand)
panache - style, clout, swagger, ultimately from the Latin word pinna meaning feather, as in pinnacle 

Latin
fratricide - killing a brother - from frater, brother, as in fraternity, or brotherhood
homicide - killing a man
insecticide - product which kills insects
matricide - killing a mother, from mater for mother, as in maternity
patricide - killing a father, from pater, as in paternity
pesticide - product which kills pests on plants
regicide - killing a king - from rex and regis king, as in Elizabeth Rex, queen Elizabeth,
suicide - killing oneself 

Some more long words
banality - ordinariness
litany - list

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Carrying Gift Wrapping Paper, Card, and Making Christmas Trees - Let's Craft with ModernMom - 12 Days of...

A video of making wrapping paper into conical tree table decorations is a great idea if you travel to a flat, second home or all suite hotel and want a table decoration for Christmas or New Year or a birthday. it reminds me of how I often travel with wrapping paper for gifts, because a wrapped gift has to be opened for customs and excise or security.

I travel with a roll of wrapping paper, a teeny set of paints or couple of felt tip coloured pens in different colours, and a roll of sticky tape. I have leftover wrapping paper to re-cover box files or to do craft work.

Transporting Paper Without Creases
A roll of wrapping paper can be transported flat in the base or lid pocket of a suitcase. Alternatively, use the outside pocket of a carry on bag.

Roll paper you need to keep flat (such as a certificate or birthday card or poster) either inside or outside a cardboard tube. Where do you find a tube? Use a tube from kitchen roll paper. Or make a long tube of two or three toilet paper or kitchen roll inner tubed taped together to make a longer one.

Alternatively, keep a tube from a poster which has been posted to you, or any kitchen roll. Roll up, the paper to be protected inside the stiff cardboard.

A kitchen original tube can later be cut to make a cone.

The more remote your destination, the more impressed others will be by such items as wrapping paper. For example, on a trek up Everest, one of the members had a birthday. The Sherpas (one of many mountain tribes of Nepal) cooked a cake. Friends among the trekkers had brought the cake frill and cards. On Mera Peak, in the Himalayas in Nepal in the year 2000.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

John Lewis Sales and Delightful Lights and Decorations

John Lewis in Intu Watford has a clearance sales and the seasonal decorations in the centre of the
atrium are a delight.

The hangings go from the top to the basement by the lifts and escalators. You can admire them from any level.

Large interlocked silver mirror discs and strings of tiny lights give a sparkly effect. The slender green triangular trees are a subtle reference to winter conifers, more like poplars than Christmas trees, (consulting my tree reference book I-spy trees). Red trees add warmth.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker,

French word of the day: debris

debris - scattered rubbish, from the French, originally meaning broken down


Angela Lansbury, author and English language teacher.

Boxing Day in the UK: sales and sports cars - or fly away

Boxing Day was originally the day when the servants who had worked on Xmas day took home a box of goodies or leftovers and took a collecting box to get tips. Many families do a kind of second Christmas day when those invited invite back the hosts of Christmas Day dinner. For example, grandma does Christmas Day lunch, then her eldest daughter hosts the Boxing Day lunch.

Since a few years ago shops have started opening on Boxing Day with sales, to compete with the Internet which offers online bargains on Christmas Day when people are at home. Why do sales start after Christmas? Because traditionally you have spent lots of money on food and gifts, and are already stocked up on seasonal warm clothes (northern hemisphere) and would not normally go shopping except to take back unwanted items and get the money back.

But what if you still have shopping fatigue? What else can you do?

Looking on Facebook I saw my friend and erstwhile neighbour Charlie had been to a motor show. I had not idea that motor shows took place on Boxing Day.

That's an idea to remember for next year.

As a teenager I discovered that the secret of finding somewhere to go when you've nowhere to go is to stage your own event.

One year we found the only available flights were on Christmas day and New Year's Day. On another occasion we were bumped off flights to the Caribbean.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Buying jewellery, websites and walking

Gold of 18 carat, or 8 carat, rolled gold or gold plated, gold on silver, white gold, jade, pearl, freshwater pearl, diamond or cubic zirconia, real amethyst or synthetic, leather or imitation leather, opal or a p a l i t e? You might want to spend less and be quite happy. You might prefer not to have real fur or real leather. But do you know what you are being offered? Faux is French for false or fake.

I looked at some pretty jewellery on eBay. Then I reflected on the term o p  a l i t e . What is it? Obviously not opal. Is it a slice of opal rather than a whole stone? No, it appears to be synthetic. If you just want something pretty to wear whilst travelling (leaving your more expensive jewellery elsewhere) then it might suit you. But at least be aware what you are buying. In a shop you can decide if the colours are vibrant, or garish, drained out, or subtle. On line you have to be more careful. Here from the website below is a detailed guide.

In a shop, especially when travelling, you may have to make a quick decision. At least you can investigate in advance if you like buying opals from Australia, or amethyst from Asia.

If you are able to tell the difference and discuss it with the jewellery seller, you may get a straightforward answer. The seller may be quite happy to admit that you are looking at a 'fake' or synthetic gem if there's a chance of getting you to spend more on a real gemstone. The jewellery might happily say, "This is very cheap because it is just o p a l i t e. Very good value if you just want costume jewellery. But if you are prepared to pay more, I have this one for you which is real opal as you can see ..."

My view is that websites such as eBay should require the seller to publish a link, or they should make a pop-up to a link.

http://www.jewelledweb.com/2014/12/13/dont-get-fooled-opalite/

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

How they put up lights last year in Hatch End - man on l i f t i n g device

I just had to insert spaces in the word l i f t i n g because auto correct turned it into living!

I was trying to remember how they put up the lights on the Christmas tree in Hatch End last year (2014). You do not need a stunt man or woman doing a Batman impression, leaping up a lamp-post with the agility of performers at Cirque du Soleil. You need one man on a platform and another raising the platform.

Here's the whole contraption. I don't see a name on the van so I have no way of knowing whether they are employed by the Harrow Council or by another organisation.

Photographs by Angela Lansbury 2014, copyright Angela Lansbury.

Angela Lansbury travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Free Outdoor Gyms: Harrow and Singapore

Worldwide local authorities are installing exercise areas for adults as well as the traditional park equipment for children. Let's go for a walk in a nearby park in London and see what there is to see.

These people are having a great time at the weekend in Shaftesbury Recreation Ground near Hatch End station in North West London.

 This piece of equipment is free. What are you supposed to do on it? They were able to tell me. I must admit they were wearing better clothes for outdoor gym than I was. A long coat or a dangling belt or scarf or skirt will get in your way.

Here's a handy guide. You are supposed to do a circuit and use each piece of equipment in order.

We can walk out of the other side of the park. 

Parks have changed a lot. Every time I visit a park I see new equipment installed.

Now let's look at what's going on in another country miles away. Returning to London from Singapore, I miss the warmth and outdoor swimming in Singapore, but winter in England has been so mild this year that visitors can enjoy London's abundance of parks where you can walk and us equipment.

Singapore

Over in Singapore it's hot every day of the year. A typical large private apartment complex in Singapore has a central swimming pool. Let's hope the haze has abated because on days when it is really bad children and the elderly are supposed to stay indoors and going outside to play sport would do more harm than good.

The shower. 

Rules include no cycling, skateboarding, roller skating or ball playing in the pool area. Nearby for residents there is an indoor gym.

The haze from the same window as before is now much worse.

On a good day, race out to the outdoor gym.

I wouldn't listen to music whilst running because you might miss your footing or not watch your surroundings and run in the road or over a cliff (which happened to somebody in California). But I've see people doing aerobics at home of out on equipment to music.

You also find a lot of aerobics classes in swimming pools at country clubs and leisure centres. Some are free, already paid for by your membership.

Many parks in Singapore and China have free morning limbering up sessions, very slow, tai chi, for the elderly or workers or everybody.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Travel Photograph Winners: patterns and contrasts

If you have a landscape photo, try to find a person or animal to add foreground interest, or a group to form a pattern int he background.

1 Simple frames
A simple frame for a photo subject is an arch from architecture or an arch from a tree or plant. Some examples are:
a person standing in a doorway in front of an open door;
an animal beneath a low tree branch or bush,
a plant pot centred on a windowsill with the arch above it;
a diamond or other pattern on a trellis framing a site;
an arch for a bride constructed from palm branches, swords, guns;
a baby under an arch created from the arms of toddler siblings or parents.

Information Photos
An artistic photo is not the same as an informative photo. I usually look for both. I need the opening times of the bank, the name of the hotel, also the decorative lamp-post. The free offer may be of interest to me or the readers.

I often take a photo of a menu, or a member of staff. Here I have combined the two.

People Pictures
When I first started doing photography I avoided taking people. They would move and create blur and shut their eyes. They would insist on being photographed with four others, creating an uncontrollable jumble.

They would phone back and tell me they did not want their photo published. Clothes would date the picture. However, the dated photo can be used in a contrasting pair, then and now. Or a nostalgic piece: our city in the Fifties; the old pub, now demolished.

However, if you take photos with and without people you have a choice.

People Patterns
Basic common sense tells you to get the smaller people at the front so the taller ones don't block the view of those in second and third rows. However, if you have time, you can arrange groups in additional patterns, such as tallest in the centre, taping off. VIPs would normally stand or sit in the middle. If you look at turn of the century wedding photos, where everybody has to sit still, the photographer carefully arranges the bride and groom in the front row, often on chairs, with others standing around, and children cross legged on the floor at the front.

Clothing colours can form another pattern. People tend to stand beside or behind animals. If you have low light, you can get effective silhouettes of people or statues against sunsets and twilight skies.

The modern trend for competitions is to like an animal or person in the foreground, the more unusual the animal or the human and their costume, the better.

If you see a reflection in a mirror or pond or any kind of glass or water, look for something very local or very unusual, or a pattern, to make an unusual picture. One of my favourites is the row of trees which reflected in water creates the image, the outline of a guitar lying sideways.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-35135516?post_id=10155595000985597_10156363976110597#_=_

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Travelling to Sales and New Year's Eve, and making business calls

Decide whether to travel by train or car. Seeing a six hour delay getting out of the car park at Bluewater, a major shopping mall in the UK, you might prefer to travel by bus or train.

Public Transport New Year's Eve
One New Year's Eve we had a New Year's Eve meal near Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square. Just after midnight we decided it was time to go home. We could not get near the entrance to the station. The entire street was blocked by a cordoned crush. Despite the efforts of police, if you got in the queue, you were likely to be trapped and squashed for ages. We gave up and went back to the venue, spent on more drinks. Lucky they were open another hour or two. We ended up coming home leaving at 1 pm and reaching home at 2 pm.

1 Budget
Free travel on Christmas Eve in London. Check times.

2 Being Sociable
Travel by car if you want to keep the family together and talk.

3 Elderly
You need a car with four doors, not two, if you want granny or grandad to get in and out easily.

4 Bulky purchases, bags and delivery
You need strong arms or fold up bags, tote bags, a bag on wheels, if you are likely to buy a lot of heavy items. Some places deliver, but may charge.

5 Free Travel for Seniors
Residents of UK get free travel for seniors in some areas of London. Reductions are available on nation wide rail services on purchase of a card, which is good if you are doing several journeys.

Backup accommodation
Check in advance for backup accommodation. Supposing there is a bomb scare and transport stops running? Do you have a colleague or family member with a room in the city centre or the suburbs. Even if you had to walk a mile or two, could you find their address? Do you have their address and phone number in your phone. It might be a good idea to send them a Christmas or New Year or birthday greeting and enquire whether you can crash out in an emergency or if they know a cheap nearby hotel.

If you are arranging a huge conference, you might book a couple of rooms for people to change clothes or shower and sleep and stay over in any emergency or transport problem. Have the numbers of the nearby hotels in your smart phone so that at the first sign of a problem you can make an instant booking.

Conferences and Expenses
Add a trip onto a business conference and your transport is paid for on expenses. You only have to find the money for the extra days of accommodation, travel or trails at destination and meals.

Weddings and Events
For a wedding you can hire a minibus to take the family to the venue. Prepare a backup plan for anybody who is late or delayed (such as an emailed or printed directions for routes and car parks). Also note your drivers and number of car seats available, just in case the car hire company has a sick driver or gets the date or venue wrong.

Conferences
World Travel Market in London at Excel had to organise backup plans for hundreds to travel over four days and evening events when it was announced that there would be a strike of bus and train staff.

Conference Calls
Your backup plan if you cannot travel might be Skype. You might want to clear clutter so that you have a good backdrop for a video or photo or conference call. If doing a business call to Muslim country, or anywhere, you might want to remove your champagne bottles and glasses. Or wedding and baby photos.

Then, even if working from home, generally look more professional. Have a tidy desk. Pick papers off the floor. Arrange a backdrop of certificates, qualifications, awards, frames hanging level. Add all your technical books. Get out of your tee-shirt or dressing gown and look your best.

More Information From
Mall Opening Times
http://intu.co.uk/watford/centre-information/opening-times?utm_source=intu%20Watford%20Centre&utm_medium=Centre-Newsletter&utm_campaign=merry_christmas
Travel New Year's Eve
https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/news-articles/getting-around-on-new-year-s-eve

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Travel Pack List: extra bags, passports, certificates, gifts

Buying Gifts When Staying
Stay with friends and family but budget to pay for a meal out and/or expensive gift. If they are in a new home you might offer something you notice they need. We stayed with a divorced friend who had nothing except bedding a couple of mugs. On various visits we bought a set of crockery, a set of cutlery (we researched the designs which included traditional and modern and he opted for modern), a new kettle, and a set of coffee cups.

Gifts When Staying In A Home
A visitor to my house bought me a pair of bone china tea cups and saucers. At the time I thought she must have spent a lot of money on very little. For two years they sat at the back of a cupboard, taking up space, useless. Then we decided to start drinking lemon tea. Our cups were in use regularly and a lovely, daily reminder of my friend and her thoughtfulness.

Spare Bags
You can buy a set of stacking suitcases. Some cheap sets have wheels on only the largest. Nonetheless. just to take up the excess baggage and souvenirs and gifts, a roll bag is handy to carry your extra stuff home.

If you always travel home or away for christmas, or home or away for a birthday, you can buy in the sales for the next event.

Lightweight Gifts
Now is the time to consider your next year's trip for Xmas or a birthday and stock up on items which are light to pack. For example, paper banners saying Merry Christmas or Happy Birthday, birthday cards, lightweight gifts such as tee-shirts, tea towels, towels.

Lost Items: Passports and Driving Licenses
If you have more than one suitcase, place a label on the suitcase which contains the goods for your holiday. One year I left my passport inside the suitcase so I could not go without it next year. Then I had a new suitcase and forgot and had no passport.

I have just mislaid my driving license.

Keep a photograph and photocopy of essential document and a log of vital documents are, in which bag or suitcase or drawer. Take a picture so you can send it to somebody else.

Certificates For Job Applications
One year I was overseas applying for a job. I needed my graduation qualification certificate from the UK to teach in Singapore. I was on the phone (expensive) and email to a family member trying to help them find my certificate so they could post it to me.

Photos of Documents+Locations
I decided it had to be in a photo frame somewhere in the house. Eventually it was found behind another picture. If I had taken a photo of the size and shape of the document (vertical or horizontal) and the colour and shape of the frame, and the position and room where it was hanging, my relative could have found it much quicker.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Sales and Skates: Shops Open and Sales Starting Boxing Day (Saturday 26) or Sunday 27th 2015

Check online to see which stores are opening, and who has a sale on. Fenwick is opening.

Even the little shops such as Tesco Express have signs in their windows that they are opening Boxing Day (January 26th). Some of the shops which are opening won't start sales until Sunday 27th.

John Lewis in Watford's Intu said they would start their clearance sales on Sunday 27th.

Or maybe look for an ice show for the children or adults.
Nutcracker on Ice at the Royal Albert Hall, 28 December (Monday) until Jan 2nd. Tel:020 7838 3100. Half price tickets for children under 16, on some ticket prices.
royalalberthall.com

Later in January there's a novelty ice dance performance, Vertical by Le Patin Libre. From Tuesday 12th Jan to Sat 16 2016.
Tel:0844 453 9017.

If you still haven't got your Xmas present sorted, of you've got money as a gift and owner who you can spend it on, for Torvill and Dean fans there's a tribute lunch .
www.variety.org.uk

See my previous post about ice skating in London and worldwide.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Xmas Tree quiz with answers

Here's a Christmas Tree quiz for Christmas Day for adults or children or both. It's entertaining, informative, educational and fun.




I Where is this artificial palm tree?

1 Lakeside shopping centre, Essex, England
2 Brent Cross Shopping Centre, Hendon, England
3 Intu shopping mall, Watford, England
4 Edmonton Shopping Mall, Alberta, Canada
5 Outside the White House, USA
6 Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
7 Outside 10 Downing Street, London
8 St George's, Harrow, England
(Hint. Answer in my previous posts.)
.............................

II The Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square London, England, is given in thanks since the end of WWII by
1 Germany
2 The USA
3 Finland
4 Norway
5 Denmark
6 Canada
7 Sweden
8 Scotland
.......................................

III The Christmas tree is Trafalgar Square is a
1 Norway Spruce from Norway
2 Scottish Pine from Scotland
3 Monkey Puzzle from China
4 Dutch Elm from Holland
5 Douglas Fir from Canada
6 Pine Tree from Germany
7 Banyan tree from Florida
8 Sequoia from the USA
.........................................

IV This tree is raising cash for:
1 Cancer Research
2 RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)
3 Ali's Dream (research into preventing brain tumours)
4 RSPCA Royal Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
5 The Salvation Army
6 Save the Whale
7 RNLA Royal National Lifeboat Association
8 YMCA
...................
(Hint. See one of my recent previous posts.)

V The Spring cherry blossom trees in Washington DC were given as a peace offering after WWII by
1 Germany
2 Japan
3 China
4 Italy
5 Taiwan
6 Russia
7 Canada
8 Italy
.........................
Hint. If you can't guess, you'll find the answer on the internet.

VI The star on top of the Christmas tree is usually
1 The four point star representing the Southern Cross of New Zealand and Australia
2 An eight point star sacred to Hindus
3 The five point star symbolising the star over Bethlehem where Jesus was born
4 The five point star revered by Moslems, reprinting the five pillars of Islam
5 The six point Star of David revered by Jews
6 The six point Star of Solomon revered by Moslems
7 The symbol of Peter Pan
8 The Moscow Kremlin symbol
..............................

Easy one for the little ones / anybody who speaks English as a foreign language. If you can't answer question one, do the others and come back to question one.

VII What do we get/eat/make from these trees:
1 Norway spruce
2 Coconut palm
3 Rubber palm tree
4 Oil palm tree
5 Horse Chestnut tree (hint, not chestnuts)
6 Plum tree
7 Apple tree
8 Pear tree
9 Cherry tree
10 Oak tree
...................................

I suggest you print off copies.Write your name on your question paper.  Swap papers to mark them. Mark them and debate them yourselves. Dad or Mum had the casting vote.

****
Answers:
1 Intu
II Norway.
III Norway Spruce from Norway.
IV Ali's Dream.
V Japan.
VI The star over Bethlehem.
VII Xmas trees! Coconuts. Rubber/latex. Oil (for coking and many other uses.) Conkers for a children's game. Plums. Apples. Pears. Cherries. Acorns, oak wood for floors and furniture and boats. Acorn flour.

More information from:
http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2012/11/how-to-make-acorn-flour-pre-thanksving.html

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Christmas Trees and Stars Quiz

Here's a Christmas Tree quiz for Christmas Day for adults or children or both. It's entertaining, informative, educational and fun.




Where is this artificial palm tree?

1 Lakeside shopping centre, Essex, England
2 Brent Cross Shopping Centre, Hendon, England
3 Intu shopping mall, Watford, England
4 Edmonton Shopping Mall, Alberta, Canada
5 Outside the White House, USA
6 Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
7 Outside 10 Downing Street, London
8 St George's, Harrow, England
(Hint. Answer in my previous posts.)
.............................

The Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square London, England, is given in thanks since the end of WWII by
1 Germany
2 The USA
3 Finland
4 Norway
5 Denmark
6 Canada
7 Sweden
8 Scotland
.......................................

The Christmas tree is Trafalgar Square is a
1 Norway Spruce from Norway
2 Scottish Pine from Scotland
3 Monkey Puzzle from China
4 Dutch Elm from Holland
5 Douglas Fir from Canada
6 Pine Tree from Germany
7 Banyan tree from Florida
8 Sequoia from the USA
.........................................

This tree is raising cash for:
1 Cancer Research
2 RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)
3 Ali's Dream (research into preventing brain tumours)
4 RSPCA Royal Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
5 The Salvation Army
6 Save the Whale
7 RNLA Royal National Lifeboat Association
8 YMCA
...................
(Hint. See one of my recent previous posts.)

The Spring cherry blossom trees in Washington DC were given as a peace offering after WWII by
1 Germany
2 Japan
3 China
4 Italy
5 Taiwan
6 Russia
7 Canada
8 Italy
.........................
Hint. If you can't guess, you'll find the answer on the internet.

The star on top of the Christmas tree is usually
1 The four point star representing the Southern Cross of New Zealand and Australia
2 An eight point star sacred to Hindus
3 The five point star symbolising the star over Bethlehem where Jesus was born
4 The five point star revered by Moslems, reprinting the five pillars of Islam
5 The six point Star of David revered by Jews
6 The six point Star of Solomon revered by Moslems
7 The symbol of Peter Pan
8 The Moscow Kremlin symbol
..............................

Easy one for the little ones / anybody who speaks English as a foreign language. If you can't answer question one, do the others and come back to question one.

What do we get/eat/make from these trees:
1 Norway spruce
2 Coconut palm
3 Rubber palm tree
4 Oil palm tree
5 Horse Chestnut tree (hint, not chestnuts)
6 Plum tree
7 Apple tree
8 Pear tree
9 Cherry tree
10 Oak tree
...................................

I suggest you print off copies.Write your name on your question paper.  Swap papers to mark them. Mark them and debate them yourselves. Dad or Mum had the casting vote.
I'll repost with answers later today or tomorrow.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Goodwill and Gifts for travellers

I clicked on a BBC analysis of when Jesus was born. I was very impressed by the way the animation presented the 'facts'. They had 'theory one' and 'theory two'. In the past I have often read of different or conflicting theories. This gives the readers a confusing choice. Worse still, the prospers of these theories often attack each other. History or any kind of enquiry takes you into a battlefield. How much better to present it as a choice. If you don't like one theory, and remain unconvinced, don't worry, here's another possibility.

Similarly, academic papers are often submitted in a style attacking other authors and get rejected. Reviewer Trevor Sharot writes advice on how the writer could re-submit a paper to make it more acceptable. 'How to ender yourself to your readers. Some of whom could have written the papers which you are attacking.'  The rule is simple. Speak well of all.

The same applies to travelling. You can start with a compliment or thanks to the taxi driver. 'What a lovely clean car you have.' 'I'm so glad you saw me.' 'What a lovely sunny day.' 'I expect the rain brings you more customers.'

The greatest gift is goodwill.
Merry Christmas. Season's Greetings.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Best Christmas / holiday lights?

UK
In London, England, I liked the indoor lights at Watford's Intu shopping mall.

 I liked the outdoor lights in Carnaby Street.

London, UK
http://www.visitlondon.com/tag/christmas-lights

USA
When we lived in the USA we saw great lights in Florida and driving around Washington DC. The best lights were in apartment blocks where the management had run competitions for the best lights.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/10greatplaces/2012/12/18/10-great-places-for-families-to-see-christmas-lights/1777605/

SINGAPORE
Orchard Road. (See my picture of a previous year.)
Gardens by the Bay.

Christmas Eve Lights in London

When I saw these lights I thought they created the effect of descending drops. However, when I played the video back, some of the drops appear to be ascending!

John Lewis clearance sale starts Sunday Dec 27th 2015 and lasts into January 2016. Apple store staff said they would be open boxing day but better phone or check on line.

http://intu.co.uk/christmas

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

The Rose pub in Fulham

The Rose pub in Fulham. Upstairs room rented out for parties, decorated with Xmas tree decorated with red baubles, a jolly red star on top and flashing lights. White snowflake patterns on window.

I've added this picture, although the red star is missing from the frame, because the photo shows you what you would get at other times of year, the herringbone pattern wooden floor, and the tree pattern wallpaper. When we arrived the first people put their coats on the chairs, so there was nowhere to sit. Also it looked untidy. Early on people were mingling standing up so it didn't matter, in fact encouraged people to stand and walk and talk. 

But I think the room could do with some coat hooks, which could be made a decorative and attractive feature. Later, when food arrived, people wanted to sit on the chairs so some people took the trouble to hand their own coats over the back of chairs. Some eaters, not wanting to touch the property of others, but wanting to sit down, either sat on coats or pushed clothes and handbags onto the floor. 

The organiser of our party, a wine tasting group, had ordered large platters of food, cheese, fish, meat, vegetarian. You can see the platter ingredients on the website which has menus.

The cheese platters was excellent. The meat was a lot of processed food, sausages of one sort or another, completely unhealthy yet very tasty and more-ish. The vegetarian was ok. We had some celery with the cheese and few chopped up strawberries. 

The fish caused me a problem. The shellfish was mixed in with the plain fish, with a risk of contamination. I am allergic to shellfish. I avoided eating the shellfish. I ate the plain fish. I accidentally bit into something battered. I think it was squid.  When I got home I was sick. Apart from that I had a lovely time. (As Mrs Lincoln says in the joke about 'apart from your husband being assassinated, what did you think of the play?') I think they should have labelled the shellfish as it is one of the common allergies. Also not everybody likes it.

My family, unsympathetically, said that I had simply eaten so much. (This puts both me and the venue in a good light.)

We didn't have any desserts or coffees, but finished with the cheese, which is appropriate for wine drinkers. Everybody chose their own wines and paid separately and we were allowed to give a credit card and have running tabs. 

A toilet was upstairs which saved us having to run up and down. All in all, an interesting venue and a great evening.

The Rose Fulham, Harwood Terrace, (off Harwood Road,) London SW6 2AF

Tel :020 7731 1832

They are on twitter

Closed Xmas Day. Open other days.

Bar, kitchen and garden

Their website: http://www.therosefulham.com

email info@therosefulham.com 

Twitter @therosefulham

Facebook The RoseFulham

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Watford's Winter Lights at Intu

The descending white lights in Watford's Intu mall. The John Lewis sale starts Dec 27th 2015.

See also my previous posts on lights inside and outside Intu, the Santa grotto and more.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Tree lit for Charity in Hatch End - and more lights

This year the shopkeepers have not funded an illuminated Christmas tree in the centre of Hatch End but you can see an illuminated tree in a road by the park opposite the station in Park View road.

Cross over the road from the station to the Morrisons side. Walk towards the shops. On the first corner is Impeccables. A small poster about it is in the B & K deli bar and restaurant window in the parade before you reach Tesco.

 Turn back towards Impeccables and that is St Anselm's street you walk along. At the far end turn left into Park View. From the corner you can see the tree across the road.

The tree is lit to raise money for a charity and you can read about it in the illuminated sign under the tree.

Photographs copyright Angela Lansbury.

The tree is equally impressive seen by day. As you can see from the photo, it is more than twice the height of the houses. A nearby tree is pretty impressive, too. 

The dead end road you were facing at the corner has an over grown sign about allotments.

Back in the high street, passing Impeccables clothing shop, you can stop for food at B and K for take away or sit down turkey or salt beef sandwich. Take another look at the poster. The tree for charity is over forty foot high. Even if you are six foot tall, and your rooms are eight foot high with a two foot space between for wiring and what have you, forty feet is about four storeys high, and most houses in the area are two storeys with a roof space. So forty foot is four storeys high and taller than most houses in the street.

What about the charity? You can expand my photo of the poster to read it. It is raising funds for research into the cause of brain tumours. The lights are in memory of 27 year old Darren Walker who died age 27 in 2013. The poster mentions that volunteers work for nothing to help raise money for Ali's Dream, founded in memory of Ali Phelan who died before her 8th birthday, and the charity was launched in 2001 by her family. The poster ends on a happier note, hoping you enjoy the lights and wishing you a merry Christmas.

You could mull over this whilst you sit in B and K. Or, if you've given all your spare change to charity, continue on for a £1 sandwich from Tesco. Maybe buy a gift in St Luke's charity shop which has plenty of bargains for under £5. Or relax in style at one of Hatch End's half a dozen quick bite places, such as jolly La Dolce Vita Italian cafe. Across the side road is Genuine Cakes which offers a free cake with coffee on Thursdays. Or Fellini caffe on the opposite corner. For breakfast or lunch or evening, the Prosecco and Pizza place. Or back towards Hatch End station, more shops, plus the pub, Wetherspoons, which has its own smaller tree outside.

The site alisdream tells you how to donate as well as buy Christmas cards or sell them for the charity.

http://alisdream.co.uk

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

The British Library Shop - in person or online and literary gifts

First the bad news, then the good news. The bad news: I went on line looking for the British Library to find out whether I could drop in my books there. I have self-published a dozen books, some of which are still in the draft stage, awaiting my approval from the proof copy, which you pay for, from Lulu.com . I had hoped to be able to take my books into the British library and save on the postage. Alas no. You have to post them to somewhere in Yorkshire.

Books used to have a special postal rate. That seems to have disappeared.

I also wanted to discover what you could see and do at the new British Library. In the old days when I was a student at University College, there was such a high demand, that numbers were restricted. You could gain access only if you had a letter from your professor or head of department saying that the book you needed to consult was not available at any of the nearby and large university libraries. University College had a library. So did the university of London.

So I wondered what the restrictions were. Now for the good news.

What I did discover was the the British Library, a kind of museum, has a shop. My experience of museums is that even if you arrive too late in the day for entry to the museum, or entry is timed, you can usually while away some time in the shop, buy some dinky souvenirs, and get a general idea of the highlights of the museum. (At least enough to photograph yourself outside the museum, and talk glibly about both the architecture and contents, as if you have seen the entire place, which would normally require a week.

Now, you don't even need to visit the museum. Some relevant souvenirs would be those displaying the Magna Carta. A useful item would be the map umbrella, but at £45! I would think most souvenir shops could supply a souvenir umbrella at half that price. I shall check out the museum of London next, and the London Transport Museum.

I am not sure why anybody would want some of the objects. Others are not sufficiently described. For example, a pair of ear-rings. No indication whether they are clip on or posts. Since I don't have pierced ears, I shall pass on those.

Some of the items are decidedly odd, in my bemused opinion. Jekyll and Hyde jewellery for men. Dracula items. The sort of thing I thought was edgy when I was a teenager or a new student. Skulls are amusing to teenagers. Less so when you have reached retirement age. A funny gift for a friend. Not for granny.

Frankly, I have found more interesting items, and go anywhere items, (which I chose as my Christmas presents) on literary gifts.com

But there's no accounting for taste. If you look hard enough, a determined shopaholic can always find something they don't need, but want. For example, The Gothic shop has a sign, I'm already disturbed Please come in. £3.50 plus postage.

Websites
British Library Shop
http://shop.bl.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/BritishLibrary/_353759/1/Bestsellers
Museum of London Shop
http://www.museumoflondonshop.co.uk/store/
London Transport Museum Shop
http://www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk
Sherlock Holmes museum shop
Dickens Museum shop

http://www.the-gothic-shop.co.uk/already-disturbed-metal-sign-alchemy-gothic-p-7124.html

Others to check out: Bronte museum shop, Jane Austen house shop, and many more authors' homes and museums have shops.
USA: Edgar Allen Poe, Jack London, Hemingway, Arthur Miller, Webster (wrote the American dictionary and grammar).
Search around the web (and my posts) and you will find you can also buy books and CDs and souvenirs on everybody from rock stars such as Elvis Presley to baseball players such as Babe Ruth and ice skaters such as Torvill and Dean.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer

French words of the day: adroit to terrible

French - English

adroit - skilful (literally right handed?)
beret - round soft felt men's hat with no brim and a small upright tag in the middle
billet - place with instructions to lodge a soldier, originally a little bill or order
billet-doux - sweet nothings, sweet note, bits of sweet(ness)
cagoule/kagoule - anorak, balaclava
cavalier - on horseback, or hastily sweeping somebody aside, going past above them
coquette - flirt
démodé - out of fashion
enfant - child (similar to our word infant)
enfant terrible - terrible child / embarrassment / notoriously naughty person
finesse - skill and style
harangue - shout out incessantly, badger
hauteur - arrogance, haughtiness, pride
passé - out of date
raison d'être - literally reason of / for being / sole reason for existing, primary purpose
regrette - regret
terrible - terrible

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Hebrew words from maps and books for travellers (+Aramaic)

You probably already know half a dozen or more words of Hebrew without realising it. Do you know the names Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Reuben, Tel Aviv?  That's already more than half a dozen. I discovered the translations of the names Reuben and Joseph when I looked at the story of Joseph in the Bible (Old Testament to Christians)

Arabic, Aramaic, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Russian, Spanish - they have all entered the English language and given us words we easily remember.

Cherubim is the Hebrew plural, of cherub, and you see cherubim in churches and paintings in art galleries in England and Spain and churches worldwide.

But you will probably recognize some of these words, place names and personal or first names:

Bar mitzvah - son (Aramaic) (of the) law kept/good act or deed

Bat mitzvah - daughter of etc

Beer Sheva - seven wells (literally: well seven)

Benjamin - son of my right hand

Bethlehem - building/house (of) bread (bakery?)

Elizabeth - El = god

Gabriel - El = god

Galilee

Hallelujah - praise Jah/God

Jerusalem - salem/shalom=peace
Jah/jaweh/jehova - jo = God (written in Hebrew in two or four letters J H V/W H(consonants vowels written in dots or lines above or in the centre of the letter or below in other centuries to indicate silent letter of vowel; some say the name of G-d is never pronounced and instead the vowels from another word, Lord are inserted, so that you can say a word to make sense of your sentence in a prayer or text)

Joel - god (is also our)lord god -

Nazareth

Rachel el= God (El/allah - written with the letter l)

Reuben - see (a) son! (ben=son)

Tel Aviv - hill (of) spring(time)

More information from:
1 wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Hebrew_origin
2 E a r w o r m s  (I had to insert spaces to defeat predictive text changing it)
(short version of a Berlitz course, beginner level, in one or two discs with a brochure translating what you hear) learn Hebrew. Usually under £20 and you might get one second hand on eBay.

Angela Lansbury, 

Baffled by a bird RSPB website will help identify birds, and hedgehog café

If you are on holiday in the UK you may have time to watch the birds in a garden or park or even when driving along a motorway. Sometimes you are 'baffled by a bird'. I love the alliteration in the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) website. You can go there and try to track down your bird by answering a series of questions, starting with the size of the bird.

Hedgehogs
Other intriguing items on the site include building a hedgehog home.

I have lots of prickly friends but none of them are hedgehogs. We did have a hedgehog once. I ran off to get my camera but it had gone. Then I went to shut the kitchen door and found it hidden in the corner, with its nose into the corner, presumably for protection. I said, in a soothing tone,
"Hello, hedgehog, dear. I'm only here to help you. I can see you. I'm sure you can hear me. You are perfectly safe. Have a nice day."

Now, from the RSPB site, I know how to feed a hedgehog, and helpfully they warn that it will take two hours to build a hedgehog cafe. (You could even build one at home and take it with you on holiday.) The hedgehog cafe is basically a box of wood or plastic with a lid, a hole the right size, big enough for a hedgehog but not large enough for a fox or cat. (Yes, we were wondering about keeping them away.) Edging the hole to make it non scratch. Plus a water bowl. More details from the site.

Hedgehogs are mostly hibernating now. But if you are a procrastinator and it takes you three months from getting an idea to assembling all the materials and actually doing the job, or if, on the contrary, you are action man, women or child, and you like to be ready, now, well in advance, now is a good time to start thinking and acting reading for next spring and summer building your hedgehog home or hedgehog cafe.
https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/activities-pdfs/20-ways-pack.pdf

Bird photographs
Taking photos of birds is tricky. You need a tripod. And to get to know your mobile phone's multiple photo taking function. Practise it so you can act when you a p p r o a c h a bird so the camera keeps taking. You can also buy a close up attachment to fix on your phone. (Autocorrect changed my word to approved so I had to insert spaces.)

A close-up attachment for my phone so I can photograph birds. That's what I would like for Christmas or my birthday in the spring.

Most birds fly away as you approach, except robins.

How to photograph a rhea?
Better far and not too near!

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.