Delicious After Dinner Dessert Chocolates From Ireland, Sold in London

No time to make creme caramel for dessert, and no time to try key lime pie? If you are passing a Morrisons supermarket in London, look for the O'Brien chocolates. They have classic desserts encased in chocolate, and make a great gift for your host or hostess, if you are invited to a dinner at somebody's home or a restaurant.

I sampled them at a dinner club dinner in somebody's home.

Translation

Torte - French for tart

Posset  - an English word for something like a syllabub. 

"A posset was a British hot drink of milk curdled with wine or ale, often spiced, which was popular from medieval times to the 19th century. The word is mainly used nowadays for a related dessert similar to syllabub. Wikipedia

Syllabub is an English sweet dish described by the Oxford English Dictionary as "a drink or dish made of milk or cream, curdled by the admixture of wine, cider, or other acid, and often sweetened and flavoured."Wikipedia "

Banoffee - a combination of banana and toffee

Crème Brulée - French for burned cream. The down accent on the first e means you pronounce it as crem to rhyme with hem or them. The up accent on the first e in the second word means you pronounce it as ay to rhyme with say or pay or day. The word burned is because in some recipes you use an electric flame to burn and turn the sugar scattered on top into a rock hard lid. But in these chocolates as in many modern versions it is served just as a very rich custard cream.

Key Lime

An Indian friend asked what was key limey. 

 'Key limey pie', which I read as Key Lime Pie, is a variation on the American favourite, Key Lime Pie, served in many restaurants and fast food outlets as a dessert or tea time snack, in Florida's Florida Keys area and the South of North America. 

The pie is a strongly flavoured lime pie, like lemon curd but made with lime, usually open top so you see a yellowy green. Heavenly. Limey was a word for British sailors who took limes on ships to prevent scurvy, caused by lack of (fruit containing) vitamin C.

Aperitifs and Mystery Wines
We started with olives, cashew nuts, smoked salmon canapés and salamis, standing chatting in the back living room.  One of the group of visiting diners, a single widower, was celebrating a birthday and had brought along a half bottle of Sauternes to share as an extra unexpected dessert wine.

Dividing Wines
Each bottle of wine was divided amongst about twelve of us, just a small sample of each wine, less for the drivers. I am not keen on either red or dry wines, so I had just a small sip of most, using a spoon to not contaminate the glass. Then I passed my share on to somebody else. Later I tipped unwanted wine into the overflow beaker. We kept our wine glasses throughout the evening and meal from aperitifs until dessert wines and had to empty our glasses after each wine for the next wine.

We sampled two mystery whites to start and a guessing game to see which country and grape had been selected. Having chosen a chatting companion, we moved into the dining room, no set places.

Main Courses
The giant casseroles of meats were brought in and had a choice of venison stew (similar to beef stew) or pork, or both, with roast potatoes and green beans. The root vegetables of parsnip and carrots were placed on a side table. I was wedged in and had a full plate by the time I saw the extra vegetables and decided to finish my food before opting for yet more.  Red wines go with meat.

After that along came the cheese (a runny, soft brie, a hard cheddar and a tasty blue stilton). The cheese was accompanied by two assortments of crackers and biscuits.

I was beginning to think I would get neither dessert nor chocolates, when along came the chocolates which were a combination of miniature desserts encased in chocolate.

Wine Tasting Clubs and Dinner party Clubs
I belong to two or three wine and dinner clubs, run as part of or offshoots from wine societies. They way the club works is, you rotate member's homes. The mailing list of participants, perhaps 10-80 people, is sent the venue and menu of the wines in the circulation list of a wine club, the food in the list of a food club.

To cut down on the time spent cooking, you can serve olives and cashew nuts or peanuts or crackers on arrival. Alternatively, serve smoked salmon with crackers, or bread cut into small pieces.

Dinner Party Clubs
The first dinner club I belonged to was started by some members of a National Childbirth Trust Group. They had become friends whilst attending ante-natal classes. Since they needed babysitters, it was convenient to have a dinner at home. (Some only attended the meal they served.) Or to have babysitters from the group. Or to attend cheaper dinners when they had the expense of a baby. Or to have dinners where other guests were interested in talking about babies. These clubs and dinners were sometimes teetotal, because of the mothers breastfeeding, or not drinking during the recent pregnancy, or to keep down the cost of the dinners as well as reducing the washing up.

Empty Nesters and Triple Venue Clubs
I've heard of other clubs for older empty nesters, couples with teenage children or no children who need babysitters. At least one of these clubs evened out the work and cost by having a dinner for three or four couples at each home. This is done for people who live on the same housing estate, a small village, or one street, or all within walking or ten minutes' driving time. You start at home one for a pre-dinner drink (juice for anybody driving) and nuts or canapés or tiny snacks and get to know you or catch up chats. You might arrive prompts at 6 pm for 6.15 start, 6.45 leave, and fitted minutes walking or driving to the next home. You might have the hosts leaving five minutes before the guests.

Then you drive to home two for the starter, which could be something easy and cold such as a slice of melon with decoration, half a grapefruit.  Perhaps serve with bread and butter or a glass or half glass of white wine and/or juice and/or water.

Home Three for Main Course
Home three has the major preparation of a meat or vegetarian (or both) main course, often white chicken or white fish, or a vegetable quiche, made without eggs for vegans. You could have wine provided by another couple, if they make up couple number five. Alternatively another couple, a fifth or sixth couple, could make a second main dish, brought in a pot or dish and heated up in the oven or microwave) or the vegetarian option.

Home Four provides dessert. To save time this can be a cold dessert. (Or one which you heat up in a microwave.) They might also provide coffee. And / or after dinner drinks and chocolates. If you have more couples or wish to spread the time load, effort and cost, you make the coffee providers the Fifth or last couple.

You can also have an arrangement  where the host of each section provides only the seating and a cleared or laid table and glasses. One or more of the guests brings the  contribution such as a box of chocolates, bottle of wine, bottle of juice, biscuits or bread, cold vegetables or salad.

Another variation has each couple given the entire menu. Each cook prepares food enough for two couples.  The food is brought to one host's house. To your amazement, although everybody has cooked from the exact same recipe, you get to taste either two half portions of each course, or a tiny mouthful of each. But the result is that you get six totally different versions. For example, apple pie, simple.  Either you don't bother giving out a recipe.

Or you give out a recipe - but still get six different results. Either one person could not get sultanas and used raisins. One person forgot the cloves or left them out because of not liking them. One person mis-read the recipe and made crumble topping.  One person cooks a pie shape and give you a clock face cut, almost an elongated triangle. Another does squares. Another makes an individual circular pie for each diner in disposable foil or even a china ramekin. The result is different flavours and presentations.

Self catering holiday dinner parties
This would also work on holiday as a dinner party idea in a house party in a villa, or a complex with several self-catering flats. You could plan it at one or more venues for a group dinner on the last night, or first night, or second night.

For the easy end to the dinner, cook miniatures or buy the Lily O'Brien chocolates. Note the use buy and temperature control requirements of chocolates when travelling.

Go to the website of the lilyobriens company and you can watch the video made by the founder of the company about how she was inspired to start her chocolate company when she was travelling. The company is based in Ireland and is named after the daughter, Lily. According to the website, you can order a box of mixed gift packs, and chocolate boxes with your family photo printed on the outside.

https://lilyobriens.co.uk/

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

Travel in rhyme

Travel in Rhyme
Poem
by Angela Lansbury

On each holiday

You may find some delay

But they can't waste your time

If you turn it to rhyme

Then everything's good

Each incident food

Each chip in life's block

Can create a mood

I'm stuck in a car park

Not going to shop

The driver has promised

It's just a quick stop.

Copyright Angela Lansbury 2016
All rights reserved

Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author, poet, speaker, speech coach, performer.
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What's Welsh In Wales? Male Voice Choirs.

What's Welsh in Wales? The language for a start. You notice it on the signs the moment you cross into Wales. On the motorway. On the railway stations. But the most delightful Welsh language is the songs sung by the Welsh male voice choirs.

If you get a chance to hear a Welsh male voice choir, please do so. You can hear a male voice choir every year at the last night of Writers' Holiday in Fishguard Bay Hotel, Fishguard Wales. They (Cwmbach Male Choir) sing in competitions of choirs and at other events all over the world.

They end by singing the Welsh national anthem. Perhaps I should check on the wording.

The male voice choir isn't all men. They have a female accompanist on the piano and a young lady who sings and plays the harp.

On the right, with the red hair, is accompanist Jayne Thomas. Behind the two ladies is Brian Williams, secretary, who introduces the choir and links the songs with a humorous commentary, usually featuring topical jokes.

The hotel piano was good enough. The pianist did not need to use the electric keyboard she had brought with just in case. I asked, "Why didn't you use it, anyway, for a change?" She shook her head, "No need. It's a bit wobbly, compared to a solid piano."

You can buy a CD of the choir.

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

Highlights of Writers' Holiday in Wales

Writers' Holiday is held every year, once in summer for a week, and for long weekends in spring and autumn. The location is Fishguard Bay Hotel, overlooking Fishguard Bay, and the organisers are Gerry and Anne Hobbs, who are Welsh, hence the flags with the red Welsh dragon on the flags displayed in the room used as a book room during the holiday week.

Although it is called a holiday, lots of series instruction in useful skills takes place. 

Poetry Course and New Form such as the Douzain

Several kinds of writing are covered, This year Alison Chisholm taught a poetry course covering several kinds of poetry scheme. The course ends with a live performance of poets reading their work. (See my earlier posts.) 

Formatting and Loading Up E-books

For me the most useful new skills were the training in formatting ebooks. I attended two courses, One was run by Malcolm Chisholm. The other was run after tea by Chris Oliver. They both spent a lot of time demonstrating how to load up an ebook onto Lulu.com or Smashwords. They also discussed Amazon's Createspace. We learned how to save our files with dates and other key words grouped in folders, and various technical terms, such as HTML. 

Book Binding

We even learned from Chris Oliver that you can bind books using a DIY press with edges to hold the pages. Alternatively, see on YouTube how books are bound using a flower press or press for a tennis racquet.

I discovered the difference between the paragraph symbol and the symbol for line break or return. We also discussed the merits of inserting breaks before and after paragraphs. 

Illustrations

We were able to see and buy books in the book room, signed by the author, and to look at the paintings and sketches produced in the art class run by Susan Allison. She had taught the group about the merits and uses of different sized brushes for watercolour washes. The results were impressive. A useful course, for those who want to illustrate books (add illustrations to a book whose main feature is the story or text), or to make Illustrated Books (books whose main feature is a series of books by one illustrator, a collection of drawings on the artist's favourite theme such as dogs, sometimes a picture book, or one where a text is added to link the pictures or human or animal

Paintings displayed in the art room overlooking Fishguard Bay.

character).

Paintings by short story writer Della Galton.

Della Galton, short story writer.

Val Webster is very proud of her painting of trees at sunset.

Welsh flags at Fishguard By Hotel, Fishguard, Wales, and Steve Wade, author of books about criminals.

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

Travellers Singing For Their Supper

I wrote a poem about a seagull looking like it wanted food, then stealing a piece of paper from a poet. After I wrote the poem, I aw a seagull perched on lamp, cawing with sounds if it were laughing. That evening I performed my poem and ended up by imitating the call of the seagull. I was rather proud of my addition of the sound effect.

Later in the evening's performance my sound effects were eclipsed by those of a poet who asked the audience to sing a chorus as parrots on a pirate ship. It was a two line 'unrhymed couplet. The performer said, "Let's have a practice!" She led the group reciting the couplet, about 'bring out the rum'. I'm not sure what the punchline was. As far as I was concerned, the best part was the audience participation.

An equally successful and even more original performance was from a lady who wrote about a health and safety executive inspecting a hospital in Shakespeare's time. She parodied and quoted lines from Shakespeare.

The audience was asked to make suitable sound effect to the eerie evocations. Ghosts, 'woo-woo', hiss hiss, and so on. I am sure this would work equally well, even better in a group around a campfire, a primary school, a wedding, a folk festival, many group occasions.

I would now like to write and rehearse a poem or song involving audience participation. Firstly, I and the others should try involving the audience in memorising words, as in a round or chorus.

Action Songs
Secondly actions - think of: The Hand Jive: The Birdie Song: The Wheels on the Bus (go round and round; Tiptoe Through The Window; If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands. Google actions songs and you will be able to see some on YouTube.

Thirdly, instead of singing an existing song, write a new one.

Fourthly, write a performance piece which encourages the audience to invent suitable or unsuitable sounds.

Sound Songwriting
What sorts of sounds could you have?

The steam train went /tooted ....

The children shouted ...

The mothers called ....

The dog barked ...

The cat meowed ...

The drum banged

The door creaked

The window squeaked.

Music, Microphone And Performance Options
If you have a guitar, a repertoire, songs, poems, rap music, an entertainment, you can sing for your supper, either offering your services in advance, or to return a favour.

Around the world there are many open mic(rophone) events.

In addition to entertaining groups after dinner, tour guides find it useful to have songs to fill in time during traffic delays on coaches, other transport, or while waiting.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

A Poem About Fishguard Bay And Seagulls In Wales

I've revised my poems. Here they are with another verse.

The Invention of The Pop Up Toaster
by Angela Lansbury

For centuries the world would bake
Buns and teacakes loved by most
But when King Alfred burned the cakes
And many people burned the roast

Somebody thought a small machine
Could cook pieces of small toast

At last a toaster came along
Transforming every cup of tea
At first in Scotland after porridge
In eighteen hundred and ninety three

By nineteen eighteen toast popped up
The patent of the smart Charles Strite
His invention still pops up toast
For breakfast or your snack at night.

I wrote three poems, but I have only two, for reasons which will become clear from Poem 2:

Birds By the Bay of Fishguard
Song by Angela Lansbury

By the sunlit bay of Fishguard
Trains trundled in by cars so brave
Some crossed the rough seas to Ireland
Took daily ferries facing waves.

In the bar, we writers watched them
Writing poems full of sharp wit
Scribbling stories, plotting novels
In the bar, sipping wine we'd sit.

One seagull swooped down to the terrace
Seeking food, looked cute at me
But the damned bird grabbed my poem
Flew my wise words out to sea

And now it's perched on a lamp post
And I'm sure that you'll all agree
Don't anyone dare feed that greedy bird
That's cawing, laughing at me.

Qwar! Qwar! Qwar! Qwar! Qwar!

Copyright 2016
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author, poet, songwriter.

I wrote one two verse poem about writers sitting writing watching the bay, another one verse poem about a seagull. Poetry teacher Alison Chisholm suggested I should have something happening in the poem about the writers. I suddenly had a vision of the seagull stealing the writing, so I combined the two poems.

More about Fishguard Bay Hotel in previous posts. More about author Angela Lansbury in Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Lulu.com, amazon com, and other blogs.

Dishes I Probably Won't Try - Dancing Squid and Oysters in July

Dishes I probably won't try for the first time or again:

1 Oysters - eaten live. England and the USA and elsewhere.
2 Dancing squid (from Japan) just like what they sound like. Found in Japan. See YouTube.
3 Suckling pig.
4 Snails. (Escargot in France, also from some speciality restaurants in London, England.
5 Horsemeat (France).
6 Bird's Nest. Soup or otherwise.
7 Locusts. (All sorts of insects are available bottled for Christmas as novelties or gourmet gifts in speciality food stores such as Jackson's of Piccadilly in London.
8 Dog (China).
9 Wichita grub - actually I've had this in Australia. Ground up and white like potato soup or puree.
10 Snake steak. (I've had this in Shanghai. Looks like sliced up salmon, a circle with a bone or hold in the middle, but salmon has better flavour.)
11 Puffer fish. Poisonous if not prepared right with the poison removed. Why would you risk it? Admittedly whenever a restaurant prepares your food, you have to trust your chef to take every care.
12 Crocodile. I have a certificate framed on the wall which assures me that I ate this in Florida some years ago. As they say, the past is another country.
13 Durian. The fresh fruit tastes and smells dreadful. However, the ice cream or cake made with a tiny amount tastes delicious, like chestnut.

No thanks. No comment.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer 

Badges At Hotels And Conferences - save them and re-use them

Many hotels and conferences give you a badge, sometimes on a free lanyard. They might ask you to return the badge or lanyard or both so that the organisers can use the items again. Often they cannot use the lanyard again because it has the date of the event, so next year's lanyard will be a different colour, for novelty, or to go with a new theme or venue, and with a different date.

If the badge is not collected, I save the badge in my suitcase for my next trip. But then, I am a hoarder and recycler. Many people are tidy minded and hate clutter and like to travel light and prefer to give back an unwanted badge. But I carefully keep mine.

At my next networking event, if I arrive before the badges are given out, or no badges are given out, I have one ready to wear. On a recent trip I was given a badge in the name I did not want to use. I was at a writing conference and wanted to use my writer's name which was on the books I was offering for sale in the book room. If your name is wrongly spelling, or the badge shows your married name instead of your maiden name or business name, you might find it handy to swap over the cards.

Swapping the cards is also a handy option if the new conference offers cards which are typed and in small writing and your previous card had bold felt tip pen writing which could be seen at a distance. You might also prefer a neat Italic script, rather than untidy handwriting.

If you don't like the writing on the card you have been given, sometimes you can reverse it. If it is double size and folded in half, turn it inside out.

Some lanyards and cards are designed with the name on both sides, so that if the lanyard is put on back to front or turns itself, the writing is still visible.

You could keep a stencil in your luggage or briefcase or the laptop bag if you are likely to want to add your name or company name to a badge.

Failing all else, you can insert your business card, or a return address sticker, on a blank card.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Airline and Hotel coffee not to your liking? Travelling With Your Own Coffee Maker

Is your coffee to weak, too strong, too stewed? On an airline if you are in first class you are more likely to get freshly made coffee. But whichever class you are travelling in, if you think you are the last person served or the coffee has been sitting around too long, you can tell the staff that it doesn't taste right and ask them to make another pot.

In a hotel, the alternative if you are too shy to ask, is to make sure you are served early. Turn up on time for the meal or snack at coffee break. Watch when the new coffee pot is delivered.

I like weak coffee. So do most Americans. Which is odd. Because Americano is so named because that's how the Americans like it, and I am British, although I did live in Rockville, Maryland, north of Washington DC, for more than a year.

A couple of years ago I was at Fishguard Bay hotel, which is the venue for Writers' Holiday every July, and a member of my family wanted to work in the bedroom, drinking coffee. The coffee in the hotel was not to their liking, so they drove all the way to Carmarthen to buy a Nespresso coffee machine and some Nespresso capsules.

I stayed at Fishguard Bay Hotel this year and had no problems drinking the coffee, although I usually reject airline coffee. My solution is to have a lot of milk with my coffee. I also add cold water from the water jug on the table.

I have given up sugar. I thought I might indulge in sugar again, whilst on holiday. But that is one temptation I have resisted. In addition to the danger of falling into the habit of taking sugar in coffee for the rest of the year, the food at Fishguard Bay Hotel is so filling, and the portions are generous.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Writing poetry and songs at Writers' Holiday in Wales

How did I come to write poems on seagulls and the invention of the pop up toaster at Writers' Holiday in Wales? Poetry was the subject of one of the after tea talks at Writers' Holiday held in Fishguard Wales in July 2016. Course leader Alison Chisholm always comes up with amusing ideas. And usually a tiny free gift.

The Poetry Homework Challenge
This year those planning to perform at the performance night were given two pieces to write. One was inspired by what was written on a piece of folded paper pulled from a box. I pulled out the word toast.

The other was a tiny frame you can use to frame a picture or item seen in a room. Hold it close to you and your body or book and it can frame an object such as the watch on your wrist. Look through it and depending on the distance you hold it, you can see an entire room or one small item in the distance.

Writer's Ambition
I am tired of writing poetry. In another class by Steve Wade we were asked to write Poetics, a cross between a mission statement and a cv and a marketing description and an ambition. We were asked to write about our past successes at writing and being published, our current projects and our future plans or hopes.

Songs
One of my hopes is to write songs. I try to write a song each day.

A Round
Therefore for Alison I chose to write a verse which could also be a round. I was surprised to find that the construction of a round song is no different. All you do is have different groups of people singing different lines or who verses in succession.

The text (lyrics) for a group of singers, musicians playing the tune and a conductor, would have to be written showing where the voices overlap, with two three, four or more lines of lyrics staggered on different lines under the music staves.

If I am the only performer, I don't need any directions.

If I direct the audience or a group of singers to sing with me, I have to provide them with photocopies or prints of the lyrics, or to print them out three or four times.

All the performers do a rehearsal. Therefore, prior to the performance I have to show my verses to Alison, as she requested, to get her approval of the performance and check the rhyme, rhythm and sense. She might wish to make additions to make it more original or interesting.

I picked two traditional round because I wanted to check the syllable count, rhythm and rhyming scheme. The first song I chose was the traditional Frère Jacques. I wrote the syllable count at the end of each verse

Song 1
The original goes:

Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques (4)
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous? (4)
Sonnez la matina, Sonnez la matina (6) (6)
Ding, dang, dong, Ding, dang, dong. (3) (3)

The words mean: Brother Jack, Brother Jack, are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? Ring (the bells) for  morning (prayers), ring the bells for morning prayers, ding dang dong. The last three words are onomatopeic (sound like what the word is describing).

I seem to remember that when I looked up the words, it was not le matina as I remembered, but La matina which would be Latin rather than French. The Matina or Matins being morning prayer(s).

Here is my song, sung to the same tune:

T for Toast and Toast for Tea
Song by Angela Lansbury

Let's toast seed bread, let's toast seed bread
Don't let's wait, don't let's wait
Put it in the toaster, put it in the toaster
For our tea, for our tea.

Alternatively
Come and toast my seed bread

Here's a version about the person who invented the toaster:

The toaster was invented in Scotland in 1893 but the pop up toaster was invented by Charles Strite in 1919.
The Invention of The Pop Up Toaster
by Angela Lansbury

For centuries the world would bake
Toasted teacakes were loved by most
After King Alfred burned the cakes
Cooks could admit they burned the toast
It wasted money, wasted time
And made the cook feel such a fool
And everyone hoped someone else
Would make a smart new toasting tool

A toaster was invented
Transforming every tea
In Scotland after porridge
In 1893
In 1918 pop up toast
Was patented by one Charles Strite
Now his invention pops up toast
For breakfast worldwide day and night.

Song 2
To the tune of Sur le Pont d'Avignon (unless somebody can write a better tune)

By the Bay of Fishguard
Song by Angela Lansbury

By the bay of Fishguard
See the ferries, see the ferries
On the bay of Fishguard
See the ferries brave the waves.

In the bar, writers sit
Scribbling stories, scribbling stories
In the bar, writers sit
Writing novels full of wit.

In the bar, writers sit
Writing songs and writing poems
In the bar, writers sit
Writing novels full of wit.

Song 3
Here's another round song, Kookaburra.
My friend Sally told me that at Guides camp the girls used to sing the Kookaburra song.

Here are the words with the syllable count after each line for the creation of a parody sung to the rhythm and the same or a similar tune:

Kookaburra sits on an old gum tree (10)
Merry, merry king of the bush is he (10)
Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra (10)
Gay your life must be. (5)

I wanted an English bird instead of the Australian bird. A seagull was most appropriate.

Seagull Song
by Angela Lansbury

My seagull sits on the balcony
Looking up and watching me
Fly, pretty seagull, fly, pretty seagull
Fly away to sea.

Copyright 2016
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author, poet, songwriter.
More about Fishguard Bay Hotel in previous posts. More about author Angela Lansbury in Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Lulu.com, amazon com, and other blogs.

Fun in Fishguard, Wales, With Memories of Under Milk Wood and Moby Dick

Fishguard guards the Western end of Wales. Trains arrive from the London direction in time to co-ordinate with the ferries sailing to Ireland. Early in the 1900s Fishguard was planned to be the main port for ships to sail to America. WWI put paid to that idea. Now ships sail from Southampton in England. But the ferries to Ireland are still running regularly. The Bay itself has been the setting for two major films, Moby Dick and Under Milk Wood.

Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, wrote Under Milk Wood. It was read by Richard Burton who stayed at the Fishguard Bay Hotel. Read all about the films in cuttings by the bar of the hotel.

The Fishguard By hotel on the headland looks over the bay. The dining room and most of the front bedrooms enjoy views over the sea. If you don't get a bedroom with a view you can sit outside on the front terrace. It's a popular spot for weddings.

I was woken at 5.30 a. m  by what I thought was an alarm clock. It wasn't mine. Nobody turned it off. I wondered if it was a fire alarm.

When I got up and looked out of the window to try to track down the source of the noise, I realise it came from birds, seagulls.The big birds perch on top of the building and on the window ledges. You are warned not to go out leaving windows open. The black cat which tries to walk into the hotel's ground floor public rooms does not frighten off the seagulls. The birds are big and bold. So is the cat.

Other visitors recommended taking the walk along the cliffs. Up a staircase to the left of the hotel.  You can also walk from the hotel downhill to a fish and chip the away shop. Drive or take a bus to the ton hall in Fishguard shopping area (very small) to see the 'Bayeux tapestry which celebrates the local visitors by aides in national dress who fooled invading sailors into thinking the Welsh women were soldiers. Watch the video first. The town hall exhibition is open to the public Monday to Thursday.

Food
The dining room food organised for our conference was copious. Although we had two course meals, we were never hungry. At dinner we enjoyed salmon, chicken with mustard, pork and apple, traditional vegetables and potatoes. A vegetarian option is available. For desserts, on one occasion I chose apple pie and custard - and cream; on another occasion I had cheesecake with fruit topping.

Breakfast included porridge, two sorts of eggs and sausages and grilled tomatoes and bacon and baked beans. Plus brown and white hot toast with butter and apricot jam, strawberry jam or marmalade.

Staff are very obliging and the women wear pretty blouses, especially when there's a wedding.

The wifi hotspots are near the receiving centre which is in reception. So in the seats opposite reception, on the landings up the stairs - quite usable if three or four of you are there, and in bedrooms at the reception end of the corridor.

Fishguard Bay Hotel
Quay Road
Fishguard
Pembrokeshire
Wales
www.fishguardbayhotel.co.uk
You can also read about the hotel on TripAdvisor and booking websites.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Car accidents

Planning
Before taking a long car journey here are the precautions I take:
1 Check oil and tyres. (Or get the garage to do so for you.)
2 Fill the car with petrol.
3 Check all suitcases will fill in the boot of the car (what the Americans call the  t r u n k of the car; they also refer to the bonnet as the hood).

Decide if you will have a show nothing policy. One of my friends gave me a lift from London to a writers' holiday. She insisted that we had nothing on display on the car. Not a coat or cap, not a map nor a cup. Not a bottle of water. Not a coin or a pair of sunglasses. She wanted a completely empty car so that any potential thief would look at it and think, nothing there. Not worthwhile breaking in.

If we needed anything from the boot of the car for a food and toilet stop, we did not open the car boot in the car park of the motorway station before leaving the car. We took out any food or camera or valuable and put it in our handbag or tote bag and took it with us.

After leaving the motorway station we drove a short distance before stopping to put any camera or laptop or jewellery or other valuables back in the suitcase at the back of the car in the boot.

At a motorway stop we never left the car unattended. If one of us got out to pay for petrol, or to go to the toilet, the other person stayed in the car with the doors locked. We took sandwiches and did not stop on the journey.

Accident
On my way to Wales one year my car was hit by another and propelled into the fast lane where it hit the barrier, scattered bits over the motorway and spun around and stopped. The car which hit me was stationary in the slow lane behind me.

When my car was towed away to a garage, I had to continue my journey with only what I could carry in my wheeled suitcase. All the other paraphernalia, the car blanket, maps (which were recovered later) had to be left behind.

As a result I am now much more aware that any clutter in the car could be lost or left behind on the way.

Vital Numbers
I also put not my mobile phone the emergency numbers of my car insurers (the house contents insurers if my valuables are covered by my house contents policy instead), as well as the destination address and phone number and postcode, and the phone numbers of the organisers of a conference or event.

Friends of mine have told me about their accidents and how it affected them.

Car Fire
One friend, A, smelled burning and felt heat under her feet. She pulled into the hard shoulder. The car started filling with smoke so she told the three children to get out. Her bag was by her feet with her phone in it.

Her children were not wearing shoes. One child left behind his teddy and demanded she stop to pick it up. (That was a risk!)

She called the rescue services. They would only take her to the nearest motorway station because her insurance did not cover an engine fire. (Compare policies.) She was able to phone relatives two hours away to collect the family after a long wait.

Tyre Blow-out
Other friends had an accident in which a front tyre blew out and the car veered across the motorway lanes and hit another car in the opposite direction two other cars were write-offs as well as their own. Fortunately when he was breathalysed the driver had not had anything to drink. Also the car tyres had recently been changed.

In addition, when the police came to their house later and interviewed the husband and wife separately, she was able to say when he had had his eyes tested recently, (because she was careful to keep records because of glaucoma in her husband's family).

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

Summer time, and writing is easy: summer writing courses

What's the solution to writer's block and writers' blocks? How do you move to what every writer wants, a blockbuster? June, July and August and busy months in the UK for writers and readers. Choose from the book festivals at Hay, and Edinburgh. Edinburgh Festival is full of stand up comedy paid for events performed in theatres, pass the hat 'free' events in rooms behind bars, and even on the street. My favourite performer was the guy who is apparently there every year; I arrive to the crowd and he rushed forward and addressed me, "Mother!" Apart from my look of horror and surprise, he has done this to several other people, so each time he has the audience in hysterics.

Books
Hay on Wye.
Edinburgh Book Festival.
London Jewish book week in London.

Writers
The summer season's highlights include
Writers in Winchester:
I've never been but I know people who have taught and those who gone as would be best sellers. Some of them are proud to have won prizes. Another won her first fiction book deal as a result and has written more.

Writers Holiday
at Fishguard in Wales (seaside hotel, fab food, still time to attend for just a day or more this week),
Facebook pages tell me that it's the birthday of poetry course leader, Alison Chisholm, this week. Also Writers Holiday is celebrating 30 years.

Fishguard Bay Hotel, Fishguard, Wales, overlooking the sea.

Venue for writing courses in spring, summer and autumn

www.writersholiday.net

Writer's Summer School
at the Hayes Conference Centre, in Swanwick, Derbyshire;
a real buzz and so many courses. Same format, at least two main courses, morning and afternoon, after tea, evening main speakers. Midweek outing by coach for a small fee and DIY group alternative activities.
swanwickwritersschool.org.uk

Storytellers
Storytelling courses: A friend of mine goes to several, says, weekends and whole weeks. Some of them are open microphone events on a sign up basis. Sometimes it's lucky dip names drawn from a hat. One recent event had an impromptu session when everybody had to tell story about a mouse. Strangely, everybody has a story about a mouse. If you are last on the list of a first some first served event there's the danger the a VIP will walk in and be allocated your slot.

One or two events are like American folk singing and song writing contests and get togethers, and Glastonbury, lots of happenings in tents and grand marquees. She says if you don't want to overnight in a tent, pick a nearby hotel or bed and breakfast place. She and her husband walk or catch the bus to the storytelling centre each day.

Speakers and Speaking Contests
Toastmasters International groups worldwide have their contests and visitors are welcome but you need to contact the president of each club and the directors of each area (see Find a club website) because dates and times and venues may change. For example, they need bigger premises than usual and may move meetings to the weekend.

Dinner Dramas and Networking
I went a day early to Fishguard. One of the jollier suggestions was that we could diet by using smaller plates at buffets, and plates of red of blue (the speaker could not remember which) helped a diet.

Over dinner another new friend told me an alarming real life story about her friend, an author, who escaped a husband; she stayed with friends before moving overseas. The ex-husband heard she'd stayed with the friends and burned their house down. Despite this awful story, we managed to spend a delightful evening telling all the dramas in our lives and those of friends and acquaintances.

Socialising and Stories
Humour all day from breakfast onwards. One lady in a lovely dress says that her pink dress will turn blue later in the week. For a moment we are all silent digesting this information. She dashes off to collect her mixed grill and we debate what she meant. I presume she has a second dress in blue which she will wear later in the week. Another person suggests maybe because it's so hot the wearer will wear the dress all week and her sweat will turn it blue.

When the wearer returns, suggest that she could wear the dress twice in one day, and we could all pretend that the dress has changed colour. To amuse or confuse other writers. She could tell an unsuspecting person that the local porridge makes your eyes go funny, so you see blue instead of pink. Then she could dash to the ladies and change into the other dress. (We must be drunk from last night because we are soon in hysterics over this plan.

Assorted suggestions for variations include the emperor's new clothes (based on the Hans Anderson short story) when one person comes to breakfast wearing nothing, whilst the rest of us pretend that she is beautifully dressed. The girl who suggests this does not volunteer to be the names writer at breakfast.

Authors' Highs and Lows
A top author is upset at being accused of plagiarism. A thriving author tell me how twitter has such an effect on her sales, that when she stops tweeting sales go down, so she pays somebody to keep her tweets going out when she is away at a writing course of on holiday. She reckons it's worth the money and effort to do the marketing, having spend so much time on historical research, the book cover design and more.

Over breakfast a poet tells me her stories of working as a carer for schizophrenics. I am curious as to how you know when to commit them and when they can stay in their homes for day care. Decisions have to be made about when a person needs one carer, or two to manage their condition and daily life.   Are they safe to themselves, the carer, the public, or when sectioned, to fellow patients.

Apparently its damage to the front lobe which makes people aggressive. Aggressive people can be managed by distraction and activities as well as soothing and conversation. (And music.)

I mention that even apparently 100% coping and sane people can get aggressive when thwarted or their routine is disrupted. Many groups run by or for writers and other creatives, are run more successfully by the scientific and meticulous personality. The OCDC type starts and end the meeting on time. The creatives arriver half an hour late and turn up to a poetry reading with the first chapter of a novel. I confess to being a creative, struggling to be organised and actually keep to a deadline, write to a brief, or self-start with no commission.

Converting Your Life Story Into A Novel
My confidant tells me that she is well organised. She had trouble with a pharmacist who gave a catheter for a female to be delivered to a nurse in charge of a male patient. My friend pointed out that a catheter for a woman is a different size and will be painful for a man. On another occasion my friend challenged the pharmacist who had given the wrong pills to a man. The wrong hormones would have been fine for a woman, but would have made the man's breasts grow. When she pointed out that the pharmacist himself would not have liked the side effects, luckily he saw the funny side. He agreed to check that his young assistants always checked the prescription given by the doctor was correct for the ex of the person for whom it was prescribed.

She also had to cancel hospital appointments made for clients who were no longer alive. (I had a story about that from my late uncle who was sent eye tests.

Because of confidentiality, she would have to publish her memoirs as fiction. I envisage her writing her story as if the heroine, based on herself, is looking after a brother and sister. All the events which happened to different 'clients' are then attributed to this fictional and non-existent pair of siblings.

All the above was written before this year's writing holidays and the autumn speakers' contests. I think I shall have enough material for being either a humorous speaker or a contest chair person.

The Tailor and The Spy
Finally, I have the courage to mention to one of my friends my own forthcoming novels. I mention that the first will be called The Tailor and The Spy. Somebody says it might be too similar title to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy. I don't think so. The titles are different.  The plots are different. May book is set in 1880. Besides, a title cannot be copyrighted. The difference in author distinguishes it.

See
writersholiday.net

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, speaker.
Forthcoming books:
The Tailor and the Spy (supposedly copies are in the post to me)
The Tailor's Travels

See my profiles and writings on Facebook and LinkedIn; performances on YouTube, books on amazon.com and lulu.com

Starting to Read Welsh on stations - then Learning Welsh Online

A month ago I looked at the Duolingo list of languages and was quite surprised to see Welsh (and not yet Greek). I thought, how many people want to learn Welsh? I suppose people living in Wales, especially those in schools, teaching Welsh, learning Welsh, in a bilingual school, which has bilingual notices, or government offices producing leaflets in the Welsh language.

However, this month I too a train to Wales, seeing Welsh on the train, Welsh signs on stations, leaflet in both languages. Immediately my interested in learning Welsh became intense, as strong as my desire to find a toilet (what's Welsh for toilet) and drinking water (what's Welsh for drinking water), not to mention changing onto the right train (what's Welsh for train?).

I picked up two Welsh language leaflets, one on the station and another on the Severn Crossing.

Duo lingo Welsh
As soon as I got a wifi connection (how do you say Wifi in Welsh) in my hotel (what's Welsh for hotel?) I logged onto Duolingo and signed up for Welsh. I have just done my first short lesson in Welsh. (I also discovered that the Duolingo website has rotating flashcards which you can use to test yourself. They pop up one at a time. That's a bit less daunting than the Review after each lesson.

It starts by asking you to match the words for morning and night with pictures.
Night - n o s  same initial letter
morning bore (I think of the English word starting with b, breakfast, or Break of Day. Is breakfast the most boring meal of the day?)
afternoon - p r y n h a w n - initial p as in P.M. (Latin for post meridian, after the middle of the day) last letter is n in both afternoon and prynhawn

Duo lingo Review
But the advantage of the review is that if you read the review of often 6 to 12 card all on the screen together, you can revise all the answers by reading to the end as they ask you to translate one way and then the other.

Mini Dictionary of Welsh
Regarding Welsh words here are some of my findings, with a little help from DuoLingo and a lot of hard work translating one word at a time on Google translate I shall fill in this list today:

English-Welsh
and - a
bus
brickwork - bricwaith
chocolate
coffee
drinking water
entrance
exit
ferry
gents (toilet)
ladies (toilet)
minutes - mind
no smoking
not
now
port
power  - p w e r
sandwich
station
tea
the
to
toilet
train - trên
what time?
where
where (is)
who
wifi
work - g w a i t h

Place names
Cardiff - Caerdydd
England
Fishguard
London - Llundain
Newport - Casnewydd
Scotland
Swansea
Ireland
Wales - Cymru

Welsh - English
a - and
am
ar - be
Caerdydd - Cardiff
Cymru - Wales
er
i
in -
Llundain - London
m i n u d - minutes (spaces because auto correct prefers minus to m i n u d)
t w n n e l - tunnel
y
yn - in

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

Safe fire exit from hotel buildings and bedrooms

After a fire in a holiday hotel I started trying to book rooms at hotels and conferences on the ground floor (which Americans call 1st floor) or the 1st floor (which Americans call second floor). 

Since that time, smoking had become illegal in bedrooms in UK hotels and although originally you had separate rooms reserved for smokers indoors, now smoking is forbidden in most public places where people work or pass though. Major causes of fires are kitchen fires and smoking, especially smoking in bed, when the smoker is likely to fall asleep leaving a cigarette burning in an ash tray or waste paper bin. So the ban on smoking in bedrooms benefits everybody.

1 Check fire escapes.

2 Check fire extinguishers and smoke alarms and gas leak detectors.

3 If needed, buy fire extinguishers or alerts or fire blankets for kitchens and bedrooms for your own rent-out property (or home swap).

4 Note assembly areas in the nearby car park. (I have always wondered whether a car park is a good place to stand in a fire. Ok if it's empty. 

(We once drove out of a car park in a hurry on New Year's Eve, I think it was in Prague, when cars in a large car park were crammed close together and several people started letting off rockets and sparklers near our car and other car engines.)

After

It is a surprise to me to see smoking on balconies banned. I did see recently that somebody was send off a ship after smoking on a ship's balcony. The problem with smoking on balconies whether on a ship or in a hotel is that a gust of wind can send the smoke into nearby windows where people inhale it and worse still carry a lit, half lit or supposedly stubbed out cigarette in through a nearby window or open door where it can start a fire.

Exit Directions

On the back of a bedroom door in hotels in the USA, UK and Europe and most parts of the world you are likely to see either directions as to what to do, how stop stay put and signal to attract attention,  and / or how to get out in the case of a fire. (In some areas you will also see directions on what to do in the case of a flood or tsunami, or just any emergency.)

Advice I have read includes:

Take your door key in case the star or exit is blocked or smokey and you need to return to your room. (You also need to get back in if it's a false alarm and reception is busy helping others.)

You are usually advised not to delay your exit by gathering valuables. I leave the door key by the door. Some hotels handily have a slot or hook by the door handle containing the key or key card. If not, I put the key on the floor where I will tread on it on exiting. I also like to keep my shoes or slippers either under the bed at the pillow end or by the exit.

Advice on staying in the room might include:

Check the door handle to be sure it is not hot before opening to be sure the fire and smoke are not too near.

1Block the gap under the door with a rolled up towel to stop smoke getting in. 

2 Soak towels and bedding with water to make them less combustable and a flexible shape to block holes which might let in smoke.

3 Removing sheets to make ropes for climbing.

4 Throwing out cushions or mattresses to create a softer landing.

5 Writing a notice in big letters in black felt tip pen (or pen, paint, shoe polish, lipstick, eyeliner, nail varnish, whatever you can find, on white paper, A4 sheets taped together, white pillowcases, saying help, SOS, or an appeal for help in English or another language. You could also draw the number of people in stick figures. 

Exit Map

The map may helpfully mark your hotel bedroom in colour You can then count the number of rooms to the dire exit. I looked and noticed a slight step up between my room and a fire exit. If i had to get out in a hurry in darkness, or smoke, I might trip, so it was a good thing I was aware of that hazard. 

You could also try walking to the exit with your eyes shut or wearing a blindfold (with somebody watching as you do it to stop you if you veer towards an obstacle or to the top of a flight of stairs. You can also note when the fire drill is due to take place.

If you are making an announcement in a hotel or conference you might want to warn people of the regular fire drill at, for example, 11 am on a Monday or a Friday. You might also add that any fire alarm outside these times is not merely a drill but the real thing.

Although a drill might be simply to test that the bells are working, often it is to check that all guests as well as prominent and temporary staff are familiar with procedure. Knowing what to do also helps in a real emergency to keep people calm because they have taken the route before and to save confusion and speed the process. 

It also teaches you whom is in command, who needs help, and what you need to take with you.  

Read up on the latest information from fire brigades, hotels, transport and websites in your area.

You can buy folding rope fire ladders to fix and carry with you in your luggage.

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

Safe Emergency Exit From Trains

I was sitting on a train on the line to and from Wales from Paddington, London, England. The reason why I'm spelling out the location in detail is that there's a London in Canada. This morning I had a conversation with a lady who said she had moved to Boston and I thought she meant USA, but she was referring to the East of England. So, I'm on a train between London, UK, and Wales.

The emergency exit signs are on both sides of the carriage where I am sitting. The one on my side is in Welsh, a language I do not understand.

The English language sign is obscured by the luggage of the lady beside it; she has a large double bass or double something.

So I move to the next carriage where a couple beside the sign are preventing me from getting close enough to read it. The signs should be bigger.

I have photographed the sign and now, later and off the train I have time to read what it says. Useful advice.

This advice would apply on many trains and vehicles.
1 Stay on the train if safe to do so and wait for instructions from staff. If necessary, move to an adjoining carriage.

2 If you need to get off, look for other trains approaching on the track side and try to get off on the side away from the track.

3 Don't jump off but sit on the floor before 'jumping' down (I presume to reduce the distance between your feet and the ground - and enable you to slide slowly to reduce distance further and reduce impact).

(Assuming you won't get trampled by people behind! Ask your gym teacher to show you how to fall and roll to reduce impact and injury when forced to jump from a height or falling accidentally. If you don't have a gym teacher, research this on line.)

4 My additional advice: If you get on a train early, read the emergency exit notices before people sit beside the signs and obscure instructions. The pictures may show you where and how to break glass to reach emergency handles. Another diagram may show how to open doors manually when the power is turned off. Also which direction to turn the handles. Right or left, clockwise or anticlockwise, up or down or backwards or forwards.

If you speak a second language such as French or Spanish, mentally translate the instructions, then look up online any words you don't know. That way, in an emergency, you will be able to instruction others.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Intu Shopping Centres Around UK Expanding, Watford exhibition of photos shows

Intu exhibition of photos in Watford shows developments around the UK.

If you thought your local Intu was the only one, there are several more. All our being redeveloped.

Here's the one which caught my eye. A Sea Life aquarium and Lego Discovery at Intu Trafford Centre.

A new modern look.

Bright and spacious, like it is now, but even better.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

America in the 18oos - wagons, trains and the Donner party

When I went to the USA in the 1900s I heard about American history. The British were fond of saying, "America has no history." Absolutely not true.

The Donner Party
One of the dramatic stories I heard for the first time when I visited the USA was about the Donner party disaster. When was it? I just looked it up. 1846.

I am now writing a novel set in 1880, the time when my great grandfather in Europe would have been deciding whether to emigrate from Lemberg (Lvov, or Lviv) in Ukraine, to the UK or USA? What would have influenced his decision? How fast could he have travelled?

The pioneer Donner party were travelling overland to California, in a series of wagons.

The journey would have taken four to six months. That wasn't from New York to California. That was just the last leg of the journey.

Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is a place everybody has hard of. Most tourists see the city but don't think much about the salt or the lake. The Donner party got caught in the salt flats which took much longer to cross than they'd expected. My family read a book about this and recall reading, "The people ran out of water. The wagons got bogged down in the salt. The horses went mad from dehydrating after licking on the salt."

One man killed another and was sent off to ride alone into the wilderness. He said. He survived.

Snow
The others were caught up in the winter snow before they could cross the mountains. Out of water and food. They started dying.

Cannibalism
The survivors resorted to cannibalism.


Railway Revolution
So what was the situation a couple of decades later? The railways were the revolution. America built more railways than anywhere else in the world.

In the time of my great grandfather, a train from New York could travel, leaving New York state on a Monday, arriving by Thursday night.

Travel Time
As my family point out, trains could travel overnight. Horses and drivers of wagons had to stop every night.

Only the rich travelled in comfort. According to an article in Wikipedia, the rich might be on business or pleasure, sitting in style on padded seats, made up into padded beds at night.

Seating and Bedding
The poorer emigrants sat on wooden benches. They slept at night on the wood, I presume. Even so a lot better than the wagon trains 1946.

Comfortable Modern Trains
Now you can travel in style by train, in cars designed to give grand views to tourists who are not in a hurry, across the USA or Canada. Again, its a scenic and comfortable journey, if you can afford it.

Cheaper By Bus?
I travelled on a Greyhound bus as a student. I loved it. I would not do that now. Even so, it's a lot better by bus than overland like the Donner party.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
Author of twenty books. To be published shortly: The Tailor And The Spy; The Tailor's Travels.

Italian Coffee? Can you name a Coffee? Espresso. Lavazzo.

Can you name an Italian coffee? Espresso. Lavazzo. Lavazzo is the one I have seen most often advertised by their signboards on the pavement (US word sidewalk) outside coffee shops in NW London. At the Business Centre near the Angel station in Islington, one of the sponsors of the event was Lavazzo and they held tasting events in one of two talks areas.

Registering and Seating Mistake
My business partner and I arrived too early to register. After registering I wanted to take my place early, knowing that on previous occasions I had arrived late and got no seat. I made the mistake of allowing myself to be persuaded to use my time going to see a few stalls, and wandered like an arrow away from the  area instead of circling it and watching as the seats filled up and going in when half of them were full.

Although my business partner wanted to save me a seat, two people from the Lavazza company or area took seats which the organiser had allocated to guests. Despite registering, that was not enough effort on my part. The limited number of seats went to those registered on a first come first served basis. My partner phoned me but by the time I raced back along the hall no seats were left. I tried to ask a nearby stall holder if I could borrow a seat. He said he needed it for anybody who turned to talk to me. But I could sit on it until somebody turned up. I thanked him and sat down.

I had a seat. But I was too far to hear the speaker. So I went and stood on the side of the workshop.

Entertaining Talk Mentioned Croissants
I enjoyed the talk. I already knew the story of the Turkish invaders, who were supposedly discovered tunneling into Vienna, and thwarted, and the bakers celebrated by baking a croissant, in the shape of the crescent on the Turkish flag. (If the Turks had won, perhaps the canny bakers would have sold the croissant for the opposite reason. Since many people say the story is a myth, as somebody once said to me, quoting a common quotation phrase, why let the truth get in the way of a good story.)

About half way through this entrancing  entertainment my colleague signalled to me to swap places. As he left he told me that he was annoyed that the drinks were supposed to be paired but that was not happening early enough, nor in time to serve hot coffee with the food selection offered.

Hot and Cold Coffee
The solo drinks machine served three cups at a time, so the tables were given drinks one table at a time. It took at least ten minutes to serve all the tables.  (It was in plastic disposable containers the size of espresso cups and half full as is normal size for espresso in Italy.) By the time the speaker finished his lengthy introductions and suggested matching the first set of coffee with the food the coffee of those served first had gone cold.

Food Pairing
The food selection was liquorice, figs, milk and dark chocolate. The two big surprises for me were the food and the coffee.

I Applaud Iced Coffee
By the time I arrived the first three coffees, black coffees, originally hot drinks had been drunk by my colleague. What I got was a later serving of an iced milky coffee which seemed to have a frothy top. It was delicious. And it went perfectly with the liquorice. The liquorice was in cylinders like the sort which used to come in L i c  o r i  c e Allsorts.

Delights of Soft Liquorice
The brand name for the UK confectionary should be L i q u o r i c e  All sorts (only one space before the capital A). I am using spaces to defeat the spellchecker which despite my ignoring suggestions which flash up and flash off before I can click on the x to reject suggestions, has once so far succeeded in changing the word to Louise when I was not watching.)

Unlike the UK confectionary, which had hard liquorice, the one served by Lavazzo was sort. Unlike the hard one which I did not like, the soft one was wonderful. I would like to know where to buy it. When I find out, I shall tell you in a post on this website Travel with Angela Lansbury on blogger.com

Look for Lavazzo Cups
My colleague had noticed and taken a goodie bag under the table containing information on Lavazza, samples of coffee and one small porcelain coffee cup, Italian espresso size. I was disappointed not to get a complimentary cup. It means at a break from work only one of us gets the cup, or we use it in succession. But he said he likes a larger espresso serving anyway.

Espresso All Day in England
Another interesting finding from the talk by the chef promoting Lavazzo, was that although in Italy it is still the fashion to have espresso only as an after dinner pick me up in the evening, in the UK espresso in drunk earlier in the day, after lunch and even at breakfast time. (In coffee shops as well as at home.)

Coffee Shops Make Good Business
We also heard the history of coffee shops. When they started, as is often the case now, people met to have business over coffee. One of the coffee shops, Lloyds, became what is now still the biggest insurance company in the UK. Another coffee shop became Sotheby's selling, auctioning antiques and high price furniture and furnishings.

Coffee Eclipsed By Tea
Tea was introduced and took over as the drink of choice, as you will see in British WWI and WWII films where in time of trouble or dramatic comedy the heroes and heroines of the day sit down to chat and recover over a 'nice cup of tea'. But in our era coffee has again become a favoured drink after dinner and throughout the day.

Coffee Revival
To my surprise I did not like any of the sweet chocolate or fruits with a strong coffee. They seemed to me to match a sweet coffee. You should try this at home. Match up your dark and light and strong black or weak, sweet white coffees with dad and light chocolate and figs and soft liquorice.

To sum up, the things I learned were:
1 The Italians still drink espresso after evening dinner in tiny cups. Lavazzo produce small Italian size espresso cups so look for them when Lavazzo put on a promotion.
2 The croissant is supposedly an imitation of the crescent on the Turkish flag when Viennese bakers celebrated surviving a threatened invasion.
3  Arrive early at workshops.
4 Look around or ask for a take home 'goody bag'.
5 Taste and buy soft liquorice.
6 Make at home or order in coffee bars and restaurants a cold, frothy sweet white coffee made from Lavazzo coffee.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Silver and gold almonds, for celebrations at home and overseas - arguments for and against

Silver and gold covered almonds were one of the most eye-catching features I saw at the Italian food and beverage promotion show.

Special Occasions
Silver or gold covered almonds. Look stunning. When would you need them? Ideal for a wedding, anniversary, dinner party, bar or bat mitzvah, christening, confirmation, birthday party, Xmas party, Xmas gift or hamper, annual works dinner, Valentine's Day, Engagement party, romantic dinner a deux.

Colours
Colour schemes I envisage for a wedding or special occasion are all gold or all silver, as was shown on their stand. Or for an opulent themed wedding, mixed silver and gold. For more colour, silver and royal blue, or silver pink and purple, or green and gold, or red and gold.

Pros and Cons
I look for two opposite qualities in food and life and things to write about: the first is novelty, amusement, pretty pictures, bigger, better or never seen before, news worthy and memorable. That's what news and features is all about. Secondly I look for healthy. (And it's opposite, unhealthy!)

You could argue that sugar coated almonds fit into both categories.  The almonds are nutritionally good by reputation, and some studies show they help reduce weight by filling you up with the good things, including protein.

Treats
Treats by their nature are for special occasions, not everyday. You might argue that sugar is not good for you. If you have brittle bones and fragile teeth, you might worry that hard coating grind down your teeth or risk cracking your teeth. Then instead of biting them, suck them.

Can't Please Everybody
I was delighted with my discovery, and disappointed when somebody on another stand (was it organic food - I can't remember) asked what I had found, then sneered, "Silver coloured almonds - is that the best thing you could find!"

Her remark really brought home to me the contrast between what different people want out of life and on different occasions.

You might not want to eat sugar all day every day. But you might want silver coloured almonds for a special occasion, to go with a theme colour scheme.

Nut Allergy
Some people are allergic to nuts, but others, such as me, love nuts. I'm nuts about nuts. I eat them with fruit every day.

I'm allergic to shellfish. I avoid preserved meats. But other people love salamis. I'm partial to the occasional frankfurter. Chocolates are bad for you or good for you, depending on whether you think a little of what you fancy does you good. Chocolate is bad for you or goof for you. As the old song says, 'It's immoral, it's illegal or it makes you fat'! The diet starts tomorrow.

For those of us who are delighted by the sight of confectionary, this page is for you. A delight for the eyes.

Italian Style Gift Bags
Silver and gold covered almonds are a novelty to me and many people. If you are organising a wedding in Italy, where wrapped bags of favours are given to every guest, these are ideal. I remember being a guest at an Italian wedding in the part of Switzerland near the Italian border. Sugared almonds are a novelty you can buy on line or in bulk for a wedding or celebration.

Super silver covered almonds, and gorgeous gold.

Confetti & decorazioni, luxury dragees,
www.decorazionieconfetti.Italy

 Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.