Where To Find Old England - in Charity Shops and memories

Problem
The England of today is not the England of yesterday.

Answer
You can see the England of yesterday in charity shops such as Oxfam, Barnado's and St Luke's. Wedgwood is still made in some of the old designs. English favourite china is the willow pattern plate, which you never see in China, Hong Kong or Singapore.

The Post-war years:

TV 
Bill and Ben. Weed!
Dixon of Dock Green.  

Radio
Are you sitting comfortably? 
The Archers.

Food
Doorstep sandwiches. 

The novelty of eating Indian food for the first time. 

Going to America and finding they had more than three flavours of ice cream; in the UK you had vanilla, sometimes strawberry, and occasionally, if you were lucky, chocolate. 

Drink

See-through glass milk bottles with the cream on top. 

Making tea in a tea pot with tea leaves. 

Being shocked at a home or restaurant which used tea bags.

Money
A penny with Queen Victoria's head on it. 

Houses
Coal fires. 
Outside toilets.
The scullery. 
Granny's TV set with a magnifier in front of the screen. 
Going to Switzerland where they had duvets instead of blankets. 

Work
Printing paper with holes in the side. Posting your film to get it developed and ordering double prints. Changing a typewriter ribbon at work. 

School
School milk.
Passing the eleven plus and going to Grammar school.

Recordings
You can still buy 78 rpm records in antique shops.

Cameras
You can buy old cameras in camera shops in Central London.

Art Deco
Several areas of London have scattered art deco buildings. These include some tube stations in London. (See my previous posts on art deco.)

Museums
The Geoffrye Museum has rooms decorated in the style of various ages. (The correct spelling is G E O F F R Y E.)

Useful websites
Barnados
ebay.co.uk
Oxfam
St lukes
Youtube

Worldwide - the Salvation Army

Author
Angela Lansbury

Travel back in time to old England?

Problem
England is not the England of old films.

Where can I see old England?

1 Gibraltar.
2 New Zealand.
3 Medieval Banquets in London; Hatfield House; USA.
4 The City of London, England.
5 Walking tours of London and other cities.
6 York, England.
7 Stratford-upon-Avon - Tudor black and white gabled buildings, the real thing.
8 Old Films: The Ladykillers is a 1955 British black comedy film made by Ealing Studios.  It stars Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, Danny Green, Jack Warner and Katie Johnson as the old lady.^[1]

(More photos, websites and lists later today.)

Author
Angela Lansbury

TRANSLATING Dutch - how to start even if you don't know one word!

Problem
A Dutch sentence is on the screen in front of me. I do not know Dutch but I know about 100-200 common words of German. What does the sentence mean in English? Let's have a go, a try.

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven,en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

At first glance it means nothing. Then I took it word by word looking for one word to see if I could identify the subject.

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven,en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

The first two words are 'Een kind' . Ah! Kindergarten. Kind is German for child. German and Dutch are very similar. What is een? Either one child or a child. Now I know the general subject matter. It's about a child or children, or mankind.

As I read on the next word which makes any sense is kinderen. 

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven,en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

That must be plural for kind, children. Twee kinderen. Twee sounds like twins and three. Either two children or three children. If the sense had been one, two, three, that would have been logical. My guess is that the logical jump is from one child to two children.

At this point, even that doesn't matter. I am gaining confidence. I have the subject of the first sentence and the subject of the second sentence.

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven,en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

What is niet? It appears twice!

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven,en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

Niet is Russian for no. Long ago I saw a film featuring Goldie Hawn with the song containing the phrase: "NIET. NIET. NIET - not any more!" Niet means no. "No, no, no - not any more." The German is nicht. The common element is the letter N starting: Negative, Null, Never, No, Niet, Nicht, Neither, Nor, Nil, None, Naught.

So sentence one is a child ... not

Sentence two is about two children ... not

Look again. The word kinderen is repeated at the end!

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven, en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

A child is also repeated.

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven, en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

I can't work out the start, a child vraagt, but een kind kan - sounds like a child can!

That's very common in many laguages from Europe, K for c. C is S.

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven, en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

After the first comma, I see 'en'.  And or but? My guess is and.

We still don't have any idea what it's all about, but we are building up the sentence word by word, learning Dutch, growing in confidence.

If kan is can, and en is and, I guess that dat, which appears twice means that.

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven, en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

What else sound familiar, related to family life and the world of a child and its father and mother?

vader of moeder ? Either murder or mother? My guess is mother.

Vader of moeder? Further of murder or father of/off/or mother?

Vader of moeder - obviously father or mother!

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven, en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

Still no nearer the sense, but we are gathering a word with every re-reading.

Back to the start:

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven,

A child doesn't eat its leavened bread or a child doesn't live its life?

Leven - a noun, must be life.

Het must be his or its. Het leven, his life.

Om must be on or of.

two children 'geadopteerd' looks like adopted. 

Ge in German is the prefix, fixed ahead of the word, for the past tense. Ge-adopteerd means adopted.

Een kind vraagt niet om het leven, en een kind kan zijn vader of moeder ook niet uitkiezen.
dat is ook de reden dat ik twee kinderen geadopteerd heb als mijn eigen kinderen.

Mijn eigen kindered - my / mine own children, my / mine eye children?

I don't know eigen but I'm pretty sure mijn is mine.

Now I know that in Dutch ij is simply an i sound, so that confusing j can be ignored. IJ is simply their way of spelling i pronounced eye.

I have had enough. I am now willing to go to Google translate. Next time I see Dutch I will be able to recognize that it is Dutch, and will make an attempt at trying to get the gist of it before translating.

I'm taking a short break. Later I shall add the whole translation.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, teacher of English and other languages.Take a look at my other travel blog:
http://luxurytravelforless.co.uk

Quick Guide To What To Do Overnight in York? Chocolate, wine and ghosts

Why York?
York is one of England's, Britain's, top destinations for foreign and local visitors. Why? It is old, historic, and has everything in a compact, small city which you can walk around.

Where to park? We stayed in a hotel with parking.

You can do York as a destination in its own right or as a great stopover, driving from London, perhaps overnight in York. See it on your way up north, on your way back, or both.

We came back from Edinburgh and spent overnight in York at the Hotel du Vin where we had dinner in the hotel restaurant.

You will want to allow a morning to see York, the Shambles (pedestrian street), a chocolate shop and chocolate shop museum.

If you are only allowing a morning, or a day, check opening times and what you need to book.

Admire the walls or walk along them. See the cathedral outside, and inside.

You might want to budget for all of these and maybe a ghost tour in the evening.

Overseas visitors can take a tour of the UK including York, Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare) and Edinburgh, capital of Scotland.

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

What To See In Bonnie Scotland

Problem
What to see, when and where?
Edinburgh
Glasgow
The Lakes (side trip from Glasgow)

You have rail connections from London to Edinburgh and Edinburgh to Glasgow.

DIARY
November 30 St Andrew's Day
Dec 31 New Year's Eve
Edinburgh Festival


Burns House
Dumfries
Dumfries and GALLOWAY
Scotland

Open March to September 2018
Monday to Saturday 10 am-5 pm
Sunday 2 pm to 5 pm.

Robert Burns Centre and Film theatre.
Same as Burns House in summer (slightly different open and end of season.
October to March it is closed on Sunday and during lunch hour 1-2pm. Check website for latest times.

Sandstone house with Burns' desk and chair.

https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/robert-burns-house-p250471
For overnight in York see next post.

(In process of being updated - come back later for more.)

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

St Andrews Day and what you should know about Bonnie Scotland

November 30th every year is St Andrew's Day. 

The flag of St Andrew, which is the flag of Scotland. 

It appears currently (November 2017) as part of the Union Jack.

The Russians also celebrate St Andrew. Here's the Russian flag in Edinburgh. Photo in Wikipedia by 

St Andrew's, where a relic of St Andrew was taken for the founding of the cathedral.

St Andrew's is near Edinburgh, on the east side of Scotland.

Glossary 

Scottish - English

aye - yes

bonnie - beautiful

loch - lake

nae (pronounced nay or neigh) - no

och - oh

Scottish (born in Scotland, of Scottish parentage, holding a Scottish passport)

Scotch (short for Scotch whisky)

Famous people from Scotland

Robbie Burns - poet, author of Auld L a n g Syne (See birthplace) (Spaces inserted to thwart automatic spell checker which prefers land).

Dr Livingston - explorer and missionary (discovered by American newspaper reporter who reputedly said, "Dr Livingston, I presume?" (See museum).

Sir Walter Scott - author (See grand home).

Edinburgh has a literary trail around the old town alleys on the hillside.

Major events:

St Andrew's Day (November 30th)

Hogmanay (New Year's Eve, Dec 31st)

Burns Night (January)

Features of Scottish culture:

Bagpipes, 

Dundee cake (heavy cake with fruit inside and nuts in pattern on top - buy it in UK supermarkets especially around Xmas time, 

haggis (meat dish made from a mixture of potatoes or vegetables with meat from entrails - if you don't ask you will enjoy it, 

kilts, 

tartans, 

salmon and smoked salmon, 

shortbread,

sporrans

wool - from sheep used in jumpers and clothes. Scottish wood shops all over the UK.

Scotch Egg

So-called Scotch egg is an inexpensive pub food all over England, boiled egg in the centre of a solid sausage meat / meatball of mixed meat and breadcrumbs, with a fried breadcrumb coating, finger food. 

Story About Teaching Asians About Scotland

Most of the above information is pretty obvious to anybody over the age of fifteen who lives in the UK. However, that does not apply to visitors or readers from other parts of the world. 

I recall teaching intermediate level English to a class at a private school in Singapore. We were practising sentences such as:

Scottish people come from Scotland. 

Irish people come from Ireland.

My students from Singapore, China, Malaysia and Indonesia were doing well. I was very happy with progress, until I received the sentence which was grammatically correct but geographically nonsense, "Scottish people grow rice in Scotland - is that right, Miss?"

My answer should have been: "The word Scottish is correct for people. The word Scotland is right to describe the country. However, they do not grow rice. They have lowland hills with grass and sheep providing meat and wool. The steep mountainside have Scottish pine trees."

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

See my other travel blog: http://luxurytravelforless.co.uk

Prepare For St Andrew's Day - Thursday 30 November 2017

Flag of Scotland. St Andrew's Cross.

St Andrew's, the home of golf, is on the east coast of Scotland. The cathedral contains relics of St Andrew and the city is a 'university town'. That sounds odd, a contradiction in terms. In the UK we use the word town for a place with a small population, although technically a city is a place with a cathedral.
Problem

I associate St Andrew's Day with Scotland. But if you are running a club, you can also involve members and guests from Greece and Cyprus, Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Barbados and Tenerife, Germany and Austria.  

Wikipedia says:

Saint Andrew's Day is the feast day of Saint Andrew. It is celebrated on 30 November.

Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Cyprus, Scotland, Greece, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople,^[1] San Andres Island, Colombia, Saint Andrew, Barbados and Tenerife.

Saint Andrew's Day (Scots: Saunt Andra's Day, Scottish Gaelic: Là Naomh Anndrais) is Scotland's official national day. It is a national holiday in Romania (since 2015).

In Germany, the feast day is celebrated as Andreasnacht ("(St.) Andrew's Night"), in Austria with the custom of Andreasgebet ("(St.) Andrew's Prayer"), and in Poland as Andrzejki ("Andrew's (festivities)"), in Russia as Андреева ночь("Andrew's night").

What can you do for a Scotland theme celebration to make ex-pat Scots feel at home? Flags, kilts, maps, poetry, travelogues, national food and drink, national restaurants, patriotic poems and songs and films, stories of the saint, kings and queens, and heroes and heroines. The same goes for the other countries.

Scotland
Flag - St Andrew's Cross, white x shape cross on a blue background.

Food: Scottish shortbread. Drink: whisky; Irn Bru carbonated soft drink. Tartan. Pipers.

In preparation for the day:
Spoken Language
A wee dram. A small drink (of whisky). A euphemism for something strong you sip. (An American shot is different, a short alcoholic drink you would toss back.) Measures of spirits are always small because they are so powerful, mostly as high as 40%! Now wonder people add water or ice to whisky and add other drinks to spirits to make cocktails.

Songs

Travel In Scotland

Useful Websites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Andrew%27s_Day

https://www.scotland.org/events/st-andrews-day

Author

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

New Shoes Too Tight? Blisters? Old and New Shoes Ruined by Rain? Help!

Problem
New shoes too tight? Giving you blisters?

Medical Aid
My remedies for blisters and sores is zinc ointment for healing, padded plasters, socks. I carry stick on shoe tighteners. I always believe in having a spare pair of shoes so you can wear different pairs on alternating days, and one pair with an adjustable fastening in case your feet swell, need space consuming bandages, loose fastening so the sandals don't rub, and in case your legs and feet shrink on returning to a cold climate or into air conditioning.

Another handy protection is Micropore. I like waterproof plasters or waterproof tape so you can go swimming, not in fabric which gets wet.

On long trips or hiking trips I pack blister and heel packs. These things are inexpensive (compared with calling a doctor).  First aid and plasters are easy to find in a US drugstore or UK pharmacy, but elusive in the jungle. I had trouble trying to explain what I wanted in a supermarket selling whisky, sarongs in Cambodia. I found another shopper to translate doctor, medicines, sick, help, and buy, and was taken to aspirins and cough syrup.

Waterproof Shoe Covers
Worried that your summer white shoes will be ruined by black puddles?

If you are taking a long walk on your own (never mind looking elegant) you can keep your shoes in your bag, or a waterproof shoe bag and wear special shoes just for the journey. Or wear those overshoes from gyms and swimming pools.

Stretching and Wearing In Shoes
You probably already thought of wearing your shoes the day you bought them or the day before you travel, with a pair of large socks to stretch them. You probably have cluttering around the house cupboards (US closets) a pair of oversize stretchers to go in boots or man's size 11 shoes, even if there's no man in the house, or he wears smaller shoes.

Why wouldn't you wear in shoes? Because you want them pristine for a special occasion. Because they were a last minute purchase.

Shoe Stretchers
I inherited my shoe stretchers. Wood. They are too good to throw away or give away.

However, help is at hand from the professionals who have summed it up nicely.

SHOES OF PREY
They have handy articles on:

Stretching Shoes

Packing Shoes
Interestingly they show new shoes packed face to face. When I am packing well-worn shoes I pack them heel to heel so that the dirt sides are against each other. If I have time, I wash heels. I often wash the heels of shoes before bringing them into the house, even if I am not wearing them in the house. But you need time for them to dry out.

Washing Shoes
I have shoes which are supposed to be machine washable. I don't trust my washing machine, even with the shoes in a protective net bag.

But I have had great results washing shoes by hand. (I've also seen suggestions that you wash shoes in a dishwasher - not with dishes but a separate wash.) Obviously this is only for washable shoes. Washing the outsides only is possible when hand washing.

You don't want the wet insides of shoes going mouldy. Coming in from the rain, when shoes are already wet, you might was well rinse them in clean cold water.

Then how to dry them?

You can buy leather restorer.

Storing Shoes
I had already discovered the trick of photographing your shoes. I have stuck shoe photos on the outsides of shoe boxes, not because the shoe boxes had blank outsides, but because the shoe boxes already had pictures of shoes and the shoes inside did not match the pictures. I might have muddled up the contents, or thrown away shoes long ago (after the heels disintegrated in the heat!) I also have big shoe boxes which now contain two small pairs of shoes.

When packing in a suitcase, I like to pack shoes around the edges, soles out to protect the suitcase contents and keep the outside of the case rigid. My instinct is to use waterproof, plastic bags. Shoes of prey recommends breathable bags (for long-term storage).

I once had a soft-sided suitcase wet from rain. On another occasion a bottle or spirits broke inside a suitcase. I like to keep every item protected from items alongside and outside, especially a pale coloured outfit for a summer wedding. I don't pack black clothes alongside white dresses or shoes, certainly not without two layers of separating fabric or bag.

I always save airline socks. You just never know when you might need them.

Waterproofing
In London, many shoe shops such as Clarks and Timpsons stock spray-on waterproofing canisters. The Shoes of Prey site warns you to check whether your shoes are suitable for this kind of spray.

Measuring Shoe Heights

This is a wonderful guide. Such a lovely explanation of how shoe heights affect your feet and the shape of the shoe.

Useful Website

https://www.shoesofprey.com/style-help/7470749250/how-to-store-your-shoes-at-home?utm_campaign=2017_11_26_P_How_to_Store_Your_Shoes

Shoes of Prey Inc. 
1221 2nd St Suite 300, Santa Monica, CA 90401 USA

Author
Travel writer and photographer

Christmas Lights in Trafalgar Square, Regent Street and Carnaby Street, London

Problem

I have London friends and family going to Edinburgh, Scotland or Singapore, whilst my Singaporean friends are coming to London. What will visitors to London see? What will visitors to Singapore see?

London: Trafalgar Square fountains and the Norway spruce tree, given in gratitude for help in wartime (WWII). Underneath carol singers gather and sing and collect money for charity. Photo from Wikipedia.

Lights in London, 2017 and the red London buses. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Lights in London. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Where Oxford Street and Regent Street meet, look for pedestrianised Carnaby Street.

Lights in Carnaby Street. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Special Meals on airlines - should you order them? What you get - or don't get!

Problem
I often forget to order a special meal.

Solution
On my most recent flight I ordered a special meal. That was a mistake.

Special Meals
I had ordered a special meal, no fish. I won't do that again. I don't eat crustaceans nor molluscs. But I love smoked salmon. Once I ordered the no fish meal and was denied a meal with a smoked salmon starter!

Another year went past. I didn't order a special meal again. However, every now and then I'm on a flight where everybody gets prawns in the starter, and sometimes shellfish in the main course too. So I think, I must remember to book a special meal.

What's the advantage? You can be sure of getting what you need if you have an allergy.

Your meal should come up slightly quicker!

On the other hand, you have only one set meal. If you stick with the regular menus you have a choice of two or three main courses, and two types of breakfasts.

What was wrong this time (November 2017)? I had chicken plus a spicy sauce or puree vegetable. Hey, man, woman, chef, those of us who are allergic to shellfish are sensitive types. We are likely to be sensitive to spicy food as well.

The rest of the passengers, the uncomplaining, easygoing no-fuss passengers, who accepted regular meals, were offered the opportunity of Chicken Kiev - my favourite!

Luckily I was travelling as one of a couple, so I did a bit of nifty shifting, food swapping. I said, "I'll give you half my food, which is early, if I can have half of yours later?"

What was good? My special meal ended with a fruit salad. I have become a fruitarian. Fresh fruit. When I was a child I considered that dull. Now, I'm careful, after two members of my family have been on special diets. One late relative was on a diet to combat late-onset diabetes, no sugar in desserts. Another relative is in remission from cancer, no processed foods.

Speaking of which, as a mid-flight snack, I was offered crisps, pastrami - which is a processed meat. No chocolate or cereal bar. No piece of fresh fruit.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Menu mix-up on an airline - if this is the Shanghai menu I'm on the wrong plane!

Welcome Aboard
Welcome about Singapore Airlines. The crew were charming and delightful. However, they must have been a new crew, because ...

Random Menus
A new, keen, but clueless crew. I filled in a survey I was handed. I gave them top marks for friendliness, willingness and speed.

I read the menu, although I was having the special meal, to find out what I was missing.

After fifteen minutes perusing, I started trying to work out which direction are we flying? I always get half way through, then find I am reading tomorow's breakfast or my return flight's dinner.

Menu designers should produce menus printed one way up for each direction, with a different symbol or colour on the back or the front.  The crew can then ensure you are getting the menu for nearest meal, not a later meal.

I think I've seen that in magazines and menus on a cheap airline such as Ryan Air. I remember thinking, it can't be that expensive. If a cheap airline can afford the time to organise it, so can the more expensive airlines.

Then should I realised that Singapore Airlines had given me the menu for Shanghai. I was not going to Shanghai. Nor was anybody else on my flight.

Other people also received the wrong menu. Our flight attendant raced up and down trying to retrieve the wrong menus.

I tensed, waiting, warily, for the pilot to come on air and say, "We are en route to Shanghai, oops, sorry, Singapore. It's my first day on this route - in fact any route!"

I must save that story for one of my stand-up comedy turns, or a humorous speech. I feel a funny poem brewing.

When I am evaluating a speech and a speaker apologises because 'it is my first speech,' I tell them: "The audience does not want to hear it's your first speech. That revelation makes them sit on the edge of their chair worrying that you are going to burst into tears and run off stage in the middle.

"A speaker is piloting the audience, like the pilot on the plane. The people sitting in the seats do not want to hear. 'Hi, folks, it's my first time!' "

I think the airline staff gave out a random set of menus to everybody. Very pretty menu cover. I fancied the Shanghai menu, considered switching flights. Only joking.

Note to printers, add the name of the route on cover. No, that would cost them to print different covers for every flight.

No harm done.

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

Almonds, Marzipan, Stollen and Costa Almond Slice, for home and away on a trip

Almond Centre Stollen
We packed marzipan centred Stollen from Waitrose for an overseas trip. Marzipan is a mixture of ground almonds and sugar. We packed it in a cool box which was checked in so that it went into the hold - no chance of upsetting anybody in the cabin with our nuts.

Stollen has a wonderful, sweet, almond paste centre. Cheers you up for breakfast or elevenses to accompany your wake-up coffee on arrival at a hotel bedroom, hotel suite, second home or home.

Costa Almond Slice
A cheap alternative is almond slices from Costa. You might be lucky and get them at the airport. The slices are so full of almonds - and sugar. My favourites. Very calorific.

Not what I want - too much candied and coloured peel, real nuts, not ground nuts, no centre, no paste. But you might like it. 

Where will you find Stollen? Probably near the Christmas puddings in a British supermarket.

I see some tempting offers. Christmas cake for us, or visitors in the UK or overseas. 

Waitrose stollen bites. This is good portion control. Stops somebody taking a huge slice. Enables you to ensure each guest gets one. Or dole them out for elevenses and / or tea time for a whole weak. However, we found the smaller slices might go dry - if you keep them longer than two minutes after opening the box!

DIY stollen using a kit. Photo by Angela Lansbury

Here's a home made kit we bought one year from Tesco. It was interesting to learn how a stollen was made.  All the currants, sultanas and peel and so on in a pack. Mix them in. Roll up the pastry. Cook, just the right time.

Tesco discontinued that the following year. Frankly, less effort and better result to buy it ready made.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Update 2021 Dec About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Caviar At Heathrow - or gourmet picnics?

Problem
What do you order for a special occasion? A birthday, wedding or wedding anniversary. Or if you are a special person for whom every day is a special occasion?

Caviar
Heathrow had a Caviar shop in the departures area. Caviar to take with you, to brighten Christmas, or brighten your arrival, treat or amuse your hosts and their other guests - if your hosts like caviar.

You have to know your audience. We took caviar to hosts we were staying with for a week in Singapore. Unfortunately, the Australian friends was away and his new girlfriend, Singaporean Chinese was not keen and not impressed. She ate out a lot and didn't open it. Their diet was Asian food. All four of us had separate meals.

Eventually, we decided the unopened jar was sitting in their hot kitchen and we wondered if it had an expiry date. We opened it and gave them some. They were interested.

After that we cooked them some food. Then they cooked us some food. We had just got the catering sorted when it was time to leave. The moral is, write and offer them two or three choices of food. Some people would love to try caviar. They would have extra days of pleasure anticipating receiving it. You could read the company website in advance to work out what you want to buy. Or, if buying for somebody else, ask them to make a shortlist so you can select from it something which is in stock

(Saying it wasn't in stock is also a polite way of picking something within your budget. If the gift recipient picks something too pricey, look for a special offer. If they pick something too cheap, buy them extra in bulk, or both items on their list.)

Russians will tell you that the best caviar comes from Russia. What is caviar? Eggs from fish.

Cheap So-called Caviar?
Can I get cheaper 'caviar'. Yes, sometimes in supermarkets. Basically, the best or real caviar is from specific large fish, resulting in large eggs, often black. Small eggs from other fish can be dyed bright orange and sold in little pots in supermarkets. I must admit I like the cheap fish roe. Sometimes real caviar is sold cheaper after Christmas in the January sales.

Caviar House and Prunier.

They also have a restaurant in France. What do I fancy? Pink salmon and pink champagne.

https://www.caviarhouse-prunier.com

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

How To Deal With Spilled Yogurt On An Airline Seat

Problem
I am sitting in an airline seat and I feel something wet. Oh, my goodness. Is it stress incontinence, diarrhoea, am I disintegrating, having an abortion or miscarriage from the fifty year old baby, or what?

The good news is that I am not leaking. The bad news is that I have found a yogurt pot containing only a little of the contents.

I must have had a yogurt with breakfast. The collecting was so fast and efficient that they were grabbing my plate before I had finished. I must have kept the yogurt and lost it. Just before landing, I discovered I was sitting on it. Yes, strawberry or similar yoghurt, all over my caftan, my silk skirt and slip - plus the seat.

Protective clothing
Incidentally, the protective caftan on top of the skirt was a good idea. I had felt daft, wearing two layers of skirt. However, I am not alone in this. Muslim women all wear umpteen layers of clothing. This recent incident confirmed common sense, that a washable top layer protects the clothes underneath.

The staff were very efficient. The male steward gave me two hot towels heated in the galley microwave. By the time I came out of the toilet, wet, but free from yogurt stains and smells, another crew member was wiped off the seat.

I had already forgotten about the seat. Of course, they had not. Evidently, I am not the first and only person ever to have sat on a yogurt, or other liquids, on a plane seat.

She suggested that I use the blanket on the wet seat. I agreed. I didn't want to be a wet blanket. Goodness, I have just noticed another metaphor whose practical meaning I had previously never noted.

Lessons Learned From Squashed Yogurt Pot
I have always wanted my travels and life to be a shining beacon to others, not a terrible warning of what not to do. I admit it, you can learn from me to finish your yogurt immediately and never save it.

Author

Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, Angela Lansbury.
See my other posts on this blog and:
http://luxurytravelforless.co.uk

Chocolate Orange Ice Cream From Devon at Ocado, Found on Singapore Airlines

Problem
We are all travelling from the past and to the future, but what can we eat to energise and reduce the stress of time-critical travel? When you are completely passive, only two things can be controlled at an airport and on a place, one is the film watched on board and the other is the food!

We hurried to the Singapore Airlines Lounge for a free top up breakfast. It's free. But, heavens - we pay enough on flights. We deserve it.

The lounge was offering a colourful, tempting range of fruit juices. The usual orange colour orange juice, and pale apple, and pink grapefruit. I look for something new and different. I tried the bland but refreshing cucumber. Finally elderflower.

The smoothies were equally delightful. You could choose a red one or a green one. Strawberry and beetroot.

Ice Cream
I tried the Singapore Sling ice cream. The colour was pale pink. It didn't taste of much. But it was Okay. The original alcoholic drink contains cherry brandy, not much fruit in it, I suspect.

However, a good, suitable flavour to choose for Singapore Airlines, the name more exciting than the flavour. An advance taste of a holiday in Singapore.

Finally, on board the Singapore Airlines plane, to finish the meal, orange and chocolate ice cream.  It arrived rock hard. Never mind. That's better than half melted.

Chocolate orange was one of those flavours you lick every morsel and remember it hours, days later. As Shakespeare said, all's well that ends well.

I cannot feel anything except great gratitude to an airline which provides chocolate orange ice cream. First, the joy of the eating. Second, the ongoing improvement to life the airline has introduced me to a new flavour and a new brand.

More importantly, and happily, I made a note of the name of the company which produces the chocolate orange ices. I kept the ice cream carton lid with their name.

If you are down in Devon, go to Salcombe Ices and try their flavours. they have another branch in Dartmouth. You can also order from Ocado, the delivery branch of Waitrose.

Useful Websites
http://www.salcombedairyices.co.uk

http://ocado.com

https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Restaurant_Review-g190768-d5814768-Reviews-Salcombe_Dairy_Ice_Cream-Salcombe_Devon_England.html

Tourist Information
http://www.salcombeinformation.co.uk

Salcombe Tourist Information Centre, Market Street, Salcombe, Devon, TQ8 8DE
01548 843927  

info@salcombeinformation.co.uk

Author
Travel writer and photographer, Angela Lansbury, author and speaker.