Celebrating With Balloons For New Year Or Any Date

Problem
What wonderful balloons - where can I get one?

Answer
These two transparent balloons were carried by children sitting on the MRT train in Singapore. Circles of light were reflected in the balloons like rainbows. The effect was magnified by the balloons being reflected in the train's windows.

The balloons were in two sizes.
One had blue led lights around it in circles.

The string of tiny lights flashed on and off and could be turned completely on and off by a switch on a hand-held battery the size of a cigarette box.

I said to my friend, "When we get home, we can check the suppliers and prices on the internet."

She took out her mobile phone.

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

When can you see New Year's Eve in Sydney and Worldwide on TV?

New Year's Eve at home. Just us and the cats. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
I want to watch the New Year's Eve celebrations on TV as soon as they start. When do they start in Sydney?

Answer
Go to SydNYE - a clever pun on Sydney and New Year's Eve.
Their website gives you a countdown a few hours ahead.

Sydney is
three hours ahead of Singapore
ten hours ahead of London
fifteen hours ahead of New York.

Top sites for celebrations include:
New Zealand - lights from the tower
Sydney, Australia - fireworks and lines of lights along Sydney harbour bridge
Hong Kong
Japan
Marina Bay, Singapore
Gibraltar
London, England - see Big Ben clock chime
Edinburgh, Scotland (where New Year is a bigger celebration than Christmas) backdrop Edinburgh Castle
Rio, Brazil
Las Vegas, USA - pedestrianised centre street party
New York, USA

Singapore
In Singapore the big celebrations are around Marina Bay over the water and you can see from skyscrapers in the Downtown (also the name of a stop on the MRT railway) and Central Business District (CBD for short).

The local newspapers, which you can read online, such as The Straits Times, and Today, report on closures of roads to car and bridges to cars and pedestrians. The police also warn that to prevent overcrowding on platforms you may experience delays when attempting to get home. So you won't necessarily be able to get into a station at ten or twenty past midnight. In London, England, the year before last, we went to the station, saw snake barriers and went back to the bar-cum restaurant and had more food and drinks. The latest trains home are posted on stations.

Free
Many local suburban areas have fireworks displays in parks near centre which are free. For example Woodlands, in the open area near the MRT station and bus station.

Rain
It rained most of the day in Singapore and was overcast, a disappointment to photographers. A complete torrential downpour at 7.40 pm. You can hear the rain pelting down.

I also wondered whether grassy areas might be muddy. So I have asked my family to watch on TV and send me photos. You will also probably be able to see photos on Facebook and other sites. Rain won't dampen our plans.

Plans
Plan your outfits, drinks and glasses - and new year wishes. If you are in Australia or Singapore you can continue watching all over again as the New Year is welcomed all over Asia, Europe and the USA.

I found it best to turn out the lights around the screen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Useful website
You tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ajEkB3zzuk New Year's Eve

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

Christmas For Vegans

Problem
What can vegans do for Christmas? When everybody else is eating turkey, pork or other meats, or fish!

Answers
Company Gifts
Some companies give employees as Christmas gifts a vegetarian alternative. For example, a vegetarian Christmas pudding.

Shopping
Mock Turkey
I haven't yet seen a mock turkey which looks like a turkey. However, you can buy several brands of mock meat roll with stuffing in US supermarkets. Americans tend to eat turkey for thanksgiving, and don't want it again at Christmas, so the turkey substitutes will be more obviously advertised around Thanksgiving.

I saw vegetarian Christmas puddings in a kosher shop (any kind of Christmas pudding was a surprise). Later I saw vegetarian puddings in a supermarket. What do they not contain/ Surely mince pies no longer contain meat, and Christmas puddings do not contain meat? The answer is that some Christmas puddings could contain lard (animal fat) or suet (animal fat).

DIY
If you are making your own Christmas pudding, and want the solid, sticky, thick texture, supermarkets sell Vegetarian 'suet'.

Vegan recipes are provided by Jamie Oliver, the BBC and others.

Restaurants
Vegetarian restaurants will offer festive meals which are vegetarian.

India
Southen India is largely vegetarian and you may be able to stay in a vegetarian hotel or eat in a vegetarian restaurant.

Several countries celebrate Advent, the period before Christmas, by going meatless.

Bulgaria
Bulgarians have a vegetarian diet before Christmas.

Egypt
Egypt is another country which goes vegan.

Useful websites:
https://www.thespruce.com/vegan-turkey-substitutes-for-thanksgiving-3377743

Travel To These Countries:
Bulgaria
http://bulgariantouristboard.com

Egypt

India
Air India
www.airindia.in/

UK
http://visitbritain.com
http://visitengland.com

USA
http://visittheusa.co.uk 

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

Who Celebrates Christmas In January? Where? Why?

Merry Christmas with green tabletop tree. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
I have trouble remember which calendar and which countries celebrate in January and whether it's the 6th or 5th or 7th. Please explain - and make it easy to remember.

Answers
Julius Caesar landed in the UK BC. (Never mind accuracy and controversy - we just want the general easy to remember view.)

From him we get our first calendar, the Julian calendar. Julius Caesar, lived before Jesus. His month, July, occurs before Christmas.

Eventually the seasons got out of sync with the calendar.

Later, long after Jesus, along comes Christianity to the Romans, and a Christian Pope, Pope Gregory, who suggest a new calendar (in around 1582 - but no need to remember when).

If you stuck with the old calendar, events are later. The date of Jesus' birth falls in January.

Different countries were faster or slower to adopted the new, Gregorian calendar which we all follow. Many of the traditional, Orthodox, countries kept the old calendar for Christian festivals (just like Jews and Moslems use a different, lunar calendar so the festivals are on different dates each year).

Who celebrates Christmas eve on December 24th and Christmas Day on December 25th?

UK (and former British Empire - now Commonwealth, including New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Czech Republic.)
USA

January 7th
Russiand and adjacent Ukraine.
In alphabetical order:
Belarus, Egypt, Ehtiopia, Georgia, Kazakstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia.

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

Christmas isn't over yet! Decorations, celebrations, January 6th and leftovers all year

Neighbours in London, England, celebrating with mistletoe. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. (From their life story which I edited and printed for them from their reminiscences, entitled: Soup and Sympathy.)

It's New Year and the Christmas decorations look so limply last year. Should I clear Santa's red hats and the green plastic tree and the Christmas crackers with Santa in a red nose ready for New Year's gold and glitter?

Answer
We had a debate on this. We could have put away the plastic green tree and replaced it with the white one. Then we decided that we would celebrate the traditional 12 days of Christmas to get our moneys-worth from the money spent and more time value from the time spent.

You may think differently, clear up fast, if you go back to work on January 2nd, or even January 1st. Who goes back to work so early?

1 Doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and admin staff.
2 Fire and police.
3 Shop owners and staff, especially those running sales on clothes, household goods, electricals.
4 Teachers at schools or running holiday classes for those still on holiday.
5 People working for themselves, in offices and from home.
6 Retired people writing their novel or running on-line businesses.
7 Lawyers and solicitors and court staff.
8 People working in transport, buses, trains, planes, car hire.
9 Restaurants and fast food and supermarkets and corner stores (convenience stores).
10 Bloggers.

January Celebrations In Spain And Europe
European countries following a different calendar celebrate the magi or three wise men. In Spain when my late parents lived there in the winter, (renting out their flat in summer) we used to watch the parade in nearby villages such as Estepona, where costumed figures on horseback would throw sweets to the excited children.

If you want to go to Spain or a European country where they celebrate on January 5th, or 6th, there's still time to book.

Leftover Food To Buy
In the UK we can buy Christmas puddings, Christmas cakes and mince pies left over from Christmas at bargain prices. The same goes for wrapping paper and Christmas cards if you want to stock up for next year, and Santa outfits.

Saving Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cake
In theory you can keep a Christmas pudding or Christmas cake in a cool dark place for several days or weeks (check packaging). The paper packaging is a help. A tin is even better, especially one with a good seal. Or a plastic box such as Tupperware. Check the packaging and the item you have bought if separate.

Preservatives include alcohol such as brandy in the pudding. Alcohol, a wine expert tells me, discourages mould. (Alcohol is an antiseptic).

Christmas Pudding
We indulged in Waitrose's Christmas pudding by chef Heston.

I asked the family, "Have we finished our Heston's Chrismas pudding?"
"Nowhere near. Maybe half way."

To my astonishment, the date on the packet says, end by 2019! So it would keep until next year - if we didn't finish it throughout this holiday season Christmas 2017-New Year 2018.

Icing
Icing is supposed to stop a cake from drying out. How? The icing is sealing the contents, from air, holding the moisture in.

Reading cookery books, you get the impression that icing is designed for the cake maker rather than the cake eater. I originally thought the purpose of icing was simply when making cake you could write visibly with chocolate or piping.

The hard icing on wedding cakes helps support the top tier. On Christas cakes the firm icing, as it dries and hardens all the better, will support little plastic trees which might otherwise fall over. Icing has many uses, not just smoothly concealing bumps in lumpy cake!

Apart from Christmas cakes, what other post-Christmas bargains can you find in the supermarket?

French Yule Logs
In France, they have yule log cakes, which are now sold in the UK. Brexit won't stop this. Supermarkets have customers from all over the world, and we have all got accustomed to buying a variety of international goods and goodies.

The French yule logs, German Stollen, and Italian Panettone are also likely to be reduced in price after Christmas and in January, especially if they are in Xmas themed packaging. Yule comes from the old pagan festival celebrating trees, hence our Christmas trees, traditionally with the fairy on top. The fairy can be converted to an angel if you prefer symbols you can associate with Christmas.

Italian restaurants and coffee shops, with a little help from supermarkets such as Waitrose and Tesco, have introduced panettone to a wider public.

The spelling of panettone used to challenge me. It is not tonne. You may have tons of panettone. Single N like the British word ton. However, double t. It's like a panet with tone. Panet-tone. Remove the imaginary hyphen. Double T. Panettone.

Preserving Panettone
After last Christmas, I kept panettone in a tin for months. My Italian cake progressively dried out and lost flavour. However, it could be dunked in coffee.

If it's dry, why not just throw it away. It depends how desperate you are to save money and save the planet from waste. Waste not, want not, the English saying goes.

When the panettone was too dry for dunking in coffee, that last of it could be used as a base for bread pudding, spiced up with sultanas, soaked in run if you like. Alternatively, you could use if to for trifle.

We went on a diet so I kept quiet about it. Eventually I forgot I still had it.

Then every now and then it came in handy. It was an emergency food when outside looked cold or dark and I didn't want to go out shopping. I'd be thinking, "I wish I had piece of cake. Please God - ah a piece of panettone - thank you!"

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

Palm trees and tree trail in central Singapore: walking from City Hall train station

One of the historic buildings in central Singapore is the former City Hall which is now the stately National Gallery.

I went to City Hall MRT station. How do you get up to the street to the gallery?

I took a roudabout walk by mistake, trying to escape from the City Hall MRT station. The signs directed me into what seemed like a mile long avenue of shops. 

I looked for an exit up to ground level. The only exit warned that it was alarmed. 

I could not see how anybody would escape in a fire. I felt foolish, claustrophobic, time-wasted and irritated, trapped in a long shopping mall.

When I reached ground level, I found myself in another long walk, this time through trees which had been listed, each one marked with its botanical name. Between them was a thoughfully made sign on the tree trail.

My day and evening was worthwhile. A step meter on my phone usefully told me I had taken zero steps. Really! 

So, zero to the mobile ap, zero to the safety of the exit from the underground walkway, but top marks to the designers of the tree trail.

If you like trees, you might enjoy the BBC trailer for a programme featuring actress Judi Dench and what she learned about how trees communicate.

Your New Year plans could include learning more about trees.

Useful Websites

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/activities/family-time-with-nature/recommended-activities/know-10-trees

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09jxnv4 (Judi Dench trailer on programme on trees.)

http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/gb/home

Motorcycle Museums Worldwide and the secrets of Harley Davidson's Success

UK
England has three great motorcycle museums, south of England and south of London, Birmingham.

I visited the one near the New Forest, south of London. I asked permission to take a photo and the owner suggested that I should sit on a bike for my photo.

Several of the world's car museums also have a section on motorbikes.

USA
Two major attractions in the USA.

Harley-Davidson was and still is a major supplier of bikes, at one time the biggest manufacturer and seller in the USA. The company's popularity and sales have had ups and downs. It has changed hands, but kept the name of the original two owners, Harley, and Davidson, a keen cyclist and a man with the engineering skills to fit a motor to his friend's bike.

However, highlights of the successful times were when it supplied the army in WWI. Later sales went to the police in peacetime. Another success story was developing by adapting to make bigger bikes, smaller bikes and customised bikes. In short, both manufacturing and marketing everything to appeal to both multiple order corporations and private customers.

Useful Website
https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/museum

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

Singapore is Fairyland, which you can find by bus, MRT and walking

Daytime or night-time, Singapore is fairyland. Earlier this month I took the 961 bus from outside Cashew station through the city to Henerson Road Community Centre. I was astonsihed by the beauty of the trees and buildings. The red stalks of the lipstick palms, the pretty fan shaped palms and traveller's palms like one big fan. It was like fairyland.

I thought I would take the same route again across Singapore all the way to Bugis, but the train went underground twice as fast. So, to be sure of arriving on time, I took the train. I thought how much better it would have been to see the sights from the bus. I thought I had missed out on the pleasures of the Singapore landscape. However, when I emerged from the Bugis MRT station into daylight, before 7 pm, I was impressed by the tall buildings in unusual shapes.

I looked at the DUO building right next to the MRT. Across the road was the Gateway building, or rather two buildings, semi circles around the central welcoming elegant fountains.

Finally the Plaza building attached to a suite hotel. Facing cute small shophouses from the old days, probably with a preservation order.

When I came out of the meeting at 10 pm, it was dark outside, but bright, from the lights on the skyscrapers, a veritable fairyland, again

Singapore near Bugis station. Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Author

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

Where To Exercise Outdoors In Singapore and Worldwide

Photo of children's playground and exercise area for adults near Little India MRT. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Where can you exercise for free if you haven't the time and money for an indoor gym? Or maybe you just want a change? Or maybe you ate too much and feel the need for some exercise?

Around the world, the trend is to add exercise areas for adults.

For example, in London's parks in England, exercise equipment is in places such as Harrow.

In Singapore, I recently saw a man exercising on equipment near Little India MRT station. The MRT has numerous exits. You'd get some exercise marching from one exit to the next.

However, if you want outdoor exercise with a view of the sky and street, this one is on Buffalo Road.
The children's area is colourful, like the old renovated shophouses behind.

Your choices are:
Public parks and spaces
HDB (public housing blocks if you or a friend live in one).
Private housing complexes. (We were in a block several weeks before we discovered an exercise area the other end of our large complex - and another in an HDB complex which was on the way to the MRT and to which we had access.)

Useful Websites
http://www.shape.com.sg/fitness/5-good-outdoor-workout-spots-singapore/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please look at my other blog, luxurytravelforless.co.uk

Drawings Of People On Trains And Buses: Makes Into Artwork Displayed in Singapore

Art at Bishan bus station, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Problem

I arrived at Bishan by underground train and I am surrounded by shoppers in a shopping mall. Not time or chance for art or creativity. Then I spot a series of drawings. What are they?

Answer

I think I know. I've seen the same or similar at Beauty World underground station in the long linkway where you walk from the MRT concourse to the base of the escalator taking you up to the buses. A group of people who draw fellow commuters on the underground.

SBS transit has grouped several drawings together. That is so reassuring to those of us who are afraid to draw. 

Problem

You don't want to draw in case the person being drawn objects.

Answer

You can take a photo and draw from it later.

Problem

You try take to photos of interesting people, but others step in the way.

Answer

Use the photos as a basis for a drawing.

Problem

You can't draw a good likeness.

Answer

Never mind if the face is not a good likeness. You are drawing a type of commuter, their body and clothes, a style of dress typifying a group, the student with bags and books, the shopper with shopping bags. If the person does not want a drawing which identifies them, your changing the face so that it is not recognizable, is all to the good. The person drawn will never know. You do not risk repercussions.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, illustrator.

What use are limes, lime leaves and kaffir lime leaves?

Limes. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
A friend in Singapore gave me little limes with leaves from her trees. Why leave on the leaves?

Answer
I thought the leaves were merely for decoration or so I could identify a lime tree. Then a member of my family said limes leaves are used in curry.

He said, "So few leaves won't add much. However, the lime leaves most frequently used are kaffir leaves. You use the leaves rather than the lime."

Lime Drink
I like to use limes with cold water or warm water to make a refreshing cool drink, a limeade (like lemonade but with limes) or a warm tea. It has more flavour than lemon and makes a change.

In my childhood a popular drink was a branded lime juice cordial. Nowadays, I like to make fresh drinks.

Mix with lemon and lemongrass for more zest. Speaking of which, add the zest.

You can also add lime to cocktails, including gin and tonic and margaritas, to add a sour flavour.

Lime Food
You can make a jelly. Or a pickle
Americans like key lime pie, from the Florida keys, but found all over the USA.

Health Benefits
Limes, like lemons and grapefruit, contain vitamin C. Limes were used by the British navy to prevent scurvy, with the result that British sialors were nicknamed limeys.

Leftover Limes
Too many limes? To time to use them? You can freeze them, defrost them, if you like microwave them.

Leftover Lime Peel
I would also save the peel to help remove grease from dishes. It might also help as an insect repellent.

Giving and Taking Fruit Gifts
I would never take a piece of fruit or a leaf or any part of a friend's or neighbour's tree without asking. (Unless it's hanging over my property, in which case I believe that legally it is mine.) I would much rather ask if it's okay, or talk about it hoping they will eventually pull off a bit to show me and offer me some to take away. Let them have the joy and credit for giving; also instead of feeling guilty, I can feel blessed by the generosity of my friend.

More Information
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_(fruit)

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

Learning To Swim, Breaststroke, Crawl, Do a new Stroke

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
You are on holiday and want to teach a friend or family member to swim. You want to learn a new stroke (in my case converting from breaststroke to crawl. The obvious answer is to take lessons. But they require a commitment to once a week for ten weeks and you don't have that time.

Answers
Here are some amateur answers. Watch the swimming lessons, whether they are teaching children or adults. Even if you can't understand the language, you can see the demonstration of the arm stroke.

Talk To Teachers
I saw a teacher who was teaching small children every day for a week. The second or third day I started smiling and saying good morning to the teacher and waving goodbye.

Get in conversation with the teacher, if they are not in a hurry to go to the next lesson. Ask how long they have been teaching, how often they teach, whether they like the work and whether they have another job, if the pupils are keen, if there are any swimming competitions.

Maybe after the lessons you can offer something in conversation, help with their pronunciation or grammar. You might ask for advice on buying a swimsuit or goggles.

In return they might freely offer you some advice on swimming. After you've explained you don't have the time for a series of lessons, or that your budget is slightly smaller, they might recommend a video, or an alternative class at a nearby public pool, or offer a one-off private lesson for one or a one off for your family.

Your teacher might offer classes at another venue on a more convenient day, or their day off from regular classes.

Breast Stroke
Three things to look for:
Arm movement.
Leg movement.
Body position.

First movement.
Standing, with your hands toegether against your chestyou lean forward. I was taught to move hands forward from chest through the water horizontally, thumbs alongside.

A new swimmer asked me, "Should you move your hand palms together, like a fish?"

I tried that and it involves rotating your hands further for the next step.

Pull back with your hands, not scooping but like a paddle. Your arms should be fully stretched.

I was recently taught a new variation. Instead of pulling your arms sideways, you pull downwards. This is quite different. By driving your hands downwards, you pull your head upwards. This would be handy if you were facing large waves and needed to keep your head and mouth high, or you wanted to be seen by rescuers.

Otherwise, no, not for me, not longterm, because it is very tiring. However, if you want to tire yourself out and get more 'exercise' in a shorter time, go for it.

It's worthwhile trying this, just to get an idea how swimming works, pulling water.

Notice that the movement does three things. It pulls you through the water. It starts momentum so you continue moving forwards for a short while after you have stopped pulling, like a ball rolling down a slope. Thirdly, you create a ripple or current, which may help carry you along.

If you are practising for competitions, training others, you need to look on line and find out what is recommended to suit yourself and your situation.

I had a one-off group lesson free as part of gym membership. (The Gym later stopped the free lessons!)

Corkscrewing
The teacher observed me doing the breastroke and said I was corkscrewing. She meant rotating, turning my body, not going in a straight line.

I immediately realised why. First, my body is not exactly symmetrical. Firstly, our bodies are usually bigger one side than the other. You might find that when you go to buy shoes, you have one larger foot. When you take photos, you often see that your profile is better on one side, partly because the side with the larger eye is more attractive.

Earlier Injuries
I have a slightly lop-sdied body because in a traffic accident. I was knocked down by a car when on holiday in Corsica, exiting from a broken down coach on a hillside. A car came over the brow of the hill and knocked me down. I was unsconscious and broke my collar bone.

Many people are slightly lop-sided after major or minor inuries. You may have bones set wrongly. Or you may walk lop-sided as your body tries to protect the damaged side, or remembers the way you had to walk whilst injured. This may affect your swimming posture.

Crawl
Four things to look for:
Arm movement.
Leg movement.
Body turning.
Breathing.
(Off to swim. More later.)
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Watch The Animated Model of cars, carousels, turning trees, trains and trucks at Marina Bay Sands, Plus People Watching

Problem
Where is it?

Answer
Outside the gift shop of Tower Three in Marina Bay Sands. An animated display in a glass cube showing many moving objects, carousels, cars, trains and trucks. An amusement for children and adults alike.

Another entertainment is people watching. Many pairs. 

1 Two Japanese girls with long black hair and shopping bags. 

2 Two women who might be twins wearing horizontal black and white stripes. 

3 Two Singaporeans, a boy and a girl, with matching pink hair.

Couple with pink hair and pink fringes, at Marina Bay Sands. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer.

Woodlands for Wonderful Indian Food In Singapore

Problem
Where can we eat an Indian meal with Indian friends in Singapore. We had planned to go to India Spice but discovered after phoning at the last minute that it was closed.

Where next?

Answer
We opted for an old favourite, Woodlands. Where? A short walk from Little India MRT station. A short walk along Buffalo Road and down a typical old Singapore shaded 'five foot way', famously planned to shelter shoppers and pedestrians from sun and rain by Sir Stamford Raffles.

Thalis
We saw a Thali at another table and decided for maximum variety and speed to order a Thali. We had a choice of several.

A thali is a platter or tray with several small dishes. In typical Singapore style your food is placed on a green banana leaf, with the rice in the middle. The side dishes at this restaurant are all in small metal bowls.

My Thali
I ordered a simple Thali. Others opted for the 'VIP' Thali (their name for it on the menu). My Thali came with a generous portion of rice.

VIP Thali

The VIP Thali had a small rice and bread. I would have preferred the VIP Thali with the bread. The VIP Thali included chickpeas.

If I'd started by sipping every dish I would have discovered not only that the rice dish was a slightly sweetened dessert, but also that a thin soup could be a starter or tipped over the rice to moisten it.

Drinks
Choices include lime juice or a very satisfying mango lassi, both served in tall metal cups. I would have said metal glasses, to convey the shape, but 'metal glasses' sounds like an oxymoron (meaning a contradiction).

Decor
The tables are plastic-topped. It's not a grand venue, but prices reflect this, about S$10. But if you want a tasty lunch, this is the place. The walls have Indian decoration, which adds an authentic feel.

MRT
It's easy to remember the nearest MRT station - Little India.

Watch out for the MRT exits. We surfaced at exit E which had an upwards escalator. When we returned I saw there was no downwards escalator. At least three flights of stairs. We walked back to another exit in order to use the escalator.

Madras New Woodlands Restaurant
12/14, Upper Dickson Road
Singapore 207474
Tel: 6297 1594.
Opening hours: 7.30 am to 10.30 pm, seven days a week.
Other branches in Malaysia, India and Australia.

Ill over Christmas? Can't Cook? Lonely or Alone In December or January? The Answer - travel to later celebrations

Problem
You are ill over Christmas and can't enjoy it. A relative by marriage tells me and the world on Facebook that she is too ill to celebrate Christmas. She is too ill to get out of bed, go out, cook, taste the food, indulge in Christmas food, cook or drink alcohol. I have managed to celebrate Christmas with others from early December through to mid-January. How?

Answer
Rest
In my experience I get ill if I am doing too much and not getting enough rest. Some years I feel I have been travelling too much on crowded buses, trains and planes and mixing with too many crowds and breathing too many of other people's germs. Eventually something goes. Illness is my body's way of going on strike and telling me to go to bed and get some rest. After a day's sleep, I feel rested, better. Going to a club party means minimum effort organixing food, although some parties are pot luck.

December 25th, 2017, Chritmas Day at rooftop bar, Singapore. Just pay $22 entry per person for admission which includes $2 towards food, then add $2 to order a $24 platter of pizza.

Singapore's Early Christmas Parties In December
In Singapore the Francophone Toastmasters club which meets the first Friday of the month had their Christmas party at the start of December.

Changing Dates and Time Zones
In Singapore Christmas ends on Boxing Day (which is a holiday in the UK and some Commonwealth countries). However, if you wish, you can celebrate the 12 days of Christmas and leave up the decoration until January 6th.

Going Out To Meet Friends On Boxing Day
In London we used to meet a specific group of friends for a Boxing Day evening get together at a restaurant. This is a good system for a group including mixed nationalities, mized religions, couples with mixed marriages, or small families where you cannot have Chrsitmas Day at granny's, mother's, or one sister's home and boxing day at the other sister or sister-in-law or brother-in law.

I asked a Chinese single lady who has eight brothers and sisters and a clan of three generations, "Do you have a pot luck party?"

She said, "No. Americans like pot lucks. We are all too busy working, often from 7 am.  I teach in a local primary school.  Some of my family get home at 7 or eight or even nine at night. Too tired and busy to cook. We have a catering company delivery a buffet for our big family."

In Singapore our Indian friends organize an annual Boxing Day lunch at an Indian restaurant. The husband says, "It is because 'Judy' (his wife) is a teacher always has that day off from teaching." His wife teaches English and French at American and ex-pat schools.

Singapore's Late December Celebrations
Bishan Toastmasters club has a meeting December 26th, 2017 with one Christmas theme speech listed.

Cairnhill Toastmasters club has a Christmas potluck supper in the break of a Christmas theme meeting on December 27th, 2017.

In London in 2017 a club's meeting date fell late in the month, too close to Christmas. Some people were involved in office parties. Others were travelling overseas to family, or just taking a Christmas holiday. Therefore they postponed the club Christmas party to January when they also got a lower price for a restaurant meal for the group and choice of dates because the restaurants were not already booked up with other people's Xmas parties. Christmas decorations in the shops were cheaper and club members had leftovers from their own home Christmas parties as well as stocks from previous years.

Christmas Warmer and Earlier Down Under
In Australia and Singapore, the clocks are different. Therefore you can see the Queen's Speech several hours earlier on TV.

If you suffer from SAD (lack of sunlight as well as cold making you stay indoors out of the sun causing depression) you could go south around the world to the warmer tropics such as India, Singapore, or South Africa or Australia or New Zealand.

Czech Republic In Europe
Last year, 2016, I was in Prague, Czech Republic. I thought there would be nothing happening on December 27th, certainly not a club meeting. I emailed the half dozen clubs in Prague and was amazed to find an enthusiastic response from a Pague club which was holding a Christmas theme meeting.

If you are visiting a club overseas, you might wish to pack Christmas theme biscuits from home as a contribution to the festivities. Be prepared for a charge made to visitors and members for Christmas food. It will be less than you would pay in a restaurant with the added bonus of networking and conviviality. The Czech group ran things differently, a short meeting, then all going on to a budget restaurant with long tables in a giant cellar beer hall - with Christmas decorations. If you have a small family, or are single or widowed, visiting or joining a club is a way of finding a group with whom you can talk.

(Toastmasters International, which started in the USA, is now worldwide. Membership is about £100 a year depending on the location and frequency of meetings. You can join most clubs for half a year at a reduced price. When you are a member, you are welcome to join meetings worldwide and learn how to log into Find-a-club.)

Travel To A Change Of Christmas Scene
Back to Christmas. Dates are arbitrary. You can follow the sun or the moon, Julian's calendar or Gregory's calendar. Some countries have a day of rest on Friday, others on Saturday, others on Sunday. If you can't co-ordinate with one country's celebrations, find another which co-ordinates its parades with your health when you feel ready to go and celebrate.

Celebrating New Year
Who celebrates later? If you need a mid-winter break or holiday, the Scots have their main celebrations at New Year. Join the Scots in Scotland and Scottish ex-pats worldwide or in Scottish communities or watch on TV.

Celebrating In January
Eastern Europe and Eastern Orthodox communities worldwide celebrate in January. If you haven't the health or money or time to travel in January, you can travel on the internet.

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

Where Can You Spend Christmas For 'High' Tea With A View Over Singapore?

Problem
Where could we spend Christmas Day afternoon in Singapore (without booking a meal which breaks the diet and costs a fortune)?

Answers
Why Not Raffles Hotel?
Our first thought was Raffles Hotel. It has lots of restaurants and shops. I decided to check on line first.

It's a good thing I did. Raffles hotel has been closed since mid November 2017 for refubishment and won't open until later in 2018 - so not an option for New Year's Eve either.

Sheraton Towers Hotel
Our second thought was of the Sheraton Towers hotel because it is right next to Newton MRT station. But I've been there, seen the decorations, done that, already.

The same goes for the old Fullerton Hotel and the new Fullerton Bay Hotel.

Finally, a moment of inspiration, the glamorous new with a view Marina Bay Towers. A huge complex of shops and restaurants with a wonderful view from the top floors. Ultra-modern. Stunning views. Off we went.

The nearest MRT station was Bayfront. The station has a plaque explaining the mural showing ships.

Despite the threats of drizzle, we were able to walk along in the dry because an elegant underground passageway lined with upmarket shops leads from the station to the hotel complex.

The hotel complex consists of three towers. After looking around the shops, you will want to go up. You can buy a ticked for the observation deck to take photos.

Alternative pay $20 per person to go to the top floor, above the observation deck, where you have a choice of the indoor and outdoor restaurant area, or the bar area Cé La Vi.

We started at the bar, which has a smoking area and a non smoking area of bar stools overlooking Marina Bay.

You can look down and play spot the landmarks.

We saw:

The Merlion statue.
The coloured stands where spectators watch the formula one race.
The two pimply lumps of the domed Esplanade nicknamed the Durian.
Grand hotels.
The Bukit Timah mountain in the middle of the island in the distance.
The old Fullerton Hotel and the new Fullerton Bay Hotel.

Further in are red sofas overlooking the water or the rooftop swimming pool. It's an infinity pool, which means it looks like the water gushes over a cliff edge.

The pool is for residents only. A friend of ours was so impressed by the pool that when his family came over to Xmas he booked a bedroom for a night and day so the children could enjoy the novelty of the pool and view.

However, just sitting at the bar overlooking the pool give you a holiday feeling.

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The twenty dollars you have paid to go up to the bar gets you a voucher for twenty dollars to put towards drinks or food. The cocktails start at 22 dollars. I tried a cocktail with local kaya flavour, Kaya is a coconut jam. It was dee-licious! Delightful. Divine. I now want a jar of kaya jam or a kaya toasted open sandwich for breakfast - avalable in many hawker centres in shopping malls.

We spent another 22 dollars on a pizza. The pizza was flat on a crisp biscuity base. Great texture and taste.

A highly successful outing with a 'high' tea and view over Singapore.

When I got home I looked up the Celavi company and discovered that they have branches not just in Singapore but also in Hong Kong; Bangkok, Thailand; and St Tropez, France, Europe.

Cé La Vi
Level 57
Skypark
Marina Bay Sands
Hotel Tower 3
1 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018971
Tel: +65 6508 2188. Hotline operating hours 10 am-1 am.
Opening times:
Day lounge 12 noon - 5 pm (from 11 am on weekends)
Sunset sessions 5 pm-10 pm. Clu nights 10 pm until late.
New Year's Eve variety and cabaret and fireworks display
pre-sale tickets at sg.celavi.com

Useful Websites
celavi.com

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

The Queen's Speech - First Heard In Australia

Problem
How do you send good wishes to Australians who are several hours ahead?

Answer
The queen must have made her speech and sent it out there early. My family have watched it from Australian Broadcasting in Singapore hours ahead of England.

One interesting statistic from the speech; H M The Queen said that The Commonwealth has 52 countries. The world has about 110, so roughly half of them are in The Commonwealth.

The British newspapers have already produced a summary of her speech and some of the highlights in advance. Now I know they do not need to be sent a summary. They simply need to listen to the Australian version.

The Queen's Speech In Flawless Queen's English
As a member of Toastmasters International, I must commend the queen on giving a speech with no 'pause fillers', no ers, no ums, not a single actually nor even one 'you know'.

Australia
At the end of the queen's speech I enjoyed the pictures of Christmas celebrated in Australia. Santas surfed the waves. Santas sat on the beach eside Christmas trees. Hundreds of santas strolled int ehwaves. Dozzens of Girl Santas in red bikinis paraded along the beach. Instead of a snowman there was a sandcastle man.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/896500/Queen-Christmas-address-Prince-Philip-royal-family-Meghan-Markle-Prince-George
https://www.vogue.com/article/queen-elizabeth-christmas-speech-broadcast

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

Don't demolish my house! Travel to see how others meet architectural challenges: preserving old building when building new ones

Brasov, Romania, where a narrow alley is one of the old city's landmarks.

Problem
A man in England, who bought his council house in Birkenhead, does not want to move when the area all around is redeveloped. My view is that old buildings should be preserved.

ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGE
Of all the architects in the world, all the schools of architecture, not one can develop the land in front and behind and either side of this man's house in Birkenhead, leaving him in place with the access road? Sorry, I don't believe it. If the council or anybody else owned only the two houses either side they would redevelop them.

But they have a huge area. Run a contest for schoolchildren to design an estate preserving his house in the middle. A local or national newspaper could run a competition, ideally in conjunctionw ith the council.

OPTIONS USED ELSEWHERE
They could even make a feature of his place as a historic centrepiece with history plaques and pictures of the old days. Plenty of other places have managed to build around a building which can't be demolished.

GREECE
In Greece there's a skyscraper with a void deck around an old building where a tenant refused to move out.

USA
In the USA they can move a building intact from one place to another. He doesn't want to leave the area. So put his house on the edge of the estate, allowing him to keep all the nostalgic conveniences of his house, plus the local area, just a few yeards away instead of the middle and offer him compensation for the annoyance of the move and insure for huge compensation for any damage to his property during the move.

It's absurd to claim they need that small piece of land. They don't need his house which occupies a fraction of the large estate. You could not have a solid building across his land because housing requires windows. Skyscrapers have empty land between them for parking and access for emergency vehicles.

SINGAPORE
A typical government skyscraper estate in Singapore is built like the old quadrangles. It has an edge of roads for buses, cars, deliveries, emergency vehicles. A central pedestrian park has trees, a water feature, statues and a playground for the children. You could build houses or even skyscrapers in the style of Singapore estates leaving his house in the centre of a park with an access road.

CANADA TODAY & YESTERDAY
A old bank building of the Bank of Canada in Ottawa Canada is preserved in front of a skyscraper. I think the design of the skyscraper whould have echoed at least one feature of the old building.

CANADA'S Answer - Habitat in the 1960s
Alternatively build a stepped design like habitat, a stepped building, with his small one the centre of a V shape pair of skyscrapers.

Alternatively, build an M shape estate. Or build modern three-storey and four-storey terraced houses either side.

HEIGHT IN HARROW, London, England
In Harrow, London, and other suburban areas, the planning departments happily allow developers to build huge mosques and temples and skyscrapers alongside or within feet of two-storey residential homes (old terraces). Just ensure he has light and road access.

(While the developers are organizing, they should offer him a free restoration of his house, wiring and so on to bring it in line with whatever else they are building.)

PRESERVATION OF THE HISTORIC ERA
If he was born there, and he is 66, this house is 66 years old or older. How old does it have to be to get a preservation order? Just design an estate echoing the gabled roof over the front door and the steep tiled roof and the stepped brick front.

Stepped Buildings
My view is that the height of one building should not dominate the next. Buildings should be stepped, for safer evacuation in emergencies. The lowest part of the building should not be higher than the one alongside.

This was done in Habitat built in Canada by architect Safdie.

I've seen a stepped building in Singapore.

Another stepped building is in north-west London, near Waitrose supermarket in South Harrow. This would be a step in the right direction.
Srepped building in Harrow. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Useful Websites
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5210471/Council-estate-man-not-let-house-demolished.html#comments

See article on preserving facades in article on facadism in Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facadism

Moving an entire house in the USA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20dj5MEmcv4

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

Recalling and Recording Grandma's and Grandpa's Days in Singapore or anywhere: a world of Cinderellas

Problem
The grass is always greener and it looks so easy. Taxi drivers assume all Westerners are rich and descended from rich families, lazy people who never work. When you ask older people about their past, you hear telling details about life long ago.

My father lived to the age of 93. After he retired, he used to volunteer at the local hospital.

I asked about his childhood. He said he would take a cooked potato in his pocket for lunch. In winter the heat of the potato kept him warm at the unheated school.

In Singapore, as a Westerner, you meet people who have a house or a car and a maid and you assume they have always had an easy life. But as soon as they tell you about their family history, you find it wasn't so.

'Moona' told me that she was one of eight children. Moona's mother ran a coffee stall; the day after giving birth she went back to work.

Moon'as mother could not read nor write Chinese, so she chose a name for her daughter which had few strokes, so it was easy for her mother to write.

Adoption and Helping Others
Moona's mother and father looked after orphans and adopted or fostered children. When the children left school, the adopted family had to help the children and others like the orphans to find work.

Helping A Struggling Artist
One young man was an artist who could not find work. So Moona's father commissioned the young man to paint a portrait of Moon's father and his wife. After Moona's mother died, Moon'as father commisioned another double portrait to be painted, using a photo.

Recording The Past
Moona has the family portraits and tells the famly stories. But she says her grown-up nieces and nephews are not interested in the family history. I think it is important to write it down. So I have made a contribution.

Please write down your family history as told by your elders. Just a sentence or two is enough to capture the essence of the story.

How To Make A Family History Booklet
When we were planning a 90th birthday party for my mother-in-law, every weekend we had a family meal. I asked her questions each weekend, going through her life:
Where did you go to school?
What did you do with your parents at weekends?
What did you do in the war?
Where did you meet your husband?
Where was your first house?
What were the poeple you worked with like?
Did you get on with your cousins?
Did you see your grandparents?
How is life different today from your childhood?

I went off to the bathroom and wrote the answers down in longhand in my diary. When I reched home, I typed up the answers.

When I had enough material, I printed a booklet. It cost less to print three copies, than the cost of most of the giant boxes of chocolates or champagne or other gifts I could have bought her.

When she saw it, she was amazed. She asked me, "Where did you get all this information?"

Two years later she developed Alzheimer's. The good thing about Alxheimer's from a reseracher's point of view, is that the elderly tend to remember the past which is stored in their memory bank, without being able to add and sort new memories.

They can't remember yesterday. But they can recall two or three stories from their past which they repeat endlessly.

At this point, as after they have died, you are very pleased to have a record of their life. You are also glad to have been able to share it with them when they could appreciate the trouble you have taken and the honour they feel that you have made their life history into a booklet or book.

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

Trevor Sharot Photo of Monitor Lizard And Its Long Tongue In Singapore

Photos by Trevor Sharot, copyright.

Problem
How do you get up close to a monitor lizard? How dangerous is it?

Answers
I was sitting across the table from William in Singapore and I told him about the monitor Lizard which Trevor Sharot saw in Singapore.

Monitor Lizards In the Botanic Gardens

My new friend, William, was phlegmatic, unconcerned. He said:

"I saw monitor lizards in the Botanic Gardens."

"In a cage?"

" No, just lying around enjoying the sun."

"Aren't they dangerous?"

"Not if you keep your distance. But you wouldn't want to get too close."

"But Trevor saw one the other side of a wall with tennis netting.  The lizard was growling and striking its tail."

"Maybe it was protecting its eggs."

"How many did you see in the Botanic Gardens? Two?"

"About ten."

"Ten! I'd have left if I saw even one. I won't be going to the Botanic Gardens again."

Trevor Sharot's Video of Monitor Lizard
I asked Trevor Sharot to send me a still from his video. In the video you can see the lizard thrashing its tail against the wall.

Monitor Lizard's Tongue
Then it puts out its tongue. It wasn't until we freeze-framed the video to select a suitable still (showing the head not obscured by the wall or netting) that we realised how long the tongue is. It looks like a flexible pencil or piece of bamboo. The tongue strikes so fast! It's out and visible in one frame but gone in the next.

If you want to see a monitor lizard, go to a zoo, or Singapore's Botanic Gardens.

Useful Websites:
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/singapore-botanic-gardens
http://www.visitsingapore.com/en/

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

Wishlist - bible museum in the USA

Problem
A bible museum has opened in the USA. Sounds like it's for Christians. Is it trying to push some religion or sect?

No, it sounds like a traditional museum with a bit of up-to-date technology thrown in.  Hm - what's in it for me? And how can I drag along the rest of the family?

Okay, I'm marginally interested, but why would you want to visit a bible museum if you are, or your family and friends are:

Agnostics
Agnostic? Because it is new, and interesting.

Atheist
Atheist?  Historical - it confirms your views and your curiosity about how the bible was spread.

Jewish?
It's got the Bible (which Christians call the Old Testament ) as well and artifacts from
Jewish museums you might not get to visit overseas or in the USA.

A Practical Person, Scientific
Look at it from the point of view of
art,
archeology,
collecting antiques,
comparative religion,
conservation,
culture,
geography,
history,
law (Leviticus, ten commandments),
music (inspired by religion such as Ode to Joy - the last movement choral movement in Beethoven's 9th symphony; Handel's Messiah).

Romantic
It's nostalgic.

If you are not into museum culture, mostly glass cases and reading, family and kids are more keen on theme parks - it's not all old scrolls and books - it has some 3D biblical scenarios

So far, so good.

Where is it?
Washington DC. It opened Nov 17 2017.

Opening and Closing
Closed for Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving.

Useful Websites:
https://www.museumofthebible.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_the_Bible

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biblical_places
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_modern_names_for_biblical_place_names

Similar or Related Subject Museums:

• Bible and Orient Museum (Switzerland)
• Bible Museum Münster (Germany)
• Biblical Museum of Natural History (Beit Shemesh, Israel; combined zoo and education about the Torah which is the basic books of the bible or Old Testament)
• Museum of Biblical Art (Dallas, Texas, USA)
• Museum of Biblical Art (New York City, USA)
• Dead Sea Scrolls in Jerusalem, Israel
• In addition or instead you can visit Jewish and Holocaust museums in Washington DC and New York and worldwide. 
• Historical museums often contain family bibles. My favourites include a) Jewish Museum, London, UK; b) Jewish Museum, Amsterdam; c) Sinner's Bible missing out the word 'not', leaving Thou Shalt Commit Adultery, in museum of Harrow School, Harrow-on-the-Hill, London, England, UK. 
• Whilst travelling in the USA, you might also be interested in the Amish in the east coast states of the USA; and the Mormons who have a museum in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

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

How Many Cities Have You Visited This Year? A Challenge. An achievement List. A Xmas and New Year Game.

Problem
A girl I spoke to in a restaurant said she loves travelling and had visited 25 cities in the past year. I was surprised that:
a) She had visited so many cities
b) That she had taken the trouble to keep count
c) That she had counted cities instead of countries.

If, for example, you live in either the USA or Europe, without taking a flight or changing money, you could easily travel to a lot of cities.

In the case of the USA, you might know only one country, the USA, but visit up to 25 cities in a year, just by driving and using your American dollars, no passport or plans needed. You could even visit near 50 (without flying to Hawaii or anywhere offshore).

Capitals and Other Cities
I've just realised I am thinking of capital cities. Taking just cities into account, reaching an impressive count is much easier. It's easier to visit more capitals when lots of small coutnries are grouped together or one country has split into two or three smaller ones.

Non-capital Cities
If you want to count only cities, you can take city-hopping planes, trains, overnight coaches, buses, bicycle, hitch-hike (not recommended for safety reasons nowadays), taxis, uber, or share costs with a group of four or five friends or family members or colleagues.

Sponsors and Charity
You could also do it as a novelty exercise to raise money from sponsors for charity. Another way is to pick landmarks, such as cathedrals, or pubs or restaurants, or a trail following a theme or famous character, tourist boards being your starting point for ideas.

Weekends Away
For example, if you take a weekend trip to another city, setting off Friday night you have dinner and stay overnight in another city. Number one.

Home And Away In A Second Family Home
Now count your home city, if you live in a city, and you have now done two. If you have two homes, or stay with parents or family over Christmas, New Year, or any holiday, automatically two.

Long Weekends
Let's go back to our weekend travel trip. Next day, Saturday, you stop for elevenses, lunch, tea, and dinner on Saturday stay overnight at another city. Add five to your original one or two. That makes six or seven.

On Sunday, taking a triangular or circular route, you came back in a different direction on and see different cities for elevenses, lunch and tea. Add three. So that's up to ten on a weekend starting Friday evening and ending Sunday evening.

Take a four-day break, at the same pace as Saturday, and you can make your total up to 16 or 17.

New Year
That's an impressive start, if you want to begin your year with a New Year's Eve getaway. I find it easier to start counting travel trips from January. Your own diary or work appointments book will help.

American Holidays
Many Americans get less holiday than Europeans. Americans tend to get 10 days holiday a year minimum (in a new job, as a school leaver, university leaver, or somebody switching jobs and companies - unless they negotiate a special deal).

Long Weekends and Half Days
As a result, Americans often use their odd days to make a series of long weekends. Almost one a month. You can have one long weekend ten months out of twelve. If you are allowed to take half days, using four half days, you can extend that to four weekends leaving work lunchtime Friday.

UK and Europe Holiday Allowances
Check the allowances in the country where you are working or planning to work. In the UK workers tend to get a minimum of a fortnight's holiday (14 days). Anybody senior would ask for or be offered three weeks. Top management would get four weeks.

European Coach Trips
A famous film about Americans visiting Europe on a 'whistle-stop tour' used a phrase now in common use, which was the title of the film: 'If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium'.

Who Has The Time To Travel?
Many well paid, overworked sales and other executives are sent from one city to another with little time to see anything. Two ways around this: ask for a city centre hotel and go for a walk in the evening or before breakfast. Ask the taxi from the airport to show you two or three main landmarks en route. Tell the boss you need an extra day to recharge before flying on and use your day of rest for sightseeing on a pre-booked tour. Many major cities have a hop on hop off bus.

Students have long holidays. Teachers have long holidays. You can take a work-related course in another city.

Conferences
If you are booking a conference, look for one in a city you would like to visit, or one near enough for a side trip to two or more other cities. Many conferences organise a spouse programme during the day of arrival (trying to get everybody on site in advance to minimise the risk of VIPs being delayed and arriving late or too late on day one).

Retirees
Hotels in London frequently discover or tell journalists that their most expensive rooms, which make the difference between profit and loss, are honeymoon suites occupied by young rich honeymooners or elderly recently retired couples who still have the energy to travel.

To go back to the young woman who started my consideration of this city-hopping and city-counting project, she was a freelance teacher of both sports (such as pilates) and music (piano, violin etc). She travelled with other single young ladies in groups.

UK Groups
Hen parties and stag parties to foreign cities are also popular, with UK groups going to Europe or Dubai.

Off-Season Breaks
If you are retired or an empty-nester, you can take advantage of off-season breaks.

If you are going nowhere today, think about
a) Going to another city, maybe across the country or state border.
b) If you are taking a break and just want to stay home, you can amuse yourself by counting the number of cities you have visited in the past year, perhaps comparing your count with another family member, the number of cities you have vistied in your lifetime!

Here are some quizzes for Christmas and New Year gatherings?
How many capital cities have you visited?
How many USA cities have you visited?
How many cities have you visited this year? (Make the question 'your parents or family' - to include childen in this game).
How many cities have you visited in your life? (Compare the generations.)
How many cities did you visit before you were aged 21? After the age of 21?
To help contestants, you may wish to give each person a map marked with cities of your coutnry, continent or the world.

This could be a challenge, a list of achievements, or a competitive game.

Which cities have I visted and written about on my blogs?
In 2017:
Brasov, Romania
Bucharest, Romania
London, England
Perugia, Umbria, Italy
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Singapore (city), Singapore (island and country)

I could immediately think of six.

Going through my blog posts I can expand the list of places I have described this year to give you a guide as to where you might like to visit:

Brussels, Belgium
Cardiff, Wales, UK
Edinburgh, Scotland
Fishguard, Wales, UK
New York, New York, USA
Paris, France
Rome, Italy
Rykjavik, Iceland
Stratford, England, UK
Venice, Italy
York, England, UK
Washington, DC, USA

Useful Websites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_cities_by_country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City Defines cities by size or type. Analysis of city development. Half the world's populations lives in cities.

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

What's that plant which smells so delicious at night?

Rangoon vine? Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Every evening I passed a wonderful plant, pink flowers, aromatic stop-and-sniff aroma.
What is it?

Answer

I passed a lady clipping away at the edge. I passed her and stopped to look. She must have heard my footsteps and seen my shadow.

I smiled and she smiled. "Lovely plant!" I exclaimed. "Beautiful colours. What is it?"

She replied, "A 'Rangoon vine'. From Burma, now called Myanmar - next to Thailand. I am snipping away the dead parts."

I asked, "How do you know which parts are dead?"

"The dead parts have turned black."

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

She also showed me boughainvillea. "The government plants it over the bridges because it needs so little maintenance. No need to water it. It thrives on sunshine and lack of water."

She showed me more plants. "This is calamansi, as we call it. You call it lime. "

Sh moved on, "Do you like lemon grass. I'll cut you a spike of lemon grass. Smell it where it's been cut."

She kept pointing out more plants, "Over there's aloe vera. It's supposed to be good for you, if you know how to apply it. But if you do the wrong thing, it can be bad for you."

Such is life.

Useful Websites:

http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plant-inspiration/plants-for-evening-scent/

Author

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