What time can I watch the royal wedding - Harry and Meghan - on TV?

Problem
If I can't be sure to be in the UK, when can I watch the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on TV?

Answers
I just ran the times through a time converter and these were my results:

UK
Wedding starts at noon in Windsor.
12.00

To be sure to avoid confusing the clock or myself I typed in 11.50, then added ten minutes to all the results. This is what I found:

USA
Noon in London, England is 7 a.m. in New York.
Five hours behind.
So, if you can get up by 7 am, you can watch it live.
Set your alarm. Make your muesli up the night before.


Australia - you might go to Australia and stop in the Far East en route.

Over in Singapore,
If you live there or stopover, when it's noon in London it's 7 pm in the evening.

Or Perth in Western Australia, it's 7 pm. That might be before, during or after your evening meal.

In Sydney, the other side of Australia, a difference of two hours, 9 pm.

Football museum, UK.

What about the football, starting, kick-off, at 5.30 pm in the UK?

Add five and a half hours to the other numbers, assuming they are correct. (Or, to be safe, re-set your time converter page.)

USA
For football fans in the USA, that is good news. The 5.30 start in the UK is 12.30, lunch time on Saturday in the USA.

Australia
Sorry to say that if you are in Singapore, or Perth, Australia, the football starts at 12.30 - gone midnight.

In Sydney it will be two hours later, 2.30 am, starting and finishing in the middle of the night.

You'll have to watch the re-play, unless you are a night owl.

Check which day! I remember ringing a friend in Australia, one Friday afternoon, and hearing that the person I was calling was out to lunch. I said, "He's out late to lunch on a Friday afternoon on a weekday."
The person the other end, his wife, replied, "No. He's out early to lunch at the weekend - here it's Saturday. Where are you calling from?"

So check your clocks.

And decide when and which way you wish to fly.

If you are watching on TV, check the schedules on the day in your country or better still the day before. Usually the broadcasts start an hour earlier, of even from dawn, with shots of the preparations, visitors arriving, VIPs, chats to foreign tourists, views of the streets before they are cordoned off for the carriage. Plus any arrivals by car or on foot. And pre-recordings of snippets of previous programmes about the venues.

Useful Websites
visitbritainshop.com

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

A vegan pub or a poetry evening? Two Spread Eagle pubs in London

Photo in souvenir shop in Heathrow airport, London, England, UK. Angela Lansbury behind a cutout of HRH The Queen. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Problem
If you are in London or plannining or thinking of coming to London, where can you meet likeminded poeple and eat? I see a poetry evening promoted on Meetup. Where is it?

Answers
Upstairs in The Snug at the Spread Eagle pub. The Spread Eagle is in the Regents Park area. I checked The Spread Eagle. As I had expected, London has more than one pub called The Spread Eagle. In fact, three.

Another Spread Eagle pub is in the East of London. Most importantly, it's a vegan pub. The first, they say.

Why And When Marketing Make Me Listen
I'd read about this before. Sometimes, it's only the second or thrid time that I hear about something that I take notice. Marketing organizations have investigated how long it takes the consumer to remember or act after seeing an advertisement.

If you wondered why it's worthwhile for them to keep repeating the ad, it's not only that marketing deparments try to lure the advertiser with the office of buy two ads, get a third free.

To sum up:
Go to Meetup for events in London.
Poetry groups meet in London. One group meets at The Spread Eagle.
Make sure you are going to the right pub because many pubs have the same name, just as many hotels have more than one branch, and some restaurant names and brands are duplicated.
London has a vegan pub called the Spread Eagle.

Useful Websites
Meetup
https://www.meetup.com/cities/gb/17/london/

Spread eagle (poetry

Spread eagle (vegan)
https://www.thespreadeaglelondon.co.uk


https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/spread-eagle/ Marylebone

All kinds of tickets to all kinds of tourism and attractions:
visitbritainshop.com

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

Royal Wedding Countdown - what to wear and eat, British style, out or at home

Windsor and Eton with crown decoration. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

This is the street decoration for Christmas. You can bet there will be street decorations just as fine for a royal wedding. At the end of the street you can see Windsor Castle.

Problem
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding - what happens when? I don't want to miss any of it. Dress in your best to enjoy the day. What will you wear? The date is Saturday May 19 and in England we say, Ne'er cast a clout til may be out, meaning the sun may be out but it could still be chilly.

Answer
Windsor in Berkshire is expecting more than 100,000 people and if you go there security will be tight, so you may be stopped and searched or wait in line whilst others are checked. If you are not one of the 600 guests viewing the wedding in St George's Chapel, you could still see the carriage procession.

If you decide to go to Windsor before or after the event, you can see the wonderful castle which dominates Windsor and Eton which are two sides of the river.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, photo by Mark Jones in Wikipedia.

The Countdown
11.30 Sit down by the TV in a comfortable chair with a glass of Champagne, Cava or Prosecco, or something British such as cider, Scotch whisky, or an English white wine from one of England's many vineyards such as Denbies or Nyetimber.

What To Eat - Main Course
What could you eat? Something British. If you are out in the street, get a takeaway, fish and chips.

My favourite pubs/ The Wetherspoon chain. Lots of choice of food and drink. Lots of bargains.

My second choice? A carvery.

At home for lunch or supper? How about roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Roast potatoes. Brussel sprouts.

Buy British
You should find something in Marks & Spencer, Tescos, Waitrose, Sainsbury's or Morrisons, all British. (Or, for cheaper prices, opt for Aldi, Lidl and sandwiches from Poundshop and Boots the chemist.

British Desserts
At a pub in Eton, I ordered a dessert called Eton mess, which is broken up meringues (looks a mess but tastes declicious) with strawberries and cream.

For less sugar, more fruit, after your main course, order or make apple crumble with yellow custard.

Between Meals
Perhaps a healthy snack of an apple, a British apple, Cox's orange pippin.

At tea time you could have homemade scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Timing
12 noon, the Ceremony starts. This should take about an hour.

The wedding reception will take place in Windsor Castle.

Later that day there's a sporting event, maybe involving the royals. At 5.30 it's kick off time for the FA (Football Association) cup finals. Prince William usually presents the prize, but it's not certain where he will be.

However, you can bet the pubs with TVs will be busy with screens turned on and special flags and bunting and special offers on drinks and food.

You can't wait until May? The couple will be visiting other places in the UK, notably on Friday April 6th 2018 in Bath, England, at the trials for the Invictus games in Sydney Australia. HRH Prince Harry is patron.

Invictus, you may recall, is a poem, one of my favourites. (More Invictus games in Sydney, Australia in October 2018.)

Booking a British Break
You have still time to book a flight to England, or postpone a trip from England to elsewhere, or come home early.

Angela Lansbury at a souvenir shop in Heathrow airport, London, England, UK, standing behind a cutout of HM THe Queen. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

Useful Websites

https://www.visitbritainshop.com/world/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnfLVBRCxARIsAPvl82GP69PmU8JypOxaHH_UHQUjjtuE47vI1wGfGlU2pqkIdYBrRy3OpLgaAvT5EALw_wcB

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5558081/30million-ring-steel-protect-Prince-Harry-Meghan-Markles-wedding.html

https://www.invictusgames2018.org (Sydney, Australia.)

https://www.teambath.com/2018/03/28/invictus-games-trials/ (Bath, England.)

Author

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

New Holocaust Museum in Skopje, Macedonia, plus Mother Teresa

Problem
Macedonia and Skopje - where are they? It was Roman, part of Yugoslavia,  ... Tell me more.

I went to Wikipedia and listened. Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia. Skopje - how do you say it? It's pronounced skop - yeah!

Map from Wikipedia.

The country is landlocked. No sea but some attractive lakes. Greece is to the south and the Greeks are a bit peeved about Macedonia and the Alexander the Great because the Greeks consider both part of their heritage.

Kosovo is to the north. Albania is to the west. The population is a mixture of Muslims and Christians.

Bulgaria is to the East. Like Bulgaria, Macedonia uses the Cyrillic alphabet.

The population is only half a million. The city is built around a river. What landmarks must I remember to see?

1 Stone Bridge
The city's symbol is the stone bridge, a series of humps.The stone bridge links the Centar (left bank or West), with the east old city, an area partly destroyed by the 1963 earthquake and rebuilt.

The Stone Bridge. Photo from Wikipedia.

Centar
Think of this as the new centre.
Here you find

The main square.
2 Statue of Alexander the Great on horseback, surrounded by a water fountain floodlit at night. Actually the official name is the warrior on horseback. But it is popularly believed to be Alexander The Great. I must say that sounds more appropriate to me than calling an airport Alexander the Great.

Alexander the Great Statue and water display. Photo from Wikipedia.

3 The new Holocaust museum
The new Holocaust Memorial Museum, open April 2018. Most of the population was killed by the Nazis at Treblinka in Poland. Exhibits include a railway carriage, wood, no windows.
Exhibits include a partisan frieze and a ladino street scene.

Is there anything jolly or happy? Yes. Reproduction of the Gutenberg Press.

4 Synagogue
 Curtain over the scrolls in the one existing synagogue, the Beth Jacov (Beth meaning building or house, Jakov meaning Jacob.)

Decorative curtain over scrolls in the Skopje synagogue, Beth Jacov.

Sign on holocaust Memorial Museum. In various languages. Photo in Wikipedia by Wisco2000.

5 Mother Teresa Memorial House. Site of the house where she was born and lived to the age of 18.
She lived here but the original has gone. Chapel and exhibits.

Mother Teresa Memorial House. Photo from Wikipedia.

6 Transport includes red buses imitating the British Routemaster.

Over To The Old City
7 The east old city has the hilltop sold walls of the fortress.

Getting there
8 You arrive at Alexander the Great airport
How could you not feel excited, arriving at Alexander the Great airport. Yes, it's a bit of an anachronism, no planes in his days.

9  The Macedonia Gate

Gateway. Has a shop inside. Roof on top was deigned for weddings. Picture from Wikipedia.

10 Macedonia Flag
Red and yellow and the sun. Doesn't it make you feel happy!

Flag from Wikipedia, in public domain.

Useful Websites For Travellers
http://www.exploringmacedonia.com Official website.
https://www.thejc.com/news/world/macedonia-prepares-to-unveil-new-holocaust-memorial-museum-1.460904

Time Zone Converter

Time Zone USA from Wikipedia. 

Problem
The emails scream at me, the seminar is starting now. They mean now where they are. But when is now, where I am? Does it mean an hour or two's time? Or have ai missed it already?

This time the reminder carries a handy link to the time zone converter. It's not that I could not have hunted on Google myself. Whatever I am searching for, I will get half a dozen answers. I open the first three to check, and choose one of them as my favourite. But next time I need to know, I go through the whole check every website process again.

The secret of success and speed is to have just one favourite website marked, whether it is for converted currency, dress sizes or time zones. Where do I list them?

1 It could be in bookmarks.
2 It could be inside the front or back cover of my diary.
3 I could have a Useful Websites page, constantly updated, printed and stuck on the wall's pinboard each weekend. (I use recycled paper, printed on the back of something else no longer needed, of course.)

Here's the handy timezone website:

http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/what-time-is-it-in-la-chicago-new-york.html

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other posts on time in the USA and worldwide. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Jane Austen in June, celebration in Alton, Hampshire - where to go and what to see

Jane Austen, painted by her sister Cassandra. 1810.

Problem
When and why?
How far is it and how long will it take to drive there from London?
What is there to see?

Answers
Alton is in Hampshire.

Date
Jane Austen Regency Week in and around market town of Alton, Hampshire, England, UK; 9 day event 16-24 June, 2018, near the village of Chawton.

Time, Distance
It's about 2 hours driving time, and 51 miles via the A3 and A31.
Also 2 hours (54.3 miles) via the M4, driving southwest via Croydon.
Other places associated with Jane Austen include Bath.

JANE AUSTEN SITES
Jane Austen House and Museum, Chawton, Hampshire. Where Jane Austen lived.
Entry tickets £4-8.

Jane Austen's burial place: Winchester Cathedral.

Jane Austen Centre, 40 Gay Street, Bath BA1 2NT. Tel: (+44) 01225 443000
www.janeausten.co.uk

Useful Websites

http://ukdistance.com/route/london/alton
https://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/explore/towns/alton

National Portrait Gallery in London has the drawing of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra, made in 1810, therefore in public domain.

Stopping For Shopping
The Jane Austen Gift Shop sells a silver charm bracelet with charms of books, which open to show a quotation. Despite the high price of £275, the reviewers seemed very happy with their gifts.
https://www.janeausten.co.uk/product/jane-austens-novels-silver-charm-bracelet-six-book-set/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Beautiful+New+Jewellery+-+by+popular+request&utm_campaign=shop+news+17%2F3%2F18

Winchester Cathedral, where Jane Austen is buried in the nave. Photo from Wikipedia. Author of photo Matt Turner.


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

What time is it in LA, Chicago, New York and London, England? Pacific, Central and Eastern time

Problem
A webinar asks me to sign up and choose a time. What time is it where?

Answers
The webinar says the times available are:

Pacific                                 Central                    Eastern
(Los Angeles)                     (Chicago)                New York
10 am                                  Noon                       1 pm

2 pm                                    4 pm                        5 pm

My laptop, set to UK time, says that the meeting starts one day or two ahead plus such and such a time which is 5 hours ahead.


Pacific                                 Central                    Eastern
(Los Angeles)                     (Chicago)                New York           UK
10 am                                  Noon                       1 pm                   6 pm

2 pm                                    4 pm                        5 pm                   UK 10 pm

I can't find a tab for columns on blogger.com in which I create posts for blogspot.com on which you read posts. However, I shall check to see this looks OK.

I now have a magic, easy to understand comparison of time zones in the USA, plus a comparison between the USA, all three regions, and the UK. I can sign up for a webinar, recommend it to friends in the UK when they are at home in the day rather than out for the evening, or returned from work.

As soon as I clicked publish on this post I got the feedback that people in the USA were the greatest number of those logging onto my post. But the second highest number was people in Germany. (Could be Americans in Germany.) So to help them I thought I must check the time difference between the UK and Germany.

I bet most people in Germany know. However, the clocks changed last week. Also, as a freelance writer and former sub-editor I know don't rely on what you think - ALWAYS CHECK!

Germany - and most of Europe, is one hour ahead. That means that 10 am in the UK is 11 am in Berlin.  11 am in the UK is noon - are they about to go out to lunch in Berlin? Or are they free to chat about non-work items and watch videos? Noon in the UK is 1 pm in Germany. 2 pm in the Uk is 3 pm 3 pm in German. 4 pm in the UK is 5 pm in German - are they going home - is their switchboard no longer answering? 6 pm in the UK will be 7 pm in Germany - are they home already, not keep to take business calls when they are with family? A really handy comparison.

When recording videos, podcasts, and speeches, I must remember not to say good morning, afternoon or evening, unless I explain when the recording was made, but instead say, hello. because people could be watching the recording any time.

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

Safety Warning On California Road

Problem
California's coastal route is spectacular but also dangerous. March 28 2018 newspapers online report
five deaths in a car which plunged over a cliff. What can you do to reduce risks?

Answers
DIRECTION
If you are booking a holiday to California, planning to drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, or the reverse, consider which direction is safer.

DAYTIME
You might choose to avoid driving at night.
Check distances, speeds, allow for meal stops, breaks, photo stops, and book overnight hotels.

FOG
Check for fog warnings.

SEATBELTS & SEPARATION
Keep seatbelts on. It might not save you if you plunger over a cliff, but it could stop children jumping around and distracting you.
One parent stopped his children fighting in the back by putting barriers between them, all the way up from the seat, past their arms, maybe up to their faces.

CAMPAIGN FOR BARRIERS
If you live in the area, you might consider starting a campaign for barriers.  If the state has an insufficient budget, consider crowdfunding and permission to fund and erect barriers sponsored by the public or big business.

Plan Your Trip
For me the highlights of California were and are:
Wine country visits to wineries driving north of San Francisco.
San Francisco
Ripley's Believe It Or Not (also London, England, and all over the world)
Hearst Castle
Winchester Mystery House
Los Angeles - 1 Disneyland - 2 Queen Mary Ship tour

Useful Websites
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5551367/5-killed-car-plunges-Californias-coastal-highway.html

https://www.visitusa.org.uk

http://www.visitcalifornia.com/uk

http://www.visitcalifornia.com/region/discover-san-francisco-bay-area

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g240329-i513-k8808848-Dangerous_road_Highway_1-Big_Sur_California.html

https://www.discoverlosangeles.com

http://hearstcastle.org/plan-your-trip/

https://disneyland.disney.go.com

http://www.queenmary.com

http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com

safety braking on the highway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_n-HIBnfts Demo in New Zealand of various speeds with cutouts of adults and children. What surprised me is that they show the difference is between 50 and 60, - is that Km? In the UK we are told that at 30 mph if you hit somebody they can survive. At 40 mph it is touch and go (I know - I was a pedestrian hit, with multiple injuries). At 50 mph no chance. That's the reason for the 30 mph speed limit in UK built up areas, when you see houses or buildings and local lamp posts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGkKDaYd3Mo 
Jeremy Clarkson on speed and braking and the highway code and old and new cars.

Music To Play In The Car
https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/12-songs-you-need-to-listen-to-when-in-san-francisco/
If you're going to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
San Jose

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

Fly Around The Internet For Travel News: Reader's Roundup On Singapore's Dreamliner

Window seat. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
So many snippets of news. Let's keep them together in one place.
March 28 - 2018

Singapore Airlines Introduces the new Dreamliner Boing 787-10
'Designed for Dreams' they say, as they proudly announce that they are the first to fly this aircraft on the Asia-Pacific route.

What's in it for passengers? It's quieter, an advantage for those travelling in all classes.

If you are in Business class, whether on short or long haul, you can enjoy direct aisle access and recline fully (flat!) to sleep or rest with shut eyes. Speaking of sleeping, the windows are larger, but can be dimmed at the touch of a button.

If you can't afford to fly in Business class, you can admire the new seating when flying on the airline. I shall be on one of these planes at least four times later this year. Check it out as you walk past when boarding and exiting and tell your friends about it.

I always look at the abandoned socks, no longer needed by business people, some of them unworn (but nobody is going to sniff to check). I think, if the socks are going to be thrown away, maybe I could just grab a pair and recycle them inside my boots.

But the people behind me are marching briskly forward. I am probably watched by 1984 style videos. My husband would be incensed at my bringing the family, the British, the consumer, into disrepute. The glamorous girl at the door is watching and waiting to bow to me and say goodbye.

Superior Socks
My family are frequent flyers and if I remember to ask, they might remember to save me my Singapore Airlines socks. I have quite a collection. I wear them all winter under boots in Britain. I have navy airline socks, a jolly red pair from Virgin which I flew from the UK to America and back, plus a cream colour pair, from who knows what airline and when, very handy in summer.

Socks save the soles of my feet from getting hard on flat floors in flat shoes. Socks fill out boots bought a size too large ion the internet. When I don't bother to wear socks, I am reminded by itching bites from mosquitos, gnats, who knows what. So and reduce my chances of getting bitten on the ankles by mosquitos in the office in Singapore, I wear spare socks.

If you ever visit me and want to give me a present and don't have time to buy anything, I am always delighted to receive airline socks (even if you've worn them - I can just pop then in the wash) plus sleeping masks, whatever.

I imagine you may be shaking your head, tutting and smiling. It's amazing what other people do, isn't it? It's amazing what you do, and think, when you actually write it down! I once looked around a room at Writers Holiday in Wales, and asked my friend, Linda, 'Who do you think is the most interesting person in this room, who we could write about?' She laughed and retorted, 'You are!'

Hotel Room Booking Bring Airmiles
Use the airline's booking service for hotel and get airmiles. They say they give 2 krisflyer miles for every US$ spent.
Hotels
https://www.agoda.com/singaporeair1?cid=1604904
Flights
http://www.singaporeair.com/

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

How to type that number sign in Singapore addresses, and make keyboard symbol pictures

Problem
Addresses in Singapore include a number sign #.
But it's not on many keyboards.

Answer
Just google it. I quickly found that the # sign on a MacBook is made by simultaneously pressing the Alt key and the 3/£ key.

This has been bothering me and eluding me for months. I might put a sticker on my machine. Or make a sign. Or write it in my diary.

It's amazing how something so simple can be a problem for so long. Then finding the solution can make you so happy.
################################################################################
# ## #
If I had nothing better to do I could draw Xmas trees and portraits and all sorts of things with keyboard signs. But I have better things to do. Planning my trips and learning Portuguese. I can also look up all my addresses all over my computer and insert the sign.

If you want to amuse the family on a long-haul flight you can play games with keyboard symbols.

Useful websites

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-make-the-crying-face-emoji-with-keyboard-symbols

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=mac+for+dummies

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

How to remember some simple Portuguese words for food, plurals

Portugal

Portuguese flag

Brazil

Problem
The Portuguese is similar to English - but different. How do I remember?

Answer
Note the differecet or similarity. Practise noticing the difference or similarity. You only need to say it or see it about three times for it to stick. The exercises in Duolingo will usually show you each word three times.

English - Portuguese
meat - carne (as in the English words carnivore and carnivorous)
pepper - pimenta (almost pimento, but ends in the sound a which is similar to the end of pepper)
pork - porco
potato - batata
rice - arroz (think of a round of rice, double r, o for a circle, when the rice is served in a mound) ice and oz sound similar, s-z
salad - salada (letter a three times, like three tomatoes)
sandwich - sanduiche
soup - sopa
strawberry - o morango
tomato - tomate

the strawberry - o morango (o is masculine the) the word looks like orange. A strawberry is orange shape. The M at the start is like the W in strawberry turned upside down. Repeat the o from the beginning of the word at the end. o morango.

Portuguese - English
arroz - rice
batata - potato
carne - meat
o morango - the strawberry (for the plural add an s like in English: os morangos)
pimenta - pepper
porco - pork
salada - salad
sanduiche - sandwich
sopa - soup
tomate - tomato

So now you can look at a menu and find a snack of a sandwich and salad including tomato, check if it is meat or pork, ask for soup, meat and potatoes, or rice, and finish with strawberries.


Useful Websites
Free internet learning for Portuguese and other languages
https://www.duolingo.com

A disc I bought from Earworms to play in the car. You can also download it onto a laptop. I bought volume 1 and then volume 2.

http://www.earwormslearning.com

Travel websites
https://www.visitportugal.com/en

http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/homepage

visitbrasil.com (NB They spell it with an s!)

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several other posts on learning Portuguese and other languages, and sites to visit. Please save and share links to your favourite posts.

How Learning A Language Can Help You Even If You Stay At Home

Problem
I am learning Portuguese. On Duolingo and TinyCards. Only about five minutes a day. Sometimes I miss a day. When I come back I feel  like I am starting all over again. Then it gets easier and I do double the daily amount. Suddenly the stystem tells me I am 17% fluent. Hurray!

They have put a lot of effort into what seems silly but apparently is vital to making people stick with the course. Continuous rewards, smiling faces, consoling words when you make mistakes. They have done a lot of research, compared language learning systems and popular games and which features make people start, and stay.

I read that on one of their information pages. At first I just wanted to get started learning, not bother with what I thought would a lot of self-congratulatory stuff.

Later, I was puzzed, as well as full of praise for the ingenuity of the sytem. I wanted to know how they made each change and why.

As for the 17% success, at first I thought that mean I had completed 17% of 100 lessons they set you, and that I would make continuous progress. Then it seemed that the system was simply testing my speed at answering questions, and my persistence in keep up with the course every day.

I wasn't sure that I would be going on the trip needing Portuguese. Then I got confirmation of flights. Suddenly, learning the language seemed more urgent. More relevant.

Apart from the 17% message, have I made any progress? Yes, definitely. Surprisingly, the page where I did not learn any new words has proved the most useful. It was the grammar page on Duolingo. At first I missed out on the grammar page at the start of a course or a section. It depends on the size of your screen. I hope to progress from a laptop to a full size screen, like a small TV.

You might have an old screen lying around, abandoned by a family member or co worker. I decide I was getting round-shouldered, poor posture, short-necked, with back and shoulder ache from being hunched over a laptop on a kitchen table or dining table, or hotel desk or study desk. I am waiting for the dable to arrive. Meanwhile, vital things are disappearing off the bottom of the screen. I rf=frequently fail to spot the vital button. I think I have entered information. The submit or continue button is on the bottom right of my screen.

Regarding the Portuguese, I discovered the grammar information below one of the first couple of pages I had been doing that day on Portuguese. I learned about two vital things. Orange juice in Enlgish becomes juice of orange in Portuguese. The use of the de, which is superflous in English, has to be inserted.

I may be likely to forget that. However, today on Facebook I was reading comments on a post showing a video of teeny turtles, red eared sliders. I turned on translate and read the English. Then I went back to what was Portuguese. I could see all the constructions in Portuguese using the word de. I could work out whether the translation was a mistake and awkward, or simply the way that the Portuguese language is constructed.

I was immensely pleased with myself and happy. The message I have for you is that learning a language has enormous benefits, to your morale, and your understanding and feel of control, not just when you visit a foreign country, but also before, during and after, simply when looking at translations on the itnernet.

Useful Websites
https://www.duolingo.com
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/courses/C2yji/duolingo-portuguese-course

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several more posts on Portuguese and other languages as well as placed to visit. Please share links to your favourite posts.

The Rear of The Rhea Was Here - where can you see it now?

Photo of Rhea by Michael Palmer in Wikipedia.


The Rear Of The Rhea Is Here
by Angela Lansbury

What is a rhea?
First I must say
It's oddly spelled
R H E A

The rhea, like its name, is absurd
Because it's a large, but flightless bird
Some people won't hear one bad word,
Ok, let's say, delightful bird

At first, when that big bird was found
They called it rhea, that's Greek for ground
South America's rhea is taller
Thank God, our Darwin rhea, here, is smaller

Most people here have no idea
About the truth, about the rhea
Except of course, for me and you
Like emus, we've no work to do

We look up facts, so we are clear
In case we ever must confront
Bravely, without a tear, nor fear
That dear, but very dangerous rhea

Thousands write to support its cause
It doesn't have big teeth, lion's jaws
But don't shake hands, evade its paws!
It catches, clasps, kills - with long claws!

On good days it just eats long grass
So if you're bothered by too much grass
No time at down to mow the lawn
Just let your rhea march, munching, past

One lady thought it would be fun
To own a rhea, just start with one
It's lonely, so then you get two
But what d'you think two rheas do!

A year goes past, while drinking tea,
You look up, gasp, "Hey - I see three!"
They breed and breed, you've soon got four
Let's split them up. please shut that door

'We've not got room, what shall we do?
I'm sure they'd like some at the zoo
So take a picture. Shut that gate!'
'Sorry, one's gone - I was too late!'

Cute in National Geographic
Not fun, running round in traffic!
It's run, done something in the field
I hope that helps the farmer's yield

It's not good news, not a good day
It's dangerous - on a motorway!
They're lost, they're breeding, two, four, five
The good news is that they'll survive

It's like an ostrich, and will eat
All kinds of plants, but sometimes meat
Rodent, reptile. It's friends with deer
Stands calm by cows, if herds are near

An 'emu' was glimpsed far from home
Caught on camera, then mobile phone
Escaped rheas at first sound fun
Delays, expense, police - with guns

Although, from far, a rhea's cute
Shyly running, in its feather suit
Now it's escaped, they'll prosecute
Stop car crashes. Game keepers shoot

We should know more, we all agree
To talk this over, over tea
I'll go off to scan the media
Please read more in Wikipedia

Because there's lots more I could say
But we've not enough time today
Let's go out looking, all of us here
Before laws ban them and they disappear

Learn more about the backward rhea
See which facts we can muster
The prime use of its feathers
Is to make a feather duster

If you fly to Argentina
You'll find the rhea is no stranger
You see it on centavo coins
There they're not rare, nor endangered

Gouchos would trip up rheas with ropes
Eat eggs and meat, make leather cloaks.
Farmers are angry, rheas eat crops
Not bad, they're good! Here shooting's stopped!

If soon, the world's rheas disappear
Don't drown sorrow in tea or beer
Come to England, amigos, Hertfordshire
You'll see two rhea rears running here!
-ends-

copyright Angela Lansbury.
Inspired by controversy caused by escaped rheas by the English motorway, pursued by gunmen, eventually recaptured, or returned for lunch, instead of ending up as dinner.
Please share links to this post.
For the story about the escaped rheas causing trouble to motorway traffic, see
UK Escapes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/27050298
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/what-s-going-on-rhea-yorkshire-police-find-an-emu-on-patrol-1-9014419
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-warning-over-aggressive-escaped-rhea-bird-on-the-loose-in-nottinghamshire-10345553.html

Escapes in Germany
http://www.10000birds.com/greater-rheas-germanys-new-big-bird.htm

For info on rheas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhea_(bird)_

ENGLAND, UK
To see rheas go to Woburn Safari Park, England.
woburnsafari.co.uk
http://www.woburnsafari.co.uk/discover/meet-the-animals/birds/greater-rhea/

SCOTLAND
http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/animals-and-attractions/animals/darwins-rhea/

https://www.visitscotland.com

NORTHERN IRELAND
http://www.belfastzoo.co.uk/animals/darwins-rhea.aspx

vistibritainshop.com

CHILE, SOUTH AMERICA
Or Parc Nacional Pali Aike, Chile
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g2615237-d2461967-r346309803-Parque_Nacional_Pali_Aike-Magallanes_Region.html
https://www.cloudbirders.com/tripreport
http://www.visitchile.com/en/

ARGENTINA, SOUTH AMERICA
https://www.audleytravel.com/argentina
https://wikitravel.org/en/Argentina

Easter Parades, Passover and Seder: how does this affect me as a traveller, shopper, souvenir hunter and gourmet?

Problem
First - when is Easter?
Second - when is Passover?

Answers
YOUR DIARY

Most diaries list this year's Christian and Jewish and other holidays as well as next year's. No need to thumb through the pages of your diary looking for the dates of Easter and other holidays in tiny print. You probably have a list of Religious Festivals at the front of your diary. (If you don't have dates in this year's diary, last year's diary has this year's dates.)

Five-year diaries don't have dates of festivals. Cut out the religious date pages from last year's diary and tape them into your five-year diary.

EASTER 2018
Christian Western
2018 Good Friday, March 30, 2018, then Easter Day Sunday April 1st, 2018, followed by Bank holiday on Easter Monday, April 2 2018, making a long weekend.

Eastern Orthodox - Easter Day April 8th, 2018

Jewish Passover, 1st day, Saturday March 31
(Some people will have a second seder night outside Israel to be sure they are always celebrating on the same day as they would if they were in Israel. The second seder is often at the home of the mother or daughter or sister or sister-in-law of the first day's hostess, to share the work, and using up any leftover food from the first day on the second day.) If you are visiting or entertaining Jewish people during the festival.

The Discovery Channel did a programme on the origin of the story in the bible and set various detectives on discovering possible origins of the story of the ten plagues which caused the Pharaoh to think God was punishing him and that he had to let Moses and the Children of Israel depart across the Dead Sea or Red Sea (various mis-spellings - too long to explain) to the Promised land.

One set of modern detective findings was that the smiting of the firstborn could have been the same as the origin of the St Vitus' Dance in the USA and Europe, symptoms caused by poisoning by mouldy infected grains stored in a very wet storage house. Hence the custom of throwing out last year's crop before harvesting the spring crop of grain - leading to matzoh made from unleavened bread or cracker, and pancakes using up the last of the stored grain made into flour, on pancake day.

Another story you are likely to hear is that the group left Egypt in such a hurry that they had no time to allow the bread to rise.

It's possible, and it the most likely theory which I have heard.

Why should you care about all of this?
HISTORY -
very interesting for history buffs.
CRIME SCENES -
very interesting for archaeologists and detectives.
RELIGIONS -
seeing how religions relate and develope.
ART -
the last supper, showing Jesus and the disciples around the table with wine and bread would have been a Passover meal.
TRAVEL -
with two festivals coinciding, flights are likely to be booked up in countries celebrating either Easter or Passover or both, and airlines travelling to, from or through those countries on those dates.
HOTELS -
hotels are also likely to be booked up by holidaymakers, both the religious ones holding celebrations or going to particular countries, and secular families and families of other religions simply booking travel during school and work holidays.
CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES
Religious - Passion plays: Oberammergau in Bavaria in Germany, in 2020, booking now.
Secular - Easter Parades.
Israel and worldwide - a chance to be invited to a family Seder night.
Jewish Orthodox hotels will have big events.
Families of mixed marriages might like to go to communal seder night held at liberal synagogues.

SHOPPING
Easter goods:
UK and European shops and supermarkets will be stocking chocolate eggs, flowers, Easter greeting cards.
Some cities will have Easter parades.
Fifth Avenue, New York. Bring your camera and your bonnet or hat.

Passover goods:
Supermarkets and shops will be stocking:
Kosher for passover wines, matzos and foods.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
2019
Christian Western
Good Friday April 19, 2019
Easter Day April 21, 2019

Christian - Eastern Orthodox April 28, 2019

Jewish Passover 1st day April 20, 2019

Useful Websites
To send a greeting card:
123
http://www.123greetings.com/events/passover/thank_you/
Jacquie Lawson cards
https://www.jacquielawson.com/card/feast-of-freedom/h-0/3352802

Gifts For Your Family Or Your Host's Family
Amazon has loads of stuff including books which you can look inside:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Passover-Coffee-Quotes-Jennise-Conley/dp/0615787053/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1522077264&sr=8-2&keywords=passover+gifts&dpID=51fLcUJbMFL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
http://store.chabad.org/catalog.asp?dept=2001
Chabad have a questions page, Seder gifts, and all sorts of suprising and amusing things including a  7 branch candelstick holder with each candle held by a different cat.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
I have many other posts on religious and secular holidays around teh world, Israel, Chinese New years, educational, enlightening and amusing. Please share links to your favourite pages. You can also contact me with your questions and comments through Facebook.

How To Learn And Remember A Few Words of Basic Food In Portuguese

Flag of Portugal

Problem
I had another go at learning Korean on Duolingo and it doesn't work for me. Others on the forums recommend that learners should persist. But I feel my time is better spent on learning Korean from a dedicated Korean website. Duolingo, however, is just right for learning Portuguese. So what have I learned today in Portuguese?

Answer
The trick is to keep repeating words. Duolingo is good at this. The main site has a revision after every lesson. Today I was almost too tired to do the revision. Normally I go through it once or twice, until I can get all the answers right, fast. This time I just looked at the questions and then the answers.

However, I am going to write out what I have learned.

Portuguese - English
amango - bitter (this is so bitter, I'd rather have a sweet mango)
atum - tuna
a banana - the banana (note that the is a, and that the can be masculine o or feminine a)
bolo de chocolat - chocolate cake (yes, I would like a bowl of chocolate cake)
eles - they
eles comen - they eat
eu - I
eu gosto - I like
os homens  - the men (os is plural masculine)
o molho - the sauce (the Portuguese looks like the English word moisture)

English - Portuguese
the banana - a banana (four times letter a)
bitter - amango
chocolate cake - bolo de chocolat
I - eu
I like - eu gosto
The - o (masculine); a (feminine); os (masculine plural)
the sauce - o molho
they - eles
they eat - eles comen
tuna - atum

Useful websites
Free languages for beginners:
https://www.duolingo.com (Portuguese and several other languages)
English in Tinycards for speakers of Portuguese:
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/users/DuolingoPT
https://www.memrise.com/course/1121957/portuguese-portugal-1/

Paid for courses:
https://www.memrise.com/course/1121957/portuguese-portugal-1/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=berlitz+portuguese&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=188201508211&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16051061403562216167&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045970&hvtargid=kwd-500446475&ref=pd_sl_4e6324zqs0_e
https://www.rosettastone.co.uk

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

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Flag of Brazil

Clocks Changed In London - Hurray - here's why and how to keep to time and buy a good clock

Problem
We used to arrive late for appointments on Sunday. Sunday lunch out - the restaurant was closing when you arrived late.

The afternoon book club was halfway through when one person arrived late. Another person who was missing, later revealed they had missed the start and were embarrassed.

If one person in the family knew about changing clocks, and did it, everybody else felt outclassed and foolish.

Next morning, Monday, out of every thirty people in an office, one would arrive late.

Answer
Today, hurray, smart phones have changed themselves. Any radio clock has changed itself. You soon see that some clocks are on different times.

What's left to change?

Car Clocks
If you have a manually changed clock on the car, that has to be changed. If your car is all high tec, lucky you. On the other hand, you may have to spend time reading the manual to find out how to alter your clock.

Ovens
Ovens are often manual and have to be changed. Same goes for the microwave.

Watches
Watches vary. We used to photocopy the instructions for a new watch, blowint the text up to 12 point size, and stick this on the pinboard int he ktichen or office. Then, when you need to change your watch, we could do so quickly.

Dual time watches for two coutnries are handy if you can afford them. However the face has to be larger and I don't like heavy watches.

I would have one watch on my right hand for now when getting on a plane, and a second watch on your left hand already set to desitnation time. I had watches in two colours. A day later I could set both watches for the coutnry I was in.

Business
The time in the UK is still different from Euopre by an hour. Some people say business would be easier if we were all on the same time.

Airlines thankfully adopt the sensible system of giving you the time of arrival at your destination. Keep your eye on the time.

It doesn't stop on Sunday. If you have any hidden clocks, or a second home in another country, you may arrive to find all the clocks telling the wrong time.

But your smart phone should sort you out.

What was it all about, the time changing?

Farmers
Some claim it was to help farmers. Never mind. Forget the past and look forward to the future. Longer, lighter evenings.

If anybody in your family has an old phone, maybe time to upgrade. If anybody doesn't believe in technology, here's one reason why it's good.

Frankly, even if you are on top of the situation, congratulating yourself that although you can recall a year when you were in a muddle you are now on the right time, it's just another nuisance having to change clocks.

Happy Hour
I have two reasons to be happy today:
1 More daylight in the evenings for travel and photography in London, and England and Britain.
2 Clocks closer to other countries.
3 Smart phones tell you the right time and help you sort out your day.
4 Other people are also more reliable.

UK and Ireland only?
If you buy a clock in the UK, or from the UK, it is likely to be set to radio control from UK and Irealand. The one I looked at could be changed manually to operate elsewehre in the world, which is OK if you prefer manual and don't mind going back to manual.

Batteries Needed
If you buy a clock online, it may be radio controlled but you may still need batteries. You can order them online at the same time, unless you have a stock at home or your local newsagent or bargain store sells them in bulk cheaper.

Size
Anything which is a desk clock as well as a wall clock is likely to be smaller. My desk is short of space, so I would want a smaller clock for a desk. However, if your desk is against a wall, you might like a larger clock which can go at the back against the wall, whether or not attached, and won't be concealed by clutter.

A wall clock on a far wall needs to be larger. Here's the size of one I looked at:

: 23 x 2.5 x 16cm
23 cm is about 9 inches
16 cm is about 6 inches

But is that the screen or the whole clock?

Radio Controlled Clocks
What do I want in the sales? Another radio controlled clock.

Radio controlled clocks on Amazon, new and used, start at about £10, with free delivery next day if you are a member of Prime. Loads more at about £17-20, mostly the round sort with conventional numbers. For an oblong clock with a digital readout, about £20.

Checking Prices
Now, for the first time, I have found a use for the choice of starting with prices high to low. It enables me to see the most expensive, find out if the most expensive has any extra features. Radio clock controlled clocks are priced up to about £800. Around £200-600 you can buy a clock which looks traditional to match your living room decor in a home or hotel, a real old-fashioned looking pendulum clock, but radio controlled so you don't have to re-set it once a year, nor any other time or day.

Any disadvantage to the radio-controlled clock? Yes. For types like me who are always trying to cram more into the day and finish the last task before they leave, it was very handy to be able to set clocks five or ten minutes fast, so that when I rushed out ten minutes late I would still arrive on time.

Clock Sizes
Check the size of the clock. I find it easier to go into a shop and stand ten feet away and see if I can read it easily. It's handy to have the date as well, underneath.

Where Else To Buy?
We bought ours  in Homebase. One of the best decisions we ever made. I look at it every hour, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

More Information
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5541375/Britons-complain-iPhones-taking-fun-clocks-changing.html#comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_clock

Amazon Radio Controlled Wall Clocks All Prices
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Temperature-Display-Inovaxion-inopmt01-silver/dp/B00U82FZBO/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1521979499&sr=1-5&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A1249834031

Argos
Radio controlled clock, round, from £16.99 (that's £17 near enough).
http://www.argos.co.uk/product/6237475

Travel
https://www.visitbritainshop.com/world/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkd3VBRDzARIsAAdGzMCnweFdLFFyhzqkzoMA0qX94pLMftgolKe4ASEkzjT8gDdak3efmksaAqjTEALw_wcB

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

Museums About writers in America, Ireland and England

CHICAGO USA
https://americanwritersmuseum.org/visit/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Writers_Museum

DUBLIN, EIRE
https://www.dublinpass.com/dublin-attractions/dublin-writers-museum.html

Britain has many museums devoted to particular authors. For example
England
Shakespeare - Stratford upon Avon
Jane Austen - Bath
The Brontes - Haworth, Yorkshire

Wales
Dylan Thomas boathouse (Two Thomas trails)
Fishguard (Scene of films Under Milk Wood and Moby Dick) See my previous posts on Fishguard.

Scotland
Robbie Burns House, Ayr

visitbritain.com

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

Abilene, Texas - What More Is There To See: statues galore and museums, literature,

Problem
Abilene, Texas is a two and a half hour drive from Fort Worth. Last time I was in Texas I did a two cetnre tour of Dallas and Fort Worth. Is it worthwhile going to Abiline to the Ciliex Museum. If there's more to see should I stay overnight, or make a long weekend of it?

Answers
https://www.nccil.org
Firstly, the Childrens Art and Literature museum is closed on Sunday and Monday, so you want to be going up on Friday, or starting very early on Saturday if you are driving over.

Is it worth a special trip? Most people love it.

A few were disappointed to see an exhibition on only one author/illustrator.

Bookshop
Some loved the bookshop which contains a few signed books. Others thought it was small.

The exhibitions, usually three a year, concentrate on all the illustrations from a book or books by a particular illustrator. The drawings are often larger and more detailed than they appear in the final version of the book. If you live in the area, and many do because Abilene is larger (in population - more populous is the correct term), then you may find that visiting a free museum three times a year is worthwhile and satisfies your desire to learn about more than one author/illustrator.

Multiple Authors?
If you want a museum which covers lots of authors and books, consider the Museum of American Writers in the USA. It opened in 2017. It was inspired by the writers' museum in Dublin, capital of Eire. (That's only about Irish writers).

Back to Abilene. What else might you include on your trip?

Texas and Pacific Depot, Abilene, Texas, now Tourist Information Centre. Photo by Billy Hathorn in Wikipedia article on Abilene.

Pick up a map at the visitors centre in a converted, restored old railroad building. By the railroad on the South blvd is Everman Park.

 Or print off a map which can be found online.

Look for six Dr Seuss statues on N 1st.and statues of Guardians, 3 Little kittens, 3 Little Pigs, Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and quotations from books.

Storybook Garden
Adamson-Spalding Storybook Garden, 1008 N 6th Street, number 1098 Abilene, Texas 79601 5151.
Also see the giant dinosaur. Plus the VW Beetle on the Grace Museum.

Buffalo
My favourite statue is the big buffalo at Frontier Texas, 625 N 1st Street. (Oddly, the statue of the bull at the Bullring in Birmingham, England is also rated highly, though the nearest beef is in supermarket sandwiches.)

When to go? Festival Time!
Second week of June every year. CALF, Children's Art and Literature Festival.

Military Museum
The military museum got very favourable reviews. People loved the tank at the back (Americans say out back, which to me sounds like the Australian phrase Outback, which means not the back yard, but the wilderness).

Parents and grandparents said children loved the area of the toys for children to play with. It's all family friendly, except you are warned that in the WWII section the Holocaust room might not be suitable for children of all ages.

Discovery Centre
The Discover Centre is not like the Discovery centres in many other cities which are based in science.  This takes the bible as a starting point. Abilene takes its name from the Hebrew bible. See reviews on TripAdvisor. You might discover that others don't believe what you believe.

Abilene is nicknamed The Key City, and The Friendly Frontier. Now you know why.

Useful Websites For Travellers
www.visittheusa.com
https://www.traveltexas.com/#/
visitbritain.com
http://visitbirmingham.com
http://www.abilenevisitors.com
https://www.visitdublin.com
https://www.ireland.com/en-gb/
https://www.nccil.org

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other reviews on Abilene; Birming, England. Please share links to your favourite posts.