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Friday, May 31, 2024

Airplane Accident - should be prevented, preventable

 

An attractive airline design from a Thai airline.. 

Airline travel should be glamorous and trouble free. Accidents are rare. 

But every accident is a tragedy for those involved, and bystanders, even nervous passengers who have heard about the accidents. 

Can we reduce accidents to zero? Why not? \\

Firstly, in modern times we have a duty of care. Secondly, studying the past, we learn that Viktor Frankl reduced suicides to zero among Austrian students, as long ago as before WW2.

Regarding a death on the ground, outdoors, involving a plane, a reported accident was later  reported as not an accident, was apparently not an accident. A person died, apparently a suicide. Either way it should not be possible to climb into any moving part of a plane or get sucked in. 

An airplane design fault. You should not be able to climb inside moving machinery when it is in operation. It could have been an animal or bird in a foreign country with wildlife on landing and caused a major accident.

Warning Signs

 It is mandatory to have warning signs about washing hands above basins in restaurants. Warnings signs should show sheer drops from cliffs, and railway and river banks, an doors into lift shaft - and moving machinery.

Are Signs Sufficient?\

But warning signs are not enough. There might be so many signs that people don't read them. The population is not 100% literate. People might not be paying attention. They may not be wearing their reading glasses. They might not speak English. They might be in a hurry and not stopping to read sign. They ight not know that signs apply to them. Elderly and confused people. Drug takers. People tired from flights overnight, long working hours, exciting love lifes. Forgetting signs read long ago and not re-read every day.

Therefore, you cannot rely on people reading signs, nor obeying them. A boss or colleague might say of a sign, it doesn't matter, never mind, it's an old sign, we haven't time.

Actions

Therefore, safety design required keeping machinery away from people, and people away from machinery. A designer or AI can generate a list of suggestions. Such as a physical barrier, a warning sound. a net. A bar. A way of stopping the moving machinery. A moat. A moving barrier. 

Who Can Help?

Sometimes the design department does the job to fix the problem. Lawyers or Insurance companies can bring pressure to ensure action is taken.

Occasionally a contest is used to appeal for designs. Or a student or group of students work on the idea.

 Or a family member, albeit shutting the door after the horse has escaped, is obsessed with fixing the problem. It gives them a purpose. Action after the event is useful - so that it never happens again. 

Useful Websites

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13477673/Man-died-Schiphol-airport-deliberately-climbed-planes-engine.html

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Your poem is too long - Places Where You Can Get Inspiration For Writing





 You know your poem is too long

If you cannot recite it

Think how long it takes to read

When you start to write it it


Is your poem far too strong

Or week and namby pamby

It should leave you with a smile

Like happy, dancing Bambi.

-ende.-

copyright Angela Lansbury written Friday 31 May.

You can amuse yourself when waiting for a bus, train or plane by writing a poem. The short forms are rhyming couplets and haikus.

A classical verse form such as a sonnet can help you restrict your rambling on and on like an endless ballad.

I have a list of poetry forms and example in my book Poetry Workbook by Angela Lansbury. Available as an ebook from Lulu.com

https://www.lulu.com/shop/angela-lansbury/poetry-workshop/ebook/product-1j9r862q.html?page=1&pageSize=4

https://www.edinburghexpert.com/blog/grave-concerns-vi-unmarked-graves-of-historical-figures-in-edinburgh#:~:text=McGonagall%20was%20buried%20in%20a,of%20his%20burial%20is%20unknown

Useful Websites

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/houses-buildings/places-with-literary-connections

https://www.swanwickwritersschool.org.uk/

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Airlines and Turbulence - what changes could and should be made?



 After two major incidents of passengers and crew injured during turbulence, on Singapore Airlines, and another Airline, airlines, crew and passengers and thinking about improving safety.

Airlines Are Considering

1 No babies sitting on an adult's lap.

2 Crew to sit during turbulence.

3 No drinks and meals served during turbulence.

What else could be done?

Easy to do.

Time for aircraft crews to manage toilet visits by rows to prevent queues. 

More long term

Redesign planes to stow lugage under seats instead of overhead.

Useful Websites

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2024/05/precautions-to-take-when-flying.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13475407/turbulence-Airlines-tightening-rules-passengers-seatbelts-babies.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13452315/Inside-Boeing-tragedy-state-art-weather-radar-POWERLESS-stop-Singapore-Airlines-plane-flying-deadly-turbulence.html

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Thursday, May 30, 2024

Learning languages on Duolingo for your holiday hiking in Spain

The Spanish Flag. From Wikipedia.

I am learning Spanish for a hiking holiday in Spain. Last time I went away with the same group, which meets every year in Europe for a week of hiking, 

German

I learned German which was the language of the man organizing the group. Despite finsihing the entire German course, I could not follow his instrucitions to the group in German and had to wait for the translation into English. Since the germans spoke fluent English, I felt a bit behind them in my efforts to learn a froeign language.\

Why Learn Spanish? -  Is It Essential?

It turned out that my main problem in understanding hiders' conversation was technical (hiking) vocabulary. I had not learned specialised words for a hiking trip. 

Solution So Specialised Languge in Spain

This time I have given up on the German and tried to learn Spanish, so that if I get left behind, or turn back, on a hike, I can read the local signs. 

Print Words & Maps

I shall print out my words, and maps, so that if my phone has no conncection, or the battery fails, or it needs charging, I have a printed backup of maps and words.

Word List

For my own benefit I have made a list which I am sharing with you.  

Popular Pilgrimage

The most popular hike, the msot well known, is the old pilgrimage route, Camino to Santiago.


Wikipedia map of the route across northern Spain.

Camino translates as path or way or road. Sant is Saint. Iago is Jacob or James. (John is Juan, pronounced Who-Ann or Who won?) 

Other trails include the Picos de Europa.

 I have made a list of useful words, using Translate Google and other sources.

ENGLISH (alphabetically) - SPANISH 


DRIVING DIRECTIONS

north - norte

south-  sur

East - este

West  - Oeste

centro de la ciudad - city centre


A-D

and - y

Bar - bar

blocked / obstructed - obstruido

bridge - puente

car park / parking lot -  estacionamiento

church - iglesia

closed - cerrado

coffee - café 

cul de sac - callejón sin salida

danger - peligro

detour - desvio

do not drink - no bebas

drinking water - agua potable


E-K

easy - facil

fire danger - peligro de incendio

free - gratis

free parking - estacionamiento gratis

gate - puerta

green - verde

hard - duro

harbour - puerto

help - ayuda

hiking - senderismo (my memory aid is sending someobdy hiking!)\

hill - colina

hike - la caminata

hiking - senderismo

hostel - refugio (might be dormitory accommodation, booked, or priority given to those registered on the route)

house - casa

I need - necesito


L-R

local trails - senderos locales

mountain - montaña

no smoking - no fumar

no entry - no hay entrada

no exit - sin salida

no left turn - sin giro a la izquierda - (like French gauche for left)

no right turn - sin giro a la derecha

no swimming - no nadar

one way - un camino

open - abierto

over here - por aqui

path - camino

peak - cima

port / harbour - puerto

railway - ferrocarril

residents only - solo residentes

restaurant - restaurante

river - rio

road - camino

roundabout - rotonda


S-Z

sandwiches - bocadillos

sea - mar (like the French mer)

shop - tienda

short - corto

snacks - snacks

toilet - baño 

trail - camino

watch out! - cuidado!

waterfall - cascada

where - donde

..........

COLORS

black - negro

green - verde

red - rojo

......................


SPANISH - ENGLISH

A-D

abierto - open

aqui - here

agua potable - drinking water

aperitivos - appetizers

ayuda - help

baño - toilet

bar - bar

barra de café - coffee bar

café - coffee

callejón sin salida - no exit

camino - path, road, route, way

casa - house

cascada - waterfall

cerrado - closed

cima - peak

comercio - shop

corto - short

senderismo

Ciudad - city

cuidado - watch out

Desvio - detour

dónde - where

Duro - hard


E- K

empinado -

estacionamiento -  car park/parking lot

estacionamiento gratis - free parking

fácil - easy

ferrocarril - railway

gratis - free

hostal - hostel

iglesia  church

inundable - floodable


COLORS

negro - black

rojo - red

verde - green


L-R

mar - sea

montaña - mountain

Necesito - I need

no bebas - not drinking water / do not drink

no fumar - no smoking

No hay entrada - no entry

no nadar - no swimming

obstruido - blocked (obstructed)

peligro - danger

peligro de incendio - fire danger

por aqui! - over here!

pueblo - town

puente - bridge

puerta (feminine) - gate

puerto (masculine) - port / harbour

refugio / hostal - hostel

restaurante - restaurant

río - river

rotonda - roundabout


S-Z

sándwich - sandwich

senderismo - hiking

sin giro a la derecha - no right turn

sin giro a la izquierda - no left turn (like French gauche for left)

Sin salida - no exit

solo residentes - residents only

tienda - shop

tienda de comestibles - grocery shop

un camino - one way

y - and


Useful Websites

Duolingo.com

Translate Google

https://translate.google.com/

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

https://www.walksinspain.org/wordpress/guidance/

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Saturday, May 25, 2024

Romania, Romania - Aaron Lebedeff - a song about Romania, Pastrami and more, in humorous style sung by Moshe Schulhof


Sung by Moshe Shulhof.

The Food of Romania
An interesting song which praises Romanian, wwine, food and women. 

Pastrami.

This song alerted me to the fact that pastrami comes from Romania. Pastrami is cured meat, beef dried and smoked. Tasty.

The Music, Singing and Dancing
Excellent updated version of one of my favourite songs, Romania. I want to sing along with it. I must learn to roll the letter R.
Please share links to your favourite posts.
You can see the original with the writer of the song, performing it. I have listened to several versions. I like watching the hand movements. It's a clap with it, tap with it, song. I love the Moshe Shlhof version.
Dracula features on wine bottles from Romania. This jolly song should be played in restaurants and promoted by the tourist board.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastrami

The Moshe Schulhof version of ROmania on youtube




The opening words translated

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Friday, May 24, 2024

Lindisfarne Mead - the old British honey drink

 

Lindisfarne Castle


I first came across honey wine, or mead, at Lindisfarne in the north East of England, where a causeway floods.

The causeway leads to a romantic, remote hilltop castle. It is called Holy Island and associated with monks and mead.

A haunting Polanski film was shot here, called Cul de Sac. The film was released in 1966 in black and white. Somebody described it as a comedy, drama, thriller. Yes, there is supense. I did not find it funny. It was shot showing the tide out, and the tide in, at Lindisfarne Island, Northumberland, where the protagonist, played by Pleasance is the owner of historic Holy Island. 

The Lindisfarne mead is curently in May 2024 selling online in British pounds at  11.25 for a 70 cl bottle. The company website also shows fruit wines, such as rhubarb, at 9.50 for 70 cl. 

You might be interested in ginger wine, same price, or damson, or elderflower. 

Mulled Wine
Muled wine which is available in the smaller size, 35 cl, is popular warmed up to give physical and mental cheer at chilly, cold Christmas time, or any time when it is snowing or cold such as in January. Mulled wine is sometimes served on a Sunday morning in populr British pubs and on Xmas season Sunday mornings before a hot roast British beef lunch.

Public viewpoint


The Mead

Gift pack of three meads, (tasters in small sizes for sharing at a meal?) at the moderate price of just over ten British pounds.



Useful Websites

Lindisfarne Mead

Polanski film Cul De Sac

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gebdbZxlEXE

A quick look at all the photos and page links to Lindisfarne around Wikipedia here

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Thursday, May 23, 2024

Precautions to take when flying - nerves, shoes and seatbelts and more

In May 2024 one man died and several passengers were badly injured on a Singapore Airlines flight which had a sudden drop in mid-air during meal time.


Passengers and crew who were not wearing seat belts were thrown into the air and/or hit their heads or were injured when they were flung down.  

I have flown on Singapore Airlines many times. So have the rest of my family. We have always considered it one of the safest airlines. 

My husband, who is a statistician, says, air travel has so few accidents per passenger mile that it's hard to compare one airline with another.

However, Singapore Airlines, don't skimp on maintenance. So we are not looking at faulty maintenance or fake parts causing an accident waiting to happen. 

Non profitable airlines from other coutnries might do so. Some airlines were in the past banned from European airports and only gradually allowed back in.

American Caution

I recall a discussion back in the late 1990s. An American woman in Singapore told us that her husband who worked in the airline industry isnisted that his own family only flew to Asia on an American airline. 

So, assuming you trust the airline, and the weather forecast, what can you do to help yourself in the case of the unexpected?

Types Of Aircraft

I used to worry about two engine planes. I wanted to fly in a four engine plane. But even if you check which kind of aircraft you are flying on, the airline can switch at the last moment. If the plane is late or develops trouble, you could be given a seat on another airline. 

A Thai Airways plane with their flag and logo. 

At busy times of year, such as Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Easter, and school summer holidays, airlines and package tours may need more seats and planes. So they hire planes from companies which specialise in renting out aircraft.

What Can You Control?

We are not looking at a worst case scenario of an unsurvivable crash into the side of a moutain in zero visibiity in thick fog. 

We are looking at a survivable accident. In that situation, we want ourselves, our loved ones, our fellow passengers, and the crew, to have maximum chances of avoiding avoidable injury.

What Can Be Done?

You could decide not to fly. Or not to fly in bad weather. But some people say, if you avoid rains, or monsoons, you would be unable to fly for months of the year. Airlines are going to cease flying if they are sure the weather is making take-off impossible. But no airline hoping to be profitable and providing a national service wants to be cancelling flights for an entire season. 

Nervous Flers

What about cancellation? You may have to pay a premium if you decide not to fly when the plane is still going to fly. You might consider that worthwhile, if you are nervous, or one of your family is likely to have a panic attack. A friend of mine had a daughter who had a panic attack so all three of them, the girl and her parents, had to get off the plane. He complained that it was a long time before he got compensation from the insurance company for the three expensive flights.

What can you do to reduce your chances of being injured during a flight during turbulence and/or a plane's sudden descent caused by winds, turbulence, whatever?

Precautions Before You fly

Be insured.

Know you flight arrival time. You might or gain or lose a day. Check losing an hour or gaining an hour when changing planes.

Wear flat shoes because you don't want to have to run in heels and you have to remove heels when sliding down inflatable chutes into the plane's lifeboats.

Precautions to take when flying

Go to  the toilet before boarding to avoid standing in long queues.

Try to limit alcohol and water so you don't need the loo a lot.

Keep your seatbelt on, even when lying down.

Stay seated. Don't walk around to eercise. You can do exercises whilst sitting.


DescriptionControlled Impact Demonstration instrumented test dummies installed in plane
Date
Sourcehttp://www1.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/CID/HTML/ECN-28307.html
AuthorNASA photo (ID: ECN-28307)

I am now reconsidering whether carry on luggage should be soft sided and without wheels, in case it falls out of the overhead locker.

Maybe planes should be redesigned, so that luggage is not overhead.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13451545/Many-passengers-injured-Singapore-Airlines-turbulence-flight-require-spinal-surgery-six-brain-injuries-Bangkok-hospital-reveals.html?dicbo=v2-amKnMrJ#newcomment

https://www.wpr.org/news/what-might-have-caused-the-helicopter-crash-that-killed-irans-president

See my later post

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2024/05/airlines-and-turbulence-what-changes.html

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Coming On Sale In July or August a new Wine Aerator

 Here's a novelty. A new wine aerator. It will be on the market in July and August. I was new to this idea. So I looked it up.

Air

I know how you froth up milk. On top of your coffee. You whisk eggs. Cakes. Souffle. Add air. 

Champagne

Champagne is dry white wine with the excitement of bubbles so even those who won't normally drink a poor or dry wine find great pleasure in it.

I know that you can save wines nowadays using a Coravin. The opportunity to turn an aromatic or flavoured wine into a cocktail. Can't you just add tonic water? No, because that would dilute the drink.

What would an aerator do?

An aerator lets the oxygen in, whilst letting out the sediment so you don't need to decant and wait, and wash up more.

But, can you save the bubbles in sparkling wine for restaurants. If so, that means more profitability. An ability to offer a range of wines by the glass. More choice for the consumer. 

Innovations often go through several predictable stage of development. First they are expensive, used industrially, and buy the top expensive restaurants. Then used widely by professionals, often in two qualities, expensive and astronomically expensive. Then they reach the public, the cognoscenti, the geeks, the affluent, in short supply. Then finally they reach mass production for everybody and at prices everybody can afford. The market leaders is then followed by others with lots of varieties.

I found aerators on Amazon for under ten pounds.


Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_accessory#Aerator

https://www.thespruceeats.com/best-wine-aerators-4135800

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FLOW-Barware-Aerator-Breather-Decanter/dp

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Katherine Jenkins: Calon Lân Lyrics in Welsh and English


The singer, Katherine Jenkins OBE, is a Welsh singer, and a mezzo soprano. Her surname, family name, Jenkins literally means John the little, which transatlated into modern English would be Little John.

Calon Lan is a traditional song. The Words in English mean A Pure Heart.
Here is a translation.



You will find several variations on you tube. I picked this one beause I liked the singer, melodius, and you can get a visual explanation of the song.

Useful Websites

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Ukrainian wines with wonderful labels of cats and art


 



An amusing label for a low alcohol wine.

Useful Websites

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Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Liquid Diamond Prosecco in Pink Gift Packs with a Wine Glass

I met this lovely lady at the London Wine Fair at Olympia, a trade show which was on for three days. When I saw her enticing pink packaging I had to staop and ask about their products and where you can buy them.  

The Liquid Diamons is just about to launch in Sainsbury's in a full size 75 cl  wine bottle at 10 pounds or 12 pounds depending on the promotion.


Liquid Diamond Prosecco at London Wine Fair and soon all over the UK. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

This attractive gift set in a pink presentation box for parties consists of a 25 cl  miniature, with a coupe, a large glass bowl, from a UK supermarket already, and costs nine pounds from Asda. Only the rosé is available in this gift pack. 
  

Giffords Hall Vineyard 5 mins from Lavenha,m, Suffolk UK - for wine tasting and sheep viewing

This is the picture of one of the rare sheep. Notice the black wool and the large curvved horns.




Photo by Angela Lansbury
 They run tours 3 times a day from February until December. Grand tours from 25 pounds a person. See vines, the winery and taste a glass of red, white and rose. 

You can also do a sparkling tour for two, 120 pounds for two including a mixed platter of cheese and biscuits and charcuterie. 

The shop sells wine flights (a set of wines, glasses of wine, for a single session. You can have still wines or sparkling wines, trying three. The cost is 10  pounds for still wines, 12  for the sparkling. 

In the shop buy gifts, candles, corkscrews, wine coolers, scarves, glasses, ceramic plant pots, local beers Mauldons, and cocktails Niche from Ipswich, in cans. 

What about children? What can they do? Children can look at the sheep, rare breed Hebridean sheep. The sheep act as lawnmowers. 
Also admire the horses. 

I tried the still wines costing 16 or 17 pounds for a bottle, and the sparkling at 27 pounds and up.

The shield on the bottle is the crest for the Norfolk Howard family. The vineyard owners are Linda and Guy Howard, decended on his side from from Katherine Howard, the wife of Henry VIII.

For more information, see

www.giffordshall.co.uk

In the Waddesdon estate shop, non alcoholic wine

 Peony Blush is made from white peony tea.

You can buy it in the shop of the Waddesdon estate in Buckinghamshire, England.


The food pairing they suggest is with fruity desserts.

It is also served in Michelin star restaurants such as The Fat Duck. 

In addition The Pig restaurants, which are franchises on the south coast of the UK.

Legasea wine bottles under the sea in Spain

 

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Yes, you see shells, sea shells, because the bottles are maturing wine underwater in the cool sea. See winesunderwater.com The winery is in the Priorat region down the SW coast from Barcelona, near Tarragona. You can book a tour and tasting for 25 euros per person. 
Also visit nearby the old monastery. For anybody interested in importing or distributing, contact Siren'samphora.com


Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Greyfriars Vineyard near london


Mike, the owner of Greyfriars Vineyard, at the London Wine Fair. Photo by Angela Lansbury. copyright.

 Mike the owner of Greyfriars Vineyard says, 'We are 35 minutes on a train from London. A few miles outsiide Guildford, between Guildford and Farnborough.

'We have tours and tasting flights. On a Saturday in summer we have a food truck, four through the season, You can pre order a charcuterie package.'

Mike is sometimes there, if not one of his 'valued helpers'.

Greyfriarsvineyard.co.uk

Angel Champagne

 
From Harvey Nichols
department store in London, England.The white bottle contains the rosé wine. The brand has  a logo of angel wings.




 

Orange or grapefruit low alcohol about 6 %

 

Seen at the London Wine Fair.


Orange or grapefruit, drinks which taste like the juice. But makes your toes wiggle like low alcohol.


Lee Isaacs on wine storytelling


He bought the jolly jacket from a shop in York on the colour and liveliness and fit.only later did he see the skulls. 
You can buy this brand online.
From a jacket from York to wines from New York, at the London Wine Fair at Olympia selling wine and wine stories to the wine trade and wine media.



 

Great shirt with bottles worn by Majestic Wine Order Manager


 

Monday, May 20, 2024

Polish sweet wine late harvest Dom Janton from central Poland

 

You can buy this wine in Poland from hotels and wine shops and online from www.domjanton.pl
The picture shows Beata daughter of the family.
House of Janton the family name in Polish

Their logo is a horseshoe on a glass.



Riesling, sweet and tasty, from Hauck family


 Wine festivals every weekend from May to the end of September. Call for an appointment for winetasting at the Hauck family, in the tasting room. www.weingut-hauck.de

Sweet wine from Cellar Pallarades an hour from Barcelona


 I met Josep (Joseph in Spanish) actually Catalan, whose grandfather started making wine. Pipa means pipe because the grandfather smoked a pipe. For more details call www.pallarades.com. They want a distributor in the UK.

New beer to Birmingham and the UK

 A premium beer, clean taste, 6.3 per cent.no aftertaste, good if you don't like lager. See two men and a beer. Launched a week ago.


Canned wine co Ocado delivered in UK

 

Canned wine, brought to you by Canned Wine co. Display at the London Wine Fi 22-22ar in May at Olympia exhibiton hall by the Kensington Olympia station in London. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Why Cans?
Canned wine? Canned wine! A year or two ago the idea might have surprised you, when you held a can of wine in your hand, and even horrified the companions looking over your shoulder., thinking that real wine of any quality must be in a big, heavy glass bottle, sealed with a cork. But life is changing. We are all demanding everything to be faster served faster, and we are wanting to carry our food and drink in backpacks, and to carry back from a supermarket. Storage space must be considered. We are stockpiling for visitors, working from home and emergencies. And we even consider what happens when we individually throw away the packaging. And what happens on a grander scale.

Meanwhile the manufacturers are looking for new customers, new markets, new products, new selling points, environmentally friendly, recycling.

That is where canned drinks come in. 

Summer Cans Coming
With summer picnics and days out. Soft drinks in cans. Even coffee in cans. And, of course, lno alcohol, low alcohol, and prper wine in cans.

What Can yu Buy and Try?
Quite a variety. From ocado.

You can see their website, subscribe to their newsletter and they are on Facebook.
More information from


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Vineyard magazine - with news about vineyards, wineries, visits, products methods and more

 Your guide to UK visits. More than 8 opportunities. How many vineyards are there in the UK. This lovely lady, Rebecca, pictured,, told me,

"1000 vineyards. We think 150 wineries.

" Ask Wine GB who survey. There's wines of Hampshire. Wine Garden of England in Kent.The Yorkshire wine trail. Sussex Vineyard.One in Shropshire and one in vineyard in Scotland. 

I was told this by Rebecca, editor of Vineyard magazine.

Copies of Vineyard magazine displayed at the London Wine Fair in May 2024. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The Vineyard magazine frew out of a magazine about farms and farming. But the stories about vineyards multiplied as more and more opened because global warming has made England such a favourable place for vines and vineyards. The chalky soil which favours the vines of Northern Frane and the Champagne region and Loirse valley in Northern france xtends under the Channel to southern England. (Except for London clay where the red bricks come from, building the houses in London and the redbrick universities, as opposed to the spires of Oxford and Cambridge and the thatch in the Costwolds and the grey granite up in cooler Scotland which is Whisky country..)

So you can foray out of London for an afternoon or day trip and visit a vineyard. The editors of the farming magazine had enough stories about vineyards to start a magazine solely about Vineyards. Here you have it.

The April 2024 edition of VINEYARD for growers and winemakers in Great Britain, features a picture of Traditional Method Louis Pommery Brut England. Inside (the magazine) Exploring Wine culture, Pruning competition, and Welsh Wine showcase.

The summer is coming up. A good time to visit vineyards which are open for visits and tours, tours of the indoor wineries, and tastings in England and Wales. 

A handy magazine for everybody. Their May edition alerted me to English wine week in June.

More details from 

The next London Wine Fair will be 19-21 2025, for the trade only, but that includes lots of people, maybe you or people you know, such as producers of wine, vineyards, winteries, importers, those looking for distribution, entrepreneurs looking for new products, wine sommeliers, spirits specilists, low and no wine producers, wine education organizations such as WSET, wine judges and Masters of Wine and wine book writers.

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Honey wine August festival uk


 Honey Wine. 

From Loxwood, in the Surrey Hills in the sunny south of England.

Display at the London Wine Fair, a trade event, held for three days in May. Next event 19-21 May 2025.


Honey wine is a British speciality. Honey from British bees, buzzing about 'England's green and pleasant land'. 
(Quotation the punchline from the poem, and hymn by William Blake, called Jerusalem, published in 1808.)

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The Loxwood Festival wine was onle selling t 19 pounds fifty a bottle. One of their other wines was sold out. You might like to compare it with other British honey wines which I shall mention in my next post.

Useful Websites

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Art Deco and coffee in Baker Street and A Bus Ride to Marble Arch

Art Deco in Baker Street, London, England. Photo by Trevor Sharot.
 

A few steps from Baker Street undergaound and overground stations is Baker Street. We went to the bus stop with numerous buses down to marcle Arch. Opposie the bus stop is a stunning art decor building. Above the main doorway is an intriguing design. 

In Baker Street station there's a Starbucks with a couple of stools you can perch on. No toilets on site, so be sure you can wait until you reach your destination.

Bus

We took a bus, admiring the view as we passed. Selfridges with its massive pillars on the corner of Oxford Street.

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Glass Bottom Bridges And balconies

 Madeira

I went to the glass floor lookout point in Madeira. It was at the end of an interesting shopping and snack complex and we stopped there on an island tour. 

Our stop was brief. Just time to step out and take a quick hoto. It was hard to get the perspectiveof the balcony and the area below, especially with others trying to cross or take a photo.

Other Glass base Bridges and Balconies by Country (alhabetically)

China


rSunyiming

The Chinese versions of the glass floor are not just balconies, viewpoints, but long bridges. 

My friend Samantha from Toastmters Internaitonal in Singapore put a series of stunning photo on Facebook showing hersssssself in assorted dramatic poses. Some looked like she wassidewayor upside down. What a great photo opportunity. I thought I would check were was the bridge, then found China had several of them. Here are some picures of the best.


Photo of bridge in China from Samantha's page.


America has one over the Grand Canyon, Madeira has one, Spain has one. Chine has several. 

Singapore

An overhead crosswalk on Orchand Road near Smerset station MRT has a partially visible glass floor.

Madrid, Spain


USA

Grand Canyon Skywalk

Lookout point, USA. Grand Canyon. According to one account, you have to leave your cameras behind and buy photos. 

If you cannot get near these exciting views, many glass sided lifts on the outides of buildings such as shopping malls and hotels offer a thrill.

Useful Websites

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Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Malay Menu Words translated


 


Malay restaurant near Paddington Station London. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Malay words - English

air (proounced ay-er) - water

ais - ice

barli - barley

gula - sugar

laici - lychee

sagu - sago

sirap - syrup

sirap rose - rose syrup (note that the adjective comes after the noun in Malay)

teh - tea


English - Malay

barley - barli

ice - ais

lychee - laici

sago -sagu

sugar - gula

syrup - syrap

tea - teh

water - air (pronounced ayer)

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Paddington Real Time Clock

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

 Walking along Praed street from Paddington underground or overground station, hurrying along, thinking of the time you are expected for lunch or other appointments, you see a large clock above.

The Clock

 The clock is a round clock projecting from the wall above you. It appears to have a man inside it, wiping the glass.

We looked at it, mesmerized by the movement, and asked each other, "Is that a real man.

The Question

It looked like a real man. We debated this. "Yes, it's a real man."

"No, it can't be."

"Yes, it is."

We went off to lunch, other matters on our minds.

A Second Look

However, when we came back from lunch two hours later, he was still there. We stopped again.

Close up of clock face by Maarten. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


Then we decided  it was not a real man. 

"A real man could not have spent two hours on the same bit of glass. So what is it?"

"It must be some kind of optical illusion, or joke!"\

Determined Research

The image stayed in my mind. Hours later, I looked it up. 

I searched on Google. Paddington. Clock, Man in clock. 

I was rewarded with an instant result. Straight to the website of the creator of the clock.

The designer of this clock, a Dutch man, lives in the Netherlands,.

The Clock Creator's Name

His first or given or personal name is Maarten. That is Dutch for Martin. The origin of the name is Mars, the Roman God of war and fertility, from who we get the name of the month of March.

His surname or family name is Baas. That is a Dutch or north German name meaning boss or overseer.

Maarten - He has made more than one of these clocks continaingfigures. You can clooks on his website. 

Grandfather Clocks

He also does a series of grandfather clocks. He inserts the realistic face of grandfather behind the clockface as if the old man is inside the clock.

Amusing. A bit distracting from the time shown by the hands. But something to brihten up your day.

Memory Lasting All Day

By bedtime we were still debating about this phenommenon. 

"How was it created?" 

"Easy. Just a projected film."

"It has to be 3D, of a person wiping, a window cleaning.'

"But, the person leans forward to inspect the glass and beomes larger.'

Long Lasting Image

What keeps a memory in your mind? A question does. A whodunnit. News stories about unsolved murders. For the same reason that people do crosswords. Our minds are geared to solve puzzles. Magic shows, Stunts. 

The unusual. Ideas you cannot yet classify. The midn does not know where to store them. It's like the unusual item which could be a bomb on the underground station. The signs remind, you, have you seen something suspicious. See something, say something. 

I went to sleep with this surprising, slightly unsettling man in clock image in my minds. 

Positive Thoughts

However, it was unsettling in a good, charming way. A jolke. A urprise.

Why did I like it? It was intriguing. Not so much a clock as a work of art. A moving, kinetic work of art. totally new and orinal. Baffling like a maagic trick or whodunnit. 

But positive. The man is busy working. Cleaning up the world. The invenotor of the artwork has created something totally new, thinking 'outside the bos'. In this case, inside the clock.

Finally, I typed in the question, how did Baas create his clocks? This time I was sent back to good old Wikipedia which revealed more. Each clock is different. 

the man ic creating or removing the hands. He is painting them on the Schipol clock in Amerstam in the Netherlands.


Picture from Wikipedia which gives more details.


Useful Websites

https://maartenbaas.com/products/real-time-paddington

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Time_(art_series

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Marvellous Malay food near Paddington station, but for alcohol and coffee look nearby


Tukdin restaurant, near Paddington Station, Lond, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury.


 We were looking for a Malay food restaurant in central London for the twice a year reunion of expats from Asia. They now live in England and meet up in London at a Malay or Indonesian restaurant.

It has to be within an easy walk of an undergraoudn sation as one or two of them are elderly, getting on a bit, as we say politely in London. Or they have problems walking.

As a result my husband Trevor and I take a tip to central London to try out ethic restaurants to find out about the food, and the practicalities.

We had a delightful lunch at Tukdin, near Paddinton undergraound and overground railway station. 

The restaurant is a straightforward wal along the main road past lots of introguing and interesting restaurants and shops. It is obviously a ppoular tourist area. You can tell from the voices of the people you pass on the pavement or sitting on the pavement cahirs outside London restaurants in summer.. Those pavement chairs proliferating are the result of non smoking rules in restaurants, and Covid meaning people wanted to be in circulating air, not sitting cooped up indoors beside others. It has created a lovely atmosphere. Poeple sit outside in winter, braving all weather, in order to smoke or because they are in the habit of sitting outside and watching passers by. But in sumer weather in sunshine it is London at its best.

The Nalay restaurant is named after the man who started it, named Tukdin. Any pun on tucked in is just a happy coincidence.

The place is small enough for you to immediately catch the eye of the people in charge. The menu is full of authntic malay dishes which are fondly rememberd with enthusiasm by those familiar with Asian food.

You have two menus. One is the savoury starters and main courses. THe other is for drinks and the sweet dessert. We went without starters because I had my ee ont he dessert.

Signs told us it was halal. The two jolly ladies serving had head coverings. My husband immediately suspected, rightly that alcohol would not be served. That meant that our expat group would not be able to either drink, or bring their own alcohol. 9It sounds odd, but we had previously, only last week, enjoyed an Indian-Pakistani=-Bangladeshi style meal at a restaurant which had no license, but advertisied the fact that customers were welcome to bring wine, with no corkage chagre. However, not here. 

If you are religious, or don't drink at lunch time, for you it will be no problem.

So, our serach for a restaurant for our reunion must continue. Meanwhile I enjoyed a very nice lunch, as part of my sampling of Malay and Indonesian restaruants.

My drink, a virulent, exciting, enticing dark pin, was not the least synthetic but a strong and delciious rose flavoour. Wonderful. I would happily have ordered another, but I had my meal ahead.

My main course was  

Instead of a starter I started with a drink as attractive as a cocktai.

The place has an echo. However, I soon stopped hearing the baby on my left and listened to the conversation of the ocuple in the window. They gave me a complete guide to Europe.

Then along comes the main event. I like chicken. I am allergic to shellfish. The server showed polite , promised to convery to the chef that I was allergic to shellfish, was happy with anchovies, and would not be bothered by a possible crossover of shellfish being prepared int he same kitchen, so long as I did not get a huge prawn, like appeared, corectly in my husband's Char kway teow. concern for my well being 

I loved the coconut rice. So often I have had rice which barely tasted of coconut. But I defeinitely tasted coconut.

The restaurant was happyk keen to wrap up our leftovers. I could see other tables had made the same request.

I had enough food for half of it to be saved to take home. I was saving myself for dessert. Was I right!

The menu had only three desserts, but that was plenty. ice cream, well, I have 36 flavours, constanty changing , at my local ice cream shop in Hatch End (Baskin Robbins). So I passed on that. My eye was on the first dish.

We shared. Sago. Spelled sagu. With cane sugar. 

Delicious. I had half. The restaurant broguht two bowls in addition to the main one containing the dessert. Highly recommended.

Afterwards we still wanted coffee and went next door. I shall describe that separately. 

Two great places in one visit. Maybe there's a nearby put if you want a drink. I didn't see one. But I don't normally drink at lunch time anywhere. 

Would I go back? Yes, yes, yes.

Toilet Decor

Lastly, I must mention the toilets.

Down a steep staircase, with a hand rail on one side. But a reward at the basement. A clean Ladies Toilet with plentifu soft toilet paper. And delightful deor. A domed roof. and sparkles in the material. 

The serving desk has an orchid and the restaurant address cards.

Not grand. Homely, in the positive sense, of being like home, with mother looking after you, but with nice touches.

Useful Websites

www.tukdin.com

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Food and Wine Fair in London

 


London Wine Fair is at Olympia Monday 20th to Wednesday 22nd 2024. What can you see or try?

First, it is not open to the public. Oly the trade. However you can look at in online and see their Facebook page.

The Drinks Britania section features English and Welsh wine. There's also Scottish whisky.

This is for the trade, wine writers, promoters of wine brands, tourist boards promoting wine regions. Sommeliers and buyers of wine and organizers of wine tastings and wine holidays.

Who is exhibiting? Well known wine regions. Masterclass tastings. Authors of books on wine. Writers of newsletters on wine. Writers of newspaper columns on wine.


Global warming is opening up areas of England to the opportunity of vineyards. Although London is famous for its clay soil, reulting in houses built of London red bricks, around the south of England and others parts of the UK we have a swathe of the same chalk under the surface soil as the Loire valley and the Champagne region. That's what the vines love. We have vineyards across England and Wales. 

Who will you bump into, or arrange to meet? A whole range of people, different ages, classes, nationalities.