The Cinema Museum Sells Posters. What is a Quad poster?

I looked at the shop page of the Cinema Museum and they were selling quad posters. What is a quad?

I was at first confused by the term quad poster. I searched for the word quad. A goodle and wikipedia search produced nothing useful. I wondered if it was a brand name. 

When I used the two word search for quad poster, all became clear. Quad refers to the size. 

See my previous post about the exciting Cinema Museum.

The Wikipedia entry about thte Cinema Museum has lots of pictures and a video.

The website has 39 pages of posters for sale. For example, Isadora, Halloween, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Lots for fans of the cinema, or just to decorate in season, or all seasons, in your hall, living room or bedroom, or as a housewarming gift, for someone who has eveything, except this poster.

The Cinema museum in London, near Elephant and Castle London underground tube train station.

Useful Websites

http://www.cinemamuseum.org.uk/shop/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_Museum,_London

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

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

https://www.sign-holders.co.uk/snap-frames/movie-poster-frames.html?

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Collecting Souvenir Thimbles - And Staying With Collectors

 I used to buy thimbles showing local landmarks as souvenirs of my travels. I am a keen sewer, but I found porcelain thimbles too bulky to use and preferred metal ones. So I stored my increasing numbers of thimbles in a small display case.

Thimbles in a display case. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Thimbles were small enough to go in my handbag, and did not take up lots of room in a suitcase. 

You can buy display cases for thimbles.

Display cases which are open are more likely to collect dust. But provide easy access if you want to take items out and read the detailed wording.

\

If you are travelling on budget airlines such as RyanAir, you need to buy small souvenirs, or look for a company which will ship to your home country.

 I looked online for thimble display cases. The ones on Amazon cost over one hundered pounds sterling. But you can buy a case, a bit scratched and battered looking, already filled with thimbles, for under twenty pounds plus about 3.95 postage, online from charity shops.

If you are keen on collecting thimbles, you can join a local or international thimble collectors' club. I was amazed and delighted to hear that thimble collectors stay with each other, admire each other's collections and swap stories about all kinds of thimbles, such as the open top thimbles used by men who used only the side of the thimble to push needles. More information below.

Useful Websites

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/an-interview-with-antique-thimble-collector-sue-gowan/

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Italian words for cooking and shopping in Italy and Italian delis

At an Italian show in London I saw some pasta in different colours. The brand name was Livera. I came home with a brochure showing handy pictures of different shapes and colours of pasta. 

Here are my translations into Italian which will help you translate Italian pastas and other foods on restaurant menus. Also for trnaslating packaging of items you consider buying in shops or online. 

Italian - English

acqua - water

arancio - orange

bicolore - two colour / two tone

colori - colours (plural)

di - of / made of

doppio cuore - double heart

duro - hard

e - and

farfalla - butterfly (feinine singular ending in a)

farfalle - butterflies (feminite plural, shaped pasta piece)

fischi - whistles

fischietti - little whistles

funghetti - mushrooms (or mushroom shaped pasta)

giallo - yellow

grano duro - durum wheat

limone - lemon

maxi  - large

mini - small

monumenti - monuments

nero - black

orecchiette - ears

orsetti - teddy bears

papillon - bow tie

peperoncino - paprika

spinaci - spinach

rosso - red

tonde - round

tricolore - three colours / three tones

English - Italian

Black - nero

Bow tie - papillon

Orange - aranchio

red - rosso

round - tonde

spinach - spinaci (plurral)

teddy bears - orsetti

Three colours - tricolore

Whistles - fischi

London's Cinema Museum

 I subscribe to several London information services. London World told me about the Cinema Museum in London. 

I looked at the museum's website and found they had a shop. The shop sells a tote bag for ten pounds, and lots of pictures of posters. I liked the boy who caught a crook.

You might also be interested in the London Film Museum.  And the Theatre Museum.

A cinema museum is not the same as a film museum. A film museum is about the films shown. If you are interested in films, you are more interested in film locations. 

But you are probably interested in both. Two possible visits.

A cinema museum is about the cinema buildings, the clothes worn by the ushers, the seating, the seats, the ice cream sellers.

Volunteers at the Cinema Museum, wearing the uniform of usherettes.

The Building

The building was orignally the workshouse where Charlie Chaplin was brought up.

Old art deco cinema doors.

Old Art Deco Cinema Doors

See my later post about quad posters.

Useful Websites

http://www.cinemamuseum.org.uk/shop/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_Museum,_London

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

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

Remembering the International NATO Phone alphabet with pictures

at home and when travelling you often need to spell out your name or a place name. It is handy to remember and recognize the NATO alphabet.

 First of all, if you look up phonetic alphabet, the phonetic alphabet is how the letters sound, such as AY for A, bee for B, but the the one you use for telling the spelling of your name or a place name is more often called the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Using Pictures

If you want to recall the NATO alphabet, I thought it might help me and you to pick a few pictures. It is easy to find pictures of golf, India,, Whisky and hotels, and Romeo and Juliet on a balcony. If you have a friend called Mike, add that. For Charlie, either a friend called charlie, or champagne after champagne Charlie (who was a real person). 

Where to Find Pictures

You could search on Wikipedia. You might find you have a few items at home. A hotel brochure. A golf ball., or ball. You might take pictures on your travels. The hotel. The golf course sign. A whisky bottle. A map of India. A flag of the USA, Canada, Peru.

A - alpha

B - bravo

C - Charlie

Champagne Charlie from France. 

D - Delta

E - Echo

F - foxtrot

G - Golf

H - hotel

I - India

J - Juliet

Juliet, from Verona in Italy.

K - Kilo

L - Lima

(Capital of Peru)

M - Mike

N - November

O - Oscar

P - Papa

Q - Quebec

In Canada.

Flag of Canada, maple leaf.

R - Romeo

Romeo and Juliet from Italy.

S - Sierra

T - Tango

U - Uniform

V - Victor

W - Whisky

From Scotland, spelled Whisky, from the USA spelled whiskey.

X - X-ray

Y - Yankee

Person from the USA.

Z - Zulu

Create Angela's Alphabet With Cutlery, Cocktail sticks, and Toothpicks in restaurants and on flights

 

I tried making curved letters using the lids of miniature jam pots which you get in hotels. That did not work well. The O worked. I have seen business logos where the O in the business name was turned into a solid disc pattern, sometimes to respresent something they are selling.

I had already broken a cocktail stick in half for the entre horizontal line of the letter E.

But a G with half cocktail sticks, from a cocktail stick broken in half, with the horizontal alone, or a horixontal half stick with the other half hanging down from the tip was not easily recognizable as a G.

Then I started looking at alphabets and realised that you can make a squared alphabet.

You have a choice. For example, the letter E can be made with the three full size cocktail sticks for the horizontals, needing four sticks altogether.

At Home

At home I have a complete  set of a cylinder of cocktail sticks, bought from a hardware store. You can buy them in many supermarkets. 

In Restaurants

In a restaurant you would need to collect several. Either a container with several. Or unused ones if everybody at your table has been given one. 

On Planes

On a plane, you might be given one wrapped toothpick per person per meal.

With a family of three, such as two parents and one child, you would get three per meal, six if you saved them on a two leg outward journey, or six if you savved them from the first journey for the return journey. 

You could even use them still in their paper wrappers so that they can be returned to each person for use as a toothpick.

It might be simpler to use the metal or plastic cutlery. Or ask the server if they had any spare toothpicks. Or ask other passengers if they have unwanted wrapped toothpicks.

Have fun. Lots of fun for adults and children. Amuse and amaze your family, friends and colleagues.

My previous posts give more details and pictures of creating names with cutlery, and cocktail sticks.

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Angela's Alphabet with Cocktail Sticks & Chopsticks. Create the names Ava, Ali or Li with knives and forks or chopsticks - Ava's Knife & Fork and Angela's Chopstick Alphabet games

 Ava's Alphabet With Cutlery

You can play a game with small children. and teach them to read the Roman (English and European) alphabets using knives and forks. This teaches them the alphabet. 

It also keeps children at the table with you.  This is good because it stops them getting bored. It creates rapport. It prevents them from running away colliding with waiters and restaurant patrons, disturbing diners at other tables.

Or worse still, going out of doors left open or opened by incoming and outgoing guests. Then the child disappears, potentially running into traffic. I've seen this happen Worried bystanders intervene, calling the parents or carers away from the table. Much more fun to keep everybody at the table, busy, learning, creative, happy.

Now, how do you create names? Let's start with simple ones. Which are used not just by English speaking people but can also be used for Asian and Oriental people and languages, when travelling to other countries, or out to a restaurant serving ethnic food in your home city.

It is easy to create short names such as Ava, Al and Ali and Li.

Ava created from chopsticks. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Li - Surname

For example, the surname Li is very common in Chinese and oriental families. It is a surname or family name. But in the orient the family name is first, as in Singapore Late Lee Kuan Yew. Li  is written differently in Chinese picture writing or Vietnamese picture writing, but transliterated into the English as Li or Lee (depending on the tribe or area or country). 

It is also easy to create E, as a first name or family name.

Add A and you have Ali.

Subtract I and you have Al, short for Alexander and other names..

AVA's Knife and fork Alphabet

I was shown the use of knives and forks to make the letters A and V by a Norwegian friend who was teaching her niece. I can't find any references to this on the internet so after adding spoons for the horzontals of the A and chopsticks for an orintal version, I first thought of naming it after myself. That goes well because it is alliterative. 

 Angela's Alphabet. But Ava's Alphabet would be even more appropriate as this uses the straight line letters, shorter letters. So maybe the knife and for version should be Ava's alphabet, and the chopstick version should be Angela's alphabet.

Ava's Alphabet - with cutlery

So, here I shall use the name Ava's Alphabet for the knife and fork version which Ava used when I last saw her.

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Make The Alphabet With Ava Cutlery Game - How to use Cutlery in Restaaurnats to Teach children to read letters

 V I watched with amazement and admiration as Helena showed her niece, Ava, how to turn knives and forks into letters of the alphabet. Helena was teaching 4 year old Ava how to spell her name, A, with the knife and fork tips together. Then create V. E and F. 

Helena did it first. Then Ava copied her.

Do you know how to create letters with knives and forks?

A common name in China and Vietnam is Li. Easily created with chopsticks.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I lay awake at night thinking it through. I kept counting how many letters you could make using the liner shape of a knife or fork. I counted sixteen straight letters. 

The other letters had circles, half circles, and quarter circles. How would you make the circle and curves? Easy, Look for items with curves on the table. 

Either draw arond theme, or place them entire., or use pieces of multiple small fruit such as grapes, strawberries, cherries, to create lines and curves,

Here is my list of letters.

Line Letters - using knives and forks 15 of them

A E FHIKLMNTVWXYZ

Letters with curves (11 of them)

BCDGJOPQRSU

You could also do this on planes with their cutlery.

Useful Wwebsites

https://www.policybazaar.com/plans/baby-names/2-letter-baby-boy-names/

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How I remember the International NATO Military Phonetic Alphabet

 The military and police and many telephonists have to learn the phonetic alphabet. This morning I woke up early and went back to bed and tried to clear my mind and use the time by trying to remember the NATO alphabet, wwhich I learn and forget on a regular basis.

I used to type it out and keep a copy stuck into the front of my diary, in my mobile phone and before I had a mobile, and in hotels, on the wall by a fixed phone.

The current (2025) international alphabet has been changed a few times. Originally z was zero, but that got mixed up with zero hours. You can read about all the changes in a general Wikipedia article which covers the history of the alphabets used around the world. 

I'll. first list the latest international alphabet, then my latest ways of remembering it.

A - alpha

B - bravo

C - Charlie

D - Delta

E - Echo

F - foxtrot

G - Golf

H - hotel

I - India

J - Juliet

K - Kilo

L - Lima

M - Mike

N - November

O - Oscar

P - Papa

Q - Quebec

R - Romeo

S - Sierra

T - Tango

U - Uniform

V - Victor

W - Whisky

X - X-ray

Y - Yankee

Z - Zulu

A is easy. Alphabet. Bravo for remembering that.  You are a right Charlie if you forget it.

Six first or persoanl names are in the phonetic alphabet: Charlie, Juliet, Mike, Oscar, Romeo, Victor. Romeo and Juliet, are a pair, of course.

Delta is one of two geographical features. The other one is sierra.

Echo - please echo my recitation of the phonestic alphabet.

Foxtrot, golf and hotel are a threesome. I do a three-step foxtrot at an afternoon tea dance at the golf hotel.where my partner is playing golf. Foxtrot is one of two dances, foxtrot and tango.

I for India, one of the 4 placenames from all the continents. From the Americas, Y for Yankee, Q for Quebec. From South America the Spanish word sierra, and the city of Lima, which is the capital of the the country of Peru. And Latin Americn dancing, not the foxtrot but the tango.

From Europe, Italy's Romeo and Juliet. From the UK, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Scottish whisky. 

From Asia there's India. 

From South Africa the Zulu.

J - Juliet, one of the five people names, and one of a pair, as in Romeo and Juliet.

K - kilo, now hthe UK has joined Europe in being metric.

Lima - one of the five placenames.

M for Mike, one of the five people names. I met him in November.

N for November, when I met Mike.

O for Oscar. One of the six personal names. Papa should have got an Oscar for playing a papa. 

Q for Quebec. Not just the Yankees in North America, but also the Canadians.

Romeo, one of the six names. He went after Juliet, ran after her, courted her. His name is after hers in the alphabet.

S for sierra, one of two descriptions of land, ending with the letter a.

T the tango dance from South America. A pair with the other dance, foxtrot.

U uniform, worn by the military, and school children.

V - Victor - a militry man, a Yankee, or a school boy called Victor in school uniform.

W - for whisky, not drunk by the military, Yankees, nor by anybody in uniform.

X for X-ray

Y for Yankees, who lieve across the border from the Canadians in Quebec.

Z for Zulus, one of the placenames.

Italian Names Translated

Italian - English

Aida - happy

Alba - Dawn

Alberto - Albert

Alfredo - Alfred

Aldo - Donald

Alessandro - Alexander (defender of mankind)

Andrea - Andrew (the Italian is a male name)

Angelo - angel or messenger

Anita - grace

Antonio - Anthony

Arturo - Arthur

Barbieri - barber

Barone - baron

Bianca - white

Bruno - brown (referring to clothes or hair)

Carlo - Charles

Caterina - Catherine meaning pure

Cipriani - from Cyprus

Constantia - constancy

Cosimo from Greek Cosmo meaning order

Cristiano - Christian

Dante - lasting

Dario (from Latin Darius) posessing goodness

Dino - little sword (we used to have Dino's restaurant in Edgware. Several restaurants of this name are found worldwide.

Donna lady (ma donna = my lady)

Edmondo - Edmund (prosperous)

Eduardo - Edward (

Elena - bright light

Enrico - Henry /home ruler

Eugenio - noble

Fabio - bean farmer

Faust - lucky

Filippo - Philip  (loves horses)

Franco/Franceso - French

Gemma - gem, jewel

Giacomo - James

Giorgio - George (farmer)

Giulia - Julia (youthful)

Grazia - Grace

Gregorio - Gregory (watchful)

Juan - John

Juliet Julietta - child of Jove

Leo/Lenya - lion

Leonardo - bold lion (as in painter Leonardo Da Vinci)

Lennon - cape/cloak

Leopold - bold

Liliana - lily

Lorenzo - Lawrence (Laurel tree) 

Lucia/Lucan/Luciano/Ludo - light

Maria/Margherita/Mario - Mary (bitter)

Marcello - hammer

Marco (as in Marco Polo) from the Roman God of war Marcus

Marco - Mark

Maximo - greatest

Mona - lady

Nicola, Nicolò - Nicholas (the accent on the o of the Italian means emphasize that syllable) Victorious

Giorgio - George

Pascal - born on Passover

Paulo - Paul (small)

Primo - first one

Regina - queen

Ricco - Richard, powerful or strong ruler

Roma - from Rome

Romeo - pilgrim to Rome

Rosso/Rossini - red (maybe red haired)

Rosa, Rosetta, Rozalia - rose

Serena - serene

Slvatore - Saviour

San - Saint

Silvio - silver

Stefan0 - Stephen (crowned with laurels)

Teresa - harvester

Tomaso - Thomas (twin)

Valeria/Valentino - brave or strong

Violet - flower

Vincenzo - Vincent

Vito/Vittorio - Victor

I have at least ten dictionaries of baby names. 

People and Places

guida - guide

museo - museum

telefono - telephone

torre - tower

Useful Websites

https://adoption.com/baby-names/origin/italian

https://www.behindthename.com/name

https://www.oocities.org/irishkenj/givename

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Teaching English Overseas - or to incoming travellers - idioms and other idiocies

 Teaching English

I was listening to other speakers of English and I heard the idiom, by a country mile. I'm sure that would perplex speakers of Chinese (Mandarin). I have taught English for many years to O level and A level  pupils in schools, first in the UK and later in Singapore.

Cats and Dogs

I remember looking out of the window in Singapore with my English Language For Foreigners class pupils, after a lesson ended. Rain was pouring down. I said, 'it's raining cats and dogs'. 

A puzzled pupil replied, "I see cats. I don't see any dogs.'

The phrase comes from the old days of thatch roofs, when cats and dogs would sleep in the rafters or on rooftops. When it rained the thatch became slippery so the cats and dogs slipped off. To protect those underneath, large family beds had a canopy supported by four posts, called a four-poster bed. You can stay in hotels with four-poster beds in many UK hotels, especially in The Lake District, where people did and still do go for honeymoons and wedding anniversaries, and Stratford Upon Avon where people go to see buildings relating to Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway.

For the benefit of one of my pupils, whose first language is Mandarin, I have been noting down and compiling a list of idioms. Here are some of my favourites.

When you are travelling, you may have to simplify your English when speaking to those who appear to be speaking English fluenty - until you use an idiom. Most idioms were originally metaphors from the mutual acitivites of speakers and listeners. But over the course of a century or more the original context has been forgotten.

Country Mile

by a country mile - a lot (distance or time - like a winding country road which is long in both distance and time)

Tenterhooks

on tenterhooks - in suspense, anxiously waiting for a decision or result (hooks used to suspend drying fabric)

  

Majestic Warehouse, Ruislip - Free Tastings and Affordable Wines

 

Majestic 

The Majestic Wine warehouse in Ruislip puts on tastings regularly. Free. Get on their mailing list to be informed.

On April  10th 2025 we tasted five wines, a sparkling, two whites and two reds. I liked them all, although I don't normally drink or like red wine.

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

We started with a British sparkling wine, Silverhand Estate Sparkling Brut, from Kent. This area of the downs is chalky (you may recall the image in your mind on hearing the song about the white cliffs of Dover, immortalised in the Vera Lynn song). Those chalk soils, which the French call terroir, like territory, are the same as the base in France's Champagne region. But the British sparkling wine is cheaper, only 18 pounds sterling a bottle, the price comes down to only 12.0 if you buy it in the Majeti Wines Mi Six, a case of six mixxed wines.

Magestic sell wines, beers, spirits, low and no alcohol beers and spirits, packets of nuts and crisps. They do deliveries, free tasting, beginner learning sessions for a low price), wines by the bottle cases of 6 or 12, and a wine club. Their premises are in England, Scotland and Wales.

Useful Websites

https://www.majestic.co.uk/stores

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

https://www.u3a.org.uk/

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Angela Lansbury, author - travelling, wining, dining and learning languages. 

Blogs on travel, dress of the day, comical poetry.

Free Fun On A Fine Day - Ruislip Lido

 At Ruislip Lido.

The main entrance from the street, Reservoir Road.

Panels tell you about the birds, and the history of the lido and area.

Steps down to the waterside.

Here come the green headed ducks and other water birds.

Close up of the water birds.

Walking around the lido, level, fine for pushchairs, bikes, children, the elderly.

Guide to the bird life.

At the far side, a stile to a path amidst the trees.

We walked anti-clockwise around the water towards the sand, reminising about our past trips here. I remembed how our son had though that the sand was sugar and tried to eat a mouthful of it. He quickly spat it out in disgust.

Continuing clockwise, you reach the sandy beach, busy with families and delighted children. A feature for play is the large mock pirate ship.

Another area with water play showers.

In summer a small train runs around beyond the beach area. Beside the beach at the back are a cafe and toilets.

If you want more food and drink, you have the WatersEdge on the same street, visible from the park entrance.\

Back on the main road is the Majestic Warehouse. They stock a vast range of wines, as well as soem unusual nuts and crisps.

Useful Websites

https://www.stonehouserestaurants.co.uk/nationalsearch/london/thewatersedgeruislip/breakfast#/

https://www.stonehouserestaurants.co.uk/nationalsearch/london/thewatersedgeruislip/sunday-menu#/

Italian Placenames and Events Which Are Easy To Recall - Ponte Vecchio

I buy books on languages and do exercises on Duolingo every day. I've been studying Italian since June 2024 and like to look for easy to remember words.

 Italian Map words

baia - bay

barca - boat

costa - coast\

discoteca - disco

Frecce Tricolore - Arrows in three colours (Italian equivalent of the British Red Arrows planes which create colours in the sky. Tricolore is the three colours of the flag you can see above at the start of several of my posts.)

collina - hill

Lago - lake

mare - sea

monte - mountain

Monte Bianco - white mountain ((French Mont Blanc). In English the adjective is first, but in both Italian and French the noun is first.

ostello - hostel

pensione - guest house

Peschiera - fish pond

Ponte - bridge

Ponte Vecchio - old bridge, landmark in Florence, Italy

Ponte Vecchio. Picture from Wikipedia.

porta - door

pull - tiro

push - spingere

fiume - river

torre - tower

tricolore - three colours, as shown in the Italian flag

ufficio postale - post office

valle - valley (simply drop the y)

Vecchio - old

vietato fumare - no smoking

via d'uschita - way out

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How To Illustrate Your Travel Articles With Out of Copyright Photos

 

Find Objects In Your Home Or Office

Take photos of items you already have. I was wodnering where to find a photo of King Charles III, not using the ones already in newspapers which are their copyright, Then I realised that i had coins and banknotes, one of which would have a picture of the king.

Another system is to select an item in your house and write a post about it. For exxample, I have suitcases in my house. I can write a blog about suitcases. Broken suitcase? Never mind, Write about mending suitcases, or how to choose a sturdy suitcase. 

I could write about suitcase keys, suitcase wheels, suitcase labels, suitcase brands, suitcase colours. Or rucksacks, shoulder bags, hidden pocked, pickpocket proof clothing, ski clothes, waterproof clothes, first aid kits. 

Languages

I have dictionaries and multi-lingual books. I can write about learning languages, or buying phrase books.

Food & Drink

I have food and drinks from all around the world. I can write about one product and factory tours of similar products.

 

Labelling Photos

One advantage of taking your own photos is that you can get them correctly labelled. 

Once or twice I have looked at a photo on my laptop of a well known landmark and wondered whether that was a photo I took, or somebody else's. If I include a member of my family in a scene, even if I don't label it as my husand at the Eiffel TOwer, or wherever, I can see that it's my photo. 

If I take something in my own home, such as a lemon, I can remidn myself that it is mine, and maybe solve a potential dispute, if I use something from my own kitchen, such as a tablecloth and plate.

I have some old photos which are useful, but without sufficiently detailed captions. Sometimes I can recognize the background. A croissant at my home, or in a hotel.

Self-captioning Photos

If I have a set of photos of a particular destination, or a day's outing, I try to take a photo of a signpost to reind myself, and put on my blog or in a magzine article or book. That way the reader can instantly see the destination being described.

Please share with friends and colleagues links to your favourite posts. 

I try to take self-captioning photos.

The origins of honey pots in shops, supermarkets, hotels overseas, online

 Helios is the Greek sun god.

I found Helios, a brand of honey from Mexico.

Lid of small Helios brand honey pot. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Helios pots in my collection also include one whose lid declares Naranja Amarga

Bitter Orange

Lid of Naranja Amarga, bitter orange. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Lid of Wilkin & Sons Ltd, Tiptree. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Small empty jar from finished honey, showing label of Tiptree, Essex, England.

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Miel de melada  is honey from honeydew. Cantabria is in Spain.

UK

British brands of honey include:

With the aid of a small magnifying glass, I read, produced on the Tiptree fruit farms since 1885.

The front label says, a blend of non EU honey.

Wilkin & Sons Ltd

Tiptree

Essex

Useful Websites

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

King Charles spoke in Italian to the Italians - you can too!

King Charles III on a British ten pound note.

The Italian name equivalent to Charles is Carlo.

 King Charles spoke in Italian to the Italians in Rome, the eternal city, in April 2025. I am learning Italian on Duolingo and you can, too. 

Here are some of the phrases I have learned

Italian - English

aspetto che - I am waiting for

bello essere qui - good to be here

mio marito - my husband (the one I am married to)

e importante - it is important (you need to put the accent on the solo e to change the letter e from 'and' to 'is')

causa - because (the second half of the English word is almost the same, cause)

tutto sara facile - everything will be easy

vero - true (agreeing with somebody) Nod and you have 'that's true', raise your eyebrows and you have, 'really!' or ironically,'NO! You don't say!'

At breakfast, the word for honey is mela

Ho bisogno de - I want/ I have need of

voglio - I want

non voglio - I do not want (v and w are pairs, twins, but you need to tell them apart. v and w are interchangeable in some languages, for example, in German the word wilkommen is pronounced vilkommen)

voglio che - I want that (eg I would like something to happen)

mela - honey

imparare - to learn

To learn Italian you can use Duolingo. 

To find handy phrases and sentences for travelling, you can use Wikivoyage Phsebook Italian.

To translate words you can use Translate Google.

To translate an entire speech you can save sections in Translate Google.

To practise speaking, you can attend an Italian speaking club of Toastmasters International. There is an online club in Rome. I prepared a message for them.

I am learning Italian on Duolingo.

Sto imparando l'italiano su Duolingo.

I would like to attend an online meeting.

Vorrei partecipare a una riunione online.

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

Please follow my blogs and share with your family, friends and colleagues the links to entertaining and instructive posts.

The Museum of Honey and Trying Honey & Jam Pots in Hotels, not just Marks, Helios, Bon Maman but many more to try

 At breakfast in hotels you often have the opportunity to try out new brands of honey and jam and marmalade.

Some people immediately discover their old or new favourite brand. I often find that if I go to two or three hotels on a tour, by hotel three I have forgotten the name of the brand from day one. All I can remember is that the last one was better, or this one is better.

Now I have started a new system. I photograph the small pot. Then I Whatsapp it to myself with my description of the good or bad features. I give it marks out of ten. 5 is good enough. 6, ok buy if no alternative. 7 Yes, buy some if you see it. 8 is go and hunt for some. 9 and 10 I stock up, buy in bulk, hunt for it to eat regularly at home.

Bonne Maman

Great blackcurrant jam.

In addition to the lovely jam, the jars have a ten sides shape at the lower half, and a tartan lid.

Notice the picture of cassis, French for blackcurrant.

Now, my honey, let's move on to honey. (Americans say honey to people, the Brits say, sweetie, sweetheart, darling, love, dear.)

Honey

I like solid honey. My husband likes runny honey. My preferred honey is more expensive.

Helios

Helios mniature honey pot lid. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Notice the little honey bee on the label.

I recently tried Helios runny honey. I found it a bit gluey. Good enough. But even better was the next one.

Colmenar De Las Donas

I loved colmenar de las Donas.I had a lovely flavour. Not over sweet, 

I tried it on brown seed bread which was a waste as you could not taste it of suck it and get the taste and that sugar strike at the bck of your throat.

Here is a list of where to see bees by country.

SPAIN

Colmenar in Andalucia, near Malaga in Spain, has a museum of honey. 

UK

You can also see live bees behind glass in several museums in the UK. For example, 

The Horniman museum in south London, 

The Oxford University Museum of Natural History, 

LITHUANIA

The Ancient Beekeeping Museum of Lithuania.

Useful Websites

https://en.andalucia.org/listing/museo-de-la-miel/

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

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Collecting & Displaying Souvenirs Such as cards, coins, spoons & Recording Travel Memories

 You can collect a paper or card memento of every stop on your trip for a scrapbook or to illustrate a diary.

If you buy souvenirs, or collect a type of item from every city or country, you can buy display cases. 

Postage Stamps

When I was a child I collected postage stamps. I bought stamp albums. 

Postcards

As a teenager I collected postcards. I bought albums for postcards. 

Coins

I saved coins from trips. I bought an album for my coins. 

Wartime Memories

In WW2 medals were given for participating in certain battles. Years later, it became possible to make a 33d frame of medals for one's own satisfaction, or for descendants to create as a memorial to their ancestors.

Scrapbooks & Diaries

You can buy travel diaries and scrapbooks . Paste in tickets, postcards, and other reminders of places you visited. 

I am a collector, a hoarder, and keep shoe boxes and box files for each country. You can also cover a notebook or shoebox or magazine box or old suitcase with brochures showing the country names and landmarks of places described in your diaries.

Thimbles

I used to collect thimbles.Many places sell thimbles decorated with local landmarks. Thimbles were small enough to go in my handbag, and did not take up lots of room in a suitcase. 

You can buy display cases for thimbles.

Display cases which are open are more likely to collect dust. But provide easy access if you want to take items out and read the detailed wording.

If you are travelling on budget airlines such as RyanAir, you need to buy small souvenirs, or look for a company which will ship to your home country.

Spoons

Some people collect decorative spoons.  You can buy wooden display cases for spoons to hang on the wall. 

Rugs

I met a pilot's wife who bought rugs and small carpets from every oriental country she visited. She had piles of them under beds in the spare room. The thin and elborate silk ones were hung on the wall. Others were scattered on the corridors and room floors throughout her apartment.

After you have collected a few you may wish to put them in order. Display them. 

Pens

A friend in Singapore collects pens. He visits a pen shop at every destination.

Books & DIcitonaries

When I went to countries in Europe I bought a dictionary and a phrasebook in each country. When I wnt to live in the USA, I bought a dictionary, which was an American Webster's dictionary. 

Maps

We bought maps for driving holidays. Eventually we had a collection of maps.

Wine Bottles & Labels

My husband is now a wine educator and wine writer and he visits vineyards and cellar doors. He buys wines from the regions which he visits, on a theme. 

Some kitchens have a horizontal wine rack, which stops corks drying out. Some bridges have bottle racks or sections. When you have a large number of bottles. and keep them from year to year, or save them for anniversaries, you might want to invest in a wine fridge which keeps wines at a low temperature. If you are in the tropics as an expat, you might need a wie friedge to keep wines out of the heat. 

I visited a relative who kept empty wine bottles on top of her kitchen and living room cabinets. I thought that was a good idea and started to do the same. 

Your policy could be to allocate some of your holiday spending money to collecting certain products on a theme, rather than bying souvenirs at random. 

Postcards

Or you might decide to collect free or inexpensive items, such as free advertising postcards.

Playing Cards

I used to collect playing cards from every destination. 

Puppets

Supermarkets had the cheapest puppets. I bought bathtime gloves which have finger puppet ends to the fingers. The styles change every season, so in the course of two years I had three or four different hand gloves.

 They are light to carry, for entertaining children at restaurants, and on long journeys on transport.

 I later found pupets at museums, often only one puppet of a local character. Puppets tend to appear at Christmas, on racks near the cashier counters.

Useful Websites

I also bought puppets.