Baker Street Station- Sherlock Holmes murals

 

Jubilee line platform. Sherlock Holmes story. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Bargain tops from Primark - choices, searching, paying and exiting

Primark shops are all over Britain. Near busy Harrow railway and bus station is St Ann's indoor mall and conveniently near the entrance is Primark. I went into Primark looking for bargains. At first I found lots of items at near ten or twenty pounds. I wanted warm scarves to match a hat in white, wear white at night, say the road safety government advertisements.  I saw hats and scarves and gloves in all colours including white, several attractive styles, but none matching to make a set. Online you can buy matching sets for twenty or thirty pounds. Primark has lots of one offs cheap. Why nothing matching! 

As soon as anybody walked towards me, to avoid potential pickpockets, I diverted to another direction or did a loop around.

Lots of colourful Christmas stuff. Jolly reds. Bright greens. Santa hats. Sequins. I still have the whole of November before I need a Christmas jumper and decorations.

Suitcases at Primark

I saw suitcases at around thirty pounds. Small ones, in another style, at eighteen.  

Bargain Hunting at Primark

Upstairs were the men's and children's clothes. Men's clothes, big and not cheap. Children's clothes cheap but too small.

Then, back, downstairs, I found the sale rail. Dark colours, items cut like pillowcases, no pockets or decoration. 

Then, on a final sweep around, I found a double shelf table.  Items at under ten pounds, under five pounds. Jolly Union Jacks, but on a dull grey background. 

But then I spied this top. Bright red. My colour. Long sleeved. It looks like a summer weight. Or a vest. I don't need it. I walked away.

I walked back. Great colour.  Only three pounds. 

Paying At Primark

I saw shorter queues  to the right. (I still say queue. Americans say line up.) The tills turned out to be self-service. 

Card only, no cash. That was fine. Saves time not having to count coins.

Luckily the one staff person deployed to assist was able to help me when the system stopped. It stopped because after scanning all the items I had not tapped on the icons for accept, then pay now. 

I had paid. But what about the receipt. I appealed to the assistant again. The receipt comes automatically, no need to tap to ask for a receipt. Just wait, and look for it to slide out silently at the side.

Exit At Primark

Hurray. Then the exit. You can only get out by retrieving your receipt and swiping it. 

So, I bought a cheap top which I did not need. However, I did succeed it sussing out socks. See next post.

-ends-

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Flags For Key Rings, Bracelets, Ear-rings, & Quotations For Travellers

How many countries have you visited? Some people buy a fridge magnet as a souvenir. Others buy tee-shirts. Or clothes and notebooks.

I have left my list of countries plain so you and I could copy it. I made a second copy with the countries I have visited in bold.

Countries of the World in 2026

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, 

The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bali, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, 

Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, 

Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, 

Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, 

Fiji, Finland, France, 

Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, 

Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, 

Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, 

Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, #

Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, #

Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, 

Madagascar, (Portuguese Madeira), Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), 

Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Norway, 

Oman, 

Pakistan, Palau, , Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, 

Qatar, 

Romania, Russia, Rwanda, 

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, 

Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks & Caicos, Tuvalu, 

Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, 

Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, 

Wales, Yemen, 

Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Countries I have visited in bold

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, 

The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bali, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, 

Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus (Greek and Turkish sides), Czech Republic, 

Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, 

Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia,

Fiji, Finland, France, 

Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, (British Gibraltar.)  Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, 

Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, 

Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, 

Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, 

Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,

 Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

 Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), 

Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Norway, 

Oman, 

Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, 

Qatar, 

Romania, Russia, Rwanda, 

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Martin in the Caribbean and Sint Maarten. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, 

Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks & Caicos, Tuvalu, 

Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, 

Wales, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Islands

I have also visited various islands around the UK-: in England's Isle of Man, and The Isle of Wight., Scotland's Isle of Skye. The Channel Islands: Jersey, Guernsey,  Sark. 

Hong Kong

I visited Hong Kong when it was British, and again when it was Chinese.

Macao. Now Chinese. Still some Portuguese spoken.

Enclaves

Goa. Enclave in India.

Yugoslavia.

I visited Dubrovnik when it was part of Yugoslavia. I have counted that as visiting Croatia.

I make that 50 countries, counting England, Scotland and Wales as three, not counting the UK as an extra. Madeira is Portuguese. The Canary Islands are Spanish. Macau is Chinese.

If you just want one flag of your country or one you visited, souvenir shops in London have jewellery. Online you can find lots of American flags and British Union Jacks on jewellery such as bracelets, ear-rings and pendants.

Useful Websites

Circular flag charms, gold plated and silver plated:

https://scriptcharms.com/products/world-travel-flag-charms-for-jewelry-making

Oblong link flags, stainless steel, and stringing materials from a wholesaler:

https://uk.nihaojewelry.com/stainless-steel-flag-icon-cartoon-diy-module-hand-chain-adjustable-spring-summer-simple-style-bracelet-with-jewelry-clasp-nh11262833.

American flag Jewellery eg bracelets and Union Jack jewellery eg ear-rings

https://www.temu.com/uk/1-pair-british-style--rectangle-glass-cabochon-dangle-earrings-fashion-handmade-fish-hook-earrings-jewelry-accessory-g-606130277324260

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Understanding Italian From Newspapers

Flag of Italy.

 I picked up an Italian newspaper outside the World Travel Market in London November 2026. I thought, let's see if I can learn a few words and brush up my Italian.  The newspaper was Londra Sera , which translates as London evening.

Here are some of the words I recognized and my translations or interpretations of the meaning.

Italian - English

anna - year

degli - of the (plural)

dei - of the (singular)

di - of

giornale - daily

Gran Bretagna- Great Britain

il - the

Italia - Italy

Italiani - Italian

uno - one

paesi - countries

per - for

prodotti - Products / produce

Useful websites for learning and translating Italian

duolingo.com

wikivoyage Phrasebook

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German Words - Which Are Easy to Recognize and Remember

 

I am learning German from Duolingo for a trip to the German speaking part of Switzerland. I already speak French. I did Spanish last year. German will come in handy in three countries, the German speaking part of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

Remember that German nouns start with capital letters.

German - English

April - April

Armbanduhr - watch

Bibliothek - library

Freund - friend

hier - here

Hund - dog / hound

Ich lerne - I learn

Kantine - cafeteria

oft - often

Park - park

Schule - school

Semester - semester

Sporthalle - gym

Sport - sport

English - German

April - April

banana - Banane

cafeteria - Kantine / Mensa

dog / hound - Hund

friend - Freund

gym - Sporthalle

here - hier

I learn - Ich lerne

library - Bibliothek

modern - modern

often - oft

park - Park

post office - Post

semester (USA) - Semester

school - Schule

sport - Sport

watch - Armbanduhr

Useful websites for learning German

duolingo.com

-ends-

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I am the author of several books which you can see on Amazon or Lulu, such as Quick Quotations, Who Said What When? Embarrassing Moments.

Brunei sweetmeats at World Travel Market in London

Brunei stand food. Photos by Angela Lansbury.

n the Brunei stand at the World Travel Market I saw these local delights. They had brought their chef with them and introduced him to me. At many events the  catering for all stands is supplied by a catering company. If you have restrictions on halal food for your staff, and want to offer traditional food and local specialities to visitors, it seems a good idea to bring your own chef.

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30 vehicle crash on UK motorway

The crash was on the M20 motorway in Kent, November 2026. 

 The causes of the crash were suggested as

1 Fog

2 Drivers not using fog lights

3 Smoke from fireworks

4 Poor driving standards

5 Poor lighting on motorways.

Possible remedies for travellers, event organizers and educators to consider

1 Drivers, check weather forecast. Do not drive in fog. 

Motorways put up speed limits during fog and fireworks. 

Do not fly helicopters and small planes in storms and when ice is expected to form.

2 Police or neighbourhood watch should install fog light reminders and put up signs at motorway stops. The driving test should include putting on fog lights, and an online game could include a fog light reminder with guides as to where to find fog light buttons on the car owned by the person playing the game.

3 Restrict fireworks to certain times and days. Then ban private displays. But since the fireworks smoke was blamed on a public display at a nearby castle, public displays also need to be controlled.

4 Have update online annual tests, at first free and voluntary, including fog light reminders.

5 Restore lighting on motorways which was reputedly cut to save money.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16275135/motorway-shut-crash-heavy-fog-firework-smoke.html

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