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

 Ava's Alphabet

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..

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 EnglishEnglish as Li or Lee (depending on the tribe or area or country). 

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.

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

The Alphabet 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 
F

H

I

K

L

M

N

T

V

W

X

Y

Z

Letters with curves (11 of them)

B

C

D

G

J

O

P

Q

R

S

U

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 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'l. 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#/