Valentine's Day, Singapore and Worldwide: Dinners and heart shaped pattern clothes, chocolate covered fruit and heart shape biscuits

Pink lights on the trees in Scotts Road where it joins Orchard road at the heart of Singapore. The centre of Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 On Monday Feb 13 I was at a wine dinner at the Tanglin Club's group, The Affordable Wine Society. They organizers wondered why they had fewer people than usual? Was it because they were serving white wine, Chardonnay, from France, South Africa, Argentina, and New Zealand? 

I reckoned it was because many people, like us decided that they didn't not want to eat out at large, expensive meals with food and wine two nights running.  The Tanglin Club has more than 4,000 members, and The Churchill Room restaurant was fully booked for the Valentine's Day evening dinner, costing  188 Singapore dollars (116.50 pounds sterling per couple, which is just over 58 pounds per person), without wine. The price was  228 Singapore dollars including matched wine, which was just over 141 pounds meaning about seventy pounds per person including wine. That was a multi-course meal.

We chose to go to the wine dinner instead. Others might have chosen to opt to go out and splurge on Valentine's Day. We treated our wine dinner as our Valentine's night and I wore hearts in black.

Angela in black heart top. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Angela in an outfit featuring pink hearts for an online Zoom meeting with the them of love.

A Toastmasters International Club came up with a fun idea for those without a Valentine's Day Date Online

Shein blouse printed with small black hearts.

Tesco shortbread assortment, bought before Xmas 2002, a gift to Angela Lansbury.

DIY Valentine's Day pop card by Angela Lansbury. Heart shaped shortbread biscuit in tin box from Tesco, UK. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

BISCUITS

Tesco heart shaped shortbread biscuit. There were two of these in the box.

I made the card by drawing a heart and filling in the red with a watercolour pencil. You will find them in large stationery departments of book shops, supermarkets, art shops, department stores. I have bought them from Wilko in the UK, WHmith in Brent Cross, Mustafa's in Singapore. See my other posts on watercolour pencils.

TOASTMASTERS THEMED MEETINGS

Un-Valentined - A special meeting for Single Toastmasters who have absolutely no plans for Valentine's Day evening. 

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Single

2. Valentine's Day evening plan is to sulk at home

3. Enjoys the company of Toastmasters

Date: 14th Feb 2023

Time: 9 pm (IST) | 3:30 pm (UTC) | 10:30 am (EST)

Zoom Meeting

POETRY MEETINGS

Poetry groups run the theme of Valentines or love.

See Facebook Groups. For example, the Fertile Brains. They have a WhatsApp group.

Useful Websites

Tanglin Club, Singapore

Toastmasters International Find a Club

UK

Berry Bouquets

12 chocolate covered strawberries. Twelve pounds.

https://berrybouquets.co.uk/questions/milk-choc-gift-box.html

USA only- cake petits fours

Box of little cakes in various colours and designs. Picture of cakes' insides on website.

https://www.swisscolony.com/p/valentine-petits-fours-003191.html

Worldwide

https://www.facebook.com/ediblearrangements

Tesco Recipe

https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/funfetti-heart-biscuits.html

Edible Bouquets

https://www.ediblearrangements.ae/fruit-bouquet-detail.aspx?ArrangementID=611

Edible biscuits heart shape

https://www.fairmart.app/store/costa-rhu-indian-supermart/britannia-little-hearts-biscuits-264oz-750g-biscuit-de-patits-coeurs-soft-and-delicious-biscuits-kid-03582?utm_term=&utm_campaign=CostaRhu_Purch_PerformanceMax&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=5402163297&hsa_cam=18866472471&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=CjwKCAiA_6yfBhBNEiwAkmXy50vIg1iUB8MNwCLr_RvlI4g5836NosgNi4OLJ2Bd0bc1MVTUKlft4RoCx40QAvD_BwE

Watercolour pens and pencils

https://www.amazon.sg/Faber-Castell-PL154312-12-Piece-Water-Colour/dp/B008UOTXO2/ref=sr_1_2?adgrpid=97178868873&gclid=CjwKCAiA_6yfBhBNEiwAkmXy546pD8TFkMVeK2l11v4_ybiQr_owzrlN-ZCRDlmYkcbulUEaoZ2_gBoCflAQAvD_BwE&hvadid=587401505212&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9062509&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17528429277747009784&hvtargid=kwd-256622149&hydadcr=13813_339767&keywords=watercolour+pencils&qid=1676371197&sr=8-2

Which Champagne For New Year? And Which Travel Resolutions?

 

G H Mumm Champagne Brut Cordon Rouge.  Photo by Angela Lansbury.

My husband chose this Champagne for Christmas. Champagne comes from the Champagne region of France. It is a dry wine, hence the word Brut, meaning dry. 

Angela and her husband Trevor drinking Champagne on Christmas Day. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Champagne is a sparkling white wine, made with red skinned grapes. I kid you not. This one is made from a grape called pinot noir. Noir is French for black. In English we describe grapes as red and black grapes but in wine-making most grapes are black.

Rouge is the French word for red. The word rouge in English has also come to mean red cosmetics applied to the cheeks for colour.

Cordon rouge, like cordon Bleu, (Bleu is French for blue) refers to the cordon, which is a sash. You see it here on the Champagne worn diagonally. It is on both the bottle and the cap.

Other Champagnes sold in the same supermarket were made from Chardonnay grapes. My husband prefers the fuller flavour of pinot noir. Most people are happy with a best selling cheaper wine.

For New Year, for a change, my husband might buy a blanc de blanc, meaning a white wine made from white grapes. And what about New Year resolutions and travel?  My plans include:

1 Keeping A Travel Wishlist

2 Learn a new language each year. Finish a course in that language on Duolingo.

3 Learn the words from every bottle of wine. (Even if you are not a drinker, you can learn the words from the wine bottles, the wine list, and the menu.

I have been to many Champagne cellars in Rheims, as well as wineries around the world.

According to their website, the Mumm company has installed art and architecture making it an award winning tourist attraction. So they are on my wish-list for a destination as soon as Covid-19 caused restrictions are lifted and I and my family can fly to the UK and on by ferry to France. Meanwhile, a happy New Year to you and yours.

Useful Websites

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._H._Mumm

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

 

Bluebell railway steam train to ride and Bluebell wines to taste and buy

The bluebell wine company is near the bluebell railway. A great afternoon out for any group, such as a women's institute. Visit the winery. Have a vineyard tour and tasting. Maybe buy a souvenir bottle -or case. Then take the bluebell railway.

Watch out for expansion of the opportunities at the Bluebell Vineyard. I met Lucy. She says they are planning to expand the facilities, building a cafe. Maybe a few souvenirs such as aprons. Yes, she has been to the biggest winery tourist attraction I've seen in Britain, Denbies, and the company she works for plans to follow the great example set by Denbies.

The great place to visit down the road from the Bluebell winery is a cafe in an antique furniture emporium with an elephant outside.

This is Lucy from the winery. You can see the big B for Bluebell on the wine bottle label. On their stand at a wine fair, she and another member of staff showed me and allowed me to taste three types of sparkling wine which they make. Apparently most people like the classic sparkling wine which is a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir. 

To my surprise I liked both versions of the one grape variety. I liked the 'biscuity' sparkling wine made from white Chardonnay grapes. But I also liked the other version. I like wines with a distinctive aroma and flavour.

If you want to book a vineyard tour or tasting for a group, here are their details:

Address Bluebell Vineyard Estates Glenmore Farm Sliders Lane Furners Green East Sussex TN22 3RU England Email: wineinfo@bluebellvineyard.co.uk http://www.bluebellvineyard.co.uk/ The Bluebell Railway is a steam train service. They run Santa specials. www.bluebell-railway.co.uk More on the railway in a later post.

Telephone 01825 791 561 Mobile 07785 333 417

Nyetimber Wines

Nyetimber vineyards are open to the public only on special days when they conduct tours. I've known about their wines for a long time but not until visited them for a tasting on the open day did I realise that they are in more than one location.

If you are in the business you might get a complimentary invitation, or if you are a frequent visitor to a local restaurant which features their wines, but members of the public were also invited to apply for tickets on line for £20 per person which included tasting three of their wines and you could use your ticket for a discount if you then ordered wine at the event. There was no refund on tickets so if you are likely to be working at that weekend or to cancel for any reason, don't risk it. However, even on a dull day it was well wroth the trip to see the vineyard, the delightful buildings, hear the talk, meet the people, try the wines, and get the voucher.

Leave your high heeled shoes behind in the car. You need walking shoes or wellies to walk along the stoney uneven ground with occasional muddy sections.

Sommeliers in restaurants in England and worldwide and others who work in shops, warehouses and sales and distribution in the wine trade take WSET exams. Right at the beginning you learn about the grapes in wines. For the WSET (wine and spirit education trust - two members of my family are taking different levels - me only level one - another member of my family several levels higher, diploma level). So the first thing I heard was Champagne is Chardonnay - plus pinot noir. It's dry white wine from a green grape, with a little extra livening up from a black grape, pinor noir, noir being French for black.

The black skins add the vibrant red colour to red wines but also the taste of tannin which some don't like. Remove some of the skin and you get rose wine.

However, many times I heard that, I tended to forget. But you remember it instantly after visiting the Nyetimber vineyard. First you see Chardonnay the main green grape used in sparkling wines.

(Sparkling wines include the king of sparkling wines, Champagne, a region of France - traditionally only wines from that country and that region - or possibly in our times and in the future new world areas owned or licensed by a Champagne house).  But now Nyetimber has challenged themselves and others to produce top quality sparkling wines, coming out equal to or better than some of the Champagnes, at some blind tastings in shows, and depending on your taste as a tester or consumer.

The well-kept vineyards.

The area features in the Domesday book and the name Nyetimber means new timber or new wood, as in the nearby New Forest on the South Coast. 

Later, Henry the VIII figures in the history. On the estate are genuine old buildings in which the family lives and works. 

The old barn has been beautifully renovated in sparkling clean white inside. The owners got married here and hope it will be popular when they open it for weddings. 

Everything is elegant.

They add to the green grape, Chardonnay, two black grapes, Pinor Noir and another Pinot, Pinot Meunier.

I'd heard that grapes for wine are often not suitable for eating. I and a couple of other people tried tasting a green and black grape. They are small and rather tasteless when not yet ripe for picking. Not horrible and bitter as I had imagined, but not nice eough for me to want a second. 

But the grapes are good enough for the local badgers. Nyetimber say they are lucky enough not to be plagued by local birds nor flocks flying in. Local farmers' sheep are invited in to graze on the grass which is a win win season, food for the farmer's sheep, and saves diesel and wages and time of people who would otherwise have to cut the grass.

Where can you taste Nyetimber? If you are local, I can recommend Restaurant Tristan in Horsham where we went for lunch. (See my post on the restaurant, which is also recommended by many people on Tripadvisor and rated in the Michelin Guide.)

If you are in London or the rest or England, many top restaurants as well as theatres and concert halls. Overseas Nyetimber is expanding to Denmark and Japan and seeking distribution in more countries. You can also buy bottles in Britain in Majestic wine suppliers and Waitrose supermarkets.

http://nyetimber.com/where-to-buy/

Books by Angela Lansbury on lulu.com and Amazon

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