Moving - straight away use a spirit level to hang pictures

 Use the spirit level on your phone for hanging pictures. 

The Apple phone has a built--in spirit level. Photo of an iphone by Angela Lansbury.

Most people associate using a spirit level with using it for bigger projects such as installing a new ladder-style towel rail. 

Plumbers, engineers and DIY enthusiasts usually keep a spirit level in their physical tool box. 

If you don't have a physical spirit level, you can use one on a mobile phone.

Apple has Measure

An Apple mobile phone comes with lots of helpful software such as Measure.  

On an android phone you can use an app such as bubble level. To find an app, type use a search 'engine' such as Google and type in Bubble app or Spirit level or Level app. You might find that a free app pays for itself by sending you advertising.

Travel light with a day dress which converts to evening wear

 Travel Light

 A blue day dress made glamorous with DIY decoration of hite feathers and mock pearls on the cuffs. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

At a wedding I was impressed by my friend's blue dress with white feathery and pearl decoration on the cuffs of the sleeves. Her outfit looked very smart and expensive and glamorous. She told me she had sewn on the decoration herself. She makes a lot of craft items, using pieces of decoration. For example, masks. Her dress has a wide circular swing hem added on. But the top is a simple blue shirt-waisted style. It is the contrasting colour which is effective and the soft effect, like feathers and lace. Her outfit is completely unique. She must have spent a reasonable amount on the fancy decoration. But even so, much less than an expensive dress. 

Day and evening

What is interesting is that you can transform a shirt waisted style into something so glamorous with the sleeve decoration. It\s like adding a black bow at the neck of a white blouse. 

Pin or Brooch

If you are handy with a needle, or even a pin, you can create a new outfit for a wedding, or Christmas party, or a birthday or anniversary, or any special occasion. If you think a pin is too DIY, you could buy a pair of matching brooches.

Shein has modestly prices items. But some of the brooches look a bit stiff. You might do better with a search for feather decoration for hats.

Holiday Transformation - Two Looks

When on holiday, you could take pin on decorations in your handbag, and transform or white or blue or black dress with contrasting decoration for the evening. A new look. Less packing. You won't get caught out by a sudden invitation. Nor will you have to find room in your suitcase to bring home a new outfit bought for the special occasion. 

You can also buy lace gloves with feathers decorating them. you could cut off the glove fingers and leave sew the cuff attached to the dress sleeve. 

The Great Storm Eunice in London, England

O2 Arena tent damage. Picture from Wikipedia.

 London had a great storm. Luckily flights were able to arrive from Europe to Heathrow when a member of my family flew from Paris to London. His main concern was whether trees would be blocking roads when the hire can took him from Heathrow to his home.

Fortunately, no major trees had blown down. However, when he got home, he discovered that a tree had blown down in the back garden. (Americans say back yard.) 

Fallen tree in London, England. Sharot family photo.

He was on the phone to me discussing it. He said, "There's no chance of getting a tree surgeon to cut it up. They are all out already fully booked. Other, bigger trees are the priority. Especially the ones on major roads.

"I supposed I could hire a tree-cutting saw from a hire shop."

I was not keen on that idea. A DIY accident waiting to happen. Leave roof work and sawing to the experts. They have experience. And assistants. And insurance. And probably first aid kits in their van."

I didn't want to get into an argument about something which would probably not happen - the hiring, rather than the accident. I said, "The tree-cutting machines will also already be out."

The tree had already been dead some time. It was a pushover. Literally.  

We were lucky the house was not damaged by Storm Eunice. Another family in Brentwood had an old oak tree destroy their house and car. 

Public buildings damaged included the O2.

The weather in London is cold.

By contrast, the weather in Singapore is hot and humid.  A huge thunderstorm all day, like London. This prevented us from swimming in the outdoor swimming pool under the palm trees, whose topknots were blowing in the wind.

Useful Websites

UK News

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/home-destroyed-brentwood-essex-oak-tree-b983457.html

Reports of trains stopped in Wales, cancelled flights and more>

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/man-killed-county-wexford-storm-eunice-b983348

UK Weather

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/

UK and Europe Damage

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

Expat or moving house and want to install a dishwasher?

 In the USA you are lucky. Most homes will come with a dishwasher. The only trouble is if you move in and find the existing model is rusting, leaking, or not working. In the UK most homes have dishwashers.

In Singapore most homes don't. Flats are built with a scullery and maid's bedroom and toilet/shower. People traditionally have maids, or home helps. 

I heard of an American ex-pat who said he would only rent a flat i

If you have a maid - what if she is not to be trusted with your glassware?

1You might want to upgrade to a new dishwasher. Some models have pull out trays, cutlery racks: more accessible filter change. You might want to move your dishwasher from ground level to waist height so you don't have to stoop to fill it and empty it. You might want to move it to get the noise away if you work in the kitchen-diner en suite with a living room. 

2 A helper has moved in. You have had another child. A parent has moved in. A lodger has moved in. Your in-laws are staying for the summer. The amount of washing up has doubled. You are planning a dinner party and need to wash up a lot of items. You need to re-use the plates from the starter for the dessert.

3 You are in quarantine and your teenage children or spouse do not want to do chores when they have work or homework.

4 You are getting older. The dishwashing which seemed easy before is now too tiring or time-consuming.

5 You are working from home.

6 Your last dishwasher leaked all over the floor and you want a new one with a guarantee. You also want the risk of it flooding kept away positioned away from the busy kitchen.

7 You are paranoid about washing machines and tumble driers and dishwashers catching fire and want them away from the kitchen and the overhead bedrooms.

If you are a handy DIYer, this could take 2 to 4 hours.

You need a strong enough support for a table top dishwasher. We had a sink in a plywood worktop The back wall against which the dishwasher would a wall which was not a firm support concrete wall but a flimsy thin wooden  room divider to create a maid's bedroom.

We needed tiles on the wall behind the sink, before installing the dishwasher.

The dishwasher needs 

1 Electricity. It could plug in. If  you think the plug is away from the water and is safe. You want an accessible plug. And a label. And a plug clearly marked on and off, so you don't call out an expensive repair person which somebody or something has jogged the switch. You want to be able to turn off the electricity during repairs. Or doing some simple jobs such as emptying the filter. Or attach the machine direct to an electricity wiring supply. Check what your installer is doing. Consider the options.

2 It needs water to come into the machine. Hot water. Unless the machine is designed to heat water. 

3 It needs to attach to the run-away pipe under the sink, or to feed into a drain. You need it below an s bend so that you don't get dirty water feeding back up into the sink, or smells.

If you are installing a waste disposal at the same time, the cost for two jobs could be cheaper if done together. And cause less disruption.

Don't take my word for it. This is not necessarily what is safe or permitted in your property and country. Just a handy reminder guide to what you (and I) need to check on.

Useful Websites

https://www.wikihow.com/Install-a-New-Dishwasher

https://plumbinglab.com/how-to-plumb-a-dishwasher/

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

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Dishwashers

About the author of this blog post

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.

Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When

 

DIY Summer swimsuits and dresses for travel - make or re-make a matching swimsuit, hat, sarong and bag

I shall tell you about how to make and re-make one-piece and two-piece swimsuits. The bandeau bikini dates back to Roman times. It is the easiest to sew. No straps needed.
The bikini bottom can also tie at the side which reduces sewing seams.

I have several swimsuits from previous years which are too small, lost their elasticity, or are too revealing. I have watched several videos on making swimsuits and learned some interesting tips.
1 Bra Template
You can use a sports bra as a template for a top. You could even re-use it as all or part of a two-piece bikini or one-piece swimsuit.
A simple bikini tie-on is the triangular design with a threaded ribbon around under the bra's breasts and tied at the back. 
For the shoulders, two spaghetti straps are sewn onto the bikini at the top and tied behind the neck

2 Add Cleavage
To add cleavage, turn a bandana or strip bra shape into a bra or swimsuit or dress top with cleavage, simple sew a strip of ribbon of matching material vertically around the mid point between the bust.
3 Remove Cleavage
Cut off the retaining piece between the busts. You might end up with a very flat piece. Consider adding swimsuit supports?
Where do you find them? In American you can buy bra or swimsuit bust supports. Or buy a cheap bra containing supports.
Recycling Swimsuit parts
What can you rescue from old swimsuits?
1) Removable straps with the clips on the strap and the swimsuit.
2) The back clasp.
3) A piece of fabric to spiral into a decorative rose.
4) A strip of fabric to expand a costume or join the two bikini halves to make a one-piece. Not enough fabric? Sew ribbons of fabric to create a ladder effect.
5) The old bikini bottoms as lining so your swimsuit is not see-through and gives more support. The old bikini bottoms to create a properly shaped and seamed gusset linking two triangles.
6) Either cut out the good bits of fabric. Or cut out the bad bits of fabric. (In London, England, you can get money back from bags of fabric by weight, and the bag of fabric can include torn and stained fabric, which is sent for recycling.)
7) Before you throw away that old swimsuit, see if it has removable pads. What about shoulder pads from old garments?
4 Cutting
Cut fabric with a rolling cutter (technical term rotary cutter).  Cut on a large specialised soft cutting board - which folds for storage) . This saves the fabric from jagged or zig zag lines when cutting with scissors. (I used extra large wallpaper scissors, which are no dearer than small scissors, but still risk getting points left behind.)

5 Non-run Cotton Fabric
Whilst you could use a tee-shirt to add sleeves, or cotton fabric for the swimsuit, be careful not to use fabrics whose colours run.
6 Stretch Fabric
Stretch fabric can give your bust and tummy and bottom support. Or line your swimsuit with a second layer. Or buy a cheap support garment.
7 Reversible
To give the swimsuit shape or prevent it being see-through, add a lining fabric. Sew both inside out. If you use the same stretch fabric in different colours, you can make a reversible swimsuit, which is good for packing light on holiday.
8 Stretch Fabric and Stitch
Buy stretch fabric. Stitch with a zig zag stitch.

9 No-sew
You can avoid sewing these ways:
Make a sarong which ties around the neck.
Use a scarf clip which has two holes, like a buckle without the prong.
Buy a set so if you lose one you still have others. You can also match up colours.

Fasten hems with fabric glue. These can set us fast as ten minutes, as slow as overnight.
10 Re-use Small Swimsuits
Take a two small swimsuit and umpick the side. Insert ribbons of black stretch fabric horizontally up both sides under the arms.
Take two suits and sew them back to back, with strips of fabric from the spare pieces down each side.
11 Spare Fabric
Make a matching swimming cap.
Sew a strip onto a plain white or black baseball cap or large brim hat to make a matching set.
Sew a strip, or curl a strip spiralled into a rose, to sew on a plain black or white or co-ordinating colour towelling or plastic tote bag.
Useful Websites
You can sign up for several video websites on Youtube. I found some cute young girls in the USA who had understandable accents. They tended to make short skirts and revealing tops.
I am trying to do the reverse. In Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia I need cover ups. Why?
a) In Singapore the fashion is for one piece. The sun is too hot and you want to look pale and interesting and avoid getting sunburned.
b) In Australia and Singapore the warning posters in hospital A and E departments and magazine articles show you skin cancer and warn you to cover up.
c) In Malaysia many beaches and swimming pools in hotels warn foreigners that one piece costumes are required for 'modesty'. When all the locals (girls and women) are wearing cover up costumes and the men stare at you, you soon wish you had something less revealing.
Shopping List (alphabetical)
Fabric Glue
Rotary Cutter
Seam Ripper

Seam ripper

If you don't have a matching skirt or sarong, take a small piece from your leftover fabric and add a waistband or pocket or rose or a couple of small diamond patched to match the swimsuit.
Lastly, Towelling Wraps
Turn an old towel into a miniskirt or a towelling poncho. You just need a diamond shape for the head. Sew the edges securely. The smartest way would be to cover with a binding. But over-sewing works well.
The extra diamond shape can be used for a pocket. Or to trim a baseball cap.
When it's sunny, you don't want waste time indoors sewing. But when the weather is overcast or rainy, that is a good time to get out your old swimsuit, beachwear and make something new.
Happy days!

Useful websites
This site suggests using your old costume jewellery as handles.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/style/dish-towel-tote-bag.html
http://livingwithbeth.com/10-things-make-old-towels-will-blow-mind/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, British, living in the UK, also Singapore Resident, lived in the UK, USA and Singapore.
You can link to me on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Join me at a meeting of Toastmasters International speakers clubs, such as Braddell Heights Advanced.
Please share links to your favourite posts.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please see my other blogs and share links with your friends

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Best, Safest, Travel Clothes And Bags - and avoiding real life bears

Why not travel all in black so that you are co-ordinated? No dirt and stains.

Firstly, don't have a plain black suitcase. On 9/11 (11 Sept 2001) a bomb threat was made to my Singapore Airlines plane going to S Africa for a conference. Our incoming  and outgoing plane was directed to a distant runway. All the luggage was offloaded onto the runway. Each family or group in turn had to identify our own luggage. My bag was black. I was faced by a river of black bags. Guarded by men with machine guns. I ran from bag to bag saying, "Here it is - no, it isn't."

What I look for in travel clothes & bags

Loose
Hard-wearing
Easy to wash
Smart enough to get me upgraded
Handy pockets
Secure anti-theft pockets
cheerful colours
some pattern to not show stains
Colours easy to co-ordinate
Not such small sleeves that it feels like wearing a tourniquet
Not such large sleeved that I can't wear a jacket on top
Patterns of lack of patterns to not clash
Arms down to wrists or with tab so they let down to wrists
Anti mosquito
Protection from sunburn

For a jacket
Pocket big enough for a hat
Hood attached so I can't lose it
Secure pockets
Inside pockets
Zips off fast at security
Won't stain easily
crease-free
Enough pattern to hide stains but not so much that it clashes with everything else

Shoes
No heels - too tiring and they rub up inflable escape chutes so you will be asked to remove them and leave them behind or carry them
Quick release straps so you can remove them at airport security

Suitcase
Not black.
Add identifying ribbon to handle.
Add strap in case locks break
Carry food and drink in a separate bag
4 wheels so I can wheel it upright without stooping and straining my back
Solid top so I can put a handbag on top
ideally an outside pocket for extras, but not one which when full tips over

Suitcase cover
Won't work if it prevents me opening an outside pocket

The packing list in wiki reminded me that you need sports clothes and a sports bra for using the gym on holiday or at a hotel.

Take insect repellent and sunscreen and water bottles and a torch (flashlight in the USA), swimsuit and sports bra for the hotel, sturdy waterproof walking shoes.
You want to avoid leaving food in your backpack near you overnight, and prepare food far away from your sleeping area.

Apart from theft, loose pockets allow items to drop out. Two suggestions:
Double pockets with your credit card inside the pocket inside or behind the main larger pocket.

If zips break or your new jacket has no zips on pockets, add a zip or press stud.

No time, no zip, can't sew zips?
You can also sew in an airline amenity bag which has a zip.
Pack a small sewing kit including a self-threading needle and a couple of press studs.

For advice on backpacks and how to escape or fight a bear, see
https://wikitravel.org/en/Wilderness_backpacking
It says bears are like dogs and chase after somebody running away. (Same goes for the police.)

Useful websites
https://www.bustle.com/p/the-15-best-travel-dresses-18224345
craghoppers
https://www.craghoppers.com/
ebay
https://wikitravel.org/en/Packing_list

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Instant Fan In A Hot Country, Hot Hotel Room, Hot anywhere

Need a paper fan? In a hurry? When would you need a cooling, fan, a fake fan? I often do, in Asia, especially Singapore, in London in the summer, in the USA, even New York in summer, and Washington DC, on the same latitude as Madrid in Spain.

In a hotel bedroom before the air con starts to take effect. In a conference room in Wales at Writers' Holiday. You look around at somebody who had a fan and think, aren't they lucky. Never mind having a fancy fan, any fan would do.

You could splash water on yourself from your water bottle, or the tap in the toilet, and wave a piece of paper, such as the meeting programme. But there's no meeting programme. They are saving money on paper and ink and time and claiming to save the planet and the trees by asking everybody to read the programme online on their phones.

But there is a solution. Just use a piece of stiff paper or card.

Where from? Your office. Your wastebin. The office bin.
The hotel bin.

Free brochures you picked up but have read and no longer need.
Paper bag or cardboard bag which you or somebody else discarded.
Large envelope.

Two methods.

Pencil
1 Use a pencil or disposable bamboo chopsticks for the upright, like the post of a flag.

Point First
Put the pencil, point first inside the envelope. Why point first? To avoid geting the point marking your hand with colour or hurting your skin.

Pencil Without a Point
Here's a use for a new pencil you were given at a trade show which has no point yet, so you cannot use it to write until you get home or back to the office.

Envelope
Envelope too flimsy?  Fold it in half. Use two. Look for another, bigger stronger envelope.

Concertina
Fold your paper in half then in half again, and again. Until you have long oblongs. Unfold and re-fold, alternating the folds.

Hold the bottom together by turning it up an inch or two which you grasp when fanning yourself.

At home you could make yourself a pretty DIY fan from fancy coloured paper. Use stiffer paper or card on the outsides when the paper concertina is closed. Decorate the outside or edge with silver paint or silver foil or cooking foil or sweet wrapper.

Or buy plain coloured paper to match your outfit  from a stationery store or art shop.

Sometimes it is cheaper to buy a cheap notebook than a piece of art paper. Even a book with a back cover you can tear off would be good. That way you get a fan and a notebook.

Or buy a ruler and ask the shop for a paper bag. Use the ruler as the stiffener and fold the bag into a concertina.

Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Plastics and the Environment

Today on line has a video about an artist in Singapore who has created an 18 seater table resembling a beach, in order to focus people's eyes and minds on the fact the plastics are polluting the water and the seafood we eat, as well as the beaches.

On the table surrounding the plates are microplastics he found on the beach.

Microplastics are particles of plastic, after the plastic items have been tossed about in the sea, presumably for eeveral months.

What you can do:

Shoppers
1 Buy re-usable water bottles.
2 Buy metal straws.

Crafts and DIY enthusiasts
Shred thin plastic, heat it in a sandwich maker and turn it into thick multicolour plastic.

What the country's local council can do about recycling.
Invest in more recycling instead of burning plsatic which we have washed and sorted.
Local disintegrating bags for kitchen waste
Compost bins.
Use up leftover food.
Give away or sell off leftover food.
Recycling shops.
Recycling goods: eg plastic bottle tops made into murals.
Milk bottles made into watering cans or jugs.
Plastic bottles made into pencil boxes.

How Manufacturing can use receycling

Useful Websites

Angela Lansbury
Travel Writer.

How Sealant Should be Applied Neatly

I wondered why sealant was appplied in blobs in private flats and public toilets in Singapore. Then I had work done at home in the UK and a European worker who quoted less for work applied sealand with his finger and kept making a smudgy blobby line.

I finally got round to googling it. Would somebody have put up a video? Yes.

Who? Some DIY expert?

No. The DIY stores!

The solution is simple. You have to buy masking tape and apple it. Then use a shaping tool - just a piece of plastic.

Put the mask along. apply to silicone slowly so as to not get blobs. You can cut the tip of the sealand nozzle to the right place to allow enough and not too much to fill the gap. Smoothe off. Wipe away any blobs.

Here's the video.

If your worker arrives without the right tools, but goes back to get more, insist they do a professional job. You also need to cover nearby surfaces to avoid splatter.

Yes, you have to supervise everything done by your plumbers.

The more you insist on your worker doing it right the first time, the more you will have the same person doing it right the next time for you and everybody else.

Please share this with as many people as you can, to improve the standards in every country where you are a landlord or tenant or supervisor.

Useful websites
You can pick up leaflets and watch videos from major DIY suppliers and get advice on methods and products. Those in the UK include B & Q, Homebase, Wickes.
The video I watched on YouTube is called How To Seal A Bath With Wickes
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+do+you+use+sealand+neatly&rlz=1C1CHBF_enSG813SG813&oq=how+do+you+use+sealand+neatly&aqs=chrome..69i57.7225j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=1

Napkin With A Neat Buttonhole To Protect Your Clothes When You're Eating

Problem
How do you protect the front of your blouse or shirt?

Answer
Cover your front with an absorbent napkin. But how do you attach it neatly?
Here's the answer:

Napkin with buttonhole from The Tanglin Club, Singapore.

Photos by Angela Lansbury.

Full marks to the Tanglin club for providing these. I imagine that the suppliers wordwide can do this. If not, large hotels and restaurant chains and organizations where staff wear uniforms have departments with sewing machines which can make buttonholes.

If you are an individual with a sewing machine, or have a neighbour or relative or friend with a sewing machine, you could insert a buttonhole into a table napkin.  

A useful item for yourself if you eat out or travel a lot. Maybe a Xmas gift from a practical friend.

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. author and speaker.

Tips on DIY and furnishing a second home or ex-pat home or job move

Problem
You leave for six months or a year and your home falls apart.
The cost of shipping all your stuff overseas, then shipping it home again, is less than the cost of buying new.

You take a job but your furniture arrives by sea and takes three weeks.

You find a great place to rent, from an absentee or elderly landlord or landlady, but lots of things need fixing.

You arrive happily. But your curtains don't fit, the funiture doesn't fit, and the bedding doesn't fit.

Answers
PROJECT PREPARATION
List all the things you need for a project from the DIY store and check everybody concerned to compile  a checklist:

For example, no good buying paint and getting home and finding we need brushes and a mixing pan.

PRICING
Make or find a guide to budget options.

List of professionals who could do the work and estimated prices so you can find out if it's cheaper to hire somebody than DIY;

TIMING
Painting and projects
Estimated times of project - can't have windows open to dry paint if going out for the day;

Estimate time it would take to paint a room of various sizes;

LADDERS

What sort of ladder do I need to paint a ceiling or could I hire one, or re-sell it - if no room to store it.

Keep a ladder or step stool to change light bulbs.

B & Q UK
See free brochures on DIY in stores.
Watch videos.

TIP
Take your shopping list.
Take your phone to photograph products.
Note or photograph barcodes, model numbers, brands, in case you want to order on line later.
Keep measurements of windows and floors and doors in the back of your diary or a notebook.
Take with you a tape measure showing measurements in inches and centimetres.

Shopping For Bedding
When shopping for bedding, note the size of a bed, width, length, height of mattress.
Check bedding to see whether a bottom sheet is included. Some sets are duvet cover and matching pillowcase only.

HOUSEHOLD INVENTORY
Check your inventory and add the brands or product codes or all furnishing and fixings.
For example, you have a Neff oven, sink, etc.
You want to record the date of purchase and number of the helpline and end of guarntee date.

When buying, register guarantees.

Photograph and print information on side of item so when the washing machine goes wrong you know the helpline.

Also keep the orignal sizes. That is handy when when buying a replacement.  You know which size for searching on line, answering questions from a salesperson on the phone, and buying another item from a sales person from a shop.

Read the instructions. For example, some washer-dryers can wash a bigger load than they can dry, because you need space to toss the wet items in the air. If you overload, the items just get tangled and stay wet and creased.

You also end up running the drying cycle longer. If the machine is supposed to last so many washes a year and you do twice that number, it might break down in two years instead of four. If you have space, it is better to have two machines stacked on top of each other, rather than a washer dryer.

If you buy two stacking machines, you also need a third item, the part which fixes them together. The two machines must be the same size. You can't have a bigger machine bouncing about and sliding off, or breaking the machine below.

Useful Websites
B & Q
diy.com

Author
Angela Lansbury

How To Keep Clothes Clean At Dinner - Handy Tip Learned Whilst Travelling

Problem
How do you keep your shirt or blouse front clean?

Answer
I was dining at the Tanglin Club in Singapore when I noticed a man had a diamond shape white napkin attached to the front of his shirt. I thought, "How does he attache that?"

Obviously, had had to have attached the top of the napkin to the top button of his shirt. You can buy devices, silver plated clips like large safety pins or hair clips. But his was attached to a button. I thought: the only way he can do that is if the napkin has a buttonhole.

I looked at the nearest napkin and, to my surprise, found that it had a buttonhole in one corner. I checked another napkin. So did the others on my table and the next table.

Clearly, you can buy napkins, or order them to be made with a logo for a large organisation such as a hotel or a club, with buttonholes.

Buttonhole. Photo from Wikipedia. User Maksim.

DIY Buttonholes
If you were handy you could make your own napkin with a button hole and carry it with you.

If you made your own clothes or had a shirt made, you could ask for a spare square of fabric to be made with a buttonhole.

You can add a buttonhole to your exisiting set of table napkins if you have a buttonhole attachment on your sewing machine.

Failing all else, make a buttonhole the old-fashioned way. You cut a slit the width of the button or just slightly larger. Sew the two edges with tight bottonhole stitch, with long  overseweing at both ends of the hole to seurue the button hole against tearing. The usual way is to draw the button hole in pencil or wipe-off tailor's chalk. Sew the two sides of the buttonholer first (keep the cotton attahced and don't sew the wisdes seaparately but proceed clockwise so you have no loose endds. It is safer to cut the centre out last, but this requires care.

If you have never hand-sewn a buttonole before, practise on another piece of fabric first. Using the same colour cotton as the fabric lookes neater. If you don't have matching cotton, you might be able to pull out a loose thread from a seam. Alternatively be bold and if you sew neatly, use a contrasting colour.

DIY buttonholes
Some modern sewing machines have an automatic button hole sewing computirised mechanism. It is not as complicated as it sounds. You may have to attach a buttonhole device around the needle. You simpley screw this on to the place behind the needle for attachments. The device forms a barrier. the needle does button hole stitch along to the end of the designated area. You turn the fabric. You might need to reverse stitch a couple of stitches to secure the loose end of your thread. You don't need to do this full speed. You can do it slowly, one thread at a time, turning the wheel on the side of the machine and turning the needle up and down by hand.

Buying or 'Borrowing'
You could buy a napkin with a buttonhole from a hotel or club which has some. The chances are that if you offer to pay the head housekeeper will tell you, "Just take it".

I would only take something if I had been told it was ok to do so. You would not want the embarrassment of being challenged for having gone off with a napkin. Nor would I want to take something which would ruin my reputation, or damage the establishment's set or their profit for the week or year or even bring their staff under suspicion.

Thinking about it, a heavy napkin might pull off a button or hang heavily on a modern woman's lightweight blouse or dress. However, it is more likely to be supported by a heavyweight man's shirt with a stiff collar.

Tips and Tricks For Travellers
That is one of the joys of travelling and visiting new places. As the saying goes, learn something new every day.

Club Visits
If you are not a member of the Tanglin club, how could you get to visit it? See next post.

Useful Websites

visitsingapore.com
signaporeair.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, author and speaker. I have other posts on the Tanglin club and other clubs.

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please see my other blogs and share links with your friends

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

How To Create A Chinese New Year Plate With A Dog Face

Photo from Facebook.

Problem
How do I create a Chinese New Year lo hei ('prosperity') goodwill wish, without spending a fortune, and in the shape of a dog, as lunar year 2018-9 is the year of the dog.

Answer
If you live in Singapore as a Resident, or expat, or are visiting, you can attend a New Year dinner at a restaurant or town or country club, or Toastmasters Club or hotel. If you suggest making a shape of a dog, they will probably be very interested and want to help you.

Why is it make at the last minute? Because the ingredients are shredded vegetables and raw or smoked fish or shredded chicken which will go off quickly in Singapore heat, or any time anywhere. If you buy the packet from a supermarket, it comes in lots of small packets of vegetables so it's quicker if everybody helps and its more fun and makes for more teamwork and gets everybody involved.

Many Chinese New year lo hei meals are created on the table in front of you. Therefore you need some advance practice in making the dog face.

The idea behind the meal is to have lots of colours of food.

For example, shredded carrot, mandarin orange slices in small semicircles upright to create a border around the edge of the plate.

Photo from Facebook.

You could draw the outline of the dog's face on edible rice paper with food colouring pencils or icing squeezed out of a tube. Then build up the face with the different colours.

If you think it might not look right, or the underlying picture will disappear, have another picture propped up vertically behind the plate against the wall.

You will also need to provide:

Paper plates
Wooden Chopsticks
Paper napkins
Paper cups and tap water

Useful Websites
visit singapore
http://www.visitsingapore.com/en/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Xmas Travel tips: Packing and DIY Christmas and birthday cards, wrapping and decorations

Problems
How do you find a Xmas card in a hurry at a Xmas party when the organiser have put a Xmas card on every place? How do you find a suitable card for Christmas and Chinese New Year?

If you wrap a present, you might have to unwrap it at security or customs. You can't even travel with a big pair of scissor in your hand luggage.

In Singapore we were invited to housewarmings, engagement parties, and to dinner with people who had just had a baby. We needed cards in a hurry.

What do you do to decorate the room in a hurry when you are too busy to go shopping or the shops are closed?

Answers
Cards And Wrapping
At home I keep a stock of Christmas and birthday cards in boxes marked Christmas and Cards. I also have a section of wrapping paper.

Storage
You can store your leftover Xmas cards and wrap in a zip up bag for about £15. Or simply keep it in a tote bag with Xmas or festive patterns. Or cover a shoe box with leftover Xmas wrapping paper.

Packing
I take a couple of spare Xmas cards in my pockets to parties and when travelling over Xmas. I have also spent hours hunting inside my suitcase for the card and wrapping twine. Days later I discovered them in the suitcase outside pocket. You might add the location of small or vital items to your packing list with the location such as; jacket pocket; in handbag; in carryon bag; in outside pocket of suitcase, in lid.

Storage and Packing
Alternatively load up a picture of your suitcase. Or keep the luggage tag when you buy the item which has a picture of the suitcase. Label the outside as A and the lid pocket as B and the back inside pocket of the base of the suitcase as C. Your hand bag similarly labelled with letters. (Not numbers, since you will use those for the numbers of pairs of socks or underwear or blouses or shirts.) Alongside each item you note where you have packed it.

You can also direct a partner or friend from the bathroom or another location to find the card or wrapping in your luggage by checking the packing list stuck on the inside lid of the suitcase.

Place names
Save place names from Xmas parties and weddings for re-use on your festive table. To check the correct spelling of names, look at your emails, or inside Xmas cards from this year (or last year, if you keep them).


Stories
On one occasion I bought a card which was all in Chinese from a rack of Chinese New Year cards in Singapore. My friend laughed a lot. A week later, when I asked her to translate it, she admitted that my card had wished her Happy Birthday.

We also had a Swiss army knife confiscated. On another occasion we had a pair of scissors confiscated at Heathrow. One person had to race around the airport to find an envelope and post it home. The other was waiting half an hour airside wondering what took so long and whether a family member had been arrested.

Tips
Keep a similar lettered checklist for items which are left in the fridge (sandwiches for the plane; chocolates for the hosts you are visiting).
Attach post-it notes to the back of your front door and remove them as you leave as you check every item.

For example:
LAST MINUTE LEAVING CHECKLIST
Passport, tickets;
Keys (one set; second set left with neighbours / family /office;
Holiday/business address and insurance details left with family;
Food for journey, drink for journey;
Items in fridge to throw out or give to neighbours or family.
Keys of second home.
Name and phone number of person who has keys to rented accommodation.
Hotel number in case of delay.
Print-out of reservation in case reception.
Xmas cards. Birthday cards. New Home cards. Chinese New Year cards.
Gifts.
Wrapping paper. Coloured string or ribbon and bows. Sticky tape.
Gold and silver pens for writing cards.

DIY Decorations
Xmas cards you have been given can be attached to a string and hung across a wall.

Crackers
I like recycling. Saved empty Xmas crackers can be linked with a string through the middle. I remove the leftover bit which you pull to make the cracking noise because I think it is a fire risk and it blocks the centre. However, it does keep the cracker rigid.

The resulting string of colours can be used as a semi-circular string of colour and glitter along a wall or table top. Or tie the ends of the string to make a wreath to hand on a door knob.

If you have whole crackers left over, even better. You can thread them together.

Or stick them vertically on the wall for a public party, ideally using removable adhesive such as Blue-tac or White tac.


Cracker Jokes
Stick half a dozen jokes from inside crackers onto a card for the centrepiece of the table at the next festive dinner party. They could also edge a printed menu of what you are serving. Or pass the joke card around the table for amusement whilst waiting for latecomers.

DIY Menu
To decorate a DIY Xmas menu, cut the pictures of festive foods from the cover or inside of a supermarket magazine. I would not take a restaurant menu. But if it's dated with a specific day so they will not use it again, you might keep it. Or ask permission.

Keep the menu card in a souvenir book of Christmas Past memories. (Put menus on the left, Xmas photos of your Xmas party on the right).

Alternatively re-use all or part of the menu to decorate your own menu. If you cannot take away the menu, or forget, photograph the menu and use part of the cropped photo to decorate your home menu.

The magazine pictures can also be used for a mosaic seasonal greetings card. You may need to buy a cheap glue or Sellotape. That's a UK brand name. Sticky tape is what you might say in the USA.

If you are in a hotel, ask a friendly receptionist if she or he has any glue, sticky tape or a stapler. Failing all else, stick paper together by bending over corners twice, or cut a slit in one piece of card, and an arrow shape in the other.

I hope this helps you.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author and speaker.
Follow me on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube. Like my posts and share them.

Mother's Day Weekends Away, Surprises, DIY Cards, Recycling

The late rooms sites are offering a night or weekend away. I'd check with Mum if she'd like a meal out or a night or weekend away before booking one.

Weekends Away - Paris
I met somebody who told me he'd arranged a surprise weekend in Paris but kept it secret, planning to surprise her on Saturday morning. His girlfriend thought he'd done nothing for her birthday so she accepted an offer to take the train up north to see her sister and disappeared on Friday!

So make it clear that certain times are blocked out. Just keep the destination a surprise.

If you need to depart in a hurry and want the packing done, tell Mum whether it's warm or cold, city or countryside. Another option for surprises is the quite lunch or dinner. You could have a member of the family from another city waiting at the restaurant to join you. The more the merrier.

Alternatively or in addition, after eating out, return home to a big party. Or a member of the family or a close friend who has flown in from overseas.

If travelling overseas or abroad, make sure mother has a passport with more than 6 months left on it, same for you. Some countries won't let you in with a passport which is expiring within less than six months or a year.

Have a happy day.

Holiday Wish List
By the way, why not make a public wish list of places you'd love to visit. Then family can group together merging funds, or spot a special offer and whisk you away to somewhere you actually want to visit.

I'm happy to go anywhere I haven't been before, and anywhere I have been to before - to see if it has changed.

Still on my unvisited wish list: Iceland; Estonia, Ukraine - Lemberg and Odessa - any part that's in peacetime at the time of travel, Latvia, Lithuania.

Dinner a deux
Offers are flooding into my email inbox. Senders range from gourmet Galvin for family friendly Z i z z i  (one z then two). The latter offers a mimosa and a competition.

Group Dinners
To take advantage os special offers requiring a minimum booking of a table of four, combine with a next door neighbour's family, especially if their family also includes a mother (grandmothers and aunties may also be mothers with children overseas or in another city). Make sure all the mothers are given cards or gifts.

Google Searches
Google searches for you:
Late rooms
Luxury for less
Mother's day (add your home location)
Mother's day (add mother's chosen day out or holiday location)
Your local supermarket offers
Chocolate, champagne,
Your mother's basket on eBay and Amazon.

Mother's Day Cards
Short of a card on the day, or can't afford one, at the shocking prices? Look in Poundland and cheap shops. Find an old family photo, mount it in a pice of card making four diagonal slits to hold the photo corners. Anything will do, for example, a baby photo of the children, an only child being born,  and 'thanks for 35 happy years'.

DIY Mothers Day Cards
Want to do better next year? Through the year note down all the things mother does and write a list of thanks on next year's card, or print a certificate:

Thanks to the world's best Mum, for
Babysitting
Baking Cakes
Being a passenger
Cooking Sunday lunch
Cleaning
DIY
Doing the accounts
Driving us to school
Flower Arranging
Gardening
Helping with the mortgage
Kisses and cuddles
Sewing on buttons
Shopping
Taking in Parcels
Teaching us ...
Tidying up
Visiting us in hospital
Washing
None of the above - teaching us to be self-reliant.

Positive Negatives (a name I just invented)
You could make a joke tick list crossing off things she doesn't do such as drinking, gambling and taking drugs.

If you don't have a mother but you have a stepmother or friend or neighbour who is like a mother you could do something similar.

Recycling
Save this years card for next year. If your mother likes recycling, recycle one year's card for the next, but add a new page for each year.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer