August 9th - Singapore's National Day - Flags & Fly-pasts

 

Every year on Singapore National Day, August 4th, you have a parade in the centre, a fly past, and other events scattered around the heartlands. 

The red and white flags are flying from government buildings, hotels, housing estates and condos.

Singapore flag on the balcony of a bedroom at the Tanglin Club in the centre of Singapore. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

 A big celebration.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Jane Austen in June, celebration in Alton, Hampshire - where to go and what to see

Jane Austen, painted by her sister Cassandra. 1810.

Problem
When and why?
How far is it and how long will it take to drive there from London?
What is there to see?

Answers
Alton is in Hampshire.

Date
Jane Austen Regency Week in and around market town of Alton, Hampshire, England, UK; 9 day event 16-24 June, 2018, near the village of Chawton.

Time, Distance
It's about 2 hours driving time, and 51 miles via the A3 and A31.
Also 2 hours (54.3 miles) via the M4, driving southwest via Croydon.
Other places associated with Jane Austen include Bath.

JANE AUSTEN SITES
Jane Austen House and Museum, Chawton, Hampshire. Where Jane Austen lived.
Entry tickets £4-8.

Jane Austen's burial place: Winchester Cathedral.

Jane Austen Centre, 40 Gay Street, Bath BA1 2NT. Tel: (+44) 01225 443000
www.janeausten.co.uk

Useful Websites

http://ukdistance.com/route/london/alton
https://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/explore/towns/alton

National Portrait Gallery in London has the drawing of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra, made in 1810, therefore in public domain.

Stopping For Shopping
The Jane Austen Gift Shop sells a silver charm bracelet with charms of books, which open to show a quotation. Despite the high price of £275, the reviewers seemed very happy with their gifts.
https://www.janeausten.co.uk/product/jane-austens-novels-silver-charm-bracelet-six-book-set/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Beautiful+New+Jewellery+-+by+popular+request&utm_campaign=shop+news+17%2F3%2F18

Winchester Cathedral, where Jane Austen is buried in the nave. Photo from Wikipedia. Author of photo Matt Turner.


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

When can you see New Year's Eve in Sydney and Worldwide on TV?

New Year's Eve at home. Just us and the cats. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
I want to watch the New Year's Eve celebrations on TV as soon as they start. When do they start in Sydney?

Answer
Go to SydNYE - a clever pun on Sydney and New Year's Eve.
Their website gives you a countdown a few hours ahead.

Sydney is
three hours ahead of Singapore
ten hours ahead of London
fifteen hours ahead of New York.

Top sites for celebrations include:
New Zealand - lights from the tower
Sydney, Australia - fireworks and lines of lights along Sydney harbour bridge
Hong Kong
Japan
Marina Bay, Singapore
Gibraltar
London, England - see Big Ben clock chime
Edinburgh, Scotland (where New Year is a bigger celebration than Christmas) backdrop Edinburgh Castle
Rio, Brazil
Las Vegas, USA - pedestrianised centre street party
New York, USA

Singapore
In Singapore the big celebrations are around Marina Bay over the water and you can see from skyscrapers in the Downtown (also the name of a stop on the MRT railway) and Central Business District (CBD for short).

The local newspapers, which you can read online, such as The Straits Times, and Today, report on closures of roads to car and bridges to cars and pedestrians. The police also warn that to prevent overcrowding on platforms you may experience delays when attempting to get home. So you won't necessarily be able to get into a station at ten or twenty past midnight. In London, England, the year before last, we went to the station, saw snake barriers and went back to the bar-cum restaurant and had more food and drinks. The latest trains home are posted on stations.

Free
Many local suburban areas have fireworks displays in parks near centre which are free. For example Woodlands, in the open area near the MRT station and bus station.

Rain
It rained most of the day in Singapore and was overcast, a disappointment to photographers. A complete torrential downpour at 7.40 pm. You can hear the rain pelting down.

I also wondered whether grassy areas might be muddy. So I have asked my family to watch on TV and send me photos. You will also probably be able to see photos on Facebook and other sites. Rain won't dampen our plans.

Plans
Plan your outfits, drinks and glasses - and new year wishes. If you are in Australia or Singapore you can continue watching all over again as the New Year is welcomed all over Asia, Europe and the USA.

I found it best to turn out the lights around the screen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Useful website
You tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ajEkB3zzuk New Year's Eve

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

Singapore Celebrations

Singapore is always colourful with bright flowers and blocks of flats and malls and individual houses painted pastel colours or vivid colours, always contrasts.

In August 2016 Singapore is celebrating and the banners and red and white flags will be on public buildings and private housing all over Singapore. A wonderful photo opportunity and very jolly and heart-warming and colourful.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.