The DIY Dolls' House Or Theatre For Holidays

Kleenex Tissue Box House or theatre. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Kleenex Box Theatre

Here's a game for a dolls' house or theatre made on holiday. I have used an almost empty Kleenex tissue box. The had a dozen white tissues at the back form a backdrop. No need to remove them.

Ring Box Display

Inside is the lower half of a heart shaped plastic ring box. The lid broke. I was wondering what use I could make of a ring box with no lid. To display a ring handily on holiday, by a bathroom wash basin? On the bedside table? 

I found some tiny Guatemalean dolls, fingernail size. They stick upright in the slit intended for a jewellery ring. 

You can use an open ring box during the day for play whilst the ring is on your finger. Retrieve the box at night for the ring when the children have gone to bed.

Shoe Box House

You could also make a theatre or dolls' house from one or two shoe boxes, with an upright cereal box for the side staircase. Cut square or round windows using a cup or glass or coins as a template. Behind the window place a holiday brochure showing the sea or mountains or city skyline.

For afternoon entertainment, or bedtime, you could read my poem.

Alternatively, simpler, make a theatre with a stage. Make two dolls or puppets from silhouettes cut from a magazine.

Dolls' House comical poem by Angela Lansbury

 Ava had a little dolly

And the dolly's name was Molly

Molly had a taller sister

And her sister's name was Elsa

The sisters lived in a big house

Which had a dog, a cat, and mouse

A front garden, pots with flowers

A sundial clock counted hours

 

Outside was small blue car

If dolly wanted to go far

And a train in the train station

And police in the police station 

In the hallway was a rug

Where Molly met you with a hug

In the hallway by the window

Was a long inviting settee

When you had nowhere to go

Shut your eyes, dream of the sea - or tea

In the kitchen the best honey

Which had cost a lot of money

In the kitchen was a cook

With an apron, bowl, and book

Upstairs was an attic bed

A pillow where you put your head

And a box with lots of toys

But the toys made no noise

And a wardrobe with a mirror

Where dollies could dress for dinner

And some pictures on the wall

With blue gum to fix them all

On the roof a helipad

Where you could land a little plane

Some of the roof was sloping

Made a runaway for the rain

The roof had statues of a dog

A Noah's ark, tortoise and frog

A cow, a horse, even a bear

A monster with a lot of hair

On the roof the cat with claws

Sat beside the Santa Claus

He hid on the roof all year

Waiting to deliver Christmas cheer

Yes, dolly did have a brother

And a father, and a mother

Dolly-sitter Ava came to stay

When dollies' Dad went on holiday.

But the dolly girls went to school

And the school had lots of rules

About the times when you could play

The long weekends, and holidays.

At bedtime with a sigh

Dolly had to say goodbye

But Dolly was here to stay

Ready to play another day

So Ava shut the door, the house

Put in the cat, put out the mouse

She said, 'dear dollies, please sleep tight

I wish you, both, a very good night'.

-ends-

This poem should have been on my blog on comical poetry but I saved it quickly onto this blog by mistake. Tomorrow I shall add pictures to the version which I have now saved to my poetry blog. 

Toys and DIY

It would be easy to print a tiny list of rules for a school wall, or dolls. house kitchen. Six point type. Or a psotage stamp size piece of white paper with your best calligraphy. Or a piece cut from one of those irritating instruction books in tiny print in multiple languages. Or a postage stamp with the head of the president or king or hero or your country or the country you visit on holiday.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Paddington Real Time Clock

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

 Walking along Praed street from Paddington underground or overground station, hurrying along, thinking of the time you are expected for lunch or other appointments, you see a large clock above.

The Clock

 The clock is a round clock projecting from the wall above you. It appears to have a man inside it, wiping the glass.

We looked at it, mesmerized by the movement, and asked each other, "Is that a real man.

The Question

It looked like a real man. We debated this. "Yes, it's a real man."

"No, it can't be."

"Yes, it is."

We went off to lunch, other matters on our minds.

A Second Look

However, when we came back from lunch two hours later, he was still there. We stopped again.

Close up of clock face by Maarten. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Then we decided  it was not a real man. 

"A real man could not have spent two hours on the same bit of glass. So what is it?"

"It must be some kind of optical illusion, or joke!"\

Determined Research

The image stayed in my mind. Hours later, I looked it up. 

I searched on Google. Paddington. Clock, Man in clock. 

I was rewarded with an instant result. Straight to the website of the creator of the clock.

The designer of this clock, a Dutch man, lives in the Netherlands,.

The Clock Creator's Name

His first or given or personal name is Maarten. That is Dutch for Martin. The origin of the name is Mars, the Roman God of war and fertility, from who we get the name of the month of March.

His surname or family name is Baas. That is a Dutch or north German name meaning boss or overseer.

Maarten - He has made more than one of these clocks continaingfigures. You can clooks on his website. 

Grandfather Clocks

He also does a series of grandfather clocks. He inserts the realistic face of grandfather behind the clockface as if the old man is inside the clock.

Amusing. A bit distracting from the time shown by the hands. But something to brihten up your day.

Memory Lasting All Day

By bedtime we were still debating about this phenommenon. 

"How was it created?" 

"Easy. Just a projected film."

"It has to be 3D, of a person wiping, a window cleaning.'

"But, the person leans forward to inspect the glass and beomes larger.'

Long Lasting Image

What keeps a memory in your mind? A question does. A whodunnit. News stories about unsolved murders. For the same reason that people do crosswords. Our minds are geared to solve puzzles. Magic shows, Stunts. 

The unusual. Ideas you cannot yet classify. The midn does not know where to store them. It's like the unusual item which could be a bomb on the underground station. The signs remind, you, have you seen something suspicious. See something, say something. 

I went to sleep with this surprising, slightly unsettling man in clock image in my minds. 

Positive Thoughts

However, it was unsettling in a good, charming way. A jolke. A urprise.

Why did I like it? It was intriguing. Not so much a clock as a work of art. A moving, kinetic work of art. totally new and orinal. Baffling like a maagic trick or whodunnit. 

But positive. The man is busy working. Cleaning up the world. The invenotor of the artwork has created something totally new, thinking 'outside the bos'. In this case, inside the clock.

Finally, I typed in the question, how did Baas create his clocks? This time I was sent back to good old Wikipedia which revealed more. Each clock is different. 

the man ic creating or removing the hands. He is painting them on the Schipol clock in Amerstam in the Netherlands.

Picture from Wikipedia which gives more details.

Useful Websites

https://maartenbaas.com/products/real-time-paddington

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Time_(art_series

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Hot to be on time. Marking Your Diary - UK BST Clocks changing in October! Time now and time in other countries.

Clock from Toastmasters tips for success.

Don't get caught out. Have all the year's important time changes marked in your diary.

At 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in October the clocks change in the UK.

 Remember the American mnemonic (Greek for memory aid): Spring forward, fall back. North America, the USA and Canada, Europe and the UK, and any islands on daylight savings time which co-ordinates

My UK diary marks, British summer time ends, but in very small print.

I have made a diary note of the time zones for 24 hours between the UK and Singapore. I could do the same for the US and the USA. Or any other two countries.  I found an unused page in January and write the two sets of times. Than on the front cover's inside page I noted where in my diary to find the time chart.

So many quotations talk about time.

Spring forward, fall back.

Time and tide wait for no man. 

Better late than never, but better never late.

Watching The King's Christmas Speech - and observing the wording

The clock on the wall by the TV screen says 3 pm and the announcement appears on the screen. The King's Christmas Broadcast wit signing and subtitles. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
 

The event started with the choice in St George's Chapel, Windsor, singing God Save The King.

The speech by King Charles III was an excellent piece of PR. Everybody was included. 

 He started with a mention of his late mother, the Queen.  Everyday and especially Xmas was poignant.

He ended with a positive message of hope. People shining a light, churches, synagogues, mosques and temples, and those whatever faith or none of no faith helping feed the needy. He spoke of the power of light,  Emergency services, and teachers. Those who have lost family members.

What I missed was anything memorable in the language. Nothing like the song, high hopes. Nothing stirring and motivating, like the song, keep right o till the end of the road. No punchline. No repeated theme, like I have a dream. celebrate and cherish - and wish (quoting the hymn)everybody, peace, happiness and everlasting life'.

Never mind. It was okay. Good enough. He did not go wrong.

Useful Websites

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/dec/25/king-charless-christmas-message-text-in-full

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https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/tv/every-word-kings-speech-christmas-25835212

Garden Chess, Flowers and Food - Highlights Of The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire, England - The Minimum group size is 12

I stayed at the Hayes conference Centre on a Writers Summer School. The cost of accommodation varies according to the building. 

Grounds with trees and benches and flowers.

Flowers

Beautiful flowers near the house by the back lawn and the main conference hall.

Hidden in an inner courtyard in the main house were chess and draught pieces. 

A good place if you have an Alice in Wonderland outfit. And a rabbit puppet.

Outdoor chess and draughts. An indoor gym.

Bedrooms and Bathrooms

The room had wifi and other instructions readily visible.

Very thick absorbent towels and bath mat by the brand Richard Haworth.

The smaller of the two dining rooms. Our conference of 200 people used both. It was handy to be flexible or follow the advice of staff to switch rooms if you were in the room with  longer queue. Pop next door and join a shorter queue.

A double room with shower room. Rooms vary in size.

This lovely sign made us feel happy every day. A great backdrop for a photo, saying where you are, and the double positive message.

 I wondered about booking the Hayes conference centre at Swanwick in Derbyshire. Do they hire out odd leftover rooms like a hotel? No.

However, you can book for a minimum group size of 12. The Hayes is slightly dearer, about ten pounds dearer, than their accommodation further south nearer London, in Hertfordshire. However, Derbyshire is more accessible for visitors from the north and from Scotland.

Our Writers Conference before Covid-19 booked all 400 rooms in advance, for the following year, paying a non-refundable deposit, and books five years ahead to be sure of continuity. You don't have to spend half the year hunting for a venue and leaving potential delegates and one day guests wondering whether they can afford the fare and travel time.

Plants indoors as well as outdoors. A cactus in flower on a corridor window ledge in the main house. 

And hot coffee or hot chocolate all day long from a help yourself machine.

Useful Websites

richardhaworth.co.uk

https://www.cct.org.uk/offers/late-availability-offer

https://www.swanwickwritersschool.org.uk/

https://www.cct.org.uk/the-hayes/the-hayes-conference-centre

What time is it around the world? How to find out and remember

 

What time is it in another part of the world? When can you phone them or hold a meeting?

If you are making calls to your family overseas and just need one time zone, you have several options.

The Phone Alarm

You could arrange to phone your family every week at the same time. Set your phone alarm to alert yourself. Ask your family to set their alarms.

A Second Watch

You could set a watch to the other time zone. Either wear it, or place it on your desk in a tray labelled with the country, or hang it from a hook on the pinboard. You might be able to use the strap, or attache a thread or elastic band through part of the strap. If the watch hangs upside down, use a second hole in the strap or another point to attach a second thread.

A second clock

A cheap clock or an old clock can be placed on your wall or over a bookend on the desk. Again, label it with the country.

GMT

If you are doing a poster, add a standard time zone. For example Greenwich Mean Time GMT + or GMT-.

Note that another country may be on a different day.  A meeting evening in Canada, Newfoundland, on Sunday, was first thing in the morning, Monday morning, in Singapore. 

Note the daylight savings times.

In the USA on March 12 the clocks changed to Daylight Savings Time, DST.

If you are arranging or publicising a meeting, include as many time zones as you can. 

Useful Websites (alphabetically)

Just delete Singapore before searching, or change Singapore your home destination once in a conversion website

https://greenwichmeantime.com/time/to/gmt-singapore/

https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converted.html

https://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_zone

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a British author who has lived in the USA.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Please share links to your favourite posts.

More photos and text today 

How to Choose Backgrounds for your videos

Back in the good old days before COVID-19 I was out every night at Toastmasters meetings.

Now I am online several times a week, sometimes at two overlapping meetings, talking to people all around the world.


Singapore Online club. you can see that plain backgrounds are effective. 

Were you thinking of creating a video indoors - or outdoors? both have their advantages. Let's start with indoors - including a backdrop creating the illusion of outdoors.

I have watched several videos of people giving speeches in club and area contests with distracting backgrounds. First, a background of a bed topped by clothes. , a distracting clock in another time zone from mine, a whirring ceiling fan in the centre giving the impression that the speaker is Harry The Helicopter.

Not to mention the mother or husband bringing in a hot drink of plate of food, the granny or maid limping up the corridor behind and then disappearing into room two, reappearing in the corridor with a bag of washing, going off to room three.

Others have had toddlers demanding cuddles or climbing onto their lap, grinning or even singing. One contest convener specified that the person manning the cameras must be single with no family nor pets in the same room or dwelling causing distractions.

To create the illusion that you are in San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge, or on an exotic beach, you simply pick one of the four optional backgrounds provided in Zoom and ManyCam. 

(What's this? Think of it as many cameras. The illusions of extra backgrounds projected from another camera.) 

This works best if you have a screen. You can buy green screens in various sizes. 

Wall backgrounds

You could alternatively sit with your back to a big blank white wall, a white screen in an office or school. 

If your study has a filing cabinet or pictures on the walls, this ruins the effect. Consider having a picture to match the subject of your video, or a series of posters. You can print them from your computer, including your own holiday or trip photos.

If your printer only takes A4 size paper, you can still make a larger print to look bigger or more impressive or be seen or to cover what is behind.

You need to divide the photo you are using into two or four or eight, or even more. Stick them very neatly together with no mis-alignments nor black edges nor undulating edges nor projections where corers match at the edge.

You need to find somewhere to suspend a sheet

I needed a green screen for my Braddell Heights Advanced online meeting (Wed evening 7 pm join us on Learncool.sg) so I went through all my sheets until I found a plain green colour. 

That was a long job because, having taken out all tangled sheets, I folded it all neatly, moved the pillowcases into drawers to reduce the pile, and moved a white board over the right hand drawers in the wardrobe to overhand and create two tiers in what was previously a full length hanging space.

1

• 

  David  Angela, nicely done! And how is the green screen working for you?

  • 
    
  •  · Reply
  •  
• 

  Angela Lansbury I shall tell you after tonight's meeting. Thanks for the reminder. I'll try it out. 
• Joke: Just getting out of this green dress. 
• One way to be a ghost, wear the same colour as the background. Some of the old magic tricks involved wearing black clothes and using a black curtain. If you turn your back, or cover your face with a black cloth, you disappear.
• The same applies to any other colour. Make sure you are not wearing the same colour as your background.
• Finally OUTDOORS

PARK

• If you have no suitable background at home, your home is untidy and you wish to give advice on tidying, or don't want to reveal your collection of gold bars and antiques to the tax office, the burglars and the person you are divorcing, go out into the nearest park or garden. (COVID-19 in your country or state or area permitting.) 
• Plants such as palm trees look exotic if you are in Florida, or Singapore, or even gardens in London have palm trees. Walk up and down your nearest street or search on google earth.

On the other hand, you might wish to do the reverse, conceal your local palm trees and pretend you are in London, or on a ski slope in the snow. 

• BALCONY
• You could also stand on a balcony. Even in a bathroom or toilet against the door or wall (American with all the fittings such as door handles and taps hidden by potted plants or hanging plants or the portable green screen.
• No green screen? 
  1
  • I have used a golfing umbrella. If you are holding it in one hand you have only one hand to touch your screen and record or stop recording.
• Golfing umbrella. - indoors or out
• You could also try a golfing umbrella. It tends to fall sideways.
• SHEET
•  I needed a green screen for my Braddell Heights Advanced online meeting (Wed evening 7 pm join us on Learncool.sg) so I went through all my sheets until I found a plain green colour. Having taken out all tangled sheets, I folded it all neatly, moved the pillowcases into drawers to reduce the pile, and moved a white board over the right hand drawers in the wardrobe to overhand and create two tiers in what was previously a full length hanging space.
• I reported this in the media

• 

  David Levy Angela, nicely done! And how is the green screen working for you?

  • Like
  •  · Reply
  •  · 13h
• 

  Angela Lansbury I shall tell you after tonight's meeting. Thanks for the reminder. I'll try it out. Just getting out of this green dress. One way to be a ghost, wear the same colour as the background propped up.

• 
  
• Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.) See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts, Quick Quotations, Who Said What When. Also watch videos on YouTube.

  See other posts on singers and statues and languages and destinations.

  
  

  Please share links to your favourite posts.

  If you want to learn to speak the Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation. join me at my online toastmasters club, Braddell Heights Advanced. Wednesdays, 7-9 Singapore time which is seven hours ahead of London, England. I am also a member of Singapore Online. 

Armchair Travel; Today's Tip - Birds from Britain gifts

The RSPB has a catalogue and a website shop. Gifts include Gola rainforest chocolate, made in Cornwall.

My favourite wishlist item is the RSPB birdsong clock which has an image of a British bird marking each hour. On that hour the bird's song is played.  No birdsong between  9 pm and 6 am.  You can hear it online.

Price only nineteen pounds sterling ninety nine pence. (Twenty pounds.) It need three AA batteries, not included. 

But my all time favourite is the singing toy birds. 'Cute cuddly toys' they say. Eights pounds. (plus postage). I have seen them for sale in places such as the Horniman Museum shop in South London.
Your choice of birds includes two types of owl, tawny or snowy, the song thrush and nightingale.

Useful websites
rspbshop.co.uk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society_for_the_Protection_of_Birds

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

Learn to Recognize Hebrew Letters And Shalom - how and who and why?

What use is Hebrew to a traveller, outside Israel?

Israeli flag

Hebrew appears on buildings in many European buildings, synagogues, gravestones in Jewish cemeteries, labels on kosher food in supermarkets, Jewish or Israeli restaurants in American, London, South Africa. Former Jewish quarters. Jewish museums worldwide. Repurposed buildings. Amost every country of the world.

The lower clock on the Jewish Town Hall building in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, with Hebrew numerals in counterclockwise order

If you can recognise the words Shalom, Kosher, and Israel you are starting to learn the Hebrew alphabet.

A question on the facebook polyglot page was about the word shalom. I replied:

Angela Lansbury Shalom means peace and is a greeting, same as the Arabic salaam, no vowels here. The vowels are written above in Hebrew, looking like diacritics for tones in French and other languages. Reading from the right, as in Arabic, sh, l, silent letter to which you can attach a vowel dot, m.

The Hebrew alphabet was used to create the Greek alphabet and the Cyrillic alphabet used by the Russians and with slight variation by the Bulgarians. (The Bulgarians would have it the other way around.)

Who likes to learn Hebrew - and Greek?
Scholars and students of the bible. Priests who want to learn Hebrew and Greek to understand the bible, for Christans the New Testament as well as the Old Testament.

The Hebrew alphabet is also used to write Yiddish, which contains a lot of German words.
The first letter of shalom is Sh. It looks like a W. 

Symbol	Name	Transliteration	IPA	Example
שׁ (right dot)	shin	sh	/ʃ/	shop
שׂ (left dot)	sin	s	/s/	sour

You can learn to recognize Hebrew letters on

Useful Websites
Free website learning course
duolingo.com

Conversation and lessons with speakers of the language
Fee 
italki.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/polygotcommunity/?multi_permalinks=2317929445092481&notif_id=1560233138126677&notif_t=group_highlights

italki.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, atuhor and speaker. teacher of English and other languages. if you want a lesson to get started in any language just contact me in person in Singapore or the UK, or online.

Clocks Changed In London - Hurray - here's why and how to keep to time and buy a good clock

Problem
We used to arrive late for appointments on Sunday. Sunday lunch out - the restaurant was closing when you arrived late.

The afternoon book club was halfway through when one person arrived late. Another person who was missing, later revealed they had missed the start and were embarrassed.

If one person in the family knew about changing clocks, and did it, everybody else felt outclassed and foolish.

Next morning, Monday, out of every thirty people in an office, one would arrive late.

Answer
Today, hurray, smart phones have changed themselves. Any radio clock has changed itself. You soon see that some clocks are on different times.

What's left to change?

Car Clocks
If you have a manually changed clock on the car, that has to be changed. If your car is all high tec, lucky you. On the other hand, you may have to spend time reading the manual to find out how to alter your clock.

Ovens
Ovens are often manual and have to be changed. Same goes for the microwave.

Watches
Watches vary. We used to photocopy the instructions for a new watch, blowint the text up to 12 point size, and stick this on the pinboard int he ktichen or office. Then, when you need to change your watch, we could do so quickly.

Dual time watches for two coutnries are handy if you can afford them. However the face has to be larger and I don't like heavy watches.

I would have one watch on my right hand for now when getting on a plane, and a second watch on your left hand already set to desitnation time. I had watches in two colours. A day later I could set both watches for the coutnry I was in.

Business
The time in the UK is still different from Euopre by an hour. Some people say business would be easier if we were all on the same time.

Airlines thankfully adopt the sensible system of giving you the time of arrival at your destination. Keep your eye on the time.

It doesn't stop on Sunday. If you have any hidden clocks, or a second home in another country, you may arrive to find all the clocks telling the wrong time.

But your smart phone should sort you out.

What was it all about, the time changing?

Farmers
Some claim it was to help farmers. Never mind. Forget the past and look forward to the future. Longer, lighter evenings.

If anybody in your family has an old phone, maybe time to upgrade. If anybody doesn't believe in technology, here's one reason why it's good.

Frankly, even if you are on top of the situation, congratulating yourself that although you can recall a year when you were in a muddle you are now on the right time, it's just another nuisance having to change clocks.

Happy Hour
I have two reasons to be happy today:
1 More daylight in the evenings for travel and photography in London, and England and Britain.
2 Clocks closer to other countries.
3 Smart phones tell you the right time and help you sort out your day.
4 Other people are also more reliable.

UK and Ireland only?
If you buy a clock in the UK, or from the UK, it is likely to be set to radio control from UK and Irealand. The one I looked at could be changed manually to operate elsewehre in the world, which is OK if you prefer manual and don't mind going back to manual.

Batteries Needed
If you buy a clock online, it may be radio controlled but you may still need batteries. You can order them online at the same time, unless you have a stock at home or your local newsagent or bargain store sells them in bulk cheaper.

Size
Anything which is a desk clock as well as a wall clock is likely to be smaller. My desk is short of space, so I would want a smaller clock for a desk. However, if your desk is against a wall, you might like a larger clock which can go at the back against the wall, whether or not attached, and won't be concealed by clutter.

A wall clock on a far wall needs to be larger. Here's the size of one I looked at:

: 23 x 2.5 x 16cm
23 cm is about 9 inches
16 cm is about 6 inches

But is that the screen or the whole clock?

Radio Controlled Clocks
What do I want in the sales? Another radio controlled clock.

Radio controlled clocks on Amazon, new and used, start at about £10, with free delivery next day if you are a member of Prime. Loads more at about £17-20, mostly the round sort with conventional numbers. For an oblong clock with a digital readout, about £20.

Checking Prices
Now, for the first time, I have found a use for the choice of starting with prices high to low. It enables me to see the most expensive, find out if the most expensive has any extra features. Radio clock controlled clocks are priced up to about £800. Around £200-600 you can buy a clock which looks traditional to match your living room decor in a home or hotel, a real old-fashioned looking pendulum clock, but radio controlled so you don't have to re-set it once a year, nor any other time or day.

Any disadvantage to the radio-controlled clock? Yes. For types like me who are always trying to cram more into the day and finish the last task before they leave, it was very handy to be able to set clocks five or ten minutes fast, so that when I rushed out ten minutes late I would still arrive on time.

Clock Sizes
Check the size of the clock. I find it easier to go into a shop and stand ten feet away and see if I can read it easily. It's handy to have the date as well, underneath.

Where Else To Buy?
We bought ours  in Homebase. One of the best decisions we ever made. I look at it every hour, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

More Information
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5541375/Britons-complain-iPhones-taking-fun-clocks-changing.html#comments

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

Amazon Radio Controlled Wall Clocks All Prices
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Temperature-Display-Inovaxion-inopmt01-silver/dp/B00U82FZBO/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1521979499&sr=1-5&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A1249834031

Argos
Radio controlled clock, round, from £16.99 (that's £17 near enough).
http://www.argos.co.uk/product/6237475

Travel
https://www.visitbritainshop.com/world/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkd3VBRDzARIsAAdGzMCnweFdLFFyhzqkzoMA0qX94pLMftgolKe4ASEkzjT8gDdak3efmksaAqjTEALw_wcB

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