Barbecues Are Banned In Britain - Even Your Doormat Is A Danger!

 I got a high pitch buzzing warning on my mobile phone.  The text was a warning from the government to not start barbecues or any flames outdoors, since the smallest spark could set off fires, endangering homes, businesses, people, and emergency responders. The warning mentioned a ban on fireworks and firepits.

I remember in previous years on the last night of our Writers' Summer School at the Hayes Conference Centre up in the cooler Midlands (cooler than London where I live) on the last night there was a sing-song around the firepit. They used to toast marshmallows. I enjoyed the songs, although I was wary of being bitten after dusk by midges, mosquitos, whatever.

However, this year the event did not take place on Wednesday August 6th, the last night. Only when I got the warning from the government, today, Friday August 8th, two days later, did it occur to me that the event was probably discontinued for safety reasons.  

This follows reports of fires.

Temperature 30 degrees Centigrade in London. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

A kitchen clock with the day's date, the time co-ordinated with British summer time from a signal, and the temperature, is one of our most successful 'modern' purchases.

The temperature is 30 degrees centigrade in London, which is 82 Fahrenheit. But not humid like Singapore (where we lived for 30 years, on and off 1993 to 2024) which is sticky heat.

Elsewhere in Britain temperatures reached even higher. Homes were destroyed by wildfires. One woman lost 100 years of family photos. I have many of mine shared on social media, on WhatsApp, and in blogs.

Emergency Evacuation Suitcase

The Japanese keep a suitcase by the front door containing identity documents, food, clothes and more. A small sleeping bag would help if you wanted to sleep elsewhere.

Home Protection From Wildfires

1 Move away from your doors any inflammable items such as 

doormats, or 

plastic wheeled bins, or 

pot plants. 

They could set fire to your front door or back door.

2 Clear leaves and debris from gutters.

3 A wooden side gate can catch fire. A metal gate is safer.

4 Embers can fly in through vents under the house or in the roof. These need to be covered in small fireproof mesh. It can be done professionally, or DIY.

If asked to evacuate, do so. Leave while you can. Smoke can turn day into night so you cannot see to drive. 

AI told me

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+save+homes+from+wildfires&oq=how+to+save+homes+from+wildfires

Useful Websites On Alerts & Fires

gov.uk.alerts

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16052031/UK-heatwave-wildfires-trains.html

Travel safety and avoiding confrontation with animals and the armed police

I remember the first time I went to the USA from the UK and saw police with guns. I did not know whether they were real guns or fancy dress. The guns were real! I was very wary of police, very polite, very careful not to do anything which might attract their attention.

 I just read in July 2023 a sad story about an event in France where a young man drove away from a police stop and was shot dead. As the British royals famously said, accounts vary.

Naturally, if somebody points a gun at you, or threatens you, your instinct is to run away. Is this the safest action? If the person with a gun is a policeman?

Only if you can be sure of getting away.

I used to be puzzled when reading of similar incidents again and again. People were chased by the police and killed. 

They were chased by animals and killed. In the USA. In the UK. All around the world. 

People run from the police and get overtaken and shot. People run from bears and get killed. People run from dogs and get attacked.

Then I read a story about bears and another about dogs which cast a new light on danger and safety.

Some dogs are attack dogs and are trained to run after somebody fleeing. Some dogs, terriers I believe, instinctively do this. Stay still and they do not attack. But turn and run and they jump. 

The same might apply to cats and mice.

I have also read about a lion on a leash, jumping at a woman who was going to pose for a photo, but she slipped on wet leaves and fell in front of the lion. The sudden movement made the animal leap at her. (This happened in Malaysia. I never pose for photos with a wild animal.)

Think about such situations. Imagine you are the person holding a weapon. Somebody who you suspect, or don't suspect, suddenly jumps, either towards you or away from you. Your instinct is to run after them and throw something at them to stop them.

Why not let them get away? You might give up, from inertia, or hope that trouble has been alerted.

On the other hand, with adrenalin and instinct, you might still be in fight mode.

Using rationality, you might say, danger averted, stop chasing and fighting. 

On the other hand, using rationality, or instinct, you might think this is just a ruse, a lull, and that it is an omen of worse to come or an ongoing fight. What if a person on foot who has burgled your house leaves the front and comes round to the back or side of the house? What if they are now in fight mode and come back tomorrow, or tonight after dark, intending to take you by surprise, to continue whatever trouble they were up to (if no trouble they would have stopped and smiled and spoken softly or politely). What if they come back, angry, bent on revenge? Or just to prove that they are better, having been the victim or lose once, they now want to be the aggressor or winner?

If it's a traffic stop and they race away, maybe they are a criminal or terrorist. Maybe they have guns or weapons in the car. Maybe they have  a bomb. A dead body. A kidnap victim. Burglary tools. False documents, lack of insurance, a stolen vehicle. Under age. Drunk driver. Subnormal. A nutter. 

An experienced person, or a trained person, knows that to calm a situation you should remain calm, listen to the other person, be polite, agreeable, helpful, co-operative.

Unfortunately, the opposite view also prevails. 

One thing echoes in my mind. Fight or flight? If you cannot fight, keep still and quiet and do not antagonize the animal or human being. Do not make sudden movements which will make them instinctively jump at you.

 At least, with extra knowledge, you have more options.

More Albanian - needs on arrival and getting about

 

Flag of Albania.

I made lists of words I thought I would need to use or recognize when travelling, common words and useful words.

Words which are the same or nearly the same are hotel and farmaci.

Common words

and - dhe

danger - rreziku

the -të

or - ose

you - ju

warning -paralajmërim 

dhe - and të - the ju - you

ose - or paralajmërim - warning

rreziku- danger

You may need 

Linking words English - Albanian

at/beside - në/përkrah

from - nga

to - te

right/left - djathtas /majtas

yes/no po/jo

please/thank you - ju lutem/faleminderit

hello/goodbye - përshëndetje / mirupafshim

boy/girl - djale vajze

man/women - burrë/grua

Albanian - English (alphabetically) 

burrë/grua - man/woman

djale vajze - boy/girl

djathtas majtas - right/left

ju lutem/faleminderit - please/thank you

në/përkrah - at/beside
nga - from

përshëndetje / mirupafshim - hello/goodbye
po/jo - yes/no
te - to

Countries

Albania/Albanian

England/English

America/American

London/Londoner

Germany/German

Shqipëri/shqiptar
Angli/Anglisht
Amerikë/Amerikane
Londër/Londër
Gjermani/gjerman

Albanian - English

ajo - she

ju - you ( similar to the French tu, two letters, but more like d'you, to remember the j, I think you juvenile)

bar/snack bar/coffee shop/bistro/cheap restaurant/fine restaurant/local style restaurant/national food

From Maps

bridge - urë

cafe - kafene

car park - parkim makinash

city - qytet

drinking water

drug store - farmaci

entrance - hyrje

exit - dalje

free - falas

hotel - hotel

urë - BRIDGE
kafene- CAFE
parkim makinash - CAR PARK
qytet - CITY
ujë i pijshëm - DRINKING WATER
farmaci - pharmacy (UK) drug store (USA)
hyrje - entrance
dalje - exit
falas - free
hotel - hotel

Useful websites

wikivoyage

Travel Poem by Angela Lansbury - The lost key to happiness

The Lost Key To Happiness

by Angea Lansbury

The precious hotel bedroom key

Was lost before checkout

I lost the big vital car key

So we could not go out

I think I must have locked the car 

With our one key inside

Meanwhile the needed suitcase key

Plays you seek while I hide. 

I travelled all around the world

Until I learned to see

Most of my small world's big problems

Were lost keys lost by me.

I'm easy going, slow to change

But rarely make a fuss

I sewed car keys onto ribbons

Then travelled on a bus.

Then Covid-19 fenced us in

Smile, the toilet's not far

No stress to catch a plane or train

No late cab nor hire car.

The suitcases like Russian dolls

Wait for their daily dust

The labelled keys sit neat on hooks

Like shares locked in a Trust

Now even my British birthplace

Is somewhere I forget

Yet I can cross the Antarctic

On the great internet.

Postage stamp places I've now seen

And befriended strangers

Coloured pictures plant and grow dreams 

Safely far from dangers

I Zoom across the USA

And let the world meet me

The fingers read news, pick each place

My wanderlust's still key.

-ends-

Websites

Key fobs

About the Author Angela

Angela Lansbury, is a semi-retired travel writer still researching bucket list countries and seeking out the special, unusual, people, places,  landmarks, hotels, museums and trails, fabulous foods, recipes, clothes and online souvenir shopping.

Angela Lansbury is a member of Toastmasters International.

About the Author Angela Lansbury

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President. VPPR

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

Past meetings have included Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . 

Recent meetings of BHA included an educational session on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meetings, always first Wednesday evening, 7 pm Singapore time. Next meeting is  the third Saturday afternoon, June 19th 2pm Singapore time.  Inauguration of the new committee by the incoming Director of S, plus a lively speech on teamwork.

 

Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts. 

How To Ask for help and warn of danger in foreign languages: French, Spanish, German, Malay, Indonesian, Chinese simplified, Chinese traditional, Pinyin?Chinese

Help
Which way?
Leave now. Quickly
Danger
This way
This way is better / safer
Way out
Wait here
Call 999 (995 in Singapore for )...?
Are you ok?
Are you hurt?
You are safe now.
The emergency is over.
Please write your name and phone number.
In capitals.
I need a phone.
I need a doctor.
I need water, drinking water.
Yes/no
Thank you
Goodbye
Safe journey

FRENCH
(My translation)
Au secours.
Quelle direction?
Allez-tous en, Maintenon. Vite!
Danger
par cici
par ici est mieux / plus sauf
exit
Restez ici
Appelez neuf neuf neuf
neuf neuf cinq pour
Ca va? / Tout va bien?
Vous etes blesse?
Yous etes sauf maintenon
Le probleme est fini
S'il vous plait, ecrivez votre nom and numero de telephone sur le papier,
en majuscule
J'ai besoin d'un telephone
J'ai besoin d'un medecin
I besoin d'leau, potable,
Merci
au revoir
Bon voyage/Soyez sauf....

FRENCH
Google translation
Maintenon is the name of a writer, Should be maintenant.
exit should be sortie


SPANISH

Ayuda

De que manera

Salir ahora. Con rapidez

Peligro

De esta manera

De esta manera es mejor / más seguro

Salida

Espera aquí

Llame al 999 (995 en Singapur para ...?

¿Estas bien?

¿Estás herido?

Estás a salvo ahora.

La emergencia ha terminado.

Por favor escriba su nombre y número de teléfono.

En mayúsculas.

Necesito un telefono

Necesito un médico.

Necesito agua, agua potable.

Gracias

Adiós

Viaje seguro



FRENCH - (in Spanish) FRANCÉS

GERMAN
Hilfe

Welche Richtung?

Verlasse jetzt. Schnell

Achtung

Diesen Weg

Dieser Weg ist besser / sicherer

Ausweg

Warten Sie hier

Rufen Sie 999 (995 in Singapur für ...?

Geht es dir gut

Sind Sie verletzt?

Du bist jetzt in Sicherheit.

Der Notfall ist vorbei.

Bitte schreiben Sie Ihren Namen und Ihre Telefonnummer.

In Grossbuchstaben.

Ich brauche ein Telefon.

Ich brauche einen Arzt.

Ich brauche Wasser, Trinkwasser.

Danke

Auf Wiedersehen

Sichere Reise



MALAY

Bantuan

Arah mana?

Meninggalkan sekarang. Cepat

Bahaya

Dengan cara ini

Cara ini lebih baik / selamat

Jalan keluar

Tunggu disini

Hubungi 999 (995 di Singapura untuk ...?

Adakah awak ok?

Adakah anda sakit?

Anda selamat sekarang.

Kecemasan sudah berakhir.

Sila tulis nama dan nombor telefon anda.

Dalam ibu kota.

Saya perlukan telefon.

Saya memerlukan doktor.

Saya perlukan air, minum air.

Terima kasih

Selamat tinggal

Perjalanan yang selamat

INDONESIAN

Tolong

Jalan yang mana?

Pergi sekarang. Segera

Bahaya

Cara ini

Cara ini lebih baik / lebih aman

Jalan keluar

Tunggu disini

Hubungi 999 (995 di Singapura untuk ...?

Apa kau baik-baik saja?

Apakah kamu terluka?

Kamu aman sekarang.

Darurat sudah berakhir.

Silakan tulis nama dan nomor telepon Anda.

Di ibukota.

Saya butuh telepon.

Saya perlu dokter.

Saya butuh air, air minum.

Terima kasih

Selamat tinggal

Perjalanan yang aman

SIMPLIFIED CHINESE (CHINA)

救命

哪一条路？

现在离开。 很快

危险

这条路

这样更好/更安全

出路

在这儿等着

致电999（在新加坡拨打995 ...？

你还好吗？

你受伤了吗？

你现在很安全。

紧急情况结束了。

请写下您的姓名和电话号码。

在首都。

我需要电话。

我需要一个医生。

我需要水，饮用水。

谢谢

再见

一路平安
..............................................
TRADITIONAL (TAIWAN

救命

哪一條路？

現在離開。 很快

危險

這條路

這樣更好/更安全

出路

在這兒等著

致電999（在新加坡撥打995 ...？

你還好嗎？

你受傷了嗎？

你現在很安全。

緊急情況結束了。

請寫下您的姓名和電話號碼。

在首都。

我需要電話。

我需要一個醫生。

我需要水，飲用水。

謝謝

再見

一路平安

PINYIN
How to convert Chinese into pinyin?


About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
I can tutor you online in giving a speech or creating a blog. I also give workshops in English to Toastmasters International speakers' groups, colleges and businesses.
Please save in bookmarks and share links to your favourite posts.

How to Learn Indonesian and the Malay language

Flag of Malaysia

The flag of Malaysia resembles the US flag. Both have red and white stripes. The difference is that the American flag has stars, whilst the Malaysian flag has a yellow crescent and a solo multi-pointed yellow star. Learn the difference and you have learned to recognize two flags. Teach it to pupils or relatives and they will have learned to recognize two flags.


The flag of Indonesia resembles the flags of Poland and Singapore. You can learn to recognize three flags at the same time. The Indonesian flag is red above white. I have reproduced a flag flying with people because that is livelier but mainly because the white part of the flag disappears when you are seeing it against a white paper page or screen.

The Singapore flag has an additional crescent and star on the red at the top.

The flag of Poland has the colours reversed.

Problem
How do I learn Malay, Indonesian or any language systematically, a minimum number of new words every day, plus some grammar?

Answer
A  Duolingo course in Indonesia is out. Malay is very similar, like American and English, with just some additional vocabulary in both languages. Indonesia was partly under the rule of speakers of Portuguese so Indonesian includes words which are Portuguese or which are developed from Portuguese. Indonesia includes many islands and the larger inhabited islands also have their local words.

My new year's resolution is to learn ten new words (or do one Duolingo session) every day. If I miss a day, I catch up the next day.

In Singapore you will hear all four of the national languages in the train announcements and announcements on the stations which you can hear near the ticket office and in the toilets nearby even if you do not go through the barrier to get on a train. The four national languages are English, Chinese (Mandarin), Malay and Tamil.

You will hear the English announcments often end with the words 'thank you'. It is easy to spot that the Chinese for thank you sounds like shay-shay, the Malay is terimah kasih and the tamil is nandri.

Other words you will quickly learn are the words for drink and food which you will see on roadside stalls in Malaysia. Makanan and minuman.

How do you remember which is which?  I think of make me some food. Makanan.

Drinks is minuman. Minimum amount of drink because no alcohol is served to Muslims. Minuman. You will probably not be able to buy it either except in certain hotels which have licenses. Places serving alcohol are sometimes run by the Chinese or Indians who are Malay but not Muslims. Bali is Hindu. A Muslim man will not drink alcohol in public.

English - Malay/Indonesian
drink - minum
drinks - minuman
food - makanan
thank you - terimah kasih
danger  (hazard) - bahaya

Malay/Indonesian - English
makanan - food
minuman - drinks / (have a drink)
terimah kasih - thank you
bahaya - danger (hazard)


A word you frequently see is
BAHAYA.
This mostly means danger. But in context it could mean hazard.

The sentence structure of Malay and Indonesian is simpler than English so it is easier to learn. The verb to be in many languages does not exist or is omitted.
The English sentence 'my name is' translates into 'my name' or I called.

I and me (and sometimes my) are also the same word in several languages and the language Esperanto, the most popular made up language, quick to learn and to communicate with others whose languages are hard, or whose languages are easy so they find English, Russian, German or your language hard.

Your new friend or colleague or companion at a class learning English who uses abbreviated sentences is not tired nor ill nor daft but may be translating words literally from Malay or Indonesian into English. If you listen carefully to what they are saying in English, you will get a clue as to how to construct a sentence in their language.

Useful Websites
duolingo.com
google translate
https://en.bab.la/dictionary/indonesian-english/berbahaya
August Even In Singapore
https://www.youngparents.com.sg/sponsored/5-ways-to-help-your-kid-love-mother-tongue-languages/?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=sp_001_moe





About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author of 20 books, and speaker. 

The Sepang Circuit And What To See, And Say - the rain tyres, the favourites, the medicals

Problem
What must you spend and book to watch the motorbike races at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia? What will you see?

Sepng Circuit, Malaysia. Photo from Wikipedia by Mondayblues.

Answers
Track Entry and Seats
The good news is that my motorbike enthusiast tells me that entry to the track and seat prices are down this year.

Accommodation
 The bad news is that during races the hotel prices and homestay prices double. The good news is that if you go with friends you have company and can also share accommodation. and it may be worthwhile renting an apartment.

Where To Sit
You need to book early to get the seats overlooking certain points of the circuit or to be with your friends. Nowadays, to prevent trouble, the supporters of different countries and teams are in different areas. This makes for great photos in newspapers and on TV, a sea of yellow for supporters.

Are all the entrants from one country friends? Are the competitors from different countries friends? Some are, some aren't. Sometimes the top people from different countries have known each other since they were all young hopefuls, not competing for vast sums the way they are now, and the friendships have endured.

Others are deadly enemies, refuse to smile or shake hands. One rider may think that another tried to force him off the track on a previous occasion - or rides dangerously all the time, endangering all the other rides.

A week before the race, the seat allocation for the supporters of  'the favourite' had sold out.

Who is your favourite? It could be the person from the country where you live, or used to live. It could be the person who has won the most previous races and has gathered so many points that whether or not he wins this race, he is still ahead of the other competitors on total points.

Apart from points, what makes spectators want to watch a particular rider and sit with that rider's supporters, wearing the team colours? It might be the style of riding. Some riders are in such control of the bikes that they seem to go around a corner almost horizontally and actually push the ground with their hands or arms to propel the bike more upright.

What About Rain?
As we discussed this before my friends left Singapore, from my window I could see grey clouds foretelling rain.

I asked, "What if it rains?"

Rain Tyres
The riders have a second bike with rain tyres. Can anybody have rain tyres?

My relative was in Hong Kong on business and extended his stay. He hired a bike which had rain tyres to grip in the rain.

It costs you more to buy a second set of tyres for rain. You need somewhere to store them. Why not wear rain tyres all the time, as a member of the public? Not practical, I was told.

What about the racers? The same applies.

But they don't change the tyres. That wastes time. They change the bike. The rain tyres are on the second bike. They can afford  a second bike at that level. The expensive bike. The cost of moving it and insuring it in transit. (But not unlimited numbers of bikes. Just one spare.)

The rain could stop. You might need to change back to the non-rain tyres.

Timing Is Critical
All the time the seconds are being logged, counted. Every little delay - means one person could win this race against a rival, or move up the league table, or break a record, their own previous best time, or a world record, or not break a record.

Stopping A Race
But if the track becomes a river, even the rain tyres won't grip and the race may have to be stopped. Who can stop the race?

The race might be stopped by the leader or favourite, by prior arrangement. When he signals, everybody pulls off.

You can also have marshalls who have a veto. They are in contact with each other.

Damaged Bikes
In a race, if a bike is damaged, you might use your second bike. If the second bike is damaged, the repair team have to literally work all night to have the bike ready for the next day.

Preview Of The Track
You can pay to view part of the track. You either walk across it or go around on wheels. You can be taken around as a pillion passenger on a scooter.

My Family's Memories
My relative has been at Shanghai and in the Malaysian programme race during the GP weekend practise sessions.

In his younger days a member of my family was in the MSS, the Malaysian Super Service, a support race. The riders use the same track, but the personalities are not world famous and do not appear on TV.

Ex-pats who were bike enthusiasts approached the Singapore authorities, the SMA, about car racing. In those days Singapore did not have a circuit to match the one in Malaysia.

However, the Malaysians were keen to have extra car racing days for the semi-professional having an hour or two's coaching by the big boys of the day.

The Malaysians had circuit open days and granted international race licenses. They sent a doctor down to Singapore. He gave all the hopefuls medicals, a blood pressure meter test, and so on.

The way the story is told, recalled, the doctor was very jolly, the whole occasion was very jolly. The doctor has his meter in one hand and beer beside the paperwork on the desk ready to drink and celebrate when he finished and passed everybody.

Thinking about it, as the Muslim Malays don't officially drink, possibly the doctor was a Chinese Malaysian, happy for a day out in Singapore. Or maybe the expats drank beer and in their embellished memories projected their celebration to include the kindly doctor. Think of it whichever way you like, if that brings a smile to your face.

Useful Websites
Singapore
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com (Singapore Airlines)

Malaysia
visit-Malaysia.com
malaysiatourism.gov.my
www.sepangcircuit.com

Australia
australia.com/en
www.lonelyplanet.com/australia

Japan
see_japan.co.uk

See previous post.

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

Giant Snail - Delights and Dangers -Touch or Don't Touch, a Pet or Not? and Photography Tips

Giant African Land Snail in Singapore. Photograph by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The extraordinary things about the snail are:

1 The huge size - which makes it both unusual and easy to photograph.

2 It is not afraid, does not disappear into its shell and so it is easy to photograph.

3 You can see clearly that it has two protrusions from the head, in fact, four, and uses them to feel ahead and cling on.

4 It progresses not just with slime but a kind of platform underneath.

5 When I read about it I discovered that:

a) It can hibernate and live in colder areas of the USA to the north.

b) Because of its voracious appeite it could be a danger to crops.

c) It has huge numbers of offspring up to 200.

d) It can reproduce as a hermaphrodite. Two females can reproduce. One of them changes sex? (So human beings are not the only ones with gender realignment.) Your female snail can reproduce if you get a second snail. You could end up with dozens 'eating you out of house and home'.

I had thought on initially seeing it, 'How cute! What a novelty. I wonder whether I could keep it as a pet? Would it be messy? Is that legal? Would I be endangering it? What would I need to feed it? Do I need a cage? Could it damage fabrics and wooden furniture? Would it catch insects such as mosquitos or cockroaches? It would be a great talking point. If I went overseas, I could just release it back into the wild."

What I did not realise was that not only might I be a danger to this relatively small creature, it could be a danger to me and you.

It is apparently common to Florida and parts of the USA and is well documented as being a risk to owners or handlers. What is the risk? Meningitis from rat lungworm.

Ah - nature red in tooth and claw. Look but don't touch, applies to the living as well as the dead creatures you see in your garden or parks and out in the wild.

Tip For Travel Photographers

Carry a small ruler in your pocket to show the size of items you photograph. Take at least one photo with the ruler and one without it. You might want to:

a) Use the photo with the ruler.

b) Not use the photo but specify the size of the item you photographed in the caption or text box. Say if the creature you photograph is unusually small or large or a typical size but can grow to a certain size or be within a certain range.

Useful Websites

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/10/giant-land-snails-are-on-the-move-and-a-nasty-parasite-is-riding-them-like-a-bus/?

Branding And Improving The Image And Reality of Chile and other Countries for Tourists

The BBC ran an article about branding countries to tourists and investors. Yes, Chile's mountains reflected in water look beautiful. But so are the Lake District in the UK, the fjords in Norway, and the mountains in New Zealand.

Unique Selling Point
What's unique about Chile? The mountains reflected in water are lovely. However, the giant cacti are an equal or better unique selling point.

Image Improvement
Reading the BBC news article about branding countries including Chile, my opinion is your image does not improve by making your logo a new colour but by having something special and different to see.

But even that won't work when crime makes the headlines. It's no good having a pretty logo when the news says that somebody just got killed in your capital city and the crime rate is not going down but up. Don't invest your time and money in hushing up the crime. Invest in catching criminals and reassuring tourist that they are being protected.

Priority Spending
Also, not investing and donating overseas but in fixing crime and danger and inconvenience in your own country. We learned when the Americans stopped coming to the UK during a crisis that the tourist industry, the hotels, depend not so much on ten packpackers but as on one elderly couple booking the hotel suite for their holiday of a lifetime.

If your nearest and dearest got mugged in a city you don't go back, however pretty the logo. See Naples and die - supposed to mean it's on your bucket list. Unfortunaely might have another conotation.

Top Tourists
A few high payers make a ten per cent difference to the profit which was the difference between profit and loss. (Admittedly, the middle aged elderly couple in the three, four or five star hotel may be there to watch over their student offspring or boy scout nearby at a hostel or in a tent in a field on a cheap summer trip.)

What Needs Fixing
The UK and USA need to stop sending money overseas and fix their own crime and social deprivation. In the UK we have roads, the NHS, crime and pensions which need fixing before dealing with everybody else's problems. Fix your family first, your country second, the world third.

Brexit Bother
Brexit is proving a huge waste of taxpayers and ministers' time and money. We are importing criminals and imprisoning them with nothing to do but learn new crime methods from each others when they should be trained to perform useful work and sent home to help. We need full employment worldwide so everybody can make their own clothes, and shoes, grow and cook food and build and repair their own houses - to safety standards.

Internet Advantages
The internet is doing a good job spreading health advice and great ideas and we have both children and adults working on inventions and projects such as bringing toilets and wind-up radios to schools and remote villages.


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

Malay Greetings, Signs, Everyday Words

Malay - English

(In order in the sentence)

pintu - door

keluar -exit (adjectives follow nouns in Malay)

kecemasan - emergency / worried

di - at

sebelah - next door

hadapan - forward

dan - and

belakang - back 

kereta - car

api - fire

Malay - English 

(alphabetically)

api - fire (Both words contain the letter i, think of alight, potent)

belakang - back (both words have b a k)

dan - and

di - at

hadapan - forward

kecemasan - emergency (or worried)

keluar - exit

kereta - car (carriage of railway)

pintu - door

sebelah - next door

English - Malay

and - dan

at - di

back - belakang

car - kereta

door - pintu

exit - keluar

emergency - kecemasan

fire - api

forward - hadapan

next door - sebelah

Problem
What are those Malay signs? How do I say goodbye and thank you?

Answers
English - Malay / Indonesian

Welcome - Selamat tinggal
Goodbye - Selamat datang

Good morning - Selamat pagi (Every day is a new page. Good morning.)
Good afternoon - Selamat petang (The letters an in petang looks like a.m.)
Good night -Selamat malam

danger - bahaya (Reminds me of the phrase on beachside signs in tsunami areas - danger ... climb to higher ground.)
exit - keluar (The x and K are a similar shape, like people running from danger, from a door, in two directions.)
Entrance - Pintu masuk
door - pintu

Malay / Indonesian - English

bahaya - danger
keluar - exit
malam - night
masuk - go in
pagi - morning

petang - afternoon
pintu - door
pintu masuk - entrance
Selamat malam - Good night
Selamat pagi - good morning

Selamat petang - Good afternoon
Selamat tinggal - welcome
tinggal - live (If you and this girl are alive, and you are tickled, you are tingling.)

Author
Angela Lansbury, teacher of English and other languages. Home tutor, workshops, speeches for colleges and businesses.

When Lost - Is It Safe To Ask The Way?

Problem
You are lost. You stop to ask the way. The householder in Texas has a gun and may shoot you dead.

Answers
What can be done to prevent this ever happening again? Something similar happened again, at least twice.

PLANNING - THE DESTINATION
Have you host's address and put it in your car or phone satnav. Check it on streetview so you do not go to the wrong house.

Wrong Party
It's easy to go to the wrong house with Xmas decorations, or Halloween decorations.  Party balloons can also be confusing.

When my son was a child, he had a birthday party. I invited my pupil's daughter. The aunt of my Japanese pupil's daughter brought her to the house.

Seeing balloons at a house two doors away, she left the child there. Embarrassment all round. The hosts did not know the little girl. She did not know the birthday girl.

The birthday gift was unwrapped by the little birthday girl. It was a gift suitable for a little boy.

Meanwhile, I was disappointed. I thought my guest thought our party was unimportant and did not bother to turn up.

At the end of the party, the aunt had arrived, discovered her mistake, and had the embarrassment of retrieving the unsuitable gift. The embarrassed aunt found the sad little girl who had sat for two hours at the wrong party with strangers, who spoke no Japnese.

Auntie arrived at my house. She explained, with an apology, why they were arriving after the event.. She gave me the gift, so sorry, with the wrapping torn off. Luckily the little girl had received a drink and a piece of cake at the other house. But she had been too shy and demoralised to eat much. I gave a leaving party bag and cake to the aunty. I suspect that four families are still telling this story, mine, the family with the birthday girl, The Japanese mother, her sister.

What To Do When Lost
Thank goodness we now have satnav in phones. If we remember to use it. If our phone's battery dose not die by the evening.

When lost, phone a friend.

Ask for the way in a public place such as a pub or petrol station, not a private residence.

But it's when you get near, and there are no house numbers, you won't drive miles back to a petroll station. You couldn't the numbers. Is this one 4a? Have they dropped the number 13?

Stand still, at a respectful distance.

Don't run towards a doorway, a window or a person.

Smile and bow or wave to show good intent, and say, Excuse me and I'm sorry to trouble you or hold up a sign saying Lost - please help, or even a sign saying looking for, and the actual address.

Some places in the USA have laws banning fences and gates. They want the lawn look.

SIGNS
If possible, install a sign for visitors such as:
Entrance at front.
We do not answer the door to strangers.
Please speak into intercom.
You are on videocam surveyed at another address.

FOOD & WATER
Carry water and food.

Don't ask others for food.

Don't open the door to others asking for water.
A lady in the UK was battered to death by a man who asked her for a glass of water as a ploy. She could have placed it on a distant windowsill and told him to get it and called a neighbour, or told him the location of the nearest supermarket, or directed him to an outside tap. Or told him to go to another house which had lots of people around standing outside.

She could have told him to wait at the end of the drive and said she'd put the water on the doorstep, and come and collect it. But what if there were two of them?

OPENING DOORS
Before opening the door to a stranger, work out who they are and what they want.

If anybody comes to your door, and you are suspicious, don't open the door and face them and expose the door to being pushed. Call the neighbour or the cops to come up behind the intruder and ask them what they want.

COSTUMES & MASKS
Do not walk the streets dressed in a Halloween costume, such as a skeleton, mask and fake gun, and then walk up to a stranger's door.

Any other suggestions? Please leave a message.

Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Yoshihiro_Hattori
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/10/pensioner-died-violent-burglary-may-have-offered-killer-glass/

SAFETY ADVICE
From the UK government
gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
From the US government
travel.stategov/content/travel
https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

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

Learn Ten Words Of Portuguese: they have their entrances and exits, as Shakespeare said

Problem

The first thing I do when researching a new country is look at the map. What do those names mean? How will I remember them?

Answer

I try to translate some of the place names. Placenames will help me learn the language as I will see them every time I look at the map.

I had always thought that the words Portugal and Oporto and Port wine has something to do with Port or gate.

Here's what Wikipedia says:

Etymology[edit]

The word Portugal derives from the Roman-Celtic place name Portus Cale^[29]. Cala or Cailleah was the name of a Celtic god and also the name of an early settlement located at the mouth of the Douro River (present-day Vila Nova de Gaia) which flows into the Atlantic Ocean in the north of what is now Portugal. Some French scholars believe it may have come from 'Portus Gallus'^[30], the port of the Gauls or Celts. Around 200 BC, the Romans took the Iberian Peninsula from the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War, and in the process conquered Cale and renamed it Portus Cale (Port of Cale). During the Middle Ages, the region around Portus Cale became known by the Suebi and Visigoths as Portucale. The name Portucale evolved into Portugale during the 7th and 8th centuries, and by the 9th century, that term was used extensively to refer to the region between the rivers Douro and Minho, the Minho flowing along what would become the northern Portugal-Spain border. By the 11th and 12th centuries, Portugale was already referred to as Portugal.

Portuguese - English
castelo - castle
do - of

English - Portuguese
castle - castello
of - do

...................
English _ Portuguese
river - rio

gate - portão
hotel - hotel
restaurant - restaurante
street - rua

entrance - etnrada
exit - sáida

pull - puxar
push -empurrar

open - aberto (remember open to you Albert)
closed - fechados
welcome - bem vinda

hill - colina (Colin is on the hill with Ina)
mountain - montanha (Like Montana but with an h ha ha!)

bay - baía
harbour - Porto (Porto the seaside city has a harbour)

street - rua
avenue - avenida
motorway - autoestrada

no entry - entrada proibida
danger - perigo (peri(l) i(f) (you) go)

entrance fee - taxa de entrada (tax of entry)
free - livre

PORTUGUESE- English
rio - river

portão - gate
hotel - hotel
restaurante -restaurant
rua - street (like the French rue - you'll rue the day you took this street, ah!)

Entrada - entrance
Saída - exit

puxar - pull
empurrar - push

aberto - open
fechadas - closed
bem vinda - welcome

Colina - hill (both words contain the letters l and i)
montanha - mountain (both words contain the letter mo.nta

baía - bay
Porto - harbour

rua - street
Avenida - avenue
autoestrada - motorway

Entrada proibida - no entry (entry prohibited - silent h, like the French can't say h)
perigo - danger

taxa de entrada
livre - free

Bon voyage (that's French but we say it in English) - Boa viagem!

You've learned 26 words, more if you count the double words in Portuguese. Bettert han ten isn't! But ten sounds easy. We have done well today.

Useful wbsites:
https://www.visitportugal.com/en
http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/homepage
http://visitbrasil.com/en/
https://www.duolingo.com/course/pt/en/Learn-Portuguese-Online

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and phtographer, author and speaker, learner and teacher of English and other languages.I have several more posts on learning Portuguese and visiting Madeira. This week's winning post is the one on the marvellous meal at Osteria Modigliani, with over a thousand readers from Italy. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Trevor Sharot's Video Of A Monitor Lizard - dangers and benefits of monitor lizards and Komodo dragons

Singapore flag.

Problem
I am trying to persuade Trevor Sharot to take the time to upload a video he took of a monitor lizard. (He is too busy writing his book on wine.) What is a monitor lizard and why do I think it is important?

Answer
I had often heard the term monitor lizard but didn't know what it was until he showed me the video and explained, "a monitor lizard is a monster lizard". That's easy to remember. M for monitor and M for monster. Like a monitor at school, the monitor keeps order, is big and in charge.

Wikipedia tells me that the monitor lizard got its name from the fact that some lizards have been seen standing upright, which warns you from a distance not to approach. Many types of lizards exist, including the vegetarian tree lizards which eat fruit but most are carnivorous and deadly, and the Komodo dragon and others can grow longer than a man is tall - as huge as twenty feet.

The small lizards which you see on walls and floors, indoor and out, in Singapore, are called geckos. They grow from tiny, the size of your small finger, to large, the size of your hands outspread from thumb tip to the tip of your little finger.

Monitor lizards are large, look like crocodiles. Like alligators. Vicious. Dangerous.

Dangerous Monitor Lizards
The one which Trevor photographed was the other side of a wire fence like a tennis net. Seeing a human approach, it growled and flung its tail against the other side of the wall!

"In theory," I speculated, "if you were carrying an umbrella or walking stick, or a crutch, you could swipe at it."

Trevor shakes his head. But the striking blow from its tail could knock a human or animal off its feet before the prey had time to plan attack or defense or take aim.

Komodo Dragons
People go on holiday, on tourist trips to Komodo to see Komodo dragons, which look like larger versions of the monitor lizard. I've watched videos of Komodo dragons hunting in a group, surrounding a large creature like a buffalo, striking it with poison, waiting until it sinks and dies.

Gechos in Greece
I used to be afraid of little lizards, geckos. I recall being horrified on holiday (a press trip to Greek islands) by a gecko running around the bedroom in Greece, rattling papers, scooting past my shoes. Now, my fear of a tiny gecko seems silly. I have bigger problems to worry about.

Danger and Safety
In India some species are protected, which has caused clashes between locals and authorities when reptiles and animals have killed people. I sympathise with the villagers who want to protect themselves, their neighbours, the workers, their children. As a mother, a woman, a human being, I value human life over that of animals.

What use is a komodo dragon or any large lizard? Apart from attracting the foolhardy or curious tourist? The latest news is that lizards do have potential benefits. From them we might be able to develop help with antibiotics and resistance.

You can also encounter them in the wild all over the world, Australia, Florido and other parts of the USA. Some lizards are kept as pets. Some have escaped and become 'invasive species'.

The safest place for you and your children to see animals is in a zoo. You can see a Komodo dragon in London Zoo, in London, England, UK. Nasty things. Other giant lizards are in in Washington DC and zoos and safari parks worldwide.

Useful Website
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_lizard
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/04/13/komodo-dragon-blood-might-help-fight-a-growing-human-threat/22038543/
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/05/20/komodo.dragon.bite/

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/singapore-botanic-gardens

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

Welsh Place Name meanings or translations and emergency words

Problem
It helps you to get around, find your wall past landmarks and to your hotel if you can understand Welsh names and emergency signs.
What do Welsh places names mean? If I knew the meaning, it would be easier to remember them.

Answer
Here's a useful list.
http://acen.co.uk/en/welsh-place-names-2/

In Cardiff a major tourist site is Castle Coch, or Castell Coch, which means red castle. In Welsh the adjective comes second.

Aber is mouth, usually mouth of the river, where it joins the sea, but it could just join another river. The word which follows is often the name of the river. The one which immediately comes to my mind is the place name Aberystwyth.

Welsh - English
aber - mouth
afon - river
bach/fach - small
betwyn - house of prayer
castell - castle
coch - red
coed - wood
llan - church
llyn - lake or pool
pen - top or end
pont - bridge
ty - house (with a hat or circumflex on the Welsh y, like a rooftop)
y - the

So Llandudno, is a church, the church (of St) Tudno.
Llandewi is the church (of saint) David.

English - Welsh
avenue - avenue
hill  - bryn
house - ty (y with a circumflex)
lane - lôn (with a circumflex on the vowel o)
lake or pool - llyn
mouth (of river) - aber
promenade promenâd (a with a circumflex)
road - fford
river - afon
street - stryd
wood - c o e d
y - the

Useful Emergency names
danger - p e r y g l
doctor - meddyg
chemist / pharmacy - f f e r y l l f a / f f e r e l l y d d
fire brigade - frigâd dân
garage - g a r e j
help - helpu
mechanic - me c a n i c
no smoking - dim y s m y g u
nurse - nyrs
police officer - h e d d w a s
school - Ysgol
shop - siop

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, Author and Speaker, teacher of languages. See my previous post on Welsh colours. Please link to your favourite posts.