Italian language learning - quick tips

I use Duolingo daily.

When travelling to New Zealand, I watched a film in English, then In Italian with English subtitles.

PAST

 When you hear the letter v in a verb it is like the word have in English and means the past tense. For example, 

Italian - English

amici - friends

ancora - still

broccoli - broccoli

cerco - I'm looking for

e - and

Frutti - fruit

frutti di mare - seafood (literally fruit of the sea)

(al) funghi - (with, literally at) mushrooms

ho bisogno - I need

il poliziotto - the police (officer)

lei - she

letto - bed

non posso - I can't (In Italian the negative comes first, before the verb, as in the Enlish phrase, not possible.

non sono felice - I am not happy 

ospiti - guests

insalata - salad

pesce - fish

pollo - chicken

posso - I can (like the English word possible)

regali - gifts

ritardo / in retardo - late

rosa - pink

salmone - salmon

sono felice - I am happy

sono stanco - I am tired

sono malato - I am ill

souvenir - souvenirs 

sto aspettando (per) - I am waiting for

sto vomitando - I am vomiting

tavola - table

torta - cake

troppo - too

urgente - urgent

vino bianco - white wine (the adjective is after the noun)

vitello - veal

CONFUSING WORDS

compormento - behavious

For a useful set or grouped phrases see the Phrasebook in Wikivoyage.

English - Italian

and - e

bed - letto

(the) breakfast - (la) colazione 

cake - torta

chicken - pollo

(the) dining room - la sala da pranzo

fish - pesce

(the) flu - l'influenza

friends - amici

gifts - regali

guests - ospiti

I can - posso

I can't - non posso

I'm looking for - cerco

I need - ho bisogno

late - ritardo / in ritardo

Long - lunga

(the) manager - il direttore

my husband - mio marito

My wife - mia moglie (my is mia, not mia, because the word my agrees with or or a to match the thing or person being described - which sounds nicer, don't you think?)

our group - il nostro gruppo

pink - rosa

(the) police officer - il poliziotto

salad - insalata

salmon - salmone

she - lei

souvenirs - souvenir

table - tavola

troppo - too

urgent - urgente

veal - vitello

where is - dov'è (accent on the e for the verb to be. no accent on e meaning and)

White wine - vino bianco

Useful Websites

https://www.duolingo.com/

The Old Bridge Hotel & Riverside Restaurant, Huntingdon, for a lovely lunch and delightful decor

 This historic hotel is on the riverside and is run by a Master of Wine and has a wine shop on the premises.

River Ouse seen from the car park of the Old Bridge Hotel as you arrive. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright..

We booked a table and drove up from north London to one of our favourite restaurants. Now that the Harrow at Little Bedwyn has closed down, the Old Bridge looks likely becoming our favourite for a special meal out, out of home, and out of London.

The car park is beside the green tree-lined river. The hotel has greenery covering walls and patio tables.

The bightly lit restaurant has brick walls, big mirrors and blue-green banquettes.

Angela Lansbury in the restaurant of The Old Bridge, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Prosecco and cocktail with fresh mint. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The sourdough bread and butter was tops, chewy bread, and tasty butter. 

I began with a glass of Prosecco. The shaped thin glass seemed slightly better than most glassware offered by restaurants.

Toilet Temptations

I dashed down to the ladies toilets beside the bar. The wallpaper features fish. 

Fish wallpaper. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

If you fancy the handwashing gel and/or the moisturizer, both are on sale in the shop. I don't understand why all hotels and restaurants don't do this. 

The gents toilet has different wallpaper. Bottle theme.

We chose from the set menu. 

Seriously Special Starters

Beetroot starter. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

My starter was a small deep bowl of deep beetroot purple colour. Yes, beetroot. Not the creamy Polish and Jewish style borscht. Certainly not the transparent Russian style borsht. Much thicker. With a Greek yogurt texture white blob submerged. Delightful. I used the last of my sourdough, French style, I mean in the fashion of diners in France, to sweep every last morsel. Compliments to the chef.

The grilled broccoli was tasty. Cooked just right. No alarming black.  

Broccoli starter. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Main Course

We had a choice of three dishes on the set menu. Our main courses were different. Leaving out the vegetarian option, one was a pork pie, the other fish. 

Main course. Pork pie.

Dessert

Dessert, summer pudding, at The Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

My dessert option was summer pudding.

My husband chose cheese.

The coffee could be accompanied by breads. 

Coffee and biscuit at The Old Bridge Hotel. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

By the time we had finished lunch, the tea time crowd were enjoying three tier stands of sandwiches, what looked like scones and cakes. I was wondering whether I could sell my home and move into a hotel for a year. But I would double in size as there is no gym nor swimming pool.

Shopping For Souvenirs

Before leaving, we looked at the shop, which had wall to wall wines, a description of the owner, a Master Of Wine, and an Enoteca machine which allows you to buy a card and select tastes of different sizes, small, tiny or teeny of various drinks. for those not driving home. If you are driving, you might buy a bottle. Or look at the gifts, which are different seasonally and on my every visit. This year, this month, they had paper folding origami sets, tea towels.

Traditional tea and coffee. Brown and white sugar cubes. A milk jug in blue Willow pattern.

Useful Information and Websites

Old Bridge Hotel, 1 High Street, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

https://www.oldbridgehuntingdon.co.uk/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g209939-d313733-Reviews-The_Old_Bridge-Huntingdon_Cambridgeshire_England.html

https://www.google.com.my/travel/hotels/Cambridgeshire/entity/ChcIvq2puNqY8YseGgsvZy8xdGc2djY2YhAB?utm_campai

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Hanukah - Another Festival of Lights - Which Jesus Celebrated

Hanukiah in Orchard Road Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 After the festival of lights for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, Diwali, along comes another festival of light. In Chinese dominated but ideologically multi-cultural Singapore, Hanukah in 2021 is celebrated from the evening of Sunday 28th December to Monday 6th December. The festival lasts for eight days.

To interest Christian guests at a Toastmasters online meeting, I wanted to know when the events commemorated in the festival took place, before or after Jesus, and, if before, would Jesus have celebrated the festival?

Oddly, the answer came from a website run by Jews for Jesus, a group ignored and regarded with suspicion by Jews, because it is active in trying to convert Jews to Christianity. 

Anyway, despite my wariness, (I wondered, would the website be anti-Jewish?), the website was very handy to me, because it answered my question.

Jesus and Hanukah

The events commemorated by the festival happened in 165 BCE. BC stand for Before Christ. Jews and others prefer BCE, which stands for Before our Common Era.

Jesus celebrated all the Jewish festivals, including Hanukah. The Festival is mentioned in the New Testament in the book of John. The New Testament call it The Feast of Dedication. A Syria of 165 BC had taken over the temple, sacrificed a pig deliberately to cause outrage and installed 'idol worship' of Greek gods. A resistance movement dominated by a family nicknamed the Maccabees (hammers) succeeded in ousting the interlopers and restoring the temple. However, they had only enough oil for one night. Miraculously, the original oil lasted eight days until new supplies could be brought. The symbolic light and joy have amplified into celebrations inculding lighting a new candle on the candelabra every evening, whether a small one at home or a tall one in a public place. Plus lots of coourful and family fun activities, plus filling food and sweets. 

The Menorah and Hanukiah

Menorah at synagogue in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria

Nine branch hanukiah for hanukah outside synagogue in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Hanukah For Children

Children enjoy Hunakah because of the fun of making the eight branch candlestick - a favourite activity organized by synagogues. Also lighting the candles. A gift every day - such as Hanukah gelt, or money, which is chocolate money wrapped in gold foil.

Hanukah Food with oil

Foods cooked with oil recall how the oil enough to light the temple restored to the Jews, sufficient for one night, lasted 8 nights.

Foods cooked with oil include potato latkes (fried grated potato), and donuts.

Donuts with strawberry jam for Hanukah.

Donuts with chocolate and cream. Jerusalem.

Hanukah Gelt

Chocolate coins with gold colour covering. Showing menorahs.

If you want to order a Hanukiah and the candles you had better get organized now.

 The Hanukiah

The hanukiah is different from the menorah. The menorah has seven branches, one for each day of the week. It is lit on the eve of the Sabbath. The woman of the house, or female guest of honour, recites a prayer (in Hebrew) with her eyes covered in order to concentrate and open the eyes to the joy of the light. Of course, if you are Israeli, and Hebrew is your first language, reciting a prayer in Hebrew is not a challenge, as it would be for an English speaking Jewish person. 

The hanukiah has eight branches, one for each of the days of Hanukah. The central and ninth is for the shamash or helper candle which lights the others.

Menorahs and Hanukiahs Around The World

Menorah outside the Knesset, Parliment building, Jerusalem.

Useful Websites

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/12/where-to-see-hanukiah-and-how-to-make.html

https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/hanukkah?

About the author

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.

Read the previous post on Diwali.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

What is the Difference Between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year?

 

"Chinese New Year" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	春節
Simplified Chinese	春节
Literal meaning	"Spring Festival"
showTranscriptions
"Agricultural Calendar New Year"
Traditional Chinese	農曆新年
Simplified Chinese	农历新年
showTranscriptions
"Chinese New Year"
Traditional Chinese	中國新年
Simplified Chinese	中国新年
hideTranscriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōngguó xīn nián

CNY stands for Chinese New Year. it is celebrated in Taiwan and Singapore. In mainland china it is called Spring Festival.

LNY is used in Korea. The initials stand for Lunar New Year. Also used by the Vietnamese.

Korea

The Koreans also give gifts of money. 

They wear traditional costume called hanbok.

You might want to check out lunar new year and lunisolar New Year. Lunisolar follows both the sun (solar) and moon (luni) so it stays in the same season.

The Indians also follow New Year.

Other New Year Festivals

Jewish New year falls in the autumn.

Muslim New Year is purely solar and  gradually changes season.

Useful Websites

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

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

About the Author

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, travel writer and photographer, 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.

The challenges of Greek, Hebrew, Russian and Cyrillic

 

 As far as I'm concerned the Romans did one good thing for us. They gave us the Latin alphabet. I have been struggling today with a message in Russian on Facebook. 

I went onto Wikipedia thinking it's time I put up the Greek, Russian, Hebrew and Arabic alphabets where I can see them easily. For example, on a pin board or wall behind my computer screen.

Greek

Is Greek 'all Greek' to you? Until you have learned every letter of the alphabet you can only read a few simple words, which use about 5 common letters.   For example, I recognized Athens on a road sign and Exit in the aeroplane. 

My attempts at learning go back so far it is embarrassing to recognize and admit how long it has taken me - without finishing!  I started seeing the Greek alphabet in school, in mathematics. In my late teens as a student I first went to Greece. I took more holidays in Greece as an adult.

Much later, I was in Singapore and as Area Director of toastmasters International speakers' training clubs, I had to visit at least twice in six months a Toastmasters group called Toastmasters in Christ. I was astonished to find the well educated leader giving an analysis of bible texts, explaining the meaning of Hebrew words. at a Christian Toastmasters speakers training clubs. Oddly, Christians who train to be priests learn Greek for the New Testament and Hebrew for the Old Testament. 

From Greek To Hebrew

Why do I need Hebrew nowadays when I am not in nor visiting Israel? Looking at packaging of chocolates and wines in supermarkets. For myself, or when buying gifts. Also in prayer books at funerals.

When would I need Cyrillic? On holiday in Bulgaria.

It is almost all Russian. What about Russian?

Today I had a post on my Facebook page? What did it say?

I need to translate.

Useful Websites

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

About the Author

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, travel writer and photographer, 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.

Remember to pack extra Christmas cards, presents and food

I remember my embarrassment at school when I was sent Xmas cards in the classroom card box from girls when I had not sent to them. The same thing happened the first time I went to a Writers Circle party. They had a Christmas card box. The first year I did not know and had no cards to send. The second year I sent a few cards but received cards from different people and could not reciprocate. The third year I had a box of spare cards in my bag. I sneaked into the bathroom (Americans would say rest room) and hurriedly added cards, getting the correct spelling of names from cards I had been sent.

Send To All
In a group, if you are the organizer, one useful trick is to send cards to everybody so you never miss out on anybody.  Also have some spares to the auntie or cook, or granny who turns up unexpectedly does not feel left out but is remembered and included. A group of fifteen or twenty and you are the leader? Simple. Just buy a huge box. Alternatively. Send a greeting on email or what's app. If possible add a personal name.

Animated Greetings
If subscribing to an animated greeting card system costs you 5 to 20 dollars, that is expensive just to return a greeting to one person. However, if you want to send to every member of a group, you get economies of scale.

Spare Christmas Presents
The same goes for Xmas presents. And when invited to somebody's house for lunch or dinner or to stay.

Buying At Duty Free Shops
One year we were invited to stay with a family in France. I was looking at the duty free shop for perfumes to buy for the hostess. Should I buy for our former au pair, or for her mother, or for both?.

 I looked along the perfumes and saw one of those sets of five small perfumes. I bought one.

Then I bought another for myself. So I was carrying extras. that was lucky.

When we arrived, we found the whole family there to greet us and join in the first night dinner. Fortunately I had enough small perfumes to give one to everybody.

Plan Ahead
If you are likely to be travelling over the Xmas and New Year period, several days or weeks in advance you can get all your cards or animated greetings with designs chosen and the email addressed checked. I have just remembered I need to send to a former gardener in London, England.  he sends to us every year.

Xmas Lists
If you make a list of who has sent you cards in the beginning or end of your diary, and you keep last year's diary, you can quickly check your old friends and business associates. Add on the new ones from this year by going through your contacts list. This could take you an hour or two. You might do it whilst travelling, sitting waiting for a train, travelling by train or bus or coach or plane.

Animated Cards
Some systems such as animated card websites allow you to creat a card and pick which day it should be sent. In theory you could have all your birthday and anniversary and Xmas cards organized a year in advance.

Do remember to remove everybody who has died. Or find a greeting which would still be appropriate if opened by their descendants. For example: To Harry and family. Fond memories. I always think of the good times spent with you and your dear family back in the (era) at Christmas time and I always will. Our friendship endures forever. Greetings to (names of children).

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

What Went Wrong At Weddings Or Dinners What you can do to avoid trouble

Safeguard Honeymoon Money
First, don't embezzle the honeymoon money. 

Safety On Stag Nights
Second, don't take the groom on a stag night in which everybody is so drunk that they have black eyes and don't enjoy the wedding. On one or two stag nights the groom or best man has been badly injured or even gone, missing, immediately or much later found drowned. Sometimes, the bride sees the photo of the groom kissing the near naked stripper and cancels the wedding.

The wedding ceremony - money 
In France at the church a cup or box is passed around collecting money. This is not for the bride and groom but for the poor. So do not put into the box the gift for the bride and groom because they will not receive it!

If the minister is not paid but received a 'donation', the best man has to ensure the correct money is in an envelope with the minister's name, and must work out when to discreetly hand it over.

1 Forget to reply to the wedding RSVP in the UK
Why is this wrong? The wedding dinner is costing the bride or groom or their families easily 50 or 100 pounds sterling per seated guest just for the meal. If five couples don't turn up, that is 500 hundred pounds or more spent unnecessarily, wasted food, looks like their friends don't love them, their friends who were left off the list to make room for you will be annoyed, and when you fail to send a gift and confess, "Oops I forgot!", your friendship may sour.
Remember the RSVP!

Ushers should know the seating order. Family at the front. Bride's family on one side, groom's family on the other side.

If you mislay the wedding invitation and reply, you might get lost between the wedding ceremony venue and the reception venue and miss the dinner.
Don't follow other guests.
One group followed another car and ended up outside the local hospital. They had followed a doctor who was on call.

2 Deliver gifts to the bride's home in advance. Gifts at hotel go missing. 
Traditionally wedding gifts are not delivered at the wedding. Only close family would give money.
At a wedding I attended, my gift and all the others were stolen from the family\s hotel boot in the hotel car park.

3 The best man should make sure the groom reaches the wedding venue. If there is a delay or cancellation, he should tell the bride and venue.
I was supposed to be a witness at a wedding on a cruise ship. The groom did not turn up. the ship's staff called all the local hospitals. The groom had evidently done a runner. 
Unfortunately, his parents were already on board, on the one week cruise, sharing a dinner table with the bride's parents. The cruise ship said they could not move the table seating,because all the other tables were families and friends who would not wish to be separated. I don't suppose anybody else wanted to be forced to try to be jolly sharing a table for a week with the jilted bride.

2 At dinner, don't talk with your hands. Even if you are Italian.
Why not?
a) You look like a foreigner.
b) You are likely to knock the red wine over the bride's white dress. Would that make you popular?
The groom will assume:
You made a mistake. You are an idiot.
You did it deliberately. It might start a fight.

3 Do not not get drunk and do not start a fight.
Why? The hotel will charge a lot of money.
The wedding party giving speeches next door will not be pleased about the noise.
(I heard about this from a hotelier in the UK.)
The groom will spend the night in jail.
The bride will never forgive you. (Her mother will say she was right about you all along.)

Hire a wedding car - and have a backup.
In Australia I was sent videos of out-takes by a wedding video photographer.
In one video, the best man was distracted and left off the handbrake. His car rolled downhill into the car of the bride's father. In addition to the damage, they needed two cars at short notice to get to the wedding.
In another video, the best man's group thought it was funny to cover all the groom's car windows with  several inches of shaving foam. He could not see to drive to the airport. He was in a hired suit. I have never seen anybody look so angry.

Don't deliver items to the honeymoon suite or make an apple pie bed nor allow anybody else to do so.
The best man or so called friends so often wreck the room that many hotels will not allow anybody else in. Because the bride and groom will sue the hotel for running the wedding and the hotel in turn will sue the guests or bride and groom for damage to the room.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Author of
Wedding Speeches & Toasts
Etiquette for every occasion.

Going away for Xmas? What to pack

Which countries celebrate Christmas? Christian countries, former Commonwealth countries. For example: USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa.  In Europe France, Belgium, German, Spain. You will also find Christmas celebrated in other countries according to the old calendars, in January.

To avoid Christmas, you could go to Israel or one of the Moslem countries where Xmas is not a national holiday so you are sure to get meals from restaurants which are open and have normal prices. You might wish to take your own Xmas goods for private celebrations.

Problem
What to pack?
1 Red, white and green clothes for a Xmas day occasion or end of year party on a Xmas theme.
2 A cheap hat to wear to a party where you are asked to dress up. Or just to jolly up Xmas day in a hotel.
3 A Xmas card to attach to a gift. If none, just print one at home before you leave.
4 Names and numbers of family,friends,elderly people who are alone, to call on Xmas Day.
5 Sizes of shoes and socks and gloves and shirts or dresses and favourite colours of family at home for buying gifts in sales to take home.
6 Reminder to buy oranges locally to take and give for Chinese New Year in January-Feb each year (but don't take fruit into Australia).
7 Xmas wrapping paper and string.
8 Research on streetview the streets with Xmas lights.

Lights at Orchard Road in Singapore. Disney theme. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

YMCA teddy bears for Christmas time or any time

YMCA has good gifts for yourself or a friend.

How To Buy Musical Instruments For Less And Enjoy Lessons At Home and Overseas

Problem
First, where do you find a cheap musical instrument for yourself or a child.
You see a bargain price, irresistible flute or ukele or accordion which looks great and sounds great when you see it in the shop. But when you get it home you can't play it.

Solutions
First let me tell you what happened to me recently. I passed a music shop in Colindale and looked in the window.

I went inside. Here's a look at some of the goods and prices. If you are buying something really expensive, such as a professional clarinet, to take overseas, you may be able to take it or ship it and by-pass the VAT charged in the UK.

If you are buying an instrument, it's a good idea to take lessons immediately. You are enthusiastic. You know the venue so no problem finding it. They already see you as a customer who must be kept happy.

Singing Lessons
While you are overseas or on holiday, you might wish to take lessons. I saw singing lessons advertised in Yamaha in Singapore at a reduced rate, or an affordable rate.

They put me in touch with a teacher. She wanted me to sign up for a one-hour once a week lesson for six weeks. I was in Singapore only four weeks so I declined.

She then offered me a lesson immediately, another at the end of the week, and two at the start and end of my last week so I got six lessons. Everybody was happy.

Buying Accessories
If you arrive at a lesson in a store and discover you are missing something, such as a guitar pick, or book of songs, they will probably have something to sell you before your lesson starts.

Buying Gifts
I saw items I wanted. I have added them to my Christmas list.

I went into a music shop in Colindale, NW London and said I needed a stand for a keyboard. They said most keyboards can fit on a universal stand which expands. (I seem to remember reading that my machine took a particular size - there may be two sizes of universal stands for half size and full-size keyboards, the ones you see advertised online at cheap prices only being fixed size or for half size keyboards.

I wanted to know the price of a white piano. To my surprise, it was under a thousand pounds and cheaper than another piano I looked at in the shop. I thought that white would be a speciality item. Since I like furniture and my parents had a white piano, I was curious.


Toy accordion photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Whilst there I noticed a child size accordion. An adult's accordian will cost more than £150, so it wasn't something to be bought as an impulse purchase. But the little one, just for fun. I bought it.

I got it home and no sound came out of it. Oh, dear, Did it need a battery, which I should have bought in the shop? No there's a button for air. The instructions say you must fill it with air by pressing that button before you squeeze it. Otherwise you could cause damage.

Then I could not see from the instructions how you get your hand inside the strap. Most basic thing. I should have spent longer in the shop.

Anyway, it has already served its purpose in being an accessory or prop when I give humorous speeches on the stage at Toastmasters International club meetings. The night I bought the toy size accordion, I told this story:

"I saw the little red toy accordion and thought, I must have that. I went inside to ask the price. I thought, I'll pay £5, £10, even £15. Maybe, even up to £20.

"I asked the price. £25. Ah! Too much.

"I said, 'If you'd said £20, I'd have bought it!'
"He quickly said, '£20'.

"I quickly said, 'Yes!' I thought, 'I should have said £15!"

I am now the proud owner of a little, red toy accordion, which I cannot play, yet.

Music Temptations Galore
On the bus home, I passed another music shop, in Edgware. Fortunately, by the time we had reached my stop I had forgotten about it. Just as well. I had already spent my budget for the day. I find it hard to go past any music shop without just popping in for a look and ending up buying something. The same applies to a supermarket, or any shop.

Practice Needed
It's time to stop buying more musical novelties and learn to play the ones I already have. I think I shall stay home and watch more YouTube videos on how to play a toy accordion.

Small, Easily Transportable Instruments
The nice thing about 'The Busker' toy accordion it is that it's small enough to carry around, unlike the bulk of a guitar.

The smallest instrument is probably a harmonica. I have a friend called Penn at Writers Summer School who plays the harmonica during his poetry readings and storytelling sessions on stage during the Buskers' night.

He says he plays only three notes. You would never know. I thought he was a professional player with a great repertoire.

If you are looking for musical instruments small enough to put in your pocket, Ebony and Ivory's website sells a kazoo; and a Jaw/Jews harp.

Spellings
I just went through my blog post and corrected all the spelling mistakes which were pointed out by Grammarly. How do you remember whether it's accordian or accordion? It's accordion. Like a chord. Or a cord. A - c - cord -  i- on. Play on with the accordion.

The website of the toy accordion maker is:
www.jhs.co.uk

The assistant was Christian.

The shop I visited was:
https://ebonyivory.co.uk
Ebony and Ivory shop also has an eBay store:

http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/ebonyandivoryltd/
Ebony and Ivory Ltd
11 Varley Parade
Edgware Road
Colindale
London NW9
England
UK
Tel: 020 8200 5510
email ebonyandivoryltd@gmail.com

Author
Angela Lansbury

Why Stop At Service Stations? Why Not Stop?

Problem
Every time I pass a sign warning me about a service station on the UK motorway I have to decide whether to stop. Should you stop or not?

Answers
The reasons for stopping are:
1 tiredness,
2 toilets,
3 food and drink,
4 souvenirs,
5 information.
6 Petrol - car maintenance - rescue


The reasons for not stopping are:
7 Avoiding prolonging the journey
8 Protecting the contents / possessions in the car
9 Reaching appointments in time
10 Avoiding late in the day traffic build-up

1 Signs warn you that tiredness causes accidents.
If we are two travelling, we take turns driving and the passenger watches the road and the driver and talks to keep them alert.

2 Go before you leave home. Go whenever you stop - you don't want to have the urge to go when stuck in a three hour traffic jam. Carry some kind of container in case you need a potty in the car.

3 Remember food and water, to revive you so you are alert to drive, to raise morale.
Some drivers like coffee to keep themselves awake and alert and beat that sagging feeling. I prefer water to coffee to avoid the urge to go to the toilet.

4 The gifts are quite pricey but often very handy. If you didn't spend much on holiday and still have £20, time to buy a gift for yourself or a friend.

5 Information
At the entrance, just inside the doorway, is a large rack of leaflets about attractions in the area. Very handy. Tells you what to see, when it's open, if you can afford it, whether you will get there before closing time.

If you are near the end of your journey, time to read your directions and remember which junction you turn off. (You don't want to be distracted trying to read the junction number from a clipboard when your eyes should be on the road. An alternative is to write the destination junction and stick that where you can see it without taking your eyes off the road, or keep reading it as a reminder throughout the journey whenever you stop at traffic lights, traffic jams or for a break.

6 I stopped to call the AA from a garage at a service station, to be sure of not breaking down on the motorway. Somebody pointed out that it's a danger to run out of petrol and be stuck on the hard shoulder where a large vehicle or any driver not paying attention might run in the back of you.
If you are forced to stop, immediately put on your hazard warning lights. If you don't know where they are, ask somebody to show you - or consult the manual.

Checklist for loading your car:
Night before or week before, before you pack your suitcase, test the sapce available in the car. Put the empty suitcases in the boot (Americans say trunk). When buying new luggage, know the size of your car boot (keep the sizes in your diary or the inside cover of your holiday notebook).
Do the suitcases of the driver - and the suitcases of any passengers picked up en route fit into the boot of the car? Important to allow room for everybody to sit, avoid damage from flying objects, and make the car look empty when you park and get out to have a coffee.
Food
Drink
AA rescue number
Destination directions, written, remembered, visible.
Destination typed into Tom-Tom the night before.
Set radio or speaker for directions.
Put all luggage into one or two bags wyou can carry, in case you ever have to leave your vehicle, either to go to the toilet, or in the event or breakdown or accident.

Useful Websites
visitbritain.com
visitbritainshop.com
AA route planner
theAA.com
RAC route planner
Street view
google maps

Author
Angela Lansbury

Business And Social Etiquette In Chinese and Japanese

Problem
Have you ever met a VIP and not realised who they were?

Print your titles on your business card in Asia. Far from embrrassing other people, it embarrsses them not to know your qualifications.

Who do you want to speak to? Who are you?

The receptionist does not want the embarrassment of calling the head of the company from a meeting with the President, in order to meet a postboy delivering a non-urgent letter.

You hand over your card with both hands. The other person receives it with both hands.

You should read the card. Comment and admire.

Don't put it in the back pocket suggesting you are happy to sit on it and crease it. Do not write upon it.

Now you are ready for another meeting. Suggest a date.

Positive Conversation
The Chinese don't say No.

Nor do the Japanese.
Apparently, if you ask if somebody can make a meeting on Tuesday, they might reply, positively,
'Ah yes, I am very happy to meet you, but Monday would be better, because on Tuesday I am in hospital where triple b-pass of heart will be performed.'

The verb comes at the end in Japanese, so everybody listens politely until you reach the end of the sentence. No assuming, guessing or interrupting. Such things are neither possible, nor permitted.

http://blog.tutorming.com/business/business-chinese-phrases-to-make-your-boss-like-you

If you invite a Japanese lady around for tea, or to your house for a visit, she invariably brings some food.

Gift Wrapping
If she brings a gift, she will wrap in it colourful paper and tie it with ribbon as if it is a brithday or special occasion, which it is.

In France, shop assistants ask if a purchase is a gift. If so, they wrap it for you. When ordering from Amazon, you can specify gift wrapping and a card with your name on it, which costs extra but is good for a special occasion.

Make sure that if you give money, or flowers, you have chosen a suitable number. In China, four is unlucky because it sounds like death. Eight is lucky. Ask the shop for advice.

Useful Travel Websites
Travel to China
cnto.org
Travel to Japan
see-japan.co.uk
Travel to France
visitfrance.co.uk

Author
Angela Lansbury

When Do You Take A Gift to Dinner Or Tea Invitations In The Far East?

Take A Gift?
When I invited VIP members of the British Club and American Women's Association to lunch, I was quite surprised when they arrived with a wrapped gift for me. Sometimes, I presumed, this was because it was considered the done thing to reciprocate with a gift always. In that case, if they invited me for lunch, I should find a suitable gift to take for them when I visited their club or home.

Alternatively, I wondered if the gift might be brought because they were leaving the country, or for the next few months. Therefore they were unlikely to be able to reciprocate with a lunch invitation. So they had brought me a gift instead.

Singapore Clubs and Associations
In Singapore the American club rules require a certain proportion of the membership to be Americans. Depending on the international economic and employment situation, the waiting list and annual membership and joining fees may go up or down. If you are not an American passport holder, you may have to go on a waiting list. However, ladies can join the American Women's Association. You cannot use the pool unless you are guest of a member (who had to pay a fee for you).

But you can attend certain functions at the club. These may include annual dinners in the restaurants for groups such as a book group, or bridge group. Members of the ladies association and their husbands will usually be invited.

When I first arrived in Singapore, I had no family or friends in Singapore and because I was not working I had not work colleagues and nothing to do all day. I was really happy to invite any acquaintance to the club for a drink or coffee or lunch or dinner.

The people most likely to respond were the senior members of the American Women's Association, the movers and shakers, the people who organised the book groups, the bridge clubs, the Friends of the Museum, the Australian Women's Association, the Australian Women's Association sewing group, the American Club newspaper or Australian club newspaper editors, members of the local journalists' associations, local writers and authors and book club members or the British club womens' association book club organisers.

Japanese Reciprocation
I soon found that the Japanese ladies would eat only a one course meal and no drinks. However, they would invite me back to the Japanese club, or to their homes for tea.

When I invited the Japanese ladies to my home for tea, they brought a small cake or gift exquisitely wrapped in fancy paper with a bow or origami design on top and a hand written note of thanks in gold Italic writing.

Inviting people to dinner at a club is an alternative if you have no home because you are in transit at a small hotel, staying with friends, waiting for your furniture to arrive at a rented flat, or just suffering from jet lag.

Inviting People Home
You may be invited back to somebody's home, for example in Singapore. Americans in the Far East often hold pot luck parties. They insist that everybody takes away leftovers.

People who know each other instead often take a gift such as a fancy notebook or photo frame.

People who can't get babysitters or give their maid / amah the day off on Sunday might turn down an invitation to go out for dinner on Sunday night but invite you over for dinner on a Sunday night. You might offer to take wine and dessert if they are supplying the main course, nibbles and pre-dinner drinks.

You don't want to be the only person to arrive empty handed at a Japanese ladies tea party. If you are invited to tea or dinner with the Japanese, you might like to buy a small item from a Japanese store and tell them it is a gift, so that they can add suitable wrapping.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
Author of How To Get Out Of The Mess You're In.

Roses in Summer - "Oh to be in England"

A stroll along a high street and nearby roads of suburban houses shows you colourful roses and pretty party balloons.

I once held a birthday party for our son, aged under ten, in this street. Further along was another family who had upstaged up by putting lots of large balloons outside their house for their birthday.  

I was teaching English to a Japanese lady who visited my house every week and I invited her daughter to the party. The little girl didn't come to the party. 

We had just waved goodbye to the last guest when the mother arrived looking flustered. The little girl looked apprehensive. The Japanese lady apologised profusely for their arriving late and because the birthday gift wrapping had been torn open and re-sellotaped. Why?

The mother had sent her sister to take the little girl to the party. Seeing balloons, the Japanese aunty, who spoke no English, pushed the little girl inside the door and waved goodbye. The little girl, who knew nobody, had sat silently throughout the party, for two hours, surrounded by other guests and parents who also wondered who she was. Finally, the Japanese mother arrived and had to ask for the present back, and make two sets of apologies.

If you are not invited to the party, enjoy the colours of the balloons and the colours of summer flowers. England is enjoying a heatwave in summer 2016.

Pink rose.

Orange rose.

These roses are in my garden in England.  Looking at my pictures, I am reminded of the saying, 'less is more'. Sometimes a large picture of one rose is better than a distant view of lots of tiny ones.

If you want to see more roses, you could visit a national garden. The Gardens of the Rose are near St Albans in Hertfordshire. You can see the gardens and heir gift shop on line. Look at this website of the Royal National Rose Society:

http://www.rnrs.org.uk

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

Sweet wines, pudding wines, wine tasting events UK and France

The Wine Society is holding a wine tasting event Feb 13 2016 in Stevenage. They are offering tasting of eight sweet wines with a little sweet food to match each one. The price is £55 which sounds a lot, yet they are already sold out.

Yes, this event is already sold out but other events are available throughout the year, walk around wine tasting, seated tasting events and full dinners. You need to become a member of the Wine Society (£40 a year but you get £20 off your first wine order) or to go along with a member. If you join you receive a copy of their newspaper with features about wine as well as regular emails about events and the annual catalogues of wines to buy and bits and pieces for yourself or gifts, such as tea towels, aprons, wine glasses, bottle openers, cheese and crackers and seasonal novelties such as chocolates and Xmas cakes and puddings.

I love sweet wines and here's my research into how to remember which is which.

Pudding Wines
REISLING
A popular half sweet wine is Riesling.

GEWURTZTRAMINER
The German name means spicy.
HUNGARIAN TOKAI or TOKAY
This is likely to be a dry red unless the bottle says aszul (sweet).

Fortified wines include PORT from Portugal.

Finally, the sweetest, my favourite, most expensive often a tall thin bottle, half bottle, almost candle shape, often from the USA or Canada or New Zealand.

What's it all about?
When the grapes are picked. The longer you leave the grapes the sweeter they become, like all fruit, which starts sharp early in the season.

Cabinet -grapes picked in August, just for your (kitchen) cabinet
Spatlese - spat is late, l e s e means left (on the vine), S for Spat and S for September
Auslese - imagine an O shape handwrite A, October ' left out later
Beerenauslese = 4th category, longer four syllable word, B for better, picked in November

Trockenbeerenauslese - T r o c k dry, not dry wine but dry like a raisin, extra sweet, seven syllables. Finally
Ice wine - distinctive bottle, very sweet, pricey.

The most syrup

Bad enter too - Eiswein is overtaken in sweetness.

Here's a memory aid:
Kebab Shops Are Bad To Eat.
is a well known genomic, slightly misleading because Trockenbeerenauslese is sweeter than Iceman.

Kabinet, S p a t l e s e,  Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein (same initial letters).
This doesn't sound very politically correct, nor do I find it memorable. Words starting with the letter
K are are: Kettle, Kin, Kinky, Kinship, Kip, Kirsch, kind, kiss, kite, Kiwi, Koala,
Koalas snatch all bags to eat. Goals search all bags to eat.

K S A B E T or KSABIT.
Koalas such at big eucalyptus trees.
Koalas squat/sit /swing at big eucalyptus trees.

The Wine Society
Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2BT.
TheWineSociety.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher and author.

Hearts outside Marks & Spencers at a Motorway stop

I thought that a day out of London meant you could not go shopping for dinner in the evening and gifts, but it's surprising what you can find just stopping on the motorway. At this time of year in the UK (and USA) your car boot (trunk in the USA) is often cold enough to keep your goods cool for the rest of the journey/day. In the UK many motorway stops have a branch of Marks and Spencers allowing you to buy a snack for the journey or flowers or pot plants for anybody you are visiting at a destination of back home. You can also stock up with food for dinner or the rest of the week. And an alternative source of food, gifts and cards for Valentine's Day.

The bottle(s) you buy at the airport (alcohol brands decisions)

After many trips overseas I can recall all my problems, only one problem on one trip in ten, but one problem too many. These include:
1 At airport of departure country not knowing my duty free allowance.
2 Leaving behind my duty free package in the overhead luggage locker.
3 Taking somebody else's by mistake.
4 Somebody else taking mine by mistake.
5 Leaving my duty free in the boot of a taxi from the airport which had lots of bags belonging to the taxi driver.
6 Not buying any duty free because I don't drink then realising my host would have liked a bottle for the welcome dinner when I reached their home.
7 Not knowing whether the drink at the airport was a saving worth the extra cost of a porter/taxi or the inconvenience of carrying the extra weight.
8 The airport duty free tote bag had flimsy handles which cut my wrists and broke, when I could have brought a bag with good handles from home.
9 Packing a bottle in the middle of my suitcase and it broke leaving me with no drink and stained and smelly clothes.
10 An opened bottle half drunk at destination leaked on the way home.
11 Regret not buying more of bargain when I realised after we separated at airport that one of the family (husband wife and teenage son) had a third allowance.
12 Lots of drink at home, not sure if we have lots of rum but no vodka or vice versa.
13 Not knowing which brand to buy because we don't normally buy that sort of alcohol.
14 Great offer of a free umbrella with one drink and a free set of glasses with another. Have to decide in a hurry if we really need the product and is the free gift free or is the drink overpriced to include it.

Before you go to the airport plan your purchases. Who needs gifts? How many are travelling? How much can you carry? Who are you visiting? Do you need gifts for hosts at your destination? Do you know what is rare or valued in that country, company, family?
   Check your duty free allowance. Write it down on a piece of paper in your bag's front pocket.  Assuming you plan to carry a duty free it in a bag, have it attached to something you will not leave behind, such as a large first name label, umbrella, coat with a belt.
Solutions to the above problems. Solutions:
Check your home country duty free allowance. (For outgoing journey journey.)
Check your destination(s) duty free allowance. (For return journey and leaving destination on side trips and stopovers to a third country or circular trip with hops.)
Check your home drinks cabinet to see what you need and what you have too much of from previous trips.
Check your calendar - is there a family wedding, funeral, exam celebration, New Year's Eve party, dinner party, family reunion or other event at which you will need drink.
Do you have foreign guests who will drink something you don't have (e.g. sake for Japanese visitors).
Do you need a spare in a country you are visiting (e.g. Chinese or Japanese where you might be presented with a gift and need to reciprocate.)

Would a box of five miniature bottles or perfumes enable you to present something to all the family or all the colleagues instead of singling out the host?
Do you need a presentation box or wrapping paper or a birthday card or wedding congratulations card from home to re-wrap the gift at destination?

List your home drinks supply, oversupply or needs in a small hand back diary kept in a regular place such as right hand pocket, or on mobile phone, so you can find the list easily. Check your local paper or cut out the page with supermarket offers. It might be cheaper or easier to buy from home before leaving (especially if in a hurry or stuck in traffic). Keep the newspaper cutting with you.

Instead or as backup you could use your phone or computer to take a picture of your home drinks (or family or host's drinks shelf), or your supermarket shelf, and email this to yourself, then read it an airport lounge or in a cafe at the destination.

Find out if your host/ family are not fussy and just want 'the cheapest whisky' or 'any bottle of plonk. Or do they have a yearning for something special, my favourite is such and such a brand - if you can get it / I only drink ... / 'I've never tried a malt whisky', 'sake would make a change', 'ooh - this is an expensive bottle! Thanks so much.'