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Valentine's Day Symbols and Celebrations in Dublin, Ireland, Australia, America and Worldwide

Valentine's memorial in Dublin, Ireland. Photo from Wikipedia.

Grave of Jayne Mansfield. Pennsylvania. USA.

In America children at school make Valentine's day cards for teachers, parents and other pupils. 

Now the idea has reached the UK of parents buying cards and gifts for their children. If no children, for your pets. 

It has left behind its associations with courting, and Christianity, and become commercial. A bit like Christmas and Easter. 

Valentine's Day fireworks, Australia. Wikipedia.

Wikipedia tells you which countries have banned Valentine's day. Check up on Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan. The objections seem to be that it is Christian, not Muslim, is western. Worse still, it encourages immoral, romantic relationships outside marriage. 

The objection to Westernization can be considered the same as introducing immorality - but the West was at distant times Puritanical and at our grandparents' time Victorian. So is is a different question. One of identity. Being different. And one of power and control.  

To my mind, once it is detached from being solely or mainly connected with singles, it becomes a celebration of all kinds of love. It is an innocent day, and a day for proposing marriage, anniversaries. It can be about family love, friendship. 

This keeps it separate from religion, from Christianity. However, although not attached to religion, it can be attacked on the grounds that it is certainly commercial. 

However, as one commentator said, retailers want to sell items and make money. Hardly surprising. That is their purpose.

Card

If you want an economical Valentine's day, make a card. It is easy. Fold paper in half so that the two halves match. Use a heart shape cutter to cut a heart in toast and fill the centre, with egg and tomato strips or ketchup. Cut hearts out of pancakes with a knife. You get two - the piece cut out and the piece left behind. 

You could also make a pop up card. Easy to do with just a heart.

Photograph yourself making a heart shape with your thumbs pointing down, for a photo to send to your family and loved ones overseas. 

Buy red apples from the supermarket and cut out a heart shape. You can do this with green apples. But red would be better.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10482171/Parents-buying-Valentines-gifts-KIDS-shops-accused-gratuitous-consumerism.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed_article&ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed#comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_B%27Av

About the author of this blog post

Angela Lansbury

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

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

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When

 

Crumbs - so that's how the British make crumpets

Buttered crumpet from Wikipedia.

Problem
On a cold day in England, what do you eat for tea? For a quick, filling, warming tea? High tea of baked beans on toast - or crumpets! I love them.

In summer it's scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream. In winter it's crumpets. You'll find them in any supermarket in the UK.

Now the secret's out. You could make them at home. But even a professional chef got it wrong the first time. However, if you are on a roll - excuse the pun, making bread at home, maybe this is something for you to try. If it doesn't work out in your kitchen, you'll appreciate the bought ones even more.

On your next trip to London, make sure to try the crumpets.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-5395877/The-real-reason-holes-crumpets-revealed.html

visitbritain.com

Heart shape crumpet. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

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

Mother's Day Flowers - For Next weekend

March is a jolly month. march is Mother's Day month. Every florist has flowers and so do the supermarkets and the newsagents have cards but you can get them in one place, or add cards to your garden flowers, or mix up a cuddly toy with bunch of flowers and a card, home grown flowers with a shop bought card, or shop bought flowers with a home made or home printed card, or cards sent in from others by email to add to your big bouquet. Or get the lot in one place. Yes, it's a commercial event but why not.

Here's a local florist in Hatch End. Bella, always chatty and with a smile.

Mother's Day is Sunday but many restaurants are booked on Saturday. Some close Saturday lunch and other close Sunday lunch. So you could have a restaurant meal, or a meal at home with flowers, or both. Maybe it's time we renamed it Mother's Weekend. The hotels are starting to wise up to the idea that you can offer a restaurant meal with champagne or rose wine, and an overnight stay. They've all had practise on Valentine's Day. So have we, the customers. 

The festivals brighten up the High Street.

A bouquet and a balloon.

Heart shape hangings.

A framed picture and a planter pot of bulbs and a heart shaped balloon. Bella's Blooms and Bella's balloons.

Colours, red, pink, purple.

Lots of pretty colourful flowers. Bella says prices go up in retail shops because the (wholesale) markets put their prices up. She also sells cards.

I like flowers which smell good as well as looking good.

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

Hearts in Costa Coffee Shops

If you are looking for hearts for Valentine's Day, here's a little something for a romantic coffee time or tea time. Heart shape in Costa Coffee. I spotted a heart-shape centre to a biscuit at a motorway stop in the UK. Somewhere between London and Reading. I am not sure if this biscuit is seasonal or regular. Either way, great on the day, or any day to brighten somebody's face, even your own, with a smile

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