NEW Year - Jewish, explained and illustrated

 We just had the two days of The Jewish New Year. The story is in Leviticus 23.24. The Feast of Trumpets. The ram's horn is blown in the synagogue on New Year;s Day. (This takes a lot of puff.) 

In my greetings card box I found old greeting cards for Jewish festivities. Nowadays people send greetings through animated cards and whatsapp but the old printed cards reminded me from the pictures that features of the festival include eating honey and apples.

Looking out of my window in London I see apples on trees in back gardens. The Jewish new year is a lunar new year like the Asian, Chinese,  and Muslim new years. So is Sukkot, the upcoming harvest festival celebrated in Christian churches in England as well as the assembly of Christian Cof E (Church of England) state school, which Americans call public schools. 

School Year

Jewish New Year starting in autumn may seem odd, until you reflect that school and universities follow the same traditional timing.

I remember from living in the USA that in the UK public schools are what Americans call private schools.  What the Americans call public schools, are what we in the UK used to call Council schools because the County council funds them from council tax. 

Jewish New Year's Eve Dinner

The evening before in Hebrew is called Erev. Easy to remember. Eve for evening like New Year's Eve on Dec 31st, and Erev.

I was invited to a Jewish New Year evening dinner on the evening before the second day of Rosh Hashana. Like Christmas eve, Jewish holidays start the night before. (Friday night is the start of the sabbath, varying in time according to the time of darkness when you can see three stars. No need to squint at the sky. A Jewish diary or calendar or newspaper tells you what time the sabbath or festival starts.

Two Night and Two Day Festivals in the Diaspora

The diaspora is the dispersal. (The Irish and others also use the word diaspora, and living beyond the pale, meaning boundary.)

In the UK two nights are celebrated. That is because of the time difference. The UK is not the same time as Jerusalem and Israel, so to be sure to cover every hour of the holiday, two days are celebrated. In Israel, they only celebrate for one day. Often the mother or grandmother or oldest sister cooks and invites the family for the first day. Sometimes a sister or daughter will hold the festive meal at her home on the second day, often using leftover food, and table decorations, candle sticks, flowers, table naplins, plates, borrowing whatever is needed, or pretty, or appropriate. Most religious people celebrate on two days. Non religious people, friends, distant relatives might be invited on the second day. I was invited on the secnd day (night before the second day which this week, this year, was Tuesday night.

Here are some pretty pictures for your entertainment. 

Flower display. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

 Apple and head covering for a man. Paper napkin showing in gold foil the ram's horn. A plastic dipper for honey symbolising sweetness to spread on the apple. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

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Chollah bread. Honey in bowl. With one large wooden honey dipper. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Honey in bowl. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Chocolate wrapped in foil. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Kosher chocolate

It doesn't have to be kosher chocolate. Ideally parve, chocolate designated as vegan, which contains neither milk nor meat, and can be served with either kind of meal.

A milk chocolate could be served with a milk meal containing no meat or meat products, not chicken, only fish. 

The real harvest festival is coming up soon, Sukkot, when households and synagogues build a sukkah, tempeorary hut with a view of the sky, (resembling the booths for guardians of the harvest, built out in Indian fields), decorated with hanging fruit 

Useful Dates

Yom Kippur 2025 Evening of October 1st to sundown on October 2nd.

Sukkot

Evening of Monday 6th October to 1th October in 2025.

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The DIY Dolls' House Or Theatre For Holidays

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

Kleenex Box Theatre

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

Ring Box Display

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

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

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

Shoe Box House

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

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

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

Dolls' House comical poem by Angela Lansbury

 Ava had a little dolly

And the dolly's name was Molly

Molly had a taller sister

And her sister's name was Elsa

The sisters lived in a big house

Which had a dog, a cat, and mouse

A front garden, pots with flowers

A sundial clock counted hours

 

Outside was small blue car

If dolly wanted to go far

And a train in the train station

And police in the police station 

In the hallway was a rug

Where Molly met you with a hug

In the hallway by the window

Was a long inviting settee

When you had nowhere to go

Shut your eyes, dream of the sea - or tea

In the kitchen the best honey

Which had cost a lot of money

In the kitchen was a cook

With an apron, bowl, and book

Upstairs was an attic bed

A pillow where you put your head

And a box with lots of toys

But the toys made no noise

And a wardrobe with a mirror

Where dollies could dress for dinner

And some pictures on the wall

With blue gum to fix them all

On the roof a helipad

Where you could land a little plane

Some of the roof was sloping

Made a runaway for the rain

The roof had statues of a dog

A Noah's ark, tortoise and frog

A cow, a horse, even a bear

A monster with a lot of hair

On the roof the cat with claws

Sat beside the Santa Claus

He hid on the roof all year

Waiting to deliver Christmas cheer

Yes, dolly did have a brother

And a father, and a mother

Dolly-sitter Ava came to stay

When dollies' Dad went on holiday.

But the dolly girls went to school

And the school had lots of rules

About the times when you could play

The long weekends, and holidays.

At bedtime with a sigh

Dolly had to say goodbye

But Dolly was here to stay

Ready to play another day

So Ava shut the door, the house

Put in the cat, put out the mouse

She said, 'dear dollies, please sleep tight

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

-ends-

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

Toys and DIY

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

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The origins of honey pots in shops, supermarkets, hotels overseas, online

 Helios is the Greek sun god.

I found Helios, a brand of honey from Mexico.

Lid of small Helios brand honey pot. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Helios pots in my collection also include one whose lid declares Naranja Amarga

Bitter Orange

Lid of Naranja Amarga, bitter orange. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Lid of Wilkin & Sons Ltd, Tiptree. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Small empty jar from finished honey, showing label of Tiptree, Essex, England.

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Miel de melada  is honey from honeydew. Cantabria is in Spain.

UK

British brands of honey include:

With the aid of a small magnifying glass, I read, produced on the Tiptree fruit farms since 1885.

The front label says, a blend of non EU honey.

Wilkin & Sons Ltd

Tiptree

Essex

Useful Websites

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

King Charles spoke in Italian to the Italians - you can too!

King Charles III on a British ten pound note.

The Italian name equivalent to Charles is Carlo.

 King Charles spoke in Italian to the Italians in Rome, the eternal city, in April 2025. I am learning Italian on Duolingo and you can, too. 

Here are some of the phrases I have learned

Italian - English

aspetto che - I am waiting for

bello essere qui - good to be here

mio marito - my husband (the one I am married to)

e importante - it is important (you need to put the accent on the solo e to change the letter e from 'and' to 'is')

causa - because (the second half of the English word is almost the same, cause)

tutto sara facile - everything will be easy

vero - true (agreeing with somebody) Nod and you have 'that's true', raise your eyebrows and you have, 'really!' or ironically,'NO! You don't say!'

At breakfast, the word for honey is mela

Ho bisogno de - I want/ I have need of

voglio - I want

non voglio - I do not want (v and w are pairs, twins, but you need to tell them apart. v and w are interchangeable in some languages, for example, in German the word wilkommen is pronounced vilkommen)

voglio che - I want that (eg I would like something to happen)

mela - honey

imparare - to learn

To learn Italian you can use Duolingo. 

To find handy phrases and sentences for travelling, you can use Wikivoyage Phsebook Italian.

To translate words you can use Translate Google.

To translate an entire speech you can save sections in Translate Google.

To practise speaking, you can attend an Italian speaking club of Toastmasters International. There is an online club in Rome. I prepared a message for them.

I am learning Italian on Duolingo.

Sto imparando l'italiano su Duolingo.

I would like to attend an online meeting.

Vorrei partecipare a una riunione online.

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

Please follow my blogs and share with your family, friends and colleagues the links to entertaining and instructive posts.

Romanian Language your first ten easy words

Romanian Flag.

The name Romania comes from the word Roman.  Wikivoyage phrasebook romanian says that the language is more like Italian than French. I recognize plurals formed by adding the letter i as used in the Italian language. 

But I speak French so I recognize lots of Romanian words as being similar to French. For example, the Romanian word for thank you is mersi, like the French word merci. So to me, the Romanian language is more like French than Italian.

Where can you start to learn? It's easy to start for free on Duolingo. The system has several features which I like. Pictures are matched with everyday words. A simple grammar guide and list of phrases starts each set of exercises. 

Two words for you, several of which sound similar to French. 

English (alphabetically) - Romanian

are (they are) - sunt (like the french nous sommes in we are and elles sont in they are) 

cocoa - cacao (proounced cack - ow as in howl or owl. The English word has the letter o twice, but the Romanian has the letter a twice)

honey - miere (me air ay or me air er, like the French word miel)

I - eu (pronounced yo)

thanks -  mersi (like the French merci)

the - la (as in French)

two - doi (notice the letters d and o like the English word duo)

unt - butter (notice the letters u and t in the Romanian and the English)

You - tu, voi (the same as the French tu, and similar to the French vous, which also has the letters v and o)

we - noi (similar to the French nous which has the letters n and o)

Romanian (alphabetically) - English

butter - unt

cacao - cocoa

doil - two (like the English word duo)

eu (pronounced yo) - I

la - the

mersi - thanks

miere - honey

noi - we (like the French word nous)

sunt - are

tu - you

voi - you

Numbers[edit]

1

unu (OO-noo)

2

doi (doy)

3

trei (tray)

4

patru (PAH-troo)

5

cinci (cheench)

6

șase (SHAH-seh)

7

șapte (SHAHP-teh)

8

opt (ohpt)

9

nouă (NOH-uh)

10

zece (ZEH-cheh)

Useful Websites

Duolingo

https://www.duolingo.com/

Wikivoyage Romania phrasebook

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Romanian_phrasebook

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Souvenirs from Albania: at Tirana airport, online, shopping malls, the capital, the wineries, the Shkroder castle kiosk

 

Airport shop, departure, airside, after security, near the cafeteirias while waiting for flight gate to be announced, Tirana, Albania. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Souvenirs

1 Flag symbol, the black double headed eagle, on red background. See it, on tee shirt, caps and these milk jugs at the airport. The milk jugs cost 12 euros each. I just bought a set of four small white jugs which are easier to clean, from Amazon, for half that price, but if you have leks and or euros to get rid of, these cute red milk jugs for your morning cup of coffee would be great. If I were to go back, I would buy one, possibly cheaper in a big supermarket or from a shopping mall, of which there is one large one near the airport and another large one the other side of the capital city of Tirana. Also, after your home and suffer from why didn't I buy non-buyers regret, loads online from Alibaba and others, red tee shirts, dresses, and eagle gold colour necklaces.

2 Wine - from the airport, but also the wineries you visit, so you can try before you buy.

3 Olive oil

4 Honey - runny honey and thick honey to go on yogurt, delicious.

5 Fig jam (mine is from Isak winery)

6 Cross-body fabric bags (i bought from a kiosk at Shkoder castle  north of Tirana). Three zip pockets down the front. Main pocket big enough for a mobile phone.  Light weight bag with wide strap. My favourite.

7 Lace flower necklaces (from a shop in castle alley in Tirana, the capital). Lovely choice of colours. the asking price was 10 euros each. I liked two. I immediately negotiated and got offered two for 15 euros. I bought both, one blue, one red (and white).

8 Outlets for big brands and shopping malls

9 Wedding dresses - huge choice from huge shops along the motorway from Tirana driving north past the white Disney type castles which are wedding venues.

Useful websites

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g294445-Activities-c26-t144-Albania.html

After Paddington Bear, Where Next For Marmalade? Follow Queen Elizabeth's footstep's to Wilkinson's Tiptree Museum for a taste - early tea time

What is marmalade? A jam made from oranges, sharp oranges, not only sugar, so they have a bitter bite to wake you up at breakfast time.

After the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was videoed sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington bear, where can you buy marmalade?

In central London in Fortnum's department store. But actually, in any supermarket.

Brands include, Mark's, Robertsons, and more.

M & S sells marmalade fine cut, medium cut, coarse cut, and with ginger.

We look for thick cut marmalade.

Many other brands and variations exist.

Rose's

• Lemon & Lime
• Lime
• Lemon
• Grapefruit
• Orange
• Ginger

Her majesty The Queen visited the Tiptree jam factory in 2010.

If you are in London, take a trip to the Tiptree museum in Essex. Entry is free. You can watch a film and see the factory. It take fifteen minutes to forty five minutes for your visit. 

You can also visit their tea rooms. They make chocolate spread, salted caramel. And their website has recipes for all meals of the day and cocktails. Make sure to get there early. They museum and cafe cum shop keep factory hours. They close at 4.30 in winter and 5 in summer.

They also serve and sell quince or damson preserves, honey, alcohol, and Christmas puddings!

It starts with picking fruit.

Tiptree tea.

 

Tiptree hamper.

DIY Marmalade

 If you want to make marmalade, you need Seville oranges from Spain which are sold in England in early Spring. To make marmalade you want fruit which does not have wax or insect repellent, on the skin, so look for oranges which say they are suitable for making marmalade, or treat them suitably.

We made marmalade in Singapore from little round orange fruit which look like oranges but a gardening centre told us they were limes. When we were short of fruit, we added an ordinary orange to increase volume and that worked out just fine.

Useful Websites

For pictures of the queen's visit to the jam factory:

https://www.tiptree.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Food_museums_in_the_United_Kingdom

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkin_%26_Sons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiller%27s_marmalade

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Marmalade

https://www.britishonlinesupermarket.com/marks-spencer/marks-spencer-jams-spreads/m-s-marmalade.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose%27s_(marmalade)

You tube demo of making marmalade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTfp3HevfmE

https://www.tiptree.com/tiptree-jam-museum

https://www.tiptree.com/products/marmalade

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A second day of sweet surprises at joyful George's Villa Near Dali in Cyprus

Angela Lansbury and George admiring grapes at George's Villa in Cyprus. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

George's Villa Big Breakfast 

I and my husband started out day sharing the spa bath in the large red-walled bathroom beside our spacious bedroom. I managed to get a decent photo, decent in the sense of showing no private parts, by crossing my legs and folding my arms.

We dressed quickly, ready for the owner's wife Hana, to arrive with our breakfast, costing five euros per person, on a wicker tray. We had white bread, cheese, slices of processed meat, two bananas. The room already had apples and oranges. Pecan nuts. She brought some spreads. And Hawaiian juice. Boiled eggs. Fried halloumi cheese - very tasty. 

Tea Time at George's Villa

When we returned from the Greek side of the divided capital, Nicosia, at tea time, it started to rain. The car park beside the guest house wall is open air. But Hana came rushing out, all smiles, carrying two umbrellas. 

She asked, "Would you like honey for tea?" By the time we reached the top of the outside staircase and the bedroom door, she was already there with the honey. She filled the kettle with water and took out two cups for us and the tea bags and Nescafe.

The motorway is less than five minutes away. We reached Nicosia in an hour. 

If you want to cross into the Turkish side, remember your passports, which will be checked four times, by the Greeks as you leave, as you enter the Turkish side, returning from Turkey into the short walk along the suburban road which is now no man's land, and back through the Greek side.. I had already done that earlier in the week with my walking group. On this day trip we heard the Greek point of view at the Observation Tower.

Fond Farewell

On the morning when we left, both George and Hana helped us out to the car with our suitcases and packages. Charming George's last words to my husband were a positive remark, a compliment to me and my husband, "Look after this treasure!"

Fun Food, Cards and Blessings at Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah

 

Cards for Rosh Hashanah, New Year. Symbols for the sweet New Year are apples and honey. Photo of cards by Angela Lansbury.

Rosh Hashanah means Head (Rosh), (of), The (ha), Shanah (New year).  The lunar calendar date for Rosh Hashanah 2021 is from Sundown Monday Sept 6 to sundown  Wednesday Sept 8. In Israel most holidays are celebrated for one day. However, because other countries further away overlap by two days, to be sure of celebrating the whole holiday and the right time, two celebrations are held. If relatives cannot attend because they are holding their own celebrations, they can come to you on the second night. Alternatively, the hostess on the first night can give a daughter or sister or sister in law the leftovers of food and tableware to make it easier for the other person to hold a second celebration of the holiday on the second night.

You can see and buy Jewish New Year greeting cards online such as on Amazon and in newsagents and stationery shops.

We arrived early. We were asked to arrive at 7.15. We wondered whether that was arrive earlier for a prompt start at 7.15, or Jewish time, any time after 7.15.

We checked the time of sunset. We set off and arrived early enough to sit in the garden drinking kosher blush wine. Because of the baby grandchild, who does not yet have any sense of time, we started late.

Our meal started with the pre-meal blessing over wine, known as the kiddush. I was impressed by the wine dispenser which I have shown in an earlier post. 

The first blessing was over wine, the second over bread or fruits of the earth. the blessing starts with the word for bless and ends with the word for wine. (I listen for ha - the gafem - drinkwine? or eretz/aitz - land adom/adam/adum - earth.)

The meal started with the apples and honey which you see on many cards. We dipped apples slices in honey and then sesame seeds.

A good time was had by all.

Useful websites

Transliteration of blessings from Hebrew to English

https://18doors.org/blessings_over_bread_and_wine/#:~:text=Kiddush%20(Blessing%20over%20wine)&text=of%20the%20vine.-,Phonetic%20Hebrew%20transliteration%3A,%2Day%20peri%20ha%2Dgafen.

Jewish greeting cards

https://www.moonpig.com/uk/personalised-cards/p/shanah-tovah-hand-and-floral-card/dvr089-sq/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4eaJBhDMARIsANhrQAAxVYLDRBx8RAJOn2Q5MGGtRsOgh7xDYQrHy7kiGr9SfiP4VaR3aN4aAspEEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&size=13&utm_campaign=shopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google

How the Hayes Conference Centre Coped With Covid-19

 

Sign on the bedroom desk

We were amazed and delighted to be back at the Hayes conference centre which coped so well and made us feel welcome. Sanitizers for hands were either side of the door, foot-operated. With numbers down from the high of about 400 in one or two previous years to 200 the rooms were spacious and it was easier to sit one seat away from anybody else when you chose to do so. 

Masks

The Hayes had a supply of disposable blue masks. However, most people had masks of fabric. One of two people had special matching masks. I admired the orange satin mask matching the orange outfit. The sequined mask matching the sequined tote bag. The red tartan mask matching the red tartan shirt (from Amazon).

Gloves

Some of the catering and cleaning staff were wearing masks. Others were not.

The bedroom doors were sealed with a sign saying they had been sanitized.

I like the sign on the bedroom desk: Hello and Welcome. It's great to see you.

Downstairs in the crossroad corridor by the bar was a wonderful huge sign saying Hello we've missed you. What great marketing.

At morning and afternoon tea instead of the home made cakes we had wrapped cakes and biscuits. I was partial to the local bakewell tart. Mrs Crimble's Bakewell slice.  Other choices were muffins with blueberry or chocolate chip. 

At lunch and dinner time we had a buffet on some days for both lunch and dinner. At other times we had a choice of sandwiches, wraps, baguettes, and plain salads. I saw a friend who was on a gluten free diet had a baked potato so I asked for the same and got it. I rejected the offered ham as being processed meat and was very happy to have grated cheese.

I can't speak to highly of the staff at the Hayes. They were so friendly and helpful. If you are arranging a conference, lovely place. Rooms of all sizes. Bedrooms. Meeting rooms. For quiet, choose the main house. For conviviality, or overlooking your car, Maybe Lakeside. But I understood from our AGM held on the last afternoon that we have the writers conference booked up to five years in advance, with a deposit paid and have to take and pay for the number of rooms the organizers book. This year, because of the uncertainty, anxiety and restrictions on travel from overseas, the numbers attending our conference were down from about 400 to about 200. A delicate guessing game and calculation. 

In previous years, I am going back twenty years now to the earliest days, the place was like a school. The motto seemed to be, find out what people are doing and stop them. If you took a piece of fruit and hadn't ordered a vegetarian meal, there were announcements about how annoyed other guests were at non vegetarians who had unfairly taken fruit.

However, nowadays there were copious supplies of fruit. If you were early you might get a banana. If you got to the fruit bowl late you might get an apple or orange instead. If you were late you might get a chocolatine instead of a croissant. But if you asked for something  they would immediately go and look. Once I saw that a vegan had asked for a baked potato instead of the lunchtime ham and cheese sandwiches. So I asked for a baked potato. I got baked potatoes twice. The third time they were very apologetic that there were no potatoes because of the village wide power cut. But they apologized to me, instead of making me feel I had been unreasonable. So I felt good all week.

Sweet Surprises

My last discovery in the dining room was on the last day. No croissants. Staff immediately run to find me a croissant. 

They had cleared away breakfast. I looked at two plastic bottles which I had previously ignored. One was honey. Just the thing to go on toast.And they made brown bread toast for me. No shrug that they'd cleared away, too late, all gone.   Later, another of my friends said she had put honey in her tea. 

The second bottle was maple syrup, which we used to have at home on our porridge. So if I get back to the Hayes and they still have the maple syrup, next time I shall take the porridge and add maple syrup.

There is always something unhealthy, or over healthy, which you don't want. But there's always so much that you are bound to get something you like if you are willing to ask and look on the bright side. 

Cash or Card?

At the end of the week at the Writers' Holiday, a collection is made of or the staff. Remember to take some cash. In case the bar or the shop are taking cash for small sums. This year the bar was taking cards and the shop was supposedly taking cash. In the writers holiday area, the main book area was taking cards. They wanted your bank transfer number if you wanted to be paid for sold books by bank transfer. But the second hand book table had a box for cash donations. I bought notebooks in both the Hayes shop and the Writers' Conference shop. If you make sure you have cash left over for the staff tips, or a charity collection, depending on your type of conference, then you can be as generous as you like, then you won't risk feeling, I wish I had given a little more. 

Subtle socially distanced seating.

Useful Websites

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

https://www.visitpeakdistrict.com/

mrscrimbles.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Biscuits-Mrs-Crimbles-Crackers

Wonderful Wales: Fishguard's Last Invasion Tapestry, Elizabeth Taylor's Hotel, Honey, bugs and more

Welsh Dragon

Fishguard
The two big attractions, outdoors and indoors.

Indoors
The Last Invasion Embroidery
On the main square in Fishgaurd is the Town Hall contianing the tourist office with leflats and souvenirs on the ground floor, and the library with the gallery displaying the embrodiery, Wales' answer to the Bayeux tapestry.

The Last Invasion, written in text and pcitures on a long cloth like a cartoon, with colour and humour, tells the local story of how the women in red and black outfits and high hats, scared off the invading French and captured them. (Sort of reverse Bayeux tapestry, because in the Bayeux tapestry the invading French won, under William the Conqueror. He told his story, and gave us the valuable historic Domesday book, but is still remembered as the anti-hero in Hastings.

The Under Milk Wood Trail
Dylan Thomes wrote Under Milk Wood based on two places in Wales you can visit. However, many people are equally or more familiar with the places in Fishguard shown in the film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. You can walk around the upper town, near the Town Hall and Embrodiery, then walk down or bus down to Lower Fishguard, walk along past the boats and tiny hosues, admiring the sculptures.

Sit by the sea on the benches and shelter your sandwiches from marauding seagulls which hop hopefull towards your feet, hoping from crumbs or donations. Then pop into the pub for a drink and read the cuttings and pictures and posters on the walls.  Plenty of photo opportunities, you against the sea, or the parked boats, or the wave of boats as a backdrop.

Other Wishlist Places Around Wales
Bug Farm
Has a Grub Kitchen, tel 07986 698169.
14.5 miles from Fishguard and 17 miles from Haverfordwest.
Glass
Honey
Winery

Fishguard Bay Hotel. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Up on the clifftop above the Fishguard and Goodwyck station is the Fishguard Bay Hotel where Liz and Richard stayed whilst filming. Enjoy the fine view.

One of the bedrooms was where they stayed. The hotel has a honeymoon suite.

Much of the building is, by accident rather than design, stuck in a time warp. All the more delightful.

This is the real thing. Old Wales. It's windy, wet and miles away. (From London.)  Love it or hate it. I love it.

Useful Websites
facebook.com.GWRUK
www.thebugfarm.co.uk

More later.

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

Factory Tours Where You Can Watch Cooks Make Bake and Take Home Foods and Fun Souvenirs

Problem
Easter time is coming up and the shops and supermarkets are full of seasonal eggs and delights which you won't find any other tiem of year. The times of year when the most chocolate is bought are Christmas and Easter. From Easter all the stately homes and attractions are opening, including the factory tours. What a good time to look for some chocolate and a workshop and factory visit. You can sample hocolate and see how it is made in England, America, Belgium, Switzerland, all over the place actually.

CHOCOLATE
ENGLAND
London is full of chocolate shops offering tasting and chocolate and wine pairings and all sort of events througout the year, adveritsied on the walls of the hcocolate shops and details are sent to you if you give them your email.

You can book a birthday party for children or events for adults. I went to a chocolate and wine pairing evening in the basement of a chocolate shop in Marylebone, surrounded by posters and books about chocolate. What we saw was more maps than machines.

I also went to a chocolate show at Olympia where I saw children who had signed up for a class making chocolate lollipips with decorations for faces or abstract pictures. Afterwards I watchd a parade of chocolate dresses and hats. Then I enjoyed a chocolate talk and tasting event in the theatre.

York
https://www.yorkschocolatestory.com

Birmingham
https://www.cadburyworld.co.uk/en

CHOCOLATE IN ICELAND
Useful Websites
Omnom ehf.Hólmaslód 4, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland.
www.omnomchocolate.com
www.icelandair.co.uk

CHOCOLATE IN ITALY
A chocolate fair is held every year in Perugia, the delightful capital of the Umbria region in the heart of Italy.


More details from
https://www.carnifest.com/events/italy/perugia/62/the-eurochocolate-festival-of-perugia-2017
ITALY
Major cities include: Rome, Venice, Milan, Florence, Assisi, Perugia. Italy is the origin of wrapped Baci 'kiss' chocolates from Perugia.
www.umbriatourism.it

 (See my post on the chocolate fair and other articles on Perugia and Umbria.)

CHOCOLATE IN SWITZERLAND
Alprose Factory, a short walk from the nearby railway station. Wonderful film and tour which ends at the shop which is full of chocolates in all shapes and sizes and gift packs.

Alprose chocolate factory in Switzerland.

USA
Hershey
...
GINGERBREAD -
GINGERBREAD IN POLAND
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g274854-d4544571-Reviews-Live_Museum_of_Gingerbread-Torun_Kuyavia_Pomerania_Province_Central_Poland.html

....
HONEY
In the land of milk and honey.
HONEY IN ISRAEL
https://new.goisrael.com

Useful website list:
https://www.cadburyworld.co.uk/en

PARMA HAM FACTORY
PARMA HAM IN ITALY
http://www.itineraemilia.it/en/tours/gourmet_tours/visit_parma_factory.aspx
I did the parma ham factory tour in the town of Parma in Italy. I must admit I love Parma ham. it is super thin and has excellent strong flavour. Best eaten with melon which takes away the saltiness.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other posts on chocolate and factory tours. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Buying Jewellery On Trips - Tips - plus factory tours for chocolate and honey

Problem
Where can I learn more about jewellery, gold, diamonds, buy at a discount?
If only I had ...!

Answers
I have taken tours of:

Angela Lansbury with UK flag and hat. Selfie. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

1 ENGLAND
Birmingham, England
The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England.
Link here, but links are also repeated at the end of this post:
Birmingham:
http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/jewellery
London:
https://www.diamondsfactory.co.uk/education/diamond-guide

2 ISRAEL
I have taken a trip around a diamond factory which ended a free tour of Jaffa, the old hilltop area of Tel Aviv seaside in Israel (where I bought a microscopic diamond in an unusual triangle setting),
https://www.israel21c.org/israels-top-10-factory-tours/

3 THE NETHERLANDS
I visited a diamond factory in Europe.
http://www.amsterdamsights.com/attractions/diamonds.html

4 USA - turquoise set in silver
I watched Native Americans insert turquoise into silver at a large 'supermarket' stop (where I bought a six pointed star which Jews call the 'Star of David' and Moslems call 'The Seal of Solomon', and

5 CHINA
A jewellery factory in China where I bought a red and green stones ring.

6 NEW ZEALAND opals
Opal is the stone down under. Whilst my family were skiing in New Zealand, I went around every jewellery store checking the prices of charms for pendants, bracelets, rings and keyrings. In those days opals were opals.
Later In the UK I saw an opal bracelet, second hand, in the window of a shop in Wales. When I asked for a receipt, 'for insurance purposes', I was shocked to find that I had bought imitation opals.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g257473-d7980989-Reviews-The_Arrowtown_Jade_Opal_Factory-Arrowtown_Otago_Region_South_Island.html

7 MEXICO - Silver
On a cruise stop in Mexico we were taken to a jewellery and general souvenir store where we had a short talk about local goods and a chance to buy spherical bells as pendants, then more money if you wanted the matching silver chains. I bought. (Afterwards I saw a smaller and cheaper one on the cruise ship. Was one of them solid silver as claimed, another plated - I never found out about what I bought nor how to test.

8 POLAND - Amber
I bought an amber bracelet in three colour, the real amber which is an orange-y brown and contrasting green and yellow, in silver. All over Warsaw and other cities in Polands jewellery shops, souvenir shops and hotel shops displayed amber jewellery.
A museum is in the northern port of Gdansk.
For an aerial view of the Gdansk city rooftops and the inside of the glass column shelves of the museum displays:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SZSer11m3M

In fact a necklace ringing every time I moved soon turned out to be a nuisance. I discovered that at a concert where you were supposed to stay silent and scared to fidget. Every now and then I re-discover it, am really pleased and wonder why I have never worn it. I wear it for an evening, then tire of it again.

Advance Research
Check on your own birthstone. Do you like the colour of your birthstone?

What jewellery do you already have? Do you need any more?

If you can afford it, buy a matching set. If not, wear or take a photo of a ring or bracelet or necklace, and look for another piece which will form a set with what you already have and like.

Price Comparison
Make an advance comparison. Note the quality and size of jewellery you already have. Note the quality, size and price of jewellery offered at duty-free shops at the airport. Note the quality, size and price of jewellery offered in your home city jewellers or online shops. Compare with online prices shown for your destination.

Note the day's gold price which is listed in some local newspapers and online. Note the currency exchange rate. Note that the price for buying and selling may be different.

Insurance
How will you insure the item you buy?

Rewards
Which credit card offers you the best rewards or airmiles?

Altered To Fit
Can the jewellery item be altered to fit or is it adjustable?
For example, an adjustable ring. A necklace can be shortened and sometimes lengthened or a long one worn looped to make it shorter. If the item is shortened, is the alternation free? Will you need to return to collect the item or can it be done while you wait?

If so, how long will it take? Will it be done in front of you, so you can say exactly what size, and be sure the jeweller's assistant is not swapping stones nor shaving off gold nor damaging the gold plating with his pliers or vice?

Do you get to keep the links which are cut out? If so, can they be made into another piece of matching jewellery or a pendant or bracelet?

Can a matching piece be ordered by post later?

Can you go on a mailing list for the next sale?

Group Discounts
If you are on a tour, the tour organiser may get a discount from the shops where you are taken.

If you are a group and not on a tour, one of you might be able to organize a collective discount. For example, on a trip for a company from Singapore to Thailand, the organiser who was also the company secretary or treasurer or accountant, organized a group visit to a particular store where she had arranged ten percent off for everybody. She bought a large item, rumoured for an even bigger discount!

Useful Websites:
UK
https://www.diamondsfactory.co.uk/education/diamond-guide 
http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/jewellery
https://www.visitbritainshop.com/world/

ISRAEL
https://www.israel21c.org/israels-top-10-factory-tours/ (Includes trips to see chocolate, honey, jewellery)

THE NETHERLANDS
http://www.amsterdamsights.com/attractions/diamonds.html

NEW ZEALAND
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g257473-d7980989-Reviews-The_Arrowtown_Jade_Opal_Factory-Arrowtown_Otago_Region_South_Island.html

POLAND
Gdansk and Amber Factory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SZSer11m3M

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. I have other posts on chocolate factory tour and workshops in England.

Happy New Year : What's Kosher In A London Supermarket?

 Problem
What to buy to entertain Jewish guests who keep kosher? By the time we set off after work on Wednesday September 21st the Jewish style restaurant, B & K had shut. We went to the big supermarket on a mission to buy apples and honey - and to see what else a large general supermarket could supply.

First, where was the kosher section? Everything had moved around with a large area for clothes, especially back to school and children's clothes.  The signs direct you to Kosher foods, Asian foods and all kinds of special sections.

Answer
Let's take a look at Morrisons supermarket in England. Our aim was to buy apples and honey.

The first thing we recognized was Rakusen's Matzos. Rakusen's were also offering chocolate bears. Something to amuse children, we thought. We were in the dried good section.

Honey for sweet new year. We saw nougat. We had the bright idea of checking for different kinds. Cranberry and almond, or dark chaolate, three kinds of nougat. We had to hunt right at the back of the shelf and found a third variety.

The apple crumble cake was more expensive than the marble cake, we presumed because having fruit meant more ingredients and perhaps a shorter shelf life.

Finally wines, kosher wines.

Quite a choice. What about the drivers? Two sorts of grape juice.

Then off to the fish section for smoked salmon. We did some price comparisons of different packs.

Next the meat section. We found Gilbert's and other brands. Falafel. Vegetarian. Suits everybody.

Then to the honey section.
Solid honey or liquid honey? Liquid honey so you can dip apple slices in it. My companion bought three types of honey. I sigh. Surely one would do. We are three times over budget, a trolley full of food, apparently to entertain one person.

One Or Three?
I recall how my husband used to tell me I should take only one of something and I always took three. Now I see somebody else doing the same, three types of honey, three types of nougat. I recall my husband's complaint, 'You are spending my money!'

Decisions
It is not only the money. It is the time the clutter, the waste of leftover food. The incessant search for something better. I can now see both sides. It's also about not being able to make a decision.

Fruit
Then to fruit. We did not see pomegranates, whose seeds symbolise life. However, having gone over our budget, we were delighted with Gala apples which at £1 for six were the bargain of the day.

Shana Tova - Happy New Year!

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

Jewish Holidays : New Year and more This Month

Shofah or ram's horn blown on Jewish New Year. Picture from Wikipedia.

Problem
When are the Jewish holidays and how will this affect me?

Answers
I just received an animated Jewish New Year e-card via the Jacqueline Lawson website. It was a design showing honey and bees and apples with a moving bee and bee hives.

I now have to reciprocate by wishing the senders a Happy New Year. I need to work out which of my long list of family, friends, and colleagues, might be pleased to receive an e-card. I received a Muslim card last month and decided I should reciprocate.

So now, the first question is, when is the holiday coming up?

A card I was sent. The apple, circular, with seeds, represents the circle of life and the new births. The six point stars are a Jewish symbol. Some say the six point star is the Star of David or the Shield of Solomon. Others think the points symbolize evil being caught inside the spokes or pointed tips which are like corners. Tov means good, as in Mazel tov, good luck. Shanah Tovah, (a) good year!

Jewish New Year starts the evening of Wednesday September. The important day when people will be off work and attending synagogues is Thursday. Because of the time difference in different parts of the world, holidays are celebrated a second day in the diaspora (scattering of people outside Israel) to be sure that when the holiday is being celebrated for one day in Israel, everybody in the rest of the world is also celebrating that day whatever their time zone. For Orthodox Jews and others who celebrate two days, the time ends Friday 22nd September.

Israeli New Year greeting card. From Wikipedia.

So you will find that attempts to see a doctor or dentist, or hire a taxi, might be less easy if all or some of the staff are taking days off for religious holidays.

When I lived in the USA, the system was that everybody in the company got about ten or fifteen days off a year, and you chose to have them off on your religious holidays, and the company hoped to spread the days off so that the business always had staff in the office.

About a week after Jewish New Year feast comes the Yom Kippur Fast. Any events which cannot take place on September 29-30, will have to be brought forward to Sept 23 weekend, or moved into October.

Yom Kippur Sept 29-30 2017.

If you are arranging any group events, sports or contests, meals out, trips away, you may have to check if any of your group are affected. Any food you were expecting to get from a Jewish restaurant, or bagel bakery or deli - oops, they are closed.

The new year is celebrated with the noisy blowing of the shofah, a rams horn, used as a trumpet since biblical times.
Foods enjoyed to celebrate the sweetness of the new year are apples dipped in honey and a round chollah (bread).

Hebrew - English
ha - the
rosh - head
shanah - year
tov / tova - good
yom - day

English - Hebrew
day - yom
good - tov
head - rosh
the - ha
year - shanah

You can learn Hebrew for free on the website www.duolingo on a computer, or laptop or phone.

Tips
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/rosh-hashana

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other posts, on Israel, Judaism, learning Hebrew and learning languages. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Romanian language: clearing confusion with similar words: my mother, apples with honey

Problem
I see a romanian word which looks like something else. I get confused.

Answer
List all the similar looking words, look up translations and learn them. If either of the two pairs is easy to remember, this sorts you out. By process of elimination, of you know the word for a, the alternative must be b.

I confused the words for apple and honey and my and mother.

Romanian - English
cu - with (like the Latin cum)
mama - mother
m e l e - my
mere - apple (Angela's memory aid: a mere apple a day keeps the doctor away.)
m i e r e - honey
vin - wine (like the French vin ordinaire) Remember that Romanian simplified. No extra e. W condensed into a v.)
vino - come
vino cu - come with

English - Romanian
and - cu
apple - m e r e (a mere apple a day keeps the doctor away)
apple with honey - m e r e  cu  m i e r e (Add honey to apple, add the letter i)
come - vino
come with - vino cu
honey - miere
Mother - mama (like the Italian Mama Mia, but with a bowl over the second a)
my - mele
wine - vin

Tips
Pronunciation
It is easier to remember the accent if you recognize a short and often used word. Mama in Romanian has a short last vowel, as in murmur . Think MUH - MER. So the bowl on top of the a can mean an er sound.

Websites
www.duolingo.com
http://romaniatourism.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, teacher of English and other languages. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts. 

Learn Romanian Words For Foods

Map of Romania from Wikipedia.

Problem
How do I remember the written words? How do I remember which accents to add? How do I pronounce the words?

Answer
D e v i s e new memory aids or follow mine below in brackets after words in my mini dictionary. (Spaces inserted to defeat automatic spell checker inserting wrong words.)

English - Romanian
breakfast - mic d e j ù n  (short for Mick is having his petit d e j e u n e r - French for Breakfast)
butter - unt (bUTter - UnT)
cake - torta (cake OR TART, same word, as in French and Italian, not tart but t o r t a)
piper - pepper (PiPER - PePpER; remember the tongue twister Peter PIPER picked a peck of pickled PEPPER)
cheese - branza (think of B R i e ANd g o r g o n Z o l A )
child - copilul (ChILd and  p u P I L)
honey - miere (honEy BEE - miErE like the French word miel for Honey)
pie - plācintā (P I e - P l a c I n t a; or Pie P L A c e d IN oven or cooker - er sounds like a)
salt - sare (S A l t - S A r e)
soup - supa (soup is super)
sugar - zahar (change the s into z and the g into the following letter h)
table - masa (like the Spanish mesa; a massive table with a mess on it)
the - la

Romanian - English
b r a n z a - cheese
copilul - child
e, e s t e - is
la - the
mic d e j u n - breakfast
masa - table
m i e r e - honey
p l a c  i n t a - pie (spell checker prefers placenta)
sare - salt
supa - soup
torta - cake
unt - butter
zahar - sugar

I have had trouble with the accents on an Apple machine. I'll come back with notes on accents later.

Code for text for Romanian letters.

To get the sounds, use Google translate or Duolingo.com Romanian.

In an emergency

The government website advises:If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, dial 112 and ask for an ambulance.

If you’re visiting Romania you should get a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before leaving the UK.  If you don’t have your EHIC with you or you’ve lost it, you can call the Department of Health Overseas Healthcare Team (+44 191 218 1999) to get a Provisional Replacement Certificate. 

More From
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/romania
www.romaniatourism.com
http://wikitravel.org/en/Romania
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g294457-Activities-Romania.html

Author Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share posts.

Limonia - a great Greek restaurant in the Primrose Hill area near Chalk Farm Station

Problem
We wanted a reasonably priced restaurant near Chalk Farm station for a family gathering (two in the centre of London, two travelling into London from the suburbs.

Answer
We found two restaurants in the area, an Italian, a bit dearer, and this one. Our relatives opted for this one. A great choice.

Story
We printed off the map, left our car at Edgware Station car park (as described in a previous post) and travelled to Chalk Farm station on the Northern Line.

Up the hill and there it is on the corner, an a grand old building, all white and green. The name livonia means lemon and their symbol on the business card is a lemon tree. The husband and wife on the counter facing you as you walk in are the Cypriot Greek owners.

I looked around at the plants separating the main front room from a raised side area and a back room with ceiling windows. I asked the waiter, 'Where's the lemon tree?"

He grinned, "In Greece!"

Our waiter was Albanian. So we had a jolly chat about how British comedian Norman Wisdom had been popular in Albania.

The slate board on the wall had the daily specials. We opted for the cheapest of three set meals, only £11.90 for a there course menu. You could have dessert or coffee. We opted for the dessert and ordered Greek coffee as an extra.

My starter was a chickpeas in tomato sauce - or chickpeas in soup, hard to tell which. Very good. Full of flavour and filling - which applied to all three courses. My main course was chicken and okra (also commonly known as ladies fingers). We did sharing plates (sometimes called Jewish ping pong). So I got to taste the casserole with aubergines, stuffed peppers with a centre filled with rice. Very nice. No potatoes. You can't have everything.

Desserts were only a choice of two, rice pudding or yogurt with honey, so we had one of each. As usual the dollop of Greek yogurt, which stood up by itself yet was 'liquid' not set, proved very more-ish. Both desserts had a raspberry in the centre to provide decorative colour and extra flavour and to add to the feeling that we were eating healthy fruit and vegetables.

I had had a glass of prosecco as my wine. (The others chose to share retsina, which was milder than the rough retsina I remembered drinking years ago at the La Plaka wine district uphill in Athen,s Greece.)

I could have had a dessert wine of sweet red or white. Unfortunately no room. Next time.

Tips
Have the chickpea starter.
Choose the front room if you like a street view, the back room for more privacy.

Afterwards
Look around the shops and restaurants and look for the three blue plaques. (See my previous post on Primrose Hill.)

Address:
Lemonia Restaurant
89 Regents Park Road, London NW1 8UY,
tel:020 7586 7454.
info@ameraproperties.com
Open for lunch and dinner.
(photos to be added shortly)
Nearby station: Chalk Farm on the Northern line.

Photos of Limonia Restaurant by Angela Lansbury.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please like my posts and share them and follow me. Read my by and about me on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram.