I was updating my Facebook page and came across the question of what would I do if I had a million pounds to spend. My reply was what was on my mind then.
Free Fruit and Chocolate
I remember getting free chocolates at a Swiss Hotel in the USA and Singapore. Free Fruit at hotels in the USA. Free coffee at some hotels. Free water all over the USA.
Pothole Problem Solved
I wrote that I would fill in all the potholes in roads in Britain. Then worldwide.
Fruit-Filled Garden For Health and Lack of Wealth
In London our bungalow, like every house on the estate, was established with a row of apples trees in the garden, and pear trees. After several decades, some of them have died. We have replaced them with apple trees offering three varieties of apples.
Fig
I also planted a fig tree. The little hard green figs are more work than apples. A nasty white sap. In a crisis, however, we would want them.
We also had an elderflower tree. The dark berries made a mess underfoot which was walked into our kitchen. The solution to the mess is to make people wear garden shoes.
Wonderful Vines
We have planted six grapevines, three whites and three reds. I loved the leaves. So pretty.
Thornless Blackberries
At one time we had blackberries. I think we had varities with thorns and eventually got rid of them. I would replace them with thornless fruit, berries, especially with global warming making a fruit-friendly environment.
What else would I do? Copy all the good ideas I have seen on my travels.
Singapore's Smart Ideas - Safer Homes
For homes: Now in 2020 my family in Singapore is in lockdown, home stay due to Covid19. Every day, to get vitamin D, two family members over the age of 70 sit on the balcony for ten minutes. It has always been my policy to look for flats with access to the open air.
In Singapore, the miniature orange tree on the balcony provides oranges but they are not good enough to eat. However, they make great marmalade.
Singapore has a policy of putting fruit trees in streets and gardens. We have coconut palms, mango and many more.
Angela Lansbury I would insist that every household had access to outdoor space, balconies for every flat, supplied with a planter seeded with fruit and vegetables and three miniature fruit trees.
All buildings would be stepped so that nobody could fall further than one storey. This was done years ago in a stepped puramid design of Habitat in Canada.
Can't be done nowadays? Yes, it can. A building like that is opposite the South Harrow Waitrose, where the exit to the car park is buy the garage filling station.
A soft surface like the onces in children's playgrounds in Singapore would be under every window and balcony.
For Airports - Lessons Learned From Singapore
The gaint waterfall in the middle of the shopping mall at spacious Changi airport in Singapore. Every airport should look like Singapore's airport.
From Singapore During Covid19
All meetings online. My toastmasters International meetings are online all over Asia, England, America, Europe, the world.
Pothole Problem Solved
I wrote that I would fill in all the potholes in roads in Britain. Then worldwide.
Fruit-Filled Garden For Health and Lack of Wealth
In London our bungalow, like every house on the estate, was established with a row of apples trees in the garden, and pear trees. After several decades, some of them have died. We have replaced them with apple trees offering three varieties of apples.
Fig
I also planted a fig tree. The little hard green figs are more work than apples. A nasty white sap. In a crisis, however, we would want them.
We also had an elderflower tree. The dark berries made a mess underfoot which was walked into our kitchen. The solution to the mess is to make people wear garden shoes.
Wonderful Vines
We have planted six grapevines, three whites and three reds. I loved the leaves. So pretty.
Thornless Blackberries
At one time we had blackberries. I think we had varities with thorns and eventually got rid of them. I would replace them with thornless fruit, berries, especially with global warming making a fruit-friendly environment.
What else would I do? Copy all the good ideas I have seen on my travels.
Singapore's Smart Ideas - Safer Homes
For homes: Now in 2020 my family in Singapore is in lockdown, home stay due to Covid19. Every day, to get vitamin D, two family members over the age of 70 sit on the balcony for ten minutes. It has always been my policy to look for flats with access to the open air.
In Singapore, the miniature orange tree on the balcony provides oranges but they are not good enough to eat. However, they make great marmalade.
Singapore has a policy of putting fruit trees in streets and gardens. We have coconut palms, mango and many more.
Angela Lansbury I would insist that every household had access to outdoor space, balconies for every flat, supplied with a planter seeded with fruit and vegetables and three miniature fruit trees.
All buildings would be stepped so that nobody could fall further than one storey. This was done years ago in a stepped puramid design of Habitat in Canada.
Can't be done nowadays? Yes, it can. A building like that is opposite the South Harrow Waitrose, where the exit to the car park is buy the garage filling station.
A soft surface like the onces in children's playgrounds in Singapore would be under every window and balcony.
For Airports - Lessons Learned From Singapore
The gaint waterfall in the middle of the shopping mall at spacious Changi airport in Singapore. Every airport should look like Singapore's airport.
From Singapore During Covid19
All meetings online. My toastmasters International meetings are online all over Asia, England, America, Europe, the world.
Civilised No Swearing - From Australia What else have I learned and liked on my travels which could be copied?
Banning swearing! from Australia.
Free travel?
Ski resports in the USA used to offer a free shuttle bus between one set of hotels and the ski slopes. At least one country offers free travel.
Luxembourg?
Brunei had a free funfair.
UPDATE SEPT 2020
UPDATE SEPT 2020
Covid-19 means that free items on aircraft have disappeared. So have water and coffee dispensers for the public. In some places bottled water is given instead of a communal water area.
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity
Please come to a Toastmasters International Club where the English clubs have a language evaluator or grammarian. We also have French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil and clubs based in Singapore and many more online around the world which because of Covid-19 are now meeting online.
In addition to being a member of Tampines Changkat Advanced, and Tiarel, I am President of Braddell Heights Advanced, meeting every Wednesday, on zoom the first Wednesday of the month but the other wednesdays are workshops on app learncool.sg
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
I and my family have lived in the UK, Spain, the USA and Singapore. I am a travel writer and photographer and teacher of English A level and English as a foreign language.
Please come to a Toastmasters International Club where the English clubs have a language evaluator or grammarian. We also have French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil and clubs based in Singapore and many more online around the world which because of Covid-19 are now meeting online.
In addition to being a member of Tampines Changkat Advanced, and Tiarel, I am President of Braddell Heights Advanced, meeting every Wednesday, on zoom the first Wednesday of the month but the other wednesdays are workshops on app learncool.sg
Or quicker, tinyurl.com/BHACOOL
In Singapore we are on the same time zone as Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China (Beijing and Shanghai).
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