Travel light with a day dress which converts to evening wear

 Travel Light

 A blue day dress made glamorous with DIY decoration of hite feathers and mock pearls on the cuffs. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

At a wedding I was impressed by my friend's blue dress with white feathery and pearl decoration on the cuffs of the sleeves. Her outfit looked very smart and expensive and glamorous. She told me she had sewn on the decoration herself. She makes a lot of craft items, using pieces of decoration. For example, masks. Her dress has a wide circular swing hem added on. But the top is a simple blue shirt-waisted style. It is the contrasting colour which is effective and the soft effect, like feathers and lace. Her outfit is completely unique. She must have spent a reasonable amount on the fancy decoration. But even so, much less than an expensive dress. 

Day and evening

What is interesting is that you can transform a shirt waisted style into something so glamorous with the sleeve decoration. It\s like adding a black bow at the neck of a white blouse. 

Pin or Brooch

If you are handy with a needle, or even a pin, you can create a new outfit for a wedding, or Christmas party, or a birthday or anniversary, or any special occasion. If you think a pin is too DIY, you could buy a pair of matching brooches.

Shein has modestly prices items. But some of the brooches look a bit stiff. You might do better with a search for feather decoration for hats.

Holiday Transformation - Two Looks

When on holiday, you could take pin on decorations in your handbag, and transform or white or blue or black dress with contrasting decoration for the evening. A new look. Less packing. You won't get caught out by a sudden invitation. Nor will you have to find room in your suitcase to bring home a new outfit bought for the special occasion. 

You can also buy lace gloves with feathers decorating them. you could cut off the glove fingers and leave sew the cuff attached to the dress sleeve. 

Preventable accidents? Warning signs to buy, display, demand

 

I read about four kinds of fatalities this month (October 2023). 

1 A passenger in a train lost their life looking out, learning out of a window. One of several accidents and near accidents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK1mYj8B5Z0

2 A major fire at a wedding in Iraq. The video shows fireworks setting fire to decorations above. Reports imply that the non fireproof cladding installed without breaks allowed the fire to spread rapidly. If the fireworks had not been set off indoors this would not have happened. However, the owner appears to blame an electrical fault. In my opinion that would make the cladding more of a culprit. Because any kind of spark, electrical as well as fireworks, candles, arson, could have caused a rapid spread of fire. The other factors which exacerbate in this kind of fire emergency, were inadequate fire exits, lack of fire extinguishers. In many UK Toastmasters meetings the MC (master of ceremonies) starts by indicating the location of toilets and fire exits. An event organizer or bride and groom should have a checklist which includes safety of venue, including fire exits (how many do you need for how many people?), are there lights showing the way to fire exits (like on aircraft) so you can reach the nearest exit. Should there be a warning before fireworks are started. Should they be banned indoors and near trees and bushes? (In the UK a tenant lit a flame indoors for a baby blessing ceremony. She repeatedly insisted that you MUST go seven times around a fire to bless the baby. yes, but not in her building. It should be banned in the lease. 

3 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12576845/The-teenage-girl-died-school-bus-crash-M53-Wirral-named-15-year-old-Jessica-Baker.html

4 A so-called freak accident in which a passenger stood up in the sun roof of a car in a car park. Apparently the passenger was hit by a low roof or beam.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12577065/Teen-18-dies-freak-accident-sticking-head-car-sunroof-hitting-concrete-beam-cruising-parking-garage-second-visited-mall-Canada-features-indoor-waterpark.html

The accident was not a freak accident. It was preventable. If the car would be designed to not move unless the back seat passenger's seat belt was done up. If cards had warnings of Ten Commandments For Safety for front seat and back seat passengers. If the car park was designed so that somebody standing inside a car could not hit their head. If the Highway code carried a page warning of types of accidents with a quiz asking drivers to note them. 

4 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12575453/Iraqi-bride-lost-entire-family-including-three-brothers-grooms-mother-wedding-inferno-left-100-dead-terrifying-new-video-shows-joy-turn-horror-inside-burning-hall-dance.html#reader-comments

Useful Websites

Warnings

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12575453/Iraqi-bride-lost-entire-family-including-three-brothers-grooms-mother-wedding-inferno-left-100-dead-terrifying-new-video-shows-joy-turn-horror-inside-burning-hall-dance.html#reader-comments

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12577065/Teen-18-dies-freak-accident-sticking-head-car-sunroof-hitting-concrete-beam-cruising-parking-garage-second-visited-mall-Canada-features-indoor-waterpark.html

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

Do not lean out of window video

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&ei=UTF-8&p=do+not+lean+out+of+windows&type=E210US739G91802#id=3&vid=c29144d6e6052d24f79c8383e18aacea&action=view

Fire prevention

Order signs from websites. Also fire extinguishers.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=fire+extinguisher

https://www.bradyid.com/signs/fire-exit-sign-cps

https://www.ebmag.com/exit-and-emergency-lighting-and-signage-a-primer-for-these-continually-evolving-life-safety-solutions/#:~:text=an%20exit%2C%20a%20public%20corridor%2C%20or%20a%20corridor,of%20level%20where%20there%20are%20stairs%20or%20ramps.

https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/2018-11/FY06_46e0-ht10_stf_emerg_illumination_checklist.pdf

https://www.eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/markets/buildings/fundamentals-of-emergency-lighting-guide.pdf

https://www.compliancesigns.com/pd/portrait-do-not-lean-out-of-the-car-sign-with-symbol-nhep-34242

https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Publications-and-media/Blogs-Landing-Page/NFPA-Today/Blog-Posts/2021/07/16/Fire-Extinguisher-Types

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/illegal-stick-head-out-car-window-sunroof/

Please share links to favourite or important posts.

Seen on the Scene Colours in Central London on Pride Parade Day/ Pink Pedestrians and Pedicabs / tricycles / rickshaws / tuk-tuks

 

Pink and white pedicab. Seen on the scene in central London. 1. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Pink and white rickshaw Seen on the scene in central London. 2. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Pink rickshaw in London. Seen in Central London. 3 Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Pink hats.3 Seen on the scene in central London. . Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

4 Seen on the scene in central London. . Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

You can hire a bike for a day, or hire a bike to sell coffee.

Useful websites

Richshaw/pedicab/tuk tuk rides for birthdays, weddings, events, corporate

https://londonrickshaws.co.uk/tours/

https://www.rickshawhiring.com/

Others

https://www.rickshawslondon.co.uk/

https://www.londongreencycles.co.uk/hire/

https://fatllama.com/rentals/london/hire-coffee-trike--89802190

A Wedding With Macaroon Petits Fours, At Hedsor House, Taplow, Bucks

Hedsor House, Hedsor Park, Taplow, Buckinghamshire. Photo from Wikipedia.

 A couple of members of my family had the joy of attending a wedding, of long-standing friends, at Hedsor House, Taplow, Bucks.

They loved the venue.

Hedsor House wedding in March 2023. Photo by the Sharot family

The wedding guest did not want her face shown. So I edited the picture on my phone with a drawing tool. My first  attempt. Next time I shall use  a more subtle colour.

I wanted to show you this picture of what seems to be the wedding ceremony room.  What can we see, on checking closely?  The room is light and bright.  The floor is wooden. The chairs are white, and white and gold The chairs all face a door with an architrave (the triangular mock roof), a white swag of fabric and flowers to one side.

Upstairs

 The venue has a walk around balcony on at least three sides. Upstairs are mirrors with elaborate gold frames. 

Wedding Reception Menu

 They sent me the wedding reception menu. The last item was petits fours. Like most Brits I have a sweet tooth.

I asked, what were the petits fours? Send  me a picture.

The answer was macaroons.

Macaroon petits fours, Hedsor House. 

I see six colours and flavours of macaroons. I admit they are a favourite of mine. I also admit I had never before thought of having macaroons as petits fours.

When I was a child, and a youngster, in the 1940s, 50s and sixties, petit fours were always marzipan shapes in teeny paper cups. The spares were taken home to children who were not allowed to attend weddings.

In recent times, grand dinners at smart hotels have ended with petits fours, often home home chocolates, created by the chef and his dessert specialist. They might have nuts, and fillings, and coloured tops, and silver or gold foil cases, and be a mixture of white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate, rather like a box of chocolates. Now, here's a new twist, macaroons in assorted flavours. Small bits. Suga but with flour and cream and chocolate or ground up nuts or fruit flavourings.

For brides and grooms to be, you can visit the hotel on an open day for a welcome glass of champagne and a tour. If you aren't planning a wedding but want to see around, you can enjoy a virtual tour.

This place was used as a venue for the TV series Midsommer Murders.

Useful Websites

https://www.hedsor.com/hedsor-house-virtual-tour

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Weddings Worldwide: You can marry on a train in Florida, in a hotel garden or ski slope in America, on a beach in Hawaii, or the Maldives, outdoors in a field in Israel, on a rooftop in Singapore, UK Kew or zoo

American Weddings

Brightline is a privately owned railway  line which has served as a marriage venue for a wedding in 2022. 

I have witnessed a wedding (as the official witness) on a cruise ship out of Florida, but this is the first time I have heard of a wedding on a train.

The train wedding couple did not meet on the train. They met when the husband to be was renting property (Americans say leasing) from his bride-to be. They had many dates taking the train and the bride thought the train ride was the most romantic part of the date. 

The train company sectioned off part of the train for the ceremony and reception afterwards. Photos were taken on the train and at the station. 

UK Weddings & Emergency vehicles

In England I have seen many reports of unusual carriages to the wedding venue, usually connected with the jobs of one of the spouses or their family. A nostalgic horse and carriage is quite common.

 I recall a double decker bus being used. Also I recall one case of the bridal party stuck when the road was impassable. Emergency service vehicles (a fire engine) came to the rescue.

Israel Outdoors

I attended a wedding of a relative by marriage in Israel. The incoming security stopped me and asked me the bride's name. The wedding invitation was all in Hebrew and I hadn't a clue. (Her name was Ayala.) We took a taxi from the airport. The taxi driver had trouble locating the venue so we arrived later than expected.

Australia's Public Parks

I have also seen weddings in public parks in Australia. The problem with public parks is that strangers can come along and heckle or  intrude on photos. Not to mention wandering dogs!

I have also seen pictures of ski scenes in weddings, and under-water ceremonies.

Singapore's Rooftop Wedding Receptions

I attended a wedding on a rooftop in Singapore. While we were circling before the wedding we had a chance to take photo of the bride and ourselves against the distant scenery. Once we were seated, because of the high safety wall, we did not see the scenery at all. That was okay. We were more interested in the food and talking to each other. However, at 7 pm in Singapore the sun sets. Later, the view had vanished. Just some lights in the darkness far away. So it's a good thing to arrive early at a scenic destination to get photos. The bride and groom and official photographers might be monopolising the best spots, and, of course, they have priority. So, if you are a guest, arrive early.

Botanical Gardens Bandstand

And another in a restaurant in the Botanical Gardens, after a ceremony planned for the bandstand. The officiant was late. 

The bride wanted photos of exchanging vows on the bandstand at sunset. So we rushed to do a mock ceremony. 

As a Toastmaster I was able to improvise the mock ceremony. I had a few stage-whisper prompts from those standing alongside. 

Afterwards the officiant arrived as the dinner was being served at the allotted time. The real ceremony was performed indoors.

Useful websites

USA

Train

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

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11211743/Florida-couple-married-Brightline-TRAIN-using-meet-one-dates.html

Ski Slope

https://www.herecomestheguide.com/wedding-venues/type/ski-resort

Boat

Singapore

https://www.facebook.com/vineyardhortpark (Singapore)

https://vogue.sg/the-best-unconventional-wedding-venues-in-singapore/

UK

You could get married at Kew Gardens in London. Going north, you could get your wedding photos at Ness Gardens in Liverpool.

You can hire a classic fire engine.

https://www.classicfireengines.co.uk/fire-engine-weddings/

My son got married indoors in London. However, just before the ceremony, the photographer unexpectedly walked us across to a tiny park we had never noticed with feature of rocks and tumbling plants. A look at a map might show you the nearest park to an indoor venue.

Angela in an Ann Balon dress and Marks & Spencer fascinator at her son's wedding in the UK. Pre-wedding photo in the nearby public greenery.

UK

https://www.kew.org/venue-hire/civil-ceremonies

Please share links to your favourite posts.

ICE HOTEL, NICE HOTEL, ICE WEDDING CHAPEL, OR AN ALL YEAR ICE BAR IN FLORIDA?

 

Vodka at Ice Bar, Orlando, Florida, USA. Open all year.

CANADA

JAPAN

ROMANIA

SWEDEN

The first ice hotel was in Sweden. You can stay in an ice hotel until April 2021. North Sweden is not your only option. 

You could also pick an ice hotel in Canada or Finland.

If you don't have the time or money or are not sure whether this will suit you, you could try an ice bar. 

ICE Bar

One in Florida, USA is open all year. It also claims to be the world's largest ice bar.

SWITZERLAND

CANADA

Canada[edit]

Ice Hotel[edit]

The Hôtel de Glace (English: Ice Hotel) first opened in January 2001. 85 rooms are furnished with ice beds covered with deer furs and mattresses and equipped with arctic sleeping bags.^[1] It was originally located on the shores of Lac-Saint-Joseph, Quebec, 31 minutes north of Quebec City, but has since moved closer to the city, 10 minutes away from Old Town Quebec.^[6] It operates from the first week in January to the last week in March.^[7] It has the adjacent Le Quatre Temps restaurant, an ice bar named Absolut Ice Bar, which serves Absolut Vodka and other beverages, sauna and outdoor hot tub.^[3][8] Construction involves the use of blocks of ice and snow.^[8] In 2005, construction involved "400 tons of clear ice blocks, trucked in from Montreal, and 12,000 tons of snow produced on site."^[8] Beds are constructed of ice, which are topped with "a wooden boxspring and mattress",^[3] and mummy-style sleeping bags are provided.^[3] The hotel offers paid tours, the participants of which are allowed to use the ice bar until midnight.^[3] Ice Hotel was previously the only ice hotel in North America.^[3]

• Ice Hotel
• 

  The chapel, 2006

 
• 

Finland[edit]

SnowCastle of Kemi[edit]

The SnowCastle of Kemi in Kemi, Finland is the largest snow fort in the world, is rebuilt every winter and has a snow hotel^[10] with double rooms and a honeymoon suite. The facility also has a restaurant, chapel, and ice sculptures.^[10] It is near the Gulf of Bothnia.^[10] The style of the facility, including the theme, shape, size and decorations, changes annually.^[10]

• SnowCastle of Kemi
• 

  A view in 2006

 
• 

  The dining room in February 2013

Lainio Snow Village[edit]

The Lainio Snow Village is located 150 km north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland.^[11] This snow hotel is built in the winter atop a wood building. In 2007, construction began in November, and in early November, it began providing lodging.^[11] The hotel has restrooms and a sauna, and the village has a restaurant.^[11] Rooms are decorated with artwork created from snow.^[11] In 2007, art students contributed to the art with professional artists.^[11] In the summer, the village provides log cabin lodging.^[11]

Japan[edit]

The Alpha Resort Tomamu in the Shimukappu village of Hokkaido Island in Japan builds and opens an ice hotel every year.^[12] It may be Japan's first ice hotel, and everything in it is constructed from ice.^[12][13] The hotel interiors are typically −3 to −5 °C. Guests dine on ice tables and sit on ice chairs covered with sheepskin. The hotel provides sheepskin apparel for guests to stay warm.^[12]

SWEDEN

From Wiivoyage

Sleep[edit][add listing]

Ice hotel (Jukkasjärvi)

• 1 Ice Hotel (Ishotellet), Marknadsvägen 63, ☏ +46 980 668 00, ✉ info@icehotel.com. A hotel constructed entirely out of ice. There are many copycats now, but this is the original. Outdoor activities such as dogsled tours are arranged by the hotel but reservation may be advisable, and cheaper alternatives may be available from companies in nearby Kiruna. Remember that winter in Lapland can be very cold, and though Ishotellet provides snowsuits and boots, you may need to bring equipment such as expedition-grade gloves, face masks, and goggles depending on conditions. Read the weather forecast. It is also possible to visit the ice hotel as a tourist attraction without actually spending a night there. It is worth seeing the ice sculptures in the rooms and in the floors. While much of the ice hotel exists only between November and May, a few suites are preserved and open all year around. A stay will cost you upwards of €300/night.   edit

Go next

UK

I wanted to go to the Ice bar in London for my birthday in March. Then I discovered a few restrictions. First it was expensive. Secondly, you had to book a time and could not stay there the whole evening. thirdly you had to be warmly dressed which ruled out most of my pretty evening clothes.

I might be middling it up with the naked restaurant and the blind restaurant. Anyway, all three sounded amusing but I never made it to any of them for my birthday. We ended up eating locally so we could get home soon after eating and drinking.

USA

Useful Websites

Covering hotels in several countries:

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

USA

https://icebarorlando.com/

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, fashionista. Please share links to your favourite posts or one or more of the blogs

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

What's happening with jobs and your wedding and flights?

"What's happening in the UK?'

My friend in Singapore phoned to ask me.

I replied: "Different things are happening to different people. My son's wedding in the UK in June is cancelled."

"So when are those based in Singapore going back to London?"

"We can't say, yet. Singapore Airlines planes are not yet flying normal passenger services. When they do open up, the flights could sell out fast."

I finish my conversation and tell my family, "I'll just tell you what I said ...."

"No need. Everybody heard, including the neighbours. You shout down the phone but mumble when you are talking to me."

We have family and friends in the UK, the USA and Singapore - in fact worldwide. We are in contact with New Zealand, Hong Kong, France, and intermittently in Israel and South Africa.

My husband Trevor Sharot has done a study on the statistics of Covid-19 in several countries and has been getting feedback and links from friends worldwide.

Useful Websites
https://www.gov.sg/features/covid-19
Facebool.trevorsharot

More About The Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, club organizer and speaker.

Toastmasters International Find a Club
https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club
https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=upSEBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=quick+quotations
lulu.com/shop/angela-lansbury/who-said-what-when/paperback/product-21713991
learncool.sg

About Braddell Heights Club Online
Braddell Heights Advanced speakers club meets every Wednesday, currently on line.
Future Meetings include
Wednesday May 13th, lucky for us, as we have Thomas Chen running a workshop on Networking.
Mark Wednesdays in your dairy.
Singapore is on the same time zone as Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai in China. Also Perth in Australia.
Contact President Angela Lansbury or VPE Faith. Then login to learncool.sg and wait to be admitted by the host.
Please share links to your favourite posts

Covid-19 What Do These Death and Infection Statistics Mean?

The USA is in turmoil. Some people are in favour of lockdown, others against.

You often hear or read:

'The percentage of people affected is less than one percent. That's less than die of flu.'

It is like comparing guns and knives. 

When I go to a doctor, I don't want him to refuse to treat me on the grounds that I am more likely to be run over by a bus. 

Nr to refuse to treat my teenage child on the grounds that he is more likely to die by suicide. Or by driving too fast.

To the average member of the public these figures are meaningless and the public presented with these facts showng tiny percentages ignore them. Many forums in popular media repeat the idea that it is all a lot of fuss about nothing. 

To convey the message that these statistics are important, we may need to illustrate numbers in human and visual terms.

Meaning how many deaths? And families and workers – does a percentage really matter? If we tell the public this means x deaths in ‘your street’ or ‘your children’s school’, or two primary school children in your school will lose a beloved granny, or two schools in your city will lose a teacher, they are more likely to understand the implications and  demand action and comply with suggestions and laws and instructions.

It would certainly put a blight on a wedding if a parent or grandparent died.

It would cause a major upheaval in a family if the grandparents doing babysitting and childminding were taken away so that the parents could not work.

Stay home. Stay safe.

Useful Websites

https://www.gov.sg/features/covid-19
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/covid-19-a-cautionary-tale-from-spore?
Facebool.trevorsharot

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, club organizer and speaker.

Toastmasters International Find a Club
https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club
https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=upSEBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=quick+quotations
lulu.com/shop/angela-lansbury/who-said-what-when/paperback/product-21713991
learncool.sg
Braddell Heights Advanced speakers club meets every Wednesday, currently on line.
Future Meetings include
Wednesday May 13th, lucky for us, as we have Thomas Chen running a workshop on Networking.
Contact President Angela Lansbury or VPE Faith. Then login to learncool.sg and wait to be admitted by the host.
Please share links to your favourite posts

Dorset ballad: the Cerne Abbas giant, the wedding wish granted, and ghosts!

Short story writer Della Galton asked for a Dorset song for her book. She meant us to look for one. Instead, I wrote one. First I checked out the local landmarks, which I found on the county website. Where is Dorset? On England's south-west coast.

Dorset with a coast in Southern England, UK

Cerne Abbas Giant, Dorset, England.

The Cerne Abbas giant, a figure cut into the chalk through the grass. This well-known local landmark was one of the items I sought to see last time I drove through Dorset on my way to the coves of Cornwall.

St Catherine's Chapel on the hilltop, from afar. 

On my first to Dorset I did not know about the legend. On my last visit to Dorset, I was with my husband, who was not keen on the idea of St Catherine helping you find a husband. 

If I had known, I would have gone there. Huff, puff uphill for the view - and St Catherine's Chapel outside from the hilltop

Finally, a haunted house. Athelhampton.


Athelhampton Hall House in Dorset, England, UK

I was ready to write a ballad.

I wrote:
Here you are. I checked local landmarks and legends online. Here's an ancient Dorset song, from 8.50 April 21st 2020, by Angela Lansbury. It starts


:I went to St Catherine's Chapel,
For it's said she will answer your prayer,
'Please send me a husband, who's wealthy'
But only two poor men were there.

One of them said to me, 'Darling,
Why don't we go for a walk?
I'll take you to see the great giant -
Whose ample physique is carved in the chalk!'

I said, 'Sorry, dear, you're not for me
For you're poor as a little church mouse.'
To scare him away, I ended the day
At haunted Athel-hampton House!

Mother said, 'Our sensible God only helps
A person with skills who will help himself.
You can add up a bill and read lots of books
What else does a man need to share health and wealth?

'You're young and pretty but age fades your looks
What's missing, that's lasting? You must learn to cook!'
So off I went, to take cooking lessons
Guess who I married? I married the cook!

We went to the chapel to marry
'Cos Saint Catherine had answered my prayers
What's more she provided as witness
Those two ragged beggars, still hoping there.

Weddings also take place in the big haunted house
Guest often hear 'ghosts'. I guess that's a mouse!
Guests, sleepless as mice, claim, 'A ghost moved my bedding!'
'Who's the bride in your garden?' 'Ma'am, we've no wedding!'

-ends-


Useful and Entertaining Websites For the armchair traveller
https://www.hauntedrooms.co.uk/haunted-places/england
https://www.athelhampton.com/copy-of-history

Author, Author! About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.) See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts, Quick Quotations, Who Said What When. Also watch videos on YouTube.
See other posts on singers and statues and languages and destinations.

Please share links to your favourite posts.
If you want to learn to speak the Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation. join me at my online toastmasters club, Braddell Heights Advanced. Wednesdays, 7-9 Singapore time which is seven hours ahead of London, England. I am also a member of Singapore Online.