National History Museum

If you are at a loose end on a rainy day with no money in London (I grant this would be a somewhat unlikely and unlucky position to be in), head to the Natural History Museum. 

Free entry into one of London’s most entertaining museums. Whether you are into fossils or mechanical dinosaurs, there is something here for you.

I went on a whim on Monday afternoon (yes, unlike many museums it is open on Mondays) with my sister, as we were in a similar scenario as described above. We spent a good few hours entertained by the minerals, the animal facts, the skeleton casts and the impressive array of taxidermy. I think our favourite part was the mechanical T-Rex which is surprisingly realistic even at this age, and it is hard not to envision some kind of Jurassic Park dystopia. Or possibly this animal...

Before this particular trip, I had always remembered the blue whale to be the museums piece de resistance but I was underwhelmed by this part. It is undeniably vast, but sort of unfathomably so. Furthermore, I’m sure it has been said that humans can swim down the veins of a blue whale so I can only imagine that this must have been a relatively small one or else their vessel structure must be somewhat different to our own.

Check it out, you have literally nothing to lose. And if you are in a marginally better financial situation, go to the Animal Inside Out exhibition; another of Dr Gunther von Hagen's disgusting exhibitions, which was described by a friend as "the best exhibition she's ever been to'. She even bought the book. 

WORDFEST - Spring 2012

This weekend, the literary and academic elite gathered in Cambridge for the Wordfest. 

Started by Cathy Moore, the literary festival has grown immensely in size and popularity in the ten years since it began. 

Spring 2012 was no disappointment. I went to a few inspiring talks, including Michelle Hanson. Though she was great, Fiona Shaw absolutely stole the show for me; providing me with one of the most sensational hours I can remember. 

It was only due to a passing comment expressing interest in seeing the well-known actress that I ended up sitting down at 6 o clock on the Sunday evening in the main chamber for the last event of the festival. I was feeling rather pleasantly dozy at the prospect of an hour listening to a speech about love poems, after a pint of cider and a weekend of scheduling and attempting rendezvous. 

I think it is safe to say no-one knew what they were getting themselves in to. Firstly, I had no idea Fiona Shaw herself was so incredible. She was hilariously funny; much of her perfectly-timed wit relating to her birthplace, County Cork. She was spectacularly clever; spending much of the hour casually reeling off chunks of poems and plays; from Shakespeare to T.S.Eliot’s The Wasteland. A justified idol, she rode the audience participation wave with perfection; listening and commenting on audience members favourite love poems when they read them to the group. It was quite spectacular - due to Fiona Shaw’s last minute confirmation, the audience were unprepared for this contributory requirement. However this was apparently not a problem for the average Wordfest goer, who it seems has a good poem or two stored in their incredible brains. 

It was a interesting, inspiring and emotionally charged hour; one of which I will remember for a long long time. 

Larder than life

Total food stores in the family home this sunny Monday:
-Ricicles
-Pimms
-gammon

Observations of the day - 13/04/12

1) This year is going very fast.

2) I have never seen an offer that could be used in conjunction with another offer.

3) Those dating adverts that say something like "Is Mr Right sitting underneath this advert?" are hilarious. I don't know how they attract Mr-comically-Wrong every single time.

4) It's Friday the 13th.

England at its finest

When I boarded the tube a few days ago, following a conversation with a friend who is moving to Hong Kong, I began questioning why I am so loyal to ruddy old England. I was surrounded by sweating, angry-looking beings, all of whom were ignoring each other, regardless of the fact that their personal space was being shamelessly invaded. Just when I too was considering a little change of location, I looked up and saw a crazed man looking up at the ceiling and talking to himself. Then I looked down. On his lap, the newspaper was folded - in a very familiar way - so just the crossword and clues were visible.

I'm sticking in England, with my people.

Romeo and Juliet 6/3/12 at the Cambridge Arts Theatre

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Whats-on-leisure/Reviews/Romeo-and-Juliet-08032012.htm

Yesssssssss.

Sweetest thing I have ever seen

Yesterday I saw the sweetest thing I have ever seen (one of).

I was haughtily striding through Euston tube station and I saw a busker with half an arm playing a guitar. A small sandy haired child was staring at him in the way that children do, with no embarrassment or guilt.

I passed the child and his father, and I over heard his father say "You can do anything you put your mind to."

#film-like moment.

(Joking with the hashtag)