A museum afternoon

The thing about our birthdays is that we’re usually always together for mine in July and 50/50 for Robert’s in November, so we make up for it when we can.

Eleven am Robert said, “let’s have my birthday day at the museums today!” and so we jumped in the car and drove to Oxford and took the train into London.

It’s so easy to get to London via train, and, if you catch a fast train, you can be in Paddington Station in 30 minutes. We bought the economy train/tube pass and so walked out of Paddington and jumped on the tube to Earl’s Court and walked over to the museums.
I love Paddington Station, not just because of Paddington bear, but because my father had a huge old English sheep dog, who was the dirtiest mucky pup in the world and he was called Paddington after the dirtiest train station in London. 😀

The greatest thing about London museums is that they are free! So one doesn’t feel guilty about just checking out a section or two only instead of trying to get the full admission’s worth. It takes so much pressure off…do you know what I mean?

We started with the Natural History Museum. The outside of this beautiful building was being refurbished last summer and had green plastic and scaffolding down the walls. Now it’s completed and shining. I asked Robert what the building used to be and he told me it was built in Victoria’s reign to serve as the museum. Wow! Love those Victorians.

We walked thru to the mammals. We walked around that wing and then we got hungry but we didn’t fancy anything in the little restaurant there so…

…we walked past the skating rink to the Science Museum.

I wanted to go have a skate so badly, but there wasn’t time this time…because there is so much more to explore.

The Science Museum is right next door to the NHM and this museum is really our favourite. When you walk in you see a giant three story ring which flashes and spins brilliant lights which occasionally collide to reveal text. Most spectacular.

We had lunch in one of the little restaurants and R started photo bombing all my photos. 😀

R’s favourite section is the engine section. He asked me to thoroughly photograph two engines for him.

Then on to my favourite section, the Steampunk Wing! Actually, it’s the King George III Collection. But it’s just sooo Steampunk! I love it! I was jumping around pointing at things and taking about a million photos while my long suffering darling looked on.

But I couldn’t help myself. 🙂

One more look at the giant ring, a good explore of the Who Am I gallery and off we went…

…across the street…to the…

V&A!
By now it was getting pretty late and it was the best time to explore the Victoria and Albert because most of the people had left.

I don’t know what it is about me but when I see a North West artist’s work I feel so connected. Who else loves Dale Chihuly? That one year he did an installation at RBG Kew is still so memorable.

So Robert and I ran thru the exhibitions picking out our future house looks…lol.

But then we came to the Ballroom and it took my breath away. If only a waltz was playing.

But then the day was really getting on and we were thinking of poor starving Theo tapping his toes on the window sill waiting for his supper, and we still had at least an hour and half in rush hour traffic to negotiate our way back to Paddigton and back to Oxford, so we had one last walk around the garden at the heart of the V&A…

…and walk across the street to the nearest tube station…and went home to cuddle and feed Theo.

We had such a lovely time that we’re already talking about going back in the New Year. 🙂