London and some things that are making me smile.
I woke up on Sunday morning and decided to go to London for the day. I wasn't entirely sure what I'd do there but I thought that it would involve a museum or two and some random wandering if the weather was nice. By the time I'd dressed and found a map and my oyster card my plans had solidified into the British Museum and then the National Gallery if there was time.
I've been to the British Museum a couple of times before but it was usually to look at something specific and there were a lot of galleries that I hadn't visited, particularly the Asia and Early Britain Galleries. I achieved museum fatigue pretty rapidly and just concentrated on jewellery and any descriptions of conservation or archeological techniques. This was slightly less weird than my last visit to the Ashmoleon where I found myself drawn to every single bit of bone on display.
My inner museum critic was pretty quiet during this visit - although I did get a little frustrated with some of the missing labels. I do wish I'd caught more of the Radio 4 series A History of the World in 100 objects because the ones I saw were fascinating. My favouite thing about the BM is the Great Court. I spent ages just looking at it and enjoying the lightness of the space. It could have been opressive but it isn't at all.
I popped into GOSH comics and bought the four Bruce Wayne: The Road Home comics and found that they had most of the back issues of Red Robin that I hadn't got (only one more to find!). Then I walked to Forbidden Planet solely because it was on the way to the National Gallery *snort* to see if they had the last couple of Meljean Brooks books. I found one that I didn't have and also picked up a Nightwing and a Robin trade.
I only had about an hour before the National Gallery closed but I had a wander around and looked at anything that caught my eye. I spent most of the time looking at the Canaletto's. You really feel as if you could walk right into them. I also finally realised exactly why I don't like Monet. Most of the time I really dilike his choice of colour. They just don't quite gel with the way I see the world. The way he captures light and the composition are amazing but the specific shades used are jarring. Hmmm. I should really read more about this.
When the Gallery closed, I wandered along Whitehall and then went to the station. I got as far as Didcot and that was where things went wrong. I started to wonder why we'd been sitting at the station for so long when there was an announcement from the driver that there had been a fatality on the line to Oxford and that the train would be turning round and going back to London so could we please all get off the nice warm train. Several hundred people milled around on the platform and eventually the concourse when rumours of coaches began to spread. One coach turned up after about three-quarters of an hour and took a few people. Then we stood around for another hour and a quarter getting colder and colder (it is definitely autumn now) until there was a move back into the station and there was a new train to Oxford. The strange thing is that it was the second time that that has happened to me on a Sunday evening at Didcot station. The previous time was more stressful because I was trying to catch a connecting train home from Reading and barely made it to the last train.
Things that are making me smile
* This amazing and chilling The Dark is Rising fic about Jane and the Greenwich by fulselden for the horror fest Sharp Teeth.
* I went to a talk by David Attenborough on Birds of Paradise and Alfred Russell Wallace yesterday and it was wonderful! It makes up for the talk I narrowly missed last year and I'm so excited for the new tv series next week.
* My daily dose of Jason Todd. I'm not obsessed. Honestly. Also Discowing's pre-crisis Jason Todd tag is pretty awesome. Pre-Crisis Jason was kinda cute, but I definitely prefer the new version.
I borrowed Teen Titans: Year One from the library and the art by Karl Kerschel is wonderful. Seriously, Robin and Wondergirl are the cutest things ever (There will be icons :D). The story was ok - I found it engaging enough in conjunction with the art but I wouldn't particularly recommend it. It was a strange mix of the modern and what I imagine to be the old fashioned ideas of the original comics. It does, however contain rather a lot of wee, angsty Dick Grayson Robin, if that is your thing.
* I'm making Birds of Prey icons and they don't completely suck.
* I've been terrible at leaving comments on fic that I've enjoyed recently and yesterday I finally got myself in gear and started commenting.
* There will be cat for the next two weeks! Sadly I'll be away at a wedding for the first weekend so he'll probably make friends with my housemate again and I'll be left out. But still CAT!
I've been to the British Museum a couple of times before but it was usually to look at something specific and there were a lot of galleries that I hadn't visited, particularly the Asia and Early Britain Galleries. I achieved museum fatigue pretty rapidly and just concentrated on jewellery and any descriptions of conservation or archeological techniques. This was slightly less weird than my last visit to the Ashmoleon where I found myself drawn to every single bit of bone on display.
My inner museum critic was pretty quiet during this visit - although I did get a little frustrated with some of the missing labels. I do wish I'd caught more of the Radio 4 series A History of the World in 100 objects because the ones I saw were fascinating. My favouite thing about the BM is the Great Court. I spent ages just looking at it and enjoying the lightness of the space. It could have been opressive but it isn't at all.
I popped into GOSH comics and bought the four Bruce Wayne: The Road Home comics and found that they had most of the back issues of Red Robin that I hadn't got (only one more to find!). Then I walked to Forbidden Planet solely because it was on the way to the National Gallery *snort* to see if they had the last couple of Meljean Brooks books. I found one that I didn't have and also picked up a Nightwing and a Robin trade.
I only had about an hour before the National Gallery closed but I had a wander around and looked at anything that caught my eye. I spent most of the time looking at the Canaletto's. You really feel as if you could walk right into them. I also finally realised exactly why I don't like Monet. Most of the time I really dilike his choice of colour. They just don't quite gel with the way I see the world. The way he captures light and the composition are amazing but the specific shades used are jarring. Hmmm. I should really read more about this.
When the Gallery closed, I wandered along Whitehall and then went to the station. I got as far as Didcot and that was where things went wrong. I started to wonder why we'd been sitting at the station for so long when there was an announcement from the driver that there had been a fatality on the line to Oxford and that the train would be turning round and going back to London so could we please all get off the nice warm train. Several hundred people milled around on the platform and eventually the concourse when rumours of coaches began to spread. One coach turned up after about three-quarters of an hour and took a few people. Then we stood around for another hour and a quarter getting colder and colder (it is definitely autumn now) until there was a move back into the station and there was a new train to Oxford. The strange thing is that it was the second time that that has happened to me on a Sunday evening at Didcot station. The previous time was more stressful because I was trying to catch a connecting train home from Reading and barely made it to the last train.
Things that are making me smile
* This amazing and chilling The Dark is Rising fic about Jane and the Greenwich by fulselden for the horror fest Sharp Teeth.
* I went to a talk by David Attenborough on Birds of Paradise and Alfred Russell Wallace yesterday and it was wonderful! It makes up for the talk I narrowly missed last year and I'm so excited for the new tv series next week.
* My daily dose of Jason Todd. I'm not obsessed. Honestly. Also Discowing's pre-crisis Jason Todd tag is pretty awesome. Pre-Crisis Jason was kinda cute, but I definitely prefer the new version.
I borrowed Teen Titans: Year One from the library and the art by Karl Kerschel is wonderful. Seriously, Robin and Wondergirl are the cutest things ever (There will be icons :D). The story was ok - I found it engaging enough in conjunction with the art but I wouldn't particularly recommend it. It was a strange mix of the modern and what I imagine to be the old fashioned ideas of the original comics. It does, however contain rather a lot of wee, angsty Dick Grayson Robin, if that is your thing.
* I'm making Birds of Prey icons and they don't completely suck.
* I've been terrible at leaving comments on fic that I've enjoyed recently and yesterday I finally got myself in gear and started commenting.
* There will be cat for the next two weeks! Sadly I'll be away at a wedding for the first weekend so he'll probably make friends with my housemate again and I'll be left out. But still CAT!