Pirates!

I went to the Museum of London to see the new Pirates exhibition all about Captain Kidd.

And even saw an original Jolly Roger which I learnt was red as opposed to the black flag you associate with pirates these days.

The rest of the museum is amazing and would highly recommend a visit over to the docklands. Its very pretty round that part of London.

Saw a lovely Tortoiseshell Butterfly soaking up the late summer sun!

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Docklands/

Spirit Collection Tour @ The Natural History Museum

It was half term and I foolishly decided to go to the Natural History Museum. I love going to this museum but its the crowds that always prevent me from staying longer than 30 mins or so each time I visit. However this time I wasnt going to look round the main museum- but rather what is held in its basement. The Spirit Collection is where the museum keeps its specimens in alcohol that arent on display in the main museum- and these are held as a scientific resource for researchers to use to help in their studies. This area is not open to the general public apart from on these special tours.

I love the outside of this musuem- its beautiful!

The dissection room

The tour guide who informed me that photography wasnt normally allowed while on the tour- however then went on to say if she didnt see me taking photos then that was ok!

Inside each of these aluminium vats are filled with alcohol and hold the larger specimens that would not fit inside a jar- eg chimpanzees, komodo dragons and large mammals. Note the ceiling runners used to open and close the lids.

Mammals

Fish

A giant Squid- this was huge! See a news article here on where it came from.

Different squid tentacles- either discs or hooked depending on the species.

And finally some of the flesh eating beetles used to clean carcasses!

Australian Landscape @ The British Museum

Every year the British Museum turns one of its front lawns into a recreation of a landscape from a different country- this year it was Australia- and ties in with an exhibition within the museum and is made in collaboration with Kew Gardens. In the past few years they have done China, South Africa and India.

I first visited the garden back in early May- where we had had some blustery cold weather so the garden really wasnt looking its best- but upon a return visit in late August really showed the plants surviving remarkably well the temps of a pretty awful British summer!

The grass trees always hold a soft spot for me as I have one myself that lives in a friends garden while I am currently garden-less! and these 2 below looked beautiful. I have to say a couple looked very worse for wear- but Xanthorrhoea are notorious for coming into this country with no roots at all- and then slowly dying. Indeed my X.glauca arrived with only 2 roots! But slowly regrew over time- but i know of many others that simply dont survive. These 2 below are probably over a hundred years old- which i believe makes looking after them something of a responsibility. They are all imported with a liscence to show they have been taken legally from teh wild from where the land had to be cleared- and would have otherwise been destroyed. And also luckily for me have proven to be hardy - especially with the winters we have been having recently.

My lovely Blue Grass Tree (X. glauca)

Me at the South African Garden @ The British Museum last year