British Museum/General Synod

Mike had to leave early to get to Lambeth Palace.

Christine decided to visit the British Museum again, to see some of the sections she has not seen before. 

Just inside is a small temporary exhibition, this year it is of a mummified crocodile, worshipped as a god, kept captive at the temple of Souk. This crocodile was xrayed last year. It was fed with only the best meat (in its stomach were the remains of the shoulder of a cow) When mummified its vital organs were replaced with fabric, and 20 mummified hatchlings were placed on its back!

In the main museum, she first went to look at the Waddesdon Bequest, left by a Rothschild in 1898. Two generations of the family had built up this private collection of nearly 300 smaller, exceedingly precious, ornate and decorated items. It was assembled to prove that the family had 'arrived', was one of the most prosperous in Europe. The objects were displayed for the admiration of visitors in the New Smoking Room at Waddesdon Hall!

Christine liked especially this superb  enamelled glass goblet, the Palmer Cup, dating back to 1200, originating in Egypt or Syria, but made into a goblet in France!

Also impressing her was this boxwood prayer nut

and Reformation period book covers.

Next she went into the booklined gallery which houses some of the collections of gentleman scientists of the 18th and 19th century, illustrating the breadth of and variety of collections from plant samples, egyptology, rock samples 

For the rest of her time Christine looked round the more recent acquisitions, illustrating African artifacts and sculptures

North and South American traditional items

She was particularly interested in the cagoule made from the guts of sea animals by the Inuit peoples ( really waterproof and so much better the early explorers thought than European waterproofs)

and a lizard metal sculpture, one of those made in a workshop in Mazambique in 2004 from decommissioned weapons after the civil war. This workshop was an initiative by a local bishop and was set up with the help of Christian Aid.

After her cultural fix, Christine made her way back to Tottenham Court Road and along Oxford Steet to Marble Arch, before taking the underground back to Paddington. She was singularly unimpressed by the shops - a real mishmash of architecture, three Primarks, three - at least - Zaras. Neither of the two M&S had the gilet she was hoping to get for Mike! She is unlikely to return!

The first part of Mike's day at General Synod was a small group session and as there was not enough room at Church House for all 20 groups, three were located across the river at Lambeth Palace. Mike's group was held in the Great Hall - they were told that this was a great privilege as this houses the greater (but less valuable) part of the world famous Lambeth Library. Strict instructions were given not to try and read any of the books!