7th May 2008

Another National Express trip to London (OAP Mike half price this time) for a day in the Natural History Museum (free entry). It was 23 degrees outside - the first really hot day of 2008.

This is the very impressive entrance hall.

OK, so I knew he wasn't real. And of course I knew he was computer controlled but it was REALLY SPOOKY when I put the camera up to take his photo - and he looked straight at me and roared!!

A couple of years ago, a lady in the village told me how her dogs had startled a very yellow bird with black wings - did I know what it was .... I looked at her with amazement, out came the bird book, she identified it and I charged up to the site with my binoculars but of course no luck.

So I only get to see the rare golden oriole here, very dead.

Perhaps she was having a bad day .......

The architecture is superb - click on each photo to see more detail.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/history-architecture/index.html

A dusty huge blue whale and an old type museum collection around it.

Spot the real live husband (no dinosaur jokes allowed).

Time for a very welcome cappucino and a very nice cup at a very reasonable price.

But hello, who's this in the coffee shop - surely that's not .......

Oh yes it is! So, this is where she ended up, stuffed.

Chi-Chi lived in London Zoo from 1958 until she died on 21st July 1972. She was originally destined for a US zoo from China but then the US refused to take her because of a trade ban.

Remember how she was not interested in making panda babies with An-An from Russia?!

She is the symbol of the World Wildlife Fund.