Beetling about

It’s January.  Sigh.  And, just like most people Iam feeling a very firm financial pinch.  As such, it was with a great hopethat I googled “free things to do in London” a couple of weeks ago and setabout making myself a list.

Now, I’m a history geek.  I studied Classical Art andArchaeology at University and am interested in pretty much all of history upuntil about, well, 1960...when my interest wanes.  I don’t like theclothes.  When I don’t like the clothes I find it hard to sustain aninterest in the rest of it.  Sad but true.   In a related vein, Ialso adore dressing up.  I’ll attend almost any party if it gives me thechance to delve into my fancy dress drawer and don some sort of fancyoutfit.  So, imagine my excitement at finding put about the Science Museum’sfree cockroach tours.  Yes, that's right – you heard me: FREE tours or aMUSEUM whilst DRESSED UP as a cockroach.  Not glamorous, no - definitely not glamorous, but hard toresist.

Of course I called and booked immediately and, the followingweekend, His Imperial Badgeryness and I set off, full of excitement. Well, I was excited, His Nibs was probably just hoping I’d stop singingLa Cucaracha once the tour was over.  Sadly for him, no such luck. This is he, posing in his murder gloves, doing his murder face.  Whether this has anything to do with my singing voice I do not know.  Ahem.

Once at the museum the cockroach meeting place is prettyobvious – there are a huge number of costumes piled in a corners and people aremilling around anxiously.  It was a mixed group – a couple of children butmostly adults of the...oddball persuasion.  Ah, my people.  Thetour is aimed at adults, certainly, and I would not really advise it forchildren under 10 as the cockroach costumes are large and do drag on the floora bit if you are under 3 foot.  Small people could easily fall over and injure their small facesor something. 

Anyway – the time came and Professor John Cockroach turnedup to dish out costumes and introduce us to each other.  We then set off,at high speed, through the museum.  Yes, we RAN IN A MUSEUM.  It feltso naughty.  On our way around we learnt a lot about humans from acockroach perspective, got some exercise (45 minutes of scuttling can reallytake it out of one, especially going upstairs on all fours ... I mean all sixlegs) and had a lot of laughs.  I don’t think I’ve grinned from ear to earfor such a long time in years.  My face actually hurt.  ACTUALLYhurt. 

Four tours run each week – at 2 pm and 4pm on Saturday and thesame on Sunday.  They book up rapidly, unsurprisingly.  It is well worth the visit.

Post roachery we headed to the cafe for a reviving hot chocolate and then down to the secret history of the home.  this is a lovely exhibition with interactive bits for the young or very silly (me) and lots of examples of homewares, showing developments in design and the impact of technology on home life.

Here are some of my favourite bits.  I can't help but think that the person choosing the ads had a bit of a cheek.

I am so in love with that kitchen cabinet from 1930.  So in love.

All in all I can say it was a fantastic day out.