Day out in Londy 1

So on Thursday we embarked on our first documented trip to the Political Cartoon Gallery at Goodge street. It started off as a lovely day with wintry sunshine which made cycling to central London a pleasant experience. The exhibition was extensive in material but had no labels of explanation which made it harder to enjoy for one who is not too familiar with the local political scene (or rather we should have done more research XD). It was also very cold within the gallery (the only person who had access to any heating was the receptionist). However, the works were entertaining (the ones which we understood anyway) and i particularly liked a book by an artist whose works were based on great works of art. i.e. Washington crossing the Delaware depicted as obama crossing the Delaware. I would find you the author but the society’s webpage is down...tsk tsk.. Entrance fee : 1 pound

As soon as we left the gallery it started to drizzle
Pollock’s Toy Museum (also on Goodge street) was a lighter contrast to the cartoon gallery (ok so it was pretty much a no-brainer compared to political cartoons). They display toys from all over the world and from different categories. i.e. board games, parlour games, dolls, whistles, teddy bears etc. I found the science based ones more interesting as they created optical illusions, chemical reactions, and what not. By the way, the 3D image was created in the 1800’s! There was a display of it by Sir something. It would have been better if there were some basic explanations on how the optical illusions worked.
Observation by Khairul: The illustrations on board games depicted adults having fun in the early stages of its production and kids thereafter.
Yan: Maybe that was when they invented tv and the adults thought that board games were lame. Or advertising realised that they were targeting the wrong group. Or both
My favourite displays were those of the paper pantomime theatres which were very popular in Victorian times. One of the more popular makers was Pollock himself, whom the museum is named after. (we bought a Cinderella edition of this and will be staging it soon! So thats something to look forward to). It comes complete with a theatre, background changes, characters and a script! Perhaps it would be better to visit the museum in the summer as the gloomy weather added an eerie atmosphere especially when we came to the dolls section. The oldest doll dates back to the 1880’s and is balding. Mega scary. Especially when we came to the alcove where they recreated a girls bedroom FULL of dolls. One cant help but notice the quality and details of toys then compared to today. We also met a charming little grey pup named Haggis. I believe he was a terrier and belonged to the proprietors .

Khairul: Yan! Jangan bagi die jilat your kasut!
Yan: Hello anjing comel!!!!!! Sorry I cannot pat you cos khairul says so....... 
The museum also comes with a toy store where one can buy things like Victorian paper pantomime theatres and interesting books. We also bought The Weather Calendar, a book which compiles diary entries or letters from famous diarists and authors i.e. pepys, jane austen and Emily Dickinson on the weather for everyday of the year. i.e.:

December 17 1887. The morning is charming here-a south wind and bright ascending sun which illuminates the whole Cathedral east and south. We have had many such mornings lately. M.S.Holland

It was pouring when we left the museum. Temperature had fallen from 5 to 3 degrees.

It is interesting how the eccentric weather is such a big deal in this country in contrast to where the weather is more or less constant in kl. Today is also the shortest day in the year. And according to my weather calendar, it was also the shortest day in the year on Dec 21st in 1887. The knowledge of nature’s unchanging rhythm is soothing. What other things have such an effect on you? Might make key lime pie tomorrow. And more on winter wonderland coming up! p.s. we dropped by habitat after the museum visit and i saw a ravioli maker for 24 pounds! Is that considered a good buy? It would be lovely to be able to make your own ravioli.