The Book of the Dead

No the title doesn't refer to how I feel after a Saturday night on the beers, although it could I guess, but instead this great exhibition at the British Museum. On my friend Dan's recommendation we decided to book early morning tickets to the show with the theory being that it would be less busy then and so more fun for a pair of small and restless kids. So at oh-9:30 we lined up outside the Reading Room ready to see some Mummy's and their ancient scrolls:

It has to be said that up till now I've seen the Ancient Egyptians as being good at building pyramids and drawing people from the side but I have to say that they also had some really whacked-out ideas about the afterlife too! Not content with mummifying their dead and sticking their internal organs in some Canopic jars they also provided several hundred spells to help the deceased make their way to Osiris and the scales of judgement (fail here and the "Devourer" will get you - part hippo, part leopard and part crocodile!).

Sadly this wasn't of great to interest to Joshua - once he'd rushed past the mummy's and assorted grave goods he declared himself bored and so Lenore drew the short-straw of taking him off for some cake. Luckily Christina was happy to play with the iPod exhibition guide and I got to read about spells that told you name of demons, helped you defeat snake-like monsters and also avoid your digestive tract being reversed forcing you to eat your own poo! These Egyptians were nothing if not thorough but after 2 or 3 hours one hieroglyphic starts to look like another:

With the exhibition completed and the sun shining in a clear blue sky we decided that the kids needed to run around and that Coram Fields would be just the ticket. Not far from the British Museum it has seven acres devoted to kids; in fact you can't even go in without a child in tow! So thank you Captain Thomas Coram for being such a forward-thinking kind of guy although maybe next time you could open the cafe? It gets a bit chilly sitting around reading the paper you know...

At the back of my mind there was, of course, the thought of getting back to that never-satisfied running schedule. So as soon as we got home I strapped on my shoes and headed out for a quick 5-mile run around the local streets, in the dark, which wasn't as bad as it sounds. Maybe the hills just seem flatter when you can't see them but I quite enjoy pounding the pavements at night and looking in the brightly-lit front windows of our middle-class neighbours; it always surprises me how many have space for a pool or snooker table. Luxury!

Distance: 5.7 miles

Time: 47m 44s