Awards Time!

I owe many, many thanks to the superduper, Fly in the Web, who has been very munificent in her awards to me lately. I feel that I am not deserving of them because I can be a very spasmodic blogger at times. I would like to award her my special cricket award "A Knockout Read!" as I know she shares my love of cricket. She has been a "brick" and I commend her "French Leave" blog to you. Strawberry Jam Anne, a regular blogger, has also been very kind and awarded me the Sunshine award too. I would also like to award her my own cricket award. Thank you both.

I've gone a bit quiet of late because I've been on various courses about Hadrian's Wall...a trip to the Mithraeum at Brocolitia and to Chesters. This was on a day when we got blown to bits and drenched alternatively but it was well worth it. I aim to blog about these when the Easter holidays are over. My former guiding tutor, Jan Williams, talked about the "smurf" hats of the torch bearers at the Mithras Temple amongst other things. Georgina Plowright, English Heritage, showed us all sorts of delightful things in the museum at Chesters and at the fort and bath house.

I'm also desperately trying to brush up my notes for my guiding tour at Vindolanda. I'm a bit nervous about that as it coincided with me falling quite ill last Summer. I'm happy to say that I'm completely back to normal now but it's like falling off a horse and trying to get back on it again. So fingers crossed. I've been over to Vindolanda and to The Roman Army Museum (where there is a lovely new gallery display about Hadrian and his life). So watch this space!

Back to the awards. I've been very remiss in this department and I think there are some super bloggers out there. I'd like to pass on the "Sunshine" and "Circle of Friends" award to these bloggers who've stuck by me through thick and thin:

1. French Fancy
2. Dumdad at The Other Side of Paris
3. Nota Bene
4. The Dotterel at Bringing up Charlie
5. Troy
6. Ladybird World Mother
7. Addy at Alcoholic Daze
8. Expatmum
9. Lindsay at Rural Villager
10. Maggie May
11. Suburbia
12. Catharine at Withenay Wanders
13. Completely Alienne
14. Sage
15. Views from the Bike Shed
16. Lynne at Bun Mountain Cottage
17. Saco-Harry who doesn't have a blog (to my knowledge) but he does run a marvellous diggers' website at Vindolanda: www. wedigvindolanda.com
18. Keep Bloggering On!

I would also like to pass on the "Share Your Flair" award to:

1. Mickle's Pickle
2. Sandi - Holding Patterns
3. Grumpy Old Ken
4. Yorkshire Pudding
5. Gill - That British Woman
6. Crystal Jigsaw
7. A Woman of No Importance
8. Jo Beaufoix
9. Dulwich Divorcee
10. Life in Windermere
11. Clippy Mat
12. Ma Mite
13. Lakeviewer
14. Sarah at Work in Progress
15. Tarte Tartan
16. Kestrel at Jom, Colour Me
17. View from the High Peak
18. Diary of a Desperate Woman
19. Reluctant Memsahib
20. Lailani at The Green Grass Grows All Around

And..if I haven't included anyone who feels they ought to be included...then..I'm utterly, abjectly sorry...blame it on my Roman marbles which are a tad looser these days.........

Tara for now! :) Hadriana xx

A Head's up on Hadrian's "heads"

Bronze head of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (r.AD117-138), once part of a complete, larger-than-life-size. 2nd century AD. Found in the River Thames at London Bridge, in 1834

Last Saturday was the second last day of Hadrian's Head at the Wallsend/Segedunum exhibition. I'd been meaning to go and see "Hadrian's Head" for ages. I knew that I had to go and see it returned to London at the British Museum. It was a wonderfully sunny day so I decided to go for it with the two little ones in tow. Wallsend (Sting's home town) is relatively easy to find. From the West you turn right off "the Coast Road" (A1058) and then head for the Tyne. Likewise from the East you turn left...it is incredibly easy to get there. There's also a local "Metro" station...which is Tyneside's very own version of London's "Tube". Parking is free and right outside the Museum. The staff are very helpful and as it is a small museum it is simple to get around.

Following on from expatmum's recent lavatorial themed posts I think I should mention that Segedunum has the only example of a Roman loo found in Britain. There is also a reconstructed Roman Bath House which shows how the Romans were not too bothered about having any loo privacy i.e. they literally all mucked in together. I stupidly left my camera in the car and as it was so hot and the children were being pretty good I decided not to disturb the equilibrium. Jamie Shafer has put together some excellent photos of Segedunum which are all self explanatory. In Photo No. 6 of The Bath House there is also a picture of "Hadrian's Head" and whilst not immediately apparent...it bears an amazing similarity to that of Charles Clarke MP (see above). From my children's point of view the Roman exhibition was a bit too "high brow" for them. Not surprising as they are still very young. However for slightly older children (say 6 upwards) there are exhibits which will keep them amused: there are computer screens with archeology games; they can dress up as Romans and there is a small part about how the Romans approached medecine. There is a very small cafe there which offers sandwiches and cakes (I would advise you to bring your own supplies if your kiddie winks have special food desires/wants/needs). There were other exhibitions there which we didn't get to see such as the Egyptology one which would be a great hit with children. One point to think about is that this may be a museum to do first before seeing other bits of the Wall as there is not much left of the fort compared with say the Roman remains at Vindolanda, Chesters, Birdoswald and so forth. Nevertheless as children always like discussion of toiletry habits then a visit to Segedunum is worth it purely for the Bath House and the Latrines alone! (I've also vowed never to leave my camera behind again.)