Day Ninety Eight - Romans and Ramblings around

[byslantedlight]

Had to get out of the house today, and it occurred to me that as long as I was visiting Roman remains, I should nip down to Verulamium, which is really only just down the road from me (St Albans) - so I did. *g* I had a wander around the museum, which is very swish.

I liked the sea god mosaic best... ...which was found just a few hundred metres away from the museum by Mortimer and Tessa Wheeler. About which, by the way, huh - Mortimer we were taught about until we knew him backwards, we were never told that his wife Tessa was also an archaeologist in her own right.

I've got to say that even though it was obviously very well done, I didn't feel the Roman museum here as I have the other ones. I've been to St Albans before and not been keen on it, but I thought perhaps it was just my mood on the day - maybe not though, it just doesn't seem to have the magic that Chedworth and Fishbourne had, even though as a museum it's just as impressive. I couldn't feel the love, you know? Plus, they didn't have any children's novels in their fancy giftshop, let alone the third volume of Sutcliffe's trilogy, which I'd been looking forward to... I shall have to find another Roman site to visit now - maybe Bignor... *g*

The Roman theatre across the road was interesting too... ...though it was a shame you had to stick to the path around the top. I liked briefly to think that was the view the Romans might have had - them remembered that the mounds were the spoilheaps from the excavation, so no... but a nice view now anyway!

Candy floss icecream for lunch (exorbitantly priced, it turned out, but much more delish than it perhaps sounds) but I ended up rambling Essex countryside instead, and eventually came out at Hatfield Hall (hellishly busy and also exorbitantly priced, so I backed away fairly sharpish......with barely a picture of this fab twisty chimney.

Paused again when I came across a "craft village", where I couldn't resist fat quarters from the haberdashery... (Sorry, the pic's a bit blurred, but I'm too lazy now to take another one... *g*)

And then home to Cambs., where the skies were being rather dramatic, presumably in preparation for our brush with the hurricane tomorrow. Oh noes - rain! Whatever will we do...? Cool clouds though, eh? *g*

Tomorrow I shall be good and do organising-move things (and a few Job 2 things that have popped up), but it was happy to get away for a bit... *g*

Comments

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

The museum looks fab - and the mosaic is so amazing. It's funny how some places look like they ought to push all the buttons, but somehow don't. Hope you feel better for a day away from the office *g*

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Museum was very swish, and I liked the way it had been presented very much, but I didn't feel that the attendants or the people who ran it really loved the place, as I had at the other sites (whether or not that's true). It's not my favourite area of the world in general, mind, which might have something to do with it, it just always feels so soulless to me (but then so does Cambs., so...) But that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it, and that there weren't moments of beauty swishing down the roads, which is happy-making! *g*

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

That actually sounds like a really good day, rambling around the countryside with stops at interesting places. I love the sea-god mosaic, that's really impressive.
How typical that you'd be taught about Mortimer but not his wife. :-(
What are you planning on doing with the fabric?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It wasn't bad at all - interesting places are happy things! *g* The sea god is fab, isn't he...

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the fabric yet actually. It's too pretty not to be seen, but I don't usually have room for cushions and the like. I'm wondering about a bag, perhaps... or maybe I should try to copy my new roommate, and make an entire quilt/duvet cover! Of course that'd involve going out and finding more fat quarters... *g* Not that I don't have lots stashed in my storage too - buying them is another weakness of mine, cos there's so much pretty cloth out there! I used to sit and make stuff in the evenings after work, and I should really get into that habit again...