On Your Own Doorstep... Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

                                        

Hello everyone!

Yes, I am still in the archives and originally posted this in 2016. The Museum has been closed since Covid lockdown days and undergoing renovation. So, there are new and different things to see now it’s reopened. I have not been yet but will visit soon. Birmingham is an exciting place to be at the moment. I watched the opening of the Commonwealth Games last week and felt so proud as I watched Birmingham and the Black Country’s history. Then there was the massive bull, the stewards in Peaky Blinders attire. We have so much for visitors in the heart of the Midlands. Lots to see and do. Have fun.

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June 2016

Lady M here and looking out of her study at beautiful trees in full leaf. It is June and summer is on the way. It is the time of the year when the days are long, the nights short and hopefully that glorious thing called sunshine will brighten our days. Well, we live in hopes! These are the days when going out is a pleasure and for the next few weeks I am taking the "on your own doorstep" theme. It is so easy to travel the world yet miss what is only down the road.

 

The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is five miles away from me in Chamberlain Square, Birmingham. Just round the corner from the Council House and Victoria Square. For me, it was easy and free to travel there using my concessionary travel pass into the city, but if you haven't reached your senior years admission is free anyway.

 

Once inside a new world opens up... room after room of excitement and joy in the form of glorious, exquisite paintings plus artefacts from numerous cultures... Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Romans and Ancient Americas. Then there is the Sultanganj Buddha, the largest surviving metal Buddha from Ancient India and over 1,000 years old; this was one of the first objects to enter Birmingham's collection. There is a new gallery housing the impressive Staffordshire Hoard and another gallery displaying the history of Birmingham. I had a wonderful time there last September. Yes, I did spend some money on lunch in The Edwardian Tearooms but I did not succumb in the gift shop!

 

Birmingham has so much to offer. Only yards away from the museum is the beautiful cathedral on Colmore Row. Originally, a church for a small community. As the community grew, this little church became the new cathedral. I enjoyed spending half an hour there listening to the organist rendering lovely tunes. There is something special about the sound of organ music... it is soothing and relaxing.

 

Then, of course, there is the new library next to The Repertory Theatre. I visited that last year and talked about it in my previous blog. 

Okay, so you don't live near Birmingham but do you know what is available in a city or town near you whether it be Manchester, Liverpool, Amsterdam, Salzburg, New York or Canberra?


Until next week, I leave you with this thought:

Tomorrow is not promised to us so make the most of today!

Wherever you wander just remember to take a good book with you!

Love, Lady M xxxx



          

          

The Edwardian Tearoom 

Impressive interior

 

       

          

 

            

        

 

                              

            

 

 

                              

 

 

 

    

                                                                                                                                

Cairo!

                                                                                                

Hello Everyone,

Was last weeks information on Washington of interest to you?

1. Cairo is the capital of Egypt.

2. It is situated on the River Nile.

3. Egypt is in Africa.

4.Go north and you walk into the Mediterranean Sea, go south and you find Sudan, go west and look at Libya, go east and see the Red Sea and Israel.

5.Arabic is the official language; although English and French are widely spoken.

6.Islam is the predominant religion.

7.It is the city where one can discover the Al-Azhar Mosque which contains the oldest Islamic university in the world (AD 970).

8.It is also the city where you will find the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.

9. In this museum is the Mummy Room and the Tutunkhamun exhibition. (Both are well worth a visit.)

10.In the heart of Cairo is the Khan El-Khalili, one of the world's great bazaars and Africa's largest souk or market.

11. The Citadel, an imposing medieval fortress, was the home of Egypt's rulers for 700 years. Today it offers sweeping views of the city.

12.From the centre of the city it is possible to see the Pyramids at Giza; this is the modern name given to the gigantic burial grounds of Letopolis, now Cairo

13. These three Pyramids are at least 4,500 years old and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World to survive today.

14. They cover an area of 2,000 square metres on a plateau.

15. They are the funeral complexes of Pharaoh Khufe (the second king of the Fourth Dynasty), Khafre (his son and the fourth king of the Fourth Dynasty and Menkaure (Khafre's son and the fifth king of the Dynasty).

16. Each one has a burial chamber excavated in the rock; they also have a Mortuary Temple, a Causeway, and several other chambers in them.

17.The Great Sphinx is a colossal stone statue with the face of a man and the body of a lion.

18. It was built in about 2500BC by Pharaoh Khafre, the occupant of the second Pyramid and the face is a portrait of this king.

19. The Sphinx is thought to be a guardian figure protecting the tomb and warding off evil spirits.

20. A final point - I visited Cairo and Giza in February 2002; they are only supposed to have about six days of rain at the Pyramids each year. Guess what? Yes! It rained! Wasn't I lucky to have one of those days!

Next week I will be giving you twenty facts about Tokyo!

But tomorrow, I shall be at the Gedling Art Festival in Nottingham. If you are in the area pop along to the Arnold Methodist Church where I will be, unless I've popped over the road to Costa, and say 'hello'. It's at 54, Front Street, NG5 7EL

Thought for the week: Negativity breeds negativity. Positivity breeds positivity. Stay positive.


Love to you all, Lady M  😁😋😔😉

Canberra

Parliament House

Australian War memorial

National Gallery

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying the summer holiday season if you are in the northern hemisphere. If you are in the southern part then hopefully you will be experiencing a reasonable winter.
This week I'm looking at CANBERRA.

1. It is the capital of Australia.

2. The city was planned in 1908.

3. It was designed as the political heartland and capital to stop rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne.

4. It is located in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory).

5. It was once just a small sheep station on the edge of the Molonglo River.

6. Its name is based on the Aboriginal word for 'meeting place'.

7. The foundation column of the new capital was laid in 1913.

8. The city was designed by Walter Burley Griffin, a Chicago architect.

9. It is laid out like a cobweb with government buildings in the centre and moving outward to the residential areas.

10.The first session of Parliament was opened on May 9th, 1927, by the Duke of York, who later became King George VI.

11.Unlike other capital cities, Canberra does not have either large skyscraper buildings or a large population.

12.Central Canberra lies around Lake Burley Griffin, framed by four hills: Black Mountain, Mount Ainslie, Capital Hill and Red Hill.

13.Its star sights are the Australian War memorial, the National Gallery of Australia and Parliament House.

14. St John the Baptist Church and Schoolhouse Museum, built of local bluestone in 1844 are Canberra's oldest surviving buildings.

15. 70% of the ACT is bushland.

16. In the ACT, the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve can be found. It has forests, grassland, streams and mountains. Kangaroos, emus, platypus and koalas can all be seen in their natural environment.

17. Lanyon Homestead, a restored 1850's home attached to a sheep station is situated on the Murrumbidgee river bank, south of Canberra.

18. The Namadgi National Park covers almost half of the ACT.

19. Canberra, even has a little bit of Britain! Cockington Green! A crafted miniature British village set in landscaped gardens.

20. There are two special events: the annual spring flower festival and the hot-air ballooning festival in April.

So, if you are visiting Australia this year enjoy the Sydney Opera House and all that the country has to offer but don't forget a visit to this small, enchanting capital city so different from other capitals around the world.

Always, take a good book with you as well as the guide book.

Thought for the week, particularly if you are travelling: It is better to arrive 5 minutes late than 20 years too soon!

Have fun, Lady M xxxx


                                                         

On Your Own Doorstep...Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery

Hello Everyone,

As promised this week I am giving you some pretty pics from the Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery. This museum has two downstairs rooms which house a Toy Collection from the 1950's and a Ruskin Pottery Collection. In addition, there is a room for activities.

 

Who said Museums were boring? They are, like libraries, hives of activity with a programme of events especially through the school holidays. So, if you're looking for something to entertain, inform or educate your child through the remaining holidays look at your local museum or library and see what is happening. In Sandwell visit, www.sandwell.gov.uk/museumevents

 

Upstairs are more delights, pictures, portraits and collections.

The Toy Collection

Ruskin Pottery

Windsor Castle

Tower Bridge, London

Portraits

The Bull



Times Gone By

Yesterday!

Have Fun!

 

 

Lady M.