An Afternoon Out

We spent this afternoon at the Horniman Museum in south London, a first for both of us. It has an extensive ethnographic collection, although Judith thought the labelling could have been better; it also has a "Nature Base", an interactive feature aimed at acquainting young children with the wildlife they're likely to see in London's parks and gardens. This includes a working beehive (although it will obviously "work" more in summer, when there is nectar to be foraged) and a vivarium of harvest mice, Britain's smallest rodent.

As might be expected, these little creatures seem to spend more time hiding in their nest of grass and wheat stalks than scuttling about in plain view, a situation not helped by a load of young children crashing and banging about and scaring them into keeping out of sight. But then, suddenly: activity! Little pink noses poking out of the grass, little dark button eyes scanning for threats....then out they came, three of them, each about the size of my thumb (excluding the tail), clambering up the wheat stalks to pick off the kernels and settle down for a good old feed, little cheeks pumping away as they gnawed through the husks to get at the germ within.

Everybody duly went "goo" and took lots of close-up photographs. What darling little wuggles they were!