3 July 2015 - Serpentine Galleries and more...

My weekly breakfast date with Winette nearly got missed as I thought today was Thursday!  Luckily, I was reminded about the day of the week and made my breakfast date!  I would have been so disappointed if I had missed it!  Winette, librarian and book lover, and I were discussing "To Kill a Mockingbird",  topical because Harper Lee's second book is being published finally and many book clubs and school are studying TKAM this year. Tim has it as a required text this next term and I would also like to read it. So, the next thing I know, we were down in Foyles and she bought the book for me as a "must read"!  And I am looking forward to reading it!

Back home we worked out our plan for the day and set off with picnic packed.  A beautiful day, 26 C, to enjoy lunch in Hyde Park and for the kids to run around.

Picnic in the park!

Boys looking for a tree to climb!

 On each side of the bridge over the water are the two buildings of the Serpentine Gallery: the Serpentine Sackler Gallery and the main building.  The small Sackler Gallery, had a quirky exhibition by Duane Hanson of people, life sized and eerily real to the point of us wondering if at least some of the exhibits were models and we tried to catch them breathing!  They were, of course, all art works!

The Serpentine Sackler Gallery!

Art!  I really had to check that she wasn't breathing!  So realistic!

I swear I saw him move!

And as for this old couple - amazing!  Made of bronze, polychromed in oil with accessories!

I think I caught these exhibits moving!

New entrance to the main Serpentine Gallery

The other Serpentine Gallery had a display of paintings all of dark skinned people which was excellent.  A real challenge to paint dark skin against a dark background with just a splash of colour.  The colourful entrance, the Serpentine Pavillion, which we have seen being erected was a bit of fun to go through but a heat trap.

Bit hot today!

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye - To the Kindness

 Then guess what, Luke wanted to go back to the Natural History Museum!  Tim and Karl went to the Science Museum and Annika and I accompanied Luke to his favourite place!  There is so much there to see and we discovered the Darwin Collection of bottled specimens - an amazing collection which is irreplaceable as many of the specimens would not be able to be obtained because of "ethical reasons" these days!

Killer Bird - Natural History Museum

Luke amazing one of the Museum workers with his knowledge!

Dippy the diplodocus

Love the architecture!

We stopped by the canal to see the lovely little ducklings and other birds.  Having survived the hottest July day on record, yesterday, we enjoyed the pleasant 26 C today!

Mother duck with her brood of five.