Today was our annual work Away Day, held this year at the Imperial War Museum in London. Because the doors opened an hour before the general public was admitted, this meant I had the basement exhibition of The Children's War exhibition and the replica World War II house all to myself. The exhibition was unsurprisingly, very moving - lots of letters home from the children who were evacuated from the cities into the countryside to be safe from the Blitz. Some funny and poignant - one excitedly explains to her mum the concept of Spring and how it apparently happens every year in the country, some sad in their bewilderment at being sent away.  But the real heartbreaker was a letter from Beryl, an eight year old girl to her parents, penned hurriedly during an Atlantic crossing, telling her parents that the ship has been hit and she is getting into the lifeboat. Tragically, she didn't survive - the bottom of her letter is festooned with XX's to her mum and dad together with a ps in which she apologises for all her spelling errors. That literally made me cry a bit at the notion that she thought her parents would be reading it, mentally noting the grammar errors. Also because of the reaction of her parents, thinking that her daughter was imagining them doing that.

More cheery by comparison was the replica 1940s house, which can be seen on the museum website. Again, I had this to myself so the illusion of being back in time was substantially enhanced. Thus, I got to wander round, pretending I lived there, trying to imagine what it would be like. (conclusion: under my rule, cluttered as hell - it was quite small). After a little while it was eerie - it did feel a bit like trespassing in someone's house. There was the vague notion that any minute a lady with a scarf wrapped around her head and wearing an apron would whip out from the kitchen, demanding to know what I was doing in her house. I also have a deep interest (and deep respect for those who endured it) the wartime rationing of food in the UK. Thrillingly, the exhibition had lots of ration books, coupons as well as some curious propaganda items like these:






Question: What IS the secret agenda of Potato Pete & Doctor Carrot, here? Why are they encouraging the masses to eat other potatoes and carrots? You think they would have more solidarity with their root veg brothers ;). I think Pete is a bit dim and just hasn't realised the predicament he is putting himself in with his proclamations, but I think Dr Carrot is definitely up to something. Look at that knowing smirk.

As to the work bit of the day, our key note speaker was Baroness Susan Greenfield giving a very similar talk as presented here. I concur with the journalist in the link that she is indeed an excellent public speaker, easily holding the room without the benefit of so much as a cue card. I will definitely buy her book based on this talk - her ideas sound extremely interesting. It's always such a treat to hear genuinely impressive speakers. I remember when some years ago, quite by chance I heard Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map concept give a pep talk and he was amazing. I think everyone left the hall believing they could go out and change the world.