Also available right now in the V&A is the exhibit about the development of the Burberry trench coat, how it evolved from an outdoor, military style jacket into a fashion accessory for the wealthy. It’s not a big display and can take you anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour to go through. I however found the exhibit interesting and would recommend it to anyone interest in fashion.
An assortment of Burberry trench coat designs, showcasing the evolution of this iconic British garment.
The exhibit is free and available till Sunday 3 January 2027
This is a free exhibit, although it’s more like a scavenger hunt. The trail takes you through the museum and you can easily be distracted along the way. Because I know I did by many objects.
Just right of the main front entrance to the museum you have Freddie up high in his Flash t-shirt from when he and Queen did the sound track to the Flash Gordan film. You then follow through the museum to the second outfit where he dons a crown and cape.
The third outfit is in the Japan gallery; he had a strong love for Japan and its culture and this is a rather nice setting. There are two ways to follow from here on the trail. You need to go upstairs, but you could be sent all the way around through the café where the Morris, Gamble & Poynter rooms are.
The display for the fifth outfits, two of them in the tapestries room are accompanied by the music of Bohemian Rhapsody and with the accompanying music has a bit of a wow factor in its own right. I’d had thought that was the last display for some reason until one of the ladies that work for the V&A told me don’t forget the sixth and final piece and I made my way to it to see Freddie in his famous red costume with all the cameras in their display case facing him. That is celebrity at its best.
If you have half in your day I recommend it. The display is still available until Sunday 17 January 2027.
Often on a lot of weekends I walk from my home, down to the old railway line which they only open on weekends and get some nature. The route takes you into Lyndhurst Park, and this is where the problem lies.
I had stumbled on a huge pile of clothes, rubbish, it’s a lot there. So I reported it to Barnet Council first only to be told to report it to Barnet Parks. (Which I have done now.)
I felt upset, especially which I consider the area has a certain history with the railways and London transport. So I put my video on YouTube! The only curse now is that everyone gets to hear my voice!
I went during the week for a visit, and it was a nice day out in sunny London. The grounds are magnificent to wander around and have a lot of interesting things to see, including the birds on the long, narrow river.
The house itself has a lot of history and was built as a pleasure palace, but for me it felt oddly constructed. For one adult, you’re paying £13.50, which isn’t that cheap, but then the house needs well over a million pounds to keep itself running each year. The day I turned up, there weren’t many people around. In fact, it felt like there were more staff than visitors.
With your ticket, you’re given a little sound box to listen to the history of the house. You can point and zap at objects to listen to. You’re introduced to a fair amount of information. Will you be able to absorb it, or will it all be in one ear and out the other?
The blue room
Many of the paintings felt too new, as if they didn’t have any age to them. The rooms felt impressive and large, but functional? The whole place felt off for me. Maybe it’s the Feng shui in me.
When I left the house, I surprisingly felt more comfortable in the gardens. I first walked round to see the sad old dilapidated greenhouse. I felt sorry for it, then I went to the café to have a bite to eat. Maybe I would have been better off bringing my own lunch! What I chose from the hot menu was, let’s just say, a McDonald’s burger could have tasted better!
Greenhouse And the greenhouse sad state.
As I had driven here, I decided to make my way round. I tried to extend my car-parking stay for an extra half an hour, only for the phone app to charge me double! I enjoyed the walk through the gardens, along the river, into the wooded area and back up before leaving.
One thing I didn’t do was visit the kitchen garden. I may have missed out there.
All in all, not a bad place. You can visit the gardens for free, so it’s good for the locals. If they want more people, they really need to advertise better.
I arrived in Paris via the Eurostar just before 2 p.m. and went straight to the museum. After viewing the exhibit, I spent time to have a quick tour of the other stuff on display and there really are gems here. One of my favourite pieces I saw has to be this fella with a stupid amount of arms.
There was another demon looking fella with a very character driven face hidden around a corner. I really like him as well.
So, after having an additional wander I proceeded over to visit Norte-Dame Cathedral to see how the works are going and had a nice relaxing walk around there seeing a lot of the restoration. It truly is an impressive place. Upon exiting Norte-Dame it was already after 6 p.m. and there was an even bigger queue to get into the Cathedral, although it’s free to enter, it can take half an hours wait to get in, if not longer, so I do recommend you get online and get a timed slot ticket to escape the queue if it’s a must for you.
Norte-Dame Cathedral
Afterwards, I headed back to my hotel which is opposite Gare Du Nord train station. And it’s really interesting outside the station, a unique diversity for sure! I felt like I had to navigate a gauntlet to cross the road, some guys wanted to approach me with flyers. Another said something I ignore, as I pushed my cap down to hide my face. I circled round to the zebra crossing and made it across unscathed!
After checking into the hotel, I had dinner there and went upstairs to watched the England game against Argentina in the hotel and the noise around when goals went in. Well, that was a different kind of experience and the constant vibe of sirens and blue flashing lights outside down bellow felt very New York to me. I kept imagining some kind of dystopia down there while I was safe in the high-tower! However, the bed was very comfortable and I did get sleep in the end after listening to the chaos below. The next morning I had breakfast in the hotel to find a guy from Highbury in London serving breakfast who now lives in Paris. He traded London life for the Parisian life-style which he told me is far more laidback. After breakfast, I checked out and returned early to London.
Dinner and the Node NPC Arrival
After returning from France, I realised I had a problem for dinner, I had stuff in the fridge, but for a main meal. Not really, and in the freezer, nearly all of it other than chips needed proper defrosting for at least a day. So, I decided to go round the corner to the shops, where one new placed popped up this year.
A burger smash joint, that surprisingly does not just burgers, but breakfast, pasta’s along with a lot of other stuff!! I find the food surprisingly not bad, and it stupidly good value for London.
I’ve been in here before, but the last time there was a woman just sitting there listening to, what I realised was a story and it sounded like AI dribble.
So, this evening when I went in there, wait did I just go through a portal, the lady, same spot, same AI dribble playing sitting where she was last time. Hang-on a minute, there people who were behind her are not there! So… this is clearly an NPC spawn. Yep, she is an NPC!
I ordered my food, sat in the same place as last time, because frankly, out of all the seats it’s the furthest away from her! But this is no ordinary NPC, people reacted with her. A boy walked past the front outside and waved hello, even a delivery driver turned up and recognised her. Jesus, she’s on a permanent spawn. Now she is a node NPC!
Being in South Korea in April, I did a round‑trip holiday with the Explore company. One of the places I went to was the Gyeongju National Museum and saw a fair few items that are currently on loan to the Guimet Museum in Paris, which were unavailable to see at the time in Korea.
So, me being me, I booked the Eurostar across to go see the exhibit, and those artifacts are impressive. Because I’d only just been in South Korea, I felt I’d already learned enough, so there was a lot of overlapping information. But for locals in Paris, or anyone in France who has never been to South Korea, this is an easier option. And a nice option.
A view inside
I have the advantage of understanding written French fairly well, far better than I can converse in it. There is a fair amount of accompanying English for people to read, and there are French and English leaflets available to help visitors understand the exhibit better.
For the centre of Paris, I am surprised by the lack of people in the museum during a July where one can escape from the heat for a few hours. I guess all the tourists are off visiting the tiny Mona Lisa, which has never impressed me. I find there are far more interesting things in the Louvre, but that’s another story and my opinion.
In the exhibit you’re given the story of the Silla, its kingdom and domination, then shown their amazing wealth of items, which are impressive. So, if you’re up for it and have a chance, go see it before the exhibit ends on the final day of August.
Impressive goldA stone warrior
Guimet Musée National des Arts Asiatques 6, place d’léna 75116 Paris guimet.fr
Located in Clerkenwell, a short walk from Farringdon Thameslink, the Museum of the Order of St John is one of those places that feels slightly off the usual London museum circuit — but absolutely worth the detour. It’s closely tied to St John Ambulance, and the history runs far deeper than you expect when you first step inside.
If you go, do the guided tour. The museum alone is interesting, but you’ll miss most of what makes the site special. The Order’s story — from its medieval origins in the Knights Hospitaller, through Cyprus and Malta, and eventually to London — comes alive properly when you see the spaces connected to it.
I started with the main display, left for lunch, then returned for the tour. Only then did I realise that crossing the road opens up an entirely different part of the site.
The main museum display
The tour takes you down into the Crypt, which feels like a hidden chamber beneath Clerkenwell — atmospheric, slightly eerie, and completely unexpected. From there you head up into the Priory Church, once used as a residence, and then through an unassuming door to the Chapter Hall, lined with portraits of monarchs and steeped in institutional history.
The Crypt
After the Chapter Hall you’re led back into the main museum. The museum itself is free; the guided tour is £15. If you’re timing‑savvy, there’s a genuine hack here: the museum runs open days where the crypt and Chapter Hall are free to access. Hit one of those dates and you can see everything without paying — though the tour fee does help support both the museum and St John Ambulance.
The Chapter Hall
One of my favourite things I learned was that during their time in Malta, the Order’s annual rent for the island was simply to train one Maltese falcon a year in lieu of payment. A whole fortress‑state, paid for with a single bird.
Before you leave, take a moment in the garden and see if you can spot the different varieties of St John’s Wort growing there.
I am currently in Korea and although I am now back in Seoul, I did however manage to get a lot of exploring in and a hike through Gyeongju National Park.
I made it to the top, although it was on the short side, it’s the climb that hit the hardest with over 1,400 ft elevation.
It had rained all day, the day before but luckily enough it had mostly dried out. Although there were a few areas of dodgy footing, it wasn’t too bad.
I am not the tallest person, so my step at some points, I did struggle. But I am thankful I am still in good health.
The group I was with funny enough all seemed to be in their sixties and I was the youngest there. I had thought picking this climb I might have been with a slightly younger crowd. And three turned back less than half way through, so it was just five of us with the guide.
On the top, the funny thing is that there was a post box, where there are free post cards to send anywhere in the world for free. So I wrote one to my brother and family. Will find out if they get it or not!!
Not far from the top was a small Buddhist temple.Made it for the view.
I decided to pay this old house and grounds a visit, it’s free to visit. However, I felt disappointed with the house. I did enjoy my walk around the grounds know.
There are two old houses there, the main house museum which you can visit inside and the other appeared to be going through a renovation? The main one, the museum, I’d have to say has been, from my perspective, has been botched! You walk in and they have added the reception area/shop which in my view should be moved out into a separate building from the main house.
You walk through into a few other rooms, you see a hallway with modern displays and a room off of it also setup in a modern way which doesn’t suit the history of the house what so ever.
There are then the three main rooms facing the gardens which have this lost grandeur and look ever so tired. Floor, ceiling and walls. That’s it! Lovely looking ceilings know! These were receiving a lot of natural light and on a preservation note, maybe not the best approach.
Then you find yourself down a corridor and meet the butler, this video, does he explain the house? Nope! This focus is more about the Upstairs Downstairs social narrative.
I proceeded upstairs to the next floor and other than seeing the round banister I couldn’t really see much more. As all the doors to the other rooms were close! Up again, past this big elevator that took up a lot of room! The top floor was dedicated to an exhibit which really didn’t have any bearing on the surrounding area or grounds. Just fashion from modern people. That isn’t history!
After escaping this poorly curated mess of a house at least I got to see the grounds. The grounds themselves are nicely kept, mostly. However, they do need a lot of work on them in some areas. The interesting grotto bathhouse was closed off to the public as it hasn’t been maintained or kept well. Also, outside is a small orangey building, which also feels like it’s lacking love from the local community.
The Orangery
There are some fake ruins in the garden near to an area where once they had a stables. There are a few ponds one, constructed after the London clay had been removed for brick building which was part of the old industry of the area. So in essence, it’s worth coming just to explore the grounds.
Fake ruins
I feel what needs to be done with the house is that they need to work to bring it to a standard along the lines of Kenwood House in Highgate. Which at the top in Hampstead, now that’s a nice place to visit. Restore the furniture to the rooms, paintings. See if they can bring it in life with the past lifetime when the Rothschilds had the home.
At least you can get some nice walks here, far better to be outside anyway.
Gunnersbury Park, Popes Lane, London, W5 4NH Can be reached from Acton Town tube station on the Piccadilly Line
The Enigmacursor has only been at the museum for a few months now. On the small size, it was probably about the size of a Yorkshire terrier dog. It’s a little away from the beat and track of the museum footfall, above the east exit on the stairwell. So if you are visiting have a look out for this new specimen
