We are in London for a while playing at being tourists. Our students often ask what they can do and see in London. We are on a fact-finding mission. 

This morning I was not feeling very well at all, blocked nose and headache, indigestion and needing frequent trips to the bathroom. Graham prayed for me and although I was still feeling weak and feeble we went out to the Imperial War Museum. At the station we bought a coffee each from Naked Coffee – it was horrible. So horrible, we threw them both into a rubbish bin. I was feeling rough all the way on the tube, but when we got to the museum, I was fine. Jesus said to the little girl that he prayed for, ‘Tabitha cumi’ which means ‘my sister arise’. I had gone in faith and faith was answered.

I wanted to see the new First World War exhibition. British museums try to have attractive, moving, interactive exhibits. Often French ones feel the need to educate in a very old-fashioned scholarly way. By the time you have finished looking at the exhibits you have read enough A4 sheets to fill a tome.

We were promised a genuine camouflage tree and we nearly missed it, as it looked like a tree trunk. There was a piece of stained glass from Reims cathedral that fell out in 1914 when bombs fell on the town. There were reports of the alleged German atrocities of  cutting of children’s hands, that I have looked into and there is no evidence only hearsay. Of four small models of colonial forces who fought with the French the Senegalese Tirailleur was not mentioned on the card, although the Senegalese were the most numerous of the black forces in and around Reims from 1914 though to defending Merfy in the May and retaking Bazancourt in 1918. We stayed for four hours so there was plenty to see.

We went to the museum library and donated my book about my Great-uncle, George Tinsley Loveley who fought  at Gallipoli and died on the Somme.

I felt so much better we stopped for an ice-cream at the Oasis christian centre which has the town library in its building and runs a school, a food bank and café.

Getting off the tube at Westbourne Park, we again passed the coffee kiosk. Upon telling the young girl about our experience with the drinks that morning, she indicated that the young man standing near us was the owner. He explained that it was their practice to give a double shot of coffee. He instructed the young lady to give us a refund AND another coffee with only one shot, which was perfectly acceptable. All this was done with a smile and  a genuine desire to learn from their mistakes. I congratulated him on his excellent customer service.

Tomorrow – all day guided tour of the Biblical exhibits in the British Museum.