Just one last event tonight at Piddington Museum, and then The Library Tour is over – and I never did get the teeshirt. (Yes I know tonight is in a museum, but it’s being organised by the Library.)
St Albans and Peterborough were both great once I’d got there – turns out that even with a satnav, I can’t navigate and drive at the same time. I’m grateful to everybody who kindly turned up and listened to me waffling on, and to the nice people who did all the organising.
Special thanks to the staff from the Verulamium Museum who brought a box of delights for us all to play with at St Albans library. I’d never seen a Roman makeup grinder before, and apologies to you, dearest reader, because you can’t really see it either in this photo. It’s at the top right – the two little boat-shaped pieces of bronze between the silver mirror and the quern stone (round stone with the hole, used for grinding corn). Imagine having to grind your makeup before putting it on in the mornings. No wonder they needed slaves.
The little bottle, incidentally, is for holding the tears of mourners and would be placed in a grave. I need to find out when they were used because it’s so lovely that it really ought to go in a novel somewhere.
Ruth Downie 
Are these the real monty or replicas? Either way, what a splendid idea.
I’ve just finished Ruso and the Demented Doctor, which was a terrific read and I’ve blogged about it. Ruso and Co are coming so alive that I shall miss them all until the next instalment comes out. No pressure…I can always re-read the first two whilst I’m waiting:-)
Hi Sarah,
Half and half – roughly speaking the shiny things are replica and the grungy-looking ones are the real thing. The Museum people were great: really enthusiastic and interesting. I have some borrowed bits of Roman pot that I take with me but it was a joy to have so much varied stuff to play with.
Thanks so much for the generous blog on Ruso and the Demented Doctor – currently I’d like to know what happens at the end of the next instalment myself! I’ve just explained the plot so far to Husband, whose encouraging words were somewhat tempered by the baffled look on his face. No doubt another trip to Staples and the purchase of yet more coloured felt-tips to draw lines and arrows on the Master Plan will sort it out…