Now that I’m beginning to feel slightly more human again after the 23-hour plane flight over (I can assure you, it never gets any easier!), I can get this blog underway!Â
I’m currently staying in Whaddon, a lovely little village about 20km outside of Cambridge with my Adjunct PhD supervisor, Dr Nigel Strudwick, and his wife, Helen. I’m here for one week to meet with staff at the EES head office in London (starting tomorrow) in order to prepare for my fellowship. In the meantime, I’m taking the opportunity to discuss some of my research with Nigel, visit museums, improve my appreciation of fine wines (thanks to Harry and the two Bruce’s - you can see them giving me a lesson in vintage wine from Bordeaux below!) and lap up the fresh country air before Cairo!
Although the weather has been pretty miserable since I arrived on Saturday, we were blessed with some sporadic sunshine today (above is the view from my bedroom window at about 8am this morning). In between talking late Old Kingdom Egyptian titles and stylised drums on false doors, Nigel and I went for a walk in the village where we climbed the bell tower of the local Parish church, trekked through muddy farmlands and browsed the local book exchange (see below - I think this is such a brilliant idea!).Â
I also had the chance to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum with Helen on Sunday to find out a bit more about her latest exhibition on Egyptian coffins (’Death on the Nile’). This show opens in February as part of the Museum’s Bicentenary celebrations and presents a chronological look at coffin development in pharaonic Egyptian history. Below is one of the coffins due for display belonging to Nakhtefmut of Thebes (c. 890 BC) currently on show in the permanent galleries.