Kerry, Amy, Evan and I went to the Royal Armories Museum on Monday. I’ve said it before, but I place the Royal Armories firmly in the number one spot of my Top Ten Museums of All Time list.
This in comparison to our regions other famous museum, the Bronte Parsonage in Howarth, which has been winner of my Most Boring Museum in the World Award for seven years in a row. Six pounds admission for the privilege of looking round a load of dusty old furniture? Six pounds?! I don’t care if the author of Withering Shites did sit in it, a wooden chair is just a wooden chair in my book. Bah, humbug.
But I digress. The reason we went to the Royal Armories on Monday was to see the Weta Workshop exhibition. As any geek worth their salt will tell you, Weta are the people who are responsible for creating all the weapons, armour, and models for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Not only that but they did the props for the Chronicles of Narnia, Hellboy, and King Kong movies too.
It’s a little known fact, but Kerry is probably a bigger geek than me. And that’s really saying something, I even have a certificate of geekery from the Association of Geeks, Nerds, and Dweebs and everything. She was as excited about seeing Anduril, Glamdring, and Sting as I was, and we’ve been trying to find time to go along for about a month now. Plus I’ve been looking forward to taunting Lee with the knowledge that I’ve seen Hellboy’s gun, The Samaritan, and he hasn’t. I’m an evil man at heart.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, we didn’t get to see the Weta Exhibition after all. We did get to see the queue for it however, and we decided that standing in it for half an hour with two kids was probably not a good idea. And anyway, there was a very real chance that they would find the more monstrous mannequins pretty terrifying, and we’d have go through the exhibition at a sprint. We’ve not admitted defeat though, and have decided to go back next Friday as we both have a day off and the kids will be elsewhere.
If you told me seven years ago that I’d postpone seeing real live props from the Lord of the Rings films due to vague concerns that my kids wouldn’t enjoy it I’d have laughed in your face. It’s staggering how much parenthood changes you. I’ve even stopped flicking my bogies at people
The day wasn’t wasted however. We did get to see a few props from the film which were scattered about the museum. For example, here is a Uruk-hai warrior keeping a fearsome eye on the kids craft table:
“Spill the glitter and I’ll eat you”
Also going on was a rather elaborate jousting tournament. Unlike previous performances at the Armories that we’ve attended this involved people really hitting each other. The lances were designed to splinter on impact, but still there was a slight risk of an impaling, which always makes things a little more interesting.
A guy in black armor won in the end, which went against everything that I’ve learnt in Saturday morning cartoons. It was only the semi final though, so I’m sure the guy on the white horse won in the end.
All in all it was a pretty busy day. And it didn’t end there as it was straight back to Huddersfield to welcome my brother Sam back into the country from his recent adventures in Australia. Talking to him about his experiences living over there made me hanker for the antipodean life myself. But that’s probably a subject for another blog.
Anyhow, I probably wouldn’t get a chance to see Hellboy’s gun if I lived in Australia would I Lee?
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Perhaps I could drop them off and you could take them Friday, I’ll collect them sometime in 2010 ;o)
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
And I think I might be at risk of being a geek, although I will maintain that the LOTR books were boring, and I much preferred the films.
Next time I’m in Hudds for a few days, and you want to see Frodo’s sword again (fnar fnar), we’ll go!
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
But…and your kids are old enough, at least for the smelly downstairs bit – the Thackray Medical Museum is even better, its not free, but your admission does last for a year.
They will love the outside lavvy where someone farts and shouts at you to “bugger off” when you open the door.
Well I did anyway.
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Oli – The LOTR books were mainly boring. I enjoyed them more once I’d seen the film I must admit.
Gary – I once took one of my patients to the Thackery museum on a day out. Patient confidentiality dictates I can’t tell you why I don’t want to go back.
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Oh wait, I have a wife and kids, that equals NO MONEY!
“oh Buggars!”
I am jealous! Please share as many pictures as you can!!
Enjoy the time without the kiddos!!!
:)
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
I may need to relinquish my status as the bigger geek as it took me a few seconds to work out who/what Anduril, Glamdring and Sting were..
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on Aug 29th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Yes I have to agree a wooden chair is a wooden chair wherever it is. We took a trip on the K
railway a few years ago when Thomas the tank came for the weekend. Alexander enjoyed it anyway.
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on Aug 30th, 2008 at 2:59 am
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on Aug 30th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
But The Boy would simply ADORE the jousting. Kind of like that the man in black won. (I think he’d want to try it.)
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on Aug 31st, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I bet Lee will give you the silent treatment on this post, you are evil incarnate ;)
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on Aug 31st, 2008 at 7:17 pm
I just don’t get goblins,elves, hobbits etc (except for The Hobbit book which I do like lots) give me creatures from the black lagoon, zombies, vampires, caused by radiation mutated monsters however and I’m a happy woman.
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on Aug 31st, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Jeff – I’m planning on taking the camera, but might have to wrestle it off Kerry.
James – Stopped by a petty continent and ocean eh? Wimp.
Jo – We might go and see Hellboy 2 afterwards if we can persuade someone to look after the kids for us.
Kerry – I must admit i looked them up on the mighty wikipedia
Gail – It’s there until november i think. and it’s all free to get in. It really is a great museum.
Bec – Just consider me a public service.
Nat – You don’t know who Weta are? You haven’t lived.
Arjan – I didn’t know there was a warhammer museum. I might have to look it up. You’ll have to be quick on the coming to england thing as it’s only there until november.
Morticia – i tell you what, you have Whitby and i’ll take the Royal armories.
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on Aug 31st, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Is the exposition travelling? Do they have a site, maybe they’ll travel to Amsterdam (or another city overhere).
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on Sep 1st, 2008 at 12:51 am
Fine.
I don’t care….
Whatever…
I’m jealous.
Stupid living in Australia without access to the Hellboy gun.
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on Sep 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am
Lee – tee hee hee
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on Sep 1st, 2008 at 10:17 am
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on Sep 1st, 2008 at 3:33 pm
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on Sep 2nd, 2008 at 7:49 pm
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on Sep 2nd, 2008 at 10:37 pm
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on Sep 2nd, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Whit – I wants it.
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on Sep 9th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
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