Un dodo

Mon fils est allé il y a une semaine au Musée de l'histoire naturelle de l'Université d'Oxford. J'étais au travail, alors il est allé avec sa mère et sa grand-mère, pour y rencontrer son cousin (le fils de ma belle-soeur). Je n'ai pas pu y être, donc, mais Wolfie a été généreux: il m'a acheté un petit dodo en toutou. Et il a même insisté pour que le dodo soit à moi et pas à lui ou à sa mère (au grand dam de celle-ci). Mais bon, il est pas mal mignon et il se porte bien, surtout pour un animal disparu depuis le XVIIe siècle.

Remembering the NHM (and the dodos)

A year and a day ago, I had my last visit to the National History Museum of London. I don't think the city needs to be mentioned: when you say Natural History Museum, it is implied that it is the one of London. I don't like to go to London, but I love specific places in London. This place especially. As impressive today as it was when I was a child. I didn't take many picture during my last visit, but there are still a few I did not upload on Vraie Fiction. And I thought about uploading this replica of a dodo, surrounded by real taxidermied birds. Almost at the same date last year, I wrote a post about the dodos. Sometimes I wonder what kind of birds they were. They looked like they were peaceful. Anyway, I thought about my visit to the Natural History Museum today and the dodos. I am in the mood to visit museums these days, don't know why.

The way of the Dodo

I am using a lot of the pictures I took during my recent visit to the Natural History Museum. But apart from the big impression the visit had on me, circumstances sometimes make the use of them relevant. You have recognized on this picture the Dodo, a bird that is now of course extinct, maybe the most famous extinct bird. It is of course a model, not even a stuffed one. Still, seeing this them through the glass was still impressive. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Ash Wednesday always reminds me of this saying: "Memento homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris." (Remember, O Man, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return). I always loved the honesty of its statement (a very rare thing in Catholic liturgy) and I was looking for a Memento Mori to illustrate it today, but in a secular fashion. The Dodo came to my mind immediately as it represents the mortal nature not only of us as individuals, but as a species.