Guru Gramps on Display

Guru Gramps on display

If you caught my #CountryKids post over the weekend you will know that we visited the Oxford University Museum of Natural History over the last half term.  We spent the morning on a wonderful dinosaur adventure, went out for lunch and returned in the afternoon to explore the displays on the first floor of the museum.

Upstairs is devoted to minibeasts and so right up our street.  As any regular reader will know, Monkey and I share our passion for minibeasts and nature with my Dad, AKA Guru Gramps.  Guru Gramps is an amateur entomologist, before he moved to Spain he left a large part of his bug hunting collection to the museum.  In fact, when Dad dies, (hopefully in many years to come), the rest of his collection will also be donated to the museum.  I love the idea that interested students can make use and learn by Dad’s collection.  That’s some legacy to leave. Something quite special.

As we went upstairs with our friends, I jokingly said, oh, we’ll have to keep a look out and see if we can spot Guru Gramps on display.  I was joking.  Our first stop was to a display of bees, and their make do hive.  The kids were all enthralled.

Guru Gramps on Display

We started looking at the various displays of butterflies and moths and went cockroach spotting.

Guru Gramps on Display Guru Gramps on Display

Then we spotted it – OMG!  There is one of Dad’s collection!  Guru Gramps on Display! It was a magic moment for me, I’m not sure Monkey totally grasped the fact that something his Gramps had caught long before he was born was on display in an Oxford museum.  But for me, it was rather emotional.  We spotted one of Dad’s exhibits and then another and another.  There were a number of items on display.  It took my breath away to be totally honest.  To think that people are able to see things that Dad caught, to enjoy them, to learn from them, all this in his lifetime.  For his grandson to grow up seeing this display.  It’s wonderful.  I couldn’t wait to speak to Dad and tell him that Guru Gramps on Display had caught us all by surprise.

He was thrilled.  It’s been his lifelong passion.  Yes, it’s lovely that the vast part of his collection will be used for research, and could be loaned out to universities all over the world.  But actually, to see items on display, close to our home.  That’s priceless.  That’s just the best.  That makes me so very proud to be his daughter.

 

 

18 thoughts on “Guru Gramps on display

  1. That is amazing Mary. Really very special. And some of it has passed on to you-I loved watching my daughter listening to you as you told her about the beetle when we were at Charlecote xx

  2. How lovely! Fantastic that he’s so passionate about his collecting but even more so that he’s been recognised for it by somewhere so prestigious. I’m not surprised you were so proud!

  3. Isn’t it a great museum and captures the children’s imaginations no matter how little – or short an attention span! This must’ve been magical when you saw your father’s work on display & a real talking point with the children. How very special xx #whatsthestory

  4. How exciting for Monkey to see Gramp’s work in a museum! He must be a real inspiration to him.

  5. How amazing, you must have felt so proud to spot something your Dad had found at such an important place. Wonderful and a perfect follow on from your Country Kids post. #What’sthestory

  6. *melts* Oh my goodness Mary! I was just thinking what a wonderful post this is and that was before I got to the Guru Gramps display. You must have been so so proud, what a wonderful experience. Monkey must have been pretty chuffed too. Awesome post, thank you so much for sharing #whatsthestory

  7. wow Mary how fantastic that you actually got to witness his hard work on display like that, what a really lovely story! x

    thanks for sharing and linking up with #MagicMoments x

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