Today was International Woman’s Day. Starting in 1911, it celebrates and highlights the achievements of women throughout the world. It started with the suffragettes and continues to recognise the inequities that still exist. Equality isn’t an ideology, it’s obvious.
It’s not some scary political thing which we should avoid because it doesn’t have anything to do with us. That’s just silly.
Their website is here and makes for some interesting reading.
A little closer to home, I had a bit of a red letter day at work. Finally, after almost three years, I now have my very own cryptag!
This may not seem like an awful lot, however, it means I no longer have to fret because I’m running a bit late because the security system comes on at 10am. It also means I no longer have to visit security to get a temporary pass. I feel like I’ve arrived!
Unfortunately, it’s not because I’ve been there the prerequisite amount of time to guarantee I’m worth having my own tag. The whole security procedure changed a few weeks ago and this is merely another step on the path to change. In fact, John, a fellow volunteer, who is busy scanning object photos (that I did for a bit…until I was ready to chew my fingers off in boredom) and only started at the beginning of the year, will have one next week as well. Still, it feels great, though the pass looks no different to my old one.
Work was actually quite productive today. I researched a load of sampans and other South East Asian water craft. I found out about HH Spalding who was the Superintendent of the Eastern Bengal Railway in the late 19th and early 20th century. He had a few models made in the workshop there and sent them, as gifts, to the Science Museum.
There was also Sir Frederick Maze, an amazing authority on China, who also had a load of models made for the museum. Sir Fred, in fact, lived through the most amazing time in China, including the Boxer Rebellion.
He was the Inspector General (or ‘IG’ as they were affectionately known) of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service from 1929-1943. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Chinese and spent most of his time in Shanghai before moving to Hong Kong when things started getting a bit dodgy leading up to the Japanese invasion.
In fact, it was one of those days when I managed to find a lot of useful information. And speaking of useful information…in case anyone, ever asks me why I have never and never will shop at Harrods, this appeared in the Evening Standard on Wednesday:
They really love their customers at Harrods
The really irritating thing is that the ‘Welshwomen’ still went in!
I would have told them to stuff there shop. Well did you go and celebrate getting your tag 3 years it is about time.
love mum x