How things change!

There was a time when petrol stations just sold petrol. Now one can buy newspapers, flowers, charcoal for BBQs and milk. Sweet shops? Well they don't exist any more except for Indian and Middle Eastern emporia which do a roaring trade in sticky, honey-drenched morsels or sweeties coated in silver.

And what about museums? They continue to show all the beautiful objects amassed by wealthy people or  brought back from grand travels abroad, more commonly known as looting or stealing. But museums too, can no longer rely on the artistically minded or scholarly to keep them going, even though specialist exhibitions are so oversubscribed that one has to be quick off the mark to get a look in.

But there is more on offer nowadays. Workshops, discussions, half term activities for kids, singles evenings for the romantic, music and members' parties.

Last night it was Colombian music and dance in the British Museum's Great Court, to complement their exhibition of Colombian gold. And it was fabulous! Apart from the fact that the performers were not on a raised platform and that many hundreds of people were crowded round them, making it virtually impossible to see unless you were six feet tall, which I am not, or held up iphones or iPads to get a view at extended arm's length, it was still enormous fun. Of course there were quite a few South Americans but the heady atmosphere made movers and shakers out of the most unlikely people and everyone was joining in, having a ball.

Trying to get nearer the front, my attempt was thwarted by a handsome six foot something guard. Who promptly started swaying to the music and holding out his arms to me! Not quite what I had in mind. But interesting.