I visited the Tutankhamun exhibition the last time it was in London, in 1972. As a child I was passionate about archeology and at the tender age of 9 I begged my way into the local archeological society three years below their minimum age, and spent the next few years happily scrabbling around in the dirt with a trowel on my weekends. And this was waaaay before Tony Robinson and the Time Team made it a cool thing to do.

I was also fascinated by ancient Egypt, and when my parents asked me what I wanted to do for my 13th birthday I said I wanted to visit the Tutankhamun exhibition. It was due to open just two days before my birthday and with all the hype surrounding it, they said it would be too soon and far too busy - "We can go next month when it's much quieter" they argued. But I begged... and I spent the majority of my birthday queuing 4 and a half hours to get into the exhibition.

When it finally came to it, I was disappointed. It was a beautiful exhibition but the artifacts looked so pristine and so perfect in their glass showcases. They were totally out of context, I felt no sense of age, or of history. Remember... I was used to unearthing ancient Roman artifacts with my own bare hands. My parents were disappointed that I didn't linger longer at the exhibits, especially Tutankhamun's magnificent death mask, but I didn't mention my disappointment. And never did.

So am I going to visit the exhibition this year ? I don't know - part of me doesn't want to risk disappointment again...