bee in britain: DAY EIGHTY ONE

Today, because the head of Leah’s school music department had been dealing with multiple days of funeral-related events surrounding the death of her father, she asked Leah if she would go the extra mile and come in and sub for her. I spent the night at the house to be there when everyone, but Ella, had to leave early for school the following morning. You may recall that the baby is contracted to attend daycare on Mondays and Tuesdays only, when her mom fulfills her usual teaching assignment.

Wanting especially to be present to see Ollie’s reaction when he first caught sight of himself in the Birmingham Mail, Leah and I made a plan that she would send Oliver downstairs by himself first thing in the morning. Knowing Katya, as quick as she is, I knew she would beat her brother to the punch before he even got a chance to spy himself, and I wanted him to discover it without any help from big sister stealing all the thunder. Leah told him something along the lines of, ‘Auntie Honey Bee has something she wants to show you,’ opening up the chance for me to lead him into the surprise. When he came down I turned to the spread of the students on their first day – THE picture in question was the last one on the top right. Oliver was following along from left to right when suddenly he came upon his and Oscar’s faces. He let out a squeal and then covered his mouth with delight (you know how you naturally do when something is almost more than you can bear?). He kept pointing and then exclaiming, over and over, ‘it’s me . . . and Oscar!’ It was a memorable moment – just the response I’d been hoping for! You could tell he felt so proud and tickled.

Before the family left out the door, Katya lead in family prayer: she asked that everyone would have a good day at school and work, and then concluded by imploring that today, on this day, Ella would learn to walk. Kind of a tall order, but I’ll see, on my part, what can be done.

Ella and I started off our day by eating breakfast and watching another of Auntie Honey Bee’s favorite CBeebies programs – The Rhyme Rocket. It is a perfect vehicle for Hank, if you can imagine. Well, don’t just wonder – check it out on YouTube! I’m sure it will be there. Another program, that is quite “piggish,” is called Something Special. It also stars a pair of characters, Mr Tumble, the typical silly clown, as well as Justin, as himself – both played by the same person – Justin Fletcher. It is quite entrancing to watch, and you will understand why I say “piggish” when I add that he is a younger, even cuter, version of Richard Simmons – who may not be especially mesmerizing TO YOU, but is to me. Not only is Justin captivating to watch, but he also does awesome things like incorporate sign language into much of his program, as well as invite handicapped kids to be a part of the action. (They are very disabled-aware here in England, which is a cool thing. One of the hosts, Cerrie Burnell, that helps introduce the morning lineup of children’s programs on CBeebies {kind of like PBS Kids} is a delightful young woman who has just the section of her arm above the elbow on one side. She sings, dances, gesticulates and looks lovely. I think it is great that children are learning from a young age that different is okay and are gaining familiarity with a variety of persons they may encounter in their everyday life.) In fact the Queen appreciated Justin so much that she awarded him a special decoration, in honor of his service to children. Check out his show, as well, on YouTube. (For a fun listing of all CBeebies shows, follow the link to: ttp://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows)

After lunchtime, Ella and Honey Bee went on walkies in the stroller – first to Weoly Castle Square where there are all of three charity shops (the biggest cluster I have found anywhere within my walking scope), and later to while away the time until mummy got back, Ella got to patiently accompany auntie for more exploration of the cemetery right across the street from Leah – Lodge Hill. It is really old – first opened in 1895. The original cemetery site of 17 acres was laid out at a cost of £15,000 (that would be a lot back then), and included the construction of offices and two mortuary chapels. In 1934 it saw the building of Birmingham’s first municipal crematorium. In fact when we were there today, a funeral (aka crematory ceremony) was just getting under way – which has often lead me to wonder, what is done with the caskets after the service, as I’m quite sure it is not included in the ash manufacture. Is it re-used, and re-sold, by the morticians for a reduced rate? Does the family keep it in storage, until the next time it’s needed, kind of like making further use of your friend or relative’s wedding dress? A definite unsolved mystery in my mind!

Amonst our ramblings, I had stopped and was looking at one ancient structure made of red sandstone, as are many old edifices around Birmingham. One of the especially cool things was that you can clearly see the grooves where the stone was extracted from the quarry by the stonemasons. Anyway, as we were parked there, and I was busy taking photos and pondering the meaning of the ‘Dange’” sign, I heard a utility vehicle pull to a stop behind us. A concerned cemetery employee kindly shared a precautionary note on the precarious nature of the building and suggested taking especial care around it – in fact, advised avoiding it altogether. The design was in the shape of an arch, just calling out to please walk through it – and to tell you the truth, honestly, I couldn’t see where anything was going to fall on you anyway.

Having originally been drawn to the ‘Danger – Keep Away’ sign, I came upon something light years beyond that little dalliance: gargoyles – yes, gargoyles! One is not surprised to find them all over on old cathedrals and churches, but in a cemetery, on one of the minor building?! (Gargoyles first began appearing over 2000 years ago, in Ancient Greece and Egypt. The Egyptians, whose religion included a large number of deities, were the first to use grotesque non-human figures in their sculpture. The Greeks modified these creations to fit their own beliefs, and their ideas have been copied down through the centuries. The term 'gargoyle' derived from French gargouille meaning 'throat'. Gargoyles were used to decorate buildings, and to provide a spout for rainwater run-off. But they also served as an educational tool of warning to illustrate religious motifs for the mostly illiterate population. Another reason for including gargoyles on a building could have been to ward off evil spirits and provide protection to the occupants; this might explain why so many gargoyles are rather horrible in appearance - many seeming to personify the devil himself. Human gargoyles often look grotesque, as well – their strange physical features probably symbolized a belief that ugliness and illness were caused by demons. For example, a protruding tongue may have been a reference to the devil, who was often shown that way.] Anyway, see photo below. However, let me preface this invitation by admitting that it was difficult to properly capture our gargoyle at the height he appeared and . . . with my sad excuse of a camera. (Do you suppose that if I keep saying that, my camera – and, let me just say, overjoyed that I have it at all – will up and rebel and refuse to work altogether?! Now that WOULD be a disaster, so I’d better just keep quiet and quit complaining!)

Soon having traipsed about amongst the occasional rainfall and shadowy depths, with Ella having to put up with my excessive picture taking, it was time for mummy’s arrival home. (It suddenly dawned on me today, as we were out and about, that I haven’t been needing the use of my sunglasses for the past several days nearly as much as I have in the past. Hhmm – autumn, overcast, rainy.) All in all it was a lovely day – full of Ella’s enchanting chortlings and her toothy grin and enchanting, rosy face. (And not only that, I just discovered quite by accident that her ears are SO soft – and floppy!) The time passed remarkably fast, practically fleeting, and we are buds forever!

Photos_

CBeebies

1- The Rhyme Rocket

2- Something Special

Lodge Hill Cemetery:

3- crematorium

4- ancient weathered-sandstone beast, at a dizzying angle, and height

5- headless waif

6- ivy tower

7- call to immortality

8- we will not forget you

It’s all about Ella: