Birmingham to Shirley to Warwick

We had a busy day of shopping, driving, and visiting family. dP found a really cool pair of shoes, which are like nothing you can get in Canada. They’re sneakers, but made with different coloured leathers. They look almost like a rugby shoe but kind of classy at the same time.

After a morning of shopping in Birmingham we took a cab out to the EasyCar kiosk and picked up our little car. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a car so small. I’d call it a mini, but the official term is a “sub compact”. dP is the driver and I am the navigator. At first it was really hard, we had to keep chanting: keep left, keep left; and, then there was the whole traffic circle thing, which got off without a hitch until we reached a series of four in a row and it was like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. We just followed the car in front and it all worked out. As a team, I have to remember to give clear directions and dP has to remember to stop veering left and hitting the curb.

We drove to Shirley, a cute little place with quaint little buildings, small streets and even more traffic circles. Shirley also happens to be where my mother was born and where my auntie Margaret lives. It wasn’t hard to find her house and before long we were chatting like old friends.

Originally I tried to phone Margaret from Birmingham to warn them that I was coming, but had a lot of problems with the phone. It took me a while, a handful of coins and lots of semi-patience to figure out how the damn thing worked. You pick up the phone, dial the number you want, wait for the connection, and then you have 2 or 3 seconds to throw in the amount of money the display flashes. My problem is I don’t know the money yet and I kept getting cut off while trying to find the right series of coins to match the flashing numbers. Finally, on the third try I threw in whatever was in my pocket and managed to connect to Margaret; we later laughed at my nescient attempt at using British payphones.

Margaret looks great; just like Papa. It was shocking how much she looks like Papa. She and her daughter Christine (one of the twins) showed off their gardens. Both were very proud of their gardens (and have every right to be because they are beautiful). After visiting, we all went over to the Robin Hood Cemetery where my great-grandfather’s ashes are scattered in the field of remembrance. In England there’s not enough space for memorials or gravestones so ashes are put into a common field, which is later made into a nice little park where people can wander, reflect and reminisce. There are benches where you can sit and remember, which we did. My great-grandmother’s ashes are scattered in a cemetery in Warwick, close to where my auntie Betsy lives.

The next stop on the agenda was Warwick to visit Betsy. I have to say that Betsy looks great for a lady in her 90s; she also happens to be as sharp as a tack with a great sense of humour. She lives in a bungalow on her own; her daughter Judy lives a few houses away and comes over a couple times a day to take care of her. We chatted for a long time before it was time to take Margaret and Christine back to Shirley. Our end destination for the night was Leeds. It was nice to finally meet all these people that I have seen pictures of and heard stories about but have never met.