Icon I`ll be using

Jenn
This is the icon I`ll be using for the project.
Hope all`s well with you!
p.s can`t get it any smaller. Is this ok?

Ferries East and West

Ferry on the Bosphorus


Ferry on the Mersey

Both do tours up and down their stretch of water.
In Birkenhead, you`ll hear the tinny sound of Gerry and the Pacemakers if you listen carefully.
In Istanbul you`ll hear the haunting sound of the muezzin richly reverberating from each and every one of the thousands of mosques reminding you that God is great and it`s time to pray.

Istanbul

"If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul."

- Alphonse de Lamartine - Famous French poet and politician (1790-1869)

Towards Mecca via the Mersey

View Towards Mecca via the Mersey Map in a larger map

Towards Mecca via the Mersey

The first time I went on the ferry across the Mersey, I took my mother with me in my handbag.

We weren`t close, but at this present moment in time, we couldn`t be closer - me sitting on the wind and rain lashed deck - water dripping down my neck and cheeks - her resting quietly and protected on my lap. We didn`t often go out together so this was an unusual occurrence to start with.

We didn`t speak, and I didn`t know, and never knew, if our silences were companionable or just intervals of time that were necessary in order for the inexplicable and ever present resentments to flourish and grow.

Resentment - sadness - grief - deep loss - deep love - mix them all up and what do you get? This, I suppose.

If she could speak to me now - what would she say? If I could speak to her now - would she hear me and what would I say?

So I sit here, hearing nothing except the sound of the mechanical choking of the ferry`s motor and the squawking protests of the low flying seagulls, deeply breathing in this paradoxical peacefulness.

Although I`m not completely comfortable with what I`m about to do, I know for sure it`s what she wants. She said it so many times and it`s written in black and white.

She ends where she began but who notices her final tribute to the city she loved except me and the Liver Birds who stare indifferently out?

............................................

Closing the door to Alex Taylor`s the undertaker behind me and stepping out onto the pavement, I can`t help but notice the rain has now started again in earnest. I struggle in vain to open my reluctant umbrella, but then spot MacDonalds across the road and decide to make a dash for it.
Sitting there with a relieved bladder and a steaming cup of lousy coffee in front of me, I allow myself to relax and think about what happens next.
My flight is booked. I`ll be returning to Turkey in four days. There are still a few loose ends to tie up, but when they are, I`ll probably leave Birkenhead and never return. Why would I? - I`ve never lived here, learned here, loved here, worked here. It`s just a place I`ve been visiting for the last forty years. My reason for that no longer exists. The connection is gone, I suppose, but it doesn`t feel that way and I don`t understand why.
I start thinking about yesterday on the ferry, but it`s too painful - enough time for that later.
I gather up my bag and brolly. Places to go - people to see. I`ll start with the bank. They should have sorted things out by now, surely?

Once outside, my head involuntarily turns left and I look down the vista of the shopping precinct.
I`ve no practical reason for going that way: in fact, the bank`s in the other direction, but it`s where my feet want to go, so I have to follow.




I look in the pound shop window on my left. It lets me know where I am for the moment just in case I`m confused. There`s no mistaking that red cross on a white background. I`ve seen enough of those white crescents on a red background to know the difference!
So many cheap bargains flew with me over the Atlantic and Europe to be given as gifts to unsuspecting in-laws who were so appreciative (Especially when I lied excessively about the price.)

The feet walk into Bon Marche. I look around and remember the countless times I would come in here and stock up on `school clothes` - smart skirts and tops. Female teachers in Turkey are not allowed to wear trousers. I was always amazed at how cheap the clothes were compared to prices in Istanbul. I`d often buy a nightie or a top as a surprise for my mother. Lilac was her favourite colour, but she liked pink, too. She was never effusive with her thanks but I could tell from the softened expression , she was pleased.

On, past Boots where I`d bought the blood pressure machine which everyone took the mickey out of me for here in England, saying I was obsessive about the health of my family. How could they understand that the lack of a National Health System and having to pay for literally everything connected to medical treatment down to a simple cotton wool swab used before an injection, made the purchase a necessity rather than an indulgence?
(picture 4)

Links between the stories

I listened to Rob's story today and noticed that it had some links with my story.

I also noticed Lou's story and mine have something in common: the problematic mother and daughter relationship.

Pyramids- East and West again

The Pyramids Birkenhead



The Pyramids Egypt



Why do we choose such exotic and eastern sounding names for places that are so obviously English?
So incongruous!
In particular `Mecca Bingo` Who thought that one up and more importantly WHY? What did they see as the connection?

East and West (Differences and Similarities)

A country that historically was once a Christian Empire

A country that historically was once an Islamic Empire


Turkish flag ( red and white crescent)



English flag (red and white cross)

Both flags proclaim their religion

Mecca in Birkenhead ( a nationwide gambling establishment visited by hundreds of thousands of people of all religions throughout the year)



Mecca in Saudi Arabia (a holy place of pilgrimage visited by millions of Muslims only)

mecca or Mecca
1. noun any place of outstanding importance or significance to a particular group of people, especially one they feel they have to visit.
2. Joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi Arabia: birthplace of Mohammad: the holiest city of Islam containing the Kaaba. Pop: 965697 (1992).



Hi Elaine
As you can see I`ve been playing around with imaged and ideas.
Thanks again for your time and patience today!

Flutterbies

I Loved Duffy`s moment with the butterfly which Keith read out today.

Towards Mecca via the Mersey

Closing the door to Alex Taylor`s the undertaker behind me and stepping out onto the pavement, I can`t help but notice the rain has now started again in earnest. I struggle in vain to open my reluctant umbrella, but then spot MacDonalds across the road and decide to make a dash for it.
Sitting there with a relieved bladder and a steaming cup of lousy coffee in front of me, I allow myself to relax and think about what happens next.
My flight is booked. I`ll be returning to Turkey in four days. There are still a few loose ends to tie up, but when they are, I`ll probably leave Birkenhead and never return. Why would I? - I`ve never lived here, learned here, loved here, worked here. It`s just a place I`ve been visiting for the last forty years. My reason for that is now gone. The connection is gone, I suppose, but it doesn`t feel that way and I don`t understand why.
I start thinking about yesterday on the ferry, but it`s too painful - enough time for that later.
I gather up my bag and brolly. Places to go - people to see. I`ll start with the bank. They should have sorted things out by now, surely?
(picture 1) Once outside, my head involuntarily turns left and I look down the vista of the shopping precinct.
I`ve no practical reason for going that way: in fact, the bank`s in the other direction, but it`s where my feet want to go, so I have to follow.
(picture 2)I look in the pound shop window on my left. It lets me know where I am for the moment just in case I`m confused. There`s no mistaking that red cross on a white background. I`ve seen enough of those white crescents on a red background to know the difference!
So many cheap bargains flew with me over the Atlantic and Europe to be given as gifts to unsuspecting in-laws who were so appreciative (Especially when I lied excessively about the price.)
(picture 3)The feet walk into Bon Marche. I look around and remember the countless times I would come in here and stock up on `school clothes` - smart skirts and tops. Female teachers in Turkey are not allowed to wear trousers. I was always amazed at how cheap the clothes were compared to prices in Istanbul. I`d often buy a nightie or a top as a surprise for my mother. Lilac was her favourite colour, but she liked pink, too. She was never effusive with her thanks but I could tell from the softened expression , she was pleased.
(picture 4)On, past Boots where I`d bought the blood pressure machine which everyone took the mickey out of me for here in England, saying I was obsessive about the health of my family. How could they understand that the lack of a National Health System and having to pay for literally everything connected to medical treatment down to a simple cotton wool swab used before an injection, made the purchase a necessity rather than an indulgence?
(picture 4)



Hi Jen
This is where I`m up to, but it`s far from finished! I`m going to include `Ferry across the Mersey`as the prelude and this will be the continuation. I`m getting my knickers in a twist worrying about the 1000 word limit and thus not writing it the way I want. I`m calling it a day for now . Lots to talk about tomorrow!

Story pics of shopping precinct

BBC-MY STORY

Extract from `Couch to Couch`

1978 February- I heard gunfire in the streets on my first night in Istanbul...

On my second night in Istanbul, I got married – I think.

1988 December- L held as a prisoner in Saddam`s Iraq for a month...

2003 November-20th-Massive bomb explosions at British Consulate itself and HSBC building ...

2005- Sitting safely in my semi-sheltered bungalow in Birkenhead, alone, free from the fear of being blown up or dying in an earthquake, I have my first panic attack!

My story on BBC-MY STORY...