Little and Large

 Mr GBT looked slight aghast at the long list of things I'd written down for our then upcoming trip to the Midlands....'we're only going for two full days' he reminded me. Laughing, I explained that was only a wish list and I only hoped our time there might permit us to see some of them yet if it came down to it I only had two wants. 

The twelve metre 'Green Man' sculpture adorns the exterior of the old custard factory in Digbeth. He was created by Tawny Grey in 2002 and unveiled by the Druids at the Summer Solstice. I feel it's highly unlikely that I shall ever see one of that stature again. Seeing photos of him was one thing, but physically standing next to him I really got to experience the impact of this sculpture.

Going from the sublime to the ridiculous this diminutive gravestone is for Nanette Stocker who died on 4th May 1819 aged 39. It's barely noticed by most these days, yet in her day this lady was a celebrity. She was a star of the music hall and performed across Europe. Her claim to fame was that she was only 33 inches in height and her professional partner, John Hauptman, was 36 inches tall. Together they waltzed and she played the piano and he the violin. It is near Birmingham cathedral in the graveyard known locally as 'Pigeon Park'.   

I was fortunate to have been able to cross these off my 'wants' list. 

Arilx