My first conscious memory of Granny, as a 4-year old child, was the play-house gift she got for me. The play-house had six windows carved in “A, B, C,” on one side and “1, 2, 3” on the other side. It was a colourful house and I had the keys to the building. I cherished this apartment on mine for years till I outgrew the gift.
I also remember my first visit with her to the London eye after I turned 15. It was a memorable experience seeing the whole of London from the top. The swimming classes she signed me up for at The Quarry in Shrewsbury were moments that made the summer of 2005 memorable for me. Most unforgotten was her advice and the constant reminder that as a girl-child I should not limit my dreams and aspirations, and be bold to move towards the direction of my goals.
Granny was very excited to hear that I would move to Germany in 2017 to pursue my Ph.D. as this also meant we would see each other more often. Meeting with many of her friends, taking walks, visiting historical and old monuments accompanied by lots of storytelling, and going to restaurants together were always on our holiday to-do list.
“I beat you to it this time” was her usual witty way of saying she got up earlier than I did in the morning, and of cause, with a kiss on the cheek. It later became a competition that whenever I heard her “chariot” zooming down the stairs in my sleep, I would immediately jump off the bed and head straight to the kitchen to get the table ready for breakfast. Orange juice, toast or scones, coffee, and yoghurt were always on the menu.
We had a wonderful Christmas together in 2017. Hanging all the Christmas decorations, taking all her letters and cards to the postbox, even until 12midnight was quite a chore that Christmas.
Our summer holiday together in September 2018 was equally nice. I got to arrange all her old books on the shelf, doing the climbing and the hanging. At the end of my holiday, I almost missed my train to the airport partly because I got so emotional and didn't want to say goodbye.
The last time we spoke, we talked a lot about finishing my Ph.D. program and she was very happy with my progress, having read my last year's publication which I found surprising and impressive.
Though the pandemic happened we still had plans to meet on her next birthday, with the hope that she would get to finally meet my husband, Adeoye, and tell her the names of everyone she saw in our wedding album. Little did I know that our plans were not to unfold.
Prof Lalage J. Bown, my grandmother, lived a very fulfilled and inspiring life and as her granddaughter, I had the opportunity to learn a whole lot from her.
I know I’ll never hear her say “Hello Rachael!” over the phone anymore or “with much love from Granny” via her emails, again. However, I am really glad that I had one of the loveliest memories of her during the few times we spent together.
Sleep well Granny until we meet again…