The Day I Met… Met HER

Welcome to the latest episode of the The Day I Met… contest. Bit different this Wednesday. We’ve had a world leader, a film star, a singer, a celebrity beardster, a best selling writer, military top brass – and now someone very well known in certain circles.

This encounter comes from Helen. I can’t link to her because she doesn’t have a blog. (I know. Me too. I thought everyone had a blog. Perhaps those rumours about life existing offline are actually true.)

She emailed in her story with this caveat: 

So, it is not exactly within the guidelines of your competition, but it was the nearest to a celebrity moment that i could imagine myself writing about.

Good enough for me. So here’s Helen’s story about…

The Day I Met… Met HER. And she came home with me!

Six classes of 11 year old girls mangling one of the Bard’s comedies and I was one of them.  First Form Shakespearean festival with A Midsummer Night’s Dream broken into sections for each class to perform.

1C closed out the show and I played a cheeky Puck that took less dedicated acting than many imagined.  Clearly not destined to be an actress as I cannot recall the lines, the costume or the performance in any detail.  However, what came next is clearly lodged in my memory.

I followed others back to the assembly hall to join the ritual of family hugs of congratulations, where the smiles mostly reflected thanks that the show was over and relief to get off hard school chairs.

A crowd of girls surrounded a white haired lady approaching 70 who smiled at each in turn.  She had a special word for every girl that led to them skipping off smiling or rushing to tell their parents who she was.

I couldn’t get near her and stayed by my parents who waited patiently, without surprise, a few rows away.  My classmate Clare Collins, came past beaming still from her moment with the celebrity. She paused when she saw me waiting for the chance to approach.  “Do you know Mrs McGuinness?” 

A good question as she knew I’d not been to her primary school where this now elderly lady had taught countless 5, 6 and 7 year olds and inspired them to sing, dance, read and perform.

Did I know her?  “ Yes, she’s my Granny.”

And in fact she’s my Granny too. I’ve mentioned her here before and also here. Fondly missed and remembered.

And what Helen’s story also shows is that your celeb encounter need not follow the pattern of previous entries. The rules for the The Day I Met… series are here – if you want to email me an entry. Or you could look back at the previous ones to get an idea.

• The Day I Met… The Colonel
• The Day I Met… Indira Gandhi
• The Day I Met… Billy Bragg
• The Day I Met… Gerry Adams
• The Day I Met… Telly (Kojak) Savalas
• The Day I Met… Frederick (Day of the Jackal) Forsyth

All entries welcome. Many glittering prizes (ie books) still available to send out. This is where I usually look ahead to the next entry – but they’ve run out. But who knows? Perhaps a reader will be inspired to send in another. Here’s hoping.

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