For those of you who don’t know, over the last weekend, Liverpool has been taken over by three giants – Grandmother Giant, Little Girl Giant and Xolo the dog – to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of World War One and the sacrifice that the young men of Liverpool made all those years ago when they went to fight on the front lines.
Although the Giants awoke on Friday morning in Stanley Park, it wasn’t until the Saturday that I actually got to see them. I managed to miss the girl and her dog the first time around, so although I was reluctant to admit it, I was kind of excited to see the spectacles.
As every single road in Liverpool City Centre seemed to be closed off, I had to be dropped off by my Mum on London Road and leave my beloved Minnie at home. As such, I managed to catch a glimpse of Grandmother Giant having a power nap in front of St Georges Hall. Since everyone and their dog had flocked to Town to see her, I wasn’t able to get to close but I was close enough to be able to appreciate all the effort that had gone into making the intergalactic traveller and feel the energy from the crowd who were all excited to see her.
After meeting my mate at her job in the Metquarter and getting a phone call asking me if I could come into work early, we wandered down to the Queensway Tunnel so that we could get a glimpse of the Little Girl and her dog Xolo – the only one I really wanted to see – having a quick snooze in the middle of the roundabout. Alas, just like her Nan, she was also surrounded by people who were unaware of the fact that it was actually raining at this point and we’re wandering around with no tops and short shorts like typical Brits who spot a bit of sun. Unfortunately I didn’t really get a chance to properly see the pair and had to make do with listening to their snores over the speakers and taking a couple of candid snaps on my phone by holding it above everyone’s head and hoping for the best.
Luckily though, I work on Dale Street and it was one of the roads that the duo would be visiting, so as the shop emptied me and one of the girls nipped out to watch them parade past. Just like the species that he was based upon, Xolo came bolting down Dale Street with his tail wagging and his tongue stuck out, licking the faces of young children and sticking his nose into the crowd as if to greet them, stopping at the other side of the road so he could inspect a poor child who he then proceeded to slobber on. I was bit jealous if I’m being completely honest.
Following him like a dedicated owner, the Little Girl Giant was close behind, turning to look at the crowds who had gathered to watch her. Now if I’m being completely honest, I was a bit let down by her. This was the second time the Girl had visited Liverpool and the first time everyone banged on about how amazing she was and awe inspiring but I found myself wondering “is that it?” The men who were pulling her along were more impressive because if I was them I would have well collapsed by this point and they’d only be down two streets.
Feeling a little bit deflated and also a bit gutted that they had done anything funny like they did at other stops – weeing on the street, spitting on the pedestrians (I would have well given the Gran a tenner if she could have spat at my team leader), dancing policemen, farting and losing their heads – I decided to carry on with my work and vent my anger at the fact that I was about to face one of the busiest days in my career as a shop assistant.
At around 1am, when I was supposed to be in bed as I was back in work at 6am, me and my mate decided that we would wander down to the docks where the Giants were being kept overnight to see them whilst they were sleeping… and so were the rest of Liverpool (or getting pissed which was much more likely). Now, seeing them in this state, the girl asleep in her bed, the Gran in her chair and the dog on his bed, it was kind of blissful and they were a lot more impressive then they had been when everyone else was around. The Gran seemed to be a lot bigger than the little Girl and was probably the most intimidating and possibly a little bit creepy. Yet, alone and “sleeping” you finally got to see what it was about these spectacles that made them just that – spectacles.
Will I go next time they are in Liverpool? Probably not, but I am glad that I got to see them this once.
Love,
Beverley Ann x
The Life of A Liverpool Girl 