The Eleven O’Clock vii Dinosaurs in a Graveyard Monday 23rd June, 2025

Each day for the remainder of June, I’ll post The Eleven O’Clock and aim to answer the following three questions in short sentences and/or very short paragraphs.

1. Where am I?
2. What am I doing?
3. What am I thinking about and feeling?

Of course, I would welcome any comments, humorous, poignant, serious, or otherwise.

1. Congresbury – St Andrew’s graveyard

2. Traipsing round St Andrews church, orchard, gardens, and graveyard with two grandchildren. E is pointing out the letter E on gravestones and asking deep questions, and JJ is content distracting himself with important tasks such as lifting up flower holders and looking through the holes

3. Apart from debating within myself, what are the appropriate boundaries to put in to show respect for graves, and yet encourage grandchildren explore, I am having to try and explain ultimate questions of life and death as well as play ball and crack open apples to see if the pips are white or brown. Everything is oriented around the grandchildren.

4. Feelings? Bit worried at one point that I will run out of ideas to entertain E & JJ and they will inevitably get tired, bored, hungry, and irritable. Saved by noticing a text from mum saying food and drink in the bag. Sense of relief as I dug out breadsticks, apples, and – apparently – a very hungry dinosaur. Life is simple, really. When you are two or three.