Saturday 19 February 2022

Cemetary Gates


A dreaded sunny snowy day
So I meet you at the cemetery gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
While Wilde is on mine

So we go inside and we gravely read the stones
All those people, all those lives
Where are they now?
With loves, and hates
And passions just like mine
They were born
And then they lived
And then they died
It seems so unfair
I want to cry


You say, "'Ere thrice the sun done salutation to the dawn"
And you claim these words as your own
But I've read well, and I've heard them said
A hundred times (maybe less, maybe more)
If you must write prose/poems
The words you use should be your own
Don't plagiarise or take "on loan"
'Cause there's always someone, somewhere
With a big nose, who knows
And who trips you up and laughs
When you fall

You say: "'Ere long done do does did"
Words that could only be your own
And then produce the text
From whence was ripped
Some dizzy whore, 1804


A dreaded sunny day
So let's go where we're wanted
And I meet you at the cemetery gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
But you lose
'Cause weird lover Wilde is on mine

Cemetery Gates by Morrissey & Johnny Marr

If being blown about on top of Barr Beacon hadn't been enough of a challenge, this week's local walk took us around Heath Lane Cemetary in West Bromwich the day after Storm Eunice hit, leaving driving sleet and icy temperatures in her wake.




Neither of us was aware of the Pauper's Memorial at Heath End Cemetary until Marjorie, a Canadian Facebook friend posted a photo she'd found whilst researching her family history and I was keen to see it for myself. The memorial was unveiled in 2008 and designed by artist Andy Scholes and commemorates paupers buried at public expense in unmarked graves. 

The oldest grave dates back to the early part of the 19th Century and the cemetery is still in use today. I found it rather moving to see graves of the recently departed alongside the Victorian residents who'd died almost two hundred years ago, offering eternal companionship from beyond the grave. 


There were memorials to many young men killed in the wars. I didn't notice that young Leslie had died in an attack by a German U-Boat on my birthday until I downloaded the photo.


 
Poor James Robinson, who died at the age of 35, A sudden chance at God's command he fell, he had not time to bid his friends farewell.



Here's a recently erected memorial. John Lesley Woodward was local lad & part of the quintet of musicians that went down with The Titanic playing on whilst the ship sank in an attempt to calm the passengers' nerves. His body was never recovered and, the youngest of ten children, until the public petitioned for him to have his own memorial his name was an addition to his family's headstone.

This is the first Zerah I've come across. 



I'm fascinated by the symbolism of the carvings on headstones. Oak leaves represent stability, strength and endurance, urns represent the death of the flesh, fruit represents eternal plenty and a broken pillar represents a life cut short.





The Archangel Michael, the Christian angel of death is always represented clothed in armour and standing on a dragon. His sword, along with his hands, has gone astray over the years. 


 




























There's something life-affirming about wandering around a cemetery and reading the inscriptions of lives long forgotten. Don't waste your life worrying about the future, they seem to say, enjoy your life, live in the here and now, you'll be keeping us company soon enough.


Poor Lord Jon soaked to the skin and chilled to the bone. An afternoon of trashy TV, tea and biscuits await.


I cannot believe this track is almost forty years old, I remember buying The Queen is Dead on vinyl from John Menzies in 1986 like it was yesterday (and yes, I still have it!)

See you soon!


65 comments:

  1. I'm more aware of) interested in cemetery's from a historical view. I don't find comfort in visiting them for people I've lost. I more want to go to a favorite spot for that comfort. Seeing dates coincide, like your birthday and young Leslie does bring a connection across space and time. I think that might be why I'm a Doctor Who or other time travel fiction nerd.

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    1. I'm the same, Sam. In fact none of either Jon's or my parents and grandparents have gravestones, both our families have always believed that when you're gone, you're gone.
      I love cemetaries for the social history, wondering about the lives of those buried there. We always seek them out when we're abroad as well, we're in Team Nerd with you. xxx

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  2. I too find cemeteries life-affirming, and somehow comforting, although I have to say I find the Weeping Angels a bit sinister these days after watching the Doctor Who episode (I think it was called Blink)
    I'm more upset about The Smith's album being almost 40. That's proper disturbing 🙂 xxx

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    1. I stopped watching Doctor Who after Christopher Eccleston left but it scared me to death as a child!
      How can the Queen is Dead be so old? We aren't! xxx

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  3. I'm with Sam - really interesting from a social history point of view, but my ashes are getting mixed with Daisy's and left at our favourite place. I don't want to be popped underground - far too claustrophobic!

    As another Dr Who fan, your first two pictures are really scary - they remind me of the Weeping Angels (which is a huge compliment, even if it doesn't sound it 😱 😱 )

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    1. We're accumalting ashes at an alarming rate, we've got Frank's and Polly's waiting to be scattered. I love your idea about yours being mixed with Daisy's (not for a good while yet, I hope).
      I'm not a Doctor Who fan but I shall go and Google Weeping Angels now! xxx

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  4. You are so right. There is something life affirming about a visit to a cemetery or graveyard. It's a lesson I need to learn sharpish - to live in the moment instead of worrying about what's ahead. I find them strangely comforting too - that sense of togetherness. I love learning about the symbolism. A boy who was in Caleb's year at school died this week after an asthma attack. Death is all around us. If you can live in the moment, you've nailed it I think. Zerah is a fantastic name...apparently it means "brilliance"...and as much as Morrissey might court controversy, he is a brilliant wordsmith. xxx

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    1. That's very sad about Caleb's fellow student. None of us know what's around the corner, do we? I get annoyed with people who go on about "making memories", never look back - or too far forward, just grab life and live! Mind you, I could probably do with some of your caution, I've always been far too impulsive. An old mate used to call me "death wish friend" as a night out in my company always ended bizarrely!
      I wonder why a name with such a fabulous meaning died out? I tried calling CAT Zerah earlier but he wasn't having any of it! xxx

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  5. This is a fascinating post Vix
    And the song a blast from my past

    Cemeteries are unique records of social
    history - telling stories of those gone before, and often at such a young age

    The sculpture is a beautiful tribute to those treated brutally in life ( and in death)

    Did you ever consider being a teacher or having a career in Education ?
    Siobhan

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    1. Thanks, Siobhan! Today's gloom called for a melancholy walk and a blast of The Smiths.
      I love cemetaries and how those left behind chose to memorialise their loved ones.
      I wanted to be a teacher when I was young but after a fortnight's work experience in a posh private school I was put off for life! xxx

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  6. We have a cemetery over the back from us which has Victorian burials through to the present day. There is one for people who have lost babies early in pregnancy which I think would give comfort to those grieving such a loss. In the one in the town centre there is a similar one with Titanic associations...the young lad was a saloon steward who went down with the ship with his body never recovered. He is remembered on his parents' stone. Arilx

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    1. There's a separate area for babies at Heath Lane. It's covered with teddy bears, windmills, tinsel and sparkly bits and must be such a comfort.
      I wonder if your Titanic victim and ours knew one another? It's lovely that the locals felt so strongly about this young lad that they raised the funds for a memorial years later. xxx

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  7. I agree with you, Sam and Jayne too. Those monuments are all quite amazing to see. I'm just glad to know you are safe and all is well after the storm! Enjoy the weekend! xxx

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    1. Thanks so much, Martha! We're still here and the trees are still standing! xxx

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  8. I find cemeteries tragic and sad. I wouldn't want to think of my loved ones weeping by my graveside. It's definitely ashes for me and blowing away in the wind. Already chosen my spot to be scattered.

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    1. I'm with you on that, Cherie! None of Jon's or my relatives have gravestones. xxx

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  9. Evening Vix! well the words about not worrying about the future - live in the here and now are just what I needed and wanted to hear tonight. Great timing as always. My rellies - in -law often cause me to worry (call me piggy in the middle) and well when you think about how it why waste any precious time on petty things hey? I find the history and the "sentiments" in cemetaries intriguing. I think you were brave to take that walk on today - hope you warmed up . How did the big trees next to your house fare? Shazxx

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    1. Hello Shaz! Lovely to hear from you. I'm sorry you're getting some grief, I hope you can step away and enjoy some time to yourself rather than be burdened by other people's woes.
      We did wonder what on earth we were playing at halfway around the cemetary, the weather was so apt for our walk! xxx
      PS The trees are still standing - phew! xxxx

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  10. Oh yeah meant to say my son who is only in his twenties is getting into the Smithsx Shaz

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  11. Arghhh, The Queen Is Dead is such a good Smiths album Vix!!! Of course Morrissey had to behind those lines ;) - the man who co-wrote one of my favourite songs and lyrics -
    'There's a club if you'd like to go
    You could meet somebody who really loves you,
    So you go and you stand on your own, and you leave on your own
    And you go home and you cry and want to die'

    Thank you for taking us on your fascinating cemetery walk. Hats off to the cellist from the band that played on, from the Titanic. I agree, cemeterys can be life affirming, and full of love. Lulu xXx

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    1. How Soon is Now!!! Another favourite! Mind you, never read Morrissey's "Autobiography", I loved him for years until Jon bought me that book, what a complete and utter arse! xxx

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    2. Oh dear, I'll stay away from that. Sometimes it is better not to know the people behind the art :0 x

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  12. I've still got my copy of The Queen is Dead too, as well as all my other Smiths vinyl including singles and 12 inches. I've only got to read the first lines of any Smiths song to have an earworm! And I do love a cemetery and gravely reading the stones, wondering about people's lives and how they are often cut short. I always find the experience calming and sobering, and a wake-up call to enjoy life to the full.
    Eunice didn't leave icy temperatures in her wake her. Rather, after a sunny morning and early afternoon, we're back to stormy weather here! xxx

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    1. Yay! I'm amazed I've still got all mine, I'd leave clothes, jewellery and even the odd Clarice Cliff pot behind in the numerous hovels I lived in over the years but my Smiths vinyl always came with me! xxx

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  13. I love visiting graveyards and cemeteries, especially the old ones with interesting sculptures and headstones. I also find them interesting from a linguistic point of view. This one is lovely. Thank you for sharing these photographs.
    Poor Leslei Joseph! So young when she was killed in a German attack...and on your birthday. That's life! One moment we are here, the other moment we are gone.

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    1. You put it far more eloquently than me, Ivana but you're right, the inscriptions are linguistically interesting, I love seeing how language has changed. the Victorians were upfront about death and future generations used expressions like "fell asleep". Some of the modern stones are inscribed "sunrise" and "sunset" as opposed to born and died. xxx

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  14. This blog post is being sent straight to a friend of mine who fascination for graveyards, she will love this. The most ornate cemetery we’ve ever been in was in Milan. The graves were magnificent. Definitely worth a visit
    Snow snow snow here and a damaged garage guttering after Storm Eunice. Xxx
    Ps just finished watching the online talk with Keith Brymer, it was great and I’ve ordered his book now

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    1. I shall put Milan on my list. We always hunt out cemetaries when we're abroad, I find them fascinating, proper social history.
      I'm so glad we escaped your snow. What a mare about the guttering. One of our massive trees in leaning in a very dubious way, I'm a bit scared of it!
      I'm so glad you enjoyed Keith's talk, I shall have to get modern and find out how to catch up! xxx

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  15. Love walking around old graveyards. I live a block from the big city one in my town. There isn't a pauper's memorial, but there is a big open space with no markers and a memorial for all the slaves that are buried in unmarked graves. Yeah, I live in that part of the USA.

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    1. Reading about that open space where the slaves were buried made my blood run cold. Maybe the locals could do like ours did and raise funds for a memorial? xxx

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  16. Thank you. One day I hope to see the memorial myself.
    It was lovely to see families remembering their war dead on family stones. The military graves are provided by the Commonwealth Grave Commission and they allow the family to submit what is engraved at the base.
    Thanks again.

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    1. My pleasure, Marjorie. Thank you for sharing the photo, I'd never have known about it otherwise. xxx

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  17. I find cemetery and graveyard interesting. Lot of stories. Your county and area is a lot older than where I am at. Town I live by is Bonners Ferry Idaho, est in 1893.
    Once had guide tour of one of our larger cemetery. And they had have pauper section. Even if non white person back in day wasn't aloud to have head stone, they were stuck in pauper section. I guess even burial they had segregation.
    I really like ideal of a Pauper's Memorial
    Coffee is on and stay safe

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    1. Bonnersd Ferry looks lovely, Dora and only 2500 residents - Walsall has over a quarter of a million!
      The Pauper's Memorial is beautiful. How sad that people of colour weren't allowed a headstone. Maybe one day they'll be a memorial to all those poor lost souls. xxx

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  18. I haven't mentioned it on my blog but I do love a good graveyard, infact I sometimes used to take my boys to have a picnic in one or two near here when they were little as they liked looking at the inscriptions and wondering about the inhabitants. We always ask the residents if they mind us joining them before we sit on the inevitable bench you will find and are respectful not to step on anyone's bed. There is so much wildlife in a cemetery :) the best wildflowers can be found in them and best of all they are peaceful. What a miserable sleety day you had though, I hope your garden survived the storms intact.

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    1. I lovge that you took the boys on picnics in cemetaries, Betty. I think it's lovely to be amongst the old gravestones and read the inscriptions, bringing those long gone back to life for a while.
      You're right about the wildlife. We found a cemetary in the middle of the chaos of Delhi where your could hear the birds sing and walk on grass, an oasis! xxx

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  19. Love this post, very interesting!

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  20. Our graveyards in japan they are all stood up to save space, well that’s the old ones, they look like soldiers standing in a line . We live near one slap bang in the middle of the city. It’s quite an odd place to have one, it’s like the city has just grown around it, with the skyscrapers looking over it.
    Now you are just cremated put into a beautiful urn of your choice, and either placed at the family like memorial home/place of remborance were you can visit as often as you like. Or placed in the family home. Tokyo doesn’t have much space for crematories so that’s the choice now. I love going to visit my graves of my relatives when I get home as my grandfather was a prisoner of war and he wasn’t treat very well. His story was on japanese tv. It made me cry.
    When I go home tomorrow I am off the rememberance dome to say a pray for the relatives I lost when the bomb dropped. Love and hugs allie

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    1. How interesting about the graveyards in Japan, Allie. I love the ramshackle arrangement of the cemetaries here, neat lines seem very bleak. The urns sound lovely.
      There was a home for soldiers with shellshock in Walsall for many years, the patients who braved the town were so damaged it was heartbreaking. xxx

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  21. huge thank you for the song!!!
    back in berlin we often visited the old grave yards nestled between endless blocks of wilhemian tenements... spots of lush greenery and silence - bird songs and even wild flowers. the 19.cent. gravestones and crypts were pieces of art, sometimes tumbled over like in your photos........
    thanx for taking us along!!
    hope lord jon is dry and happy again!
    xxxxx

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    1. I can't get that song out of my head now!
      Your memories of the graveyards in Berlin conjured up such a beautiful picture in my head. xxx

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  22. Religion passed me by years ago however I am still fascinated by the architecture and history of churches, graveyards and cemeteries. I am intrigued by the symbolism involved - both pagan and christian and how they are interpreted - your collection of photos are brilliant. Makes me want to revisit a local hillside cemetery which is full of interesting stones and monuments :)

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    1. I could have written the first part of your comment. I can take or leave churches but graveyards fascinate me. I hope you revisit your local hillside cemetary soon and sahre photos on your blog! xxx

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  23. This moving post stirred old memories. An historic cemetery adjoined the campus of my alma mater. Students claimed favorite study spots among the trees and statuary. Mine was the porch of a pretty white temple mausoleum frequented by a family of skunks who shared its steps -- and my snacks. Happy to report there's now a security force to protect it from the predations of vandals on a mission. Soldiers' monuments in other areas have not been so fortunate.

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    1. That's a wonderful memory you've described, Beth. Those grand mausoleums are the perfect sheltered spot although I'm not sure the grand family to whom yours belonged would have cared to share theirs with a family of skunks.
      That's very sad aboput some of those soldiers monuments. They're treasured here and anyone who dares deface them get hefty punishments. xxx

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  24. In 2014 I took my two eldest granddaughters (15 and 17) and their mother to Paris for an extra-long weekend as reward for persevering with their French immersion classes here in Canada. I suggested that each choose an outing for a day, but the only one who really took it up was my 15 year old pet who wanted to visit the Vimy Memorial. So we caught a train on a drizzly mid-October day and wandered the Canadian cemetery. It was very moving (and very atmospheric), especially to visit with two young women about the same age as many of the fallen buried there.

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    1. Hello Betty. What a generous gift! How wonderful that the fifteen year old chose to visit the Vimy Memorial and the trip was memorable and the weather did as it should.
      Jon and I visited Père Lachaise when we went to Paris, it was a gloriously warm afternoon and a number of cats were basking in the sunshine on the graves, it was a beautiful experience./xxx

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  25. There's something about an cemetery on a winters day that captures the imagination. I really liked the Paupers Memorial representing those who died and buried in unmarked graves. Such a contrast in design to some of the more elaborate and ornate gravestones. Very appropriate song choice too. I can remember the first time I heard Cemetery Gates at age 17 and in my final year of high school. Melancholic and humorous, I still love it to this day.

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    1. Hello Nicola, it did seem like the right day to explore the cemetary.
      You're right,m the simplicity of the Pauper's Memorial makes for a wonderful contrast with some of the grand Victorian tombstones.
      The Smiths' music never dates, does it? Years later I still find Morrissey's lyrics wonderfully apt. xxx

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  26. I love wandering around grave yards and reading the stones, I find it calming that people are being remembered. There's not been many burials in or family mostly cremations with ashes scattered to the wind rather than being in one place. This cemetery is fascinating and seems to be very full of wonderful gravestones and memorials. The Titanic memorial brought me out in goose bumps, very strange.

    You really did deserve an afternoon of trashy tv, tea and biscuits after that wet, but interesting walk.

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    1. There's something very calming about graveyards, I seek them out wherever I go in the world. This one's particularly lovely in that the old graves are alongside the more recent ones and that there's Muslim, Hindu and Sikhs alongside Catholics, Evangelists and Church of England, a true reflkection of our wonderful multicultural area!
      I can't imagine how that young man contuinued to play his cello as the ship went down. What a brave man. xxx

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  27. I love old cemeteries. There were some beautiful carvings on the headstones in Heath Lane cemetery. My favourites were the cross with intricate carving of bird and nature's bounty and the ivy carved one. Such fab names too; Zerah was a first for me and I also loved Jabez which is from the bible, I believe.

    You were brave to venture out in such awful weather; it's been bloody horrible and I can't wait to see the back of it.

    Hope Lord Jon has thawed out now...
    xxx

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    1. Hi Vronni! I absolutely loved that engraved cross and the ivy covered column. I'd never heard of a Zerah but Jabez was quite common around Walsall with the olkder generation. It's a shame both have died out now! xxx

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  28. I love wandering around in old cemeteries - it was one of my favourite things to do when I visited Paris and London as the cemeteries there are marvelous. Your photos are beautiful and so atmospheric - thank you for reminding me of how much I enjoy exploring these places.

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    1. One day I shall visit Highgate Cemetary, Pere Lachaise was amazing! xxx

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  29. What a moving post! I like the tribute to the workhouse folk who didn't have a proper grave.
    I've not visited anyone I know in a graveyard apart from the funeral day for 3 (all cremated I think apart from Norma) but I do like looking!x

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    1. Same here, no relatives to visit but the memorials are so interesting. Isn't the Pauper's Memorial lovely? xxx

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  30. It doesn't cease to amaze me that british (and other countries) cemeteries are walkable places. The carved old stones, the sculptures and atmosphere are fascinating and moving.
    But we don't visit cemeteries in Spain, except anniversaries and All Souls' Day, and most people actively avoid to walk near them. Cultural diferences at their highest!.
    besos

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    1. How interesting that you don't visit cemetaries apart from on special days although I never realised how many people shared my love of graveyards until I blogged about visiting one in India! xxx

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  31. Thanks Vix, l really enjoyed that ramble around the cemetery and loved The Smiths song. Have a great trip, truly admire your packing skills.

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  32. There is nothing like a dreary and cold wander in the cemetery to remind us of how good we have it. Thank you for the lovely pics, Vix! I hope you had a lovely evening of trashy TV (a fellow fan).

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  33. I do so love a good cemetery! Such beautiful sculptures (and the old ones are often valuable wildlife habitats in cities). I hope the the and biccies warmed you both up.

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix