This morning we took a quiet and contemplative walk. The skies were blue, the sun shone as our shadows danced among the trees, birds sang and squirrels jumped between trees. There were loads of bluebells, swaying gently in the breeze and for the first time ever I saw wild garlic. And not just a couple of plants...we walked through broad swathes of it, with the scent of garlic rising as I crushed a few leaves here and there.
It was a really quiet walk.
We drove out to the Paintworks to go to the American diner there for lunch, but it was unexpectedly closed, so we ended up going for a walk around Arnos Vale Cemetery as Dave and I were struck by it's beauty when we hunted a Gromit there last summer.
It might seem a bit weird to go for a walk in a cemetery (and to whip out a camera), but Arnos Vale is a bit different to the usual sort of cemetery. Initially I thought it was purely a historical site, but burial plots are still available throughout the cemetery. The gate house and chapels are all listed buildings as are some of the graves. There are guided tours available to talk you through the history of the site and explain the significance of all the different types of graves and ornamentation. There's a cafe and you can even get married there!!
Many of the graves dating back to the 1800s are rather wild and unkempt with ivy growing over the headstones and markers and wild garlic blanketing them. I spotted a couple which had been cleared...probably by people researching their family trees.
It's a wild and beautiful place. You could wander for hours, seeing glimpses of people's lives through the sentiments and memories shared on their gravestones.
Yesterday our friend Jamie D. passed away after a five year battle with breast cancer. Jamie was a wonderful guy; he was a geek through and through, and through the comics podcast he started with his friends years ago (Comic Geek Speak), he shared his love of Captain America, The Avengers and comics in general with the world. He loved his family so much, especially his sister, and he was a an all-around good guy. A true gent.
He'll be missed by everyone who knew him. RIP Jamie.
I'm so sorry to hear about Jamie but thank you so much for sharing, another massively under recognised condition for men. I hope you spent the day remembering him fondly on your beautiful walk.
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So sorry to hear about your friend - you don't often hear of men with that condition but sadly it happens. Arnos Vale is a beautiful place, hope you enjoyed the day remembering all the happy times. xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Louisa. It's quite uncommon for men, but it does happen. I was always glad that he was so upfront about it because it did make his male friends more aware.
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