A digi update - and about time too!

I am, as usual behind with this and that. This being my blog, and that being the digital scrapbook layout pages I should be making and sharing with my circle journal (CJ) friends on UK Scrappers. I didn't make any New Year's resolutions, but if I had, I might have pledged to be a better blogger. And so I will try, honestly, I will. But don't be surprised if I don't (always) succeed.

And so to my page above -  that's me, enjoying the amazing peace and tranquillity, not to mention the fabulous scenery, during a holiday in New Zealand a few years ago. I could have stayed in this spot all day - it was just beautiful. This was my contribution to a journal focusing on 'places'.

My most recent CJ contribution is this - which as I'm writing my blog in the traditional sleepy lunchtime period,  might most appropriately be called the 'graveyard slot'. These photos were all taken in the Victorian section of Stroud cemetery, which is also a nature reserve. I find all the tombstone inscriptions, stone designs and brief glimpses of past lives fascinating.

On my first visit I puzzled over the repeat appearance of tall, thin columns which were broken at their tips. Why was each memorial so damaged? I later discovered that these pillars were deliberately crafted in this fashion, designed to symbolise a life cut short. Other designs also tell stories - twisted ropes, anchors, angels and symbols, all with their own histories and messages.

I realise that graveyards might not be everyone's idea of great places to explore - but I think they are a treasure troves, providing tantalising clues into lives gone before. They're also great for practising photography skills and spotting wildlife and lichen, as well as contemplating those whom we have loved and lost ... but not forgotten.