A new month. What happened to everything between March and October ? A pandemic doesn't make the year swing by more slowly. Sophie is delighted that lockdown keeps her flock close by all day. As a sheepdog she is a great believer in herd immunity.
This morning we head down to the valley for our daily constitutional. It's abnormally warm for the time of the year and the banks of the stream are alive with swarms of lapis lazuli dragon flies. Sophie looks at them, tries to catch minnows and finally opts for a long beard drenching drink. The electric tailgate on the dog car is treated with wary deference. When Sophie concentrates she sticks her tongue out. This might be a PON thing.
Back at the The Rickety Old Farmhouse there's a chance to check for lurking C-A-T-S.
The old and new mayors have been hard at work in the churchyard which is looking as pristine as any centuries old churchyard can . Unclaimed graves have been marked out. If there's no money for their upkeep the plots are reassigned after 50 years. From the dates on the head stones all of these were last used in the 1940's.
In the 1920's tombstone fashions changed. Limestone crosses gave way to large marble sepulchres. The crosses weathered with time in a gentle tempus fugit way. The heavy granite monoliths that line one side of the graveyard will last aeons.
5 comments:
Bertie and I have been following the Covid sniffer dog story with interest. We are pleased this weekend to be sheltering from the stormy weather in our home built of solid granite.
Boston has 3 inches of snow and we have temperatures in the mid 20's. Aberdeens climate seems 'unchanged'.
Here in Tokyo, we are just sheltering from our anxiety levels! Thank heavens for dogs to help us keep perspective.
Interesting...I had to look up the concept of France allowing for 'reassignment' of burial plots. Makes me uncomfortable actually, as one's place of eternal rest could eventually be shifted to, who knows where?
Love the idea of sniffer dogs. Hopefully the program will continue and thrive. Speaking of thriving, I checked the room and meal prices at The Maker. Beautiful hotel but, Ouch!
Thanks for the Stanford article. I often wonder whether opinions from the Hoover Institute would carry as much weight if their name wasn't always associated with the university. It will be interesting to see whether they split after discussions this summer.
Only two days to go. As Lisa said, anxiety levels are high all 'round.
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