Sunday, November 6, 2022

The softness of the stardust

This Sunday morning daybreak glorious . 

Sophie glows bright orange in the sunrise. She then turns pink. This makes me laugh. A rainbow coated PONette. We meet the farmers wife. She's been on jury duty this week - the highlight judging a dispute between two fishermen over damaged lobster creels. She rolls her eyes in an unspoken sign that this was boring. There's a whisky tasting next Saturday in the village hall. Then there's a communal afternoon for planting daffodils. The St.Andrews Day dinner is nearly sold out - 'Shall I put you down for two tickets ?' Preparations are already underway for the Carol and Watch Night services. 'Get there early. It'll be standing room only'.

Armistice Day a week away. More and more folk in town are starting to sport poppies in their buttonholes and it's time for us to do the same. We've not seen poppies for sale in the shops but there'll be some in the church. Sure enough, there's a tray of them and a collecting box on a table by the end wall. The church porch door is firmly locked but we'll come back later. Through the window I can see that the red wreaths around the war memorials are already in place. There is a sense of martial duty in villages here - just as there was in France. Local families remembering great uncles. The baptismal font has a wooden cover with a carved owl sitting proudly on top. Is it a symbol of wisdom ?

On our way home we see that a tombstone in the churchyard has toppled over in the recent winds. The inscription is hard to make out but reads :'We are wondering if the angels will dance around and sing on the softness of the stardust in the garden of a King'. There's something innocent about this. It must be the grave of a toddler. There are so many emotions hidden in this choice of words. 


 

7 comments:

Liz Hamblyn said...

Yes, there is a remembrance. My young nephew aged 11 wore his great grandfather's medals to our ANZAC day on the 25th April. His ggf (WW1)severed three years on the Western front in the NZEF, and he was in Alexandria in 1915 when the troops were taken to Gallipoli but for some reason he was not selected.

WFT Nobby said...

What a poetically worded tombstone. The church looks so typically Presbyterian austere. I'm wondering how frequent the services and how many attend regularly. It sounds like the locals are keen to see Angus and the Font embracing village life. We look forward to a report on the St Andrews Day dinner.

Coppa's girl said...

What a spectacular sunrise.
Armistice Day is not something celebrated here, but many ex-pats are wearing their poppies with pride. I haven't yet found out where I can buy one, but I'm sure I'll come across them somewhere.
It seems that the farmer's wife will not take no for an answer, and mere hesitation on your part Angus will be taken as a definite yes.
I wonder if your immersion into village life will be anything like the depth that it was France? Will you meet a similar cast of characters?

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari Om
My thoughts wandered along similar lines as my fellow commenters; indeed, went so far as to think that Angus is settling well into the new landscape, just as Sophie is clearly revelling in it. YAM xx

Anonymous said...

We are drooling over your photos as usual!
Also agree that you and the Font are soon to have a busy social life with full diaries.
Wendy (Wales)

Travel said...

You are a part of the community, you have settled in quickly.

Bailey Bob Southern Dog said...

Fantastic photos!!!