I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils...
William Wordsworth
This quote from Wordsworth graces the stone at the beginning of the Wordsworth Daffodil Garden at St. Oswald's Church in Grasmere. Wordsworth lived nearby in Rydal and, from what I can gather, attended services at St. Oswald's. He even planted 8 yew trees in the churchyard and he and his family are buried near one.
I find old graveyards and tombstones fascinating. Each stone pays tribute, some simply, others in grander style.
They mark a life, hopefully, well lived and well loved.
20 years ago, I sat in this churchyard for quite a while, enjoying the solitude as well as the company of a small bird who lit on the bench next to me...no doubt hoping for a crumb to be thrown its way...
taking in the shapes,
textures,
colors,
scents and sounds of the area.
What had been a sleepy little village on our last visit was a bustling small town yesterday. It's good to see Grasmere thriving.
And the birds still provide company at lunch.
Thank you for sharing. That was very nice.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Darcy. Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy!
DeleteIt is always intriguing to return isn't it? That lovely iffy time, remembering and discovering...Looks gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt is! As we wandered through town, John and I asked ourselves and each other why we'd waited so long to return. We love the area and feel at home and at peace here. Hopefully, the next visit will be much sooner than 20 years!
Deletethank you for sharing, I love Wordsworth. Huge fan of old cemeteries. I even got locked inside a civil war cemetery in Dallas Texas once. lol long story
ReplyDeleteI love your book!
Civil war cemeteries in Dallas have fences? Sorry for the question. I grew up in the Washington, DC area and have visited Gettysburg many times so that's where my mind goes when picturing a civil war cemetery. It's all open land there. Oddly enough, to me at least, the tombstones are all for soldiers from the northern states. Bit of a shock to realize that while eaves dropping on a tour guide one time. I'd assumed all soldiers were given their due when it came to being buried, but it seems not.
DeleteEnjoy!