Sunday, September 17, 2017

A Highland Sunday Drive

After not leaving the house at all yesterday (rain and a headache kept me indoors) we headed out for a Sunday drive like a couple of old pensioners. First we went to Aviemore as there was a craft market on, but because of the rain it was a bit of a washout. As we couldn't get into the nice cafe there we then headed off to Boat of Garten and the lovely 1896 Gallery and Coffee Shop.

My latte arrived with a slightly deformed heart on top so I preceded to create my own piece of art - I think it looks a little bit like Bramble.



Onward we meandered and then we came across Edinkillie Parish Church and graveyard - how wonderful.


Next door to the church was the rather grand Relugas House, and on the fence you might be able to make out a little Robin. This house was built in 1980, but the previous dwelling was begun in the 1700's.


In the graveyard is the below headstone for Kopuri "Tom" who was a servant and died at Relugas House. He was from the island of Rotumah (Fiji island of Rotuma) in the South Pacific. I thought it was lovely that they had given him a proper grave, and Ken thought it was the rich people appeasing their guilt of having a servant who died so far from home.


A view of the graveyard and the headstone on the right is for James S Ferries who was the commander of the R.M.S Zealandia - he died at sea and is buried in Honolulu. Here's a link to a description of one of the journeys he took with the ship and what the ship was like - Click Here.


This lopsided headstone is from the 1700's.


A few more headstones for you to enjoy (yes, that is the right word to use) with intricate carvings and a couple of lovely crosses.




One of the Commonwealth war graves at this site - a pilot and he was only 20.


Two more lovely crosses - the symbolism of the cross is so interesting as there are so many different versions of it in graveyards across the world.


Cute little shed in the corner of the graveyard - I love how it is built into the wall.


This headstone has seen better days - I hope it was just aging and mother nature that caused this and not someone being totally disrespectful to the dead.


One of the church windows - it's purple! It must look lovely from the inside so we'll have to find out when the church is open for viewing. Note that the window is another version of a cross.


There you have it, our lovely Sunday drive (minus the flat cap and hair rollers) exploring more of the beautiful Scottish Highlands.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and have a fabulous week.

Pamela & Ken
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7 comments:

  1. Hi Pamela - lots of good photos here .. churchyards are amazing places - glad you had a good day out. Your 'shed' was probably the mortuary ... kept things cool - til it was time for the funeral ... cheers Hilary

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    1. I hadn't even thought of that use for the little building - thanks for that suggestion Hilary. Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. Hello Pamela!

    It was great having your visit and participation in my mid-September BoTB. Designs in coffee are really neat. I was looking at some on Google earlier today. I can't recall if I've ever gotten artwork in the froth of my latte but these days I'm content to make my own latte at home which is better and less expensive. However it's still fun on occasion to get a fancy coffee while out running errands. :)

    Old churches and graveyards are interesting. I, especially like the fancy vintage headstones which is a sign of the deads' social standing. These are certainly nicer than many of the fancy modern ones. I'd like to think the servant who passed away was probably treated kindly in life as well as in death by his/her owner. Although I don't believe anyone should be in bondage because of skin color or finances, the truth is this was the way things were at one time and not all owners weren't cruel to their servants but showed a certain amount of respect and kindness. I hope this owner was respectfully giving his faithful servant a place of rest. It looks like you had a lovely outing strolling through the cemetery browsing and snapping pictures. I think I should like to revisit one or two of the older cemeteries in town to recapture for new photo creations. I hope you'll join tomorrow for not-so Wordless Wednesday (linky goes live at 12am EST)!

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    1. Hi Cathy, thanks for stopping by. I find the inscriptions fascinating on old headstones as you usually learn so much more about the person than on today's graves. I nearly always go home after a visit to an old graveyard and research something, such as the ships captain in this post. Love reading the interesting job titles that were used in the 18th and 19th century.

      Make sure you do go and visit your local graveyards as you never know what you're going to find. Thanks for stopping by.

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    2. With all the nasty storms we've been having here in the south, you never know if they're still going to be around either. It is better not to put it off, if at all possible.

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  3. I enjoyed your post and photos very much, especially those of the crosses. I've enjoyed spending time in cemeteries for years. My children were pretty much raised in cemeteries as I worked on my family history. There are so many stories in a cemetery.

    Have a blessed weekend. :)

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    1. I agree, so many stories and too many are being lost to history. Glad you've done some of your family history and it's a good thing to pass onto your children. I drag my beloved around graveyards all the time.

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