Autumn Leaves

I have been a little busy of late but managed to get a few shots of beautiful Autumn Leaves.  Reminds me of the song my daughter used to sing.

Two weeks ago I drove a party of elderly people from a nursing home to Slimbridge, a bird sanctuary founded by Sir Peter Scott in 1946.  He was the son of Captain Robert Falcon Scott who died of frostbite at the South Pole in 1912, beaten there by Amundsen who survived with his party.   

It was a delightful day at Slimbridge and all the residents and staff enjoyed their day out.  Sir Peter Scott's statue stands amongst them in this photo.

The Flamingos seem happy as always:

. . . .  . and a couple of shots with beautiful Autumn Leaves took my fancy:

When I returned back to the Residential Care Home, where my wife worked for 12 years, and owned by my very good friend Pat, she informed me that our priest was visiting the cemetery the next Monday with some parishioners to bless the graves and would I like Maria's blessed.  I attended and brought Peter with me since I was looking after him that day . . . so we blessed Maria's grave and I sprinkled some Holy Water. Bless you my darling.

Isn't it beautiful ~ nothing but the best for her.
There's a little room for a few words for me later . . . :) . .  . and at the foot shall read Reunited For Ever.

While we were there I asked the priest if he would bless my Great Grandfather's grave who died in 1905.  I found out and was shocked that he had committed suicide by hanging himself whilst at work.  He moved to the south west 60 years before we did from Liverpool and I found him whilst researching my family tree.  I found him on the 1901 census and was amazed to discover he lived in my home town. I found his house, his workplace where he was factory manager, and his grave and to my horror discovered through death certificates ordered that he AND his father had both taken their own lives, his father, John a few months before James was born.

I made a little wooden cross for him a few years ago and had an inscription plaque made.  In those days it was frowned on by the church for people to take their own lives and they were buried at the edge of the cemeteries in unmarked graves.  I had a few services said for them both and the priest gladly blessed his grave and said a powerful prayer for them both and this was all against a delightful carpet of autumn leaves beneath our feet and I sprinkled Holy Water on his grave.  Young Peter was there, James' Great Great Great Grandson.

For those interested this story about my Great Grandfather I wrote a post and it is a fascinating read ~ my second post I wrote.  It is eerie in places and full of incredible coincidences and I feel in some way I was meant to discover James and unearth the story and in some way set him free and I feel both he and his father are now fully at peace.  It is very strange also that Maria's and later my grave will be only 40 yards from James.  I might get a headstone made for him soon.  The full story is HERE 

It was Remembrance Sunday last Sunday and I remember those brave young men in all the wars who fought and lost their lives striving to make this a better place for us to live.  Thank you guys.