The living come...

.... with grassy tread
To read the gravestones on the hill;
The graveyard draws the living still,
But never anymore the dead.
The verses in it say and say:
"The ones who living come today
To read the stones and go away
Tomorrow dead will come to stay."
So sure of death the marbles rhyme,
Yet can't help marking all the time
How no one dead will seem to come.
What is it men are shrinking from?
It would be easy to be clever
And tell the stones: Men hate to die
And have stopped dying now forever.
I think they would believe the lie.

Robert Frost




Another day out exploring remote areas of West Cork, this time with our pals R & F. Fuelled with coffee and scones we headed eastwards via Dunmanway towards Bandon, maps in hand. Unexpected bounty and treasures followed - four wells and an ancient graveyard. Two wells in wonderfully wild and scenic positions, one in a shady grove the other now a dry jumble of stones looking out across a huge landscape which included an enigmatic mound. The last two were little stone wells on the side of a small stream in Bandon Town Park - completely covered in brambles and nettles. F wielded the loppers and they were slowly revealed in all their glory. Astonishing that amidst all the manicured parkland they had just been allowed to disappear - dedicated to the BVM and St Bridget as well! See collage in extras for shenanigans.

On the way home we had a quick diversion to Ballymoney in search of a cursing stone. We didn't find it but we did find the most romantically dishelleved graveyard and ruined church full of wonky and decorative gravestones.  Himself couldn't resit it either.

And please check out this pic  of my mountaineering of a couple of days ago - son#1 ought to be impressed. It actually wasn't quite as hairy as it looks. Honest.