Golden Moments

I got the shot I wanted today. That golden sunlight shining through the beech trees.

We met at Ripley for our walk today, and the first couple of miles took us across the fields to the village of Hampsthwaite.
We arrived about 10.45am, and gathered outside infront of the village War Memorial.
A small procession , led by the vicar,(a lady) came out of the church. This included the church choir, and cadets and personnel from the nearby Army Foundation College.

The golden light of the sun shone through the leaves of the old chestnut tree in the graveyard.
A gentleman recited the poem

They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,nor the years condem.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

from Laurence Binyon's poem "For the Fallen"
written in September 1914

The vicar then read out all the names of the local lads who had died in the two World Wars.
16 from 1914 - 1918 and 6 from 1938 - 1945

The bugle boy played the last post, and just as he blew the last note, the church clock started chiming 11 o clock which marked the start of the two minutes silence.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. when the Armistice was signed to end World War One.
The bugle again sounded playing "Reveille" and the silence was over.

The vicar and congregation went back into the church to continue the service, and we continued on our walk, in England's Golden Land.

( I put another photo, which I took today, on my blipfolio. A packhorse bridge which we walked over. Don't know how to do a link!)