Old, unhappy, far-off things..

I thought I'd start today with a poem by Wordsworth:

The Solitary Reaper

BEHOLD her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?-
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;-
I listen'd, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.


Rule broken - I know I'm not taking pictures during the week, but at lunchtime I needed to get out of the office, so I came out here to Chilcomb. The churchyard is one of my favourite places, up in the hills, looking back towards Winchester. And it didn't disappoint because here I found my first snowdrops of the year.

Rule number 2 broken today is that I've put this in mono. I watched The Dambusters again over Christmas and have been reading stuff about Bletchley Park and the 'Y' Service, so I suppose going back to the War, when my much-missed Dad was a young man, seemed like a natural thing to do.

In the graveyard there was a wreath of poppies and a handwritten note by a child 'In memory of Dad... A soldier and sportsman'.

So this is sepia, but only just - more like a curled, faded, slightly battered and distinctly unsmart photo in an aging book. Nothing slick or designed, but something I hope holds meaning.

And to inspire me I had this lovely image from Flynnet. Thank you.