Garrettstown Day 6

Today we visited Biggs's Nan's grave where his mum left some flowers. There were lots of flowers and also some plants that were there previously. I really like that idea of putting actual perennial things on a grave. I'm not sure I have seen that too often.

We also visited Liscleary Graveyard at Ballygarvan, which is out just past Cork airport. It's a very small cemetery and has graves dating back to 1730 (I read on the internet).

Biggs's Uncle Lar is buried there. He died 2 years ago and I was lucky enough to meet him a couple of times. I had real difficulties understanding his accent, but my feeling was always that he was a good bloke. He played the trumpet as well, so that was always a bit of a bond between uncle and nephew.

As well as Lar's grave, we also visited those of some of Nan's sisters (I think) and also of Mother, who was Nan's mum.

Strange times for me as I know very little beyond my long dead grandparents and have a comparatively tiny family.

Anyway, it was an appropriately blustery day with some sunshine. My niece ran off into a corner of the graveyard and when I followed her, there was this pink birdcage - just sitting there. I don't know if she found it and moved it or if it was just.....well.... there. Presumably it was brought for someone and then (somehow) got separated from its owner (I say this because the birdcage was behind the only grave near to it).

Earlier in the week, Biggs and I were walking in Cork and we had previously been bemoaning the lack of decent-sized cups in the holiday cottage. I noticed a pair of rather handsome mugs with birdcages on them. I said to him that I rather liked birdcages - my pal Lizzo has a cool birdcage ring that possibly prompted my liking for them. He replied that I only liked them because I wasn't in one.

I realised then that perhaps they are not as innocent as they first appear, birdcages. How strange to have that conversation and later to see one, randomly, in a graveyard.

Maybe it's quite an appropriate thing to leave on a grave, as long as the door is ajar.