Today’s ride to church comes to Doves & Serpents from our beloved Heidi, who writes Stacks for us every Tuesday, and her brother Torben.
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This is the parish church in the nearby village of Long Melford. I pass it every day and I’ve been meaning to visit for some time. I was lucky enough to get a few days with my brother, in the UK for work, last week. His amazing skill with a camera and a gorgeous sunny day provided the perfect excuse to finally visit the church and take some photos. There was a funeral that day and as we walked through the cemetery and up the path we could hear the congregation singing “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” When they stopped, bells began ringing.
Absolutely beautiful. I’m going off to plant morning glories and hydrangeas around my front door.
Stunning pictures. I love the “church walk” picture. What does that mean?
Also, I love the way churches in Europe are connected to a cemetery. It makes the circle of life, so to speak, seem very real. In my experience, we don’t see that much in the U.S. Cemeteries are usually out of town or in far-away or tucked away places. It’s odd, if you think about it, really.
Heather, the “Church Walk” is the name of a narrow road leading up to the church.
Also, I love the way churches in Europe are connected to a cemetery. It makes the circle of life, so to speak, seem very real. In my experience, we don’t see that much in the U.S. Cemeteries are usually out of town or in far-away or tucked away places. It’s odd, if you think about it, really.
I agree. It was such a beautiful day, teeming with life — butterflies, birds, flowers blooming everywhere, my little daughter running on the grass between the gravestones. Walking into the funeral gave me such a strong sense of the connection between life and death.
What a lovely opportunity to have the good fortune to have your sweet brother with you to post the walk to church. As always thank you for such a lovely visit into your world dear Heidi.
So lovely! Sometimes its hard for me to grasp the magnitude of hundreds of years of history, especially preserved in such a beautiful way! Nicely done!
Springtime in England. So lovely. I have a few moments in my memory of sitting in churchyards in England. None of them planned, but all of them seem outside of space and time.
Worship in an old building like this seems so much more romantic, or should I say spiritual, than my 1980’s white, brick meetinghouse. Love the pictures.