23 March 2016

After the long cold, wet winter, outdoor work in the churchyard resumed today - The scaffolding is up around the church ready for work to begin on replacing roof tiles, which is good as the winter rain has been causing a great deal of damage to the interior walls. 

Carpets of snowdrops in St Mary's churchyard

While Alan and Tony worked on the fiddly job of RTI photographing the ledger stones in the garden of remembrance where ashes are interred, the rest of us measured in some locations of graves on the west side, using the good old-fashioned technique of triangulation. We're using specific corners of the church building and buttresses as fixed reference points. Sometimes intervening gravestones get in the way  which means the measuring tape has to be raised above them - and that's where a broom becomes a very handy tool!!

 

To explain - the broom handle provides a resting point to keep the tape on the same vertical plane as the location being measured. 

It was a bitingly cold day and we soon got numb fingers. After a warming cuppa at lunchtime Alan and Tony continued with the ledger stones while Sue and I recorded which graves are being attended - that is, are still visited by relatives. At this time of year the churchyard is a riot of colour as there are many bouquets and fresh cut flowers being brought for Easter 

We were also visited by a local cat - a very beautiful feline that often drops by to have a little look at what we're up to. 

So another good day's work was done by the team. 

Jane Lunnon