Friday Foto: Graveyard Inspirations


Today, I'm feeling a wee bit on the dark side, so here's a befitting Friday Foto for you: a gravestone in the Old Pentland graveyard.



I discovered the fascinating Old Pentland graveyard, outside Edinburgh, Scotland, by chance when hubby spotted it on one of his random walks. Of course, I had to go and check it out. It's an intriguing place, especially as templars are said to have been buried here.


View from Old Pentland graveyard
Many gravestones there have interesting sculptures on the back, while the front shows the deceased's name and - where available - dates.

Graveyards provide wonderful information for writers. You can gain deep insights into local history when you read the inscriptions, follow the family trails and dates. I always find children's graves especially moving. What caused that particular child to die? How did the death affect the family?

I used to live next door to another old graveyard in Aberdeenshire. The peaceful atmosphere and semi-remote location made me feel strangely safe, living alone in my cottage.

Returning from a recent trip to the outlaws near Loch Ness, we drove down the - less travelled - eastern shore and came across another wonderful, old graveyard. The location overlooking the loch is magical. If I was to be buried, that'd be the place. Inspiring inscriptions, intriguing sculptures and a peaceful, calm location.
Boleskin graveyard, Loch Ness


Call me macabre, but I find old graveyards wonderful places. Well, apart from Greyfriars graveyard in Edinburgh - that's creepy!! ;-)

Comments

  1. Anonymous12 May 2012 at 01:24

    Very inspirational, indeed ...
    I've always found graveyards interesting, peaceful and like you wonderful places. I wouldn't mind living near one. Beautiful gravestone, it's definitely unique and it seems that it has a lot to tell. The vista on the Loch is somptuous .. Thanks again for sharing these great photos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cathie Dunn12 May 2012 at 11:46

      I'm glad you like the photos. Especially the locations of these two graveyards makes them so inspiring. Calm and peaceful, that's what a resting place should be like, not near a busy road.

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  2. Shelley Munro12 May 2012 at 05:43

    That's a very interesting headstone. I love the scenery shots too. Very pretty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cathie Dunn12 May 2012 at 11:48

      Thank you, Shelley. There were several stones like that, some more withered than this one. The Old Pentland place also has another stone with templar references, but that's locked away & barely visible through a barred window.

      Thanks for popping in.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous12 May 2012 at 16:28

    I love your posts! Like visiting another place from my office :) Love the pics, thanks for posting them!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous12 May 2012 at 16:31

    So much history in these pics. Thanks for sharing with us, Cathie! I love following your blog because it takes me to another place from little old Michigan :) Would love to visit Scotland someday, it's simply beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cathie Dunn12 May 2012 at 20:16

      Thank you, Jennifer. Glad to show you my little world. :-)

      You should definitely visit Scotland. Lots to explore.

      Thanks for popping in.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Most read posts

Ascent: free on Kindle June 8th & 9th

Image
Fancy a free Kindle read? Ascent , the first in my new House of Normandy series,  is *free* to download  on June 8th & 9th! "A wonderful heroine" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Discover the emergence of a new, powerful dynasty, the House of Normandy, in Ascent , a fictionalised story of Poppa of Bayeux, handfasted wife of Rollo (Hrólfr) the Viking! Blurb: A brutal Viking raid heralds the dawn of a new, powerful dynasty – the House of Normandy Neustria, Kingdom of the West Franks AD 890 Fourteen-year-old Poppa’s life changes when Northmen land near Bayeux. Count Bérengar, her father, submits to them, and she is handfasted to Hrólfr, the Northmen’s heathen leader, as part of their agreement. To her relief, Hrólfr leaves immediately in search of further conquest, only returning to claim her years later. In the face of retaliating Franks, they flee to East Anglia, where she gives birth to their son and daughter. When Hrólfr and Poppa return to reclaim Bayeux, his new campaign strikes at the heart o
Read more

Welcome N. Gemini Sasson, historical fiction author!

Image
Today, I welcome historical fiction author N. Gemini Sasson , whose latest release, The King Must Die , the sequel to Isabeau , is out now. As part of the Goddessfish blog tour, she is also giving away a $25 Amazon gift voucher to one random commenter on the tour! But first, to find out more about her, I've asked her some questions. I hope you'll enjoy the excerpt below, too. Here goes... Welcome to my blog. What inspired you to write about this particular period? Jean Plaidy’s books, which I devoured during my teenage years, introduced me to the Plantagenet kings of England. She and other writers like Sir Walter Scott and Alexandre Dumas were definitely early influences, but the story that inspired me to explore the 14 th century and eventually write about it was the film Braveheart. I know, I know, there’s a lot of fiction to it, but it was a very dramatic and moving story. After seeing it, I knew I wanted to write something epic like that. I started out writing a
Read more

Welcome romance author D'Ann Lindun

Image
Today, I'm hosting fellow romance author, D'Ann Lindun . If you - like me - love cowboys, you're in for a treat! ;-) Falling in love with romance novels the summer before sixth grade, D’Ann Lindun never thought about writing one until many years later when she took a how-to class at her local college. She was hooked! She began writing and never looked back. Romance appeals to her because there's just something so satisfying about writing a book guaranteed to have a happy ending. D’Ann’s particular favorites usually feature cowboys and the women who love them. This is probably because she draws inspiration from the area where she lives, Western Colorado, her husband of twenty-nine years and their daughter. Composites of their small farm, herd of horses, five Australian shepherds, a Queensland heeler, eight ducks and cats of every shape and color often show up in her stories!  So, to discover more about D'Ann, I've asked her a few questions. 1.  Wha
Read more