As I told in the LTB posts, one of the our tasks for the trip was to carry Uncle Austin's Orkney-made tablet down to Ramsgate for installation on his newly-restored grave.
Also, as I said, we missed seeing it installed because we never expected Gary at Roberts Stonemasons to take delivery of the stone one day and have it in place the very next! (If you follow the link to the company's website, you will see a photo of one of their restorations; this photo was actually what decided me to get in touch with them about the restoration).
So now we were back in Orkney, task accomplished, but had not seen the result of a project that had now been going on for over a year—not that long really in our Orkney time.
Out of curiosity, I looked up professional photographers in Ramsgate and found one, a husband-and-wife team called Level11 Photography, who had a base literally minutes from St Augustine Abbey. I made a quick call to them and they undertook for a surprisingly friendly fee to pop round and take a few photos for me. So now, Russ, the photographer, has just sent a "roll' of twenty pics he went and took for me. (People set about things fast down South!).
And very nice pics they are too, with some interesting angles that I failed to find! Like this one.
The grave looks wonderful now that the tablet is in place
Finally, here is a very pretty overall view that Russ took
*****
All this graveyard stuff brings to mind one of my favourite blues songs, Blind Lemon Jefferson's See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (1927)...
...although, of course, given my age, I first heard it in Bob Dylan's 1962 version
Well, there's one kind-a favor I'll ask of you
Well, there's one kind-a favor I'll ask of you
There's just one kind favor I'll ask of you
You can see that my grave is kept clean
And there's two white horses following me
And there's two white horses following me
I got two white horses following me
Waiting on my burying ground
Did you ever hear that coughin' sound?
Did you ever hear that coughin' sound?
Did you ever hear that coughin' sound?
Means another poor boy is underground
Did you ever hear them church bells tone?
Have you ever hear that church bells tone?
Did you ever hear them church bells tone?
Means another poor boy is dead and gone
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
Now I believe what the Bible told
There's just one last favor I'll ask of you
And there's one last favor I'll ask of you
There's just one last favor I'll ask of you
See that my grave is kept clean
*****
And that will serve me as a reminder to maintain the upkeep of Austin's grave