As a Doctor Who fan, I really ought not to like stone angels as much as I do. My sweetheart loves to visit cemeteries in his quest for tough plants (‘flowers even dead people can grow’). We often see cherubs but the more characterful angels, like this one holding out a lily in remembrance, are rare.
It’s in a quiet Scottish graveyard that we found while exploring the area around Rosslyn Chapel.
I imagine some people might think they are creepy and perhaps I would have found them so at one time. Now I see comfort – patience – sorrow – faith – resignation, all rolled into one expression.
Susan Rushton 
I love this angel too! In a cemetery I used to live by, they had a big angel called The Recording Angel….she sat in the middle of the cemetery on a hill, holding a big book that was open in order to write the names. I liked her a lot. She was very serene and peaceful.
That sounds lovely – every cemetery should have an angel to watch over it.
I don’t know anything about Dr. Who, but I do know about cemeteries, and I suppose there’s an argument for calling them creepy, but they certainly are very human places. The angel is to me a reminder of how much we value the memory of loved ones. And then there is the cemetery visitor who looks for flowers that even dead people can grow. This, of course, set me off. It was hard to compose myself for the angel.
You’re right – they are very human. I’ve read a few Victorian(?) stories about things happening in cemeteries and have the kind of imagination that doesn’t always work in my favour. Clambering up the moor yesterday, for example – lost; penned in a field with no obvious way out; with a second identical hill being revealed at the top of the current hill and a third behind the second…; spotting unmissable signs of large livestock and hoping it was not the horned kind; remembering that there are said to be adders up there, presumably living off the beaten track in the ferns, heathers and wimberries…
Oh, yes, I can feel those Gothic vibes. I hope you got out without encountering anything that slithers or has horns. I loved the post about wimberries, another whole new thing for me! Thanks!
Rest easy – we escaped unscathed. The wimberries were not ripe enough for us to stain faces or fingers, though we tested a few.
Lovely statue though I wonder what she is hiding in her hand covered by the bushes. Don’t turn around. She might be right behind you. 🙂
I wondered what her hand was doing, looking back at the pictures. Sometimes statues are pointing towards the heavens – let’s hope it’s that. 🙂
You might like this post, Susan: https://derrickjknight.com/2013/04/07/the-magnificent-seven/
I did!
Thanks a lot, Susan
I like it. Very interesting.
I recommend Al Pittman’s book. It’s a Newfoundland play written about people who have been buried in a little graveyard in a Newfoundland outport, They all get their voices back on All Saint’s/All Soul’s day.Very thought provoking. The book is West Moon and the play of the same name is still performed today.
I hadn’t heard of that – thanks for the recommendation.
[ Smiles ] That stone angel is beautiful.
I am also a fan of Doctor Who.
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Jodie Whittaker’s portrayal as the Thirteenth Doctor as yet.
I wished that Doctor Who was available on Netflix.
Only the regeneration has been shown so far, so you’re only a few seconds behind. I’m looking forward to her too.
I love graveyards. My nine year old and I were just checking out one Friday. Found what looked like a pile of bones under a bush. Likely would have been so creepy if we didn’t just read Goosebumps Graveyard Ghouls!
Oooh! That would worry me a bit.
Hubby is a huge Dr Who fan .. 🙂 I think she is lovely
Glad to hear that.
Beautiful blog!
Thank you!