grave mistake

i decided to go and cut  the graves  today, i knew they would  be bad.  they were.  i was born in a little village called  Hindolvestone,   and lived there until me and mum moved in 1971         after  my dad  died.     he is buried in the churchyard, as are  my grandparents,      i try and go over  every 3  to  4  weeks and do the graves.        put some flowers on, keep them tidy.   it  was bloody hard work.  i couldnt even see  my grand dads grave stone,  and dads  was pretty much the same.   i took the old hayter lawnmower  to do it,      and  now they are neat and tidy.    i don't understand the church council,no-one seems to do anything in there       it really is a disgrace.     what annoys me is,i go and  do dads,and  my grandparents,but  i don't do just  them. i also do the graves  near  theirs,it takes me about 20 minutes extra.   now there is  someone who cares   for several graves  up there, the relations  of those buried  pay him to tend the graves  and keep them cut.       and  thats what he does.    he cuts one,   and 2 down, etc.   but instead of just running his mower along and cutting the others      he ignores them.    oh well,  i did my bit.

Hindolvestone churchyard is away from the church.      it is on the site of the OLD church, which collapsed  back in the late 1800s         i was always told  that  there was a crack showing up in the tower,and the parishioners decided to cancel  church service that sunday.        and  it collapsed.       just  when people wouldve been at prayer. all that is left is the old tower,  the new church is opposite the bungalow i used to live, a very uninspiring looking church,and  was made partly by the recycled stones of the old one.   

as you see,not a lot left  now.   i think the ivy is keeping it standing  lol.   

it was peaceful up there, no-one else there   and all the noise  i could hear were wood pigeond calling.           and  as i cut the grass,i was remembering.              like all villages        or  most, in norfolk. Hindol   is a dying place.       oh,new houses  built,in fact  a lot.      but  there is nothing there now.   i am 55,and when i was 11        hindolvestone  boasted  :- 2 pubs,the Red Lion   and the  Maids Head ( i was actually born  in that lol       my  mum was landlady.   thay packed it in when i was born    too much work for mum.)  3 shops,1 included the post office,  and  1      kept everything      you name it,hardware , clothes   ,groceries       the lot.        a garage and filling station.    ok   1 pump  lol        but  petrol was sold,   a dairy        supplying  locals and further afield.       a  school,       where i went  until i won the eleven plus and  ended up in Fakenham Grammar school      not  happy memories  those  lol.     on top of all these, we also used to have the  fish man come round twice a week,    butcher  also twice a week,and  norman macrell      who operated a mobile shop.  him and  his wife ruth  were from the  next village,and kept the local shop there and bakery.he came round  3 times a week,         so  everything  was freshly bought.      meat,fish,bread,  nothing was pre-packed.      and  of course  my dad  had a huge vegetable garden         and we grew all our own   fruit and veg.

all gone.      hindol  has no shop,no post office,no pub.     the  school is now the village hall,and social club.        the petrol pumps are gone,and  like many more villages,half the houses are second homes,holiday homes       sad to see         but inevitable.     i'm not  getting into the    "supermarkets are killing traditional village life"  argument.     people shop where they can get  the cheapest items.       i do myself.    but  it is sad.     and  i don't suppose many people there even would remember  me and  mum.  

i got home    tired out.  it was a lovely hot morning,       and  the mower did take some pushing.      now  i have noticed that  when i am tired  i get a tremor in my right arm,     not  bad usually.      it was today.            i made mum a cup of tea,took hers through to her,     and  my  hand jerked.           and           goodbye  mums favourite cup and saucer.         good job  i didn't spill it over  her.        oh the joys  of MS,    and  so i sit here tonight  typing this,and i stink.       lol           i had to use a muscle rub,  just  to help ease the pain in  my neck  and  legs.          take care  all         

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