Today John and I drove over to the other side of the peninsula and walked up the hill to the historic Bullaparinga cemetery at Delamere. We have often meant to look at it but never seem to get there. Some very old graves are here and most of the inhabitants seemed to live for quite a long time in a difficult age.
I sketched this headstone as it says that she was a "colonist of 51 years" so came out very early when
South Australia was first settled. My sketching isnt very good but it gives an idea of what it looked like. Up on the side of a hill, the cypressus were very old, some lovely huge gums around and the ground at this time of the year a lovely tapestry of colour from the tiny little oxalis bulbs that seemed to be planted around all the old churches and cemetery's here, they came in the ballast soil from South Africa in the empty sailing ships coming up to fill up with wheat. We dug up a couple as a momento from along the track outside the gates.
we spent quite a long time wandering around looking at headstones, I hope it counts as a walk.
We leave for Melbourne tomorrow for almost a week I will get in lots of walking as it is school holidays there and it will be fun to see those grandchildren, they always keep us on our toes. Maybe I will get in some urban sketches!
2 comments:
Graveyards are wonderful places for contemplation aren't they?
Fascinating account, and don't be so self-critical about the drawing - we wouldn't have any idea of what Mary's gravestone is like without your drawing. Enjoy Melbourne!
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