A Clean Sweep

This morning Jackie took a broom to the garden windows while I took a trip back in time to scan the last few colour slides from West Norwood Cemetery produced in May 2008.

The third of these mausoleums is a longer view of the Augustus Ralli Mortuary Chapel first featured in “Spume” of March 10th (I am sorry that WP’s recent improvements means that I can’t work out how to provide a link to previous posts without sending you to the edit page).

Pandelis, Balls, and Rebecchi, are names that seem to be lost in time.

Numbers of decorative friezes and relief carvings enhance their monuments;

and here is a rather splendid cast metal door.

This afternoon I watched TV broadcasts of the Six Nations rugby matches between Scotland and Italy; and between Ireland and England.

For this evening’s dinner Jackie produced roast minted lamb; crisp Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, including the softer sweet variety; crunchy carrots, tender cabbage, and meaty gravy with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Mendoza El Tesoro Red Blend 2019.

After enjoying the meal I settled back on the sofa to watch the last game of the day, that between France and Wales.

61 comments

  1. Good for Jackie! Clean windows are one of life’s little pleasures. The cast metal door is splendid. It looks as though it was protected from the elements.

  2. My sincere condolences to you, having to eat the “L” flesh again. My thoughts are with you.

    I clean my (exterior) windows like Jackie does. I tried it on the inside once. It made such a mess. 🙂

  3. Well done Jackie – sparkling windows are one of life’s often unappreciated pleasures!
    It was nice to be ‘home’ again, in West Norwood this evening.
    I never tire of your photos reminding me what a magnificent cemetery it is!
    The detail on the memorials is very special, as I am sure many of those they are in memory of were.

  4. On viewing your photo of the cast metal door, the vision immediately reminded me of my visit to Rodin museum in Philadelphia, and his unique sculpture, ‘The Gates of Hell’… I hope the link works Derrick..
    https://1drv.ms/u/s!Asumt4cZ9A65hNxKIBZwhfoGmDZClA?e=wmgRWF
    Auguste Rodin’s masterpiece The Gates of Hell is an epic achievement: a massive portal to Hades inspired by Dante’s Inferno, its towering doors covered with nearly 200 individual figures. Commissioned in 1880, the project was to be the main entrance to the museum of decorative arts in Paris, a museum that was never built. A century later, legendary New York businessman and philanthropist B. Gerald Cantor and his wife, Iris, convened a team of experts to attempt the first-ever bronze casting of The Gates of Hell using the painstaking “lost wax” method that Rodin himself had favored. The finished piece would stand 21 feet high and 12 feet wide, and weigh eight tons. This award-winning film chronicles Rodin’s struggles and sacrifices in creating a monumental work of art — and the extraordinary modern-day effort to give it the final form he envisioned.

  5. The phrase “names that seem to be lost in time” is an apt one in the eternal time of the cemetery and its long parade of names and memories. Beautiful photos and commentary, a tribute to the resident sleepers.

  6. Jackie framed behind the soaped windows presents a tempting moment for art photography, utilised astutely by you. Artwork, friezes, sculpted monuments galore in the breathtaking gallery of Norwood Cemetery.

  7. I thought that an ode to window washing was to follow … well done to Jackie. Cleaning windows is the worst of jobs on my list!

  8. I love doors and windows AND I love photos of doors and windows…so these brought smiles! 🙂
    When you have such a splendid beautiful garden, I’m sure you want the windows that look out on the garden to be clean…enhances your view! Great work, Jackie! 🙂 <3
    The angel and children sculptures and carvings always touch my heart. 🙂
    (((HUGS)))

  9. I’ve never been a great rugby fan but I caught five minutes of the France Wales game. It made me realise that I used to prefer the old fashioned shirts, and above all, I really miss Bill Mclaren.

    1. So do I. As usual, some things are handy, but others are unobtainable. It was about accessing everything from the side bar. I’d undo it if I could. Thanks very much Merril.

  10. Clean windows – love it, very similar to having just cleaned your spectacles… ah that’s better, I can see what I’m looking at now! 😀

  11. These are wonderful photos! I especially like the doors; but the pics of Jackie washing the windows are sublime. The poetry of that relatively simple act fairly jumps off the screen into one’s poetic imagination! Well done.

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