Sunny Saturday

Naturally the bright sunshine today drew me out armed with my wee camera.  This led me away from the repetitious news, centered on Boston.  I was satisfied indeed that the baddie had been captured but not with the limited information on offer, this constantly regurgitated.  So out I went.  Naturally such sunshine is a heartening experience so to avoid that I went to the Congregational churchyard and looked at the gravestones!  Amongst these there bloomed an abundance of small blue and yellow flowers.  Sadly the colours not quite captured by my lens.  The place swarmed with them and I alone was there to admire.  An attempt to picture the bright blue of the sky failed, the sun deciding to shine upon me at that time, this being an experience I am unused to I ran into the shade of a tree.  Most of the gravestones here reflect the wealth such people gathered in the 19th century, clearly these were prosperous people able to afford such a stone at their grave.  One or two paid for I guess by benefactors, those of the previous ministers for example. However the majority of attenders at this chapel do not have such stones, the majority did not reach the heights.  One Thomas Craig, a Scotsman, ministered here for 62 years, departing in 1865 aged 84!  Whether he was still minister is not clear.  Another previous occupant of that post had served 39 years!  He began his ministry in a farmers barn, dissenters were illegal at the time.  It was still compulsory, but not so strictly as it had been, to attend the Church of England premises or suffer punishment.  800 or so out of the 5000 population of two towns attended that barn, others went elsewhere.  Essex always a home for dissent. 

   

There is a reason small blue flowers abound at this time, but I canny recall what it is!  Hopefully some clever geezer can explain.  However I love them, the brighten up any garden, roadside, or park area.  The cannot do much about the social websites activity re the Boston murders however.  This was both good and bad, I was amazed at how many were identifying the bad guys from studying the many pictures taken at the time the bombs went off.  That got me thinking about the good and bad use therefof re social sites.  On this occasion it was somewhat helpful, limiting the possibility of the baddies hiding, and once identity was known information flooded the web.  This could be helpful however some control is required here.  In a gun toting land like the States too many are tempted to become 'Bounty Hunters' for a moments glory, this could lead to more innocents getting hurt or the wrong folks getting caught.  Already one Saudi was grabbed because he was acting 'suspicious,' as a local hero jumped to conclusions about those who planted the bomb.  His name was plastered over the web, the newsrooms, and TV, he was innocent of any crime!   This time social media helped corner the bombers quickly, next time it could all go badly wrong.  Mind you, I check the local police Twitter account hoping I recognise someone pictured there, but so far I've been unlucky.

I confess I did not take this stunning picture of the Horsehead Nebula.  This came via the 'Daily Mail' re the NASA Hubble Telescope.  This is a fantastic picture of the dust blowing around in Orion.  1300 light years away and we get this close up!  Watch the short video if you can at the bottom of the 'Mail' article.  Not sure how accurate the DM piece happens to be, but the video is genuine enough.

   .