Tread Gently......

Posted by Ian Bramham (Manchester, United Kingdom) on 8 December 2007 in Cityscape & Urban and Portfolio.

....for the ground is paved with headstones of people long dead.

I wandered into this churchyard in Macclesfield in the hope of getting a photo of the front of the church when something made me look over my shoulder.....the directional light coming from the gateway made me realise that I was not walking on normal stone paving but rather on the grave headstones of people long dead.

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Whilst reviewing this photo before loading it I happened to be listening to the fantastic and moving lyrics of the song 'Hier Encore' by Charles Aznavour. It's in French but I prefer it to the English version which is not an accurate translation - anyway these words and the photo happened to combine to make me appreciate all that's good in life. I always try not to take the good things in life for granted but this was a bit of a reminder to myself.

Are you like me - has photography opened your eyes to the beauty that surrounds us all?

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"Hier encore, j'avais vingt ans
Je caressais le temps et jouais de la vie
Comme on joue de l'amour
Et je vivais la nuit
Sans compter sur mes jours qui fuyaient dans le temps
J'ai fait tant de projet qui sont restes en l'air
J'ai fonde tant d'espoirs qui se sont envoles
Que je reste perdu ne sachant ou aller
Les yeux cherchant le ciel mais le coeur mis en terre

Hier encore j'avais vingt ans
Je gaspillais le temps en croyant l'arreter
et pour le retenir, meme le devancer
Je n'ai fait que courir et me suis essouffler
Ignorant le passe, conjuguant au futur
Je precedais de moi toute conversation
et donnais mon avis que je pensais le bon
Pour critiquer le monde avec desinvolture

Hier encore j'avais vingt ans
Mais j'ai perdu mon temps a faire des folies
Qui ne me laissent au fond rien de vraiment precis
Que quelques rides au front et la peur de l'ennui
Car mes amours sont mortes avant que d'exister
Mes amis sont partis et ne reviendront pas
Par ma faute j'ai fait le vide autour de moi
Et j'ai gache ma vie et mes jeunes annees
Du meilleur et du pire en jettant le meilleur
J'ai fige mes sourirs et j'ai glace mes peurs
Ou sont-ils a present, a present mes vingts ans?"

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From tomorrow I'm moving back to posting some daylight photos..... hurrah I hear you say!! :-)

There'll be a series of 6 photos showing the work of professional Cockle Pickers on the dangerous, shifting sands of England's Morecambe Bay. I know you can't believe it, but it's true....really!

If you like the photos on this blog and have got a minute to spare please vote for it at 'VFXY Photos'. The link is highlighted in green just below. It's currently ranked in their top 10.

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Links to other Photoblog sites that I have found inspirational:
http://hugopoon.aminus3.com/
Hugo Poon records his home city Hong Kong in photographs so beautiful that they inspired me to start taking my own photos. Deeply humanist in his vision, Hugo claims that he is not a photographer. Why not visit his photoblog and decide for yourself.

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