Churchend Yew

Nature is everywhere and everything, but in a human dominated world it's easy to distance ones self from the natural world. Except perhaps in graveyards... Here in the grounds of this thirteenth century church the grass is covered in primroses and cowslips, and thankfully the local authority (it's a closed churchyard looked after by the council) are promoting biodiversity here. 

Next door, in the parish council burial ground where I am for now still the chair of the burial authority we have allowed the unused part of the site to grow wilder, and although it's an uphill battle with nettles there are wildflowers already showing in that half of the site.

Most old churches have yews in the grounds, in no small part because often the churches were planted where the pre-christian rituals were held, under the trees that echo so much of life and death and life after death. This tree isn't quite that old of course, but nonetheless holds sway over the resting place of many villagers.

And in local news, I gather that I shall be elected uncontested in May. More worryingly, in a number of parishes nearby no-one has been put forward for the local elections, meaning that there will have to be another call for nominations or the local council will have to step in. I mentioned the other day how difficult it was becoming to find volunteers for pretty much anything now.