When the hubs looked over at my laptop this morning and noticed I was on the Billion Graves website, he mentioned that most men might be concerned about their wives having this bizarre fascination. Murder, ghosts, graveyards...yeah, that's just a start.
But he's a brave man and we've been married a really long time, so some of my strange proclivities are just another day in the life of Gwen Gardner for him. And actually, I'm going to show you a photo of him posing, in a graveyard, as the Ghost of Christmas Future--without any prompting from me.
It started at the Old Saint Chad Church Cemetery in Shrewsbury, England, where we recently visited. We'd been there before, about twenty five years ago. We knew the secret, you see, and had gone back to find it.
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| Old Saint Chad Church, photo by Gwen Gardner
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We went through the gates,
just as we had twenty-five years ago...
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| Old Saint Chad entrance, photo by Gwen Gardner |
We searched,
and saw this...
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| Old Saint Chad Church Cemetery, photo by Gwen Gardner |
...this...
...this...
...and this...
We couldn't remember exactly where it was...
...but the Ghost of Christmas Future showed up to point the way, just as he had in A Christmas Carol. Remember the scene when the Ghost of Christmas Future is pointing out a headstone to Scrooge, but Scrooge is too afraid to look in case it's his own?
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| The hubs at Old Saint Chad Church Cemetery, photo by Gwen Gardner |
Don't be shy. Come a little closer...
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| Old Saint Chad Church Cemetery, photo by Gwen Gardner |
Still not quite sure?
Ebenezer Scrooge!
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| photo by Gwen Gardner |
And now you know the secret.
The hubs and I stayed at a bed & breakfast in Shrewsbury twenty-five years ago. The landlady told us that the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol was filmed right there, and in fact, Scrooge's headstone was still in the cemetery. They used the back of an old existing headstone to make one for Scrooge.
Here's a little factoid: A Christmas Carol was filmed in the summer, so the actors were sweating their buns off during filming, all wrapped up because it was supposed to be December. A lot of locals were hired as extras. In fact, many of the locals were upset because an American, George C. Scott, was hired to play Scrooge, rather than an Englishman as Charles Dickens intended. But all was forgiven because George C. Scott did an excellent job of acting.
Here's a snippet from Youtube. The part of Ghost of Christmas Future doesn't show up until minute 4:35, but it doesn't contain the scene I mentioned above.
What is your secret obsession?
I share your fondness for old cemeteries, and love the old grave stones. Charm, beauty and all too often tragedy. Love your photos too.
ReplyDeleteMy secret obsession? No secret. Books, books and more books.
Oh, books are definitely my first obsession! Love, love, love them.
DeleteWhat wonderful pictures! I love old cemeteries too. I grew up next to one and that's where we played. I don't have any secret obsessions unless you count my secret stash of cookies, but that's more for my little guy not to find them! :)
ReplyDeleteHow fun it must have been to play in the cemetery! And of course, every parent has to have their own stash ;)
DeleteWhat an awesome trip. The graveyard looks fun actually. Neat secret. I have an obsession with Sumer/ancient Mesopotamia.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! I just read a Doctor Who book where they go to Egypt and the pyramids in the past, etc. That was pretty cool.
DeleteOoo, now that's a cool secret! I have spent time playing in cemeteries growing up. After a gravestone fell when none of us were near it, we stopped hanging around them.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I can see how you wouldn't want to play there anymore :)
DeleteNow that is cool! I wondered which film it was from until you mentioned George C Scott. I love old graveyards as well. My dad and I used to walk through them. I read about the Obits of dead stars and how they died. Right now i am compiling a list of the many ways they have died. Heart Attack is #1 followed by cancer. A number of different illnesses are also in the running (from pneumonia to TB). There are quite a few overdoses and actually many that had heart attacks or ailments caused by their drug use. Look at me go!
ReplyDeleteIt's the best version, Birgit. We watch it every year and look for all the familiar sights since we've been there.
DeleteWow, you have visited so many! I love old graveyards too. I love to read off the names and see where they are from and what nationality congregated in a certain area. I'm afraid my obsession with Marilyn Manson is escalating to wanting to go to his concert when he goes on tour in Jan. Only problem? No one but maybe my brother will consider going...
ReplyDeleteI love to look at the dates, too, to see when they lived. And haha! I saw on Facebook that you already got the tickets. Good for you! Why not?
ReplyDeleteI love old graveyards! I've done lots of volunteer work for Find A Grave, photographing thousands of headstones and creating interments, as well as adding photographs to pre-existing interments and writing about 75 biographies for famous individuals. My favorite headstones are the really old ones, from the early 19th century on back. I love the deep engravings, the typography, the curlicues on top of the stones, the skulls, the shape, the type of stone. These old stones have held up remarkably well, while a lot of the later 19th century stones I've seen are tragically weather-beaten and very hard to read.
ReplyDeleteYes, Carrie-Anne, all of that! Some of the sayings are cool, and the names and so interesting, too.
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