So my Father and Grandfather and other relatives are buried in a cemetery on the hill above Clachan. I went to pay homage. To my dismay, my family tombs were besmirched with seagull faeces and encrusted with lichen.

You will turn back to me & ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. -jeremiah 29:12

My Grandfather’s and Grandmother’s gravestone is no longer legible due to vegetation and decay.

Fie on ’t, ah fie! ‘Tis an unweeded garden
That grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely.

Ancestor worship is big on Okinawa and I believe I have been infiltrated. At the sight of my neglected family tombs, my nostrils flare, my blood pressure rises, my sinews stiffen, so I get a bucket of hot water.

Dettol and wire brush

It’s unpleasant to work in and smelly for you too. Stall cleaning should be a daily task.

It is very pleasant to sit in a Highland cemetery gently scrubbing your ancestors’ gravestones. It is also not something I have done before.

The custom of venerating deceased ancestors who are considered still a part of the family and whose spirits are believed to have the power to intervene in the affairs of the living

So this was very enjoyable. Gus am Bris an La.