To quote the words of one of My favourite Christmas songs "When The Thames Froze" by Smith and Burrows:
"So tell everyone
That there's hope in your heart
Tell everyone or it will tear you apart
The end of Christmas day,
When there's nothing left to say
The years go by so fast,
Let's hope the next beats the last."
Amen to that.
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Has anyone found themselves regressing into a made up world during COVID? I guess immersing yourselves into a world that slightly ignores reality is one way of getting through these hard times.
On a personal level I think it's something I learned as a boy to cope with stressful times. Being an only one, there were times when I had to enter a world detached from reality - it was a kind of coping mechanism.
You do tend to lose a grip on reality though or conversely does it bring you closer to reality and what actually is reality?
So is there anything wrong in immersing yourself in writing, photography, walking and much more - perhaps that is reality.
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Forgot to mention in yesterday's post how quiet Norwich was when we visited on December 30th.
When we arrived at 10 am it was like a ghost town. We left yesterday's blog at Kett's Heights. After visiting there we had a walk round the local area and then called at the Rosary Cemetery which I have mentioned on numerous occasions.
A number of my ancestors are buried there - something else I have mentioned before. I knew that the Dews were buried in Section B but, on previous visits, had not gone in search of their graves. This time I did and, after a bit of hunting, found them.
I hope you like the photographs taken in the cemetery which has a special place in my heart both from a family and historic connection. I was delighted to be able to find the grave of Britiffe Dew who was the first superintendent and my great great uncle.
I was also very pleased to find the grave of his son Frederick Duncan Dew who I have done quite a bit of research on. He spent a good portion of his life in domestic service but somehow became a pub licensee in London, made what today would be classed as a fortune, became a major benefactor in the capital and a Freeman of London and died a rich man. I have a copy of his will which saw him leave most of his fortune to his housekeeper who I suspect was probably more than just a housekeeper. Frederick Duncan never married.
The mystery is how did he make all his money and how did he change from being a servant to become a rich man? Perhaps one day I will find out.
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Have you seen the Gasway advert on television? It is shot in Norwich and mainly around Norwich Market with a theme of comfort food. Great to see the lady from the legendary Reggie's mushy peas stall featured. Pie and mash, mushy peas (don't mind if I do on a regular basis).