More Peebles gravestones

I returned to Peebles graveyard today but only paid a very short visit. The rain was literally streaming down and there's nothing more miserable than a graveyard on such a wet day. Had it not been for the fact that I need a blipfoto for today I might not have bothered. I didn't manage to find the gravestone I wanted to (it had a great write-up in Peeblesshire Monumental Inscriptions) and will leave the search for it to a better day (I almost wrote "till summer", but in fact this is meant to be it!). My eye, however was caught by the above stone which features a gorgeously coiffured winged angel, an hour-glass placed on to on a skull and two very impressive crossbones as well as beautifully carve pillars. You probably won't be able to see it but it has both Hora Fugit (the hours pass) and Memento Mori engraved on its surface. At the top is also the date 1833

This is the other side and it tell us the stone was erected by James Hogg for his son Thomas who died young and then other members of the family (Alexander Hogg, died 1881, and Margaret Riddel, died 1886). The stone is very worn and weathered as you can see. 

Going back to the car with the rain lashing down I couldn't help myself but had to captured this very cheerful winged angel accompanied by ferocious skull as well. The stone now leans against the outside wall and railing of the graveyard so it can no longer be seen who is buried there.

Afterwards I paid a visit to the Land Forms exhibition now on in the Gallery in Tweeddale Museum and Gallery (the same venue as my colour - quilts - collage exhibition in 2011). It was an infusion of colour after all the greyness of the graveyard. It features work by a variety of artists but I was yet again blown away by the art of Laura Blackwood. I bought her book (the most expensive book I've ever obtained and that is saying something but worth every single penny and then some! In fact I helped to sponsor its publication and my name is mentioned in front) after seeing her work exhibited in the same place in 2010 and had I the money (still waiting for the elusive lottery win) there was one piece called Dawn in this show that I would have loved to take home with me. The exhibition is on till the 11th August and I will no doubt pop in some more before it closes even if only to feast my eyes on that piece some more. Having said that the ceramics by Rob Sutherland and the wonderful abstract paintings by Anthony Cawthorne are stunning too.