I want to thank all those who have commented so positively on my images, especially as many of you are such accomplished photographers and artists. 'Tis luck when my images turn out publishable - take thousand and hope one or two are okay - seems to be the way I work! So, I thank you. ^-^ In the background stands Tintagel (Cornish: Tre Venydh), Church. Dedicated to St Merteriane, it is situated in the Deanery of Trigg Minor and the Hundred of Lesnewth and was built between 1080 and 1150. The present church is thought to have been built on the site of a much earlier Celtic oratory run by the monks of Minster. The church looks out over the cliff top to the beautiful blue Atlantic and is reached by walking to Glebe cliff, just west of the town. In the foreground is the reason for this image. There are many old grave stones in this and other Cornish cemetaries, lots of them a great deal more ancient than this one. This grave, however had a profound effect on me and I found myself wondering for many moments on the life of this young boy and how he came to be lying in a Cornish cemetary, so far from his native homeland. This is what I found. The date was December 20, 1893 and 14 year old Domenico Cantanese (it was the custom of the time to place the surname first on gravestones) was on the barque 'Iota' bound for the West Indies. It carried a cargo of Welsh coal, but like many unwary ships, before and since, it was swept onto the Cornish coast in a storm. It was driven against the cliffs at Lye Rock and most of the crew managed to climb out onto the rock and were rescued by three Tintagel folk and a coastguard. Domenico, the ship's cabin boy, was thrown overboard but despite all attempts to save him, he drowned. The life belt on his cross is from the Iota. What a sad end this young boy had.