I can remember bunches of flowers left at a road accident scene from about 35 years ago. I remember thinking at the time I had not seen this before in the UK but had witnessed it in Italy in the 1960s.
I think maybe people come home from holidays abroad, having seen roadside shrines, and think it would be a way of remembering loved ones who had died in accidents. It is a fairly new thing in this country. Maybe it is a break away from the suppressed, stiff upper lip, formal, mourning of the Victorians, being able to openly show one's grief in public. Think of how people used to go through the levels of mourning in the colours they wore, going from black to purple, lavender, etc., and widows', lace cap, weeds etc. It seems people today need to share their sympathy and grief openly, such as the outpouring when Diana and the Queen died and all of the tributes left whenever there is a tragedy and loss of life. Strength, support, unity, and in numbers, sort of thing.
The death of Diana marked the start of what has been termed recreational mourning. I think it is an apt term for folk who have no personal connection with the deceased but aver they “had to” demonstrate their grief. In USA any tragedy seems to elicit a tsunami of “thoughts and prayers” responses on social media. I am strongly inclined to think the thoughts will evaporate the moment the send button is pressed. Sorry to be cynical.
I look after the troughs of plants we have on the railings by the war memorial for our In Bloom group. Last year someone tied plastic wallets with pictures of, I assume, family members who had died in the war, to the railings. After a very short while the rain got in and whatever had been printed on the pages ran and was unreadable. I left them for a bit but then just snipped them off and threw them away. No-one smote me down for doing that. There were also a few years where plastic flowers had been put in the trough in front of the war memorial - which normally has wooden crossed with poppies on them in it. No-one dared remove them although we all thought they looked awful. Eventually they went and none have appeared since.
Slightly off topic. I wish people would keep their crochet indoors where it belongs. I particularly hate to see it rotting on tree trunks. There's a crochet bomber locally who knits cosies for bollards and pillar boxes .
Glad you got the answer @Joyce Goldenlily, but it's brought up some interesting responses
I'm with you @BenCotto. It's as though you need to prove you're sad about someone dying - even when it's someone you've never met. Not human if you're not pouring out gallons of tears in public, or something equally weird. What's worse is the ones who take to social meedja to tell people how devastated they are when a wife/husband/child has died. Really? I think most people are too devastated to get out of bed, or function in any normal way, never mind writing it down, then posting it somewhere to show countless millions of folk you don't know...
Narrow roads aren't the problem. It's how people drive on them that's the real problem.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Glad it is resolved and nothing to worry about in this case.
Just a side thought for 'things' of some kind being left in the garden that came to mind for me - it can also be a sign someone's been around the property, left something unusual and see if it gets moved before next time they 'visit' i.e. is anyone home?
If it doesn't get moved then likely noone is at home long-term over the course of a few days and it could be a good place to break in.
When we moved in we had some turves piled up one end of the garden, not bought turf, but the stuff we'd cut from the garden in digging out a new flower bed - not good stuff, not worth stealing, but after work one night some of them had been taken up the other end of the garden and piled up, heavy stuff to carry. Why? I don't know. But when I mentioned it to a police officer I was having a conversation with anyway just to get their thoughts because to be honest I was a bit baffled this was what they suggested. A week or so later someone was seen wondering around the drive while I was out, looking in the rubble sacks - so maybe they weren't wrong. It was odd. But food for thought probably worth sharing with other people.
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It is a fairly new thing in this country.
Maybe it is a break away from the suppressed, stiff upper lip, formal, mourning of the Victorians, being able to openly show one's grief in public. Think of how people used to go through the levels of mourning in the colours they wore, going from black to purple, lavender, etc., and widows', lace cap, weeds etc.
It seems people today need to share their sympathy and grief openly, such as the outpouring when Diana and the Queen died and all of the tributes left whenever there is a tragedy and loss of life. Strength, support, unity, and in numbers, sort of thing.
I'm with you @BenCotto. It's as though you need to prove you're sad about someone dying - even when it's someone you've never met. Not human if you're not pouring out gallons of tears in public, or something equally weird.
What's worse is the ones who take to social meedja to tell people how devastated they are when a wife/husband/child has died.
Really? I think most people are too devastated to get out of bed, or function in any normal way, never mind writing it down, then posting it somewhere to show countless millions of folk you don't know...
Narrow roads aren't the problem. It's how people drive on them that's the real problem.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Just a side thought for 'things' of some kind being left in the garden that came to mind for me - it can also be a sign someone's been around the property, left something unusual and see if it gets moved before next time they 'visit' i.e. is anyone home?
If it doesn't get moved then likely noone is at home long-term over the course of a few days and it could be a good place to break in.
When we moved in we had some turves piled up one end of the garden, not bought turf, but the stuff we'd cut from the garden in digging out a new flower bed - not good stuff, not worth stealing, but after work one night some of them had been taken up the other end of the garden and piled up, heavy stuff to carry. Why? I don't know. But when I mentioned it to a police officer I was having a conversation with anyway just to get their thoughts because to be honest I was a bit baffled this was what they suggested. A week or so later someone was seen wondering around the drive while I was out, looking in the rubble sacks - so maybe they weren't wrong. It was odd. But food for thought probably worth sharing with other people.