Something for the weekend

A little while ago I had a debate with Jonathan Taylor within this blog about funeral music. I have no interest in music, I said, can think of nothing that would describe me or sum me up, want nothing. I prefer spoken words. Jonathan then had one of those moments of heady inspiration, the greatest […]

Is it curtains for cardboard?

There are lies, damned lies and carbon footprint stats. Their most impressive feature is that they are so often counter-intuitive. Here’s an example: Researchers at Lincoln University in New Zealand…recently published a study challenging the premise that more food miles automatically mean greater fossil fuel consumption…  [T]hey found that lamb raised on New Zealand’s clover-choked […]

Friendship

A delightful account here from the funeral in the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, of Sir Frank Kermode, eminent literary critic and, most important, very nice man, by John Naughton. It was, says Naughton, “elegant, moving, celebratory and only slightly elegaic. I think he would have approved.” Fittingly, “Afterwards, there was a splendid tea in […]

A Guide to Natural Burial by Ken West

That the natural burial movement began in the UK may be a source of pride if patriotism is your thing. That there are now more than 200 natural burial grounds in the UK compared with, say, around 20 in the USA, may serve to augment that pride. But if you could see some of the […]

Bloggledegook

The personation and responsibilities of a funeral supervisor has evolved order cialis in uk over the eld from someone who precooked the someone for interment to the bodoni funeral directors of today, who accomplish umpteen remaining duties to helpfulness the home finished their ambitious measure of expiration. Funeral and monument accommodation duties that were formerly […]

There’s nowt so crap as a crem

Over in Lufkin, Texas, a new funeral home has opened. What’s different about it? It offers one of those familiar back-to-the-past initiatives which mark progress in funeral service: it’s owner is making his clients aware that they can have the funeral at home – if they want. “It used to be that before there were […]

Hyper

I’ve been messing up my hyperlinks for the last ten days or so. I’ve mended them, now, so if there’s anything you want to follow up, go back and have another go. If there’s anything I’ve left unmended, do let me know: charles@goodfuneralguide.co.uk. Apologies — and thank you!

Jimmy Reid’s memorial service in full

At an hour and forty minutes, this full version of Jimmy Reid’s memorial service held me spellbound. As befitted him, there was some splendid oratory. If you like a good funeral, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this. I can’t embed it. Click the link here.

Making the best of old age

On a slow news day, I quite enjoyed this piece by Jane Miller in my favourite newspaper: Many of us have been possessed at times by thoughts that the life we are living is not the real one, but some botched job we somehow fell into, provisionally as it were, fine for the time being, […]

Habeas corpus

I was emailed last night by someone who wants to visit their dead parent at the undertaker’s. The undertaker won’t make an appointment. The client thinks the undertaker is prevaricating. The undertaker tells the client that the customary time to visit a dead person is the day before the funeral. This is not soon enough […]

The Good Funeral Guide
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