Dining with the dead
In many Western countries graveyards are seen as sinister or even frightening but not so in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. As with other eastern Orthodox countries, it is common for Georgians to honour their deceased relatives by taking food and wine to cemeteries, and having feasts beside the graves. Although practised thoughout the […]
The last word in bucket lists
It was nice to have Ann Treneman write for us last week about the vital importance of specifying where you want your dust or ash to repose. But I’m afraid I’ve got a big problem with her book, Finding the Plot: 100 Graves to Visit Before You Die. Dang it, you pick it up for a gentle browse and […]
Don’t Let Go
Posted by Kitty I’ve just watched a 3D film at the cinema. Yes! On a weekday morning. The film was Gravity. Despite its minimal dialogue, it covers topics such as courage, mortality, bereavement and survival. I made the mistake of taking my other half. He completely spoiled the drive home. When all I wanted to do […]
Never say die
The Falconer Bill on assisted dying is making its way through the Lords before going on to the Commons, and the familiar debate rages once more. The usual suspects oppose it. They include senior doctors and lawyers and, you probably think, a lot of religious people, yes? And disabled people? Actually, the stats show support […]
Location, location, location
Guest post by author and journalist Ann Treneman. Over the past four years, I have spent almost all my spare time in cemeteries for my new book ‘Finding the Plot: 100 Graves to Visit Before You Die‘. One of the key things that I have discovered is that having the right funeral is all about planning. There’s […]
Telling the essential apart from the accessory
Perhaps what we need just now is a bout of reactionaryism and a reappraisal of where funerals seem to be going in the light of where they have come from. We don’t have an intellectual hard-hitter over here like undertaker-poet Thomas Lynch, but what he says about American “monogrammed, one-off, highly personalised funerals” is broadly […]
It’s all in the livery
We are pleased to host a series of posts, in monthly instalments, recounting the adventures of Vintage Lorry Funerals. Here’s the first. Vintage Lorry Funerals 1950 Leyland Beaver is sometimes chosen to carry the Deceased solely because of its colour. The lorry was used in a Leeds Traveller’s Funeral for no other reason than its livery […]
Will The Co-operative Group throw Funeralcare to the wolves?
On 2 July this year the Co-operative Group’s executive team visited Rochdale. The chief exec, Euan Sutherland, tweeted: “Spent the day at Rochdale Pioneers Museum with the Exec immersing ourselves in Co-operative heritage. Fantastic, inspirational, relevant”. All very heartening if you’re one of those who inclines to the view that capitalism is essentially sociopathic, and that […]
A warrior’s sendoff
It all started with an announcement in the Blackpool Gazette (above). Then it was taken up by Sgt Rick Clement of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment. Rick lost both of his legs to an IED in Afghanistan. He runs a fundraising website “in order to give something back to the various charities that have helped me […]
Lest you forget
Remembrance Sunday brings the nation together in commemoration of those who fought and died in war. Old soldiers don their medals and attend church parades. Those who think this smacks too much of glorification mark the event in other ways. But no one will pass through Sunday and then Monday (11.11) unaffected by the anniversary. Everyone […]
