Richard III: fresh calls for state sendoff
Tory MP Chris Skidmore has tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons. It moves: ‘That this House notes the discovery of a skeleton beneath a car park in Leicester believed to be that of Richard III; praises the work of the archaeologists and historians responsible for the find; hopes that DNA evidence […]
Ageism
Text message sent to the Oldie magazine: Racism is rightly condemned but comics still feel free to make jokes about dentures. Another: Thanks to the good lady on Stockport station who told me my shoelaces were undone. I was quite well aware of that, but appreciate her concern.
Richard III latest – Mail campaigns for state funeral
You couldn’t make it up. When the remains of the last Tsar of All the Russias, Nicholas II, and some of his family were found down a disused mineshaft outside Yekaterinburg in the 1990s, the government of Boris Yeltsin held a full state funeral in the cathedral of St Peter and St Paul in St […]
Big Ted
Posted by Vale Seemed fitting to end a day of animals with a tribute to that intelligent and sensitive creature the pig. RIP Big Ted: Big Ted’s dead , he was a great old pig He’d eat most anything, never wore a wig Now he’s gone like snow on the water, good bye He was […]
Good Funeral Awards opening address
The Good Funeral Awards opening ceremony comprised a cavalcade of alternative hearses, a flower arranging contest, a dove release and a performance by the green fuse choir. It culminated in this address by funeral celebrant Belinda Forbes. You had to be there, of course, to get the full 120% because Belinda’s delivery is very compelling. […]
Good Funeral Award 2012 winners
Posted by Charles Good Funeral Award 2012 Winners Most Promising New Funeral Director Bryan and Catherine Powell Poppy Mardall Embalmer of the Year Mark Elliott Julie-Anne Lowe The Eternal Slumber Award for Coffin Supplier of the Year Greenfield Creations Crazy Coffins Ecoffins Most Significant Contribution to the Understanding of Death in the Media (TV, […]
When in doubt
Posted by Richard Rawlinson Doubt: a short, meaning-packed, medieval, Anglo-French word (origin douter) which I doubt many foreigners could pronounce if only seen in written form. Adapted as a verb, noun, adjective and adverb (to doubt, a doubt/doubter, doubtable, doubtably) it, of course, means to be uncertain, consider questionable, hesitate to believe. None of us being […]
It’s all hotting up for the funeral Oscars
Apologies from the editorial team here at the GFG-Batesville Tower for the recent blog dribble if you’re one of those who enjoy the customary daily torrent. We have been traversing the country with the TV crew who are making a half-hour documentary about the upcoming funeral Oscars ceremony in Bournemouth this Friday. It’s not too […]
Suicide note
Posted by Richard Rawlinson I picked up the London Evening Standard today and may as well have logged on to GFG. Of the three cover stories, one was about the health of the nonagenarian Duke of Edinburgh; one about the suspended death sentence of a Chinese woman convicted of murdering a Brit, and another about the […]
The revolution will be televised
A premier-league TV production company (we’re not allowed to say the name) is presently shooting a documentary about the GFG Awards, complete with behind-the-scenes peeks at some of the nominees at work in their own workplace. They want lots of human interest. Some nominees have already been contacted; the rest are advised to stand by. […]
