Joke of the day – RIP Frank Carson
Posted by Vale “Fella said, ‘Your mother-in-law has just died. Do you want her embalmed, buried or cremated?’ He said: ‘Take no chances: give her the lot.’” It was the way he told them.
Quote of the day
“It’s a bit tragic though, isn’t it, when the only social life you have is going to funerals? They’re not quite as joyful as a wedding. But look on the bright side. At least you don’t need an invite and you don’t have to bring a present.” Ask Agnes, agony aunt, Horsham Australia — here
Thoughts of a funeral-goer
Posted by Lyra Mollington Oh my goodness! What a week I’ve had! It all started with my dear friend Daisy. Fortunately her GP says she will make a full recovery. Apparently we ignore the dangers of novelty slippers at our peril. It’s not only the cold snaps that are killing our senior citizens – it’s […]
Quote of the day
“I think it is a great shame because the cross was etched into the glass when it was first built and what was special about it was that if you looked at it, it gave the effect of being on a hill in the distance. “We have people of all different beliefs using the crem […]
And it’s goodnight Vienna from him
Former HGV driver Darren Abey has created a hearse fit for fans of Del Boy and Rodney and is marketing it under the snappy business name of Only Fools and Hearses. Says Mr Abey, ‘I got two scrap cars, both three-wheelers, which weren’t worth anything and only useful for their fibreglass parts. We stripped and […]
Die to let
In Dorset a woman has been billed for £3,000 because her father negligently failed to give his care home 28 days’ notice of his own death. Full story in the Daily Mail here.
Thought for the day
A culture that keeps death out of sight and mind is one that is increasingly lost for words when comforting others in their grief. Instead of having that important conversation in the supermarket with the lady down the street who has lost her husband, we slip down the next aisle with the self-justifying thought that […]
Remembering Dory Previn
Posted by Vale A week or so ago one of my heroines died – the musician, writer and singer Dory Previn. She hasn’t recorded much, but for those who know her work she is unmatched in her musicality, wit, dark humour and willingness to explore the darker parts of the mind and a woman’s experience […]
Cremnivores
Gloucester crematorium’s Arbor restaurant is now offering Sunday lunch. Observes one Gloucester resident wryly: “It seems a bit odd – and perhaps even slightly macabre – for them to be offering roast meat to people, given that their main business is to cremate bodies. I’m not sure I’d like to eat my Sunday roast in […]
Short cuts round the back
Chicago, Monday. Police receive a call about a suspicious person in a car outside Carter Funeral Chapels. They go, and find the back door off its hinges. There is no electricity in the building. It transpires, after investigation, that in winter corpses are left in the garage of this funeral home to keep cool; in […]
