RIP Ted and Poppy
It’s been a tough few days here at HQ, to be honest. Ted, our faithful, faulty bull terrier was put down on Wednesday morning. He had lymphoma. Ted was rescued from Essex where he had been brutally treated. Thereafter, it was difficult to know which of his eccentric/dysfunctional traits to assign to nature and which […]
Can pills cure grief?
“The grieving process gets close at what it means to be human; it’s understandable that handing it over to professionals armed with pills approaches the most dangerous misuse of pharmaceuticals we can imagine. “Whereas depression is usually constant, grief is more likely to ebb and flow in waves and it does not usually invoke the […]
Positively the end
“Most of us do not want to talk about [drawing up an advance directive]. Is it up to our doctors to bring this up only in a crisis situation? Shouldn’t we be informed about our health care options, even when healthy, and especially when we have a chronic or terminal illness, and to discuss these […]
The race grows sweeter
Posted by Vale Here on the blog we often rail against society’s thoughtless pursuit of longevity. Rightly so – it is cowardice not kindness that endorses the suffering that medicine – seemingly without reflection or conscience – prolongs. But it’s important to remind ourselves that it isn’t always so; that old age can bring wisdom […]
Grief
“Grief is like a drunken houseguest who keeps coming back for one more goodbye hug.” Source
Why did we delete that blog post?
This morning we received an email which had been forwarded in error by Mr Potts, Customer Relations Manager at The Co-operative Funeralcare, to a bereaved family – not we hasten to add one of the families referred to in the message – who forwarded it to us. On reading it, we immediately deleted the blog […]
Adios Noninos
Posted by Vale In my very occasional series (see Song for my father by Horace Silver) here’s another piece written as a tribute to a much loved father. It’s a version of Adios Noninos by the great musician of the tango, Astor Piazzola.
Jennifer Paterson, Francis Bacon and other fallen stars
Posted by Richard Rawlinson — in sparklingly shameless name-dropping form – ED ‘Thank goodness for inequality,’ quipped a friend with nonchalant disregard for political correctness as we casually admired inequality’s legacy of beautiful architecture lining the streets of Belgravia this weekend. The plethora of blue plaques adorning these grand houses gave a degree of substance […]
The extraordinariness of ordinary people
“I just love the work. Much of it isn’t anything to do with being at the cutting edge of any ‘new’ movement, but about listening to people, giving them attention and valuing a person’s life that I am told was just ordinary.” Sue Goodrum, celebrant.
Close thine eyes
Posted by Vale I was at a funeral recently when this song by Purcell was played at the committal. We listened to the Treorchy Male Voice Choir, but I couldn’t find their version on You Tube so this is the Kirkintilloch Male Voice Choir instead. Close thine eyes and sleep secure; Thy soul is safe, […]
