You only get one chance to get it wrong
A few years ago I worked with a very nice woman on her second husband’s funeral. Naturally, we talked about all sorts of things. She recalled the day of her first husband’s funeral. The hearse was due to go direct to the crematorium and she left home in good time so as to be sure […]
RIP Michael Winner
“If you’re dead, you’re dead, so who cares. I tell people illness is a nuisance and extreme illness is a f***ing nuisance, but you have to live with the cards you’ve been dealt. My family were put to death in the camps, so compared to that, what I’m going through is minor. “I’m very happy to […]
The British way of death
The composer Benjamin Britten’s last words to his sister, Barbara: “Sorry, old thing.”
Familiarity breeds contentment
The so-called traditional or Victorian funeral derives from a time when they did death differently, when people grieved differently. It was characterised by hush and awe, ostentatious gloom and social pretension. It was an invention of the Gothic Revival and claimed, spuriously, descent from the medieval guild funerals devised and superintended by the College of Arms. […]
Just walking the dead
Posted by Richard Rawlinson When David Bowie is on good form, he’s darn good. As a childhood fan, I was pleased to read rave reviews of his new album, The Next Day, marking a return, aged 66, from a decade of semi-retired obscurity in which the cigarette-puffing, ex-coke sniffer suffered bouts of ill health. His new […]
Lily sees off vicar
From the i. More in the Telegraph here. Hat-tip to Michael Jarvis
Today’s mystery object
They’re key fobs. Available here.
Shoot thy neighbour
In the US, The Onion mischievously reports: NEWTOWN, CT—As the nation continues to mourn the women and children who lost their lives in last month’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the National Rifle Association has reportedly joined the outpouring of support for families of victims by sending each household a bereavement gun basket. “On behalf […]
Let’s hear it for the mui fa koon choy
Sad news here from the New Straits Times: THE traditional Chinese coffin is not a popular option for funerals anymore mainly due to its daunting size and medieval shape. New Cham Fei Casket operator, Cham Swee Hung, 36, said the demand for mui fa koon choy, which in Chinese means plum blossom flower has dropped […]
Chaos theory
“A contemporary theologian has described mercy as “entering into the chaos of another.” [Source] Is there a better definition of what those who work for the bereaved do?
