Funeral Flowers
Posted by Richard Rawlinson Paul Flowers was a successful man: chairman of Co-operative Bank, Labour councillor and Methodist minister. He’s now shunned by all three pillars of the establishment—business, politics and church—after his penchant for taking crystal meth with male prostitutes hit the headlines. When Flowers first hooked up with Manchester Lads escort Ciaron Dodd, he […]
Winter warmers
The winter cold is beginning to nip your ears and gnaw your toes. Time to order some of Yuli Somme’s Foot Felts — incredibly warm, snug insoles for your shoes or boots. Here at the GFG-Batesville Shard, where austerity measures forbid us from turning on the heat until evening, we swear by them. Honestly, they’re […]
Why the shambles at the Co-op is so serious
“One version of the “better” that mutuals have to be is that they have to be seen by customers to be more “decent” than other businesses – because that provides a motive for some consumers to spend their money with them. And the second version of the better is that they have to be conspicuously […]
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 […]
