I thought I’d post a link to the poem, as I forgot last time. Those of you with cultural leanings, or a familiarity with Four Weddings and a Funeral, won’t need it.
So far I’ve selected the man to take the service, inclined towards a cardboard coffin and decided against a council funeral.
I’m thinking of a natural burial, though I’m concerned about cost. If anyone is going to make free with the kids’ inheritance it’s going to be me and Julia, not some stranger in a black suit.
For that reason I’m inclining towards a hot funeral with the sprinkling of the resulting ashes being performed in a cheap and clandestine manner. I can’t give too many details, but previous family ash scatterings owe a lot to the funeral of Sir John Moore after the Battle of Corunna.
We buried him darkly at dead of night,
The sods with our bayonets turning;
By the struggling moonbeam’s misty light
And the lantern dimly burning.
It’s a bit like guerrilla gardening, but nobody writes so much about it. This is another way to scatter ashes.
Which brings us to the subject of the actual law on scattering ashes. It seems pretty relaxed, and you can scatter them anywhere as long as you have permission from the landowner. If you don’t have permission you can be fined for littering.
The law in other countries may differ – it is more complex, for instance, in the USA.
An unexpected feature of a cardboard coffin is that the resulting cremains are less bulky than if you use a wooden coffin. Or what passes for wood these days.
I think that’s enough for now. In the next part I will discuss music and Battenburg cake.
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I am pondering gently decaying and providing nourishment for microbial life.
I think I may already have started that process.
Excellent! I must admit that Four Weddings for me was utter heaven in a chick-flick sort of way … and the poem made us all become somewhat damp around the eyes … great post ❤️
Thank you. It is a great film, and that scene still stands out after all these years. Simon Callow once rang my father-in-law in the pursuit of his family history. Sadly they couldn’t establish a link.
Simon Callow’s voice is wonderful …. could listen to him for hours. Sorry to hear there was no link however …
Me too, I’d have liked an evening with Simon Callow.
The last line, I presume, refers to refreshments for the wake
Yes, it does. The two important things about funerals, in my mind, are brevity and catering.
Quite so
🙂
Not so complex, at least not here in Maine. The ashes of my mother and Clif’s mother were scattered at the edge of our yard, by the woods. A peaceful place to rest.
Having seen your photos over the years I have to say that it does look pleasantly tranquil.
Pretty laid back in central Maine. Just the way I like it.
And you seem to have more trees than people, which is good. 🙂
We do have a lot of trees, and not that many people.
Sounds great! 🙂
It is nice. And in central Maine, with four colleges within easy driving distance, we also have cultural opportunities. We really live in a good spot.
So it seems… 🙂
All is not wine and roses here. We do have wicked mud in March and early April.
Mud, you say? And I thought you were famous for the colour of your leaves in autumn…
That, too. The mud and the glory.
🙂