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  • @UT Ugh, sounds like when I travelled through the Rockies of Colorado. Shear drops, no guard rail, plus snow and ice. I had a panic attack and had to stop driving through a section of mountain aptly named ‘Purgatory’. Pike’s Peak seemed like a drive through the park compared to this. It was a long narrow length of road with a never-ending drop on one side, and headstones lining the other, and no guard rails! No exaggeration there, it was terrifying. Tom Petty’s ‘Free Fallin’ would’ve been the appropriate funeral music there.
    U R I E L
    What is done in the dark will always come to light
  • Many years ago, on my first serious Alpine climbing trip, we were caught out on Mont Blanc in a freak blizzard. We got immobilised by blinding sleet and howling wind on a knife-edge arrete for about 4 hours before managing to crawl to the shelter of a wrecked hydro-electric pumping room. That might have saved our lives, as elsewhere on the mountain, several other parties were also caught, one climber dying of exposure that night. It was a strange, dissociative experience, and the only music that came into my head were nursery rhymes. Over and over, nursery rhymes.

    Nowadays, past climbing, I have an order of service prepared, but change my mind every now and then. Currently, it has the Chopin Prelude in C major, Allegri's Miserere (but in Latin, so you can't understand the horrible words!) and Frapp's "Gone to Earth". But I'm considering swapping all the music for birdsong. Definitely no nursery rhymes though.
  • I like the birdsong idea.
    When my Mum died a couple of years ago, and we knew she wanted to be buried, we had that time when you had to decide on the coffin. You know, bloody expensive things that look just like, well, every other coffin you’ve ever seen, just different handles and progressively fancier linings, lids, wood etc ‘that will last 50+ years in the ground’! I said that my Mother was not into that and what else could they offer. We went through the wicker options (rejected) and then he said that he had this range of coffins with prints on the side and showed me a brochure. You may remember my Mum was in the Army in WW2 and was a big British Legion and Poppy supporter. She also loved birds and was a member of the RSPB and I found one of the designs with poppies on the side and another with British birds on it, and we were allowed to have the poppies on the bottom and the birds on the lid. First time at a funeral where people have come up and said how bright and cheerful the coffin was.
    The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ.
    Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit.
    Shall lure it back to cancal half a line,
    Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
  • @whispered Wow, the power of Nature is just so humbling. Sounds like the Nursery Rhymes were a kind of meditation to distract from the danger, something self soothing. I’m personally obsessed with survival shows, and survival technique. Always be prepared, I say.

    Ahh, birdsong. What a lovely idea. The essence of peace and calm.

    @UT Isn’t it such a shame that funerals have become an expensive money-making thing? I’m sure your mom would’ve been very pleased with your thoughtful decision. That’s what it’s about anyway, celebrating them.

    Yellow halo, for a queen.
    U R I E L
    What is done in the dark will always come to light
  • Sounds like a fine coffin, UT.

    Survival techniques may come in handy for a lot of us in the next few years, PG. Fires, floods, droughts...and for too many already, air raids, drone strikes and ocean crossings in leaking rafts
  • I’m thinking of adding ‘Love & Affection’ by Joan Armatrading to my funeral songs list. That makes it 6, which will be around 24 minutes so that could be a problem….
    The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ.
    Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit.
    Shall lure it back to cancal half a line,
    Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

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