Meanwhile...

[The Real Ravenhurst]

OH NO it should be the Masterchef FINAL.

Jacqui was robbed, mind.

[The Real Ravenhurst]

Jesus I have just looked at the TV schedule. It's worse than the Uzbek bike parade.

[Rutabaga]

Jesus I have just looked at the TV schedule. It's worse than the Uzbek bike parade.

Idea for the funeral?

[Rutabaga]

Jacqui was robbed, mind.

I must confess that I only really watch the early rounds, when contestants serve their own ideas about cooking (and at least one always reveals that they can't actually, you know, cook). Once they start doing the poncey restaurant stuff I rather lose interest.

[JohnToo]

Some of you may recall that I took a funeral qualification and take a smattering of funerals. As a result I am in two different whatsapp groups of fellow funeral celebrants or funeral directors. They both exploded into life at 3pm today with people talking about just one thing: how you safely carry a coffin up a flight of steps.

[Rutabaga]

Some of you may recall that I took a funeral qualification and take a smattering of funerals. As a result I am in two different whatsapp groups of fellow funeral celebrants or funeral directors. They both exploded into life at 3pm today with people talking about just one thing: how you safely carry a coffin up a flight of steps.

There's a gruesomely funny lesson in how not to handle a coffin in one of my favourite films - Brazil.

(Edit to add: It's probably only funny if you've seen the film from the beginning though.)

[Joan]

So what happened with the coffin?

(I don't watch stranger's funerals)

[JohnToo]

There is a long-ish flight of steps outside the door of St George's chapel. The pall-bearers (Royal Marines I think) had to carry it up the steps. They managed it perfectly, as you would logically expect. But managing coffins at shoulder height is not trivial - every time a family insist on carrying it themselves for one of my funerals I get kittens for fear each little wobble might be the start of dropping it, and that's on the level. I just thought it mildly amusing that several of my fellow celebrants were clearly thinking the same as me - never mind the music, or the liturgy, or the general splendour of the occasion, the one thing that got us all excited was carrying a coffin up a flight of steps.

[Greg]

There is a long-ish flight of steps outside the door of St George's chapel. The pall-bearers (Royal Marines I think) had to carry it up the steps. They managed it perfectly, as you would logically expect. But managing coffins at shoulder height is not trivial - every time a family insist on carrying it themselves for one of my funerals I get kittens for fear each little wobble might be the start of dropping it, and that's on the level. I just thought it mildly amusing that several of my fellow celebrants were clearly thinking the same as me - never mind the music, or the liturgy, or the general splendour of the occasion, the one thing that got us all excited was carrying a coffin up a flight of steps.

As you, your colleagues and anyone who has been a pall-bearer will know, that was no mean feat. They weigh a ton!

[Sonic Budgie]

As you, your colleagues and anyone who has been a pall-bearer will know, that was no mean feat. They weigh a ton!

Absolutely they do!
I was a pall-bearer at my nan's funeral. Myself, 4 of my cousins and one of my cousins husband. All of them are taller than me, the tallest was front right, I was back left. Blimey it was heavy, it felt like I was carrying the thing on my own!

[Joan]

I was a pall bearer for my mum. When I got to the top of the steps, I felt a little concerned, and handed off my corner to one of the undertakers. I had broken by clavicle a few weeks earlier (other side), and didn't want some catastrophic failure.

[Lullabelle]

Hi everyone *wave*, hope you are all ok.

[Rutabaga]

Hi Lullabelle, I am pretty much ok, thanks, how are things with you?

[Joan]

[Lullabelle]

I am on antibiotics for acute sinusitis, they are definitely helping.