Funeral in Basingstoke
Up early and scrabbling for things to wear to Lorraine's aunty Rina's funeral in Basingstoke. I opted for a sober suit and a black tie and shoes. Lorraine drove us and we made good time and arrived at a cricket club house, just around the corner from All Saints Church where the memorial service was being held. Maureen and Pat there, and I met Doris, Rose and Pauline, Wally and Edwin who were some of Maureen's brothers and sisters. There were lots of Lorraine's cousins she hadn't seen for decades. I milled about as best I could chatting to people. The ceremony itself was sensitively done and the vicar Revd Rosalind Rutherford and the woman assistant priest had known Rina well, so the ceremony was quite personal. I hadn't met Rina, but it was sad to see Maureen and her sisters and brothers upset, placing roses on their sister's coffin. Doris had recently lost her husband, so going to another funeral was traumatic for all kinds of reasons. The vicar held ...