Tin tree

Long  blip...

Today was interesting but not in the way that I had expected. When I was give details of my father's funeral I made plans to travel from France to England and then up north to be there. A cynic would say that only once my plans were made and expensive to change that the problems started.

My younger brother, has during the week had no end of passive aggressive **** about varying the will not in his or my favour. I had mostly been spared the sniping, but my brother had shared the emails and txts with me and I was having none of it.

Yesterday I contacted the undertaker to say that to avoid any issues, I'd prefer to attend before the funeral to pay my respects alone in person and avoid any embarrassment. So I made my way to Rawtenstall at the crack of dawn, and a full hour before things started, said my goodbye in person. It's always hard to know what to say, but I managed to make my little speech to my father, and the funeral director was my witness.

I then found a spot in the town centre to await the procession from the funeral home to the crematorium, where I was able to see my father off in the grey drizzle. I took this back blip from there - it's a metal tree overlooking the fire station - my father being a retired firefighter - so it seemed semi-appropriate.

I then carried out my flanking manoeuvrer. The will reading had been arranged for this week (as this was photographed not as I write) a day that I couldn't possibly make. So I went to see the solicitor to tell them in person that I couldn't possibly attend the will reading and that I wasn't best pleased it had been arranged when I couldn't attend - even though I could have if I had been told. I also made it quite clear that I couldn't agree to any variation in the will and that I was speaking to my own solicitor this week before anything could happen. All this happened while my father's wife's family were at the wake, so I was able to complete my tasks uninterrupted without any public scenes.

I then headed back to my hotel in Manchester to await the firestorm. Which to be fair I didn't get - though my brother got more **** but I'd warned him it would be incoming so he was prepared this time and feeling more confident as I'd arranged a solicitor for us both. I did get some passive aggressive txts, before they found out what I had done, which my brother found quite offensive, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt this time and ignored them.

I can't say funerals are the best things to go to, they don't get any easier the more you do. But the funeral director was nice and understanding. My father would have been appalled by what has happened since his passing, and to be fair even I had expected better...

Back blip.