A Death In The Family - Part Two

Thing is... this funeral and sorting out of property and belongings be exhausting. That is... when the party concerned did live 160 miles away, be very old... and have several marriages and relationships after the family connection. There be people involved in their later life what one have not even met, let alone be in contact with.
But we travel to Somerset again, get the parent's stationary car sorted and roadworthy and plough through yet more belongings. I do try and sort out family documents and old photos belonging to the other "relations". I never met me own grandparents on account of the stretched out generations of my family... so I do not understand their lack of interest or urgency. It doesn't seem to sink in with them that soon the solicitor will value and clear such belongings. Family memories will be gone altogether.

Water have flowed under the old bridge of The Old Man's relationship with his parent... and cloudy water it be too. People have taken offence and be flouncing all over the place. One is "not spoken to" for reasons one cannot know on account one hasn't really ever met the person what cannot bring themselves to speak. But others are willing to pass on such pointless "messages"....

My view of a sad and broken relationship is confirmed. The Old Man do try his best in difficult circumstances... trying to play it straight .... but my fuel reserves and patience be running out.
I call upon the spirit of my equally dead mother: "Please their selves," she would say, lips clamped shut, chin up ... and her gaze on something distant.

Somerset Stay

A bit of a time with family dealings... not the least of which is the funeral of a family member of The Old Man. In fact The Old Man do have a say in the proceedings and opted for an eco-coffin and a Humanist service. I think this may not have gone down well with some interested parties and I expect their jaws be still on floor ... (sigh).... Never mind.
The Humanist celebrant be lovely woman from Wells who produced a thoughtful dedication that spelled out the various stages of what she herself referred to as "a long and varied life". If the offended parties do take umbrage... well... they weren't there for all of that varied life, were they? For us... who do get a bit "shunned" by some... it was a healing thing that stitched together those "rich" variations.
However... it has all been quite exhausting and not sorted yet.

But we managed to take a walk over Shapwick Heath... a childhood haunt of The Old Man.... on a beautiful day. We walked along the main Drove and into Canada Farm with its wooded lane. To hear the warblers, a persistent cuckoo, and see hoards of blue damsel flies and a brimstone butterfly.... Well that were lovely.

A Death In The Family

A close family member of The Old Man has died, a parent in fact. Very elderly. And quite some distance away, both emotionally and physically.
The Old Man do not quite know what he feels. As the family member grew more ill and frail... we had to dip our toes into concepts of power of attorney and wills and wishes.... causing us to contemplate our own mortalities and frailties.
With The Old Man not being wildly robust himself... the dreaded dash to the bedside kept being put off until more decisions had been taken and more was understood. And so it is that... once things seemed settled all round.... the family member died.
Truthfully the final news is a relief. And as it is with such things... we are still in the land of moment by moment decisions and phone calls. We will have to get there some time in the next week or so and make ourselves acquainted with people not seen for fifty years... or ever.
... And also make ourselves acquainted with our feelings, I guess.
It is some tiring. The Old Man do come over a bit wobbly today....I do make him some soup (not chicken) and we do press on.