After getting Dad’s affairs in order and finally receiving the necessary paperwork from the shockingly inept GP practice and the slow-moving wheels of legal bureaucracy, we were finally able to arrange the date for the funeral and all the planning surrounding it. Rachel, who has been as fantastic as ever, pretty much coordinated the funeral with Mum. We had planned to spend the week together at Jon & Jo’s looking after Ossie, but Rach went alone, while I stayed with Mum, agreeing that Mum and I would join Rach at the weekend.
After a week of reminiscing and going through Dad’s things, which was actually nice, Mum and I headed to Braintree, arriving late afternoon on Friday. After Mum and Ossie had made their introductions, they got on famously. The following morning, we decided on the Flitch walk, about a 10km walk along a disused railway track, which is one of Ossie’s favorite walks. The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting in the garden.
Sunday’s marathon walk was around the discovery center, where we were blessed with some great weather as we made our way around before heading off for some retail therapy for Rachel and Mum. Although I did end up with a pair of sneakers for not complaining too much. We left Sunday evening after a great weekend, with Rach staying on until Tuesday. We’ve done a lot of walking since arriving, which has helped us all process our loss while reveling in the fantastic countryside around where Mum lives. It really is beautiful, and when the sun is shining, there are not too many other places I’d rather be.
We set off on a National Trust walk to St Ives, which again was about a 10km round trip. First along leafy paths that wove through old church buildings and stately homes, and then through fields of cows busily munching through all that was green, before arriving in St Ives, a wonderful old market town with the river running through it.
The funeral came around quickly. Mum’s priest had agreed to conduct the ceremony, which was rather uplifting from the initial tune we’d chosen, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” which Dad liked and made everyone smile. I managed to keep it together through the eulogy, and my brother and I kept Mum upright for what was a lovely service. From there, we had arranged the wake at the 3 Jolly Butchers in Houghton, which was good-humored, and the overall consensus of the 30 or so guests was that it had been a wonderful celebration of Dad’s life.
Dream Chasers 