On the Beat

Re "Atheist Bus Ads" (which seem like a decent idea to me), Stephen Green of pressure group Christian Voice said:

"...People don't like being preached at..."

(Via the BBC - the quotation comes about halfway down

And many thanks to theyorkshergob for pointing that out and making me laugh.

The undertaker was clearly in the wrong job. She seemed startlingly unsympathetic. She didn’t understand what we didn’t understand, and she couldn't answer our questions: she looked at us as if we were foolish to have any questions at all.

She asked what religion my mother was. “None,” we replied. “Shall I put C of E, then?” she asked.

It was more important to her to fill out the form than to interact with us. Perhaps she was scared of death.

Each room in the undertakers was named after a castle, although it was a curious choice of castles: Arundel, Stirling, Balvenie Most of the rooms were named after Scottish castles; I would have liked to be interviewed in Balvenie (a bottle of which I have sitting on my sideboard at home, the 12 yo double wood). Drowning in the spirit seemed kind of appropriate.

We went to see my mother lying in her coffin; she lay “in rest” in Tintagel; next door was Edinburgh, which seemed more appropriate to me, at least.

She didn’t really look like my mother, to me; rather like a poor waxwork. I had expected to be moved – I have after cried a far deal over the past couple of weeks (I am pretty good when it comes to sharing my emotions I have a lot of practice). Perhaps I am all cried out.

I half expected Alyson Hannigan and Sarah Michelle Geller to burst in, stakes at the ready. Well, a boy can dream.

Last week, I made this post.

On Saturday, I was having a coffee with a friend about things we spent money on, when I heard her say, "And you must always pay taxis, even if you don't want to."

"What's wrong with taking the bus, or walking?" I replied.

But what she had actually said was "And you must always pay taxes, even if you don't want to."

My wife: Oh darling, I just get these waves of how much I love you… And sometimes I’m not even drunk!