Arrangements

Saturday:

I've never had to organise a funeral before, thank goodness. I didn't realise there was so much to do. We drove to Sydney today and then I spent three hours at the funeral parlour. Two hours with them, one with the celebrant. There were all the things I was expecting like choosing a coffin and flowers, but also so many official forms! I had to ring my aunt because I couldn't remember mum's mother's maiden name. The paperwork seemed endless.

Tim took the kids to see a movie. Angels though they are, they would have gone out of their minds with boredom.

I went through my family tree with the celebrant, I have one living brother and two deceased siblings which she noted down. But thereafter she kept talking about me and my brothers and sister being involved in various parts of the funeral as if they were all alive. I corrected her once and she apologised, but a moment later went right back to talking as if there would be all four of us. I don't think my sister will be making a speech, she's been dead for 44 years. It did worry me a little bit about the celebrant's ability to run the ceremony. Apart from that she was very nice. Should I ask to see a copy of her welcome speech?

We had a nice dinner then back to my brother's. We had only seen him briefly when we stopped off to get some clothes for them to dress mum in. When we got back, still very early, he had already gone to bed. Maybe he just wasn't up to talking to us. He is pretty broken up by mum's death. He has lived wih her his whole life. The only times he has been away is on holidays with dad. 46 years old and never a night away from his parents. He is going to be very lonely.

I hadn't planned to spend a night here ever again but I couldn't get a hotel for us at such short notice on a Saturday night. Oh well, it's just a night. It affects Tim's asthma pretty badly though.

I spent some time this evening going through some of mum's things. That's something that will take quite a few visits.

Long day.