Yesterday was Brian’s funeral.

The day started off pretty much like any other non-work day. I got up, did some tidying up checked my email, got Rach up. The day was bright and sunny. Then suddenly all the Newport’s arrived. First my brother then my parents. My parents came down from Northumberland and my bro George came over from Sheffield which was very nice of them. Rach then disappeared to help at her mum’s, and I directed Newport’s to Half Way House round the corner for a pub lunch. I had about 40 mins to myself then donned my suit and black tie and up the road to Elaine’s I went.

Was there for about five mins and then more people arrived, this time friends of Elaine’s from her college days. Time wizzed forward again and suddenly the Funeral directors, with the hearse and limo arrived.  Me, Rach and Elaine got in the black limo. Its the same limo that we’ve been in for both Rach’s Grandparents funerals, and I nearly made the joke that its a shame that every time we get to ride in it there’s less of us.  My humour however was rapidly draining away.

Slowly drived across Oldham. I decided that Oldham amoungst other things is not a place I ever want to get stuck in slow moving traffic. Got to the Crematorium and there a much larger turn out than I had expected. Chris the Vicar (who did our wedding and is Rach’s and Elaine’s Vicar) led the service. It was amoungst the slowest and most painful 30 mins of my life. I withdrew to a very dark and lonely place where all the pain and suffering about Brian’s death had curled up and laid. Then it was over and we walked out phyisicaly from the chapel and me mentally from that dark place into the bright daylight.

After that the day picked up immensely. It was like an emotional weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Elaine had hired the function room at the Spring Inn, a family for funeral’s and weddings, and many a pint was downed in honour of the old lad.

I’m still sad about Brian’s sudden death, but I now feel that life truely goes on.