Sunday 6 January 2008

Death

There's a lot of it about.
Today we went to a memorial for a friend of Kevin's from uni. He was 39 and had died on Christmas Eve. The memorial seems to be the thing here, and it was nicely done if you want non-religious, and many do.
Personally, I want a cardboard box, can't decide on which is environmentally better, cremation or burial, and then a church service, if'n someone can muster a requiem mass, let's go for that. But as for a memorial, unless I get significantly famous between now and then, I'll not be up for it.

Yesterday, we took my nephew up to Whistler where he is doing a three-month ski-instructor course. I had worried about going up there, because the sea-to-sky highway can be notorious for the road conditions in the winter and for the appalling driving in those conditions. We also don't have either snow tyres or chains, so we were keeping a watchful eye on the webcams and weather reports.
We had some snow, and you can see from yesterday and today's pictures that there was plenty up there, but we made it intact. So long as the snow doesn't come down too fast and thick, the snowploughs keep the roads clear.
Today's picture is of the house Jeremy will be staying in. Two other lads are living in the car in front of the house.

However, tying together yesterday's theme and snow sports, it was announced that women's junior ski-jumping would not be recognised as an Olympic sport. It was one of those news items where they couldn't find anyone to interview who thought this was a good thing.
A lad ski-jumper said it was unfair and it detracted from the men's junior ski-jumping that women didn't have their own event.
A male member of the provincial parliament said it was ridiculous, the Olympic ski-jump at Whistler had been paid for by the taxpayers and 52% of the taxpayers were women. Protests had been filed and lodged and what have you, I don't think we've heard the last of it.

5 comments:

nigel said...

Get yourslef buried under a tree when the time comes and then you can be a fertiliser for it.

I hate the unfair deal that women get compared to men, and I don't really understand how it has come about.

I also hate the way non-whites, immigrants, the undeucated, the poor, the homeless, the natural environment, and animals are all treated in this country.

Sleepy said...

One of the Gypsy families here are all buried in Wicker coffins.
I don't like the idea of being buried in something that my Nan took on picnics!

I'm with Nigel on this one. In a cardboard box under a tree.
I'd like an Oak.
The Southdowns Natural Burial place.

nigel said...

Is that the natural burial place near Clanfield? I went up there a year or two ago to have a look round but I wasn't able to book a place as I'm still alive (I think).

Sleepy said...

That's the very one!
I thought it was a brilliant idea.

Schneewittchen said...

Oh! That sounds brilliant! I'm sure Sleepy was talking to me about this this summer. I need to get one started here. In general, I think it's difficult to get yourself buried where you can naturally decompose, but it has to be the way forward. Presumably it wouldn't fill up like a regular graveyard since - well, you would naturally decompose.