Today, we attended Pete’s Funeral – a long-time friend for us both.

Pete hadn’t been well for a while now, in and out of hospital on multiple occasions and because of that, we hadn’t been to see either Pete (or Chris) for a while – we think, pre-Covid was our most recent get-together. The Service, held at Nene Park Crematorium, was a well-attended affair – probably the most people, I’ve seen at a funeral for a good many years! There must have been between 100–120 people there, and we just about fitted inside! He was clearly a popular man and I learned an awful lot more about him just from the two Eulogies (read by two family friends, Brian Elgood followed by, Neil Norman).

Afterwards, we took the short drive to Higham Ferrers Working Mens’ Club for the Wake. Chris had laid on a great spread, and we bagged a table, catching up with Ann’s work colleague. Neelia along the way.

Wow! That’s two funerals in as many weeks, and it’s started to remind us (well, me, at least) of our own mortality!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post RIP: Pete Murdin appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Today, I (and a lot of others) said their final goodbyes to Peter. The service was held at Bluebell Cemetery in Halstead at 11.15 on a gloriously warm day.

I met the current Chairman of the OCA, Cortland Fransella, in the car park and we grabbed a cuppa and sat outside reflecting on the man that had touched both of our lives! We then headed inside to the Waiting Room after introducing ourselves and saying hello to Katy and Stephen. On the dot of 11.15, the Service began. I felt it was a really touching tribute, where Revd. Steve Spencer made it feel really special and very personal.

Afterwards, there was an opportunity to catch up with some other familiar faces from my time in Chair! I had a long chat with Karen (who used to help out on the Bar) and Pauline (who helped with the sandwiches) for our AGMs and Reunions. It really was lovely to see them both again.

We then drove the short distance to the Wake that was held at the Metropolitan Police Sports Ground – The Warren – in nearby Hayes.

What an emotional day! But it had been good to catch up with old friends and colleagues. Pity about the journey home though! Instead of the predicted 1 hour 20 minutes, it was almost 3½ hours!!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post RIP: Peter Juniper appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Today we said goodbye to Cousin John De-Winter at Beckenham Crematorium. The last time we were here was in April 2014 for (my) Mum’s passing and whilst we were there, we took the opportunity to look at the Rose that we planted in her honour in their Remembrance Garden.

Given the travelling distance, we opted to drive down the afternoon before and stay over. The Bromley Premier Inn did us proud, where we were able to bag a room and breakfast for around £80. A bargain!!!

I recall (just about) Cousin John’s first wedding to Joyce back in 1966 – a gloriously sunny day where, as young sprogs, my brother and I spent most of the time after the Service running around outside enjoying the good weather! Over the years. I’d lost touch with John apart from exchanging Christmas Cards that on reflection, was a shame. John’s passing had been a bit of a surprise to us all in the family, John being in his late 70s and in reasonably good health.

Details of the funeral itself were a bit on the sparce side, but we did learn that was to be buried next to his second wife, Anne (who he lost to Cancer a long while ago).

RIP John!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post RIP: Cousin John appeared first on Steve's Blog.

We watched it live on BBC1. It was full-on so we took a break every so often and watched something else! It was emotionally draining but essential viewing!

The queue (to end all queues!) was closed a little after 10.40pm on Sunday. Queuing time was reported to have been over 12 hours at some points – and no-one complained (The Brits are the leaders in process of queuing, after all!). Early estimates suggest that over 400,000 will have visited to pay their respects.

“I declare before you all that my whole life,
be it long or short,
shall be devoted to your service”

And so, this solemn event began…

10.44am: The Queen’s coffin leaves Westminster Hall and the Procession begins towards Westminster Abbey.

11.00am: The Funeral Service was at 11am and was the most watched TV programme in history – some 5 billion people saw it/heard it on TV, Radio and online. Channel 5 and Channel 5 did not cover the event.

Over 140 Naval Ratings were involved in transporting the coffin.

All the while, Big Ben tolled every minute for ninety-six minutes, one for every year of Her Majesty’s life.

It was attended by 500+ Leaders and Heads of State from all over the world, totalling 2000 guests. Protocol dictated that Commonwealth leaders had priority over World leaders, so Joe Biden was not in the front seats! Interesting!

11.55am: The Last Post was played.

12.15pm: The Queen’s coffin left for Wellington Arch led by Royal Canadian Mounted Police and representatives from the NHS. The coffin passed Buckingham Palace processing up Constitution Hill towards Wellington Arch.

1.15pm: Arrival at Wellington Arch.

1.40pm: The Queen’s coffin was transferred to the Royal Hearse and the National Anthem was played.

Past Hyde Park and the Royal Albert Hall through Kensington. Next, past the Natural History Museum to Cromwell Road and over the Hammersmith Flyover through Chiswick and Brentford. From there, onwards to Staines-upon-Thames, Runnymede to Old Windsor arriving at Shaw Farm Gate at just after 3pm.

3.10pm: The Procession: The Long Walk to St George’s Chapel, with so many members of the public turning out to show their respect – 100,000, according to the Telegraph. The Queen’s pony (Emma) and two of her corgis (Muick and Sandy) were also there to say their goodbyes.

3.40pm: HM King Charles III and the Royal Family joined the Procession once the coffin arrived at the quadrangle.

4.00pm: The Committal Service, St George’s Chapel commenced…

…including some never-before-seen moments including the removal of the Sceptre, Orb and Imperial State Crown from the coffin and placed on the Altar, plus the laying of the Queen’s Flag by the King and the ‘breaking’ of the Lord Chamberlain’s cane.

5.00pm: And as the Queen’s coffin descended into the Vault, the committal ended with the Queen’s Piper playing the lament, walking away from the camera and out of the Chapel. So powerful!

That was the end for the public side of things. As expected, we were emotionally drained, but it was something we needed to watch. An intimate Service, just for the family, was to follow later this evening.

EDIT: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 – Overnight viewing figures confirmed that 28 million people watched the event on TV in the UK.

Goodbye your Majesty, you were a constant in our lives, and we’ll never see the likes of you again.

“God Save the King!”

© Graphics and some photographs courtesy of the Telegraph, Matt and BBC News. No copyright infringement intended

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Well, it’s taken us exactly two weeks on and off (mostly ‘on’) including 12 full car loads to the Dump with 20+ black sacks of ‘stuff’, and other assorted contents, but today at 5.27pm, we finished clearing Lee’s home.

Sadly, it really is the end of an era, and all that needs removing now is all the large bits and bobs – and we’ve got the Salvation Army for most of that*.

The fridge-freezer is the only exception, and that’s going to be removed by Kettering Council…

So, Ann will be over there for one final time next week, but for me, it’s the last time** I’ll ever set foot in 30 Yeoman’s Court, Meeting Lane, Kettering.

*Update 1: Wednesday, 11th July. The Salvation Army were quite picky about the bed that needed removing. As a result, they WOULDN’T take it. Luckily I found a company based in Northampton, who weren’t quite as fussy and the offending article is going to be picked up on Friday, 13th July.

**Update 2: Thursday, 12th July. Actually, as things turned out, it WASN’T the last time for me. We got a text today from Kettering Council reminding us they’d like all the carpets removed too! That required another trip to the Dump!

…Yes, a true end an era!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Lee’s Home – The Final Visit appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Today, was a bitter-sweet experience. Ann and I (ably assisted by David) moved Lee’s two bookcases full of Movies over to the ‘Library’, just off Yeoman’s Court Community Hall in Burton Latimer.

We reckon there is over 500 movies in her collection, and Lee has bequeathed them all (as well as all her CDs) to the Residents there. Looks like there’s enough for a ‘Movie-Night’ every night, for the next 18 months!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Lee’s Movie Collection appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It was a difficult day for the Palmer/Gambles clans today, as we said goodbye to Mum.

We drove to the Flat, met up Neil, Debbie, Alfie and Frankie, and then our Celebrant, Richard Woolnough. We then went onto Beckenham Crematorium by car, for the Service at 1.30.

I’d agreed to lead the tributes with a semi-humorous eulogy covering Mum’s lighter side of life, entitled: ‘The Rebel without a Pause’, whilst the Order of Service was led by Richard, who did a splendid job with just the right overall tone and words to make it all feel very special.

After the event, we travelled back to the Flat for a buffet, and it was good to catch-up with everyone. It also gave us a chance to spend a bit longer chatting, with the ‘pressure’ of the Service now over.

By the time we left it was after 4, so we guessed we were in for a sloooooow journey home – we were right: 3 hours and 5 instead of 1 hour and 50! – and only a 98 mile journey!!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post And so, farewell Mum appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It was a very surreal day yesterday. Ann and I, together with Neil and Debbie, met at Mum’s Flat, and began the task of working through everything. Thanks for your kind thoughts everyone, together with the cards – they mean a lot.

All your suggestions about ‘trying to remember the good times’ was the philosophy we adopted for the day – and it worked. Sifting through the variety of bits and pieces triggered a variety of emotions, as we decided their final destination! Inevitably, there was some sadness along the way, as we black-sacked a lot of memory-triggering ‘stuff’, but there also some giggles as well, the funniest being when we uncovered Mum’s secret stash of Bailey’s and Vouvray wine – we know she liked a little tipple every so often, but these stock levels would have rivalled Unwin’s!

A ‘mass moist-eye moment’ too, when we found a hand-written letter by Mum to Neil and me, written some 20+ years ago, offering us her thoughts about coping with the aftermath of her passing. How prophetic!

Almost five hours later, we reached a point where, after ‘redeploying’ 60+ black sacks, donating various items to worthy causes, and retaining the heirlooms and family-related documentation,  we’d got about as far as we could go. So, it was off to the local Costa to discuss and work-through the mountain of paperwork – and think about the logistics of the funeral. An hour later, we had a plan in place, and so we said our goodbyes and we went our separate ways – each with a sizeable to-do list.

Phew! What a rollercoaster of a day. It was a day that needed doing, and one that took us all back in time, if only for a moment, to share brief glimpses into what seemed like simpler times – I’d quite forgotten the joy of being a kid and living at home with Mum and Dad – no responsibilities, no mortgage – and no money worries! Seemed just perfect – when did it all get so complicated?

It’s hard to sum-up the impact of the day as a whole – I think we both felt pretty ‘flat’ on the journey home – perhaps ‘bitter-sweet’ is the phrase?

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post A Flat Day appeared first on Steve's Blog.

b: 1 July 1927, d: 2 April 2014 

Mum passed away in the early hours of this morning, after sustaining serious burns last Friday in an accident at her Flat.

We visited her at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital on Sunday, where she had been admitted to the Specialist Burns Unit. Thankfully, due to the medication they’d administered at the time, she was pretty much pain-free and quite chilled-out – and it was comforting to know that she wasn’t suffering too much at this stage.

Our thanks to Doctor Andy Williams and his team for their advice, and the 24/7 care they gave Mum during her brief stay there.

At last Mum, the confusion you’ve been experiencing in recent years, has come to an end.
 

Take care: we’ll see you up there sometime (save us a space near the front!)

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post RIP – Eileen Mabel Palmer appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Karen emailed us to let us know that Ralph’s Dad, Doug, had died. We didn’t know him personally, but Ralph had often spoken about him. He would have been 95 this year – a great innings!

RIP Doug!

Steve Palmer

I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!

I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Ralph’s Dad appeared first on Steve's Blog.