Today, we gathered as a family at Amersham Crematorium to say our goodbyes to Grannie Shepherd. The coffin, before us, seemed so very small set out in front of us. To go in by, we couldn’t find a copy of the Aled Jones piece, that Grannie liked, for love nor money even in these days of mp3’s and the internet, and so my brother stood at the back and played the piece on his trombone. My mum did a reading and my dad presented a eulogy, drawing together fond memories of Grannie submitted by all of the family. Alongside a love of people and, and flowers and primroses and daffodils, everyone mentioned the way that for dinner, as well as a proper bakewell tart (or something similar) as pudding she would always provide trifle and jellies (in blue pirex dishes) even though most of us didn’t actually like jelly. Fond rememberences.

Almost the whole family joined together to say farewell to Grannie, in fact the only two missing were my Uncle Aðalstein Ingolfsson who stayed back in Iceland to be there for my cousin Elva Bra, who, within days of Grannie’s death provided her with a first great granddaughter (so far only known as Mini Hólm – due to the Icelandic tradition of not deciding upon a name until the christening some month or two after the birth).

In so far as funerals can be happy, this was a happy event. We gave Grannie the kind of send off that she would have wanted.

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