Death is inevitable, and therefore a funeral is a practicality, which must be dealt with.

During my many years as a funeral Chaplain, I have discovered that unfortunately for the bereaved, few people think about or do anything to make plans for ones own funeral. Maybe it is fear of facing death or perhaps a superstition that to make plans beforehand may invite the circumstance?

It was many years ago when my own father died, that I first decided that one day I would somehow involve myself in the creation of ‘beautiful’ funerals.

My father was a lovely man, who had worked hard all of his life. He had achieved many things, overcome many difficulties, raised three children, after the death of his wife, my mother, eventually marrying again and having another daughter, and so on. He unfortunately died tragically, and my stepmother arranged the funeral.

I had been working quite hard and so decided that I deserved a relaxing weekend break. I chose a lovely old hotel, called the Lygon Arms in the Cotswolds, a very beautiful part of the countryside in the UK.

We arrived on the Friday evening, and after a complimentary drink in a magnificent reception room we were shown upstairs to our room.

As the rather ancient porter opened the room door I was transfixed, there was a man standing by a roaring fire in the huge fireplace of the room. He was dressed in what appeared to be Jacobean type dress, the kind of clothing one might attach to the times of the English Civil Wars of Oliver Cromwell and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

I lived for many years in a rambling old Victorian house. The house went back to the mid 1800’s and had in its earlier days its own water supply from a large underground stream and well.

Some time in the early 1900’s the water board had made an agreement with the then owners of the house to divert the water supply for the use of the town, and in return had given a written undertaking that the property, and the surrounding nine house would never have to pay for water.

So the owners of the houses down the years had continued to enjoy their facility free of charge. As I had a large swimming pool it was a nice ‘perk’ not to pay water charges at all.

It was a cold grey day in November, as indeed November always is in the United Kingdom.

My husband and I, and our two young sons, then aged 2 and 3 years, were driving from address to address, house hunting. We had moved  to a new town at the request of the company my husband worked for.

His  company were very good and we were staying in a top  hotel,whilst we looked for a house to buy, and the company  were paying all expenses.

Sounds good,but try living in a very 'posh' hotel with a two and three year old and you would soon see the draw backs.

My sons  were boisterous and playful boys. Not a day went by when we did not receive disapproving 'tuts' from the hotels top hatted and tail coated staff in the lobby.