BURIED OR CREMATED ?

[D ap D]

After visiting the "Body World" exhibition, I've decided that plastination is what I want. Having a medical background, I find it really interesting looking at the working of the body and the environmental influences e.g. smoking, living in urban areas etc. Whereas some people find it morbid "I don't want people staring at me when I'm dead", I find once I'm dead, it can't affect me anymore. My Taid (Grandfather) always used to say he'd live forever in the memories of those who knew him.

On the chance of being buried alive, I don't know if that would be worse than being burnt alive ........

Anyway, that my excuse for not voting 

[GRACELAND]

  I think the only TROUBLE with burial is in a short time maybe not our generation but the next. We are going to run out of space .    We can't keep opening another feild for more can we ??                     Also how deep can we go ?   
               No i should think eventually we all will just have to be cremated !
                    Any one with any plans for the future ?
 What happen in other places abroad , is it the same as here running out of ground  ?

[Jacquie]

Hello Graceland,

We have plenty of space down under, though some of our cemeteries are also running out of space but we have plenty of desert.

We could all donate our bodies to science that would save space and money.  I was told today after dissucssing this subject with a relative that years ago if you donated your body to science over here that after they finished with it they would pay for the funeral.  Don't know if they still do that.

Jacquie.

[D ap D]

 What happen in other places abroad , is it the same as here running out of ground  ?

What they do in Germany is the authorities lease the plot for 20, 25 or 30 years, depending on the constitution of the ground. After this time runs out, you are given the option of extending the lease . If you decide not to, the plot is then reused, the headstone then being returned to you for whatever you want to use it for.

A bit gruesome I thought, until I had to design a water supply line next to a "live" cemetery, whereupon I had to make certain enquiries with the authorities. Usually lime is put into the grave before its filled in, hence the contents are dissolved within about 10 years and nothing is left when its reopened. Except in certain cases, where there is a lot of clay around, then the lease is simply extended, or more lime is put in at the time of burial.

The headstone can be sold or given back to the stonemason , who polishes off the script and resuses the stone, or the stone is put with other stones to one side of the cemetery.

I spoke to my mother (still in Wales) about this and she informed me that my grandmother had bought a 99 year lease for the plot when my grandfather died. So I assume the plot will be reused once it runs out, if no-one extends the lease.

By the was, did you know that the bones have to be ground after cremation so that they fit into the urn? Cremation only gets rid of the organic materials, not the calcified remains. Burning is definitely not my cup of tea.

[GRACELAND]

Thanks for that very interesting 

[MrsLizzy]

On the subject of what kind of funeral to have, I wish people would think more about the kind of music to choose.  I've been to two funerals in my husband's family, and one in my own, and they were such "conveyor belt" affairs - the clergy were OK, they can only do their best, but just a small touch can make such a difference.  I want my funeral to be held in my parish church - it doesn't cost THAT much and you can have a proper service, with choir etc, and have some decent music and so on.   We had Franck's "Panis Angelicus" at my aunt in law's funeral last December.  There's "Pie Jesu" from Faure's Requiem, Mozart's "Ave Verum".   My mother in law said she "didn't want a fuss" at her funeral, but I said as far as I am concerned I will make sure her funeral is beautiful, because it will mean so much to her two boys, and all the other people who love her to bits.

[Darcy]

About those bones being ground up - it's quite true.

I did a tour of our local crematorium  It sounds morbid but it was actually hilarious! The group that I was going around with were really funny  - it was a case of - everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask.

We were referring to our guide as "the chief cook" and he was really funny. I suppose you would have to have a sense of humour to do that job!

Anyway, the bit that got me was when he said that they have to look through the little window in the cremator to see if it's all over! I couldn't do that in a fit!

Just remember - if you choose cremation make sure that they take your pacemaker out beforehand!!

Cheers
Aaron

[Darcy]

PS,

I forgot about the music - I have a friend who wants - Ah shaddup your face!

Can you imagine it - Whatsa matter you? - Why you look so sad? He says for sure nobody will be crying!
 
Me? I want a gospel choir from America's Deep South clapping and singing their heads off.

Do you think the vicar will accomodate me by dancing down the aisle in front of my coffin? 

Aaron

[MrsLizzy]

Just choose the right vicar - there are loads of trendy exhibitionists out there! 

The church I used to go to, the vicar once pointed out to us that once we've popped our clogs it'll be too late to tell him what we want, and we'll have to rely on our next of kin to decide.  He said if anyone had any special wishes for their funeral, as in the music and format, to write it all down and give it to him, and he'd use it when the time came.   There must be so many cases where for example, the deceased has always said he wanted, say, Barber's "Adagio for Strings" but his widow doesn't like it and goes for the standard "Crimond".

Only thing is, for the kind of music I have in mind for all my family's funerals, we'll need a really good choir and organist.  I sang at a wedding last year and the organist was the most appalling I've ever heard!  "Tempo"?  What's that?