The Blog of hardtimes

Monday was Simon's final journey.

We had a motorbike lead the procession, with two other bikes in to control the traffic, it was a beautiful day and we went through the countryside to the crematorium.

When we arrived there was a sea of football shirts, and so many family and friends.

Tim, Mat, Nathan and Zenon carried Simon into the crematorium, they were all so nervous and they were shaking but they carried him with pride and dignity.

We had a Humanist service which was loverly and very personal, there must have been well over a hundred people, as there was people standing all around the back and sides as well as all those seated, Tim and Mat read thier letters and poems also manda's  letter ,as she was too emotional. I cried through most of it.

There was a few flower tributes, including two from Leicester [the witch's and her mother's] but it was mostly donations for the hospice.

We went back to the club for the wake, My friends helped prepare a mountain of food with me in the morning, and it was just enough, everyone was respectful and generous, a lot of people had travelled and had to leave after about 3 hours, so we cleaned up the venue and came home with about 20 of the younger mourners, fed them again and the drinks and stories flowed, I chucked them out about 9pm, cleaned up and went to bed satisfied that we had given Si the best possible send off that we could.

On Tuesday we took some of the flower tributes [the witches and her mothers] plus a bouquet, [they only accept 3] also 362 pounds collected at  the wake to the hospice + a bottle of Jack Daniels for the drinks trolley to the hospice.

Yesterday we ordered the new carpet for Si's room and started to plan the future without him. It is so quiet now and I am going back to work next week, My boss has given me back my clients, which he didn't have to do, so I can start to get my life back into some sort of normality.

So my friends that is about it. I'm sorry it is all so understated,  but I still have a few things to sort out and I have to get on now, I don't want my emotions making things harder.