OT: Tes**'s, relentless onslaught ..?

[Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics)]

You surely can't really believe that statement? The only reason Billy Goat has a monopoly is marketing and backhanders to Bliar.

[Mary Fisher]

There are plans for simple coffins (caskets - yeuch!) in The Natural Way of Death, which is British.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

I had to go to a very large Morrisons last Friday. It was heaving, absolutely crammed with shoppers and shelf stackers who were trying to keep up. Thos people didn't seem to have heard about the doom.

Mary

[Andy Hall]

Yes I know what you mean, Mary.

I am perhaps as cantankerous as you in this area. I've specified a simple box and an under the trees deal. Secondly that nobody is to attend wearing a suit or even a tie. I see no reason to dress any differently for an occasion like this than in normal daily attire.

[Mary Fisher]

I've been to one in Germany where there was a huge freezer full of Agentinian hare. Wonderful!

We occasionally go to Aldi and Lidl in England. The vegetables are excellent and the special offers varied and good quality.

Quite.

Hmm. since Waitroseopened in Yorkshire I've been pressing for local cheeses - there's a wonderful range of Yorkshire cheeses and other customers have asked for them too, in vain. They're sold in Booths - Waitrose's only competitor - so Waitrose could do it.

Waitrose in Stroud had a fantastic range of Gloucestershire cheeses, the local 'professional merchandising people' aren't doing their job here. It's interesting that they stock ONE of the Yorkshire cheeses ...

Mary

[Andy Hall]

Probably not. They probably didn't know about Time Computers, Laker or Rolls Razor either.

A poorly managed business ultimately is not sustainable. It either dies or gets acquired.

[Mary Fisher]

That's not true. Well, it might be true that Bruce said it although I didn't hear him say it and if it was reported I'm sceptical.

No-one forces anyone into buying anything. That phrase descredits the rest.

er - has he not noticed the numberof tesco stores in the city?

And Morley is not inner south Leeds.

That's a load of tosh, but I'm not really surprised. Some of our councillors are not held in high esteem.

Mary

[Andy Hall]

Have a chat with the manager. I've found them very responsive.

[Andy Hall]

It's on his web site, so presumably he did say it.

Well, I just raised it as another view. The financial reports, which are the ones that matter at the end of the day, speak of a broken and poorly managed business. Ultimately that will lead to the downfall.

It's one thing having a chain of a few supermarkets in one region run under tight control by one man. This will inevitably run into trouble when a large volume of stores in a different region, belonging to a company with a totally different corporate culture are acquired and the management is not devolved or scaled.

The results are there to see.

Poor financial numbers.

Repeated profit warnings after repeated "discoveries" of issues that management should have known about.

In several stores in the south, almost empty carparks.

[Sam Nelson]

I have it specified in my will that it's absolutely none of my business what's done with my remains when I'm dead, and that the phrase "it's what he would have wanted" isn't to be used with respect to arrangements for disposal. The very last person that a funeral is _for_ is the deceased.

[Mary Fisher]

You're cantankerous full stop! :-)

The trouble is that your wishes mean nothing unless your executors want to keep to them. Once you die your body isn't yours and your wishes for it can be over-ruled.

But I think that wanting to dictate to anyone about what they should wear at anyone's funeral isn't on. People should wear what they like. I'd like to think that your 'mourners' would wear their most formal garb just to put two fingers up to you :-)))))

What's 'normal' daily attire? some people wear skits, is that 'normal'? If so, do you wear one?

Becaue of our interest in history and because we have clothing from many periods I asked Spouse what he'd like to be buried in. He said that since he spends most of his time in a boiler suit that would seem to be the most appropriate. So that's what it will be, if I'm around and in control.

The idea of dressing a corpse is daft in one way but quite fun in another - just to confuse future archaeologists.

If there are any.

It's not daft for guests to dress up for a party though. A funeral isn't an everyday thing except for undertakers and cremation personnel, you might as well make the most of it.

Mary

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

Do you think I haven't?

[Mary Fisher]

You're so clever- you know so much more than others ...

ALL businesses are ultimately unsustainable. They all die or are acquired.

Mary

[Andy Hall]

It should be a celebration of the life of the deceased.

So many funerals that I have attended have been populated with people dressed up to nines in sombre suits and black ties that they would never ordinarily wear. There are then the false platitudes and crap (artificially good crap) spoken about the deceased and some plastic ceremony from a vicar hired for the day that the deceased has typically never met and neither have the attendees. Quite often, most of the attendees haven't even seen the deceased for years.

It's all complete falsehood and that is what I find distasteful.

Hence the reason for specifying something radically different. Those who don't want to needn't come. I am not going to alter my outlook on life just to fit in with crap.

[Andy Hall]

Tell me what you like, and I'll ask them for it here.

[Andy Hall]

Then they won't be beneficiaries. The arrangements will be pre-ordered as well.

I'm simply looking for reality and not an artificial bunch of false ceremony with people wearing clothes that they would never normally wear and platitudes that would not normally be said.

Actually no, but one of my neighbours does when his wife's not around.

That's my point. As much as anything it's breaking with convention and espousing reality.

True, but do you go to a party dressed in black formal attire?

[Mary Fisher]

Doesn't that depend on the wishes of those involved - rather than something laid down by you?

And if it IS a celebration people might enjoy it if they dressed up for the ocasion :-)

That's because s/he's been asked to do it by the family, s/he doesn't enjoy it.

You didn't have to attend either ...

A neighbour died last week. She hasn't spoken to me for a couple of years except to swear, she'd cross the road to avoid passing me on the pavement. The family expects me to go to the funeral today. That's hypocrisy.

We shan't.

er - isn't it more your outlook on death rather than life ? :-)

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

It doesn't matter.

Will be? You mean you haven't done it yet?

But no matter what you ordain it can be over-ruled.

You won't notice it, dear.

So that makes it 'normal'. I see.

Heck, I don't do things just to break with convention! And as for 'espousing reality ' ... er ?

I never wear black, I have no black clothes. Black's unflattering and always looks dowdy, in my opinion - which isn't shared by most women I've noticed, for whom it's everyday wear (thus bouncing your argument!) :-)

But very many people do wear black to parties, it's called evening dress. I do wear formal attire at a formal party, I'm not going in jeans or shorts. If a party happens spontaneously, as it often does here, I don't get changed. If I go to a funeral I make sure I'm clean and smart too. I usually wear the same as I wear to weddings. The Blue Frock.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

Where's here?

Mary

[Andy Hall]

But I am involved.....

Possibly, but for me that doesn't include wearing black, muttering platitudes and looking as miserable as sin.

Exactly so those who want to behave like that can stay away.

Exactly again. The issue for me is "doing what's expected". I am far too much of an individual to go along with that nonsense.

Yes, of the worst form. I wouldn't go.

Of course. But it's from the life side.