Bar’s funeral was a slightly surreal affair.  We got there an hour early  and the lovely, tiny church was already full.

We had to park in a field up on the main road, about a mile from the church, where there was a fleet of minibuses waiting to ferry us down to the banks of Ravenglass Estuary.  They had to organize it rather like the D-Day Landings – with people either end of the single-track road with walkie-talkies to (try to) ensure they didn’t meet themselves coming back.  (Didn’t always work – but the theory was good …).

There were about 350-400 people at the funeral, and only a tiny percentage of them were inside.  Fortunately, it was an absolutely glorious summer’s day and we got there early enough to nab seats under the trees.  The service was relayed outside and I wish I’d had the nerve to take my camera, because the sight of mourners sitting around un-self-consciously on box tombs and deck chairs they’d brought themselves (they brought the deck chairs – not the box tombs – just in case you were wondering) was just wonderfully bohemian.

The learning experience comes from the fact that we’re expecting almost the same number of people to turn up to our birthday party …

So THAT’S what 400 people looks like …