Farewell

While we didn't get up earlier than usual, we did "get a bit of a wiggle on". We had planned to get on the road just after the rush hour. We were heading for Brentwood to say farewell to my cousin, Anne (Murphy) Warwicker. With the A29 closed at Shripney, we drove across to pick up Long Furlong and the A24. Though a longer route, it was pretty clear (being half-term) and was plain sailing from there. We arrived at Chalfont Hall Farm, where we were meeting up with Jane and Trevor in about 2 and a quarter hours.

We had a couple of hours to kill before the funeral, so we sat and chatted over coffee until it was time to leave. The Crematorium was only about a mile up the road, so we were there in a couple of minutes. Having parked, we mingled with cousins and friends. We chatted with Liz, Rick, Tina, Pete, Simon, Cary, and Grace. The service was short and a little "antiseptic", somehow lacking the emotional connection you might expect at the loss of the matriarch of that side of the family. I was also surprised that there was no contingent from the Murphy side of the family.

After the funeral, we gathered at the local golf club for a small reception. I chatted with Kerry, Anne's son, and his wife, who had both flown in from New Jersey. Diane and I circulated and chatted for a couple of hours, occasionally grazing at the buffet table.

We left at 16:00 and headed home. We decided to avoid the traffic chaos at the M25 junction and drove down to the A127, picking up the motorway at the next exit. This proved to be an easy route, but it only siphoned onto the motorway to get stuck in a jam further around. It was 18:40 before we got home and settled down for a quiet evening.