What Remains?: Life, Death, Ritual and the Human Art of Undertaking

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It’s not a perfect book - I’ll get to that - but it is seriously powerful, and you’re swept up in such emotion reading it. Silence of the Royal sisters-in-law: Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle 'have not spoken in four years', claims Sussexes 'mouthpiece' Omid Scobie What Remains: Life, Death and the Human Art of Undertaking,” by Ru Callender, published date: 23 March 2023, ISBN 9781915294128 and Kindle Edition, earns three stars.

Ru Callender was moved to become an undertaker through his experience of bereavement and its aftermath. He spent much of his childhood in the hospice where his mother worked, and the caring humanistic philosophy of the hospice movement is central to his work. He opened The Green Funeral Company with Claire in 2000 and the company is now among the country’s best-known eco-friendly funeral directors. In 2012, they won Joint Best Funeral Director at the first Good Funeral Awards and were described as ‘The best undertakers of all time, by a country mile’ by Good Funeral Guide author, Charles Cowling. Ru and Claire spoke at TEDx Totnes on death, grief, ritual and radical funerals. In 2021, Claire left the company and Ru continues with a new colleague.Christina Aguilera sparks a fan frenzy as she arrives at her Melbourne afterparty following rained-out performance at Always Live festival

Walking round the meadow, reading the names on the grave markers, Peaches the lurcher at his side, he remembers all the faces of the people he has buried. “There is Ant Peters buried here. One leg, really eccentric; he lived in a caravan.” Callender gets very involved with the people he buries and their families, something that takes its toll. “It’s hard being around extreme grief,” he says. Callendar went all in on undertaking as a career, very much seat of his pants, but with the goals of speaking the truth of the deceased and building a community. The rest of the book details Callendar's growth in this field, from the early funerals to specific ones that challenged him and the creation of a partnership (and marriage) and eventually dissolution of the partnership with his ex wife Claire. A frequent counterpoint and focus of his ire is on the funerary industry as it exists in the United Kingdom. All this before a ending chapter about Callendar's part in a music/media festival with his heroes. Rita Ora flaunts her jaw-dropping figure in a revealing silver sequin co-ord as she performs at Hits Radio Live in Manchester Traditional undertakers ‘believe an unembalmed body to be too dead for the delicate bereaved. Too close to the reality of what has actually happened.’It's a book destined to join the greats of counterculture nonfiction, like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Cosmic Trigger and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.' Ashley Benson bundles up her baby bump in cozy sweats as she steps out with her dog on a coffee run... after tying the knot with Brandon Davis

Part memoir, part rant against the traditional funeral business, part manifesto, part just musing on death and facing it with compassion and courage. It’s lovely and thoughtful and may make you rethink a few things.' Lily Allen steps out without her wedding ring during a stroll in NYC - after herhusband David Harbour broke his silence about split rumours Doctor Who 60th Anniversary: Fans 'obsessed' by show's 'glorious' new opening titles as sci-fi series makes it's epic return: 'The budget is insane!' This book is great work of craft and beauty, truth and humanity, heart and soul. I believe it could be used as a teaching tool and as a comfort. I find Callender’s approach to this huge subject deeply loving and moving, but also revolutionary in spirit and courageous.’Callender’s vocation came to him in an epiphanic flash, in his 20s, while he was watching daytime TV. Channel surfing, he stumbled across a programme featuring the writer Nicholas Albery, who founded the Natural Death Centre, a charity that informs the public of their rights around funerals and encourages them to get more involved. “I was just catapulted off the sofa. It was like: ‘Oh my God, I’m an undertaker,’” says Callender, before adding: “I was stoned at the time.” This compelling personal story of a pioneering punk undertaker is a moving revelation.' Love Reading And for Callender, that’s what it’s about – getting involved. So what does he think is the perfect funeral? “People who loved that person talking honestly,” he replies. He generally gets things going and sets the tone. “And then someone else will speak and hopefully it just turns into a conversation that can run and run. Until we go: ‘Shall we do it? Shall we bury them?’ Then filling in the grave and sitting around on top of it afterwards having a picnic.” I'm A Celeb's Sam Thompson 'fanboys' over Tony Bellows and shares a hug with the boxer leaving viewers in HYSTERICS: 'This is so cute!'

Patsy Kensit 'rekindles romance with property tycoon fiancé' Patric Cassidy four months after splittingHe's much more concerned with honesty in death not creating pretense or falsehoods in funerals and not using euphemisms like lost or loved ones. Then I expected that. But, as time marches on you learn things. And you know what? People die! Everyday. It is our natural end of life with exception of course of those who die suddenly or young, we ordinarily expect to live until an older age and then we die. No exceptions. Helen Flanagan reveals she and ex Scott Sinclair are not on speaking terms and admits their children have been left 'upset' by the 'very raw' split What is very clear is that Callender has never forgiven his mother for sending him to boarding school after his father died. He does admit this fact early on, but it features in almost every chapter, about how angry he is. I wish he’d done more therapy before he started writing this book because it would have saved chapter space to write about, you know, the thing the book is meant to be about.