Summerhall, Edinburgh | Liz Rothschild - Full Circle Productions

Staying at home

My Dad’s body was at home for a week in winter and did smell awfully after two days so he

In the way

As a farmer’s wife I decided I’d like to be buried right in the centre of our biggest flattest field

Smoke gets in your eyes

My own experience has been of home death of a partner divorced but reconciled. Could not have the funeral we

Another daddy

Sitting on a bench on the top of a hill, after shouting “hello” into the world, my 3 year old

Keeping her alive

My wife Yeal died at the age of 31, a couple of months after giving birth since then I kept

Biodegradable cremation

My mother left a letter describing what she wanted after her death. This included a bio-degradable coffin. Further on in

Bones in a bin liner

A Brazilian friend of mine told me that after her dad died, her brother kept his bones in a bin

Celebration or not?

I feel that the current custom of funerals “celebrating the life of” often conceals and impedes the expression of grief

Uncarers

We sat with out 94 year old father while he died all day of pneumonia – at about 8 pm

Social Denial

Not a story but a suggestion. As our society is increasingly death denying it makes it much harder for those

The Prince of Egypt

The first death I know about was my great grandmother. I was quite young, maybe 4 or 5 and was

Thunderclap

My father was of the “Just put me in a binbag” conversation re his funeral. At the undertaker, however, when

Tea Music

When I had a brush with cancer I started deciding on funeral music. When I mentioned it to some people

Matriculating

I’ve been seeing those golden points all my life. I have lately begun to speculate that they are my matriculating

Strange taboos

I met an old lady who told me that when she was a little girl her mother handed her the

Dealing with death

When I was 9 years old my father taught me how to lay out the dead when one of the

Balloon Ride 2

My sister’s husband died days after his fiftieth birthday. She wanted to take him home from hospital to put him

Oma Wacka

So when Oma Wacka died I was probably 12. She had always been somewhere around, in the garden or the

Nana

It was a couple of years ago. I was stage crewing for a show. I was encouraged by my family

Box or bin liner?

I have always been fascinated by death, not necessarily from a morbid perspective. From an early age I recognised it

First death

When I was a little boy my goldfish died. It was still, in its bowl, lying one eye up on

Leaving Party

A friend of the family, my dad’s old school friend, threw a party when she learn she had incurable cancer.

Fear

Dying, that I’m not afraid of………like most people, more afraid of a painful death than death itself,

Beep

I remember watching my great aunt pass. My cousin messaged to tell us the time was close. It was the

Withdrawal

When I was around 8 years old my great-grandmother died at the age of 99. Around two weeks before I

Overheating

My Dad died last year (2015). He was Irish, brought up Catholic and we had him cremated here in England

Everything went wrong

I wish I had seen this before my grandparents died. One quick story. At my grandad’s funeral (same crematorium for

Grief

I was a nurse for 44 years, worked on ICU, hospices and labour. My own Dad just died at 88

Nurse stories

(Worked as a Macmillan nurse within the Edinburgh community) A 70 year old woman who has never taken alcohol, found

Countdown

In the last days before he died my husband asked to watch the TV (very unusual). He said he wanted

Volvo for sale

When my Nan was on her deathbed she was asked about her obituary. She said: “I want… Margret Hampson Died peacefully

Tom Beetroot

Once we had a rabbit (Tom Beetroot) who escaped from his hutch. We all thought he was dead for about

Dead crow

Once on a shamanic journey I had the experience of BEING DEAD. I was a dead crow, on my back,

Fiddlers at the grave

I have a story for you Liz, which I heard from my friend Ros at the funeral of our friend.

Roses and dresses

I am 26 years old and in the last year I have died almost twice. As a Greek Orthodox and

Jacqueline Wilson

When my auntie died, who was also my Godmother, it was the first funeral I had ever been to and

With Nellie

Toby’s mum is buried [ashes] on our allotment along with our dog, Nellie. Pam would be very pleased as she’s

Memorial

When my mother died in 1998 we thought it would be good to busy her ashes and create a memorial

Sorry for your loss

In our western culture, we naturally say “sorry” to those grieving for a deceased one. After seeing this show, I

The right way and the army way

I was very nervous to visit my father’s grave once I received word that his stone had been engraved. This

Denial

I asked my mother what my grandma wanted for her funeral (my grandma was very unwell at the time and

Washed

I was especially touched by your washing story, when you have a child you are so protective of who cares

Washing

I could never wash my parent’s bodies. My mother died 6 years ago and she would have been horrified for

Nursing

I can relate to many of your stories, being a nurse I have witnessed all aspects of death. I feel

Balloon ride

A brief story of my sister whose husband died days after his 50th birthday. She wanted to take him home

Modest receptacle

I felt under pressure when planning my father’s funeral to keep his brother ‘happy’ by going with more elaborate coffin

Beer toast

When my grandmother died I was away, in Germany, and as I knew about her death I bought a beer

Life support

When my grandpa had a massive stroke and was taken to hospital and it became clear he would not recover,

Catharsis

My friend’s dad died when we were both 17 and her mum’s valentine friend organised an evening where her and

Connection

I am 20 and I have been surprised with two pregnancies and have gone through the process of having an

Stories from: Summerhall, Edinburgh