Standing Room Only

The Big Issue in the Berwickshire this week is the grave (no pun intended) shortage of space in Borders' cemeteries. Apparently many grave yards are full or nearly so ( controlling waiting time is apparently unworkable) and extra space for expansion is hard to find. Nor is their a crematorium nearer than Ould Reekie to the north or Newcastle to the South (and that is in England. ) 'Benevolent Landowners (oxymoronic suggests a bloggee) are being approached but with £80,000 only available for a crematorium site in the coffers of the Scottish Borders Council there does not seem to be a rush to sell. Low Cost Housing versus a Crematorium may be a hard choice to make for local Lairds looking to dispose of land for the common good.

Hutton has not an immediate problem as with most projections of the local death rate of an elderly but small population the 'new' graveyard should see us out, as it were. Hutton Think Tank in their 'Death-a Vision Thing' forward looking position paper have made radical proposals including burying people standing up to save space in individual or family plots. But vertical coffins are not catching on and there is someresistancee to ordinary lie -in- comfort coffins being interred feet end first. It is possible that Berwick upon Tweed may come to the rescue with a crematorium much more convenient for Merse people than making the long funereal crawl to Edinburgh or Newcastle. 'Come you huddled Mersians yearning to be fried' might be an alternative to the existing Town Motto and I don't suppose anyone except the most radical diehard (again no pun or disrespect intended) Nat would mind ending their days in an English oven. Its not that they would feel a thing.

Its a thought anyhow.  ¶ 12:09 AM