HONOUR AND OBEY

©Priscilla Etienne Funeography®

It seems that the long term partner of Orson Welles, is interfering with his final request to release negatives for his last film to be made. The movie called 'The Other Side Of The Wind', has been funded by donors who are fans of Orson Welles. The amount raised is almost two hundred and eighty nine thousand towards the movies completion.
It was shot between  the nineteen seventies and eighties but was unfinished when he died in nineteen eighty five. Clint Eastwood and Sophia Coppolla are among the high profile financial backers.
The movie was set to be completed on the sixth of May last year which was Orson's one hundredth Birthday. There are unconfirmed reports that his partner, Oja Kodar still has all the negatives and won't release them. Orson clearly wanted the film to be made and asked his friend who starred in it, Peter Bogdanovich to help make it happen. So why does his partner allegedly want to hold on to it?
Above material gains for such actions, accepting and following someone's last wishes should be paramount.

Linda Bellingham's sons are having a different problem with her husband Michael Pattimore. He has allegedly deprived them of their inheritance and family home.
Many parents would want their children to have some type of security or keepsake in the event of their death. Families that are left behind must not stand in the way of last wishes. They may not make sense, they may not be agreeable, they may even be ridiculous, but the best way to show how much they were valued in life is to honour and obey them in death.

I dedicate this blog to Prince Rogers Nelson, who honoured the craft of music and never obeyed rules, but always for positive reasons. May he rest in peace.

The Gunns Are Gone

The Gunn's are gone from Devonshire Road, Custom House East London.

A few weeks ago I was at my dear friends dads funeral, Teddy Gunn. Two of his daughters and granddaughters were wearing his caps. He was a chelsea boot and flat cap man and rarely left the house without a cap. It was a nice touch when his daughters approached his coffin to lay their single red roses followed by removing his caps they were wearing and placing them on top.
Teddy and Victoria raised their five children and lived a really simple but busy life.
I have known them and their wonderful family for 27 years. To me they had a bit of a double act routine going on, Teddy was quick with his comments but Vicky was just as quick with her answers. A lot of the time it was hard for me to hide my laughter.

In the end the house didn't belong to them, they belonged to the house and to the road. My last reason to walk down Devonshire Road has gone with them.

I'll miss you Teddy, as I miss Victoria.

I dedicate this blog to your great granddaughter Ruby.

"Life Is A Waste Of Time. Time Is A Waste Of Life. Get Wasted All The Time And You'll Have The Time Of Your Life". Billy Connolly.

On Tuesday I had the great pleasure of seeing Billy Connolly at Hammersmith Apollo. As I walked up to the entrance, an equally eager Stephen Merchant was waiting to go in. There were lots of people, including me taking pictures of the outside of the building. I don't know if they wanted a general memento of the evening or whether they wanted it 'just in case'.

His tour is called the High Horse and he doesn't sit down once in the two hours. That pleased me, and I think surprised many. Touring is really tiring for those in good health, so it's definitely equally difficult for Billy. The change in the amount of movement he does, screams out, as all he can manage now is a small march; as he mimics his granddad coupled with his dislike of socialising. The record for spending time with his grandad was seven minutes and he got to six when introducing Pamela.
His memory is faltering a bit more now and when he stopped a few times there was a voice shouting the line he just said, to jog his memory, although at one point when this happened he responded by saying; "I know where I am, I'm trying to think of how to fu*king say it". His left arm now stays mostly bent and against his side. He called it his 'Invisible raincoat holder'.

Although he hasn't left us yet, the fact that he has taken part in programmes about mortality and has embarked on this tour, feels very much like a farewell, and I'm gonna miss this, kind of vibe.

It's unusual for me to write about someone while they are still here, but I couldn't help getting emotional while watching him, and realising that I am beginning to miss the Billy Connolly I remember. A truly gifted, and wonderfully warm person.

See you at the next posting.