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A Home Funeral
Yuli Somme Yuli Somme

A Home Funeral

“We have decorated the shroud [cover]with symbols that represent my life and what is important to me. The central motifs are a tree of life representing my family connections; the Aesculapius rod for my medical career; and honeycomb for my beekeeping. I invited friends and family to help - some embraced the opportunity immediately, while others were initially hesitant (but later became enthusiastic participants).” Jill, 2026

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Reasons to be Sheepful
Yuli Somme Yuli Somme

Reasons to be Sheepful

“Once we have come to terms with the inevitability of our death, then I believe we can fall in love with living” - Manda Scott

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The Science of Natural Burial
Yuli Somme Yuli Somme

The Science of Natural Burial

There is a lack of information available to the general public about the science of methane emissions from natural burial, but there is plenty of mis-information. In this blog, I have pasted a series of emails from Dr. Scott Bridgham, Professor and Director of Environmental Science Institute, University of Oregon.

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History of wool felt making – looking at old ideas
Yuli Somme Yuli Somme

History of wool felt making – looking at old ideas

Archaeological evidence for the use of wool felt in a burial tomb comes from the Altai Mountains in Siberia. Dating from around 600 BC, the permafrost miraculously preserved some huge pieces of wool felt whose purpose is unknown, but their presence in the tomb suggests some ritual significance.

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New Wave Textiles
Yuli Somme Yuli Somme

New Wave Textiles

Over thousands of years humans have had such an impact on the landscape in the UK, it is hard for us to recognise now what is ‘natural’ and what is man-made. We are so used to seeing the uplands denuded of trees that we blindly accept this is ‘natural’. We follow paradigms without question: the UK looks green doesn’t it?

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