The phrase "national period of mourning" entered the public vocabulary overnight. When I hear the phrase, I picture huddled masses standing in shopping centres and high streets as they heard the news of the Queen's passing, and then seeing, wherever they go, messages to commemorate the life of an extraordinary monarch.
Among those images, I also picture fans standing in football grounds around the country, emotional audiences at the theatre and communities in towns and villages stood silently bearing witness to a once-in-a-lifetime moment in history. I do not picture these same people being sat silently at home after being told that "mourning" means "doing nothing, on your own."
A wave of event cancellations swept across many different aspects of life this weekend - with the Last Night of the Proms, the Premier League and EFL football and council-run events across the UK called off. Ultimately, by calling off these events, we're making three mistakes.
