New adverntures are well and truly underway. I've begun working as an editor for Your Family History magazine. Currently, I'm officially titled the Research Editor for the magazine, but that is just temporary as I train for something more involved. My output so far includes two editions of our six-page news section and the first edition of a regular column drawing on my background in US genealogy research entitled Letters from America. I'm also prepping articles for issues up through April 2013, starting to commission articles, and developping ideas for stories and new features.
This isn't quite what I saw myself doing when I skidded into Who Do You Think You Are Live? three years ago, but I'm quite happy with where things are going. Writing the news every month is a great to stay on top of it and I'll know about every new genealogy record set that goes online, every major website and online family tree network and type of software for genealogy that there is, and I'll get to go through and pick out the best readers stories and learn new things every day. I'll be gaining some very useful skills as an editor, which can't do me any harm. And I'm told if I call up places and tell them I'm press I can gain free or behind the scenes access to all sorts of things. Now I really like the sound of that. I love to go exploring!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Nashville
Lucy's birthday present to me was a chance to play one of the most famous pianos in the world - the 1947 Steinway at Studio B in Nashville, played by Elvis and many of the best recording artists of the twentieth century. And now me! We drove up to Nashville on the 1st. We visited the Ryman Auditorium and Broadway that afternoon.
I've never listened to country music nor intend to, but the auditorium is an architectural gem and the musical legacy is an integral part of its history. People loved this building - you can feel that when you're there. We also drove out to the new location of the Grand Ole Opry and the boys played in the rain next door at the inevitable shopping complex.
We stayed the night in another grand old Nashville building - the Union Station hotel. There were goods trains passing by our window, which the little boys thought was the ultimate amenity.
Tuesday morning it was time for my birthday treat. The tour starts at the Country Music Hall of Fame - Andrew was very excited to be there. (All my US coins are now in that fountain thanks to two little boys)
After the hall of fame galleries and rotunda, everyone piles on a bus to Studio B to see Nashville's most famous recording studio. And here was the highlight of the trip - the piano.
Apparently, Elvis loved the piano and wanted to acquire it. Manager of the studio Chet Atkins, told him, "Elvis, you don't have a enough money to buy that piano." So here it has remained for six decades of legendary recordings.
I've never listened to country music nor intend to, but the auditorium is an architectural gem and the musical legacy is an integral part of its history. People loved this building - you can feel that when you're there. We also drove out to the new location of the Grand Ole Opry and the boys played in the rain next door at the inevitable shopping complex.
We stayed the night in another grand old Nashville building - the Union Station hotel. There were goods trains passing by our window, which the little boys thought was the ultimate amenity.
Tuesday morning it was time for my birthday treat. The tour starts at the Country Music Hall of Fame - Andrew was very excited to be there. (All my US coins are now in that fountain thanks to two little boys)
After the hall of fame galleries and rotunda, everyone piles on a bus to Studio B to see Nashville's most famous recording studio. And here was the highlight of the trip - the piano.
Apparently, Elvis loved the piano and wanted to acquire it. Manager of the studio Chet Atkins, told him, "Elvis, you don't have a enough money to buy that piano." So here it has remained for six decades of legendary recordings.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
J's holidays
There's been no time to write about my adventures with J this summer. But here are some pictures of me and my little fella. Though he's not so little these days!
Here he is at the train station in Prague - after 13 hours on the train from Poland! There was a beautiful German girl who took a liking to him on the Berlin to Dresden leg. He of course was totally oblivious in that I'm only 12 and haven't discovered Planet Girls yet way. I didn't say anything to him, just smiled to myself.
This is what Gdansk looks like. That dark thing at the end is a 600 year old crane. It's called the Great Crane. I don't think they put a lot of thought into that.
Here he is at the train station in Prague - after 13 hours on the train from Poland! There was a beautiful German girl who took a liking to him on the Berlin to Dresden leg. He of course was totally oblivious in that I'm only 12 and haven't discovered Planet Girls yet way. I didn't say anything to him, just smiled to myself.
I hated it when my mother made us pose for pictures in front of major landmarks on hot days when we were tired. Looks like Jonathan feels the same way. He did cheer up when we got around the corner and he spotted the Museum of Torture. No don't worry, I managed to talk my way out of it. He's a little creeped out by dummies. Instruments of torture are fine, but when I explained that there would be display dummies he was outta there.
This is the two of us having the time of our lives at the Olympic Park. Weather was rubbish. Like we cared!
Every boy loves skipping stones into the sea. We teamed up - I picked through every pebble on Brighton beach looking for flat ones and he kept trying until he got about seven skips.
I miss him terribly.
Monday, July 09, 2012
Today Jonathan visited HMS Belfast where he took on the Captain's duties.
Yesterday, the Olympic torch passed along the New Bedford Road at the bottom of our gardens. Grandpa, Jonathan and I had a front row view of the torch being handed over between torch bearers. We rather enjoyed the whole roadshow that came along with it, though the local Luton police who were escorting the torch appeared to be having the time of their lives. Well, there aren't many days when it's fun to be a policeman.
Our days out have been a lot of fun, but more than anything I'm enjoying just spending evenings sat on the sofa next to my little lad. Tonight, he's giving the panellists on QI a run for their money.
His day out in London with Grandpa also included a visit to Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hind (a mere four hundred years older than the Belfast).
Yesterday, the Olympic torch passed along the New Bedford Road at the bottom of our gardens. Grandpa, Jonathan and I had a front row view of the torch being handed over between torch bearers. We rather enjoyed the whole roadshow that came along with it, though the local Luton police who were escorting the torch appeared to be having the time of their lives. Well, there aren't many days when it's fun to be a policeman.
Our days out have been a lot of fun, but more than anything I'm enjoying just spending evenings sat on the sofa next to my little lad. Tonight, he's giving the panellists on QI a run for their money.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
J's first week in blighty
After two years of anticipation, I collected Jonathan from Heathrow Airport last Thursday. After dropping his gear at my flat in London, he got a quick introduction to the exciting world of genealogy with a visit to London Metropolitan Archives - where he helped me find info for a book research project - and a quick stop by Society of Genealogists where I had to drop off an overdue library book (oh, the thrill of it all!).
His real Olympic adventure began Saturday morning with a tour of Lord's cricket ground in St John's Wood. (no illustrations - his flaky aunt has deleted the photos of him at the ground) It was the last day of tours before they give up the ground to Locog for its transformation into an Olympic venue (archery). Jonathan enjoyed the tour, though I think the real excitement came from spotting a ferrari whilst walking both to and back from the ground to the Underground station. (The rest of the weekend I spent tearing up the streets and parked cars of London in a pokey little VW golf - I've almost managed to shift the mother of all headaches that comes from trying to drive in and out of the centre of London multiples times)
Monday we visited the London Transport Museum. Jonathan enjoyed driving the underground train simulations. Auntie G could barely contain her excitement at seeing old train tickets and posters celebrating Metro-Land - basically seeing several chapters of the book I recently researched come to life.
After two days of work auntie owed the young visitor a proper day out so we rode the High Speed train from St Pancras to Rochester. It's a thirty minute journey to Kent via the Eurostar's dedicated high speed rail line. We sped south at 120 miles per hour and Jonathan loved it. We climbed the castle keep - the lad was a little nervous about the height but he was very pleased with himself when he made it to the top.
The views across the Medway River were wonderful and he was especially pleased with the rusty Russian submarine marooned in the river bend near the castle.
His real Olympic adventure began Saturday morning with a tour of Lord's cricket ground in St John's Wood. (no illustrations - his flaky aunt has deleted the photos of him at the ground) It was the last day of tours before they give up the ground to Locog for its transformation into an Olympic venue (archery). Jonathan enjoyed the tour, though I think the real excitement came from spotting a ferrari whilst walking both to and back from the ground to the Underground station. (The rest of the weekend I spent tearing up the streets and parked cars of London in a pokey little VW golf - I've almost managed to shift the mother of all headaches that comes from trying to drive in and out of the centre of London multiples times)
Monday we visited the London Transport Museum. Jonathan enjoyed driving the underground train simulations. Auntie G could barely contain her excitement at seeing old train tickets and posters celebrating Metro-Land - basically seeing several chapters of the book I recently researched come to life.
Saturday, April 07, 2012
The rules
To paraphrase my heroine Elle Woods, the rules of genealogy are simple and finite:
Rule #1 - Speak to living relatives to get their memories of and information about your ancestors
Rule #2 - Go back and speak to them again
Rule #3 - Go harass them some more
And so on...
Never has this simple formula proved truer than with my own father. The question, "What do you remember about your family?" always draws a blank stare. However, every time I bring up his relatives in conversation, all sorts of information starts to leak out of his brain. And it's always something new, followed by, "I'm sure I've told you this before." Then from me, "NO YOU HAVEN'T! How come I didn't know this."
I called today to tell him that my article about the 1940 census (on stands April 19th) will be featuring a few tales of his parents and a cracking photograph of his mother who was quite a beauty. I thought he'd be quite proud I was showing her off and indeed he was. Nice. And then came the story of how his parents met. All out of order from what I had thought and quite suprising. My grandfather was in the US Navy, serving in the Pacific (this I knew). He was the film projector onboard the ship (this I knew). He was electrocuted by faulty wiring while operating the projector and so badly injured he was sent back to the States to recuperate (err, didn't know that). Apparently, he was unable to feed himself (hell of an electric shock) and at the USO she was sent over to feed him. He recovered and went back to his ship and ended up landing in China. After the war, he came back to New York to find her it seems.
I had thought he had just been demobbed in New York at the end of the war and they'd met at like a dance or something. The real story is so much better than that! It's even a little comical - poor grandpa, his hair probably never sat flat on his head again.
So, everyone, interogate your parents regularly. Ring every bit of info out of them, because who knows what else is in there!!!
Rule #1 - Speak to living relatives to get their memories of and information about your ancestors
Rule #2 - Go back and speak to them again
Rule #3 - Go harass them some more
And so on...
Never has this simple formula proved truer than with my own father. The question, "What do you remember about your family?" always draws a blank stare. However, every time I bring up his relatives in conversation, all sorts of information starts to leak out of his brain. And it's always something new, followed by, "I'm sure I've told you this before." Then from me, "NO YOU HAVEN'T! How come I didn't know this."
I called today to tell him that my article about the 1940 census (on stands April 19th) will be featuring a few tales of his parents and a cracking photograph of his mother who was quite a beauty. I thought he'd be quite proud I was showing her off and indeed he was. Nice. And then came the story of how his parents met. All out of order from what I had thought and quite suprising. My grandfather was in the US Navy, serving in the Pacific (this I knew). He was the film projector onboard the ship (this I knew). He was electrocuted by faulty wiring while operating the projector and so badly injured he was sent back to the States to recuperate (err, didn't know that). Apparently, he was unable to feed himself (hell of an electric shock) and at the USO she was sent over to feed him. He recovered and went back to his ship and ended up landing in China. After the war, he came back to New York to find her it seems.
I had thought he had just been demobbed in New York at the end of the war and they'd met at like a dance or something. The real story is so much better than that! It's even a little comical - poor grandpa, his hair probably never sat flat on his head again.
So, everyone, interogate your parents regularly. Ring every bit of info out of them, because who knows what else is in there!!!
Thursday, April 05, 2012
New digs
I moved house last weekend, to a flat near the common between Balham and Streatham Hill. Built just before WWI, we have the huge ground floor.
There are two gardens, in front and out back which I plan to use as an office when (if/I hope) the weather improves. The two flat mates are great, really friendly, good company, nice boyfriends, you can't ask for more! I shall be subletting for three months until Jonathan arrives. Wow, can't believe its only three months now.
There are two gardens, in front and out back which I plan to use as an office when (if/I hope) the weather improves. The two flat mates are great, really friendly, good company, nice boyfriends, you can't ask for more! I shall be subletting for three months until Jonathan arrives. Wow, can't believe its only three months now.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Hold this for me would you...
With all the talk of Jonathan, lest you (dear readers) are led to believe he is my only nephew, here's a picture of another one, from my Christmas visit to Atlanta. This little fella, like Jonathan, also looks more like me than his Mum.
I had dumped my bag in his lap as a joke, "Here Jacob, hold this for me!" Lucy (my sister) told me off, so I tried to take it back but Jacob was having none of it. He clung to it all the way home, and I thought I may have to relinquish possession on a permanent basis.
I had dumped my bag in his lap as a joke, "Here Jacob, hold this for me!" Lucy (my sister) told me off, so I tried to take it back but Jacob was having none of it. He clung to it all the way home, and I thought I may have to relinquish possession on a permanent basis.
Home Sweet London Home
This is my lovely little house in south London, Lowden Road, Herne Hill to be precise. My home until the end of the month.
It's been life-transforming being in London proper. No restrictions on travel times, no rush to catch the last not horrendously slow every station stopping train back from the city in the evening. Without peak time travel restrictions, I can be at an archive when the doors open or leave and head home whenever I feel like it. After years of Saudi Arabia, boarding schools and small town universities, being able to come and go when I please is one of the most important things for me and I find restrictions on my movements almost unbearable. Oh how wonderful it is to be free!
So then I'm moving again at the end of the month to another house not far from here. They're splendid digs which will suit me very well until the end of June when Jonathan arrives. We'll have a couple days at my house in London and then we'll retire to the family estate at Luton until he heads home in August. Now that will mean a return to restricted travel but....... anything is worth it to have Jonathan here for the summer!
It's been life-transforming being in London proper. No restrictions on travel times, no rush to catch the last not horrendously slow every station stopping train back from the city in the evening. Without peak time travel restrictions, I can be at an archive when the doors open or leave and head home whenever I feel like it. After years of Saudi Arabia, boarding schools and small town universities, being able to come and go when I please is one of the most important things for me and I find restrictions on my movements almost unbearable. Oh how wonderful it is to be free!So then I'm moving again at the end of the month to another house not far from here. They're splendid digs which will suit me very well until the end of June when Jonathan arrives. We'll have a couple days at my house in London and then we'll retire to the family estate at Luton until he heads home in August. Now that will mean a return to restricted travel but....... anything is worth it to have Jonathan here for the summer!
Friday, March 09, 2012
Update of my genealogy goals
Well folks, I have made absolutely zero progress on my 2012 genealogy goals. HOWEVER, last month I did some work for a genealogy show of which I have long been a massive fan which is an ambition fullfilled.
Also last month I was an exhibitor at Who Do You Think You Are Live, the three-day genealogy fair that kicked off my career two years ago. Last year it was very exciting to come back as an exhibitor for the show (rather than a paying customer and aspiring researcher as the year before). Then I worked quite hard, signing up new subscribers to our magazine and selling back issues and genealogy guides for Pen & Sword books. This year I seemed to spend a bit more time exhibiting myself...I struck up a flirtation with a gorgeous chap repesenting a servicemen's charity at the show. I thought he was in his mid-twenties (he told me he owns a house!) but it turns out (I discovered later) he was only 20! I didn't do so badly. Anyway, he has returned home to Preston, Lancashire, well out of harms way.
So, back to the goals. Jonathan has volunteered to be my young apprentice (eat your heart out Donald Trump!) this summer while he's here. Perhaps I'll put him on the case. Our Olympic tickets are all arranged. Now I just have to get plane/train tickets for Gdansk and Prague (his requests!) and figure out exactly how to keep him entertained. Though really, when Jonathan is around, Auntie Genevieve is the one who is entertained. He is the cleverest, funniest, brightest kid out there. We'll have six glorious weeks together. I can't wait!
Also last month I was an exhibitor at Who Do You Think You Are Live, the three-day genealogy fair that kicked off my career two years ago. Last year it was very exciting to come back as an exhibitor for the show (rather than a paying customer and aspiring researcher as the year before). Then I worked quite hard, signing up new subscribers to our magazine and selling back issues and genealogy guides for Pen & Sword books. This year I seemed to spend a bit more time exhibiting myself...I struck up a flirtation with a gorgeous chap repesenting a servicemen's charity at the show. I thought he was in his mid-twenties (he told me he owns a house!) but it turns out (I discovered later) he was only 20! I didn't do so badly. Anyway, he has returned home to Preston, Lancashire, well out of harms way.
So, back to the goals. Jonathan has volunteered to be my young apprentice (eat your heart out Donald Trump!) this summer while he's here. Perhaps I'll put him on the case. Our Olympic tickets are all arranged. Now I just have to get plane/train tickets for Gdansk and Prague (his requests!) and figure out exactly how to keep him entertained. Though really, when Jonathan is around, Auntie Genevieve is the one who is entertained. He is the cleverest, funniest, brightest kid out there. We'll have six glorious weeks together. I can't wait!
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
2012 genealogy goals
My boss Mr Nick Barratt polled his twitter followers last month on their genealogy goals for the New Year. I posted some short suggestions. Here’s my expanded list for 2012.
1. Bones - A 1903 newspaper clipping reported on how my great-great grandfather recovered a complete mastodon skeleton in Montana and tells us that he was hoarding old bones. “Jack Ducie, the well-known mining man…has a collection of fossiliferous bones at his home which would no doubt be highly prized by institutions of learning…” He died in 1917 and I want to find out which institution got the bones. My 12 year-old nephew wants to be a paleontologist. I would love for him to be able to study Jack’s bones.
2. Babies - Jack was born in England to Irish parents fleeing famine in Mayo, Ireland. There were at least eight children. Our family knew of four who later emigrated and I’ve found another four that didn’t make it through childhood. Were there more? They were Catholics and some years ago I tracked the local records down to an archdiocese archive in Birmingham which is begging for a visit.
3. Bigamist – Another great-great grandfather – English born and bred – legged it to Canada in 1910 with his son-in-law’s sister on his arm. They had a daughter born in Montreal and two grandsons. Auntie May was a bit of a looker – we have an amazing picture of her – but grandpa Arthur remains our mystery man. Could the boys [same age as my parents] in Canada have a picture? Having spent last summer working as a people searcher, it’s time to turn my new skills on my own distant cousins. I hope they’re friendly guys and obsessive hoarders of family memorabilia.
4. Baron – An obit in The Gentleman’s Magazine in 1822 purports that my 4x great-grandfather Charles Baron of Hitchin, Hertfordshire died in his hundredth year. Did the monarch send centenary birthday greetings in the 1820s? Probably no, but there must be more information about this chap and I mean to find it. Also, we don’t know his origins. But there are an awful lot of Barons up north. Could I secretly be one one hundred and second Northern?
1. Bones - A 1903 newspaper clipping reported on how my great-great grandfather recovered a complete mastodon skeleton in Montana and tells us that he was hoarding old bones. “Jack Ducie, the well-known mining man…has a collection of fossiliferous bones at his home which would no doubt be highly prized by institutions of learning…” He died in 1917 and I want to find out which institution got the bones. My 12 year-old nephew wants to be a paleontologist. I would love for him to be able to study Jack’s bones.
2. Babies - Jack was born in England to Irish parents fleeing famine in Mayo, Ireland. There were at least eight children. Our family knew of four who later emigrated and I’ve found another four that didn’t make it through childhood. Were there more? They were Catholics and some years ago I tracked the local records down to an archdiocese archive in Birmingham which is begging for a visit.
3. Bigamist – Another great-great grandfather – English born and bred – legged it to Canada in 1910 with his son-in-law’s sister on his arm. They had a daughter born in Montreal and two grandsons. Auntie May was a bit of a looker – we have an amazing picture of her – but grandpa Arthur remains our mystery man. Could the boys [same age as my parents] in Canada have a picture? Having spent last summer working as a people searcher, it’s time to turn my new skills on my own distant cousins. I hope they’re friendly guys and obsessive hoarders of family memorabilia.
4. Baron – An obit in The Gentleman’s Magazine in 1822 purports that my 4x great-grandfather Charles Baron of Hitchin, Hertfordshire died in his hundredth year. Did the monarch send centenary birthday greetings in the 1820s? Probably no, but there must be more information about this chap and I mean to find it. Also, we don’t know his origins. But there are an awful lot of Barons up north. Could I secretly be one one hundred and second Northern?
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Pardon our appearance
Apologies for appearances! I tried to mess around with the html code for my blog recently and completely mucked it up, hence the bizarre formatting. I am trying to fix it, but this isn't exactly my area of expertise and could take a while.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Roommate reunion
I'm playing catch-up and have only just got around to posting some pictures from September. I had a fantastic week mid-September when I hosted an unofficial reunion of some of my New York roommates. Courtnie Checketts (my roommate at 45 Wall Street)was in town for a week after hosting a memorial concert for 9/11 here in London at the St George's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Southwark. We spent six glorious days together! And on the Monday we were joined by Reghan Sybrowsky now Christensen (my roommate in the East Village)and her husband Kristian, who is also one of my favourite pals from my days in the city.
Our gang of four spent the day in Maritime Greenwich, one of London's most interesting neighbourhoods. We took the river taxi from Embankment Pier, about a forty-five minute journey, during which they all graciously endured a full briefing on the history of the waterfront slums of the East End which had featured prominently in an extensive family history I had just written. At Greenwich, we climbed the hill to the Royal Observatory where we took pictures of the Prime Meridien and enjoyed views of the entire city. Back in the lovely Georgian streets below, they found a great fish and chip shop and we enjoyed a very English lunch. The afternoon we spent wandering Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and just getting caught up on each others news and goings on in New York. I'd also had a bit of a, well let's call it a romantic disappointment, and it was wonderful to have three such good friends to cheer me up and talk me round. I couldn't believe how much better I felt about it all by the end of the day and I've been fine ever since. I wish they could be here all the time!
The next day Reghan and Kristian left for Bath and the West Country and Courtnie and I boarded the Eurostar for an overnight trip to Paris.
This was her first visit to France and we tried to fit in as much as we could. The day ended with us sat on the lawns behind the Tour Eiffel, where Parisians like to congregate and picnic in the evening, and at 9 on the dot the tower played host to a dazzling blue and white light show that reflected Courtnie's feelings - Paris had dazzled her and I was so glad to be there with her.
Thursday morning we said goodbye at St Pancras as she headed to Heathrow. It's been tough to be these past 18 months away from all my friends. We talk on the phone but it's not the same as having friends with you in person. Thanks goodness London is a place everyone likes to visit!
Our gang of four spent the day in Maritime Greenwich, one of London's most interesting neighbourhoods. We took the river taxi from Embankment Pier, about a forty-five minute journey, during which they all graciously endured a full briefing on the history of the waterfront slums of the East End which had featured prominently in an extensive family history I had just written. At Greenwich, we climbed the hill to the Royal Observatory where we took pictures of the Prime Meridien and enjoyed views of the entire city. Back in the lovely Georgian streets below, they found a great fish and chip shop and we enjoyed a very English lunch. The afternoon we spent wandering Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and just getting caught up on each others news and goings on in New York. I'd also had a bit of a, well let's call it a romantic disappointment, and it was wonderful to have three such good friends to cheer me up and talk me round. I couldn't believe how much better I felt about it all by the end of the day and I've been fine ever since. I wish they could be here all the time!
The next day Reghan and Kristian left for Bath and the West Country and Courtnie and I boarded the Eurostar for an overnight trip to Paris.
This was her first visit to France and we tried to fit in as much as we could. The day ended with us sat on the lawns behind the Tour Eiffel, where Parisians like to congregate and picnic in the evening, and at 9 on the dot the tower played host to a dazzling blue and white light show that reflected Courtnie's feelings - Paris had dazzled her and I was so glad to be there with her.
Thursday morning we said goodbye at St Pancras as she headed to Heathrow. It's been tough to be these past 18 months away from all my friends. We talk on the phone but it's not the same as having friends with you in person. Thanks goodness London is a place everyone likes to visit!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Missing Millions
My first tv show premiers tomorrow. Missing Millions on UK's ITV channel. I helped track down the lady in the first episode and worked on many more of the stories in upcoming episodes. Read about this week's episode.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Ightham
What's better than spending a day out with two of your best friends - especially friends who are so close they are more like family. 
Friday, I had my first proper day off in a really long time and took Katrina and Becky Robertson to explore a house I've long wanted to visit: Ightham Mote. It's a like a geological strata, bearing layers of architectural and social history stretching back to the 14th century.
Becky will be headed off to university soon, so we're trying to fit in as much as we can now my work crazy time has finished.
You can come stay in this bit.
Next up: me and the whole Robertson gang are headed to The Globe to see Much Ado About Nothing.
Friday, I had my first proper day off in a really long time and took Katrina and Becky Robertson to explore a house I've long wanted to visit: Ightham Mote. It's a like a geological strata, bearing layers of architectural and social history stretching back to the 14th century.
Becky will be headed off to university soon, so we're trying to fit in as much as we can now my work crazy time has finished.
You can come stay in this bit.
Next up: me and the whole Robertson gang are headed to The Globe to see Much Ado About Nothing.Friday, July 29, 2011
Escapology
A cunning plan has been executed. Wednesday morning two little boys called down from the bannisters above, "Hello Mummy!" Two little boys whose last known whereabouts was tucked up in their beds in the cosy little room they share above my sister's garage. Two little boys, who at thirty and fourteen months of age, aren't supposed to be able to get themselves up in the morning and casually make their way down to join their Mummy and elder siblings. The looks of delight on their little faces made it clear they knew this, and were quite proud of their achievement.
But how did they escape? They weren't talking. One can't anyway. The elder and probably chief conspirator would only say of baby Jacob's escape, "Goggy fell off". When asked how he, Andrew, got out of his crib, the answer was "I don't know." I think Andrew reached through Jacob's bars and hefted the little guy up over the side of the crib and he tumbled down onto something soft, namely Andrew. Andrew's route to freedom is more of a puzzle. Yesterday morning, they were retrieved by my sister. Jacob had caught his leg between the bars of his crib (another escape attempt gone wrong?) and as my sister held him to sooth his, albeit mild, distress, Andrew got anxious and demanded, "My turn to get up!" No way was he going to climb out and reveal his tactics.
But how did they escape? They weren't talking. One can't anyway. The elder and probably chief conspirator would only say of baby Jacob's escape, "Goggy fell off". When asked how he, Andrew, got out of his crib, the answer was "I don't know." I think Andrew reached through Jacob's bars and hefted the little guy up over the side of the crib and he tumbled down onto something soft, namely Andrew. Andrew's route to freedom is more of a puzzle. Yesterday morning, they were retrieved by my sister. Jacob had caught his leg between the bars of his crib (another escape attempt gone wrong?) and as my sister held him to sooth his, albeit mild, distress, Andrew got anxious and demanded, "My turn to get up!" No way was he going to climb out and reveal his tactics.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Bruges
I've been to Belgium this weekend. Beautiful weather, hot frites, delicious ice cream and great company. The main square was throned with people enjoying blue skies and the kind of wonderfully ornate buildings we just don't have on this side of le channel.
It was about 24 years ago in this place that I discovered people in the know ate their fries with mayonnaise. Even as a kid I was obsessed with good food. I've never looked back.
It was about 24 years ago in this place that I discovered people in the know ate their fries with mayonnaise. Even as a kid I was obsessed with good food. I've never looked back.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Wet weekend in Wales
I spent May bank holiday weekend in southern Wales. We spent the night in Cardiff, dodging stag parties, hoards of Englishmen in silly outfits, I was so proud.
We collected our car in the morning. A visit to Cardiff Bay was literally a wash out, but by the time we got to Swansea the rain had stopped and it was clear when we got to the Gower Peninsula. We nearly got blown off the cliffs by the gusts of wind. We had dinner in Tenby and spent the night in a place called Manorbier.
In the morning we went exploring the beach below the hotel. I love climbing over rocks and dodging the tide.
We drove along the Pembrokeshire coast and stopped at St Govan's Chapel. The we headed north through Pembroke and on to St. David's. The catherdral is purple. Seriously, it's built of purple stone, I've never seen anything like it.
After two days on the coast we turned inland to head to the Brecon Becons. We stayed the last night in a hostel in the middle of nowhere, on top of a Welsh mountain. In the morning, we had breakfast at a Welsh farmhouse and I chatted to the farmer about the age of the various parts of the house. I'm never off duty!
After three days of driving, it felt strange to be back on foot on Tuesday. And I miss eating Welsh lamb burgers.
We collected our car in the morning. A visit to Cardiff Bay was literally a wash out, but by the time we got to Swansea the rain had stopped and it was clear when we got to the Gower Peninsula. We nearly got blown off the cliffs by the gusts of wind. We had dinner in Tenby and spent the night in a place called Manorbier.
In the morning we went exploring the beach below the hotel. I love climbing over rocks and dodging the tide.
We drove along the Pembrokeshire coast and stopped at St Govan's Chapel. The we headed north through Pembroke and on to St. David's. The catherdral is purple. Seriously, it's built of purple stone, I've never seen anything like it. After two days on the coast we turned inland to head to the Brecon Becons. We stayed the last night in a hostel in the middle of nowhere, on top of a Welsh mountain. In the morning, we had breakfast at a Welsh farmhouse and I chatted to the farmer about the age of the various parts of the house. I'm never off duty!Later, we trekked for what seemed like hours to see a series of waterfalls. It was a wet day to begin with. We tried to dodge the mud and puddles, but nearly came home with a case of fin rot. It was worth the effort though.
After three days of driving, it felt strange to be back on foot on Tuesday. And I miss eating Welsh lamb burgers.Monday, May 02, 2011
The holidays are comin', the holidays are comin'.....
I'm heading back to Wales, but this time on my 'olidays. Haven't these past two weekends been holidays??? Well, um, no, actually. Although I did take much of Friday off to check out a couple of real beauties, no not the Middleton sisters but some old WWII clunkers, see below. Yeah, I'm now completely obsessed with WWII aircraft and planning to attend the airshow at Biggleswade August Bank Holiday. But back to this month. So we made all our arrangements yesterday. We are off to Wales, collecting a car in Cardiff and heading north to take in the Western coast and the national park at Snowdownia. My friend wants to climb Mount Snowdon. Yep, good luck, I'll be doing a drop off and heading somewhere a little flatter that day. Mountains are ok, but rugged coastline is more my thing and if I'm going to plunge to my death, I at least want to hear a terrific splashing sound before I meet my maker. Not that I have the nuts to go that close to the edge. But anyway, am looking forward to some time by the sea and my ever beach-ready bod is dying to dive into the freezing waves. Woooooo-hoooooooooo
Royal Wedding Day
I wasn't looking forward to the royal wedding this past weekend. I didn't mind it in theory, but having it rammed down your throat by our imagination-free media has been something of a problem the past six months. I had planned to give the whole thing a skip and bury myself in work. No chance.
A persuasive friend hauled me into London for the day. So if you can't beat them, join them, but then beat them all to a good spot! Once there, I was determined we were going to have a decent view of something. I elbowed my way through the crowds and found us a high wall on Whitehall with a great view of the action. See the X on the map below, above the label Number 5.
I have to admit for the first time all day, I felt a bit emotional. Show me a happy, beautiful young couple in love and I'm like yeah, whatever. Show me something old and I'm all a-titter.
A persuasive friend hauled me into London for the day. So if you can't beat them, join them, but then beat them all to a good spot! Once there, I was determined we were going to have a decent view of something. I elbowed my way through the crowds and found us a high wall on Whitehall with a great view of the action. See the X on the map below, above the label Number 5.
This is the point all the cars en route to the Abbey turned on to Whitehall, and we had a nice glimpse of the bride on her way. On the return journey we could see the carriage with the couple coming all the way up Whitehall and then turn back into Horseguards. Again, the bride was on our side, I gotta say it was pretty cool. We also had a laugh as we were some of the first to see the escaped horse!
However, definitely the highlight of the day was the flypast. We had gone back up to Trafalgar Sq to see the whole gang do the balcony appearance. They announced there would be a fly past by a Lancaster WWII bomber. They showed footage from the cockpit but I didn't realise the route would pass over us. Then we heard the most wonderful chuddering mechanical whirr, looked back over our shoulders to the skies over St Martins in the Fields, and suddenly the aircraft appeared, a Lancaster flanked by the lithe forms of a Spitfire and a Hurricane. They passed immediately over our heads and were so close, not more than 200-300 feet above us.
I have to admit for the first time all day, I felt a bit emotional. Show me a happy, beautiful young couple in love and I'm like yeah, whatever. Show me something old and I'm all a-titter.
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