The hooligans - they love to be up high and looking out on the world.
Sorry to be quiet. We have Tam here for a few days - she's taking me out for a meal today at the best gastro-pub in Wales. Part of my Christmas present. I shall have to dress up for once! Perhaps I had better clean the car too, as it's filthy . . .
I have been deep in family history research too, following up the snippets of information given me half a lifetime ago. I finally got to the bottom of one, and now know how we are related to a Monica W. . . . . . But that tenuous Bolt link has led to another brick wall, as I cannot for the life of me find a Mary Ann born at the right time in Throwleigh . . .
Another "gotcha" moment ended in disappointment when I found that the bridegroom was a sojourner in the parish his wife came from so I can't trace HIM any further back either (this is pre-census.)
There's an old saying, "when one door opens, another slams in your face" which is fairly apt at times when it comes to family history.
I shall try another branch of the family tree for research as the Bolts are so frustrating. I did find out a bit more about K's g.grandmother last week, in that the poor girl had had another child out of wedlock, but he died at just 13 weeks old. No death-bed confession about him - he remained a secret not needing to be told. Illigitimate (natural, baseborn, bastard - depending on the kindness of the vicar) children seemed a regular feature in some parishes. One I was checking yesterday seemed to list baseborn children every other baptism! One woman had given birth to yet ANOTHER (her 7th, the Vicar primly wrote) but obviously got her man finally, as two months later she married the baby's father.
I took myself off for a 4 mile round trip walk to our little church this week, hoping that the Snowdrops would be fully out there, but it's cooler down by the river and they are a week or two behind the ones on higher ground. I was glad to get back - quite a few hills each way and my legs wanted to rest!
Enjoy your weekend, all.
hmmm, Commenting is still being problematic, as you no doubt have found out yourself. You are unearthing some fascinating family history. Unfortunately Mary Ann is quite a common name. I have found several on all sides of my family history.
ReplyDeleteMaybe your not so tiny hooligans were Mountaineers in a former incarnation?
Enjoy your lunch. You deserve it. Of course details and menus will be required.
Just plain Mary is the name which has come down through the generations. My dearly-loved Aunty who has just died was the last Mary in the family, so the name was precious and carried forward through the generations.
DeleteLunch was great - will do a write up later.
Ooh I wonder where the best gastro pub in Wales is?
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time with Tam you certainly deserve some r and r
Alison in Wales x
Near Brecon. It was LOVELY to have a meal out and an afternoon off.
DeleteThose kittens love that window sill and jar don't they. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy Dad did our family tree a few years ago and got relatively (boom boom) far back, but to be honest I was never that interested. In fact I was horrified when some living relations appeared out of the woodwork and my Mum and Dad started visiting them. We really do not need more wacky relatives, we have more than enough already.
They want to BE out now of course, but I will probably wait until they've been spayed.
DeleteI've met some of my rellies (about 4th cousins) and they've all been delightful folk and I stay in touch with most of them.
Oh yes, please let us know where you went and what you ate. I have been to the Walnut Tree Inn, near Abergavenng, twice. The first time in 1992 was sublime, the second time in 2017 was a complete disappointment which underlines that you should never try to recreate an experience. Those kittens are up to something I can tell. Looks as if they are ready for the great outdoors. Now won’t that be fun, gardening with the help of Pippi and Lulu, it will be like gardening with toddlers all over again. Treated myself to a nice clean copy of Sussex Churches & Chapels from the bookshop today. Really hoping it will be sunny for a spot of gardening tomorrow and on Monday we’re at the hospital for a neurologist appointment at 11am so as soon as that is over we’ll go to the beach for a walk and have a picnic if it’s fine - pub lunch at Dell Quay if not! Have a lovely time with Tam, I am seeing rather too much of my T - thanks to his broken foot! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteWell hoping for a picture of you dressed up to go out. Family history is so interesting. Mum researched extensively and my cousin put it all on ancestry.com. There was what looked like incest way back and no royalty as Mum had hoped or "gentry " when she found the last name Tatton to do with the cotton mill moguls. We originally came from Scandinavia and possibly Spain. Because of the last name Grimes and other evidence. My dad who was a German prisoner of war when he met Mum, also researched his family tree and I have it all written by hand on a multi taped together to make it big enough piece of paper it goes back to the 16 hundreds.
ReplyDeleteMy family went through the same search, looking for a royalty bastard in the family, don't think they found one. I was lucky as I found my birth family but we don't really keep in touch, but it is funny being the eldest of four others. Enjoy your meal with Tam.
ReplyDeleteOh, all these photos coming in from your neck of the woods make me quite hungry for spring!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed your meal with Tam.
ReplyDeleteI leave the family history to others, I always seem to hit a dead end whenever I try to do something.
God bless.