Potato Dauphinoise for Keith tonight (only the kids have always called this Cheesy Potatoes). One of Keith's favourite meals, and served with a good piece of Salmon and some peas.
I have spent the afternoon watching Badminton Horse Trials on the tv, so that was a real indulgence. Loved it and my favourite, Ros Canter, won it. I have Canter relatives in my South Hams (Devon) ancestors but looking at her, I would say we are no relation as she is gingery and freckly and Anglo-Saxon looking and we are dark and more Celtic-looking.
Then I did a bit more family history, this time tracing back my 3 x g. grandmother, Jenny Smalridge of Devon. I looked at one person's tree, and got the giggles when I saw they had put down SEVEN John's, living consecutively, and dieing at various times, some doubles, and then one who managed to die a year before he was born! Have people NO common sense? Or they blindly copy other people's trees. NOTHING goes on mine now unless I am 100% sure and have researched the individual myself and am satisfied it's 100% correct. How I wish though, that I could get through my personal maiden surname brick-wall . . . No assumptions can be made - John and William share the same surname (and only them) in their village, but I can't tie them to parents. Their ages vary so in the censuses - John has a difference of 8 years between two censuses. In the 1841 census he is 45, and in the 1851 he is 63!
I shall probably regret it, but I did some work in the garden today - just sitting down/kneeling weeding of the cobbles. We shall see how I feel in the morning.
The wild flowers are beautiful in the hedgerows - Lady's Smock, Greater Stitchwort, Bluebells, a few sprigs of Cow Parsley, Lords & Ladies (heard it called a very North Country name this week - the Willy Lily!!! Love it!), Primroses, Cowslips, Hedge Mustard. I just wish I could go for a good walk to enjoy them close hand. My lawn is covered in wild Violets - just the ordinary purply-blue ones - but they are so pretty and it seems a shame to have to mow them down this week but they come again.
Oh, and the Swifts are back in town. I heard their screams over the house this morning, but they were above the clouds I think as I couldn't see them. However, they were flying lower this afternoon - it's SO good to see them back. I must go along the Groe tomorrow and look for Sand Martins.
Time to keep Keith company now. After a couple of days on his new blood pressure-rising pills when he was better, the low dose seems to have worn off now and we are back to square one. It is so frustrating for him, poor man.
I've noticed that same thing on ancestry 'trees'--dates that make absolutely no sense. I think it represents a very passing interest in true genealogy--copy a few names, slap them up without investigating family groups, marriage data and such. Done and dusted. I've been able to trace a good number of women in both my paternal [French Canadian] and maternal lines. But oh, the head-banging as we search for information lost--or maybe never properly recorded [?]
ReplyDeleteAnd then there's J.'s paternal line with a 3 x g-grandmother who produced at least 3 children without benefit of a husband!
You've summed it up very well Sharon. Some trees have 20 or so names. I am up to 900+ already, all carefully checked out. They don't go on there unless I'm 100% sure. Checked out the only pair of brothers I could find this morning who "might" be right, and found that John stayed put in the area so can't be the one in Hennock. If only they hadn't put "born Hennock" down as they certainly were NOT!
DeleteAs for children born out of wedlock - that's as frustrating as having "sojourner" written beside the husband! I do wonder if folk DID actually know which year they were born - numerically, rather than "the year of the bad storm" or "really bad harvest". It strikes me that John Bolt just made it up for the enumerator!
I still think the best entry was the lass that died at 7 years old, having matured, married and had a family during that short life span :)
Life in the present is hard enough to keep sorted. Lord knows I don't have the time to sort the past!
DeleteFamily tree researching can be so frustrating at times. Agree the hedgerows are looking wonderful at the moment as more and more wildflowers appear.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a swift yet but there are plenty of house martins in Herefordshire and I saw my first swallows last week.
I love Potato Dauphinois - one of my favourites.
Sorry to hear about Keith's bp problems. I have to go to see nurse this afternoon for a routine bp check. Hate it as get white coat sydrome as I get so worked up and it is always high high. So I've taken readings at home before the appt this time so they can see its usually much lower!
It's taking up all my spare time and more at the moment. Tam (who does FH researches in her new job) begged me to get all my 40 years worth of copious notes into a tree, so that's what I've been doing.
DeleteWe've had a pair of Swallows in our stables since mid-April, but it looks like the rest of the family didn't make it. We've got two pairs of our House Martins, but there are plenty from the stables in the next field who made it back safely.
Keith now has an appt. about his BP in a couple of weeks' time. We see the Parkinsons' nurse first, so will see what she says. My BP is down to 115/70 BUT I have had the most dreadful swollen ankles - much worse since I've had to rest up with the after-effects of the flu - and so am waiting for a phone call from the GP so I can hopefully change the medication to one which doesn't do this. Last night it was ankles AND feet and very uncomfortable. Hope your BP behaves itself.
I am so happy to see all the birds coming back from their winter hiding places. I leave family trees to others that are more adventurous and learned in putting them together.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I lie in the bath and watch the House Martins soaring up past the window to their nests beneath the roof overhang.
DeleteFamaily Trees - well, it's a case of learning on the job and I find it endlessly fascinating.