General Chat

Bridget, did you read a John Grisham to comment on as promised? The Greaders review thread is on the board. :-) :-)

P.S I see that other people are researching Somerset too.

My ancestors are from West Somerset.
I visited Watchet last year (or the year before). I lovely part of the country.

Will try to get a picture on here but have a lot of other things to do before I attempt it.

I now have a bird feeder in my garden (been there for about three weeks). I haven't as yet seen any birds using it. Have got seeds, water and feeding balls. (no nuts at the moment).

I live in a built up area, but there ar some trees nearby. The three that were the closest have been chopped down. There are also quite a few Magpies around.
I don't know if either of these have stopped birds from visiting.
Any ideas?

At the moment I have a paved area in my garden plus a lawn.
I am a "new gardner" Waiting for my fence and back gate to be fixed by the next-door neighbour (they were damaged by his building work). The fence people are supposed to be coming to do the job on 16th of this month.
Once that it done, I will be looking for other things to put in the garden. Possibly some gro-bags for tomatoes on the paved area.
considering planting potatoes at the end of the garden - just a little patch as 1) The garden is small 2) I don't want to have to do a lot of digging.

Also want some flowers, shrubs and possibly herbs. Knowing me, it will probably take a couple of years to get this sorted.

Have now got a digital camera - will really have to work out how to use it - maybe to record a "work in progress" in the garden and to get a picture for GR.


All for now as I need to do my review for the GReaders Group.


Tess

Bridget, you seem to have worked out the emoticons, and Val has explained how to add the places/names you are researching.

While in your account, if you look at the picture of the blank 'head', next to it or under it you should see the words change and clear. If you have photos stored on your computer the easiest way is to clcik on chnge, then on files. This will bring up the files on your computer. Click on the file where your photos are stored 'my pictures' for instance, find the photo you want displayed and click on it and download. Press save on your account Give it a few minutes and it should appear against your name

Bridget go to "My Account" - under the pricture is the space for the names you are researching.

- click on "Change" which is next to the picture and then follow the instructions.


Hope this helps.

How strange, whilst writing my second message the yellow face appeared on the first message...must have an even stronger coffee! :O

Well I got that wrong didn't I? So how do you get a little yellow or red face on our messages???

Good morning, I have to admit that I am slightly hung over today!
As a result I am somewhat late coming on here, I do not feel guilty because I do not drink much alcohol, so just a few drinks gives me a headache!

I am not sure that I like this new system and would like to know the following please give simple instructions
How do a get the names of people I am researching at the bottom of my box? How do I put a picture on the left hand side,
I have learnt how to place an emotion though by tapping on one I like

Going now to do some housework,

11.48 hrs Spain :-)

It's a dull day here, we had lovely rain during the night and already there are green shoots among the grass which had died, there really is nothing quite like rain for the garden. Our forecast for to-day is heavy rain - so here's hoping.

Nice to see you on here Greenfingers, hope we see more of you.

My bird-feeder is up now but I must have it moved a little so that I am able to see it from my chair in the lounge. I so hope the birds are going to find the seeds quickly. Our neighbours have removed the Port Jackson Willow tree which they had next to the boundary wall, so now there is so much more light there and that patch of garden will get a lot more sunlight, so we are going to plant veggies there. The Port Jackson is a proclaimed weed here.

I have just made a couple of bottles of grenadilla curd, one of which I had to strain the pips out of as it is for friends and they are not allowed to eat anything with pips. I was quite surprised to see how much of the curd is needed to fill the botle when there are no pips.

Perhaps someone can explain to me (who is technologically challenged) how to use the emoticons!

Hope you all have a good weekend.


Val. 11.00.

Haven't been on the boards for a couple of days. Have just caught up eith reading all the new postings to this thread.

Penny, I have been researching some areas of Worcester, as some of my in-laws (ancestorsd) came from there. My grandsons were all born there too.

Did vote today. Polling station was very quiet, so I reckon probably a low turn out.

We have had a little bit of rain today, but got my washing dry before it arrived. We are likely to have more rain tomorrow.

Thechanges on the boards were a shock. I will look at them properly tomorrow when I am awake. -

Tess

There wasn't any notice, for I went on a game this morning before spending a small fortune at Tescos !!! on food, spectacles, a DVD player and plants. Cards going Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Anyway played games as usual and all was the same went on this afternoon and all had changed. I have been on the suggestions site and asked that us ladies shadow could look like a lady and not all of us looking like men, I quite like knowing if I was the last one posting or not and the time is back, so maybe GR read some of our posts !!!! ;-) ;-)

:-) I think I might get to like this new layout but it did come as a bit of a shock, I did not see any advance notice, did you?

Not sure about the emotions though

16.13hrs Spain

Welcome,Greenfingers, and I hope that you enjoy being a member of our daily diary. We have been going for some time now and it is pleasing to have new people joining us and others who are away for a while and then return.
We have covered a number of subjects, learnt a lot about where we all live, and are sways looking for new subjects.

Sometimes there only a few of us and at other times we have so many posting that I for one am delighted that the Postman does not have to deliver them to each and everyone of us! Daft thought I know!

Today is absolutely glorious in my part of Spain, the sea is warming up albeit slowly, I had a quick paddle this morning walking along the beach. The shops have been re-opened after the winter , and the village /town is looking splendid. We had two cups of delicious coffee, have got used to it being calienty, that is warm and even if it is mucho callienty it is not hot!
The only irksome thing is that the Mosquitos are now arriving so went out yesterday and bought the plug ins which we use at night and NO bites last night..hurrah.

It is quiz night to night, so we shall be out for the evening, I am useless at quizzes but as OH is the quiz master I have to be there, quite enjoy all the gosiip, now that is the nautghiest thing I do.

Berona,
Thanks for the description of the work you undertake, it seems very complicated to me so a very big thank you on behalf of us who simply research..if it wasn't for you and others like you where would we find all our research.

Valerie,what a sad time for your brother and you. I shall think of your brother in my daily quiet time, he must be feeling devastated.......

Good luck with printing your photos, the thing I find very expensive is the acid free paper and plastic holders so if anyone knows how these can be bought at a reasonable cost please let us know!

Best wishes to everyone, I will be back tomorrow

12.56hrs Spain

Apologises if I have made any spelling errors

I am going to sit in the garden now for a while and take a book to read, not sure which one I shall read so off to the bookcases now

Haven't posted on this thread before, but know some of the names, you seem a friendlly bunch ! I am sitting here this morning contemplating the day ahead, opticians, voting for who knows ! and the pain in my hip not getting any better, and no written confirmation of a date for an op. BBBBBBBBBBdly NHS.

Still have our daughters wedding in July to look forward to, the two of them are so laid back about it all, there are still some loose ends to tie up but never mind.


9.00am Norfolk UK

Good morning all. Hope you are in for a lovely day, wherever you are.
Bridget - you asked me to describe what I do for FreeBMD, so I will start by saying that it is a registered charity, manned by volunteers and the information transcribed is available free of charge. I did some transcribing for Ancestry for a while until someone pointed out to me that people had to pay for their info and I was not even getting the discount on my subscription, which I was supposed to get - so I changed over.

I began by downloading the programs from the UK site, then I download a batch from my co-ordinator's site (mine is in Canada, but they are in various countries). Each batch contains Index pages (150 records) and are entered into columns. Another program allows me to check my work, then upload it to both the UK and Canadian sites. I believe each batch is transcribed twice for comparison for accuracy, before being loaded into the system for researchers to use. The programs are well-written and easy to use. I work at my own pace in my own time and I recommend that anyone interested look into assisting with this massive task, which has now been going on for about ten years or more. As yet, it still isn't finished and any help is appreciated and will get it all done that much quicker.

As you say, it is interesting. I notice how (births) names are rare, then popular, then give way to new ones. Also, I get sad doing the deaths, when I see the 'age at death' as zero. So many of them in the earlier years!

Goodmorning,

The last couple of days have been quiet.

My youngest brother leaves for USA this evening to attend the memorial service for his son who passed away, very sad he was only 33 and was diagnosed last year with some rare blood disease..

Our weather forecast for day is 60% chance of rain although at the moment the sun is shining, so will wait and see.

My photographic paper arrives to-day so I will be able to print the photographs I have of my greatniece's graduation. No one here or in Port Elizabeth had any stock so it had to be ordered from Johannesburg.

Must be off now , may pop back later.


Val.

Good morning everyone.

It is a beautiful sunny morning here in my part of Spain, the sky is a clear blue and the sea is shimmering, the sun is bright and the atmosphere is so tranquil it is almost inspiring me to write.

Jet and Joe my beautiful Cocker Spaniels are much more laid back these days and I guess that is because the are 7 years old now..how time flies. Jet is still the one who protects us followed by Joe at all times. They are both showing some silver in their coats now, and it does make me laugh to think that there are now three of us who are greying!

When I was so unwell, and even now if I have an off day they seem to know this and are quietly attentive with one of them always with me , they even wait outside the bathroom door. Jet seems to be peoples favourite and recently there were dog breeders from the UK visiting their friends and they also felt that jet had something special about him. However they also thought that I had been extremely lucky to own Joe because he is a rare colour of Pedigree Cocker Spaniels, he is an Orange Spaniel, we only learnt that when we received his paperwork after we had bought him....

They are both lying in the sun now having had their morning walk.

OH has finished painting all of the outside of the house now and it does look very good again, it really is a typical White Spanish house.

Some thoughts please. We currently have a lounge diner, lovely big room and the kitchen leads directly off the dining area. However a couple of years ago we had an extra room built at the end of our top balcony and it overlooks the sea and the Castle. I am seriously considering moving the dining are to there because of the fantastic views, this would then give us one very large lounge and we could put some of our furniture from the lower level rooms where the furniture is not well utilised. The items all match and are a wonderful old oak pieces which fit in very well to our older styl Spanish home.

Any thoughts, much appreciated, TVs Music facilities in almost every room and also Internet connections, so no concerns about that.

Well I have rambled on so must stop now, I will peek in again latter today.

Enjoy your day, be kind to yourself and then being kind to others becomes easier, at least that is what my mother told me!!

09.12 hrs Spain

Good evening all, hope you are all well. As I said a busy time over Easter and following bank holidays. Mainly spent with family and friends, and dining out, so very enjoyable. Mind I really dont know where the time has gone, and am dining out again tomorrow but this time at the local pub with my eldest and middle daughter and my 18 month grand-daughter, so looking forward to that!
Tess, it sounds as if you have been busy in your garden, I have some plants to go out but my friend wont let me have them yet (they are in her greenhouse) just as well as we had a real heavy frost here last night!!! Yes I do live in the W Mids Tess, near Worcester.
Hope to read a few more postings tomorrow. Take care all Penny

How amiss of me not to have been on here earlier in the day. Sorry everyone.
I looking forward to hearing from you Captainpugwash!what have you been upto?
Berona, how about a short recall of your days walking around London, maybe others could write about some of their memories of the more youthful time of life.

As I have moved around a bit I will see others memos first then add some of mine,

Two frieinds popped in for a quick chat and then stayed for lunch, the salad was just about enough for 4 of us, and I had some Ice cream and Strawberries so we had those for desert.
Well time to bring the washing in as it is nearly dry and the clouds are gathering.

Val I have never had Greek food, or if I have I cannot recall it. Is it spicy?

Bye bye for now
16.16 hrs Spain

How nice to see so many postings.

It is such a lovely day , May is the nicest time of the year here. This morning the sky was pink, the sea like a sheet of glass, no wind (but that might change!) and just so peaceful. Yet another Public Holiday over here - Workers Day.

Tess, you certainly have been busy. I have never had chestnuts, but we used to toast marshmallows. We used have a fireplace in Grahamstown, it gets very cold there in the winter, but I didn't like making a fire because of the mess which had to be cleaned! If you don't mind me asking, do you live in the UK?

We have a very n ice Greek restaurant here, but we don't go there often as it is quite exppensive. Talking of expensive our petrol is set to increase by 30cents a litre on Wednesday, another thing which just keeps going up in price. It will now cost over R10 a litre.

Berona, I guess transcribing although time consuming must also be interesting. My daughter did some for a local site and found it fascinating, they haven't sent her anything for ages though.

I will be remembering you all Bridget and trust that your son's father will be able to attend the church blessing.

Val.
9.27.