General Chat

Ann - we had a referendum a few years ago and the public voted to stay with the Monarchy. It came as quite a shock to many influential organisations as they seemed to 'expect' the vote to go the other way. Next time, they will be more prepared and I think certain 'powers' will get their way.

Perhaps this visit was designed to remind us that she is still our Queen. However, one newspaper began talking Independence on the day she arrived - which I thought was in poor taste. Nothing has been said since, so maybe someone told them to 'zip it'! I noticed, too, that looking at the many people who welcomed her, certainly not all of them had Anglo Saxon background! Most of our post-war immigrants came from countries which don't have a royal family, so when the subject comes up again, it will be interesting to see what happens.

As one whose ancestors all came from the UK, I am proud of how this country has developed and it's all thanks to those original immigrants who got it all started - so I'm in favour of honouring them and I can't see that happening much if we become Independent.

BTW Ann - I am still awaiting delivery of my books - ordered same day as we voted! However, I'm still reading London and have a few more days' reading left in that. I hope the new books are thin!!

Hi Everyone on this crisp fresh October morning. OH is poorly and staying in bed (She wanted to get up but I persuaded her to stay in bed) - 10 am will mean she has been in bed an extra six hours more than usual. I've been up since 4.15 - it is difficult to get out of the routine once you start it.
No News on the job interview - perhaps on this occasion - no news is good news, at least they didn't spoil my weekend with a rejection on Friday afternoon! Something to look forward to on Monday (or not). Ann (or shall I call you Hazel :-D ) - I must apologize most sincerely - I know what it is like to be called by the wrong name (I have been called Gerald on this thread at least ten times!)
The back garden is calling me but it's voice is being obscured somewhat - mostly by the new shed - haha ;-)
That heart procedure - BRILLIANT - the surgeons are so matter of fact - go in through the groin and into the heart and burn off the bit that's not required! - sounds terrifying - and you'll be back home the next day!! (This sort of thing makes me not wish for the good old days - when you stayed in Hospital for two weeks after having your tonsils out!!!)
Hazel - How are those lovely twins? (No news there must be good news too) and Bridget just to warn you I think your OH will be out Monday night again as his beloved West Ham are playing Brighton (I expect him to have a large grin on his face when he comes back this week!!)
I have been rummaging in my Mums photographs and found some more to put on Genes.
I think I have my prayer list for Sunday - I think one candle will be enough for everybody?!
Everyone - keep well and stay well
Gerard

Ha dour gutters cleared this morning, not very exciting, but I'm trying my best for us to get onto another page ! Still at least our gutters are fit to out up with whatever the winter has to throw at us !!! The guy who does it doesn't have to climb a ladder (we live in an old house ) but a solid hose, and a vac cleaner, its brilliant..Gosh I sound such a nerd !!!

Jan

Good morning to everyone.

Gerard, I would not dare to give you the wrong name, thanks for your postings and I hope that you OH is feeling better now.
I know what you mean about a lifetime habit of waking early and getting up early, I have done this since a very young children. Actually it has become my special time, and sometimes I write on here about the sky, the birds, the sea etc and that was how this thread started.

In fact I think that the idea of a subject to talk about something special was and could still be a very interesting item to use through the colder winter months for many of us.
So please would as many people as possible enter a suggest a topic and then I will try to get it going by writing about it on here.
The other idea is that each month everyone writes something about a subject they choose.

I eagerly await the replies!!!

Berona, I always think how nice yor photo looks. Do you live near to this place?
As for the Queens visit, I do admire her instance to remain the head of the family and Queen until she dies. However I, like many others cannot see Charles following in her footsteps. To me it appears that he is not respected by the people of Great Brittian and neither is his wife.

My choice would have been Anne but law does not allow that,
I wonder what everyone else thinks??

I have been very busy this week on the other well known Ancestry site cleaning my threads. How on earth I managed to get to the stage of having some people being entered not just once, not just twice but an amazing record of 11 times I simply do not know!!
Now I am placing an asterisx next to the surname of the ebpntry and deleting the others once again him up stairs in the sky has come to my aid by some people on my thread are helping with my permission.

OHs son, partner and dear Roberta now look unlikely to be here in November as partners ' mother has been taken seriously I'll with a diagnosis of Liver Cancer, not only is this very sad but also as a shock, she has never smoked, leads a healthy life style, is Vegetarian and grows many of her own Veg. Please keep this lady in your prayers and thoughts, thank you.

Today it is cold here and has been for the last few days, no more sitting on the Balcony to write on here, far to cold. The sun does come through but much later and disappears in the late afternoon when night time starts to fall.
So have packed away the summer clothes, all the garden furniture leaving just one set of table and chairs near the pool and one on our balcony outside our living room.
Winter clothes all hung in the wardrobes or p,aced in the chest of drawers, winter slippers being worn, remember we do not have carpeting on the tiled floors, only rugs. We are using the mobile heaters at the moment but in December will have the log fire burning, which I love.
I will stat keeing the orange and lemon rind so that it will be dry for the winter when it goes on the fire and makes the room smell beautiful.

Have a good day everyone, and if anyone is feeling down for whatever reason remember we shall be thinking of you.

Best wishes from
Bridget in Spain

:-) :-)

Unfortunately a day to do the housework, we live in an old house, and the cobwebs this year are driving me nuts....too many made by Harvest spiders, small bodies and longggggggg legs. But I did post a poem on the favourite sayings or poems site, by a 17c lady from Britain who went to USA and became the first published poet.... yes a woman. Her poems are very good, look her up Anne Bradstreet

Weather sunny but chilly, no rain forecast..unfortuantely the garden really needs it

Regards

Hi everyone

I tried to post earlier and it didnt happen so will try again now.

I had a good holiday with my sister Babs and my friend Pat. Weather was very good warm and sunny. Just had one night of rain.

Went to see the twin yesterday,they doing well,apart from all the family have gone down with colds.

Its been nice and sunny here to.But tonight is very cold.

~~~~~~~~~~to everyone

Hazelx

Hazel - young babies are usually resilient to colds, etc. and I hope the twins escape infection. However, they do need to be watched, as I'm sure yours are, just to make sure they don't catch anything.

Bridget. The Avatar photo is actually a postcard, so is far too small to show any detail. It is the small harbour of Ulladulla, on the south coast of New South Wales, where my gr/gr/grandparents settled after emigrating from Bisley, Glos... They were the early pioneers of the district. The photo doesn't do the place justice. It's a lovely thriving township with a natural beach and at this stage, is still a nice place to have a holiday. However, I suppose it won't be long before developers move in and build resorts, etc. - which would ruin the peace and tranquility of it, in my opinion.
My ancestors' original home is still there (now a restaurant) and is on the heritage list.

Berona twin have got colds as well, they were seen today and doctor has told them just to keep them warm,they doing ok. apart from Sian she is being sick alot. But doctor said its keeping it off her chest.

Spoke to my duaghter Teri while she was away on holiday over the weekend and she went down with it Friday the day she went away.She is back home now.

Hope this post goes on.

Hazelx

Its finally raining and we have had two power cuts !! Beats me... we really ar pathetic sometimes, a change in the weather and everything goes !!

Berona, Bisley is not that far from me. I think Jilly Cooper lives there (or very near there).

We eventually had a shower of rain (blink and you'd have missed it) but mostly today was sunny and driving back from the garden centre this morning the trees looked lovely in their autumn colours in the sun.

Hello Ann. If you ever meet someone by the name of Millard or Ridler - they could easily be in my tree!

I have read one book by Jilly Cooper - quite a while ago - about a school, as I recall.
My books both arrived yesterday - in separate parcels - and separate deliveries. My order was marked "in stock" and "delivery within 3 - 10 days" but they came from overseas again and took 17 days!. Return address: Eastbourne!

Berona, goodness what a long way for books to travel. Glad you have got them anyway.

My OH's Gt x 3 Grandmother was a Sophia Millard who was born Nettleton(I think) Gloucester in 1791 (circa).

It would be very strange if she was a relative of yours.

Another quick visit as rather busy because of having plasterers working in both reception rooms. Hope that they will finish tomorrow. Everything still upside down, computer was off-line for over 24hrs.

Rather sad at the moment because my ex-husband died yesterday, aged only 62. He is my sons father. Although we seperated 35 years ago, he was part of my youth, I met him when he was only seventeen. Somehow I seem tohaave lost some of my youth with his death.


Will be back in the next couple of days.

Ann, I don't think I have that one in my tree, but I could yet come across her. I usually hit a brick wall and leave that branch for a couple of years, then get back to it and find new ways of getting info on the internet. I'll let you know if anything comes out of it.
As for the books - I believe both distributors where I have accounts, belong to Amazon and both of them are under Administration. I am thinking of getting a Kindle e-reader. That might stop the delay.

Tess. I have not been in your situation but can understand how you must be feeling. You can put things behind you, but you can't make them disappear altogether and he was a part of your life. There must have been good times, even if there were bad times - and he did remain the father of your son. You must be feeling that a part of your life has gone. It will still make you feel sad - and perhaps sad for your son too, as he has lost his father.

Good morning from a very wet and rather cold part of Spain. The sky is black with just a long line pink spread, it looked quiet spooky, but as neither Jet or Joe seemed to be bothered I decided it was nothing to worry about.

Tess, I can understand just how you must be feeling, my first husband, father of my four children is not in good health and I know how I will feel should he pre decease me. My now OH fully understands this. Just take care of your self and pamper yourself in some way, remember the good times. Your son sounds as if he is a very kind person.

Hazel, I am still thinking of the twins, hope all is well.

I am sorting my tree out on another provider and so delighted that I keep my GR tree in better order.!!

Well not a lot more to say except that I have to make two small Christmas cakes. One for eldest son who is going to Germany for Christmas and one for son who is coming from Amsterdam with his partner and daughter.

Bye bye for now

Bridget :-D

Good morning all from yet another part of wet Spain!!! Still we have not had much rain so it is needed.
The time has simply flown by this year - hard to believe the clocks go back on Saturday which means it will be dark earlier - must admit I do not like dark nights. When we went shopping last week I was amazed that the supermarket was getting Christmas stuff on shelves already. I know this is the general practice in UK but here in Spain you never used to see anything until the end of November.
Next month sees the anniversary of us moving to Spain - it will be 10 years - the time has flown by and we are 10 years older !!!
Tess - sorry to hear about your ex - please do as Bridget says and look after yourself.
Well must be off - catch up soon
Love Mary xx

Tess

You have had some good advice from your friends on this thread, I can only add to it by saying that when a part of your families life goes, it is hard on everyone, just look after one another, thats the most important thing......he wll always be the dad..no one can change that...we are all thinking of you

Jan

Halloween..

My father enjoyed history, especially Irish history. I thought that some people my find this interesting, especially when you read about the Goddess Brigid!!

After St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, it became the goal of monks and missionaries to convert the pagan Irish. Because the natives were so resistant to Christianity, the Church sought to assist conversion by substituting Christian ‘versions’ of sacred days and deities for ancient Celtic ones – hence, the powerful hearth goddess Brigid became St. Bridget, Beltane became Easter, and Samhain became All Hallow’s Eve and All Saint’s Day.

Rather than being a day to honor all dead, as Samhain was, All Saint’s Day celebrated only saints who had no specific feast day of their own. The night before became known as All Hallow’s Eve, which provided the origin for the word ‘Halloween’. Since this holiday honoring the dead coincided so well with the long-established Samhain, it eased the transformation of the Irish from pagan to Christian. One can find in the ‘Christian’ Halloween remnants of Celtic Samhain, including bonfires, imagery of gourds and other harvest icons, and conceptions of the dead visiting the world of the living.

When millions of the Irish fled their homelands to escape persecution or hunger, many immigrated to the New World, bringing the customs of Halloween with them. In America, this secular holiday has become associated with ghoulish, macabre imagery as well as certain customs, among them trick-or-treating, dressing up in costume, the lighting of jack ‘o lanterns, and apple bobbing. In Ireland, though these customs are practiced far less commonly, the modern inhabitants of the country still celebrate this special night with large bonfires and ‘ghoulish’ behavior.

The origin of trick or treating comes from a European tradition called ‘souling’. Early Christians would roam from village to village begging for ‘soul cakes’, squares of currant-studded bread, promising to pray for the giver’s protection from malevolent spirits that might be upon the earth at that time. Soul cakes were often left out, accompanied by wine, to placate or welcome the visiting souls of the dead, as well. Over the years, this has evolved into the custom of children roaming from house to house, asking for sweets from well-wishers, while subtly threatening a ‘trick’ – the modern equivalent of a prank from a mischievous spirit – for those who fail to offer appropriately.

Another common symbol of Halloween is the jack ‘o lantern, or carved pumpkin lit from within by a flame. There are two origins to this custom: placing a lit candle within a turnip (which were far more common in Europe than pumpkins!) kept the flame from being extinguished and was thought to guide the spirits of the departed back to the hearth of their families.

In another aspect of the custom’s history, there is the legend of an overly clever lad called Jack who played a trick on the Devil. For his trouble, he was admitted to neither Heaven nor Hell, but condemned to wander the earth with no guide in the darkness but a burning coal or ember. He placed this ember in a hollow turnip to protect the flame, thus creating the very first jack ‘o lantern. Perhaps you might want to tell the little ones this story as you carve your own pumpkin!

The custom of dressing up in costume can be traced back to the belief that the veil between worlds was easily crossed at this time and that the dead could walk among humans. In order to fool any ill-wishing spirits and fend off enchantment, it was believed that by dressing up as a goblin or ghoul one could disguise oneself and avoid being targeted or taken away by sprits. In time it became common to dress up as a variety of entities associated with death and spirits – witches, ghosts, vampires, and other supernatural marauders – giving rise to the little army of ghouls marching up your walkway.

Parallels are commonly found in many other cultures, including the vibrant, joyous ‘Dia de los Muertos’ or ‘Day of the Dead’ in Mexico and ‘Festival of the Dead’ in Italy, as well as Guy Fawkes’ Day and Armistice Day in the United Kingdom. As all countries in the Northern Hemisphere enter winter, cultural concerns logically turn towards matters of harvest, death, regeneration, and survival. All of our modern Halloween customs can be traced to these matters so important to the Celts – so as you carve your pumpkin, collect tinder for your fire, or don that wicked costume, remember that you’re celebrating a uniquely ‘Irish’ holiday!!

we shall be celebrating in good style with my eldest son, his partner and her son who is 11, they are all dressing up!

My mother used to leave food and drink just as explained above...now I realise who ate the food and drank a glass of the "good" stuff!!

Bridget :-D

I cannot believe that at this unearthly time both OH and I are wide awake. We both have coughs and colds, and feel tired but simple cannot sleep snd the clocks have been changed, so here we are with me adding on here and OH watching TV,

Eldest son, his partner and her son arrived safely and look well. The awful experience in India has taught them a great lesson.5
They do not regret the experience, but will not be visiting there again.

We were amazed when son told us that he now works in Finance for an International company and has been given a permanent position with a good salary, his father is absolutely delighted as he was a founder of said company.
My son has not yet let anyone know this. The irony though is that by the time first husband was 50 he was able to retire whereas son is 40 and just joining them.,
Son has always worked in the arts, and has owned two shops one in Sitges and the other in Barcelona, in designing and producing limited addition clothes. Worked very well and sold the business when the recession started. He has also worked in Norwich UK when he was a TV producer for new musicians etc...... I must say that having a child who at the age of 9 was found to be unusually bright has been a great challenge for us all. But now he has settled, and is Finally so happy, and settled. Tonight his partners son who is 11 is dressing up for Halloween, they have a pumpkin to take the candle......I will be very cautious about that as you may well have guessed. And goodness knows what else they are are planning.

Now for a mundane question. Why is it that a simple cold can make one feel so lethargic and sorry for oneself.?
We have taken the Le..ips, we are snug in our house but my head is pounding and I feel so hot, and thirsty. Think I will go and make some hot chocolate and forget about the calories, comfort food!!

Best wishes to you all,
Bridget in Spain.

Bridget so sorry you and your OH are not so well, have either of you had your flu jab? Yes I am back, long time away I know but have been reading the thread, if not adding to it.
Shall try to add as and when I feel I can. You take care of yourselves.
Very best wishes Penny