General Chat

Hi from sunny Grenada. Temperature already 28 degrees (in the house!) and still only 6.42am. My husband Renwick better known here as 'Poppin' has just got back from an early morning swim...I didn't go today. Some of you may know that last Sept. we were hit by hurricane IVAN and yes, he really was terrible!! Only had power back since March (6 months without it!!!) Things are beginning to sort themselves out, roofs going back on everywhere...ours is a sort of mish mash but back on at least ready for this season which starts in June!!!! I might need some support during this time folks, sorry to burden you all and hope you won't mind a few whinges from time to time. I am trying to be light hearted too but not always easy. This site and its wonderful people have been a great help to me, making me laugh, giving me something else to cry about etc. That's it for now folks. Jacquie x

Hello Brenda and everyone. I hope you don't mind me joining you. I was also on Bill's thread and am so glad to see the names of a few people I know on here. I was born in Essex and came to Australia in 1974. I have a husband, Norman, who is not very well and 2 sons, also 4 grandchildren. I hope to get to know you all very soon. Sylvia in Perth WA

Good Afternoon Everyone Just thought I would introduce myself to all of you. I use to be on Bills thread so some of you will know me. Im from Perth, Western Australia. Im 37 married to my high school sweatheart and we have 2 boys, Blair who is 9 and Connor who is 7 1/2. I have been researching mine and hubbys family since 1992. Before all this online stuff. Until last year I didnt spend time researching online. We have been broadband since January and thats dangerous. I seem to spend more time online. Other things must suffer. ie. housework. LOL. Anyway, just thought I would say hello. I will be back later in the evening hopefully. Once the rugrats and hubby are in bed. Bye for Now, Love to you All. TRUDY

G'day all ,i'm glad that most of you from aus ,new zealand ,and Grenada have decided to join this thread on the demise of the old one ,caused by a low life who will never again be mentioned by me.I am still in touch with Bill too which is some consolation ,all we need now is Mary ,And J.A.to sign in and we can start the party..I hope we will hear from sylvia and Norm before long too as i am hoping things are improving for them..On a personal note June,i struck out on my research ,and am still in the dark on my gt grandparents,oh well ,such is life. Just had a thought,this thread could become very interesting now ,all our animal stars on the same thread,Madoc,Fat Cat,Ripley,Mr Darcy,not to mention a few others,so come on you orphans,welcome ,and lets be having the lates gossip ,and news.Fred.PtfA&G&G&S.

Hello. I am an ''Orphan'' .... may I come in, please? Is it another ''haven'', please? :-) Joy

Hello everyone,and a special welcome to everyone from Bills thread,please feel free to pop on any time and leave a message about anything really.We are very friendly and started like most of you doing are family trees.Some of us are on here daily others when they get the chanceMost of us are in UK ,one lady is in Holland but she is on holiday in Spain at the moment. I am in the north of England,Manchester to be exact,and have lived here all my life.(56years) I have been to Oz twice to visit an old school friend who lives in Victoria,and want to go back in the not to distant future,as I had such a wonderful time. I have been to all the Manchester meetings and met loads of wonderful people,June from Preston is the only one on this thread who has been as well. At the minute is is wet and miserable here,but could change later so the weather buffs tell us.!!!! Hope to see you all again Take care ,Brenda

Hi everone and welcome to all the 'orphans' Its lovely to see you all here, maybe we can persuade Bill to pop in too. I will be back shortly. June xx

Hi Brenda & FNW I also am another Kiwi from Down Under seeking refuge and feeling a little lost without Bill's thread so please may I join in. It is always so comforting to have contact with friends from all over the world.Like most I started out researching a family tree and have found it most rewarding learning a lot more about the countries my ancestors lived in sharing the highs and lows and wonderful kindnesses given by many. Regards Judy

Hi Brenda and everone else on this thread, I am Rupert (Rupee) from New Zealand, you know that little place in the south Pacific that is going to show the Lions how to play Rugby very soon, LOL I was on Bills thread but didnt realise it had gone until I looked in this morning. I wasnt a very regular contributor but popped in every now and again to see how every one was faring, which is what I will probably do on this thread. In the meantime, all the best to everyone , will look in on you from time to time Regards Rupee

Hi Brenda, June and everyone Hope you don't mind an intruder. Bill McDonald suggested I should come in, I have looked in a couple of times but didn't like to bother you, you all obviously know each other very well. I am a bit up in the air at the moment, things haven't been too good lately and I suppose I'm just looking for a safe hassle free haven. As you can see I am living in Grenada, West Indies but I have only been living here for four years. I was born in Surrey and a lot of things I hear you all talking about remind me of times past. I love it here, but as I said things have not been too good lately. I have a wonderful husband (a Grenadian who's ancestors probably came from Scotland!!!) 5 dogs, 1 cat and a goat, who is expecting at the moment!!! Well ladies and gentlemen I look forward to reading all you have to say and hope I can be accepted into your 'family'. Jacquie

Hi Brenda and everyone else on this thread I have not been on this thread before, but I woke up this morning to have a look at my usual thread and it no longer exists, so after sitting around for a little while wondering what to do I thought I would have a look at other threads to see if I could find something that looked friendly and stumbled across this thread. Then I spied some familiar names like June and Fred and I’m sure I have seen your name before Brenda? I am not sure what I can add to your thread as I live so far away in a state of Australia called Tasmania. I also lead a very quiet lifestyle, as I don’t go out very often. I do envy you all over there when I read about get togethers and meet ups with others that are doing their family trees, I have not heard of many people doing family history over here, I’m sure people are doing their tree, just you don’t hear about it as much. I have only been doing my tree since about August last year and I have had a fair bit of info given to me from other family members although some of it is very basic with not many dates. I have traced some of my family back to places like Brigstock Northamptonshire, Soham in England, one branch have came from Southern Scotland around the Oxton Area and possibly another branch could have been around Shoreditch or Surrey England, the info on this branch is hard to find and I am only a novice at this and still learning the tricks of the trade, so to speak. It is good to read all your messages as it gives me a bit of an insight into life in England as I have never been there but if I win tattslotto lol, it will be the first place I would like to visit to see where my ancestors grew up. June, I liked the piece you put in about the title of your job and I would love to copy it and read it out to others that are in an organization I am with. It is called a Ladies Glade and it branches off from the R.A.O.B. which is a Buffalo lodge that has its origins in England. Well I will leave it at that for the moment and go and have a look at my tree and see if I can find any info to add. Cheers from Sue from Tassie

Hello Everyone,don't know what your all up to ,but it must be good,keeping you all away from here. Have been having a bit of success finding my maternal grans great grandmother and am now looking for her great grandfather. Thought I was going daft at one point, had the address ,the street is still there and was there well before the census but will not come up on 1861.!!! Off to take dad to the hospital for his radio therepy. take care Brenda

Hi Everyone, June I am applying now to be your Research assistant.!!! That was great My sister in law was working in the local hospital in the kitchens ,she was originally'a kitchen hand'.after various name /title changes she finshed up as an Assistant Domestic Catering Assistant.She thought it a complete waste of time and money as they did not change her duties one little bit. My friend has a list of the shows and dates if you would like to know them for next time, Take care brenda

Hi again, Brenda, I would have loved to have gone, but somehow the day just flew by, I will definitely look out for the next one. Hope everyone else is ok. June (Senior Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations)

Hi everyone, I couldn't resist putting this on for you. A woman named Emily renewing her driver's license at the Transport office was asked by the clerk to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. 'What I mean is,' explained the clerk, 'do you have a job, or are you just a .? 'Of course I have a job,' snapped Emily. 'I'm a Mum.' 'We don't list 'Mum' as an occupation...... 'housewife' covers it,' said the clerk emphatically.......................................... I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our local police station. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, 'Official Interrogator' or 'Town Registrar.' 'What is your occupation?' she probed. What made me say it, I do not know... The words simply popped out. 'I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.' The clerk paused, pen frozen in midair, and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire! 'Might I ask,' said the clerk with new interest, 'just what you do in your field?' Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, 'I have a continuing programme of research, (what mother doesn't), in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (the whole bloody family), and already have four credits, (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree.?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.' There was an increasing note of respect in the girl's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. When I got home, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 10, 7, and 3. Upstairs, I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development programme, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had triumphed over bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than 'just another Mum.' Motherhood.....What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door. Does this make grandmothers 'Senior Research Associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations' , and great grandmothers 'Executive Senior Research Associates'??? I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts 'Associate Research Assistants'. Please send this to another Mum, Grandmother, Aunt, and other friends you know. Author unknown..................but very smart ............................................................................. June (Senior Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations)

Hi Everyone,sorry i wasn't on here yesterday,I was working all day .My aunt (my mothers sister,she is 83 )had a stroke in the week and John and I took dad to see her,she is in hospital in Oldham. She is very poorly but better than when she had it. She has a large family ,children,granchildren etc.so there is always lots of visitors, My sister went today and she was talking a bit more than yesterday,she was really sleepy yesterday and was not even trying to talk. By the time we had got back and had a drink and watched a dvd we had borrowed it was bed time. June,we had a good day at the Reebok,did look for you,was half expecting a tap on my shoulder !!! My friend who is into making cards was really pleased she bought a few things and we bought her some things for her birthday so she was really happy.She said she could have spent a lot more but she is going on holiday next week to one of the Italian lakes and thought she had better save some money for there. Kathleen,please becareful,you do seem accident prone at the moment, Let me know anytime you are up here and we will arrange our own little meeting. Need to iron some clothes now as I am out early on an errand again tomorrow.Hope to see you about lunch time Take care ,Brenda

Morning everyone, I'm sorry I didn't get on yesterday, my niece came over , then in the evening I fell asleep just after 8 o'clock, I think this decorating lark has caught up with me. lol The sun is out but we have had some heavy showers during the night. I hope they keep away today. I would actually like to get back to my Family Tree, so I am hoping I get the chance,(Aren't I unsociable,lol) Fred, I hope you did find your gt gt Grandfather and wife, I hope the weather keeps nice for you BBQ too. Welcome Claire, it must be lovely scenery around you. Have you put any photos on the GC Photos page? I would love to see them. Brenda, I would like to go to the Reebok to the cards exhibition, I have mentioned it but Saturday my niece is over and I dont know what has been planned for Sunday yet. Never know we may bump into each other. Kathleen, Your days sound like mine, always running around after people. If you ever do get back up north, you must let us know, so that we can arrange a meetup. I would like to go back to Derbyshire to see where my rellies where, I suppose its a case of just deciding on a date and not letting anything get in the way of going. I am trying to keep the dogs quiet, everyone is still in bed, Beckham wants to play but Bonnie (she is 14 years old) doesn't want to and she keeps barking at him, so I had better go and sort them out. I hope the weather keeps good for your picnics/BBQs etc. Love June xx

Hello everyone, After raining most of the night the day started fairly dull and chilly but then brightened up. By this afternoon it was sunny and warm but still windy, we had one or two small showers then but it remained bright although turned chilly again around 6ish. I seem to have spent the day running around, took Susan to the Day Centre this morning. Came home and put the washing on the line, it was blowing quite nicely. Then did a couple of hours work - the exercise is good for me but how I hate those horrible letter boxes that snap your fingers off!! Also who had the bright idea of sticking the letter box at the BOTTOM of the door??? I really hate those, hard on the back. A couple of days ago I was bitten by a dog, he was sitting quietly behind the door - no warning barks just snapped at my fingers - then he barked!! Nothing serious but caught one finger just at the base of my nail so it is a bit sore, made me jump a bit. Got home in time to hang out some more washing, had a cup of tea and then went to pick Susan up. After I dropped her off at home went to do some shopping for her and then off out again to deliver some orders. Back home at just after 7.30 this evening. Luckily I had made a shepherds pie for dinner tonight so not too much to do this evening. Hope you are making the most of that sunshine Sylvia, it sounds wonderful. Relax and enjoy the break. Fred, a picnic sounds good but it would have to be a bit warmer for me. June and Brenda, it seems to be a case of so near yet so far. I can travel on the M4 and actually see a friends house but to get to see her takes about 40 minutes once I get off the motorway. One of these days I will have to travel up north again, would be nice to revisit Preston and Manchester areas though no doubt it would all look very different now. Last time I was in Manchester I got lost, was late back to camp and in trouble as a result!! Claire, hope we hear from you again soon. Whereabouts in France are you? Must go to bed now. Have a good night everyone God bless Love Kathleen

Hello everyone,welcome,Clare please feel free to add a message on here when ever you can,we are mainly in England and on e lady is in Holland. Sylvia,glad you are having a good time,but Fred is right get out in that sun. June ,we are in North Manchester so it was the M61.ther is a big exhibition on at I think the Reeboc Stadium for Cards and handicfafts this weekend I am going with some friends.Thought it might be something you and Gaynor might like. York was really nice,but so exspensive. Hardly got to see much as we did not have a long time as we had a lunch booked. Might go back again with just a small group,(no worries about who wants to go where.) Kathleen,Susan has made the right choice in carrying on, give her a big hug (gently) from us all. Have been writing letter s and emails for a few hours now,and am working in the morning,so off for a drink and then bed. Take care,Brenda

Hello everyone im in France right next to Switzerland which is where i work for the moment today has been beautiful weather and is set to be better tomorrow cant wait think i we will take a walk along the lake tomorrow maybe have a picnic perfect im off blading at 09h30 tomorrowstart off my keep fit x