As Henry hit the water its icy tentacles reached out to ensnare him. Drifting further and further into its murky depths he felt at peace for the first time in ages. “Quickly! We’ve got to find him. Someone run and get the constable,” yelled the man as he dove into the canal. Just as the police arrived he managed to…
Bloxwich is a town located in Walsall in the West Midlands of England with a rich heritage and history. Historically it was contained within the county of Staffordshire but in 1974 it was moved into the newly formed West Midlands county.1 Bloxwich Cemetery is located in the heart of Bloxwich and is full of history serving as the final destination for…
Over the weekend I attended the Waves in Time, Family and Local History Conference held in beautiful Caloundra. I made a family weekend of it and rented a home through Airbnb with my children and their friends spending the days at the beach. In the evenings we went out to eat at local restaurants. It was a busy, but enjoyable…
On Saturday afternoon following on from attending the House Histories seminar I had to drive to Maryborough for my son to attend a training day on Sunday. To say I had a big weekend and was exhausted by the time we got home on Sunday evening would be an understatement. However, it was an awesome weekend of learning and exploring.…
On Saturday I attended a House Histories seminar hosted but the Brisbane History Group at State Library of Queensland. It was an interesting and informative day of talks. I have learned so much about researching houses in Brisbane. I even came away with a book! Shhhh don’t tell my son. Caylie Jeffery – Under the Lino Caylie talked about…
Have you ever seen the movie the Imitation Game? Have you ever wondered how and where computing truly started? Have you heard of Bletchley Park? When we started planning our UK trip my computer nerd brother said to me, you need to go to Bletchley Park. It’s the birthplace of computing. It sounded more like something he would find riveting.…
Over the weekend I attended a seminar at the Genealogical Society of Queensland (GSQ) on Tracing Your Ancestors in the Scottish Highlands. The presenter was Graeme Mackenzie, a historian with a Masters Degree from the University of Cambridge.1 He is also the Chairman of the Association of Highland Clans and Societies (of Scotland) and a professional historian and genealogist…
On our recent trip to the UK we encountered many people and saw many beautiful places. We stayed in Airbnb accommodation for the entire trip. I love that in most locations you do get to meet your hosts. They have a wealth of local knowledge and you can often find out about great places to visit that you have never…
Finally I am getting around to reviewing some of the great places we visited in the UK last September. One of my absolute favourites was the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, Birmingham. My cousin Helen took us for this day of adventure and it was amazing even with the rain that accompanied our trip. I cannot complain too much…
We are heading into another new year, 2018 is behind us, and as usual it has gone quickly. The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge this week is fittingly Resolutions. Week 52 – Resolutions I will admit I had much greater aspirations for my genealogy and blogging in 2018. It started out well, I was on track, and…