Sunday 25 March 2018

A Weather Rhyme, TV Favourites and Some Silent Screams

LIFE - 19th-25th March 2017 
 
Tree, Dawn, Bird, Winter, Weather, Cold

No wonder we  talk about the weather so much in Britain -  in the space of the last seven days  we have been out sweeping  snow, been blown away by gusty winds, walked through  icy rain and, as a bonus, enjoyed lovely Spring days of sunshine  - which meant we were able  to sit  in our little sun room. 

But so we don't get too hopeful - the forecast is for a wintry Easter weekend!

I was reminded of the rhyme,  made famous by Flanders and Swan in the 1960's. 

January brings the snow
makes our feet and fingers glow

February's ice and sleet
Freeze the toes right off our feet

Welcome March with wintry wind
Would thou wert not so unkind

April beings the sweet Spring showers
On and on for hours and hours! 

ect. etc.  

 WEDNESDAY CLUB
A good timely choice  of speaker with  the topic  "Spring Gardening"  with a demonstration on planting  pots for the patio and the opportunity to buy some blooms - which I did!


TELEVISION 

A new series with Michael Portillo on  Great Indian Railway Journeys. I must admit  my knowledge of the country is very sketchy - I know some place names but not where  they are in a map.  His first journey was Amritsar to Shimla at the foothills of the Himalayas which in the days of the Raj  was was the summer home for the British. A  fascinating programme with great credit to the cameramen - and I learned a lot,  both about the history of India and India today.

India Amritsar Golden Temple India India I
The Golden Temple at Amritsar in the Punjab region of  north west India.

Masterchef - the latest series featuring amateur cooks puts me to shame!  There are some brilliant entrants, with a lot of ethnic influences in their cooking.

I know at home we eat healthily (high in our 5 portions of fruit and veg a day),   but my range is very limited and  preparing meals does not come high on my priorities of how I spend my time.

Pointless Quiz - some good formats of questions recently.  One round featured a list of book titles (two per author)  and contestants were asked to name the author. There was a mixture of familiar classics e.g. "Kidnapped*  & "Treasure Island";  "Sense and Sensibility" & "Emma"  etc.  and also modern novelists e.g. Dan Brown, John Grisham. 

One contestant was quite prepared to admit on national television "This is a hopeless round for me - I don't read"!!!   Does she realise what she is missing out on in her life?
 

I COULD SCREAM! 
Lost Post - on the main computer.  I drafted a post for the Auld Earlston  blog; finished it and went to do lunch. I decided on my IPad to  check it over once more before I clicked "Publish" -  I don't  know what on earth I did,  but suddenly the page was blank and  Ihad lost it.  I must have deleted it by mistake!!!!   So back to the drawing board and a test of my memory  of what I had written. Computers certainly do test my patience as well. 
Furious, Upset, Person, Woman, Angry
Pixabay

Missing Post Van -  In Earlston we lost our village post office a year ago and it is only in the past  month we  have had a mobile post office visiting on a Wednesday and Friday  afternoons.  On the principle of "Use it or Lose it" I have made a point of going  to the Square with my regular overseas mail that needs weighing - rather than make a bus journey to a town post office.
 

Friday afternoon - no sign of the van in the Red Lion Hotel car park.    I went into the hotel and "no", they had no word of  its non-appearance.  Ditto another shop. I can quite understand that a situation might arise e.g. snow, vehicle breakdown.  staff illness that stops it coming, but surely there is an obligation to get a message to the village? 

By this time, my hackles at this lack of customer service were high!   Came back home, looked up "Post Office"  in the phone  book, was referred to the entry under  Royal Mail who were singularly unhelpful,  (nothing to do with them), but gave me a number to ring - all I got was an answerphone, so I fired off a complaint on the post office website - it has been acknowledged but I await a reply with interest. 



To End on A Positive Note
We had Nh after school a few times this week and enjoyed playing card games and "Articulate".   She has developed an interest in chess and it is lovely to see her playing it with her Papa, as it has never been a game that appealed to me.  

Chess, Pawn, Mate, Queen, Game


*****************
Images  - courtesy of Pixabay  


Journal Jottings   
Recording my everyday life for future family historians  
Developed from the "Genea-Pourri" prompt  on Randy Seaver’s blog Genea-Musings
I decided to change his title for my own version of this weekly online diary

Sunday 18 March 2018

Hassles & More Snow, plus a Colourful Blanket and Blood Bikes.

LIFE:  12th - 18th March 2018
  
A week noted for hassles of one kind and another,  with mixed up appointments, confusion over dates, major computer problems (yet again!) and a brief power cut. 

But let’s start with some positives:
  • I finished my winter project - a crochet blanket for KAS -  the  Knit a Square charity (www.knit-a-square.com) - the brief - to make bright and colourful squares for blankets, beanie hats, handwarmers, soft toys and blankets for distribution to nurseries and crèches for young Aids orphans in Southern Africa. 

  • At the Auld Earlston meeting we  viewed some fascinating old cine  film of the 1930’s, transferred to disc, with views of the horse and hounds gathering in the Square, children excitedly leaving school,and taking part in school sports, horse drawn vehicles, harvesting and a society wedding with a military guard of honour, the women in fox furs and the men in top hats.  It will  make a great new item for our next show in October.
     
  • The W.I. (Women's Institute) Meeting welcomed  two Blood Bikers, with their motor bike parked outside,  They were volunteers who provide an emergency, usually after-hours, courier service, transporting medical items such as bi-opsies, platelets, drugs and notes  between hospitals,mainly  between the Borders and Edinburgh. A fascinating taalk and another example of volunteer efforts and community spirit, .

Computer Hassles 
The computer had been giving us problems, taking ages to log on and log off and seemingly endless sessions of "configuring" - and we were warned it might need to be taken away to be sorted.
 

So I had a mad session clearing e-mails and writing posts for my three blogs
  • Family History Fun -  in the series "52 Ancestors in 52 Days, the theme was "Luck", so I wrote about  an unknown  third cousin making contact with me and giving a wonderful boost to my blogging activities with a wealth of stories, photos and extended family connections.
    A charming advertising blotter of my mother's second cousin  Elsie Oldham, who ran a hairdressing busines from her home, using the more refined name of Elise, promising "Bobbing, Shingling and Marcel Waves".
  • Auld Earlston  - given =i it is three years this month  since the blog was launched, a look back at some popular posts. 

    Earlston Square c.1900 with the Reading Room and the Corn Exchange.

  • Journal Jottings on the previous two weeks’ activities  - the highlight the theatre  visit to  Edinburgh to see "Carmen" with a difference. 
And Finally Amazing what you get done when the computer isn’t there.  I had a major  session updating the organisation of our household papers and files - ditto my family history material and sorted out my wool basket.  I even did some polishing - something that tends only to,get done ahead of visitors!

On a sad note, I attended the funeral of a neighbour, held at  the Borders Crematorium, nestling under the Eildon Hills - a beautiful, peaceful setting,  and so much better for  grieving families who until a few years ago  had to  make the stressful journey to Edinburgh..  


The week has ended with yet more snow
Our back garden
Melrose Abbey 


*****************



Journal Jottings   
Recording my everyday life for future family historians  

Developed from the "Genea-Pourri" prompt  on Randy Seaver’s blog Genea-Musings
I decided to change his title for my own version of this weekly online diary.


Saturday 10 March 2018

A City Visit, A Different "Carmen" and a Frightened Visitor.


                      LIFE:  5th-11th MARCH  2018
 
The week began with a thaw, with the result we reached the mucky stage of the snow piled up at the side of roads.  By the Friday morning we could actually see grass in the garden  - and now the rains have come. 

Earlston Square just after the snowstorm and before the gritters got to work. 

A CITY THEATRE VISIT
Took the bus up to Edinburgh on a bright morning for a very enjoyable day out with a friend.  A lovely journey, with the sun glinting the snow still covering  the hills and fields, yet once we reached  the city, you would never know they had had any snow - quite a contrast. 

We enjoyed lunch at an Italian restaurant - tasty lasagne and a yummy choice of desserts - I had the ice-cream selection:  peach & amaretto, strawberry and Belgian chocolate. 

We had time to browse the bookshop nearby  - so much for the digital revolution calling the end to book production!   The range of stock was impressive and I was pleased to find a little history book for Nh’s  latest  school project.

"CARMEN" WITH A DIFFERENCE
Across  to the Festival Theatre to see Ballet Hispanico.  In some way,  to call themselves ballet was a misnomer - forget any ideas about seeing tutus and girls dancing on pointes.  The company, from the USA and making their debut in Europe, focuses on presenting the Latino  culture through contemporary dance - so it was very much outside my comfort zone of classical ballet, but for me the attraction was the Bizet music and the chance to see something different
Carmen Gypsy Spanish Woman Dancer Girl Ros
Image:  Pixabay.com
 It was not what I was expecting -   which was  something to be a colourful antidote to the winter weather!  Plus the chance to  hear Bizet's powerful music.  But there was  no Flamenco style dancing, no wild gypsy flounced skirts, no bright colours.  The minimalist set did not bother me, but I did wish for a bit more variation in the costumes - everyone (men and women)  wore white,  apart from  Carmen in black and it  was often difficult to tellwho was taking the other principal parts. Fortunately  I knew the storyline which helped. 

Still the innovative, energetic choreography was brilliant, athletic, lyrical at times,  moving, and dramatic  -  warmly appreciated by the audience.  Indeed a different "Carmen" and I am glad I saw it! 

 

COMPUTER CATCH UP
Usual drafting and publishing of blog posts. 
  • For "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" I wrote a profile of my great aunt Jennie Danson (1897-1986), the youngest child and only daughter (born after eight brothers). She displayed a feisty spirit, determination and commitment to her family throughout her life.
  • Disappointed at the response to the Auld Earlston blog post on John Simpson,woollen manufacturer.  It somehow did not capture attention with only 11 pageviews to date - one of my lowest ever, though I tried to make his life interesting,  as an example of the many self-made  Victorians who made their mark.
  • Wrote more book reviews for the library - an enjoyable task. especially  after Melrose Library circulated my first listing to the other libraries in the region to use in their displays.   It is not all that arduous, as I cut and paste, and edit, reviews I have already written on the Good Reads website.
 
 A FRIGHTENED VISITOR
Chestnut-Tailed StarlingI had heard this funny noise in our kitchen, and could not work out what it was.  Then  a starling suddenly appeared fluttering it wings and darting about.  My first reaction?  Call my husband of course!  He managed to usher the bird  into the hall and out the front door - and fortunately no mess left.

The major puzzle - how had it got into the house?   The back door had never been opened that morning, the bedroom, bathroom  and kitchen windows I had opened for some fresh air into the house, but we live in a bungalow and the window openings  are very slight. 




A THANK YOU TO FACEBOOK

Facebook Face Facebook Icon Facebook LogoIn the past, I have not been a fan of Facebook, largely from reading the adverse press coverage on teenage use, trolls, trivia etc.  I came late to it,  when it was suggested I was not making the best use of social media in promoting  my family history blog - I never realized there was such a wealth of support out there from the  various genealogy groups.   

However praise where praise is due - and it has been a force for the good during the snowstorms - how on earth would so many people have been kept easily informed on school closures, road closures, bus  services still operating,  events cancelled etc. etc.  Plus there have been some wonderful snow images  published by amateur photographers  - my favourite site on Facebook Bonny Border Views.



***************

Journal Jottings   
Recording my everyday life for future family historians  

Developed from the "Genea-Pourri" prompt  on Randy Seaver’s blog Genea-Musings
I decided to change his title for my own version of this weekly online diary.

Sunday 4 March 2018

One Word - Snow, for Life 19th Feb. to 4th March 2018

There could be only one major topic for the past fortnight - THE WEATHER  !!!

Lovely Early Spring Days
Hard to believe now, but we had a short spell of beautiful blue skies and temperature up to 7C/44F.  I even managed some tidying up in the garden.  But so we don't get too optimistic, the weather forecast is already making dire predictions about icy blasts coming in from Russia. 

All Change - The Icy Blasts Came
Tuesday Feb. 27th  and we woke up  to -2C and snowing - been on and off all day;  one minute bright sunshine, then dark and heavy snowflakes.  We have already heard that the school are off tomorrow  - there will be the usual criticism, but the Council is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't.  Police gave a severe weather warning with advice not to travel  unless absolutely necessary.  G. told not to travel to work in Edinburgh and instead went to the Galashiels office  - but came home early and it took 50 minutes to drive the 8 miles.
 View from our front door with the trees on the White Hill in the background. 

But worse was to come, notably overnight on Wednesday  28th  when we woke to 8" of snow from what the media are dubbing "The Beast from the East".   Very grateful that G. and N. called at the Co-op for us, and walked round with some essentials - but no deliveries of milk or newspapers had got through. The worst snow we have had since 2001, when we lived in Hawick and the town was cut off. I could not get to work for 3 days - not that I was bothered, as I had just been made redundant!

Little change by today Sunday - a slight thawing, but  some more light snow showers   - schools have been closed all week.  We have  had, no post deliveries since Tuesday  - not even the usual junk mail and shopping catalogues and no bus services from Earlston to Galashiels and Melrose but the Edinburgh buses are getting through.   Fortunately I have been well stocked up with food, with an ASDA grocery delivery just before the worst of the weather,  and G. has kept us going with essentials


Not All Doom and Gloom 

Nh loves snow clearing and at the end of a stint had fun playing at Snow Angels in the back garden. 


I was keen for some fresh air and exercise, especially having been comfort eating - too many chocolate  biscuits with cups of tea.   So I set off along the road to Redpath  - surprised  to see the gritter hadn't been along it,  as the road had hard packed snow.  i took it steadily and got to the view of the Black Hill. In its own way, an enjoyable walk.


Blogging
  • On a good news note, I had plenty of time for blogging, and posted or drafted:
     
  • Journal Jottings updates. 
     
  • Latest post in the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" series where the theme was "Heirlooms".  I chose to feature the legacy left by my talented mother.

  • For the second week's  theme of Wills, I wrote a profile of my great great great grandfather Henry Danson ((1806-1839).]

  • "On the Job" was the theme of a prompt from a fellow blogger who asked us to list the paid jobs we have had over the years - a fun, nostalgic post to pull together and  to choose the photographs. - my title "From Fish Girl to Family Historian" - with student jobs, history, tourism and librarianship serving me well.
     My first tourism job at Hawick Tourist Information Centre  -
    long before the days of computers. 

    Auld Earlston Group 
    My  latest blog post was a profile of John Simpson (1856- 1919) of  the local mill Simpson and Fairbairn.   He was typical of so many self-made Vistorians - he began work in a tweed mill at the age of 15 and became  a leading entrepreneur in the Borders woollen industry.  
     
     Simpson & Fairbairns at Rhymer's Mill, Earlston, early 1900's
    It became the largest employer in the village 
    but  economics forced its closure in 1969.

Entertainment
Apart from  the usual quizzes,  a dead loss for me on TV, so  we have been enjoying the new  Gilbert & Sullivan  DVDs that we bought online to replace the videos we could no longer play on our new machine.   Brought back many happy memories of my time years ago  singing in them with the Savoy Opera Group in Edinburgh. 

I am one of the bridesmaids in "Ruddigore".  
The photograph was taken at the dress rehearsal, but the scenery team needed to work all hours  to finish the painting of the cottage for opening night! 


In the chorus of "Yeoman of the Guard".

*****************

Journal Jottings   
Recording my everyday life for future family historians  
Developed from the "Genea-Pourri" prompt  on Randy Seaver’s blog Genea-Musings
I decided to change his title for my own version of this weekly online diary.