As we progress through the weekly themes for @ANZAncestryTime on Twitter, it’s given me the opportunity to reflect on topics that have been neglected by me for some time, or reminded me that I’ve posted about them before, some times a long while ago. The topic on 2 February was “Books”, another one close to … More Researching family history with books
We are in the process of severely de-cluttering our townhouse. Even though we’ve been in the habit of regular-ish trips to the Salvos/Anglicare/Vinnies, the stuff just keeps mounting up. Or to quote Himself “we’ve brought in more than we’ve got rid of”. The decision making of what to “get rid of” and what to keep … More Setting Our Books Free
Today’s guest post is by my friend, Kate Cole, in England who I met doing an online course several years ago. Kate’s just published her first local history book on the town of Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire. We had a virtual conversation about how she came to research and publish her book. I posed some questions, and … More Guest post: Kate Cole on Local and Family History
Last week my friend Sharn from Family History 4 U, issued a challenge on Facebook to list ten books which have affected my life. Others seemed to list their 10 easily while I was first presented with a blank mind, followed by puzzlement over which to choose. In the end my solution was to think … More Ten from Ten: favourite books
I’ve just begun an e-book of short stories, A First Place, by David Malouf. Absorbing stories written by Australians always seem slightly disorienting, so accustomed are we (or is it only me?) to reading books whose settings are elsewhere. Which came first, the sense that “other is better”, leading to the exodus of much of Australia’s … More My thoughts on David Malouf’s A First Place
Shauna Hicks is writing a 52 week series on genealogical records to “stimulate her genealogy blogging efforts”. She’s invited us to join her on the journey and while I’m behind, how could I miss out on the Week 7 topic: local histories…. after all they take up a fair bit of my bookshelf space. Why local histories? … More The joys of local histories
We all know the thrill of seeing an ancestor’s signature for the first time. Somehow it makes them seem that much closer to us. In her Heirlooms podcast Maria (from Genies Down Under) suggests leaving a sample of your handwriting for descendants, perhaps even some of your family history. Quite honestly this would be a … More Running Writing Heirlooms
It’s ages since I participated in the 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy by Amy Coffin and hosted by Geneabloggers as I’ve been rather preoccupied with my own 52 weeks Beyond the Internet series. This morning I read that the topic for Week 42 of Abundant Genealogy is Biggest Genealogy Accomplishment. What do you feel is your biggest genealogy … More 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 42 – Greatest Genie Achievement
Lately my mind has been turning to Papua New Guinea again as we plan an upcoming trip back to Alotau after a mere 41 years. As it does in these circumstances, one thought leads to another and before long I’m off on a tangent. No surprise then that I picked up my copy of The … More Thoughts on The Last Blue Sea
The other day I read about the Genre Favourites (and Guilty Pleasures) Blogfest on the L’Aussie Writer Blog. It sounded like a bit of fun so I thought, why not join in? So here are my responses. MOVIES One of my favourite movies ever is Out of Africa: the costuming, the scenery, the interaction with … More Genre Favourites Blogfest
Family history across the seas 