The Floating Brothel by Sian Rees

This was a fascinating book that I bought from Waterstones in the Autumn of 2004.

The Journal Entries on Book Crossing are HERE

Now Timewatch on BBC2 on Fri 3 Feb at 9:00 pm is running the following programme.

The Floating Brothel In 1789, England's first all-female transport ship set sail for the other side of the world - the struggling penal colony at Sydney Cove. Timewatch follows three of today's high-flying Australian women as they trace their ancestry back to a mischievous prostitute, a little street urchin, a wheat thief - and the extraordinary tale of the "Floating Brothel". Reprieved from the death sentence, and free of the stench of London, these young women from the Georgian underworld made the most of their voyage on "The Lady Juliana". The boardwalks became catwalks as they turned to prostitution to ensure that they arrived in the desolate Australian colony fit, fat and rich. Unearthing diaries, court records and documents, their descendents reflect on their twenty-first century lives, and discover they have inherited not just their genes - but also the incredible entrepreneurial spirit of their forebears.
Timewatch Website

Breakthrough Generations - The UK study of the causes of breast cancer

Breakthrough Generations - The UK study of the causes of breast cancer

Live Journal - journaleers - Community Info

journaleers - Community Info

I am not a member of this group. Although I have a Live Journal, I don't find it very comfortable to use, so I am sticking with blog! Looks an interesting group though.

Reading - The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

This bookring arrived at the end of December. I was snowed under with bookrings; their like buses and all arrive at once! I started this and found the first 50 pages or so a bit slow. Well, I started again yesterday afternoon and have just finished it. I loved it!

Its a story set during the 1930s in America, money is tight and there is limited amounts of work. The Persian Pickle Club is a small group of town women who meet and stitch. Its a story of friendship, kindness and loyalty.

Here are the Journal Entries

Problems accessing the BookCrossing site

Its been driving me potty! Intermitten access to the main
Book Crossing site (www.bookcrossing.com)
Then this morning it started to load, but v e r y slowly,
and I wondered if it was my anti virus software. So I turned
it off and hey presto! access to the main site. So it looks
like, at least until my next anti virus update, that I may
have to turn off the anti virus to use the site then put it
back on afterwards. Fingers crossed the next update will
solve the problem.

31st January 2006 - The next anti virus update solved the problem, which is excellent news.

AngelSan Creation - Stitching Bloggers Webring

AngelSan Creation Stitching Bloggers Webring

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Your Birthdate: October 10

Independent and dominant, you tend to be the alpha dog in most situations. You're very confident, and hardly anything ever shakes you. Mundane tasks tend to drain you - you prefer to be making great plans. You are quite original. When people don't "get" you, it bothers you a lot. Your strength: Your ability to gain respect Your weakness: Caring too much what others think Your power color: Orange-red Your power symbol: Letter X Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Making Rugs

There was a posting on one of the genealogical mailing lists that I belong to on making rugs. It set me thinking about the rugs that my great grandmother, Annie Prudence Butcher, nee Harris who lived in Surrey, used to make.

She used to use string instead of knitting wool then somehow used carpet wool cut in lengths which then allowed the string to be able to be attached to the hesian back using a sacking needle. Looking front to back there was the wool at the front, string in the middle then the hesian back.

I might try and make a very small one as a sample, so that I can see the process that was used in making a rug in this tradtional way.

Book Crossing NSS Valentine

Completed my shopping for my Not So Secret Valentine present. I really enjoy pulling together these parcels. This will be in the post on Monday 30th to ensure it arrives in time for the 14th February.

Two Tier Fiction Book Box

To celebrate my first Book Crossing birthday I decided to organise a book box.
There are two tiers:
1. A book box that will travel - UK only
2. A book box that is virtual - for those who might be restricted by geography or just fancy a book box without the logistics of getting the box to the Post Office, or you can play both!

Here are the Journal details so you can see where the box travels and what books are removed and replaced in the box.

I spent an hour this afternoon looking through the books in my study choosing what to include in the box, then doing the journal entries and getting the box ready. It will be off on its travels in the next week or so.

The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956 by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

I've had this book 20 years and the time has come to pass
it on through Book Crossing. I was just about to package
it up, ready for its trip across the Atlantic when I spotted
the following dedication

"I dedicate this
to all those who did not live
to tell it.
And may they please forgive me
for not having seen it all
nor remembered it all,
for not having divined all of it."

Isn't that a really beautiful passage? If you want to track
the book further here is the Journal entries.

F Worship - Sheffield England

Before Christmas last year Channel 4 (in the UK) ran a series called Not Forgotten about those who perished in the First WorldWar. There web site at http://www.channel4.com/ has a search facility where you can check not only for those who lost their lives, but also those who fought and returned from the war. A search of the site revealed there was only one Worship listed, an F Worship who appears on the memorial of Sheffield & Ecclesall Co-operative Society.
(Added to the One Name Study)

Rhodes, Worship & Hindle Research

I've had a great time this weekend researching the family of Annie Rhodes.

She's my father in laws maternal grandmother, who divorced Charles Arthur Worship sometime between 1901 and 1905. Annie moved to Philadelphia PA, USA and married a Henry (Harry) Hindle, they had one son who was christened Henry (Harry) Rhodes Hindle. I already knew that there had been a divorce and a remarriage in the US and that the Hindle's had a Fruit and Veg Merchant business in Philadelphia, so I knew where to research in the US. Without those details it would have been nigh on impossible. There are also photos of the Hindle's in the US that were sent back to the three children of Annie that sheleft behind, although there were adults, it must have still been difficultto adjust to, America was not as near as it is now in 1905! -

Anyway, digressing, I had a search through the immigration records for PA and found that in 1921 Annie now a Hindle and son Harry and travelled back to the US from Liverpool, so the family did keep in touch. A quick thought yesterday for the surname of Worship, well, I was glad that I had searched as it found Annie's eldest daughter Emily aged 23 heading off to the US in 1914. I don't know if this was a holiday to visit her mother or for good. A thorough search of the US census from 1870 located Henry Hindle Senior and then that of Henry & Annie together. Research also found Annie as a child in Manningham Bradford Yorkshire and that of her father Joseph Rhodes a young man in Manningham aged 17 in 1851.

I am delighted with my new Ancestry subscription!

KnitKnack PaddyWack Give a Blog a Home

Blog belong to one of my BookCrossing chums
KnitKnack PaddyWack Give a Blog a Home

Book Crossing 1st Birthday

I celebrate my first BookCrossing birthday today. I have been overwhelmed with the friendliness, generous and total accepting of fellow BookCrossers. What must be remembered is that we are virtual strangers, who come together, online through our love of books and reading.

Some of us do meet, but more than that, we pass books along either as part of book rings, rays and book boxes. We also leave books in the wild.

In short I have met, both virtually and in reality some great people, from all across the globe and read some great books. Thank you fellow Book Crossers!

Book Crossing Not So Secret Valentine!

The name of my NSSV partner arrived today. Another excuse to send a book or two and a few goodies to a fellow Book Crosser. Now off to hunt for the goodies!

Ancestral Paraphernalia or Scotland again!

We took the in laws home this weekend. Having spent Christmas & New Year with us, my father in law was keen to show me several bits that had been passed down from his mother and maternal grandmother. The surname in brackets indicates which ancestral link each bit pertains too.

Here are the brief details, I intend to do some research on these.

1. A table knife. Marked on the back with R McQueen, Newcastle (WORSHIP)

2. A spoon with the initial of W on the top of the handle. Marked on the back with R McQuade (WORSHIP)

3. A delightful butter knife with the following details on the back
PAT MAR 2 -15 1881 {R} Rogers {R} A1 (RHODES>WORSHIP>HINDLE)

4. One of the delightful implements used for unhooking ladies boots. No markings specifically, The Celtic patten is the same on both sides, and the word Sterling appears on the handle. I don't feel this indicates steriling silver, my hunch is that it was made in Sterling. (RHODES>WORSHIP>HINDLE)

Loch Maben

My in Laws live near the small town of Loch Maben in South West Scotland. One afternoon we stopped by the small loch and could see all the swans and ducks bobbing about on the water, well we could see them on the bit that wasn't frozen! Here are a few pictures taken.

New Years Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Every year I make resolutions and never usually achieve them, so this is hopefully going to be a year with a difference!

1. File and tidy my bursting study. If there had been a contest for the study with the most piles of papers I would have won it!

2. Keep up with my emails. I have a backlog of about, ahem, lets say several months. I want to respond to all those who have waited patiently for a response and then keep up to datte.

3. Clear out wardrobes, cupboards and remove the things that we have gathered over the years.