Virtual Genealogy Fair 3rd & 4th September 2013

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Julie Goucher

The National Archives in the US is hosting a virtual genealogy fair; how exciting is that? Click HERE to join in the fun

The schedule of lectures and talks is on the web page and will be available for live viewing and for those of us not in the US or in the US time zone can view the recorded sessions available after the event.

Obviously the records are all those pertaining to those in the United States, but if you have ancestors that ventured across the pond or are undertaking a one-name study, such as I am then there are a few gems. I most certainly plan on listening to the recording of Alien Files and the recording of Immigration, Naturalization & Citizenship records.

Are you planning on attending the virtual genealogy fair?

With thanks to The In-Depth Genealogist & Hack Genealogy for alerting me to this exciting genealogical development.

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The Lawn, Guildford Castle Grounds circa 1912

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Julie Goucher

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Ramblings from my Desk….. (16)

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Julie Goucher

The first day of Autumn has arrived here in the UK. The weather has been lovely today and a warm sunshine prolongs the life of the summer flowers.

A few weeks ago we were told by friends that a nearby garden centre already had their seasonal department layout for the Christmas and festive season. The season that seems to get earlier and earlier, coupled with the season merging.

Global warming I think has played it’s part. When we returned from Australia at the end of last October it was zero degrees Centigrade. The temperature and weather remained low and miserable for months, with Autumn, Winter and Spring merging. I wonder what will happen this year?

As the sun rays shined across parts of Devon today I have been involved in several big projects. One started in January and has just debuted on line as the Book of Me, Written by You and I have been busy talking and I could say leading, but that would be wrong.

Those that joined the Facebook group have truly embraced the sentiment of the idea; and the ideas and thoughts are flowing nicely! It really doesn’t matter what you do, whether you host something online, walk into a shop or work from behind a desk, the common denominator is people and it those people that make things a success.

The other big project has been my involvement with a new Society, which specializes in One-Place Studies. Again, through this project it is the people that make the difference as we exchange ideas, develop friendships and embrace the expanding world of social media.

The children, not that I have any, have returned to school and two neighbours of ours this morning had fairly glum faces as they returned to a new school year. In England it means, probably snow, cold weather, burst pipes, cold and flu season and Christmas and that is just this term. The truth is it will go into much of next term too.

On the domestic front, I am feeling better, happier and content. I still am always busy and my new laptop and I have been on a journey of discovery and frustration together as I grasp Windows 8. The penny has finally dropped!

As to forthcoming projects. The book I have been writing about a particular branch of my family that hailed from Surrey and went to India is progressing very slowly. The projects mentioned above have hindered the book, but that is OK. I thought long and hard about publishing  versus self publishing. Then someone recently said to me that self publishing meant that your work was not worth publishing. I was a little speechless, and saddened that someone has such a narrow minded view, and it takes all sorts in this world, it would seem!

Self publishing is a big step. I have 100% of the cost outlay and I therefore take 100% of the revenue and 100% of the risk. It is a risk I am willing to take.  The saying that everyone has a book in them is probably true, but it does not necessarily mean that it is a book that should be published or will be published! For me it is all about taking part, bring an idea to life and resulting in something I am proud of. Something where I can say I did that, and that other family members can enjoy along with other historians.

I have a few other projects to get to, some are new, others were on previous lists and some are in progress, but as I said, it is only the first of September!

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Book of Me – Prompt 1 – Who am I?

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Prompt 1 went live earlier today. You can read the details HERE.

I am keeping my Book of Me as a private blog, but each week I will share some of my details within this blog.

Here is my responses for prompt 1.

A wife
An individual
A daughter
A family member
A friend
A professional
A Genealogist
An historian
A book reader
A pet lover – Alfie!
A colleague
A team member
A team player
A writer
A participant
A chocolate lover
An organizer
A facilitator
A committee member
A tea drinker

The answers are not in any particular order, they are recorded simply as they flowed, but it is interesting that I placed wife before individual.
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Guildford Cathedral ~ St Ursula’s Porch circa 1960

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Julie Goucher

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The Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 1

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Today is the launch of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30am UK time I will release the prompt for that week’s Book of Me, Written by You.

 If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE. 

The prompt for week 1 is a recognized psychology test

  1. Ask yourself 20 times “Who are you?”
Each time you should give yourself a different answer, and if you can easily go beyond 20 then that is fine too. The last time I did this (December 2012) I came up with 26. This is the sort of prompt that you can re do at various stages of your life, perhaps after some changes or at the start of the New Year.

This prompt is about how YOU see YOU.

A little later I will stop by with my answers.

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The Book of Me, Written by You

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Julie Goucher
20130830-182013.jpg

For details please visit the webpage HERE you will find the background details and the link to the Facebook page.

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Almost time for the Book of Me, Written by You

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Julie Goucher

We are just 2 days away from The Book of Me, Written by You, launch. The prompts will be delivered each week from 31st August 2013 through until the end of December 2014 via Thomas at Geneabloggers and via the Anglers Rest blog. There is a Facebook group set up read for discussion. You can read all about the project and find out what it is all about and sign up to the Facebook page HERE

Provided by Wordle – with thanks to TK

The first prompt is an easy one, but don’t let that fool you! The weekly prompts are a mixture of what looks on the surface as trivial, thoughtful and perhaps emotional, not to mention everything in between. They are delivered in a random fashion.

The Book of Me, Written by You is a real opportunity to explore your memories, thoughts, information from your life, things that you can remember, and perhaps the passing on of oral history.

This is a chance to explore yourself and create a legacy for future generations. This is truly a road of self discovery and exploration.

So what are you waiting for? 
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More on Thyroid…….and Genetics

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Julie Goucher

This is NOT a medical post and does not reflect any medical or pharmacological details – these are my opinions based upon reading and my professional learning.

A few weeks ago a newsletter I subscribe to, called Stop the Thyroid Madness shared the details of a medical study, which had been conducted in Italy. You can download the study HERE, but it was published in the Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology journal.

The Study was essentially about the potential link between Levothyroxine (T4) and lung cancer. There were several reasons why I read the article several times before writing this post.

  • I am a patient taking levothyroxine (T4) & have done so since 1992
  • I have a keen interest in all matters around the subject of hypothyroidism & hyperthyroidism
  • I have to, for the day job conduct CPD, so this fits the criteria, albeit rather loosely
  • The study was conducted in 18 Italian regions. I am half Italian and Sicily was one of the regions used.
  • Question – what is, if there is one, the genetic link?
There was quite a lot of detail in the study and I am not going to bore readers who do not have an interest in this particular issue, but if you do, read the webpage and the study.It is informative and has made me ponder, question and debate the issue of genetics again.
The thread on the webpage had a few responses from those thyroid patients in the US, and the site is written by an American author, which is worth bearing in mind as in the UK things and thinking are a little different, although not necessarily correct.
There has always been this debate that T4 alone does not work. The reality is that in the UK we rarely prescribe T3 in addition to T4, although I was prescribed it from 1999 to 2008 when I stopped, on the basis that another study revealed that there was a potential link to heart disease.
Taking T4 is a hormone and as any women will know our hormone levels adjust on a fairly regular basis. Blood tests for T4 levels are should be done at least twice a year, and certainly within 8 weeks of any changes to T4 doses, as it takes 6 weeks for the levels to adjust.
I would like to see if this study is going to be done in the UK; perhaps at Bristol, who in the past have taken part in a number of studies. I am also going to write to the authors and ask the question around genetics.
As I said above, this is not a medical or professional post. This was merely reading which I undertook for my personal use and I know that I shared various thoughts and pondering’s about Thyroid and genetics before and I have several thyroid patients among my readership.
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Global Genealogy

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Julie Goucher

This morning whilst I was consuming a bowl of Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut I was reading through my mail and I spotted a post from Jill who blogs at Geniaus. As I read through the questions listed, I put my cereal to one side and started to type up my response. Alfie was far from impressed as I always leave him a little milk at the end, which today was much longer! I know he is a very spoilt dog!

It occurred to me that without the internet I would never have met the genealogists that have taken part in Jill’s meme, or responded to the comments either via Jill’s or my Google+. Then I got to the bit in the questions about collaboration and then the idea of Global Genealogy came to me in a flash.

Image from Globe Photo

The concept is in fact a simple one, it actually connects what genealogists and especially those of us that blog do best. Collaborate. So here is the deal.

There will be a blog which will be hosted and written by us all. The vision is that there will be one post each day,- which means 365 people 365 blog posts. Or it could be 28 of us with a post, each writing a post on a particular date in the month, with days 29 – 31 covered by volunteers. It depends how much the word spreads, as to how many people want to take part.

The only criteria is that the post must be genealogical, family history or at least historical, local history connected in some way.

So that is easy….right?

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