R. Whites Ginger Beer Bottle

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Julie Goucher

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Sepia Saturday 179 – Fairgrounds

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Whenever my Grandmother was being a bit awkward or contrary my Grandfather would say, “oh, its the gypsy in you Lil”

I often wondered if there was perhaps any truth in the statement and my Grandmother’s skin, certainly on her forearms was always rather tanned. When I started my genealogical research I established that my four times Great Grandmother was Bethsheba Drakeley.

Bethsheba had been born in Nuneaton in 1797 and married William Matthews in 1818 in Nuneaton. Together they raised 9 children. Bethsheba died in 1878 in Newbold on Avon in Warwickshire.

Old Arm Canal near Rugby  circa 1915

The name of Drakeley is fairly well known for involvement in fairgrounds and canal work, and this week’s prompt gave the inspiration I perhaps needed to seek some images of Drakeley fairgrounds. There are quite a few images on the website for the National Fairground Archive.

If there is any truth in the story it will be interesting to explore the Gypsy culture and history. At the moment I can not see any evidence of my branch of the Drakeley’s being involved, but who knows what I might discover.


Taking part in Sepia Saturday

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Armchair BEA – Ethics

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Design credit: 
Sarah of Puss Reboots

What a great topic as part of the Armchair BEA – ethics and blogging. My personal view is this –

  • I will always disclose if I have received a copy of a book in exchange for a review. Over the last year though I have reviewed a few other things in addition to books.
  • Never sell the books or items on, instead 
    • I pass them along to another reader or user – (not ebooks)
    • Donate them to a worthy cause
    • I email the provider and seek the go ahead
  • Review Policy – I do have a review policy – HERE although it could do with an overhaul
  • I do not make any money from this (or any) blog that I am involved with. No affiliations with Amazon or other retail or institutions – to me blogging is a source of enjoyment, not a money making entity.
  • I do not plagiarise.
    • If I use an image I found on the internet I always provide the source of the image 
    • I always seek permission where possible
    • If I gain an idea for something on back of reading someone elses blog or post I provide a link – an example of this is the February Photo Collage Festival – You can see all the posts for this HERE
  • I do though, advocate an organisation called Kiva and belong to the Genealogists for Families Team (GFF) which welcomes genealogists and their friends and families to join in. There is a badge on the sidebar on this blog which shows the Kiva loans that I have personally made as part of the GFF team.
  • The opinions shared on Anglers Rest are mine and mine alone, unless I state otherwise.
  • As part of my profession I am bound by a Code of Ethics. I never discuss professional issues on my blog, in fact I rarely mention my profession, which is in the healthcare arena. If I do relate to the day job I always talk in general terms or mention things that are specific to me. Furthermore, I signed the Official Secrets Act in 1992 thus rendering part of my professional life untalkable!
The biggest bug bear of blogging and sharing material has to be Pinterest. Whilst I have an account and use it I have in the last week read of several bits of material from genealogical bloggers being shared via Pinterest and the sharer has removed the source information completely. Then last weekend someone dropped me a message to say that someone had lifted my picture (the one that I use as my profile on this blog) and shared it to their board.

I did two things. Firstly I left a comment advising that the person had breached my copyright and I left my URL to this blog and secondly I reported the user and this particular issue to the Pinterest team. Within the day the “offender” was removed, well that account anyway, from the site. I guess this was because they had been swamped with complaints.

I have a copyright note on my blog and on my website. I trust that other people will respect that note, just as I will respect anyone else’s copyright.

Final comment. – This blog is my virtual living room. I share an assortment of things, mainly book or genealogical related and share photos of holidays etc. This blog is a reflection of my integrity and personal values.

What a great and fascinating subject to write about; it was good to get those little grey cells (Hercule Poirot – Agatha Christie character) working.
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Armchair BEA – Genre: Non-Fiction In All Its Forms

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Design credit: 
Sarah of Puss Reboots

For day 5 of the Armchair BEA our discussion is about non fiction.

I do read a fair amount of non fiction. I especially like memoirs, biographies and autobiographies. I also like travel texts and historical books with a real emphasis on genealogical books or themes.

My current non fiction read is for my monthly book group.
White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in…

My recent non fiction purchases are these two books

Blue Mauritius: The Hunt for the World's…First Class: A History of Britain in 36…
The One Penny Orange Mystery by Morris…These were inspired purchases because I recently reviewed The One Penny Orange Mystery by Morris Ackerman which I thoroughly enjoyed. I then heard a podcast by Chris West about his book First Class. So having purchased the book I am looking forward to cracking on and reading it.

Without Reservations by Alice Steinbach
In terms of a memoir/travelogue I can thoroughly recommend Without Reservation by Alice Steinbach, which I also mentioned yesterday. Sorry about that, but it is a lovely book and I really enjoyed reading it. You can read my review HERE and you can see a further post that I wrote HERE

I also enjoy reading books that are a combination of travel & cooking. The next book that I shall read that fits that description is Beyond the Pasta by Mark Donovan.

Beyond The Pasta; Recipes, Language and Life…

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Treasure Chest Thursday – Iodised Throat Tablets

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Julie Goucher
I must have owned this tin about 20 years. Purchasing such old pharmacy items was a way of combining my love of history and antiques with the day job!
This tin dates from the 1920s and reads

“for the VOICE, MOUTH and THROAT

“Acts like a GARGLE. Always efficacious and reliable.”

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Armchair BEA – Literary Fiction

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Design credit: Sarah of Puss Reboots
For day 4 of the Armchair BEA the topic is Literary Fiction. Wikipedia provides the definition of Literary Fiction HERE, but the rule of thumb is “critically acclaimed and serious” In fact reading the wikipedia definition and the subsequent details, not even the “writing professional” can agree on what exactly Literary Fiction is.
My personal view is the book is a “cut above the rest” apparently and perhaps has been seen by professionals and judges suitable for winning awards, rather than novelists that “churn books out in order to eat.
There, that is a harsh and brutal set of generalisations. – I am feeling delicate today so if you disagree please be nice!
I belong to a book group and each month we meet and discuss books and whatever else falls out of the general discussion. We have read in recent months books that have either been nominated for an award or won a prestigious award and we discussed what makes the book get the award. We agreed that it the nominated book is seen to have a WOW factor.
The Sense of an Ending by Julian BarnesAbout 18 months ago I read The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, prompted by seeing the award being presented to the author on Sky News, who were covering the event.
The next time I was in the local library I checked the shelf and there it was, a slim book. I checked the book out and read it in an afternoon. A week later I re read the book and felt that I didn’t get the book. I must be an idiot, a philistine. It was a well acclaimed book, won a prize & I didn’t get it. 
I checked LibraryThing, where there are over 3,000 copies of the book registered in different libraries and over 200 reviews. Overall the book has a 4 star rating. I gave the book 3 stars, I liked the story, it was a clear and easy read with a twist in the tale, but did it have that WOW factor for me? No it did not and I think the book is over rated. 
Our book group read for April was Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman, which also was nominated for the Booker Prize and it was a first novel. I gave the book 3 stars on Librarything and you can read my review HERE. I think this book does have the WOW factor, it is a fictionalised account of something that happened in London and I had mixed feelings about this.
So can I recommend any Literary Fiction? – Actually no, I believe that readers should read what appeals to them from other reviews and book group choices rather than endlessly selecting those nominated for awards.  Reading is about learning, developing, thinking and enjoyment.
So on that note I will recommend a book that I have recently read, on the back of a blog post. The book is a  memoir & travel book and is Without Reservation by Alice Steinbach. You can read my review HERE and you can see a further post that I wrote HERE
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The Font at St Nicholas Church circa 1912

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Julie Goucher
I had to purchase this postcard, as at least 3 generations of my family have been Christened at this very font, including me! Even more ironic is the postal date on the reverse indicates the date which is the year my Grandmother was born.
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Armchair BEA – Blogger Development & Genre Fiction

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Design credit: Sarah of Puss Reboots
We are already at day 3 of the Armchair BEA. Today the discussion is about blogger development & genre fiction.

Blog Development – I don’t have all the answers, but this works for me. This blog has been operational since 2002. At the start I wasn’t too sure what to do with a blog, but then I discovered several things

  1. Confidence – to share what I would tell anyone if they were standing with me. To be open and honest. If someone does not like what I write, well they don’t have to read it!
  2. Get involved – Blog hops  & book tours – not just book specific, but those relating to genealogy too. The book blog community and the geneablogger communities are very friendly and welcoming. For those researching their ancestry – Geneabloggers is fabulous with daily prompts.
  3. Interaction – online friends & companions – people that share the same interests and the friendships that develop along the way. Comment on blogs and participate. 
I have embraced social media. Firstly, I allowed people to follow my blog via email or RSS feed. I also added Twitter. More recently I added Facebook page.
I share bits about me, books I liked (or not) and why. Genealogy and ancestry related posts. I take part in a few weekly memes – usually library loot and weekend cooking. I often share pictures as part of Sepia Saturday. I also do a rambling from my desk post every now and again. 
I try and write a blog post everyday or at least 3 times each week. The readers need to know that you are coming back and having fresh content helps. I very often schedule posts and to keep structured I bought a cheap diary which lives on my desk. That way I can ensure that posts I have promised to deliver such as book tours are kept.
I contribute to several other blogs  – Historical Tapestry and Smitten by Britain. I also write a monthly genealogical column for a digi magazine called The In-Depth Genealogist.
I blog and write because I enjoy it. It allows me interaction with others, people that I know and new people that I meet along the way. By interacting with others it is effectively an open door. You can read and become inspired and challenged to do things such as reading challenges or read-a-longs. My reading list has never been longer!
Genre Fiction – I read all sorts – I love history, so I often read a mixture of non fiction and fiction. I am often inspired by what I read and find that I often need to jot things down because I wonder if one of my ancestors did that, or because what I read reminds me to look something up, perhaps there is a name of an author, a quote or phrase. 
I also read literary fiction and enjoy reading books from authors such as Jennifer Chiaverini, who writes about a fictional group of Quilters. I am not into reading science fictions, about vampires or aliens. I like a degree of realism or fictional realism at least, yet I love the series of books by Diana Gabaldon, set in Scotland, I guess they can be described as mystical & historical – The Outlander Series. I also read cozy mysteries  – by such authors as Cleo Coyle
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New England Captives Carried to Canada 1677 – 1760 by Emma Louise Coleman

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Julie Goucher

A few weeks ago I received a lovely message to say that my name had been selected by Fieldstone Common and I had won a copy of New England Captives carried to Canada between 1677 – 1760 by Emma Louise Coleman and published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Because of the time difference I, more often than not listen to the Fieldstone Common radio shows from the recording, and sometimes I not often a week or two late in listening.

This is the link to this episode, broadcast on 11th April which tells you a little about the book –

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fieldstonecommon/2013/04/11/new-england-captives-carried-to-canada-with-donald-friary

I am actually no stranger to the book. Back when I undertook my history degree this book, well the original two volumes that were published in 1925 were in fact on the reading list from the lecturer. Ironically no copy of these volumes existed in the university library, nor in any library within easy access of the south west of England.

This particular book is the republished complete volumes of those 1925 books. So how lucky am I?

The book arrived today, just before lunchtime to a pretty miserable south west England, so I whilst I my lunch I started to dip into this very interesting book.  Clearly I was so distracted as I had nearly finished my  ham roll, before I realised that I had forgotten to put the ham in!

At immediate first glance, it does look a really interesting book, which contains as much biographical data as was available about these individuals. In addition there is information on the social and economic aspects of the geography and the impact of the relationships between the natives and the new immigrants to the region.

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Armchair BEA – Genre Classics

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Design credit: Sarah of Puss Reboots

For a long time I struggled to read classics. I don’t know why, perhaps the language or me or a combination of the two.

As I have got older and probably linked into my very healthy genealogical and history obsession I find classics of real interest and enjoyment. One of my favourites has to be Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which really gives the historical bit of me an insight for what life was like for families and women in the 18th Century. How important it was to marry into a good respected family and the consequences of marrying and not marrying. Fascinating!
A Room with a View by E. M. ForsterA later classic is A Room with a View by E M Forster, set in my home county of Surrey in parts and Italy. I remember the film produced in 1987 and the portrayal of the central character, Miss Honeychurch on her grand tour of Italy care of a spinster cousin, played in the film by Dame Maggie Smith, before returning home, to marry a pompous man, whilst loving a potentially unsuitable one. In the end Miss Honeychurch follows her dreams and it is all rather lovely. The other cast in the film were Dame Judi Dench and Helene Bonham Carter. 
I recall at school, for my senior exams we had to read Animal Farm by George Orwell. I recall reading it and wondering what on earth!, but when I came to history and looked at Russian history and then made the link between the facts and the book, courtesy of our English Lit teacher I read the book again and it all fell into place.  I have re-read the book since those days around 30 years ago and think perhaps I might have a another read. I still have that aged copy purchased when I was 15 so I could prepare for my exams.
Classics are timeless literature, they tell the same story whether you read when you are young, old or middle aged, the difference is, like with all reading what you get out of the book each time it is read. The superficial reading or perhaps the hidden meanings.
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