Wordless Wednesday & Silent Sunday

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Julie Goucher
From the Gardens of Samares Manor – July 13th 2011

Submitted to Wordless Wednesdays

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Tea Cup Tuesday – Queen Victoria 1897

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Julie Goucher
Welcome to the latest Tea Cup Tuesday post. 
This week I have selected one of my favourites; a commemorative set from the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, so this was her Diamond Jubilee.
I can’t recall where I bought the teacup and saucer, it might have been the local antique hot spot of the South West of Engand – Honiton. 

A few years later, after buying the tea cup and saucer I saw for sale in Honiton the delightful tea pot stand and the tea pot. I remember thinking it wasn’t actually what I wanted; at the time I was looking for saucers and plates to decorate above the picture rail in our lounge, but I knew that if I didn’t get them I would regret it. I bought them and they came home with me and now live in our lounge, in a house built the year before the Jubilee in 1897.

Submitted as part of Tea Cups Tuesday hosted by Artful Affirmations

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The Reverse Immigrant by Alfred M. Zappala

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Julie Goucher

I have been following the adventures and activities of Alfred via his All Things Sicilian website for about a year or so. I then saw an email by which he mentioned his second book and I was instantly intrigued. I had missed all references to an earlier book. I headed straight over to the web page to read all about them and to purchase a copy of the first book. I also wrote to Alfred to advise that I was planning, once purchased and read, to review his first book, before purchasing the second.

The Reverse Immigrant : Return to my Sicilian Roots was published by Alfred in 2010. It arrived with me across the pond about a fortnight ago and I was impressed, both with writing style and publication quality. Having ordered from the website my copy arrived signed by the author.

The book was clearly written in instalments that have been pieced together; that is not a negative; the book reads like a series of conversations and is like spending time with an old friend.

There is a general mix of Alfred’s family, his parents and grandparents and memories of those who have shaped his life, his friends and business, together with his hopes and plans for the future. There is some history and general information of Sicily. There is also factual information and there are the chapters written with humour that made me smile and laugh. There is above all, a deep sense of love for his family, friends and his Sicilian heritage.

Alfred’s family history is by no means isolated. It is representative of what thousands of immigrants did. They left their native country with little more that the clothes on their backs and small change, to build a better life in another country. Thousands of Italians and Sicilians walked, yes walked, across their native Country to the coast where they boarded a boat to start their new life. Some walked further, and walked across France to the French coast and boarded boats to England. Some ran out of money and made their lives in England, some worked to earn the money to carry on to America and some went directly to America. Whatever their journey those men, women and children did that to build a better life for themselves and future generations. Having arrived into another country they not always treated well and lived a hard life, all the while thinking of the life and people they left behind, the traditions and values. It is those traditions and memories that have carried on and been passed down to descendants such as Alfred and it those details which appear in this book which is a reflection of the sacrifices made. It is those who are honoured.

I am in complete awe of Alfred’s plans; which you may have guessed from the title, is to return to his heritage home in Sicily from the United States. That is not an easy decision to make,even for part of a year, to leave your love ones in order to follow your dreams. I admire Alfred’s courage and the love he has for his family and heritage, as he completes a full circle.

The book details if you would like to purchase a copy are:

The Reverse Immigrant : Return to my Sicilian Roots by Alfred Zappala
Published 2010
ISBN – 1881901750
Available from AllThingsSicilian or Alfred Zappala

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Book Blogger Hop – Pets!

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Julie Goucher
Book Blogger Hop
I haven’t taken part in this blog hop for a few months, simply life sometimes gets in the way! Here is this weeks prompt, which is unusually not book related!
“Do you have pets?”

Regular readers of this blog will have met Alfie previously, back in April when he was the subject of A is for ……as part of the A-Z Challenge.
Sleeping in Progress – Do Not Disturb!

Here is he a few weeks ago, never missing a trick to jump up on the bed and head straight back to sleep. I simply had to share; he is such a sweetheart!

Submitted to the Book Blogger Hop

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In My Mailbox – Week 8

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Julie Goucher

There has only been one book through the letterbox this week. I have a review scheduled for the Federation of Family History Societies, here in the UK.

And a book through the front door; the reality is the book as been in and out of the front door as I have renewed it at the library several times!

A few book reviews are still to follow, this week, the day job simply overtook everything. So unless it was absolutely essential some things did not happen.

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Carnival Of Genealogy 109 – Our Ancestors’ Place of Worship!

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Julie Goucher

St Nicholas Church in Guildford Surrey was the venue of my Christening in the late 1960s, that of my Mum in the mid 1940s and my Grandmother in 1913. It was also the venue where my Grandfather’s sisters married during the 1930s.

This is the photograph of my late Great Aunt, Dorothy Lilian Butcher upon her wedding to Richard Dick in 1936.

I have a Christening Certificate which was presented to my Mum at my Christening, alas it has the wrong middle name for me and is written as Julie Joyce. Joyce was in fact my Mum’s middle name! So either the vicar looked at the register or it was the same vicar!

My Grandfather was Christened at the parish Church in Wanborough in 1908 and prior to that we have almost 250 years of ancestry on my Grandfather’s maternal line connected to the beautiful rural Surrey parish of Puttenham, which is the subject of the two photographs below and that of my One Place Study

This is a great photograph, showing the font at Puttenham. How many of my ancestors have been baptised here?  There is rather an amusing story which concerns one of my Ellis ancestors at Puttenham and features this very church.

George Ellis was a blacksmith in Puttenham. He was busy working and a spark caught and set alight a building next door and suddenly Puttenham was in the midst of a fire. The locals rushed to form a human chain between the fire and one of the village wells which was situated in the front ground of the church. The fire was put out and over time the well was covered. It remained covered until Easter Sunday 1972 when during the service a huge noise was heard. Upon leaving the church, it was visible that  a tree that had previously taken root over the spot of the well had completely disappeared into the spot thus locating the hidden well. The well is now visible for all to see and the spot marked with a plaque celebrating its rediscovery after 222 years.

Now, having read the information in the archives for the village I was curious as to how the well had been covered and why no one remembered the spot where it had been situated? So many questions….. and this little story demonstrates how the church was interwoven into the lives of our ancestors.

The Carnival of Genealogy is hosted by CreativeGene

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Sunday Salon – Sunday Reflections

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Julie Goucher

I have not posted recently, which is a shame. I have been working on various projects, doing some reading and coping with the day job, which in itself is not difficult, but I have had a further complication and the result of that is my loss of confidence and faith in myself. So, when things get tough, I tend to focus on various hobbies and interests and reading usually plays a part in that.

I am currently writing the reviews for the following recently read books.

I have another book which arrived this week for a review for the Federation of Family History Societies.

I also have four other reviews to post, not to mention a rather large mountain of books to read. I am attempting to not purchase any books. I have not been to the library in ages, although I did ask my Mum to renew a book that I was about to get a fine for and I still want to read. So that needs to be read in the next few weeks.

I am also on the look out for a book club; either virtual or local to me, where we can read and share thoughts and alike. If anyone has any recommendations I would appreciate it.

Overall, I am finding that I am caught up too much in work mode. I am, only a month back from my last holiday in desperate need of another and have until early October to wait. Work will settle down soon hopefully and once it does I will stop bring it home in my head and that will enable me to focus on the other important things of life – mainly my genealogy projects, reading and my beloved husband.

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Sunday Stamps – A Collection of Penny Blacks

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Julie Goucher
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Welcome, to the latest Sunday Stamps posting.

I had planned to post a completely different post this week, but then this morning, whilst reading the paper; The Western Daily Press dated 27th August 2011, I spotted the following picture of a collection of Penny Blacks. The collection sold at an auction in Sherborne in Dorset for £2,400. A rather impressive set. I was though, slightly surprised that they didn’t sell for more.

Western Daily Press 27th August 2011

Submitted as Sunday Stamps hosted by Viridian’s Postcard Blog

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52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History – Wk 35 – Weddings

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Julie Goucher

Week 35: Weddings. Tell us about your wedding. You may also talk about your future wedding, the wedding of a relative or shape this question to fit your own life experience.
This challenge runs from Saturday, August 27, 2011 through Friday, September 2, 2011.
This week’s post is very thought provoking, as we have just celebrated our 17th Anniversary. So I have just spent a lovely hour looking back through our photograph albums and having a walk down memory lane.
Here are a few photos of our special day.
Looking back through our photograph collections. Here are a few heritage ones.
This is my Mum as a bridesmaid in 1960 at the wedding of her cousin Janet Downes to Michael Newman. The marriage took place at Stoke Church at Guildford Surrey.
Here is the wedding of my late Great Aunt, Rose Butcher to Ernest Marshall in 1931. The wedding took place at St Nicholas Church Guildford Surrey.
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Weekend Cooking – An Old Cookbook with a Difference

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Julie Goucher

I often spend an hour or two reading the newspapers over the weekend. Sometimes, I strike it lucky with some amusing or interesting article that catches my eye. Here is a recent find

Published 13 August 2011 in Western Morning News

Hopefully, the story can be read from here, but the brief synopsis is that the lady pictured discovered the old book, published 260 years ago, in 1747, whilst clearing her late mother’s home. The book is titled “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy” by Hannah Glasse. From reading a description of one of the recipes, they are anything but plain and easy. There is even medicinal recipes included.

Weekend Cooking is a weekly event and hosted by Beth Fish Reads

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