Lilian's Tree

Well, I'm packed, house is clean and tidy, car and dog both washed and the freezer and pantry stocked with food. My Darling Husband has had lessons on how to use the washing machine. I leave Sunday for Roots Tech and will be blogging about my time there. Watch this space. Bye for a few days, Lilian.

In  a little over nine days I'll be airborne, on my way to the US, for Roost Tech 2016. I've packed, unpacked, repacked and am thinking of repacking, again. Do I have enough warm clothes? Will I really need my huge, thick jacket? I suppose I should just pack, close the case and not worry, if I need something, just buy it. I've organised my documents, cash, cash card,  research notes, eBooks to read. I think I'm ready. The freezer is full of home-cooked meals and treats, for my darling husband, Paul. He is going to batch and look after the dog. This is the longest time we have been apart in 40 years. Well, what will be, will be. It is going to be a wonderful conference and then time with our elder daughter, seeing a small part of the USA. Going to blog, so watch this space. Bye, Lilian.

My January/February issue of inside history ( insidehistory.com.au ) arrived and I have been enjoying reading it, as usual. I try not to read it in one go but that is hard! There is an article on Mark Tedeschi's QC, new book Kidnapped, The crime that shocked a nation. About the Graeme Thorn kidnapping in 1960. Even though I was young, I remember it very well. Well worth a read and I might just have to buy the book. The article Writing the Past, is about a new website that is a 'new storytelling platform can help you share your treasured family stories'. I've looked at the home page and browsed the topics but even though you can write a 'free' story, you have to subscribe to take it further. At around $AD85, you would have to write a lot of stories. Only launched in January 2016, lets see how it goes. www.ourfamilypast.com    is the link. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Biographical Database of Australia and the article cover what records they ha...

I have been very busy, this past week, trying to get things in order, so I can head to Roots Tech, in Utah. I've cooked meals, organised the freezer, sorted out our mail collection, (we have a post office box) and making sure I've got my research in order. I've also started a 365 Quilt Block Challenge, nine blocks made, so I'm on track. We are working on the dark blocks, all 3" in size. The 12 Month Genealogy Do-Over, has started and I've elected to do the go-over part. Revision my previous research, citing sources and double checking my facts. It will be very interesting to do. Wednesday, a very wet Wednesday and I did a webinar on how to research at the Family History Library, in Salt Lake City. So helpful. The biggest thing I have done this week is FINISH my study. While I had it tidy and there were some tubs to sort through, I was leaving that until I got back. Well the rain kept me inside, so it is done, with another bookcase added an...

A BBQ with friends saw us end 2015 on a high note. It was a good year with Paul's retirement, a new darling grandchild and plenty of travel. Genealogy wise I've had some interesting finds, that I will try and confirm, next month at RootsTech. We had a very blessed year. It is still early, only just past 7.00am as I write this, the street is quiet and I'm relaxing. Today I start two new adventures, the first is a Genealogy-Do-Over and the second is a 365 Day quilt block challenge. The Genealogy-Do-Over should be very interesting, as we are encouraged to take a fresh look at what we have done and re-do it. This months topics are Setting previous research aside and Preparing to research. Should be fun, watch this space! The 365 Quilt challenge will be fun as I haven't really undertaken such a project, for years. It is something along the lines of a Mystery Quilt, but we have seen the finished quilt. Our challenge is to make a block a day, for the year. Again I'll...