Family history

I am enthralled by family history research and have gone back to 1505 with my English adoptive maternal family. They were mainly yeomen and, later, gentlemen farmers in Suffolk. However, I have spent some time over the last few evenings looking at the 1911 census for England which has recently gone online. Brilliant! My friends with Welsh ancestry will have to wait a little longer but it will be worth it.

Glyndwr University and recession conference

I have just had a fascinating day in Wrexham at Prifysgol Glyndwr University on 'Facing the Recession' . The speakers were from the University, the Bank of England, the Welsh Assembly Government, a bank and a private sector company. The audience was mainly private sector, but John Gallanders, from the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham (AVOW) was there in the morning and I was there for the day from WCVA. I think John was called away at lunch time. In the afternoon I was able to make some points about the crucial roles of the voluntary or third sector, such as in tackling mental health issues, including depression, in times of recession. There are also opportunities to increase levels of volunteering amongst company staff who are on part time working. This can assist in maintaining and developing social capital, as can developing a variety of models of business structure such as social enterprises and cooperatives. A stimulating day - and back to the office at Morfa Hall, Rhyl tomorrow. I must find out how to do a Welsh 'to bach' on a 'w'. There should be one on the 'w' in the university name. Will anyone leave a comment telling me how to do it - and on other letters which need it too. Os dach chi'n medru, diolch yn fawr.

late again

It is late and I am still up. Does everybody do this? There is so much to do and I keep going until later than I want and then I need to just sit down and chill for an hour or more before going to bed - and then I find there are sheets to change which delays for another 15 minutes. Nobody's fault. Life...

Broadway Tower

I have changed my signature photo to one of Broadway Tower. This is near the former Toc H centre at Dor Knap, where I spent my first residential weekend with a group of inspiring people many years ago.

RAF bomber pilot and crew killed

Now I know this is bizarre, but this is the bomber, shot down by a German fighter ace over the Netherlands, which had been flown by my Uncle Peter in the second world war when he was a Flying Officer in the RAF. I came across this by a random online search some years ago. Note the Nazi soldier guarding the wreckage. Unfortunately, Uncle Peter and the crew were all killed. Many years later I visited his war grave in Holland.
I find this a little unsettling.

This blog

I have no idea at all who is likely to find this blog interesting apart from a few family and friends and a colleague or two, and even that may be wishful thinking. I enjoy writing it, so that counts I guess. If you have views on a) how I can improve this blog and/or b) what you like about this blog then please leave a comment. That may guide me for the future.

work - back again and staff appointments to make

I am back at work in a cold office. I think the heating must have been off over Christmas and New Year because there is a definite chill in the air in this building, even at lunch time. The radiators are struggling to cope, bless them.
I am beginning to sort out the staff appointments for the WCVA administration role for the GwirVol youth volunteering work. We will be dealing with grant-making and promoting youth volunteering beyond the Millenium Volunteers scheme which we already run in Wales. I am pleased that the more senior post will be at senior practitioner level. It is likely that I will line manage the person.

adjusting to work times

How on earth am I going to adjust to normal working hours? We have been going to bed at 2.00am and getting up at 10.00am. All change tomorrow, well, later today.

Linda Pepper, MBE

Royal honours time again. I forgot to mention that the retired chief officer of the Powys Association of Vountary Organisations (PAVO), Linda Pepper, received an MBE in the New Year honours. This is well deserved.

Chris Jackson, OBE, DL

Chris Jackson, OBE, DL has contributed to education (through chairing the board of Llandrillo College) and to tourism (as the Administrative Director of the Welsh Mountain Zoo) and particularly to the profits of numerous Spanish wine producers. He is our next door neighbour, as was his late dear wife, Sue. He runs a mad and loving dog called Barty, who is great friends with our daughter Jennie in particular.
Chris has also just become a Deputy Lieutenant of Clwyd. This county no longer exists, except as a preserved county for ceremonial occasions. No comment.
Basically, he is a good friend and neighbour, except when he checks our bottle recycling bin to ensure we are drinking wine of a suitable quality. Cheek!

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda/Happy New Year

We are now well into 2009, so a happy new year to one and all from North Wales. We had just a sprinkling of snow this morning but it has all but disappeared, leaving just the frosty grass and blue skies, as has been the case for the last few days.

We saw in the freezing cold new year next door at Chris Jackson's with another couple and Chris' new special friend, Beti. We had a palatable Indian takeaway and copious amounts of wine in good company, as always. I think I will blog a separate entry on Chris as I have mentioned him so much recently.

Rosie and Jennie are at the pantomime. Jennie is in two performances today and Rosie is chaperoning at the matinee only. Jennie has thoroughly enjoyed being a dwarf in Snow White but it does tie us to home for a long stretch. I think this may be the last year she does it anyway - we shall see.

Yesterday I began to be conscious of going back to work on Monday 5 January and started to think about what needs doing there. I must keep off that, at least until Sunday.

Quiet day

Today we have done almost nothing at all except watch Doctor Who and some other stuff on the TV. Rosie is back to work for a day tomorrow and Jennie is in pantomime for the afternoon performance.

The Christmas whirl

This is about the first time I have sat down and had a little time to myself for a week. Rosie is catching up with some sleep by going to bed at 6.30pm, for an hour or so. Jennie is in the bath relaxing and I am typing my blog. We have had a great Christmas, much of it with Chris Jackson of the Welsh Mountain Zoo and his two sons, Rob and Ben and Rob's girlfriend, Claire. There is not news on this front, but that can wait.

We had Christmas dinner at Chris' house and he gave us an excellent and delicious spread of pork with wonderful crackling - even if he did forget the stuffing, about which he was ribbed for much of the evening.

The day before yesterday Rosie's brother, Andy, and his wife, Joan, arrived from near Bolton with their two daughters Gemma (the one in the Royal Navy) and Kitty (the one living at home and trying to select a university). We had a great time with them, including going to the pantomime to see Jennie acting as one of the seven dwarves. We took Chris and Ben with us for this too. Good fun and not too long.

Last night Rosie's sister, Elspeth, joined everybody else at our house with her two offspring, Hannah and Alex. Her husband, Neil, was ill in bed. We all feasted on a buffet at home and the younger generation went to the pub. The YG got back sometime after 11.30pm and retreated to bed and the older generation stayed up to about 3.30am putting the world to rights, as you do.

Kitty's boyfriend, James, joined us yesterday too. He had been galavanting around, sharing his time between various parts of his family elsewhere.

Today was our turkey dinner, which I cooked for about 4.00pm. Success. Now everyone is replete and has gone home and Chris has phoned complaining of a sore throat and saying that Rosie gave it to him. Ah, well, what would we do without family and friends?

Royal Naval Auxiliary Service RNXS

I was just looking at the photo of me which I used to have on the 'about me' section on this blog and I think I looked really grumpy so I have changed it to one of me in a Royal Naval Auxiliary Service (RNXS) uniform, probably taken about 15 years ago. They closed the RNXS down in some random round of defence cuts not long after that. Odd really, as we were all unpaid volunteers. I suppose the base in Llandudno must have cost a couple of pounds a year to maintain, but nothing much. We used to run ports and anchorages and there was an 'afloat unit' at Menai Bridge which had a vessel like the one in the photo here, I think.
I guess the Royal Navy may manage without the RNXS, at a push.

Christmas and New Year and Toc H

Christmas and the New Year are just around the corner. Are you ready? We aren't! I am also not convinced that we will get all the cards written...

As there are a couple of comments about Toc H on this post, here is the movement's lamp to which I refer.

Top Cash Back - again

Further to the earlier post, there is a very positive write-up of Top Cash Back in the January 2009 Which? magazine.

Christmas greetings

An early Happy Christmas - Nadolig Llawen
Rather than writing one of those Christmas circulars to old friends and family I have decided to include this blog address with Christmas cards. People will be able to keep up with goings-on if they choose, and not if they don't. Freedom of choice is what it's about.
We have been trying to get our Christmas cards written this weekend as there are just too few days left before the big event. Also, the tree needs to go into the drawing room and it will need decorating and I said I would roast a chicken this evening too. I think I may be running out of time...again.
Talking of hens, we are still mulling over whether to keep some in the garden.

Gemma passes out

Our neice, Gemma, passing out into the Fleet Air Arm as an Air Engineering Technician in 2007 (I know it is out of chronological order), but just got this picture from her father, Andy. She is the one in the middle at the front. She is now qualified and working on the Lynx helicopter.

Horwich

We find ourseves in Horwich celebrating Rosie's brother's birthday and messing about on the computer. Jennie and Joan are making arty crafty things and looking very industrious...

I think we have now sorted out Christmas with Andy and Joan coming on Boxing Day for the pantomine. Turkey will be a day late therefore. We are with our neighbour on Christmas Day itself, with his two sons.

WCVA

I said I would let you know which WCVAs I know. They are the the Wales one and the Winant Clayton one.