Monday, June 5, 2023

Smoke from the forest fires

We will have smoke today from the forest fires. It is unusual to see the dark cloud on the weather map all day long and already at 7:00 a.m. the light quality is considerably diminished. We live in a country of trees - when you fly into Ottawa you fly through bush to get here and then suddenly the city appears in the midst of the forest. Most of Canada is like that except in the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe - that is all city and the most populous part of Canada. Vancouver though does give that a run for the money as it too is a densely populated area. I had no idea that so many people were living in tents in the Vancouver area though. I wonder why they stay there; the weather I suppose it is the mildest part of Canada. Since workers are needed all across this country I think it might be a good expenditure of money to encourage them to move and perhaps loan the money on a long term payback for them to move if they wish to do so - a job is always a good enticement for sure. That would be good use of our tax money and then they would be part of the tax system paying into the government coffers  - always a good move for sure. We do need to concentrate on making the government more efficient so that it works for all Canadians at a high level. It is time for the Progressive Conservatives to come back into power but not the Social Conservatives - they hinder Canada's development. Perhaps over the next two years a Progressive Conservative party can re-emerge to make Canada more efficient. 

Yesterday continuing work on the Siderfin Book. I need to think outside of the box on this fifth generation - it is the least understood perhaps because of the loss of records or the non-existence of records during the Commonwealth Period in English History. As always people putting more emphasis on social conservatism mucks ups the works as the system was exceedingly efficient up to this time period (1630s) and then returned to efficiency towards the end of the 1600s. James Sanders did try to put it together but he realized that the records were lacking material to do that (to which he had access as one remembers that he lived in Devon; London was a long way away and he was not a young man). He simply had to rely mostly on what was at hand in the record offices and the Churches nearby to where he was living and he was living at South Molton not in the areas of interest namely around Selworthy/Wootton Courtney, Somerset. At that time the families do not appear to be closely connected but that is hard to determine because the wills were destroyed. There is a huge differential between the Siderfin families - with the Thomas line being much more prominent and wealthier although both sons of Thomas JP died in debt and daughtered out. The William line did seem to dwindle with most attention being paid to the marriage between the Worth family and the Siderfin family and they too were more prominent than the Robert line which was the mutual line of James Sanders and myself. The land records though are helpful mostly because John Siderfin at Selworthy on the Protestation Returns does not appear on the Somerset Lay Subsidy of 1642 although he was at Selworthy in 1641 so no property for this younger son and his older brother Robert appears to be in Minehead and Wootton Courtney where both lines of these two families had either no issue or the children died young. So an interesting time in the family as I sort my way through. My line coming down from Robert Siderfin born in 1658 (or 1653 as the records are a bit unsure of this exact year but the month and day are the same) is fairly easy to follow from this moment forward as Robert married Elizabeth Question and full PCC wills are extant for some as well as the abstracts of wills lost in the bombing of the Devon Record Office to show this line coming down into the 1700s and better record keeping. James Sanders has selected Robert as the father of this Robert but that would have made him the son of the eldest son which meant property inheritance which was not the case, the lines at Wootton Courtney and Minehead had property although James Sanders has them descendant of John. I think that the baptisms of these two individuals Robert at Wootton Courtney and William at Minehead simply do not exist in the records and all the extant baptisms are the children of John who did not inherit property as can be seen in the Somerset Lay Subsidy of 1642.  The one son John is recorded as a son of John at Selworthy and the other record is difficult to interpret although I will attempt to photograph it and blow it up on my computer just to have a really good look at it. Moving forward slowly on that but it is cleaning day and the basement is first this week so just half a day of cleaning. With the smoke in the air that is a good thing and perhaps if we get promised rain tomorrow the smoke will dissipate quickly. 

Great kayaking last evening and lots of beavers. One in particular climbed up on the bank and had a very long look at us. A really good size that beaver - could easily capsize my kayak but he/she didn't do that just watched as we sailed by. A lot of people out on the water last evening. It was a perfect evening. I shall be really glad that I decided to buy a kayak. I love the walk that I was doing but it is great to be out on the water. It does keep me off of my computer. 

Church on You-Tube yesterday and many of my favourite hymns which is always a plus. I noticed an article in the National Post talking about the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is a fluid entity that has existed for a long time first on the British Isles stretching back into eternity to quote my grandfather. It has a rich history that was enhanced greatly by the coming of the stories of Jesus to the British Isles with the Romans and so the great Celtic Church of the British Isles became part of the new Christian Church which Rome brought to all corners of the known world. The Celtic Church was the coming together of those early hunter-gathers like so many of the indigenous peoples of the world as they were joined by the farmers in later centuries - the British are descendant of so many of the different lines of people as they moved north from the ice refuges of the Last Glacial Maximum across Europe and Doggerland (now buried in the North Sea)). The Christian Church was the Roman gift to humanity and in retrospect does somewhat make up for the slave trade taking Britons to Rome during the time period that they were in control of a portion of the British Isles - they never were able to conquer all of the Isles. As these Britons eventually made their way back home from Rome when Rome collapsed they brought knowledge from that great Empire with them which was a bonus as well - knowledge is a good thing. One must really think of the bonuses of some of these times but we live in an enlightened period now where such acts of violence should be in the past. Invading other countries; not permitting people to have rights should be a thing of the past not a present occurrence. We must move forward together into this new world where halting Climate Change should be our common goal. Having to deal with the psychopathic Nazis Putin and his enablers in Russia is such an archaic state to be in; Glory to Ukraine and to the Freedom Fighters of Russia.  

How the Anglican Communion moves forward only the future can tell that story but for me that ancient Celtic Church of the British Isles is my ancestry and I follow the New Commandments brought to us by Jesus from God - love God with all thy heart, soul and mind and love thy neighbour as thyself. With these two commandments we can find peace in our world. God is the final judge not mankind although our secular laws should protect society from those who do not obey these laws. God will deal with them eventually but we must protect society from such individuals.

The day progresses and there is much to do and especially breakfast; as always I am very hungry as I eat less and less at my later meals of the day so hunger does greet me in the morning. Green tea is consumed and time to do the second set of jumping jacks.

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