Cleaning accomplished

Another item I have suddenly realized a few months back as I was cleaning was the dust. I never really noticed that dust could accumulate so much in one week that it would be little balls in the corner sort of thing and that became very apparent to me sometime in the fall when one is closing up the house to the winter cold. I think perhaps I just didn't remember initially and then the realization that I was seeing balls of dust even though I clean every week - amazing. As I continue to look at this oil painting I have seen for many many years the tiny little things that have appeared over this past winter are quite remarkable. Now I am trying to remember what I used to see compared to what I see now. I always thought people's sight was pretty much there when you were born but actually it probably is not although a baby always recognizes your voice - I noticed that immediately as my newborn immediately turned her head towards me when I spoke. But obviously the sight was developing as the brain took in what it can see - the obvious conclusion in that is that blind people could perhaps learn to see if the brain could be accessed in a way that permitted their vision to develop - very futuristic for sure but interesting. They may already be doing this; eyes is not something I really studied at all in my heavy reading days in medical literature - long long times ago.

I did absolutely no work yesterday. I was thinking about how to plan my days to incorporate the wills into the day. I continue with my Latin and my French (need to work the German in as well) on Duolingo as I really do not think of that as work but rather learning. I would wish they did some old Latin just for interest but can see that most people are probably not into that. I need to look at the readers that I have to work on that. Perhaps I will shift away from Duolingo but probably  not as my spoken French appears to be improving. I could just shift away from the Latin. The repetition does not lead me to the old Latin that I really need to work at. Plus I spent the day watching the election returns as they clarified that this is a minority government (only by three seats and normally one would want one spare for the speaker so four actually). But amazing that the Liberal Party turned this around and it is all thanks to Mark Carney who turned up at work yesterday - I think perhaps he is a workaholic and in his retirement wanted something still very meaningful to do and he is doing it. Already a visit planned between our Prime Minister and the President of the United States. Lots to discuss I am sure. We will now shift into high gear I hope that everyone is on board with the plans for Canada to move forward in our productivity mostly internally; trade is a luxury and when it is there we can encourage it but making Canada more productive is very important for our personal existence. The provincial jurisdictions should remain there and if money is needed for health care then the Ontario Health Tax has proven to be effective here in protecting our medical system although money is always needed as the very large group of Baby Boomers (born 1946-1965) reaches retirement and old age. I am not really sure why people always want the taxes reduced; they support us and our system. Perhaps a return of the Participaction Activities of the 1970s/1980s would be an excellent usage of Health Canada promoting this constant attention to physical activity especially in retired people (and retired people could be involved on a volunteer basis in recreating some of these areas (the funding for the purchase of supplies could be getting the local stores to support this initiative and they could put their advertising on the various exercise stations)). A thought for the future and we will have the lumber/steel available likely since housing is also a high priority.

Teatime completed and Solitaire games played. Breakfast but first Yoga. 

 

And the people spoke

 The answer not final yet but the Liberal Party has been returned to power for an unheard of fourth term with an excellent leader who has incredible experience. They will grow our economy in the direction it was headed back in the 1950s. We will regrow our domestic industries lost during free trade and I like that. Our inventive young men and women will fill our stores with all the things we need. Interesting, like all Canadians, I was happy with the status quo although looking around I felt we were missing something because it was harder and harder to find items made in Canada. This regrowth of Canadian industry will be a marvelous happening as we are now over twice the size we were in the 1950s. I would have liked to have seen a majority government whether Liberal or Conservative and there may yet be a Majority Liberal government but you can feel the energy and I know these parties will all work together to do what is best for Canada home of the First Peoples and those who arrived from the late 1500s on to these shores be it Baffin Island or St Croix NB or Quebec. We were welcomed by the First Peoples and it was so very kind of them. 

Canada is a living breathing country - young, full of natural resources and eager to continue in its path as a G7 country. Both of the main party leaders (Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre) have congratulated each other and wished each other well. I do not think Pierre should step down and disappear; he grew so tremendously during this election into the sort of Conservative leader I have wanted to see (being a fiscal Conservative at heart). It really showed at the polls - I was hoping for a high 120s but he delivered in the 140s. Just have to figure that out for sure. But Mark Carney came to the rescue of the Liberal Party and he drove them to victory (168 seats at my last looking). Well done. As a Canadian I can honestly say anyone trying to force a new election for quite a while is going to pay the usual price here and that is a majority for the Liberals if they do not already have one. Counting continues at 9:30 a.m. today having been halted to give a rest to the counters and the system that is needed around that mechanism. I am not sorry to see the NDP reduced to non party status in the House. It is fine to always support those most in need but I did not like the way they went about it. Supporting a growth in federal government bureaucracy is unappealing to me - Health Care is the domain of the provinces and should not be trampled on by the Federal Government. I agree with the Bloc on that. Setting up a school lunch program is part of Education and belongs to the provinces - for the most part this is perhaps done by the provinces and we wait to see the reckoning on that. But anything done federally is always going to cost more money and need more people at a distance which is ineffective. But again we eventually will see the costing. 

Cleaning the basement and main floor accomplished yesterday and today it is the top floor. Fortunately my house is small since I am nearly 80 and it is a lot of work but downsizing from this point means eliminating items that I am not yet fully prepared to do. I need, now that my mind is clearer, to work on Edward's research that I still have and make decisions. What is the best idea really? I am not sure. When the results of his research are original and not just the copies of other people's books I hesitate at what to do with it. I kept his email so that anyone writing to his account interested in his research would be received by me so that decisions could be made. It is not something that interests our daughters at this moment in time nor may it ever. I can see the drawbacks to taking children to graveyards on a vacation although they always ended up at Canada's Wonderland (I didn't always go as I was proofreading/copyediting at home and later working full time outside the home with a lot less vacation than Edward had). So time will tell whether they become interested but in the meantime his work occupies a space that wouldn't be there in a smaller place. Amazingly the orchids that he had acquired towards the end of the 2010s still bloom every year but it isn't really my green thumb that keeps them growing - I just water them as told. My oldest daughter is very fond of those plants and the huge Christmas Cactus plants that were also his favourite. Putting in the fences last year pretty much destroyed that set of flowers that were along the fence line although some managed to make it through. As she does her research this year she will work away at that. Both of my daughters loved to garden with their Dad. Fortunately they do have memories of working with me as well - I taught them to sew and knit but their lives are too busy for that sort of thing these days. 

I did my usual going to bed time of 9:00 p.m. last night so did see the Maritime results come in (and they did give one the thought that this could be a minority government but there were still a lot of votes to count and a lot of people still voting in the west) and when I woke up around midnight I checked to see that and it was likely going to be either a minority or majority Liberal government according to the thinking at that time.  This morning we wait the counting to begin once again to solve the last couple of dozen or less ridings that were not yet declared last night. Sometimes it takes a while if it is very close as each ballot needs to be counted. A judicial recount occurs automatically when the difference between two leading candidate is less than one-thousandth of the total votes cast (a riding of 40,000  with a difference less than 40 is immediately recounted). 

The people have spoken and made their views heard so now we are ready to follow the advice of those we elected as we proceed to change our direction somewhat with a very large increase in military spending, bringing home our refinement of our own oil and shipping it from coast to coast across Canada and a more complete energy grid from coast to coast to coast. This is a huge country for us to protect and we have always tried to be efficient doing that but I did find that the Liberal government tended away from militarizing Canada for the last twenty five years and they have been in power for much of that time. Our commitment to NATO has always been foremost in our minds and our soldiers have served in many places because of our presence in NATO. But now the world situation has changed somewhat and our need to protect the Arctic is very strong with the permanent ice now melting in the summers and the possibility of more international use of the Arctic for commerce. We need to ensure that the natural resources of Canada, protected by the First Nations all of these centuries, is uppermost in our minds. We will unleash the economic ability of Canada in a way that insures the protection of all of us living here - the First Peoples and the colonials for want of a better word as we are indeed descendants of colonials (and many are now descendants of both - the gene pool only benefits from mixing). Mark Carney will lead the way. Experience won over youth in this vote but it will be the youth that do the hard slogging that enables Canada to be the powerhouse it is and can be into the future. 

Teatime completed and the solitaire games in process. Thank you God for another beautiful day; the sun is shinning brightly and it is already 17 degrees celsius but cold weather can still come and is predicted. It is Canada after all.

Federal Election Day 28 April 2025

I feel as if we have waited for this day for six months and it is finally here. Ushered in by a tragedy that will be alive in our minds for quite a while. Prayers for the lives lost in the car ramming in Vancouver and for those fighting for their lives or recovery in the hospitals. There are apparently still dozens of people injured some critical. 

I hope the turnout for this election is excellent and that we have a majority government in place as a result of it. The NDP is wrong when they say a minority government which they can manipulate is better. It is not. A few people gain from their interference and yes it is nice that people have their teeth taken care of or free drugs if they are not able to pay for them themselves but upsetting the Westminster Model of government did not bode well for us at this time nor does it at any time I do not think. When a government loses the confidence of the people it is time to go to the polls. Mind you if that became a frequent thing than obviously we would need a propped up government but it is rare and better governing is obtained when issues are hashed out in parliament with the final vote including members of all parties. This voting on party line absolutely does not actually support the individual constituencies in Canada which have their own opinions. The party chooses its leader not the country and so the party must always yield to the people; it is a democracy. 

Cleaning day and it is the basement and main floor. The weeks pass and my schedule maintains my lifestyle around me. I think that is important in life to have a schedule of some sort that way you can always see where you are headed from one day to the next and it doesn't have to be a landmark happening; the things in ones life are seldom landmark but more just carrying on tradition or taking on projects that were left over from an earlier generation which you may not complete either but you keep them on the path to completion one day. 

That is the  nice thing about blogging (and I keep a copy in my records which are backed up) your work and it appears that people also interested in the same thing can find what I publish to be of value to them. It isn't always to me; with me it is a completion thing like doing all the wills at the PCC for Blake (and a couple of other names). Some of them I will never really look at again; they are not my family but transcribing them/publishing them establishes that very fact. 

I have already voted so I just await the results. I think the two larger parties have really excellent leaders at the moment and one hopes that the parties will keep them in place. This rejection just because you do not win an election is ridiculous. Being in opposition can be just as important as being in government; you force the government to toe the line. That is very important; that is the essence of democracy. 

Teatime and solitaire - they go together somehow. The caffeine in the green tea does give the brain a kick start along with the soothing of the brain with the regular movement of cards in solitaire. Computers are great; my association with them goes back to the mid 1960s.

 

Returning to thoughts of my brother John

The passing of the Holy Father Pope Francis was a lot of my quiet thinking this past week but gradually towards the end of the week my thoughts returned to my brother John who passed on the 9th of April last. I remembered that his widow had called me to return my call and that she had not understood what I had told her about the availability of urn burial places in the two grandparent graves at Woodland Cemetery. On Friday I just suddenly decided to call later in the afternoon but after ten rings or so the phone hung up. I do scarcely know her and do not like to intrude upon her grieving time for my brother. I know myself I seldom answered the telephone and still do not anyway as it doesn't actually suit me to answer the telephone; I prefer email and spontaneous speaking other than with my siblings is something I refrain from doing. Especially at my nearly 80 years of age, I just prefer the quiet company that I normally enjoy in my life. 

Working away on the matches brings my thoughts of John and my other siblings back to me as we match here and there on different people. Because I am so very different from all of them which is great as it means that 100% of my grandparent's genetic complement that was passed to the five of us (actually there are seven of us in reality) totally reveals the entire twenty three chromosomes. On occasion we actually inherited the entire chromosome from one grandparent/parent and the number of crossovers is actually quite small on some of the chromosomes. That is why I think I can do the great grandparents as well (matches with third and fourth cousins reveal this to me quite clearly). 

As young children (before I went off to school) we were constant companions, John and I, and we got along very well. I am a placid person so not easily annoyed or upset with people. It is rare for me to be upset with a person. I am opinionated but overall I do not hold that against anyone if they hold an opposing opinion. I actually rather enjoy the debate over why we disagree. Although I do not get into that these days for sure. I am too busy with my books and the wills. I have decided to work on the Hampshire Blake Record Office wills that I just downloaded.  I have them neatly into 21 different areas in Hampshire and I have already transcribed a number of them that I have purchased through the years. There are in total 278 wills to do in this collection. If I did do one a day then accomplished in just under ten months. The Prerogative Court of Canterbury Blake wills for Hampshire are complete already and I could have this into an *.pdf document for publishing under the Creative Commons License that I have been using. That would get me started along with working on the Blake and Pincombe books. 

I have already digressed from John but that is me. My mind rapidly moves through the thoughts of the day. When John was in his teens before I married I used to encourage him to go into engineering. He had a very mechanical mind and sometimes he would think about it I know he did but he was easily distracted and a job was there at hand with my father which was also good actually. But I knew my mother really wanted him to do engineering as that had been her father's dream but my grandfather was unable to pursue that. His mother had wanted him to do engineering as well. But his estate, after his mother passed, was administered by his father and he refused to let him do that saying he had to work the farm as he wanted to travel a bit with his young wife and daughter. Life can be harsh. Since the farm was John's property (inherited from his mother) he really had no choice but to maintain it as engineering would have taken up a great deal of time perhaps in that time frame no ideas on that. He and my grandmother married when he was in his early 40s (she was just 27 years of age). But even then he enjoyed working on projects that were of an engineering nature making things easier on the farm. My mother said he was very inventive. My uncle always said he was brilliant and such a hard worker - he greatly admired his father.

Today is Sunday and this past week went by very quickly.  There is Church online at both my church here and St John's Locks Heath. Locks Heath is in Hampshire just below M27 perhaps half way between Southampton and Portsmouth but not on the coast of The Solent which separates the Isle of Wight from Hampshire. It is near Titchfield Abbey. Definitely quite a bit south of Upper Clatford and Andover. Since we traveled the M27 after we returned from our trip to the Isle of Wight we passed north of this area. This is beautiful country reminiscent of south western Ontario. It is likely why many of the early colonials settled in south western Ontario as it likely reminded them of England with its lush green fields (not so much the snow though as this area gets lake effect snow storms that are short living sometimes but quite heavy). Soon I shall go to Locks Heath figuratively and be at the service there. 

I am now at 100 matches to review which means I have completed over two thirds of them. It has been slow going but there have been a few lovely rewards into my known matches file that I use when I am creating the new phasing of grandparents. I will also recreate the cross over points just to verify that (I use several sets of data to do this from different testing companies as they all test different points along the chromosomes making the results quite interesting actually). It takes time but it keeps the calculations clean, neat and tidy. Time is definitely available to me in the day as I reserve all of my time for this work unless one of daughters needs me to do something (and perhaps it will be one of my grandsons one of these days). But at the moment my time is my own and I use it to work on these projects that my grandfather and mother would love to have done (my father too although his interest in family history was more of a pass it on rather than any active hands on work). He was only nine when he left England and it was more of a painful thought when he thought back as he left behind so many loving first cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents that thinking on it was more of a painful experience for him. Although when my oldest daughter was small he told me that he loved being an only child and I took that to heart as the years passed and my daughter too looked like she would be an only child. But when our second made her appearance we wrapped our love around her and welcomed her into the family. We used to have Kipp huddles as we called them wrapping our arms around each other perhaps not a lot but sometimes. My oldest was more like a small mother to her little sister whom she adored and still does. 

Tea completed and must do the solitaire to wake up the brain although it does seem quite awake already. 

I do have thoughts on the comments made by the Bloc leader regarding Canada and it being an artificial country with which I disagree - being one country is the best defense for both the First Nations and ourselves. But I have a lot of thoughts on what he said and why he said it that need to congeal before I do really comment. 

Prayers for those killed and injured during the car ramming in Vancouver. Now at eleven people dead and dozens injured. May God have mercy on their souls and prayers for the recovery of those injured. Such a tragedy in our country. Thank you to the first responders.

 

Rest in peace Holy Father

Today the entombment of the Holy Father Pope Francis at Santa Maria Maggiore near to the statue of Mary, mother of Jesus. The Bible Reading today from John 20: 19-31 tells us the story of Thomas - Doubting Thomas as he was called. Francis was one of those who believed without seeing and worked his entire adult life to improve the lives of his flock which gradually grew to include the entire world. He loved everyone. Rest in peace Holy Father. 

Yesterday good accomplishment on the matches. I found one truly idyllic one - a descendant of one of  my 2x great grandfather's siblings. A gift amongst just the normal matches that I have. These matches are gold in my phasing program as they are known to me and they generally match several of us at the same locations with good lengths (these lines have endogamy so they tend to be large matches even when they are fourth cousins). Perhaps in the 300 plus matches I will have maybe one to two dozen that I can pinpoint exactly in the lines that we share. There are now 50 in my unused folder but I have them labeled so that I can pull them up if ever I want to use them. For whatever reason they are incomplete simply because of the 1200 plus matches that I already have organized into my files.  

An interesting discussion on voting trends in ethnic groups yesterday on CBC. A mention that the Muslim community is moving towards the NDP. I found it interesting that their reason for doing so was lack of support for their genocide claim in Gaza from the Conservative and Liberal parties. The Liberals did provide a means for people to bring the children of Gaza here to protect them as we did in Canada during the Second World when children from the United Kingdom came here to live (I did not see any action to do that at all and it would  have needed to be the Muslim community doing that so the children would be comfortable so far from home; all that was needed was their DNA so that they could be readily returned to their families). The loss of those children who died will be mourned for a very long time. They were the fruit of the earth lost much too early. Hamas it does appear has raised the population of Gaza to support them no matter what Hamas does. Independence in thinking is important and that is what will solve the problem in Gaza that has been there for nearly four generations. The people of Gaza have land, interestingly the Rohingyas would love land and they would quickly farm it, industrialize it and make it work for their population they do not appear to be sitting there waiting to take revenge on their supposed losses (the UN was responsible for the redistribution of land in the Middle East in 1948). Instead the people in Gaza have nursed their supposed grievances against Israel through these generations attacking the small children of Israel in their school yards (since I was a child and I am nearly 80) and murdering them which culminated in the barbaric attack by Hamas on the Israeli peoples last 7 Oct 2023. The people of Gaza need to stop, look around and do something to produce a country instead of hating Israelis. The only genocide that exists is Hamas using the Palestinians for their own purpose and the Palestinians actually letting them (that is why there are nearly 50,000 Palestinians (and Hamas) dead from this war created by the Palestinian people who put Hamas in power in the first place). The people of Gaza have gained nothing and lost everything. They need to wake up, help eliminate Hamas literally and figuratively, free the hostages (keeping children hostage is so disgusting) and build a country that can be just as wealthy as Israel which they sit beside - same land. Amazingly, Israel would actually help them to create a great land for them to live upon.

Today, more matches to work on and more cleaning up outside. I will devote at least two one half hour sessions outside. Gardening has never been my thing ever but I do like order and neatness. 

For the first time in a few weeks I didn't walk up and buy a piece of fresh salmon but rather I opened a can of salmon and had a lovely salmon salad sandwich for my dinner along with peas and a tomato and cottage cheese. It was lovely and tonight will be a repeat as I can not eat an entire can of salmon myself. It is about the same price in terms of the amount of salmon whether it is fresh or canned. But it does me two meals so is quite reasonable costwise. Then chicken on Sunday and I will roast the four chicken thighs and have mashed turnip and mashed potatoes with it. The stew has been lovely but I just feel like something different. Then cold chicken for a couple of days (I can only eat one chicken thigh a day) and probably a salad using the left over turnip and potatoes and some of my frozen vegetables (Canadian produce). One does miss the lovely American fresh vegetables but life flows like that sometimes. 

I think perhaps today I will decide which wills to begin with. I would like to get that project completed as well. My husband and I used to chat about our projects. Mine were more in the beginning stages as I was relatively new to this idea of genealogy being more interested in the DNA side. His were wrapping up but I didn't realize that at the time - he talked like it was a project into the future but in reality he was wrapping things up to hand them over the people that could make use of them. He did not do that with his genealogy although he knew I did not have the training in American research to work on his family lines. But gradually I have found some homes for his work and the bulk of his library went to the Ontario Genealogical Society Ottawa Branch. The difference is huge. My set of books is in two small bookcases (and the rest in my head for the most part). I decided when I started into genealogy that it would be mostly on the computer which I back up very regularly. So the thousands of books we once had are no longer here. He had already started to downsize his library back in the early 2000s when he started his volunteer work with the Friends of Library and Archives Canada. That was something he kept up his entire time with the group I think about fourteen years actually. I started to go with him to make sure he did not do too much lifting back in 2012. I took on projects like the old school books which I put into the database - there were some real gems in the donations to the Friends. The cook books were something else that I just never could get into although did do some.  I did work on the history books to a certain extent but the four years that I was there passed quickly - it took a long time to do the text books actually there were so many (absolute gems all of them). It is fascinating to see what was taught to children in the 1800s.

The morning is advancing and my tea is complete. Must do my solitaire games next - my brain stimulation. Love Solitaire and it is a great gift of Microsoft to the world for sure in my eyes.

 

 

Working and cleaning up the yard

 An excellent day of work yesterday completing all of the K's and starting L's today. A total of 42 matches have been put into my holding file in particular because they do not increase my knowledge on particular chromosomes. 

I also did some work on the yard and the huge maple tree at the back (my husband and eldest daughter planted that tree when she was eight years of age so it is now 43 years old). A huge branch came off that I managed to break down a little with the axe so that it can go out to the street. A lot of branches down but that is usual after the long winter. There are still a lot up there!

Eggs, toast, boiled frozen peas and a part of a tomato for dinner last night. It was my usual egg night and I do love them hard boiled. Boiled two extra to have as egg salad for a couple of days. Although I would never have admitted it as a child peanut butter every day can perhaps get a bit boring (although I suspect it is a cheap lunch). I do love peanut butter though but a change is also good probably. I especially like it with a banana. My food hasn't gone up particularly lately. In general I spend about $150 every three weeks and then every week other than that I spend about $25 to $30. I eat well but I do not buy extras like alcohol or baked goods or packaged items. It is mostly fresh (stored) vegetables, fresh fruit and meat is a big portion but $35 in chicken thighs last three weeks as I freeze two portions and a piece of salmon does me two dinners and then there is eggs and my meat is complete for the week. I do not eat red meat normally. But I am not a foodie for sure; I like food simple and recognizable. I seldom buy processed food except crackers since I gave up my American cookies. I buy frozen vegetables (Canadian) and my only real American item is my cranberry juice which I am looking to replace with a Canadian substitute but I tend to buy it ahead and I am just using up the last ones these days. So it would look like I spend $200 every three weeks and in a year that would be $3500. Since my taxes are much higher than that I do not see it as a really big price. I am a thin person though and perhaps I eat less than other people. I have eaten in restaurants enough to last me a lifetime mostly but I do go out with my family on occasion. Edward loved to eat in restaurants although he got so he really liked cooking which was nice as I get tired of restaurants quickly. I am probably not really very good for the economy as I am not a shopper but will make an effort to always buy Canadian until we are re-established with our businesses that got bought up during NAFTA and inter-provincial trade is more the rule than cross border trading. Although I suspect we will still have some cross border trading. That is really up to our good friends and neighbours to the south. I think most Canadians are really missing American food and other items especially in the winter. 

I do know though that if the American brand cars are not made in Canada that are sold here we probably will buy otherwise since we have many car manufacturers from other countries producing cars here in Canada employing Canadians and using Canadian material (we bought a Toyota during the last trade debacle over car manufacture in Canada by American companies (withdrawal is not an option if you want to sell cars here)). The American companies could split and incorporate here and become Canadian companies and alter their way of doing business but it would be the pits for them and likely costly (but either way they stand to lose money - tariffs can be painful to business). The loss of a market of 41 million people would likely hurt the bottom line of American companies (for a small country we buy a lot of cars as it is a rite of passage for young people here to get their driver's license and buy a car at 16 and the laneways show that as they tend to stay home longer here) plus we are a rapidly growing country so could actually see 100 million by 2050 as mentioned. Since we plan to put a lot of industry into growing the economy once the election is completed that also grows the population. 

Just three more days of campaigning here and the polls are interesting. I would like to see a majority government just slightly more than is needed (perhaps in the low to mid 170s would be nice). I would like the opposition to be strong not lower than the low to mid 120s so as to hold the government to their promises (and that will be very important this time around although the program promised by both of the main parties is very similar just a slightly different approach) and there will always be the Bloc generally in the 20s or 30s and the NDP and Green. I do not see a value in the NDP federally to be honest as they are just far left liberals and in a minority government NDP helping them to survive does not serve the country overall well in my humble opinion. Better to have an election and hash it out on the campaign trail. I do understand the need for the Bloc in order for Quebec (french-speaking) to have a voice devoted to their needs (but when one travels in Canada you discover that French is spoken a lot in Northern/Eastern Ontario, in northern and even southern New Brunswick so not having this a more national party decreases their impact somewhat). Quebec's needs are guaranteed in the BNA act but still a voice in Parliament is a good idea as it lets their difficulties come to the surface on a federal level which is always good. The Green Party is  a self supporting party that does keep us aware and up to date on Climate Change which is important. Still not sure in my mind which will be better - Experience or Youth - both are needed and in good amounts. One has to think of jobs and who fills them in this case I think but I voted as I voted but as always stand behind the will of the people once the election is complete. 

That is a democracy for sure and one can understand Ukraine's desire to be free of the satanic despotic nazi leader Putin in Russia. That war needs to end as it is killing children in particular - children do not create wars but they suffer the most. Hamas too needs to get out of Gaza (the children pay the price there as well; the adults chose their path the children did not). Free the hostages Hamas; you Hamas are disgusting and  satanic and it is hard to actually see you as human because of your barbaric attack on Israel 7 Oct 2023 murdering children/infants, old people and others, taking hundreds hostage and still in captivity and then murdering two little boys when they were hostages. How disgusting Hamas is. If Turkey wants us to see Hamas otherwise they need to get Hamas out of Gaza and free the hostages.

Early today, up at 5 a.m. but more time to work on the matches. They are calming my mind slowly but surely. It has been somewhat erratic the last six  to eight weeks. Looking after the dogs had a calming effect for sure as well. The calming effect of writing is actually really good for an old person I think. Plus it keeps my arthritic fingers busy typing during the winter months especially. I keep the heat around 19 to 20 degrees celsius which is on the cooler side but I like that as I exercise at least four times a day with running, weight lifting/walking, rowing, biking, calisthenics, yoga and just plain walking and a cooler house suits that type of life style. I can always bundle up at the computer. Plus my FitBit tells me every hour to get up and walk 250 steps minimum. 

Tomorrow is large garbage day and so will break up all those tree branches into bags to put out to the pickup. Another project for the day along with my matches. I still need to extract matches from FT DNA, Living DNA and GedMatch. Five years has passed so very quickly since I last worked on my matches - amazing really. 

Teatime completed and solitaire next.

 

Sliding back into work

I can feel my mind sliding back into my work finally after really six years. I did a lot of work the past six years but my mind was often on other needs. But I now feel that I am back squarely working on these items that were so close to my grandfather's and mother's heart. Interestingly they end up being both sides of my family - Blake for my grandfather and Pincombe for my mother. 

Perhaps one day I will work on the Buller and the Rawling/Cotterill? families but that is in the future. I do have a lot of material already on Buller and Rawling. I actually have a couple of interesting Cotterill DNA results that I only briefly looked at and will see if they do take me back to Kimpton where my grandmother was born. The other element in this is the Cotterill family already being in this Rawling line. My 5x great grandfather William Rawlins married Mary Ford 30 Sep 1741 at Wylye, Wiltshire and their daughter Mary married Stephen Cotterel 28 Jan 1764 at Enford, Wiltshire. Stephen Cotterel was the son of William Cotterel and brother to a William Cotterel. This William Cotterell married Elizabeth Kempton 3 May 1760 at Wilsford near Pewsey, Wiltshire and they had three children - William, Charles and Elizabeth. Charles married Mary Bartlett 31 Dec 1786 at Woodborough, Wiltshire and they had two sons Charles and William. Charles married Hannah Alderman 23 Oct 1824 at Kimpton and they had two children William and Mary. William married Jane Sherwood 21 Feb 1852 at Kimpton and they had a son George a couple of years younger than my great grandmother. So I need to be careful as I look at Cotterill matches that they are not descendant of my 4x great grand aunt! and her husband Stephen Cotterel. It is a small world.

I am contemplating adding in one will per day and will check that out in the near future. I would also like to complete that task and then I can publish the wills in *.pdf format for each county for a more permanent life for them. A lot of the wills that I transcribed have been published on my blog already. 

I want this to be a little less restrictive on my workload as the Siderfin book dominated my time and I just really didn't think about or look at much else other than my newsletters which I publish the first of every month in the different disciplines that I study with the FT DNA results.  

Canada on the move as we reinvent our industries lost to free trade. Just a few days and we will be on that path. It is an exciting time in Canada; it will be a tightening up time as it will cost money to do all of this and there is only one real source of money and that is us. We all have to heave to so to speak and do the job that needs to be done to bring us back to where we were in the 1950s but so much better off because our population is twice as large and we are united as a people like never before. Experience and youth will carry us forward and they must work together no matter the result of the election. I grew up in a military city (London, Ontario's largest employer was the military when I was a child) and you could feel the pride and responsibility we had as people of Canada in my home town. The vigour was there and it will return and build this great country as it was meant to be built - free, independent and strong. We do not need the government to pay for our teeth, to pay for medicines - we can do it ourselves and the baby boomers who have benefited enormously from Canada will now help to make us one of the most powerful in the G7. Back to work Canada - we can all work, all of us to make this country flow with power. Whether it be with our purchasing power in our old age or helping our young people to take on extra responsibility; we can do this. Go Canada.  

Summer tires on and my six or seven times driving about completed that yearly cycle from summer to winter to summer tires once again. 

Today is a work day but, weather permitting, I will do a little raking outside. Gardening is never my thing; my husband loved it and I helped him as sickness over took him (it was a long 10 years but we shared it together). Mostly he liked to just be out gardening in the spring and would even shovel the snow away to get started earlier. On that we differed for sure; I was encouraging him to think about a smaller place with a smaller garden but he loved it here and when I took a picture to him in the hospital of the spring flowers blooming through the snow not long before he passed he enjoyed seeing his flowers once again. We had so much in common but also differences which perhaps makes a good 54.5 year marriage. 

Go Canada; reach the pinnacle - First Nations and colonials together we will make Canada one of the most productive countries in the world. The Americans will always be our best friends/our neighbours. We share a 9000 km border with them and our friendship is important to us. We will not be distracted as we move ahead in our ambitious drive to bring Canadian to its natural fruition as a powerful strong nation in the economic world but first we must build up the inside of our country to create housing, pipelines and any other item that we need in order to exist as a people in this cold northern climate. We know the way and we have the will. External trade will be our luxury and like most luxury it will not come immediately but we can work at it.

Cleaning accomplished

Nice, the cleaning was all accomplished in the two days so I am back into a normal week where I have four working days and then Sunday. Yesterday was primarily spent cleaning the main floor and the basement. The Robot worked perfectly and I will always double check now to make sure it is sitting properly on the home base. I could easily just vacuum the rugs but the robot does do a good job and it keeps me in the 21st century!

Prayers for the repose of His Holiness Pope Francis as he lies in State awaiting his funeral. There aren't too many people that the whole world stops and notes their passing; he has been a giant in this world where his constant care and devotion were felt in every corner of the world. 

Today I shall work on the matches and I have nearly completed J so getting on towards half way through this set of matches. I still need to look at Living DNA and FT DNA. I will also check out Ancestry to make sure they are still up to date but likely more have collected. I also want to separate those matches out into the four grandparents. I will have to consider how to do that and likely I will stay with the main file and when I want to use it I will do the separation each time so as not to increase the workload on that file. 

I also need to start thinking about setting aside a couple of half hour sessions outside raking. I will maintain what is there but I do not think I will replace any of the plants lost during the fence building. I will just keep the earth somewhat broken up and weeded. I want to fill the central garden with grass seed and will do that in the  next week or so. I will weed it first to give the grass a chance. 

The election is the most important item in our news these days. All of the parties that are going to produce a budget have now done so. I do not think any party should think of lowering taxes however they likely will. We will need the taxes along with financial support within Canada to do all the work that needs doing with the energy grid proposed by both of the main parties. In the long run it will be a profitable enterprise for us as we burn the oil to run our cars etc. Why pay someone else to refine our oil when we can do it ourselves and used to do that. The election will be an exciting day but I firmly believe that either party (Conservative or Liberal) are going to follow basically the same methodology to increase our external trade around the world and break down the trade barriers between the provinces to increase buying Canadian. We are/were the largest purchaser of American goods and we will still purchase large amounts it will just be more selective and if we have it here likely we buy that instead.  We live in a country covered with snow six months or more of the year - fresh food has to come from somewhere although our green house business is increasing but still the bulk of our fresh food in the winter is going to come from the south (it is the cheapest source under normal circumstances). 

But recreating our lost industry is a high priority and that will effect the American bottom line as they bought up our industries and now we will recreate them here once again and buy their produce. Who gained from all of this really (American companies going offshore to produce their products has hurt the United States and it will be hard to convince people to work at low paying repetitive work in factories)? In the long run it could well be us because our industry base will diversify once again to support an ever growing population. Canada is a huge country and this will encourage industry to grow larger to produce for the ever growing population. We have a great deal of land that can be utilized and our population is now over 41 million with thoughts of it being 100 million by 2050. It could happen as the north becomes more and more utilized industrially. We could be a bread basket for the world as well as a provider of water, oil, critical metals, lumber, steel and so much else. We have access to the three great waterways of the world as well. When high speed rail exists from coast to coast to coast then the travel time will be minimized making this ever more practical for trade around the world. 

Go Canada.

 

My eyes

The picture that I often mention has taken on an even more indepth image to my eyes as I see more and more detail in it. It is amazing really. Edward bought a couple of prints of the Group of Seven that hang beside the oil painting and the one always struck me as really strange because I was looking at it as a flat image but now it is perfect, the lake behind the canoe is correct and I can see "into" the picture which is quite amazing. Fortunately I am not a person who lives with regret having seen many of the great museums/art collections in Europe and here. The desire to go back and do that all again is just not there to be honest. I understand now why people sit and look at pictures but I have other roads to follow and must get back to them. Although I could see myself going with my family to some of these sites having visited them in the past. I will try not to be a textbook whilst we look around although it will be tempting.

Cleaning again today and it is the main floor and the basement planned. We will see how the day goes. 

St Mary Major Basilica - one of the four major Papal Basilicas of Rome

 When my eldest daughter and I went to Rome in November 2001 for the Consecration of the Episcopalian Bishop of Europe (I, as a member of the Anglican Listserv, was invited) at St Paul Inside the Walls, Rome. We also visited three of the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome whilst we were there. My daughter came with me because she had been to Europe before and was, in my eyes, extremely experienced in traveling around Europe and I had never left the Western Hemisphere nor had I ever flown before. It was the day after the plane crashed in Yonkers actually and one of the people I worked with came in and said "are you still going?". I said absolutely this was my pilgrimage to Rome we were staying for eight days and then going on to London, England which meant, at that time, you could not book like that on Air Canada so we were flying on an American airline. As we flew from Philadelphia to Rome, our plane was only about half full, but the entire trip embodied in my mind the strength of America just two months after 9/11 and a couple of days after the crash in Yonkers. They may have been wounded but they just keep trying and will always find the footing that fulfills their need to feel comfortable in this world.

Yesterday when the announcement came that the Pope would be buried in St Mary Major Basilica I did think what a beautiful place for him to choose plus it is in a part of Rome that people pass through probably in the thousands and thousands every day. The pilgrimages to visit the tomb of Pope Francis will be many and often I am sure. His Sainthood, perhaps not far off, as he has made life so much better in a spiritual way for so many people not just Roman Catholics. He brought the enthusiasm and the attitude of the Western Hemisphere into the Eastern Hemisphere - that never happened before and it was good, excellent actually. 

Blessings on the Pope as he lies in state waiting for his funeral; I am sure his spirit is winging its way to God in the speediest way possible. In twelve years he wrought so much good in this world. Prayers for the repose of his soul. God bless and keep the Holy Father Francis close to Him. 

And us, here in Canada, we are still on the way to the election on the 28th of April with advance voting polls completed now, mail-in votes still coming in all over Canada and probably from around the globe. This is the most significant election in my lifetime for sure. Who will win still a question mark although the Liberals are leading. The candidates for both the Conservative and Liberal party are excellent - the one brings experience and the other brings youth - together they will help us to regain our lost industries and prepare Canada for the future. Question Period will be an exciting time once again as Canada moves itself ahead into the future. We have been a member of the G7 for a long time but now we will fulfill our destiny of being a major partner in the world alongside our wonderful friend and neighbour the United States of America. We will always be friends as that too is our destiny. The First Nations of this Northern part of the Western Hemisphere have a foot in both of our countries as it was their country/their trading place which they have shared with us these past four hundred years. Together we will continue the tradition of peace spreading it around the world to all the corners of the world. Peace is the only way our world can survive. But to have peace one must be the best at making war; it is an unfortunate reality.

 

Prayers for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis

 I have just seen the news that the Pope has passed. He was a truly great Pope - a man of the people. Prayers for the repose of  his soul as it wings onward to God - for truly such a man is at God's side now. God Bless the Pope and His blessing on the Conclave that must now be called to elect a new Pope for the Catholic Church. God's representative on Earth was for sure the role that Pope Francis has fulfilled in this world. I always found him interesting as well because I am assuming that he was descendant of the First Peoples in the South American continent and represented for the first time a descendant of the Western Hemisphere in the position of the Pope of the Catholic Church. His work particularly the apology for the Residential Schools here in Canada will be a legacy of his time as the leader of the Catholic Church. The love of the Pope is strong in the hearts of every Catholic in this world (although Anglicans are historically excommunicated from this hierarchy the love of the Pope is strong in many and ongoing dialogue between the Anglican and the Church of Rome continues focusing on theological agreement and practical unity). He is elected by the Cardinals (leaders of the Catholic peoples of the world) and represents a huge percentage of the Christian Church as Catholicism continues to be the largest part of the Christian peoples of the world. 

Rest in peace, Holy Father.

Another week in the markets

 I think as a country we have to continue to look inward and manage our trade within and among the provinces to maximize our ability to have homegrown trade between us. Building the pipelines an absolute must no matter what the price of oil. We save money in the long run if we refine our own oil and distribute across the country. Both parties are in favour of this forward move which is why I personally do not really see it matters which party wins so long as it is a majority and that the bulk of the population is on the side of increased trade between the provinces and the energy grid being utilized and improved between the provinces. External trade is also a high priority in terms of acquiring new customers by both parties. The opposition needs to be one of the two parties - Liberals or Conservatives. The decline in the NDP will be better for the country as their ability to alter the political situation is dangerous for Canada at this moment in our growth. They have been effective in some provinces on the provincial/territorial level not in Ontario for sure and would not like to see a repeat on that particularly. But the increase in the size of the federal government due to their bartering to gain votes has not been good for Canada - the federal government staffing is too large for a country this size. Attrition can perhaps solve this problem as the baby boomers retire but definitely we need to avoid having NDP in parliament and being able to alter the natural flow of our government. When a government is out of favour it is time for an election. That is the Westminster system and it has always served us well. I am not entirely convinced that cheap daycare, pharmacare (free drugs), dental care best serve us. I have no problem with the lunch program but I think it should be universal and made to pay for itself and managed locally by the Board of Health possibly (I certainly would have paid to have children eat at school; making lunches is a pain when you are rushing about in the morning trying to get to work). The restaurants are looking for increased usage due to people working at home and they could be utilized if they can manage a reasonable price for lunches taken into the schools. I look at this house and wonder still if I should just sell it as it is too big for me and when my daughter returns we will do just that as it is too big for just the two of us. If more old people sell their homes that too will help with the need for more housing. But of course we need to find a place to live then but it will depend on where she works when she returns in the future. Two moves is a lot for an old person but I will think about that. I know her thoughts turn to returning because of me getting older but she always wanted to work in Canada but there were no jobs in her particular field but her nearly 20 years in the United States has been wonderful working in the field for which she completed her PhD. You can not always have a job exactly where you would like it to be; that's life but I would go anywhere in Canada for sure - I still wonder about my eyes and crossing the border back in. I will have an optometrist appointment in the summer sometime and I will ask his opinion and perhaps a letter to say that my eyes have slightly changed since the cataract surgery. It could just be a feature of my seeing up close so much better (I never had 20/20 vision) and the blue eye ring is just more noticeable to me. Getting old is both amazing and sometimes difficult.

Two Easter Sunday services was quite remarkable and amazing in my old age. At this age my mother went to Church with my brother Doug although not every week. My father was in a Nursing Home at that time although he did not like it there. He loved his independence but in a wheelchair my mother could not manage him. I was far away but when we were there I spent the day with him in the Nursing Home. We chatted once he recognized me which did take a bit on occasion and I can remember the last time he said my name. It was just before he passed as we came on a whim to London to see both of my parents actually. He had had influenza and was weak but he said my name with some of the strength it had when I was a child. His eyes looked at me with strength but his time was coming and I could sort of feel it so we said goodby for the last time. The girls came in to say goodby to Grandpa as well (and Edward too); they knew we had come because he was not likely going to live much longer he was then 94. The girls had had a lovely time shopping with their grandmother and chatting with her; Edward had driven them. We also took the time to visit Edward's mother on the way home. It was an unanticipated time although my father and Edward's mother were both over 90 at the time and my mother younger but still in her early 80s. Who would have thought in December 1998 that both of my parents and Edward's mother would have passed by 2002. It was sad for sure as we had lived our lives here far from family and missed a lot of items here and there. I also never would have dreamed in 2002 that Edward would be retired in 2004 as he didn't mention it until just before he retired actually. I worked until 2007 and I would have worked longer but I hurt/injured my shoulder and by then it was just difficult. I did finally get some therapy on that shoulder and the exercises made all the difference (I had a torn rotator cuff). Now you wouldn't know at all that I injured that shoulder - therapy is great. 

Today is cleaning day and it is the top floor. The week is planned in my mind. I will continue the matches as I do want to get them all done and not get distracted from that. I also need to look at Living DNA and FT DNA for matches and that will follow. Gradually I will get that all done but in the meantime I am continuing to look at the old documents in Latin. I need to get them translated and it is a slow process - the latin I am learning is more of a modern look at words and I need old Latin for sure. 

I can see that the yard is starting to dry up so I must get out there and rake and will do that in bits and pieces. Gone are the days when I will go out there for a couple of hours and work. I have the strength to do that but I have never been a gardener and I will be most effective if I do bits at a time. 

Teatime and solitaire. 

Just remembering as I cleaned that someone rang the front doorbell on Easter Sunday. Weird really, I looked out and did not recognize the woman nor was I expecting anyone (my children are pretty much the only people who get a response). I would never drop by anyone's house without being invited for sure - I never get lonely and it was Easter. I wanted to contemplate Easter all day long. I hardly have time to get everything done that I am working at; the years pass and I am still writing my books and all my time and concentration is directed toward them just as it was directed towards my children when they were young and my husband as we aged. I remember the day that my husband's cousin and his wife (he was also our family doctor) dropped by years ago and they were members of the Church we went to. I was going to pass on answering it as I was very busy cleaning as I recall (I thought they were just dropping in on a walk visiting people in the congregation) but Edward answered and welcomed them in. Strange really, I have no idea why they came really but Edward was more of a country person (like his cousin) and did visit people spontaneously (perhaps that is why he volunteered me to be Church Secretary!). I only did that if there was a reason like being volunteer secretary but I am not the most sociable person in the world for sure. I once walked by the house of one of the students that had been in my high school when I was going to University. She said I could ring the bell and we would walk to the bus together. Being the daughter of a person who owned his own business locally I felt obliged to do that (my mother always stressed politeness and she was always wanting me to have friends although I said to her I have my brothers I do not need anybody else). I was so very happy when she said that perhaps I wouldn't do that anymore (I also went a different way). Great news! Being polite can be the pits sometimes.

The School System

 The School System that I grew up in was very sound actually. When I was in Grade Three and supposedly showing this great intelligence (I can remember the standard testing but really I was not that impressed but I was just eight years of age) the school asked my mother to let me go to Victoria Public School which had an advanced program for children like me. I was fine with that but my mother could not see how I could get there (it was a long walk for sure but I did love walking). She also felt it wasn't fair to my siblings which I can understand actually. But in the long run I think both of my brothers closest in age were affected anyway on the one hand I nearly caught up to the older one and I left the younger one four years behind (we were all in the same schools). Plus keeping an intelligent (supposedly I do not claim great intelligence) child in a classroom has the problem of them always having their hand up to answer the questions or do the work that was needed on the board and the other children will just let you do that. It actually de-stimulates those children. When I went to High School at twelve years of age (others have been younger) I elected to take the Business Practice instead of Latin although they tried to persuade me to do otherwise. But I wanted to be able to type and do bookkeeping so that I didn't have to wash baby bottles at the hospital to pay my way through university (and I didn't; I got good jobs every summer once I could work). But I wouldn't blame the school system for my brothers feeling uncomfortable having this sister between them. It did spoil our relationship in that time period for sure and it took a while to re-invent that relationship in the case of my older brother and it never really got to fruition with my younger brother (although that was also me as I didn't want to interfere in his marriage and so made my calls infrequent to him). Plus I didn't live near by and there were lots of reasons why we did not get together. But it was mostly my mother probably didn't want to resolve the problem of my getting to Victoria Public School. I could have lived with my grandmother and aunt and uncle although I have to admit no one ever said that but one doesn't know what gets talked about in the adult world when one is a child. At that point in my life I was living in the attic so that I could read my books in peace but still my brothers would come to play a game of Fish or some other card game often enough and I would stop my reading to play cards with them. They were my closest friends and the ones that I always felt most relaxed with and I enjoyed their company. We had fun when I was a child for sure; but then at 20 I was off and married and gone from my birth home. 

I think now the school system is a little weak here although I really do not have much to do with it. But I find that with so many children coming into Canada from around the world where English/French is not their first language they weaken the ability of a class room teacher to manage the education of the children who do speak English/French well because they use up too much of the teacher's time taking away from the repetitive teaching that really is needed at the public school level for the type of learning that is best at a young age. One should be able to do mathematics in one's head; one should be able to recall the elements of history in their mind and not have to look it up all the time and there are many things that should be on the tip of the tongue for these young children. After all that is better than just being able to do Roblox very well or any other games on the computer. We will need their talents in the future and letting the standard IQ decrease is not a good plan. Our brains will shrink if we do not fill them and force them to keep making room for more information. Children should not be in the system until they are fluent in English/French and that responsibility shouldn't be on the teachers or the school system but rather on the parents themselves. They need to get their children out with English or French speaking children as soon as possible so that they are ready to enter the school system and not take up a teacher's time for the things the children native to this country can already do. Day-Care can not provide this; there are too many children - children at a young age need one on one to really do well although by the age of three or even two in some cases they are ready to be with a larger group and need a little less adult supervision. 

Personally I do not believe in multi-culturalism (celebrate your ethnicity at home but this is Canada a land originally occupied by the First Peoples who kindly let us come and occupy the lands we now do). I would say that if ever there is a third "official national" language here it should be one selected by the First Nations but we need to leave that to their discretion. It is their choice how we all work together really. But the strength of Canada lies in the merging of all the peoples to the common good of Canada itself - it will flourish ever more with this merger. 

This election will be the center piece of that common effort as we move forward making ourselves more trade independent and reintroducing all those industries lost/gobbled up by the much larger country to the south of us. Who would have ever dreamed that those companies in the United States would be so greedy that they took their production off shore to make even more money rendering the present situation. Can it ever come back? I have no idea; will people want to work in factories at such jobs that require minimum intelligence. Really hard to say but the swing towards the trades is rising and along with that the salaries of tradesmen and that will be the pull not factory jobs that pay minimum wage and have little or no incentive in them to be there if you can be somewhere else where you can make more money and have a much more interesting job!

Alleluia Christ is Risen

 Happy Easter Day - Alleluia Christ is Risen will be the refrain heard around the world in the Christian Churches except the Orthodox will celebrate one week later (the Russian primarily). Does that mean that Russia will bomb Ukraine today on this sacred day - must check the news. They are wicked people not to stop Putin from this wanton destruction of the Ukrainian people. Attack after attack after attack. This is genocide. 

My Lenten post was very interesting today and I post a small portion particularly meaningful to me:

"Isaiah’s words draw us into God’s fulfilled Dream. Sorrow is no more, children grow up in safety, and people enjoy the fruits of their labour. This is no fairy tale, but the reality God is bringing to life. Easter reminds us that resurrection isn’t just a past event, but a glimpse of creation made new. We’re invited to imagine the world as God dreams it to be, where peace, joy, and justice flow freely, and to trust that this vision is already becoming real."

Would that the children of Israel could sleep in peace; so many generations since I was a child and those Israeli children were never safe - not in their homes, not in their schools, not in the streets and not in 2024 when they were attacked once again and murdered in front of their parents; how disgusting that was and will be remembered in the realm of history for the brutality that was dealt out that day by Hamas to the people of Israel and their supporters within Israel; being non Jew did not protect you. I also want safety for the children in Gaza (their parents must throw out Hamas; tell them to get out of Gaza). At the end of the Second World War as the soldiers returned home in Germany their wives took their uniforms and destroyed them that is how it has to happen. Hamas must be destroyed just as Nazism was destroyed by the German people themselves. That is the word of Isaiah - "peace, joy, and justice flow freely and to trust that this vision is already becoming real." In your mercy God, love your world.

Church twice today if I am lucky - the first in London at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the National Musicians Church and the Royal Fusiliers Chapel. I will join them soon and then Church at my own Anglican Church later. Thank you God for bringing the human race to the point where we can see what is happening all around the globe simultaneously. It is a gift that should help us to bring peace and solidarity to the world where greed for money disappears and everyone has a good life. It is possible but will require a complete rewiring of the human brain. This greed for money must disappear from our world; it will destroy it otherwise. 

God bless the world and all things created by you that are in it both sentient and insentient (help us to eliminate Satan from our midst on this Easter Day).

 

Two Good Friday Services

I attended the Good Friday service at Emmanuel Loughborough  online and also the Good Friday service at Christ Church Cathedral. I found both of them very meaningful. Christianity has been the support of our civilization for two thousand years and before that the Celtic Church was very much God-centred. Now there is a recognition that the Neanderthals also followed rituals that speak of a religious portion to their lives. The Bible is a fascinating book and having read it cover to cover in my youth and read in my adulthood  the daily reading every day, I find it is a centre of my life. 

Worked on the matches yesterday and perhaps accomplished fifteen or twenty. They take time as I want to have them fully integrated into all of my charts and spreadsheets. Blake is actually the largest group of matches. John Blake and Ann (Farmer) Blake, my 2x great grandparents had ten children and 53 grandchildren and the great grandchildren are well into the many hundreds. Since there are like 3x, 4x, and at least 5x great grandchildren living today I would anticipate there are now many thousands of people descendant of this couple hence the larger group. The Knight family (Edward son of John married Maria Jane Knight) is large and endogamy occurs in that family thus adding to the numbers of people who are in the Blake column of descent although the number of descendants of Edward and Maria Jane are much smaller. They had twelve children but five of them died young or died in childbirth without any issue or simply did not have children. My father was an only child. However in total the matches in my database that I consider to be significant and traceable number 1,132 but I have pulled almost no matches from Living DNA or the more recent ones from FT DNA. The Ancestry matches that I utilize number nearly 1000 with a cutoff of 21 cM in one chromosome length. The use of TIMBER by Ancestry to eliminate "common areas of DNA due to ethnicity" could make these lengths larger which is why I do go to 21 cM. I know for a couple of known relatives that the reduction can be as high as 50%. There are no new matches at 23 and Me that include chromosome information (sad to say as it is an excellent site and really that was terrorism that struck them I think). 

Still thinking that I might vote today but no idea on how I will vote. I will decide by the time I get there. My preference is the Conservative Party I will be honest but the Liberal and Conservative platforms are very similar with regard to how to move ahead with the need to increase our pipelines and electrical grids across Canada West to East principally but also East to West. I like what both parties are saying but who will do it the best? Who can best manage in a situation that is a crisis really? Experience especially when it hasn't actually gone the way that you would have liked gives one a tremendous advantage dealing with a crisis as you have already seen the drawbacks and the downfalls. I think that is the hardest part for the Conservative Party; we have no idea the individuals he will choose to be in his Cabinet to help advise him. We do have a clearer picture with the Liberal Party in that regard. The bulk of the Conservative candidates running do not have a vast amount of experience which can, of course, only be gained by being in government. However, they are younger and eager to bring Canada along so will have to contemplate very carefully. This is a very significant election for Canada as we continue on our way fulfilling the potential of this great country side by side with our First Nations peoples. I liked the way that Mark Carney included the First Nations in the English Debate with references to their support in projects. But he also has the knowledge of that but I think probably all of the parties do in fact but he mentioned it and that is important as well in my thinking. I do want the First Nations to always be a part of our government. I think that the Premiers of Manitoba and Nunavut both members of the First Nations have really fantastic ideas on how to grow Canada and visually we have seen them working very well with the Prime Minister Mark Carney. All of these things are in my mind as I go forward to vote. I have also been watching Premier Ford here in Ontario who has not really taken a stand in this election but yet he too has worked extremely well with the Prime Minister Mark Carney. Just a few more days and the new government will be in place. 

I think we may have had our last significant snowfall of the spring. Time will tell of course but the snow is nearly all melted. 

Teatime and solitaire.

Voting completed and I did make my mind up on my way to the voting place. Round trip it was 3.5 km and was lovely. I am still trying to protect my eyes after cataract surgery although it has nearly been a year (getting close) as suggested for a year but it is hard to see with sunglasses when it is dark out so I didn't wear them and put my hood up instead. On my way home the doorman said he was sorry I had put my hood up (I thought he was worried about rain so reassured him that rain was not happening) and I took the second to explain about my cataract surgery. Then I was quickly on my merry way for my walk home. My vote is going to be secret. But I feel that either candidate Liberal or Conservative will give their all for Canada - we will just have to wait and see (but they will keep each other on their toes for sure); I just voted with my considered opinion.

The summation on the debates is excellent actually

 I think two items really came out of the discussions following the debates. Whatever happens I hope that the Conservative Party stays the pace and keeps Pierre Poilievre as the leader. He is young, an able debater and really controlled his tendency towards any personal commenting. I appreciate that and I can see that the future will come when he may well be the next Prime Minister. Be patient conservatives, Pierre did well I will say that. He has grown considerably through the years; he should not have let Justin Trudeau bait him because he did that constantly to get Pierre going. It kept him in power along with the NDP. 

The second item I got to see Mark Carney under attack for his personal life and he held up well. A blind trust is a blind trust; yes if you are in the business you are going to know how your money will be handled but we are relying on honesty and given the days we live in the differences would be extremely small as he would not appoint anyone who did not think as he does to look after his money for his retirement! Let us be realistic and honest with ourselves in that regard.  Mark Carney bringing up the security clearance was a good  move - having been cleared  in my past I fail to understand why Pierre didn't immediately do that to be honest. Perhaps over time he will explain himself in this regard. Security is important; if you can not fulfill that aspect of the job I think it takes away from our trust in you unfortunately. I will give Mark Carney the pass on the first instance that he ran into with a member of his caucus making an unacceptable statement - the conclusion was perfectly done and correctly made and quick enough but a pass he gets for that this time. He was quick to remove from any public contribution the staffers who planted the buttons - that was good to see. 

But I am still undecided and will be I think until I make my walk up to the Advanced Poll and mark my ballot. It is unusual for me; I generally have my mind made up. 

Back to work although I will just do it in bits as I will let my mind rest. I will go to Church at Loughborough very soon and I see my Church is also going to have an online service if it works out so I will attend that as well. Perhaps I can find a Holy Saturday service online tomorrow and then Easter Sunday at my Church online hopefully otherwise I am sure I will find another. I love Easter weekend; our Blessed Saviour rose from the dead and gave us a Church built on Him that has lasted for 2000 years and before it was the Celtic Church in England and before that God was loved and worshiped by my ancestors the Western Hunter Gatherers I am sure. My grandfather's words about his Anglican Church still ring in my ears. He could quote whole sections of the Bible when he wanted and the Prayer Book he knew so very well. Blessings to all my families in the present and the past as we move towards Easter Sunday and the Resurrection of our Lord. 

Brain is working again. I finally realized I could put the information on the available Urn burial spots in the graves of our grandparents all down on paper for my sister in law and send it in the card I am walking up to get when I vote (I forgot when I bought the groceries yesterday). But the cards are better at the Drug Store. I had to print it because my printer is out of ink. I practically never print and must get ink for it one of these days. Turning 80 is interesting for sure. My mind is so intent on the books and my language learning that I do forget things.

An exhausting week but it pales in comparison to Easter

 I realized last night as I watched the English Debate that my mind was absolutely saturated and exhausted. A good night's sleep and slowly I will get back up to 7-8 hours per night but nearly there. However that pales in comparison to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for sure. Usually this time of year when Edward was still well we would go to all the Services at Church - Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday. I would have liked to have gone to all the Holy Week Services but that was a big chunk out of Edward's day and I appreciated him being with me at the Services that he wanted to attend (he loved the choirs for sure and all the lovely organ music). All of my services are online now and there is a Good Friday Service at Loughborough in Leicestershire this morning which I will attend. My 3x great grandmother Sarah (Cheatle) Welch was baptized at Ashby de la Zouch and her parents were William and Sarah Cheatle. I think William married twice because I match Cheatle descendants in a way that makes me think that way. Perhaps Sarah was the only child of William and Sarah and his next wife was Ann. Not sure but it is a thought. I love the name Cheatle - it is really a stand alone name with all the members pretty much from Leicestershire. 

Although I sent out all the material about the possibility of using the burial spots in the two current grandparent graves the one person I wanted to send it to doesn't have email (at least I do not have email for her). Plus she may not even want the information; our conversation was broken up apparently and it just never occurred to me to just call her back again - the mind is too tired. It needs a rest. The exhaustion of the past week has slowed me down and I have given up trying to be effective in a family way. As one approaches 80 it is a lot easier to just give up as I would have been more intent in my younger days to get the message to where it might need to be. I am a cross all the t's and dot the i's person.

Yesterday I worked on the matches for a while but my brain was tired and just needed a rest. That is one thing about having a breakdown in your youth like that. You just always know when your brain has had enough and it is has served me well these past fifty years. I can only do so much and then it just isn't my turn to help out. I did think about calling my sister in law over this weekend but she does have a sister I think and they will be together surely and I would just be interrupting a family time. I do try to avoid ever doing that. My weekend will be a quiet one for sure - my family is always very busy and I do  not mind. I want to get back to my work; my writing.

The Debate and I found it electrifying and meaningful. I learned a lot as I sat and listened pretty much to the entire debate until my brain had just had enough and it was almost over anyway. Both the Liberal and the Conservative candidates did very well actually. Having the Bloc leader in this debate is just sort of meat for the thought as one always considers Quebec's opinion to be very important within the Confederation. One knows already my thoughts on the NDP (currently) in Federal politics. They provided a lifeline to the flailing Liberal party and assisted in a huge waste of money that should have just been passed to the provinces to set up dental care, school lunches and a Pharma programme. I am not in favour of these being part of the federal mandate. Health Care belongs to the provinces - if more money is needed increase the Health Tax here in Ontario and set it up in the other provinces/territories if they want). I do have to agree with the Bloc on that point. I found all that setting up of bureaucracy in Ottawa for all of these programs (Pharm Care not yet set up) to be a waste of money when there already exists a program that lets dentists bill OHIP for any damage to teeth caused by accidents (it could have simply been expanded). When my daughter was knocked off her bike by another biker the tooth that was broken was repaired and completely reimbursed by OHIP and that was more than thirty years ago. It was most irritating to listen to and watch that waste of money.  At the moment the NDP does not serve a useful purpose in the Federal system. Perhaps they will in the future I have no idea but their activities over the past five years have simply been a problem in my eyes. 

So who won the debate? I think once again Mark Carney has shown his debating skill as a private person coming into politics having worked in the government here as Governor of the Bank of Canada (strong minded, calm, direct and clear). The idea of giving the Liberals a fourth mandate is quite over whelming to be honest (I desire to fall back into the protection of the Conservative Party). But I see Pierre Poilievre's role as Opposition Leader and he will be excellent. So long as he keeps on message I believe he will be the restraint that the Liberals need in order to prevent them wasting so much time and money. We need the pipelines and we need shovels in the ground as the spring yields up the fresh earth now unfrozen in my area and soon in the areas in the north. It is fine for François Blanchet to say that the pipeline might not be finished for a couple of years and he just sees a return to the status quo. I think we need to move on as an independent country setting up our trade lines where they most benefit this country (Mark Carney and I believe Pierre Poilievre also have this vision). I love the United States and how they have been so instrumental through my entire life trying to bring peace to the Globe. But it is time to unhook the tethers that we have allowed to grow between us but we should still do trade for sure and also be the adults in the room seeking out trading partners and ridding ourselves of the restrictions between provinces and territories that couple our trade within the country. I like the vision that Mark Carney presents which is not that different from Pierre Poilievre. I hate to say it but I see this as a struggle between an older mature person and an eager younger person. Myself I think Pierre's time as Prime Minister is to come just perhaps not this time. I just wish it was a fiscal conservative winning but we will see what happens. It is like a soap box opera in some ways we just have to wait for the playback and do our best to make Canada the great country it can be. But I have to admit I felt one person was missing from the debate although it would be unusual. I would have liked to have heard the thoughts of the Chief of the First Nations to be honest as more and more of our First Nations peoples become part of the governing body of Canada (including our Governor General). It is with them walking together with the colonials that Canada will reach its greatest heights. I have to say that Mark Carney did refer to the collaboration of the First Nations in so many projects. Life looks good; the polls are making a point and we will see. Off to vote tomorrow. Who will I vote for? There is a such a strong pull in my brain to be honest. I may well make the decision in the polling booth as I am still ambivalent. Mark and Pierre both did very well but experience sways the mind for sure. No matter what is said about earlier outcomes; experience still reigns supreme (that is how one hires people!).

 Drinking tea and solitaire puzzles are next.

The French Debate

For a non political person, Prime Minister Mark Carney did well at this French debate. He was cool, calm and collected and efficient in his delivery and I did hear his French on occasion but the translation was quick and easy to follow so I assume his French was adequate. Tomorrow is the English Debate and will be easier for me to follow although there was simultaneous translation  at all times at the French Debate. Pierre Poilievre gave a good debate as well. He is excellent in opposition when he stays on the course.

Cleaning accomplished and it was good to be able to speak with my brother's widow and tell her to take it easy for a year. It takes a while to move on. Prayers for the soul of my brother.

I am back into my matches once again and will concentrate on that. Three of my siblings have passed away now and that is sad as always. We spent our years as children together and these three were my closest companions as a young child. But it is a long time since I lived near any of them, more than 50 years actually. As Edward wanted to pursue his family lines the paths did not lead back to my home town very often the last thirty years of Edward's life so our visits were few and mostly with Doug but also we visited Edward's families in the same southwestern Ontario area. That is what old age is all about really and I am glad now that I have dedicated it to the books. It gives me a focus and lets me make use of the talents I have acquired from my studies in genealogy. 

I must make a better effort to keep in touch with my remaining siblings although those of us remaining are all online and I have their contacts which does make it a lot easier. Actually easier than my grandmother and my grandfather for sure because most of their siblings were across an ocean or way down in the United States (always a good long length away from them). Interesting really the difference between youth and young adult, middle aged and then old. 

Thank you God for your attentiveness to the peoples of the world. As Spring bursts forth one of these days all the glory of the earth will shine in the brilliant sun once again.

My brother John

I did hear from my brother's wife and there will not be a funeral or an obituary. So I guess in my mind what I have already written about John collects my thoughts on my next youngest brother. Hard to believe that he has passed but his health has been poor for a while. I did try to call at Christmas but I apparently had the wrong number and I just kept trying but no ever answered. My life has been revolving around the Siderfin books these past couple of years. 

One discovery that I shared with my family just today (that was my project yesterday) in case they ever wanted to utilize the ability was the graves that we own as a family unit at the Cemetery where our families are buried. There are two grandparent graves one for Blake one for Pincombe and they are large graves and allow for two full burials and then six urns (I did try to share this verbally but she said she couldn't understand me on the phone). Since I am 7 hours away I can not see an alternative. My parents were buried in urns so there are still 10 burial places for urns.  I know that it is popular to have a green burial where the land has been prepared. Our connection was apparently poor - I could just hear her and my hearing is very good but she said she couldn't understand me. But perhaps they have prepared something that suits them. I do not like to interfere in what a couple has managed for themselves so will just forget the thought.

Moving forward and working on the matches. It is time consuming but once organized I can flip them about in whatever way suits me. I have a large flat file that lets me do that chromosome by chromosome. 

I will think about John as I work away on the matches and DNA results (and really the rest of my life) and he will appear in my blog just as Doug does. I will miss them both but they are with my parents and all the grandparents. It was nice of his wife to return my call; I didn't expect it. My phone is usually shut off but it was beside me so I heard it vibrate.

 

150 to 200 emails a day

 I do not mind receiving all the emails that come in through the day - generally 100-150. I read most of them but seldom respond. I mean if someone writes thanking me for a will that they found on line that is good I am glad that they found it and it is nice that they say thankyou but I do not think they really expect a reply (I think they write me because they hope I keep transcribing and truly I must get back to doing a couple a week or something like that (I still have more than 1000 wills to transcribe)); they would have asked a question. So I generally can breeze through my emails although I have about 40 in there I need to look at for some reason or another. So technically I am behind as I generally keep my emails up to date. 

Waiting for the debates but in my mind I am sorting through the very idea that I would give the Liberals a fourth mandate (I actually didn't vote for them in 2021). The handling of the people's money is important to me and the Liberals seldom do a good job. But I can always be surprised and perhaps Prime Minister Carney would be that surprise. I am a strict fiscal Conservative and I realize that I am going to be annoyed by any poor management which others might just ignore. 

Sometimes the leader in Opposition excels at his job and that may be the pinnacle of his/her career. Opposition is as important as being the Prime Minister. Someone has to be there to make sure that the Prime Minister is toeing the line; I learned from my uncle who for sure learned that from his father (John Routledge Pincombe who no doubt in my mind learned it from Sir John Carling (his mother Grace (Gray) Pincombe's first cousin)). Our elders can teach us a great deal.

Even in his old age my uncle was in denial about his father though; his father was a drinker (not abusive but he drank very heavily) however my uncle could never say that (he always painted a beautiful picture of his father). My grandmother did mention his drinking on occasion but he was wonderful to her and he taught her all the basics of a high school education because she was unable to go to school after she was 11 (he was 14 years older than her). She had to stay home from the age of 11 and manage the house and look after the babies when her mother died. Her father worked two jobs but he loved his children and did the best he could for them. He had been disowned by his family for marrying a woman with an illegitimate child (not his child; he was in South Africa way before and after that birth) so had to take care of himself and his family without any help from them. In England that pretty much condemned you to a very basic life. Life was hard in the 1880s/1890s for sure. One might have thought his family would have sympathy as he had been wounded during the First Boer War (he was a medic) and pensioned out because he could no longer serve. All of this information except for the disowning I have located in the records. I am curious about the disowning I have to admit that. My grandmother mentioned it but I noticed that her youngest sister Sarah was unaware of it. I didn't tell her when I spent some time with her but she simply didn't say it. So I think perhaps it was something my grandmother knew and perhaps the younger children (some of them) did not. Life can be very interesting sometimes as you pull out the bits you were told and amazingly find the records supporting exactly that story. My grandfather did not die from drinking but rather from one of those many diseases that farmers contract just because of their closeness to whatever (in his case he died from pulmonary exhaustion from influenza exacerbated by his chronic endocarditis). A few years later and penicillin would have saved him. But life flows on and now you survive. Perhaps in my uncle's eyes the drinking was a minor thing although he himself never touched alcohol his entire life but he was also United Church and Methodist before Union. Genealogy reveals so much about our ancestors; too bad in a way it took me so long to come to it.

Early today and it is a cloudy day. Rained heavily yesterday but the ground can certainly absorb lots of water as it is now unfrozen. Spring has truly come to Eastern Ontario. No budding yet and that is perhaps about normal; sometimes it is early budding here but not usually. The branches of the trees stand bleak against the cloudy sky but the birds are back. How beautiful it is to hear their songs through the day. The trees are full of birds but I have not put out any feed for the birds. My daughter will be disappointed when she comes to do her research break as she loves to watch them at the feeder. But personally I think we should keep up our conservation areas where they will live and find food placed there whilst they are with us this summer and they will be safer. 

Life can be hard for so many on occasion. But there are always these glints of goodness that appear in the cracks to help those who need help whether it be feathered or otherwise. I think that is what keeps me buying my tickets for Lotto Max and Lotto 649 (I got started years ago now when I was working at the hospital because the monies collected went to (and continue) such good causes). If I ever win I would like to donate a good portion to conservation and helping our feathered friends and others. Another new place to donate is a Resilience Fund for the PWRDF. Their funding was stripped when USAID closed (I expect that was created by the Episcopalian Church of the United States of America (a brother in the faith with the Anglican Church worldwide)). It was one of the priests in the Episcopal Church that invited all of us on the Anglican Prayer Group to Rome for his Ordination as the Episcopalian Bishop of Europe back in 2001. A private donor has put forward a suggested donation level of $250,000 that he will match by the end of June I think it is (I will check on that and correct the date) to help PWRDF in their work. The Primates World Relief and Development Fund has recently undergone a name change to Alongside Hope. I think it is a beautiful addition to this group that does so much good in the world.  

The top floor to clean today and my cleaning week is complete. I will also work on the matches through the day and that process is coming closer to half way done. One surprise match and I finally concluded the person is probably related to me on both the Blake and Rawlings side (one match for each). That rarely happens because the two families did not live close together really but chance happens and there it is. 

My thoughts are back in the books again and life will flow on around me as I return to my solitude once again to work on the books. Although the matches organized into my databases are my first thought at the moment as this work will be useful as I do the genealogical chapters of the two families (Blake and Pincombe). In old age I have in a way returned to my youth where my grandfather (and grandmother on occasion) talked about their families and how they fitted together and his memory of the line back at Andover as he knew that his line had lived in Andover before Upper Clatford. The two places are just across the highway from each other. Having now driven that highway (in a bus and a car) a number of times I can still picture the place where they come together. Over an eight year period from 2008 to 2016 the fields to the south of Andover became covered with Solar Panels as England (the British Isles) came into the Green Age of our Planet. 

Funny how a parent can put a thought into your head and circumstances cause you to just run with it at some point in your life. Certainly before George DeKay contacted me there was just this memory of my mother talking to me about the family and about DNA and putting them together to nestle in my brain until that point it would awaken in me some sort of an interest in genealogy (I would say that was her intent now in retrospect). George DeKay and my mother were well known to each other as she had given him material on her grandmother Grace (Gray) Pincombe for his book way back in the 1970s. She purchased seven copies of that book for her children and I have mine. George first contacted my younger sister and that was a good idea however she sent him on to me. Interesting really. And here I am having taken 42 courses at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies here in Canada and receiving my PLCGS (Professional learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies) in 2007 now working towards another two books. Who would have thought it? Certainly not me even as late as the beginning of 2003. Time changes and so do we. Edward would be 82 today if he had lived this long.

Edward, during his last couple of years, was busy planning trips to Germany and Holland and the Galapagos. We were relearning our German for the trips to Europe as he had a guide who would take us from Berlin up to Schoenbeck, Brohm and Staven both in Mecklenburg where his great grandparents were born.  The Galapagos was probably for me because I always wanted to go there. Perhaps I will still one day; who knows. Somehow though I need to check on whether my eyes are now blue or still brown (the blue area is quite noticeable now). I do not want to arrive back home and have problems entering my country! but probably they do go by the face still.

Teatime and solitaire games.