Research Day

 It was interesting having a research day on Monday and I have managed to get through all but 41 of the matches and perhaps today I will complete those matches. I had to give up when the lens fell out of my reading glasses and apparently I had lost the tiny screw that was holding that section together. Fixed quickly at the store where I bought them and all fine. Probably good actually as I tend to work for too long sometimes. The  matches continue to be complimented by the large number of cousins making the split back to great grandparents for phasing much easier. Chromosome 6 is a winner for that for sure. 

I went out and shoveled the snow on the porch, the patio and the laneway as it wasn't very much and the exercise and fresh air is definitely good for me. I do not take a sufficient number of rest periods from working on the computer but getting back to that as I was well organized before the flu struck. One has to really work at this type of thing I think when one is older as there is a tendency to rest too much and not keep up the good exercises I suspect. Plus I did overdo it with the skiing but all rested up now pretty much. Perhaps I will do a little skiing in the backyard through the winter since the snow is so lovely and not all iced up as it was last year. 

I did do a bit of intensive study on some of the matches and found a couple more known cousins which is always handy. The one large Blake/Farmer/Knight match that I have with a New Zealander is finally coming clearer. I rather think I am related primarily on his father's side but I also have a match in the Buller line on his mother's side. So a bit complicated that match because of endogamy primarily but perhaps also because they all lived in the same area (his ancestors and mine) with the introduction of a Buller line a couple of generations back. He looks like a strong second cousin but actually is a third and fourth cousin all around with descent from Ellis and Eleanor (Knight) Knight (my 3x great grandparents) and also from John and Ann (Farmer) Blake (my 2x great grandparents)  thus giving him that 3rd cousin and 4th cousin match. The Buller is also likely a 4th cousin. Amazing really what one can solve since DNA arrived on the scene more than two decades ago now although autosomal is much younger in terms of usage; it took a while to establish large enough databases to make it worthwhile. 

Time to do my steps for 9:00 a.m. and breakfast. I am late today for sure. The morning has been spent on some work I needed to do which wasn't oriented towards the books that I am writing on Blake and Pincombe.  

The meeting in Davos will be very interesting I suspect as I have been watching the talks given by the various heads of state. Talking is always good for sure. Some of these friendships go back more than 200 hundred years. A world at peace is a gift that we must grab hold of and nurture remembering God's words to love our neighbour as ourself.