Cotswold Links

Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny winters day, here in the Cotwold hills.   Two of my Daughters and two grandchildren came to visit.  These moments of being able to go out together are so valuable now, sadly my own organisation and anticipation of the outings seems the cause of some just criticism about my stressed behaviour, or in yesterdays case erratic driving.

ROLLRIGHT STONES - 5000 year old stone circle

I am trying to see as much of my favourite places in the outside world as possible and at that right unknown moment to have said goodbye and thank you to my dear friends and family.  Although the drugs are coping well, sleep is very difficult, always feeling that I should be talking or writing about life.

I recall attending the funeral of a friend a few years back, someone who had a wide experience of life and travel and a great sense of humour, yet the obituary read out by the vicar had very little descriptive comment.  I did see a memorial notice once in  a newspaper, where the widow claimed that "his bite was worse than his bark" !!  After living a relatively quiet life and being of that disposition, I still feel that I have things to say and a new overwhelming drive to write and that is the reason for this blog. I hope that no one finds it depressing or offensive and I hope that reading this will inspire and empower open debate.

Near the Rollright Stones and only 20 miles from where I presently live is the most beautiful village, which thanks to the inernet I have discovered holds some of our families ancestral roots.  The amount of free genealogical information on the the internet is truly amazing.

Who Do You Think You Are ?  - The Old Manor !!

This was the home of the Whitmore family, our last direct family ancestor, a four times great grandmother died in 1797.  In the aisle of the church my grandchildren were able to read the inscription of their very own 10th great-grandparents.  Genealogy is quite addictive and there are many brilliant web sites, one of particular interest is called - http://www.lostcousins.com, with a useful newsletter and a plan for everyone to register their relatives in the 1881 census online.  Another interesting feature of family history is the phenomena of pedigree collapse, without which the early population would be too large.  The above Whitmore family is a  very good example of how the rich preserved their wealth through intermarriage.  The Whitmore family intermarried at least six times over the 16th and 17th century, through cousins to the Weld family now of Lulworth Castle.