Category Archives: Family History

‘Talking Books’…On trying to become Somerset’s answer to Mariella Frostrup

Posted on March 28, 2013 by

…I wish! But I do have my own book show on local radio -10Radio based at the heart of a Somerset community  – and the first programme  is looming large. I go on air at 11am tomorrow (Friday 29th March … Continue reading →

Posted in Author interviews, Book, Dandelions and Bad Hair Days, Family History, Poetry, Radio Show, Reading, Talking Books, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

On receiving some wonderful old news……

Posted on December 18, 2012 by

As some of my regular readers may be aware, I was commissioned earlier this year, by the new social history imprint of Pen and Sword Books, to write a book about the impact of the first world war on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book, Family History, History, London, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sarah’s story – family history and poetry from the darkest places…

Posted on August 25, 2012 by

In a previous post, I wrote of Sarah Hardiman, the first (and only legal) wife of my Great Grandfather George Hardiman. George Hardiman was a journeyman silversmith, born in 1839 in an impoverished part of Clerkenwell, North London. Sarah (nee … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, History, London, Mental health, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

‘I’m forever blowing bubbles’; or maybe this explains a lot…

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

Earlier this week my son wrote a blog post on The Magical Mirror in which he was debating with himself which football team he should support next season. I had to point out to him that to ask that question is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, London, Random musings on family life, love the universe and everything | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What’s in a name? Warnings from our family history…..

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

Prompted by a short discussion on Twitter with the fabulous @oldpostcards and @CountryBook about the first names our ancestors were given (‘saddled with’ in many cases) I went back through my tree to find patterns or traditional names handed  down … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, History, Random musings on family life, love the universe and everything | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Telling ‘Sarah’s Story’ – finding truth in family history

Posted on March 21, 2012 by

It is some time since I have written on the history of my family, or on history in any sense really. I am deep into the process of finalising a manuscript that will be published in the next few months – … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, History, London, Mental health | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Autophobia or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love my Ego

Posted on February 13, 2012 by

Editor’s note: As we go into the second year of mental health guest posts here on No wriggling I am grateful for a contribution  from the other side of the world. Deb is well-known in the genealogy community and has a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Mental health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jake Thackray – a genius….. and a genealogist?

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

Having felt a little in need of cheering up recently and browsing the wonderful Spotify I quite randomly came across The Best of Jake Thackray. His biography describes him as a ‘singer-songwriter in the French tradition’ firmly rooted in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Music | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Reading Christmas – the spirit of the season between the pages

Posted on December 12, 2011 by

In November I was invited to take part in The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge hosted by The True Book Addict on her festive blog. It encourages readers to pick up books with a connection to the season and will run until Twelfth … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Family History, Random musings on family life, love the universe and everything | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Does history repeat itself? ‘Women’s Lives’ by Jen Newby hits the bookshops

Posted on December 8, 2011 by

November 2011 saw the publication of a great new addition to the bookshelves of those of us who long to know more about how our female ancestors lived their lives and experienced the world in the 19th and early 20th … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments