1689 Birdsong

An interesting leisurely day where I did not get going in planned activities until late afternoon. There were two excellent interruptions.

The first was to find that overnight the black bird, cannot be more precise about the kind of bird than that, had created quite a size nest. I took several photographs before going out about 10.45, buying a Journal local newspaper and enjoying a bacon roll with coffee and the Ship and Royal. I am allowing myself one or two visits a month depending on how much progress I make. It was a morning of sun and clouds, chilly without the sun and I decided not to go on further walkabout but to return home calling in at the supermarket for some tomatoes and fruit. Then I remembered the bird and went to see if they stocked any feeders and not realising that the food was kept in a separate section from the gardening area. I then decided to go to the other end of the town centre for my second visit of the week to Wilkinsons where an assistant pointed to the pet and wild bird food area in one corner of the store away from the gardening sections. Here I was spoilt for choice with containers of various kinds and a wide range of foods from a range of mixed selections with 1 kilo costing from £1 to £3 to sunflower seeds, nuts and other foods in packs or netted container and with a range of containers from the plastic to the metal. I bought a kilo mixed seeds and two of the netted variety and three plastic plant pot holders to use one for the see, one for water and one for bread and other titbits. On return there was no sign of the bird although the nest looked completed so I was able to re arrange the table below the self in such away as to provide easy access to the food and water but to hide these by arranging the plants around. Alas there had been no sight of the bird since for the rest of the day Disappointing. Had I frightened it away or had something happened to it? Had it lost sense of which back yard it had made the nest?

The second cause for delay in the day’s work plan was the arrival an email enquiring if I had information on an ancestor arising from a record of my interest in the family. I had four pages on this branch of the family from 1800 to 1870 as well as how the ancestor fitted into the overall family tree going back to at least 1613 and with the possibility that other information would take him back to the early 1500‘s but such information cannot be corroborated to acceptable standards.

It is not a branch where I had much additional information to that researched by others and to which I had checked and then added further information after my visit to the country records centre in 2006, completing the history in summer of 2006 in advance of the 100th birthday of my mother in 2007. I had lodged copies with the County archives and family history centre and the town’s heritage centre and local library. This is an exciting development in that I had no information on branch of the family after 1871. I knew there had been 11 children and that at least four had died before they were three years of age. Four had married three with children but the trail disappeared. For the family who had contacted I only had a birth and christening date for the young man and nothing more. I hope I would not have a new chapter to the research work whereas I was able to provide the background of several centuries. Including a precise location where the family had lived in 1828 from a Tithe map with an index as to who owned every property and who lived in them. Later I realised I had sent the first edition of the research, some 110 pages of factual information and photographs. However I had subsequently created three editions one for the County Records office which included the copyright photos of an important map, the second for the local Heritage centre with photos of their historical map and the third, a general edition which was altered depending upon the recipient as I had permission to send a copy of relevant location of their ancestors in 1828. I could not find the computer disk with the copies of these editions although I had one of printed copy of each edition. It was not found until about 1 am the following morning. What a relief. After distribution I was contacted by two further descendents whose ancestors had gone to Australia and South Africa respectively. I must try and find their information and also if it has been incorporated into the editions on disk. It is some two years since been contacted about the work and three since it was completed.

I have been much impressed with the episodes of Ballykissangel this week fist with the death of Assumpta and the reactions of everyone, especially her friend, priest and her estranged husband. Yesterday there was the quadruple development of a new priest, a monk, his ‘with it’ sister who takes a shine to Brian Quigley because of his single minded ambition and ruthlessness, how Brian comes to own Fitzgerald’s after losing the auction and placing his daughter in charge. And the arrival of the hated son of a hated father into the dilapidated and neglected family home but with revealing why he had become an outcast and is viewed with hostility and suspicion to come.

In the evening I switched between watching arsenal and Manchester United in their respective European Quarterfinal matches. Last year three English teams filled four of the semi final places and two contested the final. This year only one is guaranteed a semi final place as Chelsea and Liverpool meet tonight in the first leg of their tie. Manchester United had a disastrous evening giving away goals at the start and final moments of their game but also managed to score two. They now need to win to go through to the next round. Arsenal only need to draw at home having scored an away goal to the end the night 1.1. The Manchester United result does not augur well for Saturday when Sunderland play.

It was therefore only in bits and bobs that I tackled the main agenda item for the day, the planning of my trips away in May and June and how these fit in with the new cricket season. Last season Sussex fell quickly away after winning the Championship in the previous and when Durham won the second division championship with what appeared to be a good side it also fell away as has happened to other sides. However Durham’s win was not a convincing one and the team became stretched with several players on International duty, getting to the semi finals of the 20 20 and the 50 over competition. Today I received a call from Sussex Cricket ground recommending the nearest multi story car park and omitting the information where I subsequently discovered on the web site about the location of less expensive parking. The arrangements for next two trips are not resolved but I will endeavour to complete the preparations before tackling that in June. Ongoing project work took the back seat although it was the early hours of the morning when I felt tired for bed.