Slàinte Mhath

 

Wednesday we headed out of the Lake District and spent some time at Castlerigg Stone Circle just outside of Keswick. When we first arrived there were lots of people but they slowly drifted away and it was just Mr. B and myself (and some sheep) left to enjoy the stones on a beautiful warm day. 

 

Next we headed to the Lanercost Priory near Carlisle and the Scottish boarder. 

 

The small church was left intact but the priory which dates back to 1169 is now pretty much the bones of the building but striking in its own way. 

Nearby were bits of Hadrian's Wall & foundations of Roman forts that at one time stretched across Northern England near the boarder of Scotland. 

 

It was begun in AD 122 and was built to protect the Romans (who had conquered the rest of Britain) from those wild Scottish barbarians. 

One more stop on our way up to Glasgow......

 

What remains of my family's castle - Crawford Castle!

The Crawford Castle was built in the 12th century on the River Clyde which runs through Glasgow as well. It stands on the former site of a Roman Fort dating back to AD 80.  

On our first night in Scotland our cute Scottish waitress Isola says "Where are you from? You have quite an accent!"

Our response in unison "So do you!"

We all laughed and shared travel stories. 

Word of the day - Slàinte Mhath = Good Health (cheers) & pronounced slawn-ge-var (yes....really!)

Climbing Trees

Song - My Father's Eyes by Eric Clapton

I know I have been absent for awhile but I have found this new "obsession".

It is actually an old obsession that I just picked up again in the last few weeks.

When Mr. B and I were first married, I was fascinated to do some research on both of our family trees.  I interviewed all of the relatives and began combining notes and bits of papers with information written down. 

But back then everything was by "snail mail" and it would take forever to get birth certificates, census reports, etc.

Guess what?





You will be amazed........there is this new thing called "THE INTERNET"!!!









It is so incredible to find family members.....FAST!

The St. Paul - the ship my dad's family took from England to Canada

You can Google map homes your relatives lived in because their address is on the Census report or birth certificate.

My dad's parents lived here when he was born.

Or you can find photos of the church your grandparents were married in, or little country towns that they worked in the fields as farmers.

St. Jude's Church in Montreal, Canada where my dad's parents were married

Santa Maria in Cloz, Italy where my mothers family was from

It is just absolutely amazing.



I think I have a tiny problem because I can't seem to stop....even for meals....Mr. B has to cook and clean and do the laundry now!

Crowcombe, Somerset, England where the family were farmers

You travel through different countries and history.

England

Census Report

 
Sometimes a little detective work is needed to make sure everything links up.

And sometimes it's difficult to decipher old handwriting. 

BUT.......sometimes there is a surprise in your tree......

This little guy with a smirk on his face is my dad.

This woman was his grandmother, Sarah.........

So even though the Crawford Castle is in ruins.....(sorry dad), we still can say that we spent a little time in 1474 building this......

Take a bow!