I missed the party

 I missed a party on the Australian geneacalendar last night.

Twelve months ago my genimates Fran, Pauleen and Sharn launched their Australian Genealogy weekly  Twitter chat, #ANZAncestryTime. I was flattered to be invited to be a host so merrily joined the team even though I had found my earlier forays into Twitter chats quite stressful.

I soon found the fast paced Australian sessions similarly stressful.  I soldiered on in the team for a few months but decided to pull the plug on my involvement as I found the format was all a bit too fast for this old girl who is hampered by a lack of keyboarding skills and who likes to mull over things before jumping in. I now enjoy looking through the #ANZAncestryTime posts at my leisure on the morning after the chats and follow up on anything that sparks my interest. I adhere to the old adage that there are horses for courses and I just wasn't the right jockey for this venture.

I congratulate Fran, Pauleen and Sharn  for their commitment and perseverance to this venture and wish them many happy years of geneatweeting.

The Crazy month of May 2020 meme: pandemic experiences

My Genimate, Pauleen, of the Cassmob Blog recently invited fellow bloggers to join her in a meme. She wrote:

"It occurred to me that perhaps we should have a meme which captures our response to the hopefully-once-in-a-lifetime May that we’ve just navigated….it might be a way to preserve the tip of our experiences. Remember that many blogs are being archived in Pandora so perhaps this is a way for our descendants to learn about our experiences during the covid-19 crisis.

If you’re so inclined, why not join me in completing this meme. Be as brief or lengthy as you like and feel free to add more than one response to a question."

Here are my responses to: 

The Crazy month of May 2020 meme: pandemic experiences

My view as I sit in bed and read

What are you most grateful for during this covid-19 crisis? 
Three H's, my husband, my home, my health. While I enjoy my own company I have been so grateful that I have my husband around to keep me company and support me through this time. My health is generally good but I have a few underlying issues that make it sensible for me to isolate. Robert has been my link with the outside world as he has done all those messages that could not be accomplished online. 

One of the neighbours sunning on our jetty

Our comfortable home is our haven, we are lucky to live on beautiful Lake Macquarie which provides us with beautiful vistas and a passing parade of watercraft and wildlife. We are independent retirees rely on income investments ans superannuation, some of our investments have taken a hit but we are still able to live well. 

I am also grateful for social media and technology which allows me to keep in touch with family and friends near and far and for our free library systems which provide me with access to eBooks and online databases for my education and amusement.

Australia is known as The Lucky Country, I can think of nowhere I would rather be at this time. 

Life is good.

What have you missed most during the full or partial lock-down?  
Three F's, Family, Freedom and Friends. I have missed the freedom of being able to hop in the car and go anywhere I please at any time I wish.  I have also missed being able to go out to restaurants for a quick meal. While I have been in contact with family and friends I have missed the large gatherings we have to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions. 

Celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary in isolation was a bitter pill to swallow as we had planned a family weekend at the Taronga Zoo Hotel with our extended family.

Our Anniversary Portrait was a selfie

Has your hobby sustained you during this time? 

New Tablet - Reading for reading

Most definitely. Genealogy, photography and reading have filled my days. It's been very hard but I been concentrating on organising my genealogy and photography files. Initially I gave into temptation and did new research on my Phipps/Westbrook and Pusell lines but I haven't strayed down new paths for over a week. I am going through my old notebooks spanning 30+ years to make sure that all relevant information is stored in my database or digital files. I certainly did a lot of manual transcription in the old days.

My collection of photographs is HUGE - several Terabytes. I am coming to realise that I don't need to save every image I take so have found myself hitting the delete button as I go through and organise my collections. Fifty dark images of a lava flow hitting the water at night is a bit excessive!

My reading habit which had fallen off the rails over the last few years has been resurrected. Although I still prefer physical books I have taken advantage of the ebook collections available free through public libraries. My reading tally for this year so far is a healthy 55. I had been reading these books on my phone but several weeks ago decided to buy a small Android tablet to use as an ebook reader....but alas I couldn't find any stock in Australia. 

I have been revisiting Google every few days to see if any stock had become available and yesterday I found that several local suppliers had stock. I made a couple of phone calls before sending Mr GeniAus out to purchase a Samsung Galaxy Note A 8inch tablet. It won't set the world on fire with its specs but is more than adequate for its intended purpose. My next mission is to add the ebooks I have stored on my portable hard drive to the tablet. 

What changes have you seen in your life over May 2020? 
None in May but I had ankle surgery in January that severely curtailed my activities. I am still recovering from this procedure but the surgeon assures me it will be better after 12 months. So, if we had to have a 

Paddy and friend

pandemic, this time while my mobility is compromised, is convenient for me. 

That we have been at home for six consecutive months is a change for us as we love to travel. We have cancelled the 18 weeks of travel we had so far planned for this year.

Paddy the dog has enjoyed our company but he has also turned into a bit of a sook who jumps on a lap or snuggles up at every opportunity. 

Have you been exercising more or less?
Less as I am limited not by Covid19 but by the length of time needed for recovery from my surgery

Has the refrigerator been your friend or foe?
As we have not been able to travel and live the high life we have been away from temptation and eating sensibly. My recent blood tests were in the healthy range.

Have you been participating in virtual gatherings with friends or family?
Yes. I am amazed at the ease with which the under tens can initiate online meetings.

Have you taken up new hobbies during the lockdowns? 
The ones I have are more than enough to sustain me. It's not a new hobby but  I have been teaching myself to use more of the features of two software packages, ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate and Family Historian.

Are you cooking or gardening more? 
I'm not cooking at all. Mr GeniAus discovered cooking as I was recovering from my surgery and has continued to prepare all our meals - a welcome change for me after 50 years of being the chief cook. 

My gardening activities are of a supervisory nature. We inherited a beautiful garden when we bought this house, I continue to suggest changes and additions to Mr GeniAus. I do appreciate our garden which I guess I take for granted.

Have you found the changes and experience stressful/anxious/worrying? 
I have worried for those of my children work in face to face situations in the medical area. Thankfully two of the offspring have been able to work from home. 

I have enjoyed the opportunity the pandemic has given me to devote to my hobbies. 

How have the closures affected your local community? 
Having rarely left our home I cannot comment on the closures. Our local lakeside shopping area has several restaurants and cafes, I don't know how many of these will survive. Our poor travel agent has closd some of his offices and has been kept very busy dealing with cancellations.

Have in-person meetings been replaced with virtual meetings via Zoom, Skype etc? 
As President of our local family history group I made a unilateral decision to offer Zoom meetings to our members. I have been bowled over by the enthusiasm of those who have taken part. As many of our members are elderly (over 70) like me I am nervous about returning to face to face meetings too soon.

I have enjoyed the Friday afternoon hang outs for members of SAG. As I live outside Sydney these are a benefit for country dwellers like me.

Do you enjoy the virtual meeting format? 
I like those formats where people are able to share their screens so that I can see their faces and expressions. When presenting online I miss being able to see and interact with my audience. I prefer to use the Zoom platform to GoToWebinar for these events. 

Are you working from home instead of in your usual place of work? 
I don't work, I play. 

Have your habits changed over the past months? 
Definitely, there is a sameness about our days and we have fallen into a routine. We stay in bed quite late in the mornings as we watch NewsBreakfast on the ABC and catch up on social media. There is no need to jump up at the crack of dawn. We are also burning the midnight oil, while I retire early I read for a couple of hours each evening. I have watched very little tv.

Have you had to cancel travel plans for pleasure or family? 
As mentioned above. Some companies have been very good about refunds or future credits. Air New Zealand has been the most inflexible to deal with, we cancelled an expensive end of cruise flight home from Tahiti and all they will give us is a credit for the same route which we will never need to travel again, Emirates kept a hefty deposit. In contrast Qantas have been most generous with refunds.

As for other travel only Scenic with whom we were to travel to Russia on a river cruise have been super slow. In contrast Backroads were most responsive and quickly organised a future credit for us. 

Do you think you’ll be able to travel in 2020? 
We hope to be able to hop in the car for a few road trips later in the year. Australia is a big country so there is lots more to see.

Our next planned overseas trip is now in late July 2021. I am praying there will be a Covid-19 vaccine by then. In the interim I wouldn't mind doing a small ship cruise in the Kimberleys or somewhere else in Australian waters when these start up again.

Have you/others been wearing masks when out and about in your area? 
The only mask I have seen was on the radiographer who took some images of me last week.

Will you change your lifestyle after this experience? 
I don't have a crystal ball, it's a wait and see situation for me at the moment. Meanwhile I'm happy to stay at home and watch the sunsets from our balcony.

Grumpy Old Genie

Grumpy Old Genie

This morning I was wondering if I would blog today....then I looked at my RSS feeds.

I read quite a number of posts and shared a couple to my GeniAus Facebook page . Something I saw annoyed this Grumpy Old Girl. One blogger who has three blogs had posted exactly the same article to those three blogs. Each of these blogs is targetted at a different family group so I guess the blogger thought the message important enough to share to the three different audiences...but what of people like me who follow all three blogs?

The purpose of each of those blogs appears to be to share and record stories from a branch of the bloggers family. The blogger struck a problem when she had something general to say.

Was it really necessary to post the same article in those three places?  Would it be a better strategy to use other social media channels to share the message widely?

That blogger could have one blog for all posts and label and categorize them carefully so that her different audiences could find articles of interest to them. This could even bring more readers to the blog as readers would be exposed to articles outside their area of interest. Such a blog could have a broader purpose - ie to share the stories of my ancestors, connect with cousins and discuss issues in genealogy.

Another alternative would be to have multiple blogs - one for each family line plus a general general genealogy blog for discussion of news, issues, resources etc. This would benefit those readers who are only interested in hearing stories of one family line.

Another approach is to have a general blog and then other blogs for niche subjects. Prominent Australian bloggers who take this approach are Alona Tester and Pauleen Cass.

So what I am really thinking about today is recognising your audience and having a clear purpose for your blog/s.

Which approach do you take?

Bloggers a plenty at Congress_2018

In a comment on my recent post my Canadian genimate Louis Kessler remarked "I think you're showing the highest ratio of bloggers to attendees of any genealogy conference, anywhere, and that includes RootsTech. Lot's of bloggers Down Under!"

And I think Louis is right. Pre-Congress I asked bloggers attending to register on a Google sheet so we could organise distribution of Blogger beads. Fifty-five bloggers attending Congress put their name on the list while several bloggers that I know were at Congress including Judy G Russell, Lisa Louise Cooke, Paul Milner, Lee-Anne Hamilton, Martyn Killion, and Carole Riley weren't on the list, there may have been others. While at Congress three new bloggers penned their first posts. That brings the total of geneabloggers at Congress to at least  61. There were 620 genies registered for Congress so nearly 10% of the attendees were genealogy bloggers. 

One of the benefits of creating that bloggers list was that I found a few new Aussie bloggers to add to my RSS feed.

 I organised a photo call for the bloggers at 1:00pm on the last day of Congress. Unfortunately I had taken ill so missed the photo. Those who gathered for the photo were a little keen so they took the pictures a few minutes early which meant that some bloggers including my mate Pauleen Cass missed the shoot. 

I was going to neatly paste photos of Pauleen and me into the group photo shared with me by Lilian Magill but when I saw the empty foreground that was in the picture I had second thoughts and plonked an old pic of Pauleen (my co-admin on the Genimates at Congress FB Group)  and me up front and centre. Cheeky!

Geneablogging is certainly thriving downunder.

101 Reasons to Attend #congress_2018 - Genealogists for Families

Several members of the Kiva "Genealogists for Families Group" will be in attendance at Congress. Our motto is, 'We care about families (past, present and future).'

Our international group which was started in 2011 by Queensland Genealogist, Judy Webster, has  over 350 members. We first met as a Group at Congress in 2012. I wrote about it here: http://geniaus.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/congress-genealogists-for-families.html

We have made over 9,460 $US25 loans to people in third world countries.

• What is Kiva? https://www.kiva.org/about
• What is Genealogists for Families? http://genfamilies.blogspot.com.au/p/about.html
• Meet the team members https://www.kiva.org/team/genealogists/members
• Follow this link to join the Team: https://www.kiva.org/invitedto/genealogists/by/jill4772?

Team members will be wearing blue ribbons (kindly supplied by team Co-captain Pauleen Cass). Please say G'day and ask us about 'Genealogists for Families'.

Following the Leader

And that leader is Pauleen Cass. 

 Pauleen (R) and GeniAus (L)

Pauleen posted on Facebook yesterday that she was working on her presentation for #Congress_2018 and I replied that I had been thinking about mine. Pauleen is presenting, Parallel Lives - Irish kin down under and abroad. As my ancestry is mostly Irish and as Pauleen knows her stuff I am looking forward to her talk. She may be presenting another session but there is no facility I can find on the Congress Website to look at a speaker's bio and see a list of their talks (Hope this is rectified).

Anyway, because I am following Pauleen's lead, I have now at least started the powerpoints for my presentations: Beaut Blogs: ideas for tarting up your Geneablogs (a 2014 presentation that also needs a lot of tarting up) and  Managing Frugally: Free Tools for Genies and Family History Groups (a completely new talk). I have been gathering ideas in Evernote for several months but now need to move forward. Should you have any ideas/resources I should include in those talks please let me know. I need all the help I can get!

Those who are presenting at Congress recently received this message "Just a reminder before Christmas takes your mind elsewhere that your handouts are due to info@congress2018.org.au by 8 January 2018

. Please note that this is a deadline, not a target date so please take care to meet it."

As I need to finish my presentation before I can write a handout the heat is on. I wonder how other speakers are progressing with this task.

Yet more DNA

At the recent Rootstech Conference in Salt Lake City I did a cheek scrape in the Exhibit Hall under the watchful eye of Daniel Horowitz, Chief Genealogist for MyHeritage. Although I had tested with two other companies I was keen to share my genetic ancestry with another group. Thanks to MyHeritage for offering me the chance to test. I note on their DNA site that the current price for a MyHeritage DNA test is $AU103.

Yesterday when I opened my email box I found that my MyHeritage results were in but, as I had an urgent task to complete, I had to put the results aside .... however I did sneak a peek at my ethnicity results.

What is interesting is that they indicate that I am 1% Papuan (and my Ancestry results say 1% Pacific Islander). So perhaps the aboriginal, Biddy Sargeant (whom I am pretty sure is my 3x Great-Grandmother really is).I have always been fairly sure that Biddy was my 3x Great-Grandmother there is nothing on paper to document this. Perhaps DNA will give me an answer! When I shared this result on the Using DNA for Genealogy - Australia & NZ Facebook Group it resulted in quite a few comments and likes.

I didn't expect to find many matches on MyHeritage because it is a relatively newcomer in the DNA testing field but, when I logged in yesterday afternoon I found 27 matches, two of whom are from Australia, most from the USA and a few from the UK. One of these is a 4th cousin match on my Pusell line that I have confirmed on Gedmatch.

My genimate Pauleen had mentioned in the Facebook Group that she was uploading her results from another company to MyHeritage (I didn't know you could do it for free) so I decided to add Mum's DNA too....but to do this she needed to be in the MyHeritage database (more opportunities for matches!). No problem, I uploaded a gedcom of my direct ancestors and then, with Mum's name in the database, found adding her results a breeze. I am now waiting for her results to be processed - then I anticipate I'll have at least 28 matches. Mum's kit is listed on my profile.

Next task was to go through my matches. I went through them one by one looking at trees where available but only identified a connection with Michelle with whom I have been in communication for many years. The matches (which cn be sorted in a number of ways) are displayed 10 to a page (I think there's an option to change that). Take a look at my closest match - a man from the USA.

I need to examine the site further to see what other features are available. It's early days yet but, as I want to make as many connections as possible, I am pleased to have my data in another database.

Disclosure: I was given a complimentary DNA test by MyHeritage

Getting to know me

On Facebook my Genimate Pauleen shared this meme which came to her via blogger, Katrina.

Rather than having my responses lost in a Facebook stream I thought I'd post my answers here on my blog.  As my blog is being preserved by the National Library of Australia via Pandora my responses should be available for some years to come.

1. Who are you named after? - No-one. Mum nearly called me Julie. As a child I wanted to change to my middle name, Patricia.

2. Last time you cried? - On our recent Hawaiian holiday with the family I shed quite a few happy tears.


3. Do you like your handwriting? - I used to but it has gone downhill. I had a nice hand until computers came along now it's a scrawl.

4. What is your favourite lunch meat? - Leg ham off the bone, no need for the bread just give me the ham.

5. Do you still have your tonsils? - Yes

6. Would you bungee jump? - No, I need to preserve what brain cells I have left.

7. What is your favourite kind of cereal? - I'm a Weetbix kid. 

8. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? - Only if I can't wriggle out of them.

9. Do you think you are strong? - Mentally - Yes, Physically - No.

10. Favourite ice cream? - Coffee.

11. What is the first thing you notice about a person? - Their general demeanour.

12. Football or baseball? - Anyone for Tennis?

13. What colour pants are you wearing? - Black.

14. Last thing you ate? - Hot Cross Bun.

15. What are you listening to? - Birds.

16. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? - Hot pink.

17. What is your favourite smell? - Anything fresh, preferably not manure.

18. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? - Daughter-in-law.

19. Married? - Until death do us part.

20. Hair colour? - Au naturel. White as the driven snow.

21. Eye colour? Blue just like my Dad's.

22. Favourite food to eat? - Food cooked by someone else.

23. Scary movies or happy endings? - Happy endings.

24. Last movie you watched? - Something unmemorable on plane from Hawaii - can't remember title. There was a terrible selection on Hawaiian Airlines.

25. What colour shirt are you wearing? - Blue

26. Favourite holiday? - Cruising to new destinations on a six-star ship.

27. Beer or Wine? - Cold bubbles but Diet Dry Ginger Ale is a current fave.

28. Night owl or morning person? - Night.

29. Favourite day of the week? - Each new day that I wake up and find that I'm still alive.

If you'd like to join in - Just copy my post, paste it on your page, and then put your own answers! It's a fun way to learn more about friends near and far.

The Irish Inheritance - New Geneafiction

Recently my genimate Pauleen shared her Goodreads review of The Irish Inheritance on Facebook.

As I value Pauleen's opinions and I enjoy geneafiction I wandered over to Amazon Australia and invested $AU4.99 in a copy of the ebook. I can blame Pauleen for my lack of sleep last night as the book hooked me in and I just had to read it until I finished in the wee hours. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the story that was set in the present time and around the time of the Easter Uprising. Having recently visited Dublin and the graves of some of the Irish Rebels in Glasnevin Cemetery I was most interested to read the author's descriptions of the Rebels' activities during the uprising. This was an easy read with Jayne, the genealogist , a determined and committed protagonist. 

Like Pauleen I twigged to one of the mysteries but I was completely surprised by the final revelations. If you are a fan of geneafiction I can highly recommend this book. I look forward to reading further titles from M J Lee. 

Rebel Leader Daniel O'Connell's vault at Glasnevin.

My Top 10 Genealogy Tools

Back in August before I went other the surgeon’s knife I promised myself that I would respond to a post from Pauleen Cass in which she listed her Top 10 Genealogy Gateways.

Pauleen referred to previous posts by US bloggers James Tanner and Randy Seaver and wondered what other Australians would include on such a top ten list. So that I can answer without being swayed by Pauleen's choices I have chosen not to reread her list yet.

James and Pauleen took a broader view of the topic by listing both genealogy and nongenealogy tools. I noticed that a nitpicker criticised James for including applications that were not really programs. Randy put forward a broad definition of program that I will use " James used the word "programs" to mean applications that perform a specific task on the computer".

I am making two lists of five : Productivity Tools and Research Tools. I have a large suite of tools that I use regularly but these are the most heavily sed.

Productivity Tools

Blogging Platforms - Blogger and Wordpress. I use one of these each day these to maintain my personal blogs and two blogs plus a website for genealogy organisations.

Evernote - I don't use this tool for research notes but  to manage posts for the Geneadictionary and Geniaus' Gems, details of Genimates, for reminders and to store my lists of links.

Family Historian - The genealogy database program that is my workhorse. Here I store all my genealogical data plus lists, research logs, photos and documents. I share selected info online  from here using the brilliant TNG at http://www.geniaus.net.

Google Products - I'm a Google Girl so I use Chrome, Gmail, Google Docs and Google Drive on a daily basis for browsing, communicating, recording, sharing and making spreadsheets. I love that I can access this stuff from a variety of locations.

Inoreader - My choice of RSS tools Inoreader curates my feeds and keeps me in touch with what's happening in the blogisphere.

Research Tools

As a New South Welshman whose ancestors arrived in the colony from 1813 and didn't stray far beyond the State I use New South Wales and Australian resources most days. 


Ancestry Although I have subs to several online databases I find that I use Ancestry more often than  others especially now that I am finding DNA connections there. 

NSW Historical BDM Indexes 

State Records NSW

The Ryerson Index

Trove

As all the above  research tools are continually updated I need to revisit them on a regular basis. 
And now this is done I'm off to compare with Pauleen's post. 

What does your Top Ten look like?

The Magic of Movies

My Genimate, Pauleen, has put out a challenge....and I can't resist. Here is what she says :

Things have quietened down since the A to Z challenge so it’s time for a bit of fun with a May Meme. A few years ago I did a May Music Meme so I thought this year we’d go to the movies. Put your movie hats on, look into the past and dredge up your memories…LET’S HAVE FUN!

The way it works is this:

• Copy the questions I’ve listed here and add your responses – short or long as you please.
• The image is from Pixabayand free to use so share away.
• Link back to your post in the comments.
• During the next week I’ll put my own response up.
• Around 22 May I’ll put up a summary of the posts.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Pauleen for issuing this challenge which required a Blockbuster effort on my part. I did, however, enjoy the trip down Memory Lane. Thanks for the nudge.

What’s the earliest movie you can remember?

The Red Shoes starring Sir Robert Helpmann which I saw with Mum at a theatre in Kings Cross. 

Where did you go to the movies (place or type of venue)?

When I was a youngster we lived in Kings Cross and we had within walking distance the choice of three movie theatres, the Kings Cross Theatre, the Minerva/Metro  and a small newsreel theatre. A short tram ride down William Street took us to the city theatres. I remember the St James, The Prince Edward and the State that is set up for live theatre today. I remember Sydney identity, Bea Miles, who used to frighten the life out of me when she stood up the back of the Kings Cross Theatre eating grapes and spitting the seeds at the audience of moviegoers.

Source: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/35318/photos/112816 by John Gleeson

As a family we went to the Star Drive-in at Matraville a few times and I when I was a teen I went in to the city to meet my schoolfriends. On odd occasions I went locally to the Randwick Ritz or Odeon or to one of the theatres at Bondi Junction.

The nuns at school marched us up to the Minerva/Metro to see epics like Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments and a couple of Shakespeare ones. I seem to remember  seeing Richard Burton.

Settled in for a Movie Marathon 

The first movie I saw with Mr GeniAus was the Mercenary at the St James Theatre. It was so scary I just had to hang onto him. Once we were married and had children there was little time and less money for movie going.

These days I see many movies on the small screen on aeroplanes. On a  trip to London I will watch about six movies. I've already looked up the programs for my next European jaunt.

Did you buy movie programs?

What movie programs?

Did you take in food and drink (and what did you like)?We went to see the movies, not for a picnic. This habit has continued to the present day. I always have a bottle of water and a tin of mints in case of emergency. I won't say no to a choc top on a special occasion. 

Movies of your teenage years?

Gidget, The Graduate, Guess who's coming to dinner?, Irma la Douce, Muscle Beach Party, The Parent Trap, The Sound of Music, Summer Holiday, To Sir with Love, Tom Jones, I wasn't an Elvis fan. It was a time when I saw lots of movies.

Do you remember how old you were when you went unsupervised?
Very young, about 9. I was in fourth class in primary school and my mother who was working at Farmer's Department Store in the city put my friend Cheryl Firbanks and I into the movies (and collected us later in the foyer) at The Palace Theatre to see a Shirley Temple movie.

Mischief you got up to in the movies?
Me, mischief, NEVER.

Did you watch movies at home?
Sometimes we watched the Sunday Night movies on TV. I remember when Mr GeniAus bought a video player when they were just new, I didn't understand what is was for.  We still have some tapes of movies we recorded off air. When they became available we would borrow movies from the video shop - it was a lot cheaper then taking the family to the movies. We sometimes watch movies on DVD now but we like to go out to the theatre. It's quite a reasonable price for Senior Citizens.

What was your favourite movie to watch at home?
I tend not to rewatch movies or reread books. There just isn't enough time to experience all the movies and books I want to see/read.

Do you prefer to watch movies at home or at the cinema?
Cinema. The big screen and surround sound add something extra.

Does your family have a special movie memory?
My younger daughter knew the dialogue for The Sound of Music, off by heart.

Movies you fell in love to/with?
Tearjerkers and those that play on the emotions. 12 Years a slave, Beaches,  Good-bye Mr Chips, The Help, Love Story, The Railway Man.

Favourite romantic movie theme music?
Can't think of any. I prefer Strauss or Tchaikovsky. 

Favourite musical movie?
The Sound of Music, I had a soft spot for my Dad's favourite The Jolson Story which I probably saw a dozen times..

Which movies made you want to dance/sing?
The Sound of Music, and most musicals - old and new.

Do you watch re-runs or DVDs of old movies?
No, too many new ones to watch.

Do your children/family enjoy the same movies?
Well, I don't like Star Wars or Science Fiction like the boys but I seem to like anything else that the kids recommend.

What’s your favourite movie genre now?
Biographical/life story movies, Drama and Rom-Coms.

Did you read the book before or after the movie?
Usually before but sometimes afterwards to get the full story. I like to read first so the characters and settings I imagine are not influenced by the movie makers' perceptions. Seeing the movies first hinders my engagement with the characters in the book.

Which did you enjoy more, the book or the movie?
Except on rare occasions the book wins.

What’s the silliest movie you’ve seen (silly funny or silly annoying)?
I don't want to give either positive or negative reinforcement to the rubbish that I've endured.

Pet hate in movies?
Tall people who sit in front of me.

A movie that captures family history for you? The Descendants

If you could only play 5 movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?
I would turn to books I haven't read.

Favourite movie stars (go ahead and list as many as you like)?

I don't remember the names of most of the actors I see. As movies are a visual medium I have to nominate George Clooney and Hugh Grant. I love the work of Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett.

EXTRA, EXTRA

Since Librarything added the facility to record movies in its database I have been recording the names of the movies I see. I am also trying to retrospectively add those I have seen in my lifetime. This activity has helped me remember a few more. So far I have listed these Movies I've seen. 

I thought I hadn't seen many movies  but, on reflection, I realise that I love the Magic of Movies.

Pondering Pauleen's Posers

Earlier in April Pauleen Cass, aka Cassmob, published a thought provoking post, To Conference or not to Conference, on the Worldwide Genealogy Blog. In the comments I said that I would think on the questions Pauleen asked at the end of her post and respond in due course and of course I haven't.

I will respond to Pauleen's questions here (they would actually make a good geneameme). BTW it would be a good idea to read Pauleen's post before you read my responses.

1. During a final-day Congress panel session led by GeniAus, Josh Taylor mentioned that perhaps the term “society” is out of date for younger potential genealogists. Do you agree? Are you a member of a family history/genealogy/local history society?

I hadn't thought of this until Josh raised it. Society to me sounds a bit stuffy, serious, regimented and old fashioned. This was why, when recently I was part of a committee responsible for launching a new local family history organisation, I suggested we call it a Family History Group. To me that sounded more friendly, supportive and welcoming.

Yes, I am a society/group junkie. I belong to three local groups in my area, our state society, The Society of Genealogists in the UK, two surname societies and a one-place studies society. My budget tells me that I should resign from a few but I only have plans to ditch one at the moment. I am enjoying our new group because we are all on a level playing field, there are no cliques and no people who have held office for way too long. I think there should be a limit on the terms of office bearers in such groups so that enthusiastic newbies are not virtually locked out.

2. Also I wonder if the word “genealogy” continues to fully reflect how we refer to what we do. What is your preferred term when you tell people about your hobby obsession? Is it genealogy or family history?

It depends on how one defines genealogy . The purists see genealogy as a record of one's ancestry (or descendants) that basically lists names and dates to show lineage, they do not see genealogy as embellished by stories. On the other hand Family Historians take the research further by seeking out stories of their ancestors.

I see genealogy as a dynamic term that now means something different from what it meant fifty years ago, it may well have a different meaning fifty years hence. I agree with the move made by Wikipedia in 2013 and discussed by Nathan Murphy here.

I don't get hung up on labels, I just do what I do and enjoy it.

3. What other things do you consider when you make a choice about attending a family history conference?

I also consider all those things you have outlined.

The program is important, it must offer something to inform, challenge or amuse me. I didn't attend our state conference in Wollongong last year because the program was Illawarra centric and I have no research interests in the area. There were some topics that may have amused me but I wasn't going to put my dollars towards an event that wasn't going to fulfil my needs. I am still trying to decide whether to attend the state conference in Port Macquarie later this year. The local organisers of these state events need to realise that they are presenting to a different audience from their local groups and provide content with statewide interest and speakers who are fresh and new to the circuit.

I like to see a conference that embraces 21st century practices and technology while respecting doing things the old way. My criticism of the Canberra Congress program is that it was filled with "Chalk and talk" sessions with little opportunities for audience participation; there were no sessions on advanced use of various technologies for genealogy. State and National conferences also need to offer a strand for society officers and members on management, best practice and ethics.

The only conference that I have learned anything new about the application of technology is Rootstech so I will continue to make an annual pilgrimage to Salt Lake City.

Speakers are also important. While we have several experts who present on particular topics here in Australia I would like to hear the same topics presented by others, sometimes hearing a different perspective on a topic just makes it come clear. I like to hear new and interesting people, conference organisers could offer shorter sessions times, poster sessions or panel sessions to newbies  who may be daunted by being on stage by themselves for an hour.

Networking with my genimates is very important to me so I like to have opportunities to sit and discuss issues with those with shared interests. I also like a venue that is in or near reasonable accommodation and has nearby options for restaurants and cafes (for all that networking).

I enjoy seeing lots of exhibitors in the exhibit halls at conferences. I want to see small societies and interest groups and educational institutions as well as the big commercial organisations. While this doesn't impact on my decision to attend a conference it can be a value-added feature.

4. Have you been to conferences locally or nationally? Were they of benefit?

I have been lucky enough to attend Rootstech in Salt Lake City on four occasions and when in the UK I have attended several events. Most useful was a two day event in Somerset learning all about Family Historian software with Jane Taubman.

These events were of great benefit. I have been exposed to experts I would never have heard in Australia, I have made new genimates and I have been been educated on new topics.

I can recommend ccombining overseas holidays with geneaevents. 

Your Official Blogging Team

Although we are in regular contact on various social media channels your Official #AFFHO Congress Bloggers rarely meet in person as we live in three distant corners of Australia.  So when we meet up "in the flesh" there is lots of excitement.

Shauna, Jill and Pauleen proudly wearing our blogger beads

If you are at Congress and you see one of us please say G'day  ....  and if you want to know about geneablogging ask one of the 30 bead wearing bloggers at Congress all about it.

And don't forget to keep visiting the Compilations of Blog Posts from Congress at http://geniaus.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/geneabloggers-at-congress-posts-from.html where you'll find link sto as many blog posts as I can find from Congress 2015.

Rootstech 2015 - Interview with AFFHO presenter Josh Taylor

FGS President, D Joshua Taylor, is a very busy man so I was delighted when he accepted an invitation to be interviewed by Pauleen Cass and me during the recent Rootstech/FGS conferences in Salt Lake City.

Josh, a very popular and busy genealogist in the United States who combines several roles with FGS, FindMyPast and the Genealogy Roadshow, will be travelling downunder for the AFFHO Congress in Canberra in 2015. Having heard Josh speak on his last Australian tour and at Rootstech I am keen to hear more from him at Congress.

See what Josh had to share with Pauleen and me: