Dear landlord of flat downstairs,
I can’t take much more.
You have let your beautifully refurbished flat to a couple of chavs.
1) they slam every door possible
2) they never double lock the front door (despite the polite notice on the back of it)
3) they play shite music
4) they play this music whenever they feel like it, for example, Monday 19th September 2005 6.45 am, loud enough to wake me up; Monday 19th September 2005 11.30pm, loud enough to stop me from nodding off; Tuesday 20th September 2005 7.15am, before I wanted to be awake; Tuesday 20th September 2005 00.20am loud enough to keep me awake despite the sleeping tablets….
5) surely I have the right to some peace and quiet?
L(ovely) b(oyfriend) uploaded a new GEDCOM file, showcasing the recently discovered Cole branch of the family.
There are a lot of things I hate in this world: my chav downstairs neighbours who don’t care if they play their crap music at 7 in the morning or midnight; my grumpy, stomping, neighbour upstairs who seems to be even louder whenever I turn a light switch on; the kids who went back to school this week and make my journey to work even longer; my job; and my boyfriend when he goes out and I discover a big, hairy spider in the bedroom.
More importantly, the things I love are my mum, sister, nieces, boyfriend; Orla Kiely handbags; sleeping and eating are definitely on a par, and of course my family history. I have discovered loads lately, thanks to all the helpful people who answer my detailed enquiries.
This week I have been concentrating on George Duncan, an enigmatic Canadian who seems very proud of the fact he was a ‘Licentiate Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Edinburgh’. With the help of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh I have been understanding a bit more about what this meant. It’s good stuff! I’ll upload it to my family tree soon!
13 Alfred Place, London, the place where George Duncan was on Census night 1871, is the back of Paperchase on Tottenham Court Road…
No-one told me family history could be so exhausting. I am currently corresponding with McGill College in Montreal, Canada about Duncan George; the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, also about George Duncan; the Isle of Wight Record Office about Caswell’s on the Isle of Wight; Guildford Crematorium about the grave of Selina Cleopatra Ann Caswell; and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television about an unidentifed carte de visite (it has Armidale written on the reverse which doesn’t seem to exisit). And I’m waiting for Friday so I can go and pick up a marriage certificate from the Family Records Centre.
At least I always have a full inbox.
Over my long weekend I managed to visit the Probate Registry and search for Wills. This was my first visit and it was the most unfriendly place I’ve ever been to. I was totally unprepared for how easy it was to search (take a look at their website and you’ll see why) and so only looked up a few relatives. The room was dark and empty, apart from rows and rows of bound volumes. However I found a few relevant entries and even ordered a copy for £5. I wish I hadn’t bothered as I didn’t find out anything new!
