Something really beautiful

Yesterday I did something I rarely do - watch television. I came upon the Ice Dancing Championships in Boston and was enthralled. These skaters are so skilful and so beautiful.

Then there was Who do you think you are? so I watched that too. It was the British comedian Sarah Millican. Of course, that made me want to get back into my own ancestry search, which takes up hours and hours every day.

On Friday I cooked for the whole family - minestrone, shepherd's pie and frozen raspberry sorbet. All delicious and I had no problems at all with the Thermomix. But yesterday I tried my very first sponge cake, and found that quite tricky, with endless washing up along the way. The result was edible, but I won't be in a hurry to repeat that recipe. I'll leave the cake-cooking to the upstairs expert, Mana.

It's hard not to complain about the state of the world...

I went on a sentimental journey to Double Bay (where I used to shop 43 years ago) and came across a fabulous place called Bake Bar, an organic artisan bakery/cafe, where I had lunch and brought home a loaf of their mixed grain sourdour, the most delicious bread I have ever tasted.

While I was looking for their website to get a photo to put here, I opened a link that Nahim (Lina's brother) had sent me, about a chef in England who habitually wiped his bum with his bare hand, then prepared meals for the customers. You've probably guessed it was in the Daily Mail and from there I came across the above pic. I won't bother mentioning names, except to say they are from Australia's Most Embarrassing Family.

Just shows how easily distracted I am! Reading the Daily Mail must be one of the most depressing things anyone can do! Just how sick is society!

Winifred, a Thermomix is a cult thing, so I'm told, which makes me a bit uncomfortable as nobody could be further from being influenced by anything cult-like than me. But two minutes into the demonstration had me wanting to buy one and I just love it. You can mix, chop, knead, simmer, steam, melt - and a thousand other things with the one gadget. (Well, it has several add-ons, which means it's not really just one gadget.)

2,498 emails. Looking back, that's just one less than last time. Since I keep getting new ones every day I doubt I'll ever get down to a reasonable number. Yes, I do have a firewall - this total is simply the stuff I get from friends + a teaching reading network I belong to. Ancestry brings in lots, too.

Nothing short of amazing

219,353. Sorry, if you read this earlier, it might be a bit confusing, so I'll explain this first sentence: That's the number of people in a family tree that showed a DNA match with me. I don't mean 219,353 people match my DNA, but that one person in this huge family was a match. Of all these people, the computer picked out five names that this person, M.W., and I have in common. From there I discovered that a woman called Mary Harrison 1758-1847, is the link. After the death of her husband, John Mounsey, she lived, according to census details of 1841, in this very house!!!!!!!!

Before John's death, they lived in the grand mansion at Patterdale, which I showed way back on this blog.

Their daughter, Ann Mounsey, came to Australia and is buried in Murrurundi cemetery, a town where I used to live and teach!

Of course, it takes me hours and hours at the computer to come up with all this info. But when I make a discovery like this, it's well worth it! I cannot believe DNA analysis and computers are so clever. Mind-boggling.

I've emailed the administrator of M.W.'s account and am waiting for a reply. As far as I can work out, Mary's uncle went to US to live and I assume M.W. is there, too.

View from the pool

I just had an email from a friend saying how happy she is with her life. We in Australia (and other western countries) have a lot to be thankful for. I know this, yet constantly moan. Must make an effort to stop.

As I lie in the pool, this is my view. Just perfect.

5pm Emails down to 2,499.

All-singing all-dancing Japanese toilet seat, retrofitted by Philip

Yes, I did forget to mention the latest bathroom gadget, Lina, so here it is for all to see. Does just about everything but cook a casserole and the Thermomix will do that, so all bases covered ;-))

All the forces of nature are conspiring to prevent my ever getting round to answering those thousands of emails. Right then the computer told me it was shutting down, which was a good chance for me to do something about the blood I just found on the bottom sheet, the top sheet and the doona. (The only reason I use a top sheet is for hot nights, when I throw the doona off and simply have a sheet on.) Goodness knows where this blood came from - I can't find any cuts or scratches on myself, so maybe it was Muffy, where the vet pierced her to do a blood test.

And I noticed - smelled - that Muffy had done a wee in her litter tray (after 14 years of going outside) so I had to put that out and clean it.

While I was up I took my morning pills and got my clothes ready for stretch class at 11am, and, since it's now 10:20 I'd better have my shower and get cracking.

Almost 3pm
What hope have I got of ever clearing my emails? After sitting here for hours and not doing much more than delete, file or answer about 50 mails, I've still got 2,584 to go. And now I have to mind the kids and prepare dinner. Homemade pizzas tonight, dough and all, and iced raspberry dessert. I'll be exhausted by 7:30 and fall into bed.

Darling Muffy

Muffy looks fine in this photo (if you disregard the inexplicable yellow tinge) - you can't see how thin she is. Thankfully, the medication she's on is giving her an appetite and she's gaining weight. I forgot to mention the other day that she has her third ear infection in recent times, so needs an application of ear ointment twice a day. Poor darling, she looks at me suspiciously whenever she wants to come in, wondering if Mummy is going to stuff a tablet down her throat or squirt some horrible liquid into her ear!

The vet says her three falls into the pool are likely responsible for the recurrent infections. I still can't get over a cat actually falling into a pool once, let alone three times.

Lina, as usual you say the nicest things. The Thermomix is being used every day. Yesterday I made yogurt and a mushroom risotto. This isn't my favourite meal, so after two helpings I gave it to Philip and Mana, who both loved it, and Philip has taken the last bit for lunch at work.

Oh, oh - interruptions have started. Mana's going to zumba, so I'll mind the kids as it's school holidays. Maths lesson for Emma and reading for Hugo. Then Emma wanted me to play a game she made up and so did Hugo.

Meanwhile Poppy took herself outside - she's supposed to be an inside cat - so we all went out and played with her, then she came in quite happily, bringing her ragamuffin tail with her:

Compare this fluffy tail with Muffy's thin one!

It's almost 10:30 and I haven't started answering emails, my planned job for today. I still haven't washed up, made the bed or got dressed. I'll devote what's left of the day to emails then go to aqua zumba at 7.

It's now midday and I haven't answered a single email as I played another game with the kids and gave them a snack before their mother got home. Now I've completely lost interest and just want to go back to bed.

A normal day of interruptions

Yesterday I had a Thermomix demonstration for friends and daughter-in-law. (I bought one recently and just love it, in spite of the Tupperware-style selling in the home.) It was great fun, as the girls came laden with champagne, wine and chocolates and there was a lot of giggling and loud talking. I don't think any of them will buy one, and that's OK. I got a gift - a stainless steel container for hot/cold dishes - for hosting.

Can't remember if I've mentioned that I took Muffy to the vet a few weeks back as she had dropped from 5.5 kg to 3.5 and looked fearfully skinny. The vet did blood and urine tests which showed she has kidney disease (that was first diagnosed years ago and she's been on special food ever since) and heart disease, which is new. He put her on half a tablet half an hour before food once a day. According to my scales she's gained 0.1kg and seems much chirpier.

But lately she's been twitching her back legs, so I googled that and made an appointment for the vet to see her this afternoon. She's on my lap now, purring away. I dare not let her out as I may not be able to find her later.

I had planned to sit here at the computer all day and catch up on emails. There are 2,600 and something in my Inbox.
But Muffy's health is a priority. Now I have to hang some washing out, then there will be the usual things that crop up every day: unpacking the dishwasher, phone calls to make, getting lunch, shopping, doing ancestry, maybe a swim in the middle of the day, then stretch/yoga class at 7.

For those of you who know about my Turkish skype friend, Feyzi, there's been some very sad news. His wife, Kadriye, died on Friday, aged 39, leaving two boys, 9 and 6. I was devastated, as I've known Feyzi for about 13 years. He's being very brave and holding up for his boys.

To all my friends

I got home last night from dinner with friends to find a typed Skype message from Samir in Nepal. He and I first 'met' years ago and now he's married and has a little boy, after going through that dreadful earthquake. And just yesterday I caught up with Mariana in Portugal. We started emailing when she was still in high school and now she's been a GP for two years. This makes me think of Bianka from Germany, who also started emailing me when she was in high school, then, as soon as she'd finished school, came to Australia for almost a year and stayed with me in Newcastle for a couple of months. She's an architect now. There's Australian Scott and wife Tarja from Finland, who were in my French class in Muswellbrook years ago, and who went back to Tarja's home to live and produced four beautiful children, now all adults. Christabel, one of them, came to visit me here in Sydney a couple of years ago.

Karin in Germany, now retired from teaching, video Skyped me a while back, giving me a lovely surprise. How envious I am of your perfect English, Karin! In fact, all of you speak wonderful English as a second language, putting Australians to shame. Same with you, Michael, also from Germany, whose English is just perfect.

Feyzi from Turkey goes back about 13 years and Skypes most days. Georges, my 'adopted' son from Burkina Faso, doesn't communicate often, but it's good to be kept aware of what he's doing from time to time.

Then there are my two faithfuls, Winifred from the south of England and Frank from the north, both of whom I've actually met. And Olga from Russia, who lives in Newcastle.

In France there are two marvellous families, the Bouchus and Bouchards. They both helped me through my divorce and custody battle in 1973/4 by taking me and Philip into their homes. Eternally grateful, I am. Sadly Jean-Claude has died and Maxime is confined to the house, on oxygen. I was able to visit both families on my last trip to France about three years ago.

When I did an Italian course in Siena years ago I met Beatrix, from Switzerland, who sends a yearly bulletin in Italian - oh dear, I haven't answered yet. Nor have I answered the yearly bulletin from Canadian friend, Jackie. (They're both on my To Do list today!)

Talk about a melting pot of nationalities!

I haven't even mentioned the Australian friends I have, or my latest obsession finding ancestors and cousins currently living. 

Winifred, photos are pretty scarce in my background, too, as most ancestors were poor. Most of the ones I do have have come to me from other related researchers through Ancestry.com. Mum had a few, which have come down to me. I really regret not having asked her questions about ancestors before she died in 1998.

Since putting together my family tree, which goes back on some lines to 1500s, I have learnt the Jewish side came from Poland generations back; but all the others mostly came from London and a few other parts of England, Scotland and Ireland. Possibly France, way, way back. Not surprising I feel at home in UK. Interestingly, the DNA results reflect this. The science is amazing.

Ancestry

This is Rosetta Lockwood, 1795 - 1857, my 4th great-grandmother. She was born in Somerstown, Middlesex, England and died in West Maitland, NSW, Australia.

I've actually been sitting here for hours, trying to put in a screen shot of a 15th great-grandfather down to me, but alas, I can't figure out how to do it.

Must say I'm quite proud of myself for getting back that far on one line. I'm attempting to do that on every line and that means hundreds of ancestors! And hundreds of hours of work!

This explains why I'm way behind in answering emails and I do apologise. There's only one explanation - ancestry searching is addictive.

Winifred, I am at last sleeping better, and without resorting to tablets. There was an article in the Herald a while back, saying most people were having sleep problems due to the heat and humidity, so I know I wasn't Robinson Crusoe. In fact, almost everybody I spoke to was having problems. Thankfully the weather is cooler now and I've actually taken the two fans out of the bedroom (ready to store) and put on a doona that is a little warmer, though sometimes all I need is a sheet.

It's good that you're able to go straight back to sleep after getting up with Roy. Muffy is the one I get up to, as she comes in very late and wants to go out very early.

Emma's music is coming along all right. Her teacher is in Japan at the moment, with her 104-yr-old grandmother who is not well. The trombone looks unwieldy to me, but she seems to be handling it OK. Last week there was a band recital - we were all most impressed.

Being a guide at the Bishop's Palace will be lovely for you.

Give my love to Roy.

Olga - I think you should read 'Sapiens' and find out what is so good about it! The author has a new angle on a lot of things.

Have to change my life

For a long time now I've been suffering from an internet overload and I'm beginning to wonder if so much exposure to my laptop and iPad has sent my sleep patterns haywire. It's come to the desperate stage where I'll try anything.

On Tuesday night I got only two hours' sleep but then slept all day, waking only to eat a delicious dinner of paella and passionfruit souffle made by Manami, before going back to bed and sleeping all night. The fitbit enables me to know just how much sleep I get, and, night after night, it's only between two and five hours. If I don't sleep the following day I'm like a zombie. It really makes getting things done quite difficult.

As well as less internet, I'm going to cut back on listening to the radio (except for classical music now and then) and stop reading bad news. What, I ask myself, is the point of knowing every evil thing going on in the world when I can't do a thing about it?

I'll allow myself to read books. The one above is from an online uni course of the same name I did last year - the best course I've ever done! The book hadn't been published in English then, so I made notes. But I'm really happy to have bought the book and reread the first chapter this morning. I thoroughly recommend it to you all. If you read nothing else, read this. (Winifred, ask your daughter-in-law if she's already read it.)

I wish some of the icy Norwegian winds you mention would blow this way. We're experiencing the hottest summer ever here in Sydney, with week after week of temps in the high 30s, as well as dreadful, unbearable humidity. I swim morning and night, in an effort to cool down. This insufferable weather could well have something to do with little sleep, though I have to admit the problem goes back further than this heatwave.