Nice People Thread No. 14, all Nice and Proper

zagubov

mystic_trev wrote: »

One of my claims to fame is being one of the first 'Tourists' to be allowed to visit the Country whilst it was still closed to Outsiders, in the mid 80's, fairly much like North Korea is now. To get there involved a flight from London to Titograd (now Podorgica) via Zagreb and Belgrade, then a coach journey to the border Town of Shkoder. The trip took longer than a flight to Singapore, to what (in effect) is no further than Greece. Albania then was like turning the clock back 200 years. No cars, and farming was all done using a horse and cart. I managed to shake off my 'minders' a few times and some of the Locals looked at me like I'd arrived from outer space!

I should imagine it's changed a bit in the intervening 30 years.

When I was a student I had a radio that used to pick up Radio Tirana. It sounded like North Korea; politically everybody was wrong, wrong, wrong. They thought us westerners were political cavemen. The Soviets were traitoprs to communism (they'd kicked their naval base out and stormed out of the warsaw Pact) and they only trusted China. They were stuck behind a kind of bamboo curtain.

They imported and made almost nothing. They were self-sufficient for food and oil. Eastern Bloc diplomats stationed there used to warn each other to bring suitcases stuffed with everything they'd need as there was nothing you could buy, which by most eastern european standards back then, was really saying something.:o

There were lots of legends about it, such as that the TVs were pre-tuned to the only staion, so you couldn't turn traitor by watching Yugoslavian or italian TV. Getting there was remarkable, so well done Trev. The closest I got was travelling across Yugoslavia by train, and compared with what I'd heard of Albania, Yugoslavia seemed like a western country.

I've always enjoyed visiting obscure places if I could. Been to Monaco, Andorra and Macau. Having said that, I've never been to York or Durham, or even Bristol.:cool:

hjd

Was up in London this afternoon for DD's second graduation (Her MA) - weather was lovely, seats uncomfortable but all went well and we could be in proud parent mode.
Her boyfriend was in most of the photos. We haven't yet broken it to him that my husband was then the boyfriend and in all the graduation photos, so we "had" to get married...

SingleSue

Went to Northampton today to sort out Josh's support...the day went well (although blooming tiring dealing with the underground) and Josh is now much more settled about going.

He met the other lecturer today...he felt right at home with her as she was into more alternative music.

vivatifosi

I'm not sure whether you can see trees on Ancestry Lib Ed as I've not tried. I'll have a look for you Tuesday though if you want to PM me the details PN.

There's quite a lot on Library Ancestry. For example, I've been getting copies of Elizabethan era wills that would have cost me £3 a go at the National Archives.

Nikkster

SingleSue wrote: »

Went to Northampton today to sort out Josh's support...the day went well (although blooming tiring dealing with the underground) and Josh is now much more settled about going.

He met the other lecturer today...he felt right at home with her as she was into more alternative music.

Sue, I'm not exactly(/ anywhere near) a responsible adult but I'm not so far away from there. If there's ever anything I can do to help, please let me know. Happy to give you/ him my email address/ phone no etc just in case xx

P.s. I almost have very pretty railings (they're in place but not concreted in). V happy. Not least as I'm reminded of the advantages of being sole decision maker... Have discovered I'm surprisingly handy with a sledgehammer and pickaxe too

vivatifosi

Sue, in terms of going to Northampton, would you find it easier on the A14, driving for an hour, breaking somewhere for lunch, then driving for a second hour and you would be there? Thought that would be easier/cheaper now you have a more reliable chariot.

PasturesNew

vivatifosi wrote: »

I'm not sure whether you can see trees on Ancestry Lib Ed as I've not tried. I'll have a look for you Tuesday though if you want to PM me the details PN.

There's quite a lot on Library Ancestry. For example, I've been getting copies of Elizabethan era wills that would have cost me £3 a go at the National Archives.

Well, I CBA to walk to town/back just to see if LibEd gives access then

I'll PM you the details of what I'm after/why.

As for wills - nobody I've so far discovered has ever had a will. They're not the will sort.... although I have just (today) found my GG-grandmother's brother, who moved to London and is listed as a Domestic Groom in Hanover Square, Westminster. First one to really do anything different to the rest. Although he's also proving a challenge.

I am after a Charles. Theoretically my GGG-grandfather. Thing is, everybody's called Charles [Thatname] and it doesn't help that he married a Mary Ann (or is it Mary Anne, or sometimes Mary) because everybody married a Mary and/or a Mary Ann/Mary Anne.

So, I have this couple: Charles and Mary/Ann. And he doesn't seem to have stuck with her, but he might be popping up in the area - if only there weren't so many called Charles Thatname.

Then I saw the tree, called Charles Thatname and the tree's name is "My-family-name Family Tree". So it HAS to be THE Charles.

I found his son, who moved to Marylebone - and, guess what, he also managed to produce a Charles before he left town too. And, the Charles I am after had a son called Charles.

Too many of the !!!!ers

PasturesNew

2:49 It's been raining. Now it's drizzling, overcast, still and grey-cloud-covered.


EDIT 3:00 - now it's raining hard.

EDIT 18:15 - still raining. It's not stopped.

michaels

Where y'all been?

Despite a promising start raining now here. Below average month for sunshine based on my pv output.

silvercar

PasturesNew wrote: »

I was outside and I heard what sounded like a distant gunshot .... and then, I'm not exaggerating as I did try to get a rough count/idea ... over the next 2 minutes or so there were about 1,000 seagulls cruising in the skies! I've never seen so many! All going in the same direction!

I've had less seagulls since the tree went.

If you had an air rifle that could have been dinner for the rest of the year.