2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

suzeesu2000

Afternoon everyone. Was a nice drop of rain yesterday afternoon, just rain no wind or coldness. I've decluttered some of the really unfixable lizards off the garden wall. Anything that can be repainted has been washed and is in a bag in the kitchen, I'll need to go over with some sandpaper before I can repaint them, then a good coat of varnish and should be good to go back on the wall.

Made a lovely chicken arrabbiata in the slow cooker yesterday - was enough for today as well which fits nicely as DH has gone to his club.

Decluttered a ton of notes on family tree, spent all Saturday afternoon doting the i's and crossing the t's and am now happy with that line of the family. Just have to copy all the important docs over to files on laptop.

Its been a lovely, quiet, peaceful and restful weekend and I am so grateful for that. Hope everyone elses weekend has been good for them. Nice to see you having a good break @Mrs_Salad_Dodger and @Florenceem I love your robe.

Have a great rest of the day xx

Yorkie1

@suzeesu2000 do you use any particular software for your family history? I have some from decades ago but it's not really usable these days and I don't really want to upload the tree to either of the main websites.

It's interesting looking at other peoples' published family trees. You do wonder at the psychology - some people obviously want to gather as many names as possible, without any critical analysis. Mum and I were viewing her aunts and uncles on some peoples' trees, and a couple of them had one of the uncles as a step-brother to the others. It was completely untrue!

I decluttered a certain amount of money at the garden centre 🤗

GrannyKate

Thanks for your kind thoughts @Moorviews - I suspect I create an illusion of organisation whilst paddling furiously below the surface. I felt a bit down last week - no idea why really just a couple of silly things - slighty overwhelmed by the challenge of doing all the jobs to get the house how I want it to be. I realise I have to slow down - the house is half done but I need a break once hall is complete and I want to sort outbuildings. There is stuff in the lounge to make decisions on and I think I need to do that before I consider decorating it. Bathroom just needs to wait - functional with good shower so it can wait. The sink has a crack but it doesn't leak. Nothing matches in there.

DS2 came up today and put bed together - not without problems and I have had to ask for replacement struts as several were in poor condition with flawed and split wood. He also fitted the window blind and curtain pole. It looks nice in bedroom 3 now. Door still needs wood shaved off but joiner got a bit stroppy (or his partner did) when I chased him up. I will ask the other joiner whom I have used.

Day trip booked for Madeira on the Tuesday - one late DH and I did years ago which I think my friend will like. I have also paid for villa for our July holiday with children. Flights are going to be expensive because school holidays. I think next year there will be less holidays if I want to get house finished. I need to pack, do some frogs and sorting and filing tomorrow.

Idling on computer whilst having morning tea I solved at least a part of a small family history puzzle. A lady born in 1831 who 'married' (or probably didn't) the brother of my 2x great grandmother. I only knew her first name and the fact that she was born in Leicestershire. I now know she had 5 surnames and only 1 definite marriage. 1831 Catherine A born in Leicestershire; 1851 Catherine B living in Grimsby (unmarried) as a servant: 1852 Catherine C after her marriage to George C citing both surnames A & B on her marriage record; 1861/1871 living in Wales and Elland, Yorkshire as Catherine C - George seems to have disappeared by 1871 but they have 5 children with surname C; 1881 Catherine is still in Yorkshire living with a different George (my relative) and several of her children - Catherine and George are now using the surname D which is the second George's legal name - the children are still using the surname C; 1891 they are living at the same place but they now all have the surname E which as far as I can see is not the legal surname of any of them. Catherine is buried in1900 as Catherine D but George carries on living there as George E. - Clear as mud and no idea where all the names came from. There is nothing new about co-habitation, name changes and blended families.

441 New bed assembled - fault reported (I was 35 in the queue on their live chat!) and replacements ordered

442 Some small frogs done

443 Weeding done but not enough rain to make much progress

444 Bedroom 3 - Curtains and blinds put up, packaging in recycling.

Apart from the door and some pictures bedroom 3 is now done. DGS4 mostly sleeps in there so he has his favourite grey and yellow theme. He asked about the picture of late DH stroking a young cheetah in S Africa which he always liked when it was in our old living room - I will find it for his wall. I was able to re-use the curtains from the old place which I had shortened professionally. I have loads of pictures stacked in the loft which will need to be used or decluttered eventually.

After a 5 hour sleep on settee Sox has disappeared and will no doubt not want to come in later.

Yorkie1

Blimey @GrannyKate 😲

GrannyKate

@Yorkie1 - I have used Family Tree Maker for years but I do not link it to the major site which it is now connected to business wise. There are others -you can find articles on google about stand alone systems. I do have a private tree on the big site but it is not open to view except to a very few people. There are so many trees on line that are a complete mess where one person has just copied another blindly many of which show serious errors. I try to triangulate every 'fact' and I remain open to being corrected or challenged but there are a lot of people who get offended if you politely query their findings. The fascination for me is seeing British history reflected in the individuals who make up my tree - the social and physical mobility over the years is fascinating as my ancestors range from paupers and criminals through all ranks up to the aristocracy and royalty. They also cover all corners of Britain and across to Europe. I have based my research on the 8 lines of my great grandparents. Forty years ago when I started I didn't even know the name of my father's paternal grandmother but she eventually proved to be the one with the most well documented and illustrious forebears.

Yorkie1

That's amazing and fascinating! I have lots of agricultural labourers. Oh, and Mum's family in North Wales. Surname Jones … !!

Floss

@GrannyKate we have a similar sounding woman in one of our family trees! My mum's tree was all done by one of her distant cousins. Their shared ancestors had emigrated from Lincolnshire to America several boats after the Mayflower and he spent his retirement collating their family tree, finally having it published and bound.

florianatwobob

@Yorkie1 I have Wilsons in Cumbria (that also stray over the border into Yorkshire) it is a similar problem to Jones in Wales. Mine also see to have an aversion to middle names……..

GrannyKate

Sox has decided he is a 'friendly' cat tonight - following me around miaowing and sitting on the keyboard. He has added to the hole he dug in the back lawn and likes to sit or roll in it. The sort of thing my dogs used to do. I too have the N Wales 'Jones' in my tree but I have done little serious research beyond the parents and siblings of Harriet Jones who left Anglesey as a servant when her mistress married into a Northampton family. At about the same time, her husband to be moved to the same house as an indoor male servant who previously worked with relatives of the same family in Gloucestershire. Serendipity brought them together.

suzeesu2000

Yorkie1 I started out using Genes Reunited many many years ago but the info was quite limited. I now use Ancestry to host the tree but I also go to Family Search and Free BDM for info. I have been very lucky that there does seem to be quite a bit of information on some of my ancestors. The important thing is to never ever go on just once piece of “evidence”. I always prove my evidence with other pieces of evidence if that makes sense. I’m currently working on my dad’s maternal line. One great great uncle in particular has a ton of evidence which all proves each other and the same for his children. I’ve been terrifically lucky to get photographs of him and his wife, I guesstimate they were taken around 1865. It’s the putting meat on the bones that keeps me coming back for me.

I’m very sorry to everyone, I could bore you all rigid talking about ancestry - I promise to keep it to a minimum🫢😁

Have a good night all, sweet dreams xx