Access to Deb's 60th Birthday posts.

Hello Family and Friends I am very new to posting MS Office Powerpoint presentations to the web so please forgive the unsophisticated enteries I have made. The following posts have been added to my blog as they are too large to email. All follow the same process to access: 1. My Celebration Book 2. Page of Photographs and Slides for the Book 3. Deb's 60th Birthday Lunch with Guests. Hopefully you have clicked on this one first. When the presentation loads. Click on the first slide then click on the button to the right side that says 'Start slideshow' and then click on each slide to progress. Hope you enjoy. Deb

My Celebration Book

Missing from this presentatioan are the family tree pages, the Trivia Quiz and comments pages of the Guests to the lunch.

Page of Photographs and Slides that went into My Celebration Book

Deb's 60th Birthday Lunch with Guests

This post has slides of photographs taken at my party. Sorry about the quality of some of the pictures as I took still frames from a video and did not quite catch a good one.

Daily Parameter Monitoring

Health

I was recently diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Not surprising, as I have a very strong family history on both my paternal and maternal sides.

With the unrelenting stress I have undergone in both my personal and professional life for the last 20+ years, my body finally had had enough and sent me into a tailspin.

Well I now monitor my blood sugar level and blood pressure each morning. These readings give me an indication of the types of activities I am to undertake - either get active or ease off slightly.

I am old-school in that I write the results onto a prepared table though also input the results into my mobile phone. I have a Samsung device which has Samsung Health app already in place.
Lots of interesting features.

Investigate the mygov.gov.au website where such features such as Medicare - My eHealth Record; resides. This area has a number of very interesting aspects such as storing laboratory results and procedural results reports from Medical Professionals. There is an area for recording your intention to be an Organ Donor.

Log sheets found on google images.

Virtues / Sins and their impact

Inspiration

 Use a breathing activity with each chakra to strengthen a virtue and weaken a sin. Bring harmony and serenity to your own life.

 

Start by drawing in a breathe, focus on the red or first chakra. Think the following mantra: I think humble thoughts. Breathe out.

 

Next, draw in a breathe, focus on the orange or second chakra. Think the following mantra: I admire all around me. Breathe out.

 

Next, draw in a breathe; focus on the yellow or third chakra. Think the following mantra: I forgive all. Breathe out.

 

Next, draw in a breathe; focus on the green or fourth chakra. Think the following mantra: I approach all with zeal. Breathe out.

 

Next, draw in a breathe; focus on the blue or fifth chakra. Think the following mantra: I am generous in my dealings with others. Breathe out.

 

Next, draw in a breathe; focus on the dark blue or sixth chakra. Think the following mantra: I display self-control in my actions. Breathe out.

 

Finally, draw in a breathe; focus on the purple or seventh chakra. Think the following mantra: I am chaste in my response to others. Breathe out.

 

 

Stretching & breathing

Complimentary Therapies

Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Feet facing slightly outward. Stretch only to feel stretch. NO PAIN

1.       Breathe in deep (feel lungs expand) through nose – breathe out through mouth and feel lungs empty of air. Do this 3 times.

2.       Start at head –

Tilt head slowly and smoothly to the left (ear to shoulder without lifting shoulder); bring head upright. Tilt head slowly and smoothly to the right. Bring head upright.

Turn head (keeping body still) to left shoulder; bring face to front. Turn head to right shoulder; bring face to front.

Keeping head still: Move eyes up and down, side to side. Open mouth and move jaw side to side. Close mouth.

3.       Breathe in deep (feel lungs expand) through nose – breathe out through mouth and feel lungs empty of air. Do this 3 times.

Rotate left shoulder forward (keeping body still); rotate left shoulder backward.

Rotate right shoulder forward (keeping body still); rotate right shoulder backward.

Bend left elbow and slide left hand to right shoulder, across the body, and over right shoulder.

Do not lift elbow from body. Slide left hand back down body and rest on waist.

Bend right elbow and slide right hand to left shoulder, across the body, and over left shoulder.

Do not lift elbow from body. Slide right hand back down body and rest on waist.

4.       Breathe in deep (feel lungs expand) through nose – breathe out through mouth and feel lungs empty of air. Do this 3 times.

Keep hands on waist and heels on floor – slowly and smoothly twist body to left, bring body back to front, and then twist body to right and bring body back to facing front.

Bend body forward; stand upright; bend body backward (keep hands on waist and heels on floor)

Imagine a beam of light coming from between legs straight down – hands on waist, feet apart, slowly and smoothly move hips in a figure of 8 movement. First one way and then the other – finish in standing position.

5.       Breathe in deep (feel lungs expand) through nose – breathe out through mouth and feel lungs empty of air. Do this 3 times.

Bring left foot forward and slowly bend left knee – keep heel on floor; bring left foot back to standing position. Do same with right foot.

Standing upright, feet apart: Lift both heels from floor (may need to hold back of a chair); lower heels to floor

Lift both balls of feet from floor; lower to floor

Stand on outside of both feet; bring to standing position. Stand on inside of both feet; bring to standing position.

6.       Breathe in deep (feel lungs expand) through nose – breathe out through mouth and feel lungs empty of air. Do this 3 times.    SIT IF FEELING DIZZY – SHOULD FEEL RELAXED                   DO MORNING AND NIGHT

CQFHA Newsletter Article Submission 2018

Branches of the Tree

Bridging the Past & Future Sydney 2018

15^th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry

9 – 12 March 2018

International Convention Centre

Darling Harbour Sydney

After my ‘Unlock the Past’ cruise in 2016, I planned and saved madly to attend this Congress (at least once). Am really glad I could achieve attendance. Apparently, it is very uncertain that Congress 2021 will happen as no state has put their hand up to host.

What a blast of a four day Congress – very well organised, coordinated, arranged and any other thesaurus word you can use. I have forwarded via email the last Congress newsletter to the Secretary if anyone is interested; it gives a summary of the Organising Committees thoughts.

The International Convention Centre (not to be confused with another huge building that continues on from ICC: International Exhibition Centre) WAS BIG! On the Friday there was apparently over 4,000 people in the building at various conferences – at least 700 people at the Family History workshops and Congress. The Congress was held on the third floor – thank goodness for lifts and escalators; the wooden stairs were available for the energetic folk. These fixed staircases were gorgeous in pale woods highlighted with gold coloured detail.

This third floor was dedicated to the Family History Congress and held the main lecture hall for welcomes and plenary sessions (up to at least 450 people), 3 smaller lecture rooms, 2 exhibit areas and significant surrounding hall space for more exhibitors and for networking and the Morning Tea breaks which were yummy.

The staff of the ICC were brilliant at restocking food and the water fountains in each lecture room.

They also kept the toilets clean and stocked between breaks – with paper hand towels. Showing my country hick, the water in the toilets’ hand basins was heated!

Handouts of the sessions were available to download from 2 days before Congress or if participants had difficulty doing this then the Organisers had USB sticks with the handouts available for purchase that sold out and more had to be frantically obtained. I downloaded mine to my laptop hard drive – when I get organised will copy to an external hard drive. There are a multitude of links within each lecture.

There was a diverse selection of topics covered: technology – blogs/apps/software hints and tips, Heraldic bookplates and designing, Wars, Obscure record linking, Aboriginal relative research, Trove, First fleet and convict records, New Zealand research, Education records, English/Scottish/Irish records, Legal aspects – copyright, wills/probate records, German research, DNA, Huguenot research, and Maps. There were 6 plenary sessions, 2 sponsor sessions, and 15 sets of concurrent sessions.

I think the main element to the Congress from my perspective was that participants were encouraged to record their own stories as well as verifying and establishing their ancestors as individuals with fascinating histories set within the context of their time and environment.

CQFHA Newsletter Article Submission 2017

Branches of the Tree

“Footsteps In Time” May 2017 Conference Southport Queensland

 I thought the “Unlock the Past” cruise March 2016 would help me get more motivated with compiling my family history information into something more manageable and salvageable. I came away with lots and lots and lots of great strategies and more paper and more resources. Excellent!

Now, at this state family history conference in May 2017, I would have opportunities to gather more resources and more strategies to be even more organised and productive with the stories and items (? Treasures) I have gathered. Yeah?

Wow, what a fabulous weekend of very knowledgeable and well experienced speakers to hear and reflect on their wisdom and RESEARCH outcomes.

The organising committee from the Gold Coast were exceptional in the way they arranged their speakers and venue. The venue was great at the Southport Community Centre though their seats were rather hard on the posterior by the end of each day. Technical electronic glitches aside, speakers were able to continue their presentations and keep to time. Going between venues was a little bewildering for the ‘Out of Towners’: the rain Friday did not help.

The trade display was a source of interest and fascination – the electronic era is well and truly established. Family tree design and publication is well resourced with software packages.

The ‘Pub Crawl’ presentation given during the Saturday Dinner gave me some ideas for a conference from our own Association which I will forward to Marion and Kay.

The main themes I was able to gather were:

·         Be diligent in your research focus – cover as many avenues as you can in gathering information about your person / family – use newspapers, school admissions, hospital / mental health institution admissions, government gazettes, land records, wills and intestacies, obituaries,  church / parish records, ships logs, immigration records, war records, personal journals and correspondence, BMD indices, and any type of index. Many of which are located in our own local Clubrooms.

·         Nanna is not always right – think ‘Chinese whispers’ – think about the time period and social ‘mores’ (scandal) of that time. Those ‘brick walls’ may be originating from this evasion or presentation of this ‘truth’.

·         DNA testing is a tool for identifying links – plan on doing y DNA (male lineage, Surname) & m DNA (mitochondrial, mother to children) & a DNA (autosomal, alleles from parents) Confused – yep. If you planned on using your superannuation for travelling around Australia and / or the world visiting rellies you found doing family history research AND doing DNA testing – the superannuation bucket needs to be rather large. Recommendation is to get the oldest living rellie you have tested with all three tests and then have any cousin of any distinction tested also (second, third, fourth, immediate, removed, etc.). $ $ $ I personally think DNA testing is to prove we are all related – reassuring or terrifying thought; thinking Manchester concert bombing, Mafia, Hitler, Moses, Mother Teresa and Ghandi.

·         Have your list of questions ready or submitted prior to visiting research venues such as State Archives / State Library – will facilitate time management for both yourself and the venue whose staff are only too happy to assist. Objective is a more successful outcome for time and money.

·         Family History Associations are repositories of vast amounts of information. Members of such organisations research and gather stories and histories usually for themselves and their families – I am lead to believe that the Associations and their members’ stories and histories should be promoted far and wide to establish networks and publications that facilitate a greater ‘family’ knowledge pool. I am starting to see a pattern here – hmmm?

Thankfully, the Conference organisers stored the majority of presentations on a USB stick that was given to all paid participants of the Conference – there were only a couple of paper based handouts.

Personally, I need to win the Lotto and retire from my current work to focus more intensively on my current passion of researching my Family History.

Had a wonderful weekend with Kay, Marion, Nola, Carmel and Margaret at the Conference.  Learnt a lot. Now I am waiting for Sydney March 2018 for the International Congress.

Brain Teasers

Brain Teasers

Over the past five decades I have often searched for and completed puzzles of the written and put together kind.

The list of types of puzzles of interest:
Sudoku - fascinating that with nine numbers, there are MANY different ways they form a 81 space grid, with each row, column and nine x nine space squares that have no repeats.
Have just recently started enjoying the challenge with the first nine letters of the alphabet in similar configurations.
The use of the first nine roman numerals does make Sudoku even more challenging with the increased use of the ' I ' character.



Fill-ins - enjoy completing the puzzle with all words used and fitting into the puzzle.

Code Crackers - letter and number substitution intrigues me. I take my hat off to the compilers of these puzzlers - for finding the patterns that allow for all 26 letters to be used in the one puzzle.

Crosswords - often have one or two words that escape me.

Logic Puzzles - reassures me that I can deduce accurately.

Jigsaws - 500 / 1000 ones I can complete within a day or two. Any longer and life gets in the way.

A couple of years ago I put together a series of booklets to stimulate interest in these types of puzzles and found it interesting that there were many people who find these items too challenging.

Each week I buy a weekly magazine that has a selection of these types of puzzles and thankfully I can take these away on trips to complete. Call me 'old fashioned' but I prefer the paper and pen type of puzzle. I do have apps on my phone, ipad and computer for that type as well.

Card games also keep the brain thinking in strategic and ordered ways.
I prefer Solitaire - classic, Spider, Free Cell. Again, these games are played on my computer and ipad as well as by pack of playing cards.

Those puzzles that are part of competitions or timed do not hold my interest. I do them only for my own pleasure and challenge.

Pulling the Threads of Deb's Tapestry

General

A couple of hints to help navigate my blog.

On the right side of the blog screen is the archive section of published posts. Please find the 2019: December entry - 'Introduction'.

This post will describe my sorting of thoughts and activities within the blog.

On the top of the blog screen are pastel pink orange tabs - these are categories for the various sections within the blog. They are not active - simply there to inform the Reader.

At the end of each post you will find a strip of icons for social media sharing. Under this strip, is an indicator [Labels: ????] - click on the underlined wording. This action will take you to a screen where a number of posts are grouped into categories eg. Recipes.

Once you have read one or more posts in the chosen category you can use the archive list to the right side of the blog screen to open another post and explore other categories or go to the top of the blog screen where there should be a message box that directs you to show all posts.

You will note that the labels are the same as the pastel pink orange tabs at the top of the page. Please use the process as described for grouping posts under a particular category.

Please use the 'Comment' area for your constructive input.

These are my thoughts and actions - I hope that there is something of value in the information you find in this blog.

A Lunch time Salad

Recipes


Baby spinach leaves – handful approx. 100 gms

Feta cheese – 1 small block; cut into small cubes

Baby roma tomatoes – keep whole

Whole champignons – small tin

Corn kernels – small tin; optional

Beetroot – diced

Spring onion – finely sliced

Chives – fresh if possible or dried flakes; 1 teaspoon approx.

Mix well; serve in a large glass bowl for effect.

Add diced smoked turkey breast or roast chicken if desired as a one bowl dish before mixing.

Berries & Dip Dessert

Recipes

Dessert Dip

1 tub natural greek yoghurt plain

1 tub double thickened / dollop cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Mix well, chill until serving

Serve with mixed berries / roughly diced melon &/or pawpaw &/or banana

Use of local association

Branches of the Tree

CQFHA = Central Queensland Family History Association inc.

Screenshot of Home page of website: cqfamilyhistory.org.au

There are many online resources for researching family history though the CQFHA repository has resources that may not be easily accessible through this avenue. It is not necessary to have computer skills to find information.

I was asked to develop a resource for the CQFHA and the 'Guide to Repository For Promotional Events: September 2018' was compiled. Its table of contents describes many of the collections within the Repository from which to conduct such research. A team of volunteers enthusiastically and diligently spend many hours providing background effort in cataloguing and indexing the resources of the Association.

•Introduction

•Clubroom opening hours

•Diagram: Collections within building
•Library and catalogue
•Calibre resource access
•School records
•‘Dead End’: Cemetery and burial records
•People Movement Resources
•Scrapbooks
•Queensland Government gazettes
•Computer indices
•Microfiche resources
•Microfilm resources
•Journals
•Maps
•Physical tour of Repository
•Projects development and assistance
•Events program
•Family history research tips

 

•INFORMATION SHEETS

 

The Association publishes a journal 4 times a year & we swap journals with other societies so we have journals from other places in Qld, other states of Australia, many countries in Great Britain as well as other countries. The Association also purchases some journals such as Family Tree Magazine.

Association Journal – ‘The CQ Genie-ologist’: distribution frequency – quarterly: March, June, September, December; contribution is encouraged.

Electronic newsletter – ‘Alerts and Updates’ most Fridays & ‘Backup Alert’  Current email address required!

Website – member access: contact web@cqfamilyhistory.org.au

The Association is affiliated with many local, state, national and international bodies for the purpose of family history research. People (members or non) can use an avenue from the website to request research on a person or persons of interest. There is a fee attached. Please comment on the website or facebook page about your experience in using same.

CQFHA Newsletter Article 2016

Branches of the Tree

Being a novice participant in “Unlock the Past” conferences and sea cruises I saved madly to give these adventures a go.

 What a delightful seven days!

My cabin mate was Judith Rowarth who I had not had the pleasure of meeting whilst she lived in Rocky. In the extremely small space of our twin share cabin with ensuite I found Judith easy to get along with.

I hope Judith writes up her life story as she is a very interesting lady.

 Overall the preparation, presentation and support of the “Unlock the Past” conference was confident and competent – Alan Phillips working diligently to copy the ebooks he promoted during the voyage onto USB drives - still waiting on the emailed handouts though – my notes need the basics to make sense now! Being able to peruse the resource booklets was a bonus – many thanks to those authors for their time and generosity in compiling these documents – several  of the conference speakers were authors.

 Carol Baxter as keynote speaker was dynamic and she presented information in an easy manner – stimulated my imagination to visualise stories of my various ancestors that I could write up if necessary. The resource books I purchased will definitely help with this activity. I can understand how her books of ‘True Crime Historical Nonfiction’ are lucrative and noted as readable.

Rosemary and Eric Kopitke were extremely approachable and deeply knowledgeable about indices and finding those German ancestors. From other participants and my own interview with Eric, he listened actively to the issue then burst forth with email addresses and possible avenues of search that will be greatly helpful. Rosemary with calm good humour provided insight into the ways and means of using indices and maintaining an attitude of credibility and analysis. Those ‘Research Help Zones’ given by the speakers , were appreciated by all who were able to attend – well worth making the appointment.

 The sessions Rosemary provided on aspects of several commonly used websites was fantastic – several I had heard of but really had no idea were such repositories of useful stuff.

 Helen Smith assertively kept all on track during the sessions and then with humour and authority reinforced the central essentials of family history research of accuracy and substantial background to the facts of information. I found the legal boundaries within her sessions very enlightening.

Keeping the sensitive and sensibility of skeletons surfacing. Identifying the impact of certain information and when and how to discuss and with whom, especially if more information is wanted. Timely reinforcement for someone like me who has a problem with ‘foot and mouth’ syndrome.

 The use of maps to assist in locating and guiding searches as given by Eric and Helen, awesome, as another avenue of thought and presentation of family life story. Those changing county / shire boundaries now make sense and where to find old maps – gold!

Judy Webster provided valuable direction in the search of those elusive ancestors who may have donned cloaks of invisibility for various reasons – illegitimacy, starting a new life, escaping circumstances, dodging responsibilities. Find those ‘Police Gazettes’.

Chris Wright answered several questions I had on software programs in regard to Picasa – thank you. Chris also taught me to use another software program I had on my computer though did not know for what it was good (EverNote -> OneNote).

In summary, the points of note I took away from the conference were:

·         Search widely and have a number of citations in support of identity

·         Search widely within a family group for information – all siblings of all members

·         Search widely from around the globe – widen boundaries

·         Search widely from environmental, social, political and cultural avenues

·         Search widely from as many websites as can find – keywords: family, history, ancestors, genealogy, ancestry, heritage, past, search, find

·         Thoroughly use local resources – family, library, CQFH

·         Keep an open mind!

Overall, I am reassured I have many years of adventure ahead with making my ancestors and descendant family members into human and comprehensive beings.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise experience I do feel I am a land based person – will scout out elite exotic resorts for future family history conferences. I heard that the next Congress is being held in Sydney in March 2018.

Have started saving for this event already.

 Chose that person of interest and bring to life again.