Life has been busy busy as usual and not just because of the season. Here is a quick round up of various family and local history related activities. I’ve just finished leading my Pharos course on the illnesses of our ancestors. It was only a small group this time but they were very keen and have done plenty of research to share with the rest of the group. Next up will be Agricultural Labourers in January. I am also very excited about my Female Ancestors course, which is, thankfully, now written. It did take me down some rabbit holes, as I decided that I should provide some sample answers, which basically meant me doing the course myself. I spent a lovely couple of days looking at my great grandmother’s life as a housemaid and I am very grateful to Mrs Beeton for providing such a comprehensive guide. I’d have been worn out before breakfast. To top it off, “On leisure days, the housemaid should be able to do some needlework for her mistress,—such as turning and mending sheets and darning the house linen, or assist her in anything she may think fit to give her to do. For this reason it is almost essential that a housemaid, in a small family, should be an expert needlewoman; as, if she be a good manager and an active girl, she will have time on her hands to get through plenty of work.” You can read Clara’s story on my Granny’s Tales website, which also has a few more additions and tweaks.

We had a lovely time playing Victorian parlour games at my no longer quite so local history group. The power cuts in the aftermath of Storm Darragh added verisimilitude but we soldiered on by candlelight. The game of large scale Nine Men’s Morris was taken very seriously. Charades, using carol titles led to some hilarity. Ok, maybe including We Three Kings was a mistake.

There have been talks to give, both in person and online and Mistress Agnes has had a couple of outings. The good thing about in person talks at this time of year is that they come with seasonal refreshments. Best not the imbibe the mulled wine before the talk, I’ve learned. I’ve also chatted to the Society of Genealogist’s Book Club about Sins as Red as Scarlet. Not the lightest of holiday reading but I am glad that most realised what I was aiming at with this book.

On the subject of books, I have some proofs to read and have just signed a contract for what will be my third non-fiction book for Pen and Sword. I am really looking forward to the research for that one. A not totally unrelated activity is some preparation for the next collaborative research day with A Few Forgotten Women. This one is looking at inmates and staff from Dorchester Prison. There’s potential for some good stories there.

There’s plenty going on next year too, with nine talks in January alone. Why does this always seem like a good idea at the time? I am also looking forward to helping a new cohort to write their life stories with the Society of Genealogists in the spring.

I’ll finish with a non-historical incident, which may well be illustrative of me having too much on my mind. My breakfast of choice is granola, fruit and yoghurt. The fruit is usually frozen berries, which I take out each morning, ready to defrost for the next day. To be honest, I am surprised this is the first time this has happened but this week, I poured the granola in the wrong bowl, so that I had a mixture of frozen berries and granola. I know I could have just thrown it away but waste not want not, so I tried to separate a bowl full of granola and berries. Not just large lumpy berries oh no, some were blueberries and teeny tiny cranberries. It felt like some kind of reality TV challenge, not one at which I would excel.

This may be the last post before the holiday season, so I will leave you with Season’s Greetings from the family postcard collection.