Have spent the last couple of days trying to move the Clovelly Community Archive Project forward and morphing into Mistress Agnes too. I always enjoy my trips to the dentist in costume – people are never too sure how to react!

Was really interesting to learn how the Hartland Archive Project works. An enthusiastic meeting with the Clovelly Archives Committee too. I now feel that we are starting to get somewhere – thanks everyone.

Up early today to set off for Devon Family History Society Summer Special in Exeter. I set up my stall and ‘Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs’ sells well. I have a different hat on for my talk – the last of the day. I am speaking about emigration from Devon. The first speaker battles with a six foot square screen in a large sports hall with appalling accoustics – this could be a problem. I toy with the idea of raiding the first aid kit and safety pinning my table cloth to a curtain to make a screen. I then spot something that looks like a screen on the ceiling, it is 4 times the size of the one we are trying to use. We manage to find someone who can work the electrics to lower it but it descends in the middle of the audience. Not to worry – they move their chairs back and it’s sorted!

We have talks on the poor law, on Jews in Devon and some sea shanties before it is my turn. Despite people having spent the whole day on fairly uncomfortable plastic chairs, I still have an audience and the talk goes well. Now to tackle dealing with a new computer – how I hate learning curves!

It has been quiet on the blogging front while I try to find time to sleep amongst the chaos of the last days of the Braund family reunion. In all, 101 people helped to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Braund Family History Society and I spoke to them all.

After our adventures on Lundy, Friday was comparatively peaceful. I say comparatively. The Chairman did fall down a cliff. This was probably as dramatic as it sounds. Best not to ask too many questions but no alcohol was involved. We spent Friday in Appledore, viewing the maritime museum and being entertained by Terry Bailey on one of his ghost walks.

On Saturday, we mounted an exhibition of Braund memorabilia and gave talks on the Braund family. I don’t think anyone noticed that we brought display boards but failed to bring the material to display on them, or that the talk I gave wasn’t quite the right one.

Our Sunday Church Service was followed by the AGM. Another slight hitch. Owing to his cliff descent, the Chairman failed to collect the signed accounts from the printers. The only signed copy is now irretrievable until after everyone has finished Jubileeing. We manage to talk our way out of this one. Lunch then and a heritage walk round Bideford to walk off all the food.

Braunds quizzing in the evening was an excercise in competitativeness. No one seemed to know what Patrick Clifton was famous for. Clue: not a suspension bridge or pottery. Answers on a postcard……

Monday was a chance to wear two hats. The Braunds visited us in the seventeenth century. Great to administer an enema and perform a lithotomy on ones friends! Once the laughter had subsided, the rest set off for Rosemore Gardens, whilst we tidied up. Then off to the local supermarket to buy supplies for the evening’s Barn Dance.  I am used to wandering round Torrington and my home village in C17th garb without even thinking about it but A**a (like the BBC – no advertising here) is another matter. Never mind says my colleague, I will be there too. So, 2 of us looking like idiots seemed ok. Then on the way he stops off to change in to ordinary clothes! I don’t think I needed to worry – people probably thought it was a Jubilee stunt.

Ok, I admit it (although I didn’t at the time) I seriously overcatered. Even by Braund standards there was too much food. And what possessed me to buy 4 bags of spinach? I blame the combination of  the fact that I was wearing contact lenses and no reading glasses at the time so thought it was watercress and that it was seriously reduced in price – always an eye for a bargain. 5 days on I am still eating bread rolls and spinach – yum.

In between all this I manage to join in the village Jubilee photograph. Then the Barn Dance. We have booked the hall from 5.30pm for the band (excellent band M’Larkey) to set up. 5.30, the band are there, we are present but no key. Half an hour later we stand on one leg to try and get a phone signal to ring one of the numbers displayed on the hall door. The hall has been booked for a year and we have recently confirmed. The hall chairman comes out – we are not booked. Yes she can let us in but there will be no bar. No bar! This sounds serious. She must have seen the look of horror as she relents and agrees to man the bar for us. It was a great evening in the end, including a performance of the can-can and the cutting of the Braund celebratory cake. Incidentally when the party arrived at Rosemore they were told they weren’t booked either. This is getting to be a bit of a theme – or has our reputation preceded us?

Tuesday was the only day that rain stopped play. Instead of a tour of Bucks Mills we had to have a film show instead and those in Victorian costume were unable to parade.

Someone was heard to ask if I was about to have a holiday to recover. No such luck. It was back to the C17th on Wednesday.

Tuesday we took the Braunds to Clovelly. All of us made it down the hill and most of us made it back up again. It was sobering to think about the practicalities of daily living for our Clovelly ancestors – just collecting firewood must have been a logistical nightmare.

In the evening was the needle skittles match. This is similar to bowling but is played with 9 pins and wooden balls – very popular in the West Country. First there was the incident when the Braund Society chairman tried to send a skittle down the chute back to the player instead of the ball – then there were the 2 American visitors who turned up at the wrong venue – to be fair – we did play skittles there last year.

Wednesday was our ‘mystery’ coach tour – so much of a mystery that no one knew where they were going, including the organiser (me).  11.pm the night before we respond to an urgent answerphone message – do we realise that the restaurant we have booked is not the one we think it is but is in a different location entirely? Ah well we do now. Can we bluff this out? Will the visitors actually know where we are? Mmmm they may spot the absence of a river so we do come clean.

Then Wednesday arrives – I helpfully provide the coach driver with the postcode of where we really are going. Oh, he doesn’t have a Sat Nav. Not to worry, I’ll show him on the map – oh – he doesn’t have one of them either!

He just about manages to find Liskeard and I force the other Braunds to admire the sundial over the church porch – carved by my 6 x great-grandfather, Samuel Braund, in 1779.

We then have a very nice meal in the place we weren’t supposed to be, before heading home via another ancestral church.

Thursday dawns, like all the other reunion days it dawns very early – it is the only way I can get things done. Today is Lundy day. There is the slight problem that one ticket has female on it instead of male – will the person concerned mind donning a dress for the day?

On the way out on the Oldenberg, air sea rescue land someone on the boat and winch them off again. This is obviously a practice exercise but I am doing quite well with convincing our guests that it was laid on specially. I probably went too far when I said that it was William of Wales piloting it though.

A pod of porpoises go past – I try to take the credit for this too. Our party now have hundreds of photos of the sea where porpoises were 2 seconds earlier.

On Lundy, 3 of us decide, against advice, to walk the whole way round in the four hours that we have. We stride out. I intrepidly lead the way across a particularly boggy patch, seeking out the best route. ‘Not this way’, I say helpfully as I extract my right foot and leg and knee, from the mud – wondering as I do so which of my boots is the one that leaks.

Back home, I go to write up our activities only to find that my lap top seems to have several letter keys that aren’t working. It is 10pm, I have been up since 5am – I give up.

The Braund Reunion continued today with a visit to East Shallowford Farm on Dartmoor. Some of us have to work though so I morphed into Mistress Agnes and chatted about The Battle of Torrington and various herbal cures. Its been very hot again so I was advising the use of deodorant.  Rocket lettuce is the solution but before you all rub your salad under your arms – it is the seeds you need – just drop them in your ale.

Pleased to be able to take the Braund Reunion party back to the farms where the Braunds are first recorded. Saw the outside of Keneland, Black Torrington – home of William Braund in 1525 and then once again enjoyed the hospitality of the owners of Braundsworthy Farm, leased by the Braunds in 1565. Couldn’t get the full impact of Black Torrington Church because of the art exhibition but here we are outside.

Online review of Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs on British Genes

First day of the 11 day Braund reunion. Lovely time on the trail of the Hartland Braunds.

Sneaking time off in Cornwall to see the amazing Fisherman’s Friends @fishy_friends at the equally amazing Minack Theatre together with our advance party from Australia for the Braund Reunion. The support act – young bluegrass band ‘Flats and Sharps’ were very good too.

Ok, so we left 2 of our party behind on St. Michael’s Mount as the tide covered the causeway but no fire engines required this time.

Well our Australian visitors (not named to protect the guilty) have already caused the fire brigade to arrive on Morrisons petrol forecourt and caused the garage to close! I am taking a 10 minute break from my stint in the C17th then off to the Minack to see Fishermans’ Friends tomorrow – hurray!

Didn’t get the badges laminated last night as was embroiled in some research for a client. Woman has 5 completely different surnames but only marries twice! Mother and grandmother aren’t much better.

So today, preparing my final talk for the Braund reunion then a badge making fest – did cheat and sit in the sun for this. Followed this up by assembling reunion booklets and bags and putting June issues of the Braund journal in envelopes. To top it all sent my first Coffers, Clysters to USA – now sold to 4 countries!