Embracing Our Culture

Embracing our culture must surely be the same as embracing the heritage of our ancestors. Everything that made them who they were, has some impact on who we are today. How important is your heritage to you? As a keen genealogist, my heritage is a vital part of who I feel I am. As I begin to write this, I’m thinking of the differences between the terms heritage and culture. So I am including a couple of definitions. Heritage is … Continue reading

My Shetland Roots

A history of my Shetland roots arrived in the mail recently. A cousin sent me a copy of “The Sandness Story” compiled by the Sandness History Group. It tells the history of the small town of Sandness, where my great grandmother originated. I felt like I waited for weeks for it to travel across the world. Perhaps not as long as the ship carrying my ancestors took to get to New Zealand but when I was excited to read it, … Continue reading

Your Story

How important is your story? To yourself, your children, grandchildren and others who follow? Or to the world at large if your story is of significance to those beyond your family? Don’t decide you are of no real consequence or importance. You have no earth shattering tales to share? You are so wrong. No matter your walk of life or the journey you’ve taken – are taking – your story is so very important to someone. I’m not talking about … Continue reading

What Is The Greatest Legacy A Person Can Leave?

What’s the greatest legacy a parent left/could leave behind? Let’s keep away from practical things like money, houses, cars, etc. Have you received something which has impacted on your life? Some unforgetable advice shared with you by an elder member of your family? My mother was an amazing person, but so self effacing. She never realised how much she shared, how much she taught or how much she encouraged me (and my siblings).  She had little sayings she’d occasionally drop … Continue reading

A Genealogy Question – Go Back Or Go Forward To Meet Your Family Members??

If you had an option, would you wish to go back or go forward to meet your family members – your ancestors/descendants? I know its an unrealistic theory but lets just play at manipulating time. Which would you want to do? What would appeal most? To go back or go forward to meet your family members – your ancestors or your descendants? I recently came up with this question and it took some time to decide which way I would … Continue reading

Talk about Writing

I love to talk about writing. Recently I discovered a fantastic outlet to talk about writing. Not to obviously established or budding writers but to the “ordinary” public. On two recent breaks I have been given the opportunity to present talks to anyone interested in attending. I’ve been thoroughly encouraged by how many people are keen to attempt to write something. I talked about novel writing in one presentation and writing romantic fiction in another. Novel writing drew a larger … Continue reading

Fascinating Genealogy

Fascinating Genealogy For years I’ve been fascinated by the study of genealogy. I guess its mainly been with regard to my own family’s history. I loved listening to the stories my mother shared with us. Her story-telling and sense of humour often had us in tears of laughter as she regaled tales from long ago. I grew up knowing so much about my ancestors. Even though they were only names, they filled a big part of me knowing who I … Continue reading

Collating Women’s Memories From Service In RNZN

Venturing Into Non-Fiction With Women’s Memories My comfort zone has been sorely tested over the last few months as I ventured into the field of non-fiction writing. I’ve prepared a book on women’s memories from their service time in the Royal New Zealand Navy. Romance writing and everything connected to it has been neglected. This website, my blog, my social media outlets, they all took a back seat. The project took more time and energy than I expected. Some years … Continue reading

Settled At Colac Bay

Settled At Colac Bay We soon settled at Colac Bay and became a part of the small community. Those early years seemed idyllic, I never understood how much Mum must have worried about us all, and how we would survive financially. But in her stoic way, she never showed any sign of concern. Not that as a child I could appreciate, anyway. “We joined in everything at Colac as everyone else did and used to have great Christmas parties for … Continue reading

New Beginning At Colac Bay

Our New Beginning At Colac Bay Obviously our lives changed at the end of 1955. I was 2 years old, Kevin 7 and Janet had just turned 9. Mum had three little kids, and a bunch of sheep and hens to deal with. Thankfully she had an enormous support network of Dad’s family rallying around her. “I continued to look after the sheep but found I needed a lot of help from the neighbours. When someone asked me if I’d … Continue reading