Hang On A Minute!

My new router arrived today, and I'm using it right now you'll be pleased to here. I was intending to set the kids laptops up on a wireless network, but there seems to have been a hitch there, which I can't see a way around without purchasing a USB wireless adaptor for my own pc. You don't need to know about that though, as it's just one of these things that the ISP forces me to endure.

Many months ago I mentioned the possibility of my acquiring a digital camera, in order to "sex up" this blog, like some secret government dossier about WMD's. Well, that was put on the back-burner for some reason which I can't recall, but now it's back on the table! It has been resurrected like some sort of messiah. Only, don't expect any miracles, even if I do get one. Let's just say that some family member was unexpectedly generous to me this Christmas time. That generosity will not go unrewarded, the images provided for this blog will be sufficiently rewarding as a visual feast much akin to a roman banquet.

It's not all good though, my car battery is flat again, and that's rather disturbing. I only charged it up the other day. It has been under-used this week, but I hope it's not a bad omen. I might have to buy another car if things don't look up. Let's just say that the battery is the tip of the iceberg if I'm honest. With an MOT due in March, at which time I will be totally reliant upon ownership of fully functioning a motor vehicle, I will have to have a car no matter what!

The Bravest of the Brave!

I've just finished reading "The War of Wars", by Robert Harvey, which recount the history of the Napoleonic Wars. It was a very interesting, although lengthy read, and strangely, contrary to the writers intention I'm sure, I felt some sympathy for Napoleon by the end of the book and was actually hoping he'd win Waterloo, which was never going to happen. It was however a near run thing.

The Napoleonic Wars produced many memorable characters though, and it would seem that the greatest are largely forgotten. Take for instance the Scotsman Thomas Cochrane who was a far more talented, courageous and successful naval commander than Nelson ever was, but was despised and even betrayed by his contemporaries because of his success. On the French side, could there be anyone more amazing on the field of battle than Marshall Ney?

The answer is no, he fought in almost every battle under Napoleon, and unlike Napoleon he was constantly in the thick of it. He fought several amazing rearguard actions when hopelessly outnumbered, especially on the retreat from Moscow, and was apparently the last man out of Russia. The French soldiers called him "the bravest of the brave". Unfortunately, this amazing man was executed by a firing-squad in Paris only several months after Waterloo. Napoleon had held him to blame for the loss of that battle, but as the book clearly indicates, as per usual, the main mistakes were Napoleon's own. He never took the blame for anything though, it was always someone else's mistake!

You've Had A Bad Day!

Things been a little rough at work lately... ? I saw this and thought of you. See... things aren't nearly as bad as you thought they were!

Have A Wicked Xmas!

Somewhere... in an alternative Universe!

....and?

It's No Excuse!

Well, I've been at this family tree lark for over 15 years now, and the family tree as it stands, with both my side of the family and the wife's side combined, has around 12,000 individuals. I never intended to create anything so huge, it simply snowballed as soon as I first put the tree on to a few Internet sites. Suddenly I had all these descendants of Scottish emigrants from various parts of the globe, contacting me, saying they were related.

Well, that's all well and good, but I still haven't come across anyone particularly well known. The nearest I've come so far is a Northern Ireland International rugby player and TV broadcaster / sports commentator, who unfortunately died in a hotel fire just as his career was really taking off. I don't doubt some famous (but distant) relatives will turn up. The odds of not finding at least one must be very slim. It would also be nice to make some noble connections working back the way, and although there are suggestions of royal descent, finding evidence is difficult, especially as records in various places were badly kept or non-existent. My Irish forebears from Drogheda and Ardee might as well not have existed, such is the dearth of information about them. Even 100 years ago, there's virtually nothing.

I have noticed though, that thise families which departed the shores of this sceptred isle, tended to do very well for themselves, through luck, endeavour or accomplishment. I suppose starting again somewhere new will always supply the motivation to succeed. It seems to me that very few of those who started new lives far from home, ever met with failure or disappointment. That's something I may well bear in mind when faced with a similar choice myself. That day may not not be too far distant!

The Ancestral Pile!

For your edification, and no particular reason other than I can, I have decided to display some images of castles from NE Scotland, which have in almost every instance a merely tenuous link with my family history. Thank you for watching!

This one is Boyne Castle near Portsoy, where several generations of the Muiry (Murie) family from which I'm descended were Master Gardeners. It doesn't run in the blood, I like looking at nice gradens, but have no patience whatsoever when it comes to making them that way.

This is Ballindalloch on Speyside, where the Murie's went once Boyne Castle was abandoned. They worked here from about 1800 - 1840.

This is Findlater Castle, on the coast about half-way between Cullen and Portsoy. It has been abandoned for a long time. In the 1850's my Gt Grandfather Alexander Riach who was a 13 year old shepherd on a nearby farm, spent several nights sheltering with his flock in the castle ruins, as a horrendous blizzard raged around him.

This is Fordyce Castle. My grandmother was born in a cottage right behind the castle, and my Gt Grandmother live in a house about 10 yards off, in a lane to the right of picture.

Huntly Castle, once proud home to the Earls of Gordon, at one time the most powerful family in Scotland. My wife's family claim descent from the Gordon's although they have no real proof. There are a great many pointers to suggest a connection however! Well, that filled another post, I hope you enjoyed!

Where Is the Justice?

It was my own fault for whingeing yesterday! I should have known that dissing Christmas would bring me a bad dose of Karma. Well, Universal equilibrium is restored. It achieved this end by making my son ill, making my car battery flat, and by flagging the intention of relatives to possibly visit tonight. I only "wrote" about negative stuff and negative stuff happened to me in return. That's not really fair, I feel hard done by, where is the justice?

Well at least my car is running again. It did however fail me at a most inconvenient juncture. The hour was nigh when I was to take my son and drop him off for a spot of bag-packing, as is his wont at this time of year, or rather, as is the wont of the Boys Brigade (of which he is a participant), which are constantly fund-raising, so that they can continue to raise funds over the following year. I fnd this with most so-called charitable organisations, they constantly require ever more cash to help them make more cash.

Besides which, I desperately need to make a last minute dash to a supermarket, as Old Mother Hubbard has once again discovered that the cupboards are bare, at just the worst possible time. Add to this the possibility that I might have to cordially invite some family members over for Christmas, so they don't spend it alone, and that's just great. No they have to spend it in my household, complaining about everything; food, drink, T.V., presents etc. I just don't have the stomach for that sort of crap anymore, it must be my age. You should never have anyone for dinner unless they have something worth contributing to the gathering, and I don't know anyone like that off-hand!

Happy Families!

Yes, it's that time of year again when you have to see your family. Let's just say that It's bad enough having to deliver Christmas presents in most instances, the unconfortable silences and longing to leave, but feeling obliged to stay a little longer so that it's not obvious you really want to leave, even though it can't be hidden. For some people it gets worse, having your family around for lunch on Christmas day. Oh the joy, their miserable faces, their endless detestation of everything in life which could be enjoyable.

New Year isn't any better, all that false sincerity, people wishing each other "Happy New Year", when they secretly wish that you had the Black Death. Getting together with your family, people getting drunk and starting to let out their true feelings, which are certain to be of the hateful, jealous, obnoxious and distasteful sort. Yes, this truly is the nicest time of the year. As the saying goes "You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family!" Never was a truer word spoken, and the author knew only too well what an embarassment family can be, particularly at this time of year.

There are 2 particular traits I find irritating in the extreme when exemplified by family members. They are competitiveness and boastfulness, both of which seem evident in profusion. "Keeping up with the Joneses" as they say, is a particular hobby in these parts. Of course, after 4 consecutive years at College and Uni, I am unable to play along with the game, not that I would if I could anyhow, but because I can't, it would appear that there is all the more reason why I should know what people are buying and where they're going on holiday. They think it hurts me, but they're fools, I'm made of much stronger stuff than them. I'm immune to their pettiness. I'd be quite happy to see the back of the lot of then for good, and look forward to the day when that becomes possible.

The Path to Greatness!

I'm still reading "The War Of Wars" by Robert Harvey, an excellent overview of the war between Britain and France (1789 - 1815). I've been struck by the author's comparison and contrast of Napoleon and Nelson. With hindsight it's easy to assume that Napoleon was the bad guy and Lord Nelson, the brave hero of the British navy. However, both men were ruthless, reckless, opportunistic and ambitious megalomaniacs. The similarities run much deeper though, both men experienced a sequence of triumphs punctuated by disasters, and both on occasion comtemplated suicide.

Also, both men had a fatalistic outlook, determined that they would not live very long. A result of this may well have been their callous disregard for human life. They both had very troubled love lives; Napoleon was cuckolded by his Josephine, while Nelson openly courted his mistress Emma Hamilton, much to the distress of his wife Fanny, and his family. In terms of ambition and promotion Nelson used the old boy network to smooth his passage to the top. Napoleon on the other hand, had to earn his promotions, coupled with some cunning deceitfulness.

Neslon often fell ill, particularly with bouts of Malaria, and suffered many injuries (blind in one eye, loss of an arm) leading his men valiantly. Napoleon was also injured leading his men into battle, but unlike Nelson, seemed to be impervious to ill-health, striding among plague-ridden soldiers with the firm belief that he was divinely protected. On, the other hand, both men also blighted their careers by committing atrocities, Napoleon at Jaffa, and Nelson at Naples. I could go on, but you probably get the picture by now!

Hobbits Seeing Double!

So Peter Jackson is going to be filming "The Hobbit" after all, I hear today, but no wait, there will be 2 films. Then later I read that rather than breaking "The Hobbit" into two parts, the first film is to be a prequel. What prequel? I don't recall any prequel to "The Hobbit". Is someone just going to make something up? Because if they do it'll be a load of bloody nonsense! Surely they must split the book into 2 distinct parts. I have a feeling someone got their wires crossed someplace on the news reportage front!

Another slight copncern I might have is; just what angle will Jackson take for these films? "The Lord of the Rings" films were intended for a largely adult audience, as the book was meant for adults, but "The Hobbit" was written for children, but if he makes these films for children, there's a chance that he'll miss out at the Box Office. If I was Jackson I'd pitch this film at kids, but make it dark enough that and adult audience could take it seriously. Unfortunately, the book also has a large dose of humour, which I suspect will be lost in script writing.

Anyhow, as good as "The Lord of the Rings" films were, they could never do justice to Tolkien's writing. No slight on Peter Jackson, because nobody could have done the book justice, it's such a fantastic work, probably in the Top 10 all time books, in my opinion! As for that Harry Potter nonsense, I've never read those books and have no desire to, the films are so bad, I think they're insulting to children. The fact that so many adults also enjoy them speaks volumes to me about literacy in this country (and others too it seems). If that's you then I apologise, but seriously, read a book for grown-ups. Visit a library or something, feed your brain for a change, instead of starving it of oxygen in front of the T.V. I think I've said this before, but nevermind, it bears repeating