Saturday 19 January 2013

THAT WAS THEN...





I love leather... I would have walked on hot coals to have a  
leather satchel like the one that I saw in the second hand shop...
such stuff as dreams are made of. 

I always longed to go to a solid brick school, with lots of timber and surrounded by  
beautiful gardens. Instead, I simply had to put up with quaint timber  
schools, lots of light and open spaces and surrounded by huge Moreton  
Bay figs, some literally hundreds of years old, which we were  
forbidden to climb. 

I would have taken notice, I really would, but  
it's very hard to hear a yelling teacher calling out "ChrisTINE, for  
the last time, come down from that tree, or ELSE!!" Hard, because the  
branches I liked to sit on were a long way up. One hot afternoon, the  
grade teacher went marching into battle, at least that's what she  
looked like, straight down to my parent's shop, and demanded that my  
mother do something about me climbing trees as "she is setting a bad  
example". My mother got her Irish up and asked if I had ever fallen  
out of a tree, or if I ever pushed anyone out of one, or even up  
one...   "Well, no, but..."

"No?" said my mother, and gave her her best glare, "Well you had  
better get about your business and let me get about mine."

"Well, I never" said Battling Bertha, as we called our dear teacher....  
she really was ok. " Maybe you should" said Mum. The teacher left, Mum  
took a deep breath and I came out of the back room, all smiles.  
Whack. Through tears, I asked why.. when she had stood up to the  
teacher. I was told in no uncertain terms that Mum letting the teacher  
know that she thought it was ok, was one thing, but me causing  
problems and then the teacher needing to come see Mum was another.  
From then on, I never climbed the trees, in school hours. I know I  
digressed, but it still brings a smile to my face when I think of that  
day and I reminded myself when I mentioned the trees.

Crissouli (c)

Sunday 6 January 2013

BLOG OF THE YEAR AWARD 2012










BLOG OF THE YEAR AWARD 2012

It is with great pleasure and surprise that I accept the Nomination by 
Pauleen of Family history across the seas to be included in 
her selection of five blogs she has chosen to nominate for 

"Blog of the Year 2012 Award ".

 I feel I am in very good company as you can see by her nominations 

Congratulations to all.

 Now it is my task to nominate others... not by any means easy  
as I follow and enjoy so many blogs and choosing just a few
 means leaving many other great blogs out this time.
You may find that you are following some of these already, if not, 
I hope you will read a little and see why they have caught my attention.





written by the wonderful Angela 
who takes us on a journey through history or introduces us 
to the charm of Ireland today. 
She writes with such passion and enthusiasm 
that you can't help but be swept up 
in her always interesting posts.



written by Janet who invites us to learn more about the history 
of Irish settlement in Connecticut in particular 
and has led to her very much sought after book 
released last year.
Her articles are so comprehensive and written 
with such feeling and understanding that, 
even though I have no connection 
to those whose lives she explores, I find her blog 
compulsive reading.



I can't overlook Catherine who is always so modest 
about her work, but doesn't recognise the power she has 
to lead us through so many emotions...
One minute, I am battling to stop the tears flowing, 
the next I am laughing out loud. 
This incredible natural writer simply shares 
her ancestors, her life, her thoughts and feelings 
so well, that the reader becomes her friend.


written by Damian whose passion and love of history 
have taken me on an amazing journey and taught me 
so much about the Irish participation 
in the American Civil War and the attitudes 
of those times. His diligent research 
and copious links to other reading provides 
so much more than the normal tales of history.


Though Pauleen nominated me for this award, 
I can't overlook her always intriguing blogs. 
I have learnt so much from reading her tips on research, 
her guidance towards helping us to be better researchers 
has been invaluable. Pauleen has a great way of exploring 
the story behind the facts, so you really feel attached 
to those she writes about, and look forward to even more 
tales to come.





Sincere Congratulations to all my nominees and 
Thank You for sharing your wonderful blogs with us all.



The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:
1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
3. Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award –http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
5. If you choose, you can now join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
6. As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars… For further information on collecting stars, just click on the link provided in Rule 3.