Anonymous Poem.

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.






But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear..
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

Author Unknown~

Another Great Picture.

If you are looking into your family tree (even though there is no Scottish interest) then this is the best forum around.


Scotlands Family Tree

Picture of the Week.

What a Picture ...

A Christmas Picture !!

It's that time of year again.....

Christmas will soon be here. I have already bought all of my wife's presents, so I dont have to worry.




I hope you are not too far behind, Never leave it to the last minute. Something always goes wrong.



Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

Remembrance Day.

Remembrance Day is here again,
On this day we remember all those who were slain.
The ones they left behind have endured much sorrow and pain.
But rest assured,
the whole world knows those brave ones didn't die in vain.

The poppies that you see people wear,
Are there to show you they still care.
We open our hearts so that we can share,
A moment of silence, and offer a prayer.

To all the soldiers who died saving our country.


~~By Patti Joyce.~~


Elaine's remembrance Day Poem Page

View my friends (Bill Norwood) Special Page.

Christmas in Ladysmith 1899

Christmas Day in South Africa falls almost at midsummer and the sun rises early, as did the Boers in 1899, immediately sniping at the town and sending over their big shells. Later in the day two of these shells land in the town but failed to detonate. On being opened, the engineers found that the detonators had been removed and the space filled with Christmas pudding. Written on the outside was the message "With the compliments of the season".

Read the rest of this story at ladysmithhistory.com


Read about Captain John Norwood VC Here. He served in the 5th Dragoon Guards at ladysmith.

Trick or Treat.

Every year before this one, we would draw the blinds and not take any notice of the door bell, and it worked.


This year, I bought sweets and waited ................... and waited .................. and guess what ....... No one come and knocked on our door.


Oh well, not to worry, there is always next year.

Norwood Family History Slide Show

Well, I have completed my friends web pages (for now, he will without doubt what something new).

If you Click Here, you will be able to see his slide show.


It shows quite a few members of his family.

Please let me know if you have any comments.

Oh Dear !

I have not been updating my blog, well, I have been busy designing a new web site.

Below is a preview of what I hope will be my best yet.




If you have any comments, I would pleased to hear from you.

Another Year's Holiday's Finished !

Well, I have just had my two weeks holidays. My wife and I went to Menorca, that's five times in the last six years , I think we like the place.


My Laptop cashed and so after four days, I was left with no option but to talk to the wife ! Ah well, there are worse things in life.

Norwood ...

Having helped my mate to compile his family history, (he has only just started, so there is a long way to go), he came across a relative who fought in the Boer War.


His name was John Norwood. This a an account of him : He died in the early month's of World War One.

My friend is enjoying his research with the ups,downs of researching the generations from the past.

What's New.

Well, I have been really busy the last few weeks. Work can get on top of you and you dont know which way to turn.




I have decided, to change this blog and let it become a outlet for information on Genealogy. I hope to add little bits of my Family Tree and any other little pieces of interesting things I pick up on the way.



Keep looking here, I hope the time will be available for me to add some comments very soon.

What's New.

IRISH LOVE STORY !!!

An elderly man lay dying in his bed.
While suffering the agonies of impending death, he suddenly smelled
the aroma of his favourite scones wafting up the stairs.

He gathered his remaining strength, and lifted himself
from the bed. Leaning on the wall, he slowly made his way
out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort, gripping the
railing with both hands, he crawled downstairs.

With laboured breath, he leaned against the door-frame, gazing into the kitchen.
Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven,
for there, spread out upon the kitchen table were literally hundreds of
his favourite scones.

Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of love from his devoted Irish
wife of sixty years, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?



Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself
towards the table, landing on his knees in rumpled posture.
His aged and withered hand trembled towards a scone at the
edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked by his wife
with a wooden spoon ......
.........

.........

F**k off' she said, 'they're for the funeral.'

I Like This One ..........

One day a 12-year old boy was walking down the street when a car pulled up beside him and the window was wound down.

'I'll give you a bag of lollies if you get in the car', said the male driver.

'No way, get stuffed', replied the boy.

How about a bag of lollies and £10?' asked the driver

'I said no way', replied the irritated youngster.

'What about a bag of lollies and FIFTY QUID, eh?' quizzed the driver, still rolling slowly to keep up with the walking boy.

'No, I'm not getting in the fricken car!' answered the boy

'OK, I know what you want, I'll give you £100 and a bag of lollies', the driver offered.

'NO,' screamed the boy.

'What will it take to get you into the car?' asked the driver with a long sigh.

The boy replied, 'Listen Dad, you bought the bloody Skoda, you live with it.'

Pole Dancer .................

Old Occupations 1

"To "put to the horn" in old Scots law; was to denounce as a rebel and outlaw for non-appearance at a court to answer a summons; the culprit was proclaimed at the Great Cross in Edinburgh, together with three blasts of a horn and other formalities. A similar process was in vogue in executions on property for judicially established debts."

No Time !

Its been a busy time for me. Work has kept me busy for many an hour, but I have to pay the bills.


I have also been working on my Family Tree. Lots of loose ends to find, which is not easy. When you find one thing that looks good another comes along and says "No Way", you just have to keep trying to find those long lost links of your past.





Above is Christmas Steps in Bristol around 1890. This picture gives a good feel of what life may have been like so many years ago.