E - Exeter

Exeter is a town that has several appearances in our family tree. Mostly weddings and baptisms, but now a whole new event to research !

I received a letter the other day from England, passing on some pieces of information about the research done by earlier genealogists in the family. Some I had seen or heard before, some I hadn’t.

There has been talk over the years about members of the family being involved on the wrong side of an uprising – but which ? Monmouth was suggested. Records weren’t accessible, even to those living and researching in England, so it just remained “something’ in the back of my mind.

But now !! It seems there might be a connection to an event which took place in Exeter in a tumultuous religious time. The Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549. This is now thought to have been the most important attempt in England to oppose the Protestant Reformation of the reign of the boy-King, 9 year old Edward VI.

The rebels were protesting against the new Prayer Book, which had been translated from Latin to English. They wanted to keep the old Latin book, Cornishmen in particular (where the uprising began) were angered because they did not speak English and were used to the Latin services. The leaders sent a draft of their demands to the King. Unlike the petitions produced by some other rebellions, where protesters asked the King to grant what they wanted, these rebels insisted their demands be met. Among their demands were that Mass be in Latin and all Latin services and ceremonies be restored.

In 1539, concerned that the Catholic doctrine was under threat from the influence of the Lutheran Protestants who would remove all symbols of Catholic imagery from churches, Henry VIII gave his support to the passing of a parliamentary Act known as the Six Articles of Religion. He did this against the wishes of his Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer. Henry VIII remained a devout Catholic throughout his life and this Act aimed to enshrine some of the important element of Catholicism in law. In his will, Henry stipulated that these Articles should remain in force until his young son, the future King came of age.

Henry had been reluctant to introduce the sweeping changes that many Protestants were wanting, apart from where he could appropriate the wealth of the church by dissolving the monasteries. His last parliament, in the dying days of his reign passed an Act empowering him to take into his hands all chantries, hospitals, colleges, free chapel, fraternities, guilds and their possessions. Commissioners would be appointed to inquire into their revenue and inventories would be made of all their goods and certificates returned to the Court of Augmentations. It was left to the King to determine which should stand and which should be dissolved or refounded. Perhaps he still had misgivings, because this did not begin in earnest until after his death.

Cranmer however left no-one in doubt of his intentions proclaiming in his speech at the boy King Edward VI’s coronation that he would see idolatry destroyed and the tyranny of Rome banished.

The government decreed that the church in all parishes must use the new Prayer Book from WhitSunday on June 9^th. This caused widespread anger, in Sampford Courtenay the parish priest was prevented from saying the new service and urged to wear his popish robes and say the mass and all the service as in times past. Although the movement was supported by many clergy, it was predominately a layman’s movement by the people, who did not want to lose the devotional practices to which they had become accustomed.

Numbers grew and the Devonshire rebels were joined near Crediton by rebels from Cornwall about June 19^th. In July the combined force numbering 4,000-6,000 made the fateful decision to besiege Exeter which had remained loyal to the Crown. The siege dragged on for 5 or 6 weeks.  Vengeance followed with brutal executions.

There are some books I need to hunt down and read which involve the churches and parishioners in some of the parishes where our family lived. Maybe there will be further developments later in this challenge. (If the books arrive quickly enough and I can read them all in double quick time too)

Life's Changes - A Commentary 113 Days In...

Lots of my friends have been posting a post similar to this on their facebook pages, so that it will reappear as a memory in years to come. To remind us just what our days, routines and life became with this COVID-19 pandemic.

I thought I would do it here instead.

Life is definitely slower, I have a list of things I am going to go while I can’t go out and about so much and while I am making progress there is still a certain amount of procrastination happening. I, like most of us, am acquiring new IT skills as we all jump on Zoom, House Party, Messenger, WhatsApp, FaceTime, GoToMeeting (and Skype if we must) to connect and reconnect with our families, friends, workplaces, classmates and teachers.

Life is very different – more planned. No more spontaneous trips to the supermarket or the mall. Even here in Australia where things are slightly more relaxed than in New Zealand. Thankfully everybody seems to have come to their senses and stopped panic buying at the supermarkets and pharmacies. There are still some items in short supply but we all seem to be doing okay. The days of arguments and brawling over essential grocery items – pretty appalling and embarrassing displays of behaviour – seem to have passed. Neighbours helping neighbours and communities helping communities where necessary. No more weekend drives, or day trips to see friends on the other side of town, interstate or to go to the beach.

The confusing thing about Australia is that although there are national rules in place for social gatherings and travel there are differences state by state. We are in our bubble, inside our state bubble, inside the whole country bubble. In some states that’s it. Just you and your bubble people. In others you CAN have visitors but only two. How on earth do you police that ? It should be none, I feel. It also feels a bit like a competition; state against state – who can do it better ? They all have different legislation as well. Every press conference is broadcast live; interrupting normal programming, then played ad nauseam over and over with the media sensationalising many aspects and twisting the facts (although they say they are not). It just makes it more confusing – was that rule for NSW or QLD or was it for everyone ?

When you go to the shops (and here there are more than just supermarkets open) you have to be sure that you are socially distancing yourself from others. Four square meters per person, if a retailer can not ensure this then they must close. There is masking tape on floors, chalk marks on pavements so that we don’t stand too close to each other as we wait to get into the supermarket or to collect our takeaway food or coffee.

In Australia, cafes and restaurants are allowed to remain open only if they can offer their meals and drinks as takeaway only. In New Zealand there is none of that. In New Zealand Burger King has gone into receivership. The postal service is still pretty much fully functional in Australia – it is not in New Zealand (hardly surprising given New Zealand Post’s business model). Post has never been stopped by war or weather or pandemic before. It is all well and good to make use of the new technology available to us to keep in contact with people – but we are not a completely online, tech savvy population. Grandparents and elderly relatives locked down in aged care complexes or in their own home don’t all have access to the new fangled gizmos – and some would have no idea where to start. BUT they all have a letter box and we are all allowed out for exercise and could deliver direct if we lived that close – or drop our letters, cards, kid’s art or photos into a mailbox to be distributed by the postal service. What a way to brighten someone’s day – what a new skill to master for our tech reliant kids and youth.

In New Zealand everyone who can work from home IS working from home; every school student is going to school at home. In New Zealand if you have a job in a non-essential industry and you can’t work from home – you still have to stay at home. If you are over 70 or you have underlying health issues a weakened immune system or in an at risk ethnic group you must stay at home; not even go to the supermarket. In Australia things are more lenient. Schools are open – but mostly they are there for the children of essential workers to attend – parents who cannot just stop working, and cannot work from home. Every other parent has the choice whether to send their kids to school or to keep them home and essentially home-school them with support from teachers, schools and education departments. Supermarkets have dedicated shopping hours for the elderly, those with disabilities and their carers as well as for essential workers.

Governments across the world have closed their borders. Only returning citizens and permanent residents are allowed to enter Australia and New Zealand. Domestic travel has also decreased; in Australia states have closed their borders to each other. It is mandatory to self isolate for 14 days after entering the country (and state). Initially this was advised to be at home, but changes and pressure throughout have meant that now quarantine/self isolation is taking place in hotels with buses transporting passengers from airports to hotels where they are locked in, provided food and security guards ensure nobody can leave freely.

Airlines have stopped flying by up to 90% and because of the social distancing rules many hospitality businesses have closed down – the unemployment market is flooded with hospitality and travel industry workers. Virgin Australia have entered voluntary administration and may not survive. But many other business around Australia go on, tradespeople, public transport, postal workers, hairdressers (but not beauticians and nail technicians), garden centres, banking, council workers…Pubs, clubs, music and sports events and venues were among the first to be ordered to stop operating since they were places where large numbers gathered regularly.

Panic buying set in during in the early days; stage 2, 3 and at the start of stage 4 in New Zealand and in Australia before restrictions began to be put in place. In fact it turned out this was the case all over the world. We had no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towels no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer, no flour or yeast. Today, day 91 since WHO began providing daily updates in developments, there are still shortages of many of these staple items.

·         There is tape on the floors at food supermarkets, post offices, on footpaths outside takeaways and cafes to help distance shoppers 2m (6ft) from each other. Stores can only have a limited number of people inside stores, therefore line ups outside the store doors. I haven’t seen this so much in Australia, but it is commonplace in New Zealand to queue for 40 minutes to an hour to get inside a supermarket to begin to shop.

·         Non-essential stores and businesses, trades closed.

·         In New Zealand supermarkets, pharmacies, dairies are the only shops allowed to open

·         Drs and Vets remain open but must phone ahead; many consultations via phone/skype etc

·         Children's playgrounds, bush trails, water activities, visits to the beach, swimming pools, gyms are off limits.

·         Entire sports seasons cancelled. Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.

·         Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled. In Australia only 5 people can attend a wedding; minister/celebrant, the couple and two witnesses.

·         Funerals limited to only those within the deceased's bubble. In Australia only 10 people including the staff from the funeral home and venue can attend a funeral.

·         There are no religious services, churches, mosques, temples are closed.

·         Schools/daycare/universities are all closed. No gatherings are permitted.

·         Those who are lucky enough to have a job that is able to be done from home without the need to have physical contact are able to continue to work.

·         Not allowed to physically able to socialise with anyone outside of your household bubble. In Australia this rule is different in every state; in Queensland you can have up to 2 visitors enter your bubble. In Australia, as well, couples who live apart are able to see each other.

·         Exercise is encouraged , people are allowed outside for walks/cycling but must stay within their neighbourhood and observe the 2m rule.

·         An idea to reproduce the children’s story “Going on a Bear Hunt” gathers momentum worldwide and teddy bears and other soft toys start appearing at windows and on porches for children to look out for when out for a walk. Similarly drawing and painting rainbows to be placed in windows, or drawn on pavements spreads around the globe.

·         Communities gather – in isolation_ on their balconies, front steps and porches and driveways to sing and play music together, to clap in a show of thanks for the healthcare workers, some share drinks (very innovative) and Easter eggs from a distance, others even play tennis between windows or from one roof to another.

·         Museums, Art Galleries, Gardens and some tourist attractions offer free virtual tours online. Ballet companies, theatre productions and musicians entertain us with free streaming performances and concerts from their living rooms #TogetherAtHome

·         We watch a lot of tv, movies, box set series. We read. We bake – breaking out skills we didn’t know we had and share recipes on social media – and post photos of the results. We use our time wisely, to learn new skills, complete tasks we never have time for and to reconnect with ourselves while connecting with our friends and families in new ways.

·         Worldwide there are concerns about severe shortages of masks, gowns, gloves for front-line workers.

·         Around the World there are shortages of respirators, hospitals, beds, nursing staff and Dr's.

·         Petrol prices have fallen dramatically. In New Zealand it is as low as $1.83 pre COVID-19 it was normally around $2.20 per litre. In Australia prices which normally varied between $1.25-$1.69 in a cyclic market pattern have dropped to as low as 85cents per litre. Prices not seen for many years – and the irony…nobody can go anywhere to take advantage of the phenomenon.

·         Many countries, New Zealand and Australia, included have put in place economic measures to support workers and businesses who find themselves out of work due to the restrictions or lockdown.

·         Manufacturers and other businesses have morphed and diversified; distilleries and vineyards are producing hand sanitiser, others are making PPE, cafes and restaurants have adapted to a takeaway world (in Australia), others have quickly established an online presence.

·         Some people are wearing PPE in public. In some countries this practice is mandatory.

·         Our Politicians and Chiefs of Health become regulars on our tv screens providing daily updates.

·         Roads are quieter, many towns and cities resemble ghost towns.

·         Pollution levels reduce dramatically – and quickly – air quality improves at the same time. All around the world. The waterways of Venice are clear, and filled with sea-life rather than tourists and boats, the night skies are starrier with less light pollution, the Himalayas are seen from Northern India for the first time in thirty years.

As of today Monday 20^th April 2020 New Zealand has been in level 4 lockdown for 26 days. Authorities are confident that the curve has been flattened and announced that in one week on Monday 27^th April at midnight they will return to level 3 and potentially to level 2 after a fortnight.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, which was declared March 11th, 2020.

It has changed us all, and it has changed what our future lives will be, day to day.

Life is precious.

We all have a new appreciation for what we have along with a hope that we will not take the things and the people we dearly love for granted.

Be thankful. Be grateful. Stay connected. Live slowly. Be mindful.

Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone.

Let’s all hold on to what we have learnt about ourselves and each other

Let's not put this experience behind us

Let’s talk about it

Let’s fight to keep the connections we have built, restablished, cherished

Let’s remember

Let’s not go back to our old habits, our rushed disconnected lives,

Let’s build a future we can be proud of.

#52Ancestors, Fresh Start

So, Fresh Start.

This was the topic for week one this year, but here I am, tackling it now.

Isn’t every morning that you wake up the opportunity to make a fresh start ? Erase the mishaps and misgivings of the previous day and set your sights on today and tomorrow’s goals. My life seems to be full of fresh starts recently. New cities, new suburbs, new countries, new states, new houses, new jobs.

I would really LOVE my next fresh start to be in a permanent role, but temping offers the opportunity for frequent fresh starts. Finding my ways to new parts of the city, learning and mastering new processes and systems, forging and building relationships with team members and colleagues.

I guess there are plenty of others in my tree who have made at least one fresh start at some point of their lives. The obvious ones would be those who took a chance on emigration, a new life with new opportunities in a country at the other end of the planet.

Getting back to blogging regularly is going to be my fresh start goal of 2020. I’ve had enough of moving and changing in every other aspect – I just want some good ol’ humdrum normality now.

…however, if I happened to win Lotto…what a fresh start THAT would be !

We bought a place

It’s official – and I got a job

They say that everything happens in threes, or that everything happens at once.

We will have to go with the last one because I am sure there were just two things. Before our trip to New Zealand, maybe as early in the year as January, we had started to consider jumping into the property market. But the whole concept was a bit foreign and daunting.

Still, we went to several open homes and surfed real estate sites online. We had a vague idea where we thought we would like to be but were open to all options. A couple tempted us but we chickened out and bided our time. We weren’t in any big rush really as we still had a few months to run on our rental lease. (although the screaming and shouting from one of our neighbours was taking the shine off staying there too long).

Anyway, one rainy day (we do get rain here sometimes) we arranged to meet an agent to view a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit. We were instantly impressed. So much so that we decided to bite the bullet and make an offer.

BINGO !!

Then of course there was the building & pest inspection to wait on, breaking our lease, finding solicitors and navigating the finance maze.

All the while this was happening I was still applying for a new role since the last one had ended as we went to New Zealand. On the Thursday before Easter I met with a new recruitment agency, this was also the date which our contract would become unconditional – so a lot going on to keep on top of. The last thing the consultant asked me was whether I was okay to get a call on the day, to start a role immediately.

“We don’t get many of them,” she said, “but we have had a couple in the last few weeks.” I assured her that I was fine with that and off I went.

More about what we got up to over Easter in another post. On Tuesday morning though, I was messing about, checking online job boards and having a second coffee when the phone rang.

You guessed it ! A temp assignment, 2 weeks and could I start today ?

That made me get my skates on – and abandon a couple of plans I had had for later in the day ! But great timing.

So here is a bit of a catch up on 2017

This is a quick run down to record happenings that have been missed while I was trying to keep up with the #52Stories blog challenge.

I've moved - house, country; the lot.

I'm enrolled in my first formal study since leaving school - holy heck ! A Diploma in Family History is going to be mine, in a year - or maybe three.

I got 84.5% in my first unit - High Distinction 😊 and I am expecting results for the 2nd unit in the next couple of weeks.

I've been walking lots - no car here (yet) so I have been wearing out the soles of my shoes.

Shopping and meal planning has become more thoughtful and measured. No more racing to the supermarket mid recipe ! And heavy shopping bags to carry home are not much fun either.

I'm still looking for a job. Consequently, I am contemplating whether staying in Bendigo is viable...I'm thinking not...maybe somewhere a little larger is on the cards.

We've done a bit of exploring, and we had a great visit with Mum and Dad before the weather got too hot.

There has been a bit of culture - "The Book of Mormon" in Melbourne and lots of markets and festivals in Bendigo.

I had a fun day in Melbourne with friends for Wellington and a chance meeting with an NZ cousin on Dad's side of the tree, who just happened to come to the Goldfields ! Then a planned meeting with 4th cousins on Mum's side of the tree just before Christmas.

I'm especially grateful for the support of family and friends throughout the year...most especially to my wonderful daughter for all she does for me.

Changing horizons

It would seem that constantly changing living locations has become as much a part of my life lately as it was when I first left home back in the late 70's and went to live in Australia.

It is happening again this weekend - still in the same country, and the same city - just moving from one side of the bridge to the other. We're quite looking forward to it, though the actual packing and doing it is a bit of a drag. We've broken our lease where we are and the agent has been able to find new tenants relatively quickly. The new place - which only I have seen from the inside - is closer to work for both of us now.

As well as changing residences, there has been a change of roles for one of us. Exciting times.

Once we are there and the boxes have been dealt with I promise this blog will be getting more attention.

In the meantime, there are a few things I'll miss from this side of town. The sunsets - and just lately the sunrises too. (I'm sure we'll still get to experience them post move though) The singing on Sunday mornings at the Tongan church at the end of the road, and the proximity to lots of shopping. Won't miss the neighbours who set off fireworks at all hours of the night, the cars with stereos so loud they set off people's car alarms as they drive past and the hours spent sitting in traffic each day to get to and from work.

We have a whole new suburb or three to discover and from the little I have seen there are a multitude of cafes and stores to browse and try.

I've been busy with a few other researchers helping people on social media with family tree brick walls - very rewarding - and hopefully one day a money-making pastime. I've also been updating my family tree with new babies arriving over the last couple of months and contacting cousins who have been matched through that DNA spit test we did last year.

I saw a post today along the lines of my last one - 5 generation migration and location -  but this one is 5 generations causes of death. Watch out for that popping up here when I have more time on my hand.

Plus, accommodation has been booked and days partially planned for our holiday which is rapidly approaching. Just rental cars, visas and spending money to sort out now.

So while you wait in anticipation for my next post enjoy these pics of some of those sunsets with Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) on the horizon which we are leaving behind.

Autumn is HERE

Well gee, its been ages since I was here.

Things have happened - like my laptop decided one night that it was not going to start, and that once restored/repaired it became evident the hard drive was heading closer and closer to the point of no return. So ! New laptop it had to be.

Its been a couple of weeks now and I have almost everything back up and running as it should. Still trying to work out how to get email messages out of old email programs which don't like outlook, and wont share.

I have a new role at work with a longer contract to add a bit of security to my life.

We went for a drive to Hanmer Springs one afternoon and will have to go back and spend more time there and do more than just buy fudge and have coffee. 

The weather has turned !! We went on a roadie at ANZAC weekend and found a-m-a-z-i-n-g autumn splendour on the Lewis Pass, and in Tasman and Marlborough.

The feijoa trees are growing fruit like there is no tomorrow. There has been baking; upside down feijoa cake, feijoa muffins, pancakes. There are figs too but we have no ladder and the birds have been feasting instead of us.

Autumn is in our garden too - its getting hard to keep up with the leaves.

And its been Mothers' Day - and I was spoilt; smellies, a book, a necklace handmade in our favourite part of England, and yummy dinner.

What will the next few weeks bring ? Stay tuned.