Many months have passed and times have moved on at a quickened pace since my graduation, we've had the royal announcement, the movie 'Inception', and a very entertaining coalition government using every economic excuse to ignore the greater issues of today's society. On the other hand I have been unemployed and enjoying living the tumultuous life of a 'grown-up' graduate on the British job market. From rented accommodation in Slough I now write with a profound desire to KEEP writing; not only that, I am going so far as looking for jobs in writing, publishing and journalism. The kind people at the London School of Journalism have what seems to be the perfect course, an attractive price tag and a highly regarded reputation. My application is pending and with it a great opportunity for me.
Fingers are crossed as usual and I am readying myself for a lot of work; at the same time however I am furthering my interests in research. Ancestry.co.uk is a fantastic source of information and with the right amount of patience family history is a never ending crusade. When I say 'crusade' I mean the kind where I am on the winning side!
For those looking into Lancashire families I highly recommend http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/ which contains vast amounts of information linked to parishes of the county. I've been using it myself to find information about my mother's family, the Holts were coal miners from Hindley, near Wigan. Thanks to the website I've discovered 4 more generations including my great-great-great grandfather Peter Holt who died November 14th 1871 when working in a coal mine during its explosion at Hindley Green, killing 60 men. He left a wife, Ellen, and 11 children who all went into either coal mining of servitude. One of them married my great-great grandmother, the terrifically named Ann Entwistle. Today my mother's middle name is 'Ann' and mine is 'Peter', a connection to the past which I strongly believe should be preserved.
I will continue to write and provide tips on research; hopefully syntax and wit will nip into my writing with time.
