An early start would be just the thing, he said! Up and out for five thirty and be down the M6 before it had time to wake up. As it turned out, a more leisurely seven a.m. was the hour that greeted our departure from home, with my husband full of ‘we’re doomed’ at the prospect of tackling one of the most notorious stretches of congested motorways in the country. “There’re roadworks as well you know” he intoned in the gravest voice as we approached the junction which would surely lead to nightmare and despair! We swept up the slipway and settled into a steady stream of traffic, which appeared a little at odds with his doom-laden predictions.
Like many, I have been glued to 'Who Do You Think You Are', the popular TV family history show, which, in my opinion, just gets better with each new series. Over the years of watching the programme it has struck me just how many celebrities appear to find, during the course of their investigation, that their ancestors include members who have worked in the same or similar profession to themselves.
Thirteen proved no unlucky number for the 13th series of WDYTYA as the current run of the popular family history show drew to a close last week. The content and showbiz factors joined seamlessly to produce a season which I'm sure will be regarded as the best yet. The 10th and final episode was every bit as gripping, informative and entertaining as the previous nine, with BBC News presenter Sophie Raworth in the hot seat of the time machine.
Call me Ishmael....... So begins a book that I have never read and indeed was only vaguely aware of, but it's here that my little story begins. Well I suppose that's not quite right, because it actually started far less excitingly with me wondering what became of a ship! Little did I know that being a volunteer for Lancashire Archives could prove so thrilling! A simple ponder led me down a path that would uncover glamorous Hollywood credentials, with starring roles in films we would now know as Blockbusters.
It was with much trepidation that I arrived at the Lancashire Archives in Preston just a few week ago. I was not on a usual mission of seeking information on a clients family, no this time it was different. This time I was there to be put to the test!