Extra! Extra! Read all about it - Sepia Saturday

Reading the paper in Edinburgh c. 1963


I haven't blogged for a while.  My apologies for the silence.  I've been busy graduating which seemed to involve lots of lovely dinners with good friends and family and being a tourist for a few days enjoying galleries and the like.

Alex at Graduation ceremony in Great Hall Parliament House  Canberra March 2013

And so to today's meme courtesy of Sepia Saturday.

We still read newspapers in our house.  We tend to be a bit old-fashioned.  The photo at the top is of my father reading a paper in Edinburgh when we lived there for a short while when he was studying for his PhD.  

My husband enjoys nothing better than reading the paper on the weekend sitting in the sun in winter or the shade in summer.

Robert reading the paper

 He has to sit outside because, shock, horror he is a smoker and I am the world's worst reformed smoker.  He is sitting next to the guinea pigs, who don't have a choice.  Correction...guinea pig.  We lost one this week.  Chip. Famous for reading books on this blog here.  RIP Chip.  I'm sorry you suffered so much.

It's been a bad week.  We lost the bird too.  They were not in any way related incidents. 

Tweetie was quite old for a budgie.  I'm thinking at least 10 if not 15.  She will be sorely missed.  Particularly her singing when we did the washing up.

There is quite a cemetery in the backyard now.
Pet Cemetery - Tweetie is under the sleeping angel on the left.


Back to newspapers.

Walter Forfar 1946

My relatives have featured in quite a few.  Here is my maternal great-grandfather reading the paper by the waterfront in his home-made wheelchair at Newcastle in Australia.

I work in a library and the rush to the newspaper table when we open in the mornings never fails to amuse me.

I went on a tour of State Library last weekend as part of a professional development tour and was amazed at how sophisticated the newspaper reading room there is now.  Of course  you can read newspapers on line (and if you are a member of a public library in Queensland you can read newspapers from all over the world here) but people still like to be able to go and read a paper and relax somewhere.  Libraries are new and interesting places these days.  We were fascinated with the installations they have now.  SLQ had a giant scrabble board and this fun magnet word wall.

State Library of Queensland 2013


This photo is from State Library of Queensland's Picture Queensland collection.  Record Number 175795 and the link is here.  Title reads Group of Young Men relaxing in a park 1900-1910 Copyright expired.
Not all people like to read indoors.  These men are quite happy to read in the park.  How many men can you fit on a park bench...quite a few it would seem.

So, in our house, we buy the Guardian every week - just for the Quick Crossword we joke.  And the Sunday paper for the TV Guide.  And the Saturday paper because we can.  I like the Guardian mostly because it isn't a broadsheet.  Oh allright, and because I find the articles a bit meatier and less ethnocentric than Aussie papers.  But we are stuck on the crossword peeps so if you could help out that would be grand....


9 Across - College porters' room (5) - I thought maybe lodge but now I'm not so sure...we don't have college porters here.  Well ..not to my knowledge anyway.  And I cannot think of the Essex resort (8 Down (7-2-3) and refuse to cheat by googling.  And yes, Robert figured out last night that 14 Across is opaque.  And as for 11 Across - steep cliff (4) - that's got me stumped.  

I've had great success this week with newspapers and family history.

I found this in British Newspapers on FindmyPast.  I'm very excited because up til now I've only been aware of Trove.

Portsmouth Evening News 24 April 1897

This article is about my paternal 2nd-great-grandfather Edward Connor (yes the spelling of Conner/or is up for debate).  My gran always told us he shot himself but we were sceptical, shall we say.  She was right.  

Where on earth did he get the gun????

He didn't die until 1903 as per this notice.

Portsmouth Evening News 6 October 1903

I suspect it was something to do with this....

Portsmouth Evening News 7 June 1893


Poor Edward Snr.  Poor Edward Jnr.  Poor Rebecca.  Life can be so grim - what a shame it came to this.

There's so much more but I feel I may have bored you already....why don't you go and check out other fab posts in the Sepia Saturday blog?



Comments

Bob Scotney said…
Great a fellow crossword buff! Try Clacton-on-Sea.
Alex Daw said…
Oooh thanks Bob...that's splendid!
Alex Daw said…
And Robbie has come up with crag for steep cliff so that's that sorted. Phew!
Brett Payne said…
You beat me to it, Bob. I tried, but I'm afraid I can't do 11 and 14 across without the clues.
Too bad about the dead pets Olix. Maybe they pined Isabel's moving out too much. I hope they got a bible reading and a plant over them or is that some kind of gnome I see in the garden.
Alex Daw said…
Thanks Brett. You've obviously worn out all your detective skills for this weekend.
Alex Daw said…
Loani - no prayers...just a few tears and some very heavy garden ornaments.
If Robert smokes and has to suffer life with a reformed smoker (yes, we can be a real pain !!)he will not enjoy my blog next week.
Ann ODyne said…
So sad when pets die. Guinea pigs go to pieces when they don't get socialising so you will have to be extra kind to the remaining lonely one.
Clever G-G-F in his rocket chair, and
Congratulations on achieving your degree
and who is that gorgeous man with the long wavy hair?
Kristin said…
No boredom here! You think he died because his wife left him or he got the gun because she left him? Or she actually shot him and he took the blame? Why was he cleaning a gun in the cemetery? More, more, more!

I'm glad you're back. And those young men on the bench could give that crowd in the field on....Brett's page a run for their money.

And Congrats on your graduation!
Alex Daw said…
Ooh Nigel....now I am completely intrigued....cannot wait to see your post.
Alex Daw said…
Dear Ann - yes Misty is looking nervous to say the very least. She really is a trooper. Thank you for the kind words. That handsome man would be my father bless him. We had a great time celebrating.
Alex Daw said…
Dear Kristin - I just love that you're not bored. I reckon maybe he left her. I thought the census might give me some clues but the family seems to disappear in 1881 (or does the 1881 census have less coverage?). Anyway I'm not really sure what angle to tackle next. I'm thinking of writing to the Portsmouth Library to see if police records can be traced. What do you think? Thank you for your kind words too.
Mike Brubaker said…
Vintage newspapers are wonderful compendiums of clues on missing persons. There are now so many digital collections online that I have a long bookmark list of archive sites. I don't know about police records but court records are usually available to the public and are cross-referenced with indexes.

And lets remember that guinea pigs and budgies go through a lot of newspapers too, keeping up-to-date on current events at the bottom of the cage.
Alex Daw said…
Oh Mike - thanks so much for this. Yes, I used to have lots of fun choosing which section to give the pets...it was probably a bit sick but I liked choosing the Home or Travel section mostly.
Little Nell said…
Excellent post Alex. Nice to have you back and congratulations on the graduation. I'm sorry to be so late commenting as I've missed having a crack at the crossword!
Alex Daw said…
Thanks Little Nell. Good to be back. Don't worry...we always need help with the crossword! And there's one every week :)
Kathy said…
I had the same reaction as Kristin. Those family stories are never boring! Congratulations! Condolences. Good luck. Write more. ..... You covered a lot of territory here!
Alex Daw said…
Kathy - thank you. I do want to write more so thanks for the encouragement. I'm looking forward to the next meme too.
So, you gave us the lifestyle section, the obituaries, a few headlines, and the crossword puzzle. But where are my comics?!?
:D~
HUGZ
Alex Daw said…
Ha! That's very funny....okay....comics coming up next time!!! :)
Thanks!! Much obliged...
I do have a thing for Calvin!!!
:D~
HUGZ

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