Spammers ... and their ilk.

I regularly see comments in my email inbox relating to my blogs that never get as far as my blog, presumably because they get zapped by Blogger because they're spam.

This is one I've copied for you :~

" I сommеnt when I аpрrecіаte а aгtiсle οn a sitе or if Ι haνe sοmething to valuable to contribute to the conversation.

Uѕuallу it іs a гeѕult of the
sincernesѕ communісаted in thе pоst I looked
at. And on this post "It's funny what you find in the middle of nowhere ...".
I waѕ actually excitеd enough to drop а thought :
-) I aсtuаlly do have 2 quеstions fοг you if it's allright. Is it just me or does it look like some of the comments look as if they are left by brain dead people? :-P And, if you are posting on other places, I'd like to follow аnуthing new you have
to post. Woulԁ you list all of your public
pages like your twitter feeԁ, Faceboοk page oг linkedin profile?

Also visіt my web-site :: [name of website redacted]"

I'm sure the spammer didn't mean to insult anyone who comments on my blog ... but I always read them through because some of them are so amusing.

Needless to say the original spam has been consigned to 'trash'. 

A Farm Journal ~ from the 16th to the 31st August 1869 ...

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby. 

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had three farms, One Ash Grange [which John Bayliff Bowman often referred to as O.A.], Cales and Summer Hill [which he usually referred to as S.Hill or S.H.]

John Bayliff Bowman is fourth from the left in the photo below ...

 

 A Farm Journal continues :~

 

[no entry for the 16th August 1869]

 

3 - 17 Fine - packed One Ash wool

 

4 - 18 Fine Jos[eph] & I to Haddon Hall & to One Ash for tea

 

5 - 19 Fine Farnsworth sale Monyash - Jos[eph] & I to Middleton in even[in]g

 

6 - 20 Ditto Jos[eph] & I & Co[u]s[in] Eliza to Ashford Jos[eph] to meet the 7.40 train - bo[ugh]t tup of John Brassington 6.10/-

 

7 - 21 Fine F & R.A. & Co[u]s[in] Augusta Hall [Hull ?] to tea - parted ewes 4 barren cows from Bro[ther] Wm £50 to S.H. want a little rain

 

1 - 22 Fine

 

2 - 23 Ditto - to Middleton with Eureka mower to fit at Wms

 

3 - 24 Ditto very hot at Middleton finish mach[ine] & bro[ugh]t to Intake End & began to mow thistles & windles - sold 3 bulls to Tho[ma]s Grindy

 

4 - 25 Ditto finish[e]d mow[in]g Intake End cut[tin]g thistles etc to B[akewe]ll to tea at Jos[eph]

 

5 - 26 B[akewe]ll Fair cheese low - sheep & beasts slow - sold 83 lambs to John Kirkam 24/- 3 for luck - taking the whole of my wether lambs

 

6 - 27 Ditto weather very hot indeed but a  heifer of E.B. [my great great grandfather Ebenezer Bowman ?] calved this even[in]g Bowman Bloore to tea with a young American named Ashmore

 

7 - 28 Tremendous hot finish[e]d lead[in]g the hay out of Intake end bone dust for sow[in]g Rye & wheat

 

1 - 29 Very cold N.E. wind very sudden change from yest[erda]y

 

2 - 30 cold E. wind B[akewe]ll market - began to cut corn in Watricle & Seed Piece S.H.

 

3 - 31 Fine day W.E. 

 

 

I am sure that anyone reading this will be thinking, why did he go to Haddon Hall. John was a tenant of the Chatsworth Estate, the Dukes of Devonshire. Now [as some of you will know] just over the other side of the hill is the Haddon Estate, the Dukes of Rutland. Perhaps he was just going to have a look around though John didn't seem to go anywhere without there being a 'business' element.

 

If only he had gone into more detail.

One morning in the month of May ...

There's a good-sized car park in Tideswell Dale and it has toilets ! That can sometimes be a great relief.

Take the path south from the car park ...

 

Further down the dale, there's one of the Peak Park 'poetry benches' that I am tracking down ... in a lazy, uncoordinated way ...

 

There's also a giant wooden water vole !

 

Tideswell Dale is one of the Derbyshire Dales lovely limestone dales ...

 

I reached Litton Mill where the old mill has been renovated and restored ... and is now luxury apartments. The property at the easternmost end is the Old Gas House. As I stood there about to take a photograph a woman appeared from in the house and pretended to do something down the side of the property. All the time though she was staring at me and giving me rather suspicious looks. I approached her and told her not to worry I wasn't taking a photo with a view to doing anything else ... so was it alright if I took a photo ?

She agreed ...



 I continued down the valley with the River Wye on my right and sunshine shining through the Spring leaves ...



 It was shortly after this that a man walking up the dale told me to look out for a mole on the path ~ "it looks dead to me". This sounds interesting I thought. Once I got there though the mole 'came to life' ...



  This short video actually appeared on BBC TV's Springwatch programme BUT THEY FORGOT TO MENTION MY NAME ! Not that I let it bother me ...

This stretch of the River Wye in Millers's Dale is probably one of my favourite stretches of rinverside walking ... anywhere ...



 I think it's delightfiul ...



 Further along the path I could see men working on the old railway line above ... what were they doing ? Well it subsequently transpired that they were laying a new surface and preparing to open up all the tunnels on the Monsal Trail ...



 Quite where Millers Dale becomes Water-cum-Jolly I'm not sure but I think it's generally accepted that this part of the dale is Water-cum-Jolly ...






  Like Litton Mill Cressbrook Mill was in danger of falling into disrepair until a few years ago but now it has been converted into luxury apartments ... with a few holiday flats thrown in.



   I'd now reached the point where I had to start the return section of the walk ... 

[to be continued ...]

Who do I think I am ? [15] ~ I receive a letter from a firm that has appeared on 'Heir Hunters' ...

From time to time I've watched Heir Hunters on TV partly because of my interest in family trees and partly because I used to deal with people's estates. I don't watch them all but they're fun to watch if you're retired with time to kill ... a bit like Helicopter Heroes ...

Well this morning I had a letter from Celtic Research who have been featured on Heir Hunters. I rapidly tried to think which distant relative might have died and whose estate I was going to benefit from. Alas, it's my Uncle's family they are trying to track down and by my uncle I mean my aunt's husband [so not my uncle at all].

My Aunty Mary married Donald in 1938 [according to the Celtic Research letter] and they had one son who died in 1943 ... as far as I know they had no others and that's what they believe. They wonder though if Aunty Mary and Donald may have adopted another child during World War II ~ I don't think so.

What about Donald's siblings they ask ... well, I know nothing of his siblings ... but I did inherit Aunty Mary and Donald's photographs, some of which are marvellous. This one for example ...



I liked Aunty Mary and [Uncle] Donald ... 

I wonder what "unclaimed assets" might be due to Donald's estate. Will this case be on TV ? I will probably know.

In the meantime I had better respond to the letter and tell them what I know [not very much]. Still, I could put them in touch with my sole surviving Aunty. She may be able to help.

Ticking away ... Day 1011 ~ deep in the natal cleft ...

Note for the squeamish ~ you'd best not read this.

Sunday morning used to be about getting out walking ... and thinking about a pub lunch ... but as I lay on my bed this [mid] morning I brought to mind Bob Dylan's song 'Things Have Changed' ...

Then I started to wonder whether I should post this blog. Do people really want to know about the side effects [assuming that's what they are] of radiotherapy ?

Well, I always intended this to be a full and truthful journey ... warts and all.

Fortunately warts aren't involved. 

Phew, I hear you say.

However, I have developed two other rather unpleasant symptoms.

The first is oedema ~ fluid retention in the body ~ and this has occurred in a most personal and private place. My GP recommended frozen peas. So on a couple of occasions I have laid down on the bed with a packet of frozen peas wrapped in a cloth pressed against a certain part of me for over 15 minutes. Thankfully it has worked. Whether this will be a regular occurrence we will see. Fortunately the oedema doesn't hurt.

Incidentally [and I did ask] I couldn't get a prescription for frozen peas.

The vision of me lying on a bed with a bag of frozen peas pressed against me has its amusing side ... many is the wry smile that has appeared when I have told members of my immediate family. 

Just in case you wondered, the oedema and the lymphoedema in my right leg are separate matters.

The second problem area is just a few inches away but round the back [in the natal cleft] where I am incredibly sore and which has been seeping blood very slightly. Savlon has been liberally applied by a 'volunteer' ! Did I mention that this is sore ?

On a plus note I am generally feeling better and hopefully the two side effects mentioned above will lessen or go away completely in the next few days.

I apologise if anyone thinks this is going into too much detail but I was never aware of this sort of thing happening and personally I think we should be more open about these things ...and, of course, you don't have to read this.

In other news I have actually made an appointment with the dentist.

Binder and two horses ...

After showing Dad and his parents with a binder being pulled by a tractor I have an even older photograph showing Grandad with a binder being pulled by a couple of horses.

It's a tiny photo so I'm pleased how well it has turned out.

Any ideas when it was taken ? I haven't ... not really.

Click here to see more.

A Farm Journal ~ from the 1st to the 15th August 1869 ...

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby. 

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had three farms, One Ash Grange [which John Bayliff Bowman often referred to as O.A.], Cales and Summer Hill [which he usually referred to as S.Hill or S.H.]

John Bayliff Bowman is fourth from the left in the photo below ...

 

 A Farm Journal continues :~

 

8 Mo[nth] 1st day 1st Fine day

 

2nd Ditto Aunt Wright came up with me from market - lead[in]g manure at Cales

 

3 Showery day Aunt W[right] & self to Middleton

 

4 Fine M[onthly] M[eetin]g - Uncle & Aunt H.S.Brady & Aunt W[right] here Chas Dyson

 

5 Fine morn[in]g wet aft[ernoo]n sold cheese T.G.Orr 70/- & 71/- Aunt H Brady with F&M up in aft[ernoo]n

 

6 Fine

 

7 Fine

 

1st Ditto

 

2 - 9 Showery self with Aunt H B[rady] to Gateshead found all well

 

3 - 10 Dull & showery off to Hexham attend[e]d Northumberland Cattle & impl[ement] show - & on to Holly Bush in even[in]g - had the mortification to get into a Carlisle train at Hexham & got to Haltwhistle & had to stay 4 hours before I could get back

 

4 - 11 Fine at Holly Bush - looked round - the new building almost complete looks very nice room for 20 ton hay - doing the yardwall Wilson Glenwright - had his hay all in pike [?] or very near good crop to Newcastle in even[in]g & down by boat to Shields & to Tynemouth to get my ticket stamped as I had taken a tourist to there & back 43/6 no time to stay as it was 8 o'clock P.M. so ret[urne]d to Newcastle - to Uncles

 

5 - 12 Fine stayed in House till 2pm thence by express arr[ived] Bakew[ell] 8 oclock - home with my dear wife - found all well

 

6 -13 [no entry]

 

7 - 14 lead[in]g manure at Cales

 

1 - 15 Fine B[akewe]ll market Jos[eph] P Drewett [?] came Jos[eph] Lee packed wool & lodged