Today was another special day for me as Norm and I spent a second day with cousins and their respective families - Linda had invited 9 of her extended family (siblings, aunts and cousins) to join us for lunch at her home. However, beforehand she had taken us to 3 of the local cemeteries to view the places of burial of some ancestors (some in marked graves, others were grassed sites). We had a wonderful afternoon - they were all so welcoming of us - one person had travelled across from the west coast to meet us; the others were relatively local. It was a real privilege to meet them and our conversations were lively. Thanks Linda for organising the day. It’s a shame Jacki couldn’t have joined us coz I know she would have loved to have been there as well. Tomorrow we head north-west… Photo of Norm and I with siblings Linda and David Hope at the family reunion.
This photo is of Linda and I standing near the headstone of a Hope ancestor, symbolically extending gratitude, thanks, appreciation and love for those who have gone before us. May I add something, for those who don’t know, of why it’s been special for me as I’ve been meeting and catching up with cousins these last 2 days. These are all my 4th cousins - which is the result of many years of family history research by several of us. To find a 4th cousin, one must first find one’s great,great.grandparents and then find their siblings and then work one’s way down their tree/s and locate a living descendant or two. In many cases 4th cousins will be scattered across countries and continents. These last 2 days I’ve met 14 4th cousins and tomorrow there will be another 11 to add to that number, all being well - but that story will have to wait till then… I’ve been doing my family history since I was 24 years old and when I started I didn’t dare think that these past 2 days would ever happe...
Photo: The Eurostar at St Pacras International Train Station Today we travelled from London to Rotterdam on board the Eurostar (train). We’ve not been on it before and it was quite the experience in a subtle, quiet way. After all, it is only a ride on a train going from A to B and yet the fact that it goes under the English Channel makes it a very different experience.
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