The One Lovely Blog Award

1. I’m a country girl – I grew up in the Adelaide Hills, and currently live on a 1 1/4 acre block on the outskirts of Adelaide’s suburbia. So I get the country life with koalas and kangaroos and a local peacock being regular visitors to my backyard, while still only being a 5 minute drive to the local shopping centre. It works well.

the new kangaroo in our backyard – Zebedee

2. I love reading – When I’m not reading emails, blogs, supplier websites, or genealogy magazines, I like to read novels. Mostly thriller/horror type novels. Some of the authors who fill my shelves are Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Grisham, and Boyd Morrison.

3. I love family history – That statement won’t be news for most of you. But let me tell you how it all started. My dad started his family history business which I now work in, about 38 years ago. Which meant that we were always surrounded by family history – products, events, catching up with distant reli’s and so on. My interest was almost sparked at about age 10, when I heard that we were related to the Kelly’s. Alas, it was not Ned Kelly, so my interest waned at the time. But even so I was fascinated by all the artifacts, and memorabilia that my dad was collecting from various relatives. And while I knew that researching would be fun, I also knew I’d be obsessive about it, so I wasn’t ready to start. So it was about 10 years ago when I basically decided I shouldn’t wait. I needed to get started now, and do whatever I can. So I’ve picked up the research my dad started 30+ years ago, and have added to that. I’ve done some research on different lines of my own, and also parts of Mr Lonetester’s family lines as well. Bu as every researcher says, there’s never enough hours in the day to research, and life gets in the way.

4. I LOVE rainbows – Rainbows have been a long-term fascination of mine. I love watching them appear then fade away. A grey slightly drizzly day to me is a “rainbow day”, so I’m on the lookout for them on those days. And I have been known to be stopped at the lights watching one, when I get tooted, since I hadn’t noticed the lights change to green. ;-P

5. I know karate – I spent a number of years doing karate and was very passionate about it at the time. However life changes and I no longer train. However I can still pack a mean punch or kick if the need arises (Mr Lonetester says he can provide references if needed!).

6. I love writing – I had a love of writing essays at school. But who knew I’d turn that love into blogging?  Blogging started accidentally for me. Yes seriously! About five years ago my work decided we needed a blog, and I was designated to be the primary writer for it. I had no idea on what to write about but managed something. Now I simply don’t get enough time in the day to write all I want to on it. Other work gets in the way. After a couple of years writing for Genealogy & History News, I was feeling the need to have my own personal blog. one I could write about my own family history amongst other things. So that’s how the Lonetester HQ blog was born.

7. I love cats – Anyone who knows me knows that I am a cat lover. I currently have four fur-babies: Boo, Zap, Toffee and Cookie. I’ve had cats my whole life, and they really are my babies.

here’s my baby girl, Cookie

1. Family History Across the Seas http://cassmob.wordpress.com/
   Pauleen Cass is a force to be reckoned with. Passionate about genealogy and blogging, and she does both very well. I find her posts very inspirational to read.
2. From Helen V. Smith’s Keyboard http://helenvsmithresearch.blogspot.com.au/
   Helen is a good friend of mine, and she is a great genealogist and blogger as well. Very enthusiastic and passionate (not to mention knowledgable) on all things genealogy. I learn a lot from her and her posts.
3. Strong Foundations http://shazlex.blogspot.com.au/
   Sharon is a blogger who was inspired to start thanks to the “Family History Through the Alphabet” challenge we ran a few years ago. She has certainly taken to blogging like a duck takes to water, and is sharing the most amazing stories and photos about her family history with the world.
4. Family Wise http://family-wise.co.uk/blog
   I met Kirsty Gray for the first time on the 4th Unlock the Past cruise. Vibrant, enthusiastic, passionate are all words that I would use to describe her. And apart from that she’s a fabulous writer. Posting something everyday. Sometimes about an event, sometimes about the date, or about her family history. She makes it all sound really interesting.
5. Geniaus http://geniaus.blogsopt.com.au/
   Anyone who know even a little about the Australian genealogy scene will have heard of Geniaus (aka Jill Ball). She’s kind of the queen of the Australian genealogy bloggers, and I am inspired by her.
6. Dance Skeletons http://danceskeletons.blogspot.com.au/
   Fi Basile is another of my social media friends, though I have also met her at a conference a couple of years ago. The reason I love her blog is the quirky posts she comes up. Every one of them makes me laugh.
7. SuzShapooze http://suzshapooze.blogspot.com.au/
   I do love it when a person writes as they talk. It is something I aim for with my own blog, though not sure if I’m there yet. Anyway as I know Suz in person, so I know that she does indeed write just as she sounds – in a very casual, humorous way – it makes great reading. Not-genealogy related, but I still find it interesting.
8. The JanJans http://thejanjans.com
   Jannah is a cousin of mine who has recently taken up blogging, and she’s doing a great job, and has written some very interesting posts. I’m intrigued as to what she’ll write about next.