Drive to NY was easy as Thanksgiving pie. Surprisingly, traffic from Indianapolis to where Brian and I finally parked the van was very light. Snow hit for minutes. Rain hit for hours. Raein hits Newark at 4 pm. Thanks to Wendy, Indiana boys spent the night in a Chevy, woke up on the streets of Hov and Biggie.

At the airport now. Charging the iPhone that this all is being written on. Pictures below are of Woolworth building, World Trade Tower One fountain, and the Brooklyn bridge.

Italians should be here very soon.

InfoMoney:

Um pouco mais do mesmo visto na última quinta-feira: assim se mostra o pregão desta sexta-feira (27) nas principais bolsas do mundo, que seguem penalizadas pelo receio de calote do fundo de investimentos Dubai World.

Cálculos do RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) revelam uma exposição dos bancos europeus a empresas dos Emirados Árabes Unidos de US$ 83,7 bilhões. O setor financeiro britânico é o mais ameaçado por uma possível moratória do fundo, gerido pelo governo de Dubai.

Reagindo aos temores, os papéis do RBS, Barclays, HSBC e BNP Paribas marcam forte queda e trazem consigo o desempenho dos negócios na Europa. Nos EUA, os mercados futuros apresentam trajetória semelhante. Cabe lembrar que Wall Street esteve fechada na última quinta-feira por conta do feriado de Ação de Graças.

Rating da GOL
A aversão ao risco entre os investidores lá fora também deverá penalizar a bolsa brasileira: o Ibovespa futuro já aponta uma abertura em queda. Ainda assim, vale a pena prestar atenção às referências no noticiário doméstico, com destaque para nova alteração de perspectiva no rating da GOL (GOLL4).

A Moody’s acompanhou decisão tomada um dia antes pela Fitch Ratings e alterou sua perspectiva de negativa para positiva, “baseada principalmente na tendência para uma contínua melhora do desempenho operacional da GOL, que deve resultar em indicadores de crédito mais fortes em 2010″.

Vale e Caixa
Enquanto isso, a Vale (VALE5) dá sequência ao seu plano de expansão. Na noite da última quinta-feira, a mineradora anunciou novos investimentos no Pará, por meio de parceria com a Aço Cearense. O objetivo é viabilizar a produção de aço laminado e revestidos numa área integrada à Alpa (Aços Laminados do Pará), em nova planta que demandará um investimento total de US$ 750 milhões.

No setor financeiro, o Banco PanAmericano confirmou o interesse da Caixa Econômica Federal em adquirir parte do seu capital total. Segundo o comunicado divulgado, a Caixa poderá ficar com 35% de participação, embora analistas apostem em uma aquisição de 37,5% do banco.

Setor imobiliário
Outro setor que marca presença é o imobiliário. A Even (EVEN3) anunciou que alongará o prazo de sua dívida corporativa por meio da realização de emissão pública de debêntures no valor de R$ 75 milhões e da renegociação do vencimento de parcela de R$ 50 milhões da segunda emissão pública de debêntures, em outubro de 2010.

Já a Multiplan lançou mão de projeções acerca de seu novo empreendimento imobiliário, o Shopping Vila Olímpia, na capital paulista. A companhia estima um resultado operacional líquido de R$ 8,8 milhões com o projeto no primeiro ano.

Por fim, a Iguatemi (IGTA3) divulgou os números finais de sua oferta pública de ações, já encerrada. A companhia captou um montante de R$ 410,4 milhões com a operação, que contou com uma participação de 52,32% dos investidores estrangeiros.

White Poppy

Well, I couldn’t very well have remembrance day go by without writing something about my military ancestors, so here goes

Charles Farquharson Barclay, youngest brother of my great-grandmother, a sapper with the Royal Engineers, died aged 21 on 26th April 1918.  ”Charlie” was very much a family favourite, and his loss was deeply felt within the family.  He was burried in Aire Communal Cemetary, although his parents gravestone in Springbank Cemetary, Aberdeen, also gives tribute to him.

His older brother, James “Jim” / “Jimmy” Barclay survived him.  James had been in the army for many years prior to the outbreak of the first world war with the Royal Scot’s Greys.  Despite a love of music, after his war-time experiences he would not listen to music with links to war, switching it off immediately.  The whole mood of the room would change in an instant.

Carlos Alick Souter, brother of my great-grandmother Eliza Mary Souter, was a private with the Gordon Highlanders when he was killed, aged just 24, on the 12th April 1917.  He is burried at Aubigny Communal Cemetary, although as with Charles his parents too paid tribute to him on their own gravestone.  He is also listed on the Alford war memorial.

Henry Geddes, details currently uncertain but believe that this is his page on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, although more needs to be done to confirm this.

But let’s not forget that remembrance day is not just about the world wars, as horrific as they were, its scope is far wider than that.

Kenneth Murray, missing, presumed dead, Korea April 1951.  To this day there are some relatives who hope they may get to find out what happend to him.  He was my great-uncle (through my grandfather’s side).  His parents’ gravestone in Alford gives tribute to him.

Whenever I go to a cemetary ancestor-hunting, I tend to find myself cleaning up the gravestones and leaving some flowers.  When one fell off whilst I was in Alford, I decided to leave it at the war memorial.

The picture at the top of this post may be of interest to some people.  I have always been very much in favour of non-violence, but through my genealogical research I have seen for myself how much pain war leaves for families many generations and many decades on.  I firmly believe that the only proper response to fully acknowledge the sacrifice of these individuals and the suffering of their families is to say never again.  That is the message the white poppy sends out for me.

(I also have a purple poppy, but for completely different reasons, so I shan’t start on that here!)

Alford war memorial with Carlos Alick Souter listed

Woolmanhill Hospital - home to the Northern Health Services Archives

Back to university, back to the grind (yes, I have been studying, thank you very much!).  Far less time now to add to this blog, although genealogy is frequently on my mind.

A few weeks back I visited the Northern Health Services Archives in Aberdeen (although not without its own troubles – perhaps I should be “the absent-minded genealogist”!) and was able to uncover far more about my ancestor James Barclay, who died at the Aberdeen Royal Lunatic Asylum.  It was amazing to be able to hold original medical records that were more than 130 years old (and the archivist, Fiona, had helpfully got every document I could possible want to see out ready for me!).

Woolmanhill Hospital

I found out that James Barclay had initially been admitted to the Banff asylum as a private patient, having been living in Monquhitter prior to that.  The petition to have him admitted to the asylum was originally made by his son John in February 1873.  The petition had to be supported by two medical certificates.

“He is constantly working in an unregarding way with his fingers – says he is ruined body & soul, that he is in utter starvation, that he has no clothes, that he has committed every sin & is utterly lost.  He is constantly on the move and restless.  His expression is characteristic of insanity.”

“He would wonder about constantly and get violent being restrained, that he has made several attempts to injure himself & other facts similar to the above.  Said to me by his son John Barclay.”

(From first doctor, Alexander James Manson, February 1873)

The second doctor, William Mortimer, dated his medical certificate 16th July 1873, although the Sheriff claimed to have two medical certificates presented to him, one from William Mortimer, on 17th February 1873.  What’s going on here?  Did they lose the first certificate and do it again (the forms claim there was one dated the 16th), or were they naughty enough to ignore the requirements until later?  Of course a far less interesting possiblity is that I simply misread the document.  James Barclay was admitted to the Banff asylum on the same day (17th February).

William Mortimer commented:

“his general appearance & expression of countenance, especially of his eyes & a peculiar restlessness of his limbs – all the time I was there he besides himself in taking up small pieces of turf or straw and dividing them into still smaller pieces.  He is sullen, stubborn and disobedient and fancies he is reduced to beggary.  His natural disposition is entirely changed.  About a month ago his predominating idea was that God had foresaken him.”

“He is frequently violent & not long ago made  several attempts to take his own life, as stated by his wife & son.”

There was also a form detailing James’ personal and family details.  We find out that he was born in Monquhitter in 1814, apparrently went insane on 14th November 1872 and had been farming prior to that.  It also lists “places and periods of residence prior to insanity” which is fascinating as it shows where he was living ten years before the first census with individual details!  From this I found out that he had been living in Garmon from 1831-1839 and then in Greeness ever since.  His wife’s name is given as Margaret Castel (yet another spelling variation on what you’d of thought would not be a very tricky name!) and then lists all of their children!  (I only expect genealogists to understand my use of exclamation marks here!)

“James, 14, Greeness Monquhitter

George, 17, Mill of Balcairn Meldrum

Jane, 20, Mount Hool St Hilda [note, unsure of my own transcription here]

John, 22, Greeness …

Alexander, 25, 9 1/2 Canal Terrace [Alion?]

Isabella, 27, Balquholly [inferred from other reading], Monquhitter

Margaret, 33, 9 1/2 Canal Terrace [Alion?]“

“Names and occupations of parents of lunatic?  Alexander Barclay, pauper, Isabella Barclay (deceased)”

(It later notes that they were last known to be living in Garmond)

“Names, Occupations and Residences of Lunatic’s Brothers and Sisters, and Uncles and Aunts, if any?

John Barclay, Berryhill, Peterhead, Farm Serv., brother

Ann Barclay, Greeness Monquhitter, sister

Barbara Barclay, Cuminestown, Monquhitter, sister

Isabella Barclay, Cuminestown [?], Monquhitter, sister

Mary Barclay, England, sister

Mary Grigg, aunt, Monquhitter”

(dated 20th February 1873, so after James’ admission into the Banff asylum.)

Upon his arrival at the Banff asylum, a “statement” of his medical condition was written, which provides even more insights.  It contains standard information, such as that he was previously a crofter, a member of the Church of Scotland, lived at Greeness, Monquhitter, and then it moves on to more specific information regarding his health.

“Length of time insane: since 7th Nov. 1872

Whether first attack: yes

…

Supposed cause: pecuniary losses & bad season

Whether subject to epilepsy: no

Whether suicidal: suspected to be, of late

Whether dangerous to others: not much”

(Pecuniary losses are financial / money losses – I didn’t know that until then!)

The cause of his illness was the point that really set my mind going, thinking of all the posibillities for further reaearch.  That’s one of the brilliant things about genealogy, no matter how much information you uncover you’ll still be given even more questions to pursue somehow (and for those who have caught the ancestor-hunting disease, drive you absolutely bonkers in the meantime!).  I wondered if the pecuniary losses were just tied to it having been a bad season (because, as a crofter, that would make a big difference to him).  Were others similarly affected in that case?  Or was there something more to it?  Did he lose money by some other means (such as gambling, or spending it on something he shouldn’t've?).  At some point I’d love to get hold of newspaper records for his area to see if they report on any events that could be linked.

The Banff asylum’s report on his physical condition noted that other than being “full of delusions but not excited”, he was in good health.

An application was made to move him on 13th July 1876 to the Royal Lunatic Asylum Aberdeen, with the Banff asylum noting that his condition had not improved (although it is also worth nothing that it had not deteriorated and for the length of time he had been there was doing better than many to still be living!).  The transfer gives an interesting opportunity to see how he was doing roughly half-way through his time in the asylum which would not otherwise exist as it (unsurprisingly) generated even more paperwork.  By the time the application was made for him to be moved he had gone from being a private patient to a “pauper lunatic” under the supervision of the Inspector of the Poor for Monquhitter.  One of the supporting medical certificates notes that he is “afflicted with dementia” but is otherwise in good health.

The medical statement upon arriving at Aberdeen gives little new information.  We find out that he has been suffering one continuous “attack” for more than three years, and he is no longer considered to be dangerous to others.  His wife still lives at Greeness, Monquhitter.

The Aberdeen Asylum’s records notes that he was admitted on the 25th July 1876 and gives information about his occupation and marital condition that I already have.  It then went on to give a physical description of him, which whilst not terribly detailed, is another insight that few other records provide.

“Eyes: Dark grey

Hair: Black – becoming thin and grey

Complexion: Coarse

Stature: Wide

… Figure: Stoofing”

It then goes on to repeat much of the information from the medical certificates, and then notes:

“Labours under vague fears … but talks quite coherently”

“18th December 1876 no improvement – is quite harmless apparently”

“7th September 1879 for several months this patient has suffered from Phthisis under which he gradually sank and died this morning.”

This last note was of particular interest.  On James’ death certificate his cause of death had been given as insanity, and my family had long wondered if either the doctors truly believe insanity could kill or if it were a more sensitive way to note a death by actions they couldn’t rationally explain (such as suicide).  It was a relief to see that the doctors were aware that James died from Phthisis (tuberculosis).

Having copied out all of James’ records, I then took notes from the reports into the asylums, but I think I’ll put those in to another post as this one is long enough as it is!

Aberdeen Central Library

After finishing off at the Northern Health Services Archives, I meandered off towards the town again.  I popped in on Aberdeen Central Library’s local studies unit, but soon realised that I’d be spending hours there if I was going to do justice to all of the new things I wanted to research.  Oh well, I’ll get to go back soon enough!

This gave me a little bit longer to get back to the bus station, so I stopped and took some pictures.  Now that I’ve come to write about it, I realise that every time I’m in Aberdeen I end up walking past Union Terrace Gardens, thinking it looks lovely and wanting to go in, but have never done so.  This time was not exception – I guess that’ll just have to be something else to add to my to-do list!

Union Terrace Gardens

The National Archives

I was wrong to be so pessimistic, it seems!  I did indeed get back to the National Archives before my trip back north for university, although unfortunately this did not result in much genealogical success.

I was armed with all of the information I had on the relatives in question, including record references, print outs of medal cards, all of my relevant genealogy notes, new information freshly in my mind from having pestered relatives on the phone the night before, and yet after a few hours searching on the computers for Charles Farquharson Barclay and James Barclay in every variation conceivable, I had to admit defeat.  Certainly I was at the time lacking some information relatives have since returned to me with (such as James Barclay having served with the Scot’s Greys) , but I could not find a single file I could say was the person I was looking for.

I then turned to the microfilm readers to try and see if I had any luck searching for Carlos Alick Souter.  Again, I searched for every variation I could think of, looking for him under Charles, Charlie, Carl, Carlos, Alick – but alas, still no luck.

Determined for my second trip to the National Archives to be more successful than my last one, I decided to make the most of access to the 1901 census.  The Scottish records are simply transcriptions, so widely open to error, but it was information I wouldn’t be able to see for weeks at best anyway, so I went for it  With the amount of luck I’d had thus far that day, I started with the relative my family keep refering to as our “lucky charm” – Ann Summers – because records relating to her often find their way into our hands far more often than any others!

The following information is probably of no use to anyone other than those sharing branches in my family tree, but I shall copy it out anyway:

Name: James Barclay, age: 43, estimated birth year: abt 1858, relationship: head, spouse’s name: Annie S, gender: male, where born: Monquhitter, Aberdeenshire, registration number: 168/2, registration district:  St Machar, civil parish: Aberdeen, Ferryhill, county: Aberdeenshire, address: 13 Village Rd, occupation: clerk in office, household schedule number: 162, line: 17, roll: CSSCT1901_61

Name: Annie S Barclay, age: 42, estimated birth year: abt 1859, relationship: wife, spouse’s name: James, gender: female, where born: Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, registration number: 168/2, registration district:  St Machar, civil parish: Aberdeen, Ferryhill, county: Aberdeenshire, address: 13 Dee Village Rd, household schedule number: 162, line: 18, roll: CSSCT1901_61

Name: James B Barclay, age: 14, estimated birth year: abt 1887, relationship: son, father: James, mother: Annie S, gender: male, where born: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, registration number: 168/2, registration district:  St Machar, civil parish: Aberdeen, Ferryhill, county: Aberdeenshire, address: 13 Dee Village Rd, occupation: ironworker, household schedule number: 162, line: 19, roll: CSSCT1901_61

Name: Edward J Barclay, age: 11, estimated birth year: abt 1890, relationship: son, father: James, mother: Annie S, gender: male, where born: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, registration number: 168/2, registration district:  St Machar, civil parish: Aberdeen, Ferryhill, county: Aberdeenshire, address: 13 Dee Village Rd, occupation: scholar, household schedule number: 162, line: 20, roll: CSSCT1901_61

Name: Mary J Barclay, age: 9, estimated birth year: abt 1892, relationship: daughter, father: James, mother: Annie S, gender: female, where born: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, registration number: 168/2, registration district:  St Machar, civil parish: Aberdeen, Ferryhill, county: Aberdeenshire, address: 13 Dee Village Rd, occupation: scholar, household schedule number: 162, line: 21, roll: CSSCT1901_61

Name: John W Barclay, age: 7, estimated birth year: abt 1894, relationship: son, father: James, mother: Annie S, gender: male, where born: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, registration number: 168/2, registration district:  St Machar, civil parish: Aberdeen, Ferryhill, county: Aberdeenshire, address: 13 Dee Village Rd, occupation: scholar, household schedule number: 162, line: 22, roll: CSSCT1901_61

Name: Charles F Barclay, age: 4, estimated birth year: abt 1897, relationship: son, father: James, mother: Annie S, gender: male, where born: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, registration number: 168/2, registration district:  St Machar, civil parish: Aberdeen, Ferryhill, county: Aberdeenshire, address: 13 Dee Village Rd, household schedule number: 162, line: 23, roll: CSSCT1901_61

Name: Maggie A Barclay, age: 2, estimated birth year: abt 1899, relationship: daughter, father: James, mother: Annie S, gender: male, where born: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, registration number: 168/2, registration district:  St Machar, civil parish: Aberdeen, Ferryhill, county: Aberdeenshire, address: 13 Dee Village Rd, household schedule number: 162, line: 24, roll: CSSCT1901_61

As an interesting side-note, this is the family in the picture at the top of the website, but you can see the full picture in all of it’s glory below

Barclay family photo

]]> http://kleeblatt.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/linwood-barclay-in-todesangst/ Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:16:00 +0000 kleeblatt http://kleeblatt.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/linwood-barclay-in-todesangst/

Eindruck der Leseprobe:

Tim Blake, die Hauptfigur des Thrillers, Vater von Sydney, lebt von deren Mutter getrennt. Seine Tochter kommt ihn jeden Sommer für ein paar Wochen besuchen und hat einen Ferienjob dort wo er wohnt.
Tim selbst ist ein mittelmäßig erfolgreicher Autohändler, der es nicht geschafft hat sich selbständig zu machen und darin das Scheitern seiner Ehe sieht.
Doch in diesem Jahr kommt alles anders, Sydney scheint ihren Vater bezüglich des Jobs angelogen zu haben, denn als sie eines Abends nicht nach hause kommt und Tim anfängt sich Sorgen zu machen, fährt er zum Hotel, in dem sie arbeitet und erfährt, dass dort niemand eine Sydney Blake kennt. Eine Entführung?
Noch am Morgen hatten sich die beiden gestritten, da er unzufrieden schien mit im Grunde allem was mit seiner Tochter zu tun hatte. Er würde sie am liebsten mit anderem Umgang wissen, da er befürchtet ihre beste Freundin habe mit Drogen und Sex zu tun, er hätte es am liebsten, dass der 19-Jährige Sohn vom neuen Lebensgefährten seiner Ex-Frau nicht bei Sydney mit ihm Haus wohnen würde und er sträubt sich dagegen, dass Bob, der neue Freund von Sydneys Mutter, seiner Tochter gesagt hat, dass sie modeln könnte. Dazu kommt noch, dass er ihr vorwirft zu klauen.
Tim erscheint nicht gerade viel Vertrauen in seine Tochter zu haben, was zeitweise zum Kopfschütteln beim Lesen führt, da er dadurch unnötig Streit hervorruft. Zudem scheint er einen starken Hand zur Überreaktion zu haben, da er seiner Ex-Frau zwei Mal auf den Anrufbeantworter spricht, dass ihre Tochter sicherlich demnächst sexy Fotoshootings für Männerkalender machen würde und warum sie damit einverstanden ist. Man könnte es auch eine aufkeimende Paranoia nennen.

Nichtsdestotrotz ist der Schreibstil okay, aber nicht überragend. Gut gefällt mir, dass am Anfang noch keine Hauptverdächtigen erwähnt werden, die etwas mit dem Verschwinden der Tochter zu tun haben könnten, so kann man als Leser mit raten und alle Charaktere unter die Lupe nehmen. Aber richtig spannend, wird es nicht und es reizt mich auch nicht, dass Buch zu kaufen, ich würde es lesen, falls ich es geschenkt bekomme, aber mir nicht kaufen.

One cricket tour 59 years ago would forever change the paths of two people, my Grandad, Robert Barclay, from Wonthaggi in Victoria came across my Grandma on top of Mt Wellington in her home state of Tasmania. She was only 15 at the time, but their story became like one straight from a romance novel or a Hollywood film. My Grandma went back with Grandad to Victoria, and they moved to the bright lights of Melbourne where he fathered 5 daughters, my mum the 4th. It was a marriage and love that would last 59 years, something of a rarity these days, and on Tuesday July 7th 2009 he passed away with her by his side, as it always had been.

Bob was one of the greatest men I think I have ever known, a pure gentleman in every sense of the word. He was totally devoted to my Grandma, when she had cancer he prayed the Rosary every day and night and swore he would never stop praying if she recovered. Grandma not only recovered but the cancer never returned, and Grandad kept his promise to pray every day and he did right up until he became too ill to do so. In the hospital in his final hours, he still responded to Grandma entering the room, he still knew her presence, even when so very little of himself was left. His drip and medicine were stopped on the Friday before he passed, but he kept on fighting until the Tuesday morning, living only on morphine and the love from his 5 daughters that kept him company day and night.

Grandad was not only a member of Victoria Police for 33 years, but also the last life member of the Police Band, leading them on his drums. He also committed a great deal of his spare time to the local school, church and community, leading always by example. He was always incredibly welcoming, offering open arms to any new member to the family and a seat at the table to any new guest. Bob loved his sports, politics and the news, and if he ever drifted off to sleep while the 11pm news was on, he’d wake straight away if you ever tried to change it and with a cheeky grin he would tell you that he was watching that. I’m very close to both him and my Grandma, and I’ll never forget the times spent at their place as a kid, and later a teen when they lived in Queensland, and as an adult watching the Parkinson’s eat away at his body but not his soul or his will to live on. A proud and honourable man, the disease took it’s toll, but never did it take his spirit, proving that he could go out on his own terms peacefully that Tuesday morning.

I was asked to produce a short DVD with a collection of photos that summed up Grandad, an impossible task really, and a difficult one at that. No amount of photos could ever sum up the man that he was, the father he was, and the husband and partner that he was. I can’t even begin to imagine how my Grandma can face her new life without Bob for the first time in 59 years. I’m not a religious type, and I don’t go to church or follow any set belief system, but I grew alot of respect for it over the last week, and it was incredibly comforting to know that after he passed away, he would forever watch over us all, as he did in real life. Grandad’s last year was marked by great difficulty and pain, and a sharp downturn in his condition, something not easy for him or for anyone, especially Grandma his primary carer. The last time I saw him he could hardly mutter a word, but he looked straight into my eyes and I knew what he wanted to say, so I said it right back; I love you too and I’ll miss you always.

Berlin hatte vorgestern den wärmsten 1. September seit Beginn der Messungen. Was immer das auch aussagen mag, es wird wohl nicht der letzte wärmste 1. September bleiben, nächstes Jahr gibts auch noch einen, und so geht das immer weiter – eventuell?!? Ab Dezember 2012 müssen wir erst mal abwarten, ob es überhaupt weitergeht.
Laut den Maya ja nicht – Ihr Kalender endet da nämlich. Abrupt. Am 21.12.2012 (obwohl Wissenschaftler den 23.12.2012 errechnet haben). Was aber nicht gleichzeitig Katastrophe bedeutet, nein, wir Menschen werden ein neues kosmisches Bewusstsein entwickeln und spirituell in eine neue Zivilisation übergehen. Wie das genau vonstatten geht, wissen wir spätestens am 24.12.2012. Heiligabend. Oder dunkle Nacht.
Bis dahin dauert es ja noch etwas, ich genieß erstmal meinen heutigen Feierabend, den ich mir redlich verdient habe. Wobei ich bemerke, es wird mal wieder Zeit für einen Werbespot, da hatte ich lang nichts. Ist aber auch grad nichts wirklich originelles auf dem Markt. Da sehen sich die Kreativen wohl zu viel schlechtes aus der Politik ab, denn da gibts auch nichts originelles. Und auch nichts neues. Schade eigentlich. Also muss ich in meinen Fundus greifen, und ich hab auch grad das richtige gefunden:
FEIERABEND! Das dachte sich auch dieser nette Mensch im Barclay-Spot vom letzten Sommer und mit viel Stil und Charme tritt er seinen Heimweg an. So möchte ich auch nach Hause kommen – aber nur wenn es warm ist. Schön, dass es VISA gibt – und nun let’s go:

This Bank Holiday in the Museum started, as usual, with a quiet Saturday.  We never seem to see many visitors on Saturdays except for Galas.

Sunday started well, with a fair few visitors in the morning but it started to rain around lunch-time and that was that – it went very quiet.

On Monday the weather was cloudy but warm.  We started well in the morning and, this time, continued in the same vein all day long.  Other than Galas, the busiest day of the year.

Locos running over the weekend were Peckett No.2000, Bagnall loco ‘Linda’ and Barclay ‘Colin McAndrew’ on Sunday.

On Sunday 23rd August it happened – 19 people back onto the causeway with Barclay ‘Colin McAndrew’ and the riding van for the re-enactment of the bucket chain water tank fill-up of 40 years ago! Some of the original cast were there, Barry Bull even had the camera that the original photo was taken with!

The event started earlier than expected, when the Barclay engine 1964/1929 which had been struggling with clinkering up was taken out of service to be replaced by ‘Colin McAndrew’, already in steam for the bucket chain.  Could it pull 2 coaches to Church Street and back? was the question – no doubts in the minds of Keith, Mark and Donna and off they went.  On their return, they looked quite pleased!Like gladiators in a chariot!Mark’s comment ‘I might be small but I can pull heavy loads!’  They all looked like cats who’d got the cream!  Brilliant!

So, now on to the next event of the 50th Anniversary.  Hitch up Bob’s riding van and off to the causeway.  Barry Bull got together a collection of buckets and away.I must say, they did look a very smart combination.It all worked very well – but Bob did complain about the buckets being too full!!  Not as strong as he used to be!!The bucketeers – all reasonably dry!   Just being a bit picky, but with all those cameras present you’d have thought somebody might have fallen in!!This was the first time that I’d been in the riding van – a first-class job of restoration.

More on flickr and tordy64 (see links).

The weather was kind to everyone with plenty of sunny spells.I didn’t have much time to take photos today, we were very busy in the Museum.  The photos I did take were taken not long after the first train of the day had left Brownhills West and there were not many people about.The stalls were all in place by this time and it did get very much busier.  It was again nice to see so many of our visitors going into the Heritage Centre and the Museum.

Our larger Barclay,  formerly known as 701, but now looking very smart in NCB West Midland livery, was doing the honours today.

The powers-that-be say that we are running steam for the remainder of the midweek services, I believe Asbestos will be working on Tuesday.

På flyet til Budapest begynte jeg lesningen av denne spennende boken. Jeg er egentlig ikke en krim-leser, men en låner på biblioteket hadde anbefalt meg den. Det var ingen dårlig anbefaling. Ganske fort ble jeg sugd inn i plottet, og måten boken var bygd opp gjorde meg stadig mer nysgjerrig. Innimellom oppnøstingen kommer små kapitler i kursiv, – hvem handler det som er skrevet her om, hvem er det som prater her? Boken er om den vesle familien Archer. Cynthia og Terry har en datter som heter Grace. Cynthia er svært overbeskyttende ovenfor Grace, og ikke uten grunn. Da Cynthia var 14 år forsvant hele hennes familie. Hun hadde vært ute og festet med en gutt, og blir fersket av faren hennes. Dagen etter når hun våkner er familien borte. Hva skjedde? Det er nå 25 år etter. Cynthia bestemmer seg for å være med på et tv-show angående hendelsen. Så begynner merkelige ting å skje. Å røre i fortiden vil vise seg å være det farligste Cynthia noensinne har gjort.
Varme kvelder i Budapest førte meg stadig framover i historien om Cynthias fortid, – og hvis jeg skal nevne noe som drar romanen nedover er det vel det at forfatteren ikke klarer å holde spenningen oppe helt til slutt, det avsløres mer eller mindre hva som har skjedd og da blir slutten et litt uttværende antiklimaks, men – det er en lesbar krim med godt språk, også for oss som vanligvis ikke leser så mye kriminallitteratur.

August2009 AL

After reading Linwood Barclay’s first novel No Time For Goodbye
I was in eager anticipation of another offering from this author. I didn’t actually realise it was out in paperback though until the lovely Savidge Reads handed me a copy that he’d picked up specially for me. Book friends are the best.

So what’s the plot?

The Cutter family’s world is turned upside-down when their next door neighbours are gunned down. While shaken by the horrible news, they console themselves that surely it won’t happen again, after all lighting doesn’t strike twice, right? But what happens if the killers went to the wrong house? Once the investigation starts, we start to realise that the members of the Cutter family are in fact harbouring their own secrets. Secrets that could mean the difference between life and death.

My thoughts

Like his previous novel, Too Close to Home is a definite page turner. Event’s are mostly told through the eyes of Jim Cutter, the father of the family and so you experience the fears and drama right along with him. I was gripped right from the start, and with the exception of a slightly slow bit in the middle the novel held my attention all the way through. One issue for me was that I figured out the killer say about 3/4 of the way through. I couldn’t be sure, but the author drops pretty big hints throughout the novel. However to an extent I like to be able to figure it out a bit… makes me feel quite proud of myself!

The voice of the main character Jim, is sort of uber masculine. He’s a hard-working labourer who cuts grass for a living after his dreams of being an artist and a job ferrying the mayor around didn’t quite work out. His impulsive behaviour is often the driving force behind action in the novel so he is key. I found that I didn’t quite empathise so much with Jim as I did with the main male character in No Time for Goodbye because he’s perhaps more of the straightforward american cowboy type (that was my interpretation anyway). Also I found it a bit odd as the first chapter of the book is from his son’s point of view and then the voice changes to Jim’s for the rest of the book. A good technique if it was to be used to switch between characters consistently but perhaps odd that you don’t get Ellen’s (the mother) perspective.

One thing that I really enjoyed was the suspense behind the character’s secrets. You’re tempted with these all the way through and left to wonder why certain characters are behaving so oddly until these are revealed. Also although I can’t say I really related to any of them, but I did like the fact that they were depicted as fallible and therefore very human.

The only critical points really come from comparing this novel to No Time For Goodbye. If you haven’t read Linwood Barclay I would say that should be your first port of call as it is really a superb thriller that keeps you guessing right until the end (Plus it’s only £4.99 on Amazon right now so it’s a good one to get if you’ve got a summer holiday coming up!). Overall though, Too Close to Home was gripping, with plenty of drama and was brilliantly entertaining for my commute home!!

Sophie Hannah’s psychological thrillers (published by Hodder & Stoughton) featuring Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer are far and away my favourite novels in this genre at the moment. I actually got interested in this author after reading her book of short stories
, which appealed to my own very nosy nature and then her first thriller, Little Face (2006) got me hooked, from the minute I read the blurb on the back. Then I couldn’t wait to read The Point of Rescue (2007) and Hurting Distance (2008) as well, albeit in the wrong order!

The storyline in Hurting Distance centres around Naomi Jenkins, a self employed sundial maker. Just as with the other books it is set around the fictional and utterly English-sounding towns of Rawndesley and Spilling. Naomi has a dark secret from her past, a terrifying ordeal that has affected her ever since. An (unsurprisingly) brittle character who doesn’t shirk at confrontation she becomes involved with the police after her lover Robert goes missing. Although Robert has vanished, his wife insists that he is not missing and in desperation Naomi decides to convince the police that he is dangerous so that they will have to look for him.

This book also picks up the thread of the complicated relationship between Sergeant Zailer and Detective Waterhouse. Both characters are at times likeable and annoying (which makes them very human) and add an interesting link between the novels.

The plot of this book is particularly dark and Hannah’s technique of writing from inside the protagonists head in some chapters is a great way of getting the reader involved and also in exploring the psychology of the character. I was totally gripped as the plot unravelled, and liked the fact that you can plausibly make guesses as to the culprit is in this but you are on tenterhooks to find out the full story.

I like the fact that Hannah has brought out a new book each year for the last 4 years and am looking forward to getting my hands on her latest – The Other Half Lives (2009) currently available from Amazon in hardback, although I’ll be waiting for the paperback.

Also, having just looked at Sophie Hannah’s website, I was delighted to read that her crime novels are being adapted for television at the moment. So I will be looking forward to those with anticipation!

One cricket tour 59 years ago would forever change the paths of two people, my Grandad, Robert Barclay, from Wonthaggi in Victoria came across my Grandma on top of Mt Wellington in her home state of Tasmania. She was only 15 at the time, but their story became like one straight from a romance novel or a Hollywood film. My Grandma went back with Grandad to Victoria, and they moved to the bright lights of Melbourne where he fathered 5 daughters, my mum the 4th. It was a marriage and love that would last 59 years, something of a rarity these days, and on Tuesday July 7th 2009 he passed away with her by his side, as it always had been.

Bob was one of the greatest men I think I have ever known, a pure gentleman in every sense of the word. He was totally devoted to my Grandma, when she had cancer he prayed the Rosary every day and night and swore he would never stop praying if she recovered. Grandma not only recovered but the cancer never returned, and Grandad kept his promise to pray every day and he did right up until he became too ill to do so. In the hospital in his final hours, he still responded to Grandma entering the room, he still knew her presence, even when so very little of himself was left. His drip and medicine were stopped on the Friday before he passed, but he kept on fighting until the Tuesday morning, living only on morphine and the love from his 5 daughters that kept him company day and night.

Grandad was not only a member of Victoria Police for 33 years, but also the last life member of the Police Band, leading them on his drums. He also committed a great deal of his spare time to the local school, church and community, leading always by example. He was always incredibly welcoming, offering open arms to any new member to the family and a seat at the table to any new guest. Bob loved his sports, politics and the news, and if he ever drifted off to sleep while the 11pm news was on, he’d wake straight away if you ever tried to change it and with a cheeky grin he would tell you that he was watching that. I’m very close to both him and my Grandma, and I’ll never forget the times spent at their place as a kid, and later a teen when they lived in Queensland, and as an adult watching the Parkinson’s eat away at his body but not his soul or his will to live on. A proud and honourable man, the disease took it’s toll, but never did it take his spirit, proving that he could go out on his own terms peacefully that Tuesday morning.

I was asked to produce a short DVD with a collection of photos that summed up Grandad, an impossible task really, and a difficult one at that. No amount of photos could ever sum up the man that he was, the father he was, and the husband and partner that he was. I can’t even begin to imagine how my Grandma can face her new life without Bob for the first time in 59 years. I’m not a religious type, and I don’t go to church or follow any set belief system, but I grew alot of respect for it over the last week, and it was incredibly comforting to know that after he passed away, he would forever watch over us all, as he did in real life. Grandad’s last year was marked by great difficulty and pain, and a sharp downturn in his condition, something not easy for him or for anyone, especially Grandma his primary carer. The last time I saw him he could hardly mutter a word, but he looked straight into my eyes and I knew what he wanted to say, so I said it right back; I love you too and I’ll miss you always.

I love this spot. It reminds me of a Twighlight Zone episode, mixed with some Truman show, thrown in a vat of I am Legend starring Will Smith. (What’s up, Will—holla) Just watch and enjoy. This is a rare occasion where I wish I could see more reactions, props, fakery — and him running around. I love it. You love it. Admit it.

Great job, Creatives. Venables Bell & Partners killed it.

Driving a winding road at high speed is called a canyon run and is very popular with inexperienced teen drivers who don't recognize the risks

It was 18 months ago when the crash happened. Donovon Barclay, 17, was driving his two cousins Shane Barclay, 22, and Tyler Barclay, 17 in his 1995 Saab at over 80mph through Laurel Glen Road, a winding canyon road in the Santa Rosa Mountains. What happened next would change the life of Shannon Barclay Adams, the mother of Shane and Tyler, forever.

Donovon took a corner too fast and lost control. The car flipped over and hit an embankment at great speed. Donovon suffered injuries that kept him hospitalized for several days, but his cousins, Shane and Tyler, didn’t make it out of the crash alive. Shannon explained how horrible the following court proceedings were, because she loved her nephew but wanted justice for her sons. In the end, Donovon was charged as a minor and slapped on the wrist with three months of counciling. He never appologized for the crash that killed his cousins.

Now 19, Donovon has four moving violations on his record and apparently never learned his lesson.

Shannon admits that she was not perfect in teaching her children how to drive and be safe on the road. Shane had just been in a crash prior to the one that took his life, and Tyler crashed unlicened and drunk at 16, injuring someone else. He was remoseful of the crash and served three months in juvinille hall, was on probation, and did community service.

The differences between Tyler’s consequences for injuring someone while drunk and Donovon’s consequences for killing two people for driving wrecklessly show a huge disconnect in the legal system between crime and punishment, and put driving under the influence beyond other crimes, even if the other crimes cause greater harm.

Shannon wants to help teens learn that there are other things they can do behind the wheel, other than drinking and driving, that can destroy lives and families forever. “It’s a huge misconception,” she said. “Most teens are driving with nothing more than testosterone in their systems. Parents need to be aware; it’s not only drunken driving that needs attention.”

The CHP reports that of the 25,871 injury crashes statewide in 2007 in which a teen driver was at fault, nearly 35 percent were caused by speeding and about 7 percent from being under the influence.

Shannon encourages parents to be aware of the risks, and to sign a parent-teen contract with their new driver. She also encourages parents to use technology that will alart them to dangerous driving behavior. “Honest, I’m not perfect either,” she said. “But that is what has to change; we can’t put these kids on the road.”

She is also working on a book about her teens and hopes that more new drivers will understand the risks associated with speed and wreckless driving. “If I can save just one teen, then my boys would not be lost in the carelessness of the system,” she said. “Reckless driving killed my sons. It’s an issue that needs attention.”

Radio Show Coming Soon!
Investiphobia Radio

A few days ago, Investment News had the following headline,

Headline on June 15, 2009

Barclay Wealth, a division of Barclays Capital based in London recently completed a survey of 2,100 wealthy investors and found that although 88% believe that there are good investment opportunities available, 68% are not investing because “they believe the risks of further price declines is too high”.

This is worth repeating, 68% of “wealthy investors” are too fearful to invest in the markets. This group of investors has more experience investing than the average retail investor and many are very knowledgeable. But, they also have more to lose and most haven’t lived through a market like 2008 and 2009. In some ways, this confirms an April article also in Investment News that had the following headline,

A Lost Generation of Investors

Over the course of my career, I have encountered many people who were not alive during the Great Depression but were still emotionally impacted by it. Having heard about it from their parents, they learned wealth destroying principles like, “Never buy Stock” or “If it’s not guaranteed, don’t buy it”. These investors zealously protected their principal, but unfortunately missed out on the tremendous growth of the stock market. They fell behind those that approached investing rationally.

Stock market investors understand that measuring returns over one year is far too short. Jim Cramer, of Mad Money, said last fall that you should pull your money out of the stock market if you need it within the next five years. He was criticized for saying this because he supposedly caused a panic. In reality, you shouldn’t invest in the market if you need the money within at least five years, preferably more like 10. There have been very few ten year periods in the US Stock Market’s history where the return was negative. There have been no fifteen year periods with a negative return. The shorter the time period, the more likely it is that you could experience a loss. Savvy investors remain invested regardless of market conditions, but they do not invest money that they may need in the short term.

Based on what we see happening today, investors may leave the market permanently and another generation may suffer as a result. The purpose of my book, Investiphobia, is to help prevent this from happening. It was written specifically to address the fears that become Investiphobia, a condition that paralyzes and prevents sound investment decisions. It really isn’t hard to invest successfully, but it is impossible if your fears prevent you from investing.

Le tour photo de ArtBrussels 2009 n’en finit pas et j’ai encore plein d’articles en réserve.

Guy Bartschi (ici et Genève) montrait Per Barclay et Nan Goldin.

Jacques Cerami (ici et Charleroi) montrait le travail de Pol Pierart, de très petits formats noir et blanc à l’humour un brin désespéré et surréaliste ainsi que Vincen Beekman, Nina Berman, Ronny Delrue et bien sûr Philippe Herbet que j’avais découvert au Show Off 2007 à Paris. La nouveauté cette fois c’était Jean Revillard qui photographie des baraques de clodos comme des palais (ci-dessous).

Martin Asbaek Gallery (ici et Copenhague) représente Elina Brotherus (bien connue en France – elle a eu le Prix Niepce en 2005) et Sabine Dehnel (mon billet ici) mais avait choisi de montrer le travail de Ebbe Stub Wittup, Martin Liebscher et Trine Sondergaard.

Marion Scharmann (ici et Cologne) montrait Martina Sauter (vue à Arles en 2008, mon billet ici)  et Peggy Franck, un travail très original, absolument indescriptible (ci-dessous).

La suite très bientôt

A very sad picture of Barlay 0-4-0ST 2343/1953 also known as British Gypsum No. 4.

Found another pic, no better but the engine’s still in one piece!

This Barclay engine, similar to ‘Colin McAndrew’, was purchased with the intention of being used, in the first instance, to complete the restoring to working condition of Colin McAndrew by donating its boiler, having a 10 year certificate.

Perhaps, in the fullness of time, British Gypsum No. 4 will be restored in its own right.

Its boiler was repaired and passed its hydraulic test at West Coast Railway’s Carnforth workshops.

Whether or not it will be restored, I don’t know, but I would hope we could manage a coat of paint!

Synopsis from Amazon:

On the morning she will never forget, suburban teenager Cynthia Archer awakes with a nasty hangover and a feeling she is going to have an even nastier confrontation with her mom and dad. But when she leaves her bedroom, she discovers the house is empty, with no sign of her parents or younger brother Todd. In the blink of an eye, without any explanation, her family has simply disappeared. Twenty-five years later Cynthia is still haunted by unanswered questions. Were her family murdered? If so, why was she spared? And if they’re alive, why did they abandon her in such a cruel way? Now married with a daughter of her own, Cynthia fears that her new family will be taken from her just as her first one was. And so she agrees to take part in a TV documentary revisiting the case, in the hope that somebody somewhere will remember something – or even that her father, mother or brother might finally reach out to her… Then a letter arrives which makes no sense and yet chills Cynthia to the core. And soon she begins to realise that stirring up the past could be the worst mistake she has ever made…

Meet Cynthia – she is teenager out with her older boyfriend getting drunk in his car. Her Dad finds her, pulls her out of the car and drags her home. After a row she hits the sack to sleep off the alcohol. The following morning she wakes to a silent house. At first she finds plausible reasons for everyone being out, but once at school quickly discovers they are indeed missing.

Twenty-five years later she still doesn’t know what has happened to her family. And with a family of her own, it is starting to threaten her comfortable home. Still wanting answers, she is shocked when a letter arrives. Her past and what happened on that night is about to catch up with her, and it won’t be pretty….

What an exciting book. I couldn’t put it down. There were many twists and turns, and outcomes I did not see coming. Barclay leads you down one path, and suddenly flips it over and reveals your suspicions and guesses to be wrong. I was gripped by this adventure. So much happens, a lot of which you won’t predict. Barclay manipulates what you think, then corrects your wrong views. Just excellent. His characters were great – I especially liked the thugs who grabbed Cynthia’s husband off the street and then sat listening to the Carpenters. Quite funny! This is just a really good book.

My one complaint is the swearing. There is a lot of it. I managed to ignore most of it, but there is too much, and that is what stops me giving this book the highest rating. Overall, this is a must-read thriller, and I highly recommend it.

9/10