Family..

[fajrdrako]

The questions on The Friday Five this week thefridayfive are mostly about family, something I don't have much of:

1. How far back can you trace your family tree? My mother used to have a book tracing the family back to a Nicholas Rice, who went from Ireland to New England in the 1760s, and then via United Empire Loyalists his line tied in with the family of Thomas Grant, who came from Scotland in 1820. On my father's side, I only know names as far back as my grandparents, in England.

2. What is the most interesting (or strange) thing you've heard about one of your relatives? One of the Irish ancestors was a changeling. One of the Scots ancestors was a pirate and a rebel, Black Peter Grant. One of the English ancestors was a protestant martyr, Bishop Ridley.

3. How do you feel about legacy names like John Henry Smith IV or naming children after other relatives? I don't like the numbered names. Generally speaking, I like unique names, but if a relative has a good name, use it. The women in my mother's family tended to alternate the names Elizabeth Margaret and Margaret Elizabeth. (I am the former, my mother was the latter, though her mother was an Amy.)

4. Would you consider yourself and/or your family to be traditional? Me? Good heavens, no. My family, more so, though not in any significant way. I guess the answer to both questions there is really 'no'.

5. What is one tradition you have passed on to your children and/or plan to pass on to them? I have no children, therefore there will be no passing on of tradition. If I did have children, the tradition I would like to pass on would be a love of learning.

Comments

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Let's change question 5, then:
What tradition have you passed on to your budgerigars?
- I would hazard, a taste for watching science-fiction!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

a taste for watching science-fiction!

Oh, definitely, and a love of show-tunes, and taking pleasure in having guests. I don't think I've sold them on the joys of medieval history yet!

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

That might be a trickier one: budgie literacy remains an untested phenomenon (although nothing would surprise me about those bright little heads!).

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they could read if they wanted to. But why bother, when they have me to tell them things?

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

They'd only cover their books in seed, anyway...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Whatever was left - books are a tasty delicacy second only to ceiling plaster.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

That sounds like the voice of experience...!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Fraid so.

[wanderinunicorn.livejournal.com]

What is the most interesting (or strange) thing you've heard about one of your relatives?

My grandfather (my father's dad) divorced my grandmother and married her sister and had a daughter with her - so my father's half sister was his cousine at the same time.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Now, that is really unusual! The things that happen in families - !