I was reading a book on the Kindle last night - Writing Your Family History: A Guide for Family Historians by Gill Blanchard.

I am at the stage where I can now start putting together the information I have found so far on various branches to get an idea of just how those people fit into my lineage.

Coming up to the end of the book and she is talking about various platforms, and ways you can produce your books/booklets/pamphlets. With regards to the software products she recommends,  she includes a link to serif.com.

The book was dated from 2014 so I am assuming she was talking about something like PagePlus, but of course, now it leads to the Affinity-Serif website so I suppose that leads people to the Affinity Publishing software.

I did actually treat myself to the recent promotion of all 3 V2 Affinity products as it was a too good to miss low price. It's been so long since I used PagePlus it might be easier to familiarise myself with the newer version. At least I have options, this way.

I also found myself getting rather more emotional than I have ever been watching the Festival of Remembrance on the BBC on Saturday night. Perhaps it's just getting older; perhaps it's because of what is happening in Ukraine where it looks like 'never again' does not actually mean anything at all.

But I think the catalyst was that on that very afternoon I had come across a person in my family tree, a 2nd cousin 1x removed, Herbert Fewster, a wireless operator who died in a raid over Berlin in 1944. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/107559/ I also found a photo of this young man, just 22 when he died, which gave such a real connection. I knew nothing about this lad, nor my 2nd cousin 2x removed, Thomas Cattell, who died in Belgium in WWI, before starting the family tree research last year, but I could remember their sacrifice this Armistice weekend.

I found Herbert as I am trying to link with another part of the family, also in the north-east. I've been chasing down a family story and the free weekends that Find My Past have run recently allowed me to find out more, including the above. I am also now connected with another (probable) family member and together we hope to find the link between the Thornaby Laws and the Sunderland Laws. We've both come to the conclusion that the family story, of claiming a vast inheritance in Scotland is just that, a story, as facts as stated in various newspaper articles of the 1920-30s just do not add up. So sorry Dad, it looks as if your uncle was chasing a fantasy.

One thing though, if you want something to keep your mind active, with twists and tangles to figure out, genealogy is one way to do it. Great fun, but also incredibly frustrating at times. I just wish that one of the looks-like genuine links didn't lead to a traitor at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. But hey-ho, that's the way the cookie crumbles...