Blame the dog!
 I bought a book to learn about grooming/general care and needs etc. whilst I  eagerly awaited the arrival of my new puppy. I'm so glad I didn't just leave the pedigree  in the drawer! I spotted a picture amongst the champions of the breed listed in the book and its name rang a bell. Sure enough, the dog featured in my puppy's ancestry. I playfully announced to the puppy, that here was her great grandfather and idly flipped the pages, wondering if any more  of her relatives were in the book. Life was never to be the same again!!!  I became engrossed in the breed history of West Highland White Terriers, tracing family trees of landed Gentry and their gamekeepers before toying with the idea of searching my own ancestry.  It didn't take long for the genealogy bug to bite - nor to get into the tangle of following more than one line at once.
 Transcribing Parish Registers for the Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerk Project proved to be a great  learning curve - I became enthralled, picturing changing times and varying lifestyles. Watching generations group into families as I struggled to decipher spidery scrawl was a continuous fascination; alongside diligently trying to avoid the transcribing mistakes that can lead to puzzles and setbacks.
 Memorable events along the way during this addictive hobby have been the joy of reunions with friends and family as well as the pleasure of meeting those who have become family members during the years we lost. 
 The saddest record since starting this site is for 30th March 2008 - the loss of my beloved mother, Mary Robinson, shortly before her 80th birthday and, ironically on  the 20th anniversary of her elder brother's death. 
 We followed this sudden death in happy celebration of a birth - Hannah Sheila Mahon on  20th May 2008. The date is significant in being what would have made Maggie Cragg a  great great grandma on her 103rd birthday. Hannah claimed the role of Big Sister when her brother Mark Christopher came along in time for Christmas 2011
 The world keeps turning and sadness mingles with joy weaving life's rich tapestry.................. We've seen divorce occur and loom ahead and death brought sadness in losing John Moon 2013 and Barbara Robinson 2015 but happy family tree event bringing joy was the celebration as  Natalie Mahon became Mrs Leo McDonnell on 22nd April 2017.
As the world battled the Covid 19 pandemic the family said a sudden goodbye, unrelated to the virus, to David Robinson my maternal uncle, who passed away on what would have been his elder brother's 93rd birthday 25th April 2020 with Covid 19 restrictions on travel adding to our sadness.
On we go ……………………………….
 I hope you enjoy my site. 
 Good Luck with your own searches - I cannot wish you more than the pleasure I find in continuing my  own.