Portsmouth History - Portsmouth Now and Then

Yes ... well ,,,, as you can see, I've been absent from this bit for just over a month, although I have been doing a bit of "housework" in some other parts of this site, sorting links and indices, so I won't apologise overly much!

Actually, I will confess that I've been a bit side-tracked throughout November, partly by work (my proper job, I mean!) and partly by another historical project, which I'm intending to link in to this site, hopefully before Christmas ... and then that project will lead us across to another one.

I'll explain ...

Like a lot of other people, I decided to start looking at the history of my own family, getting hold of names, dates and stuff, whilst there are still a few relatives around to help - not to mention that once I've gone my kids wouldn't have had much idea of who played any part in them being who and where they are now.

I suppose you'd say that mine was and is a pretty ordinary family; I know I would - or at least, I would have, until I started unearthing a few little quirky bits and pieces, which I'm now in the process of investigating more fully - assuming there is still enough surviving information for me to do that.

Not that we're talking long dead rellies who held up stage coaches, led peasants' revolts, or built bridges across the Menai Straits - but there are ancestors in the old blood-line who seem to have led quite interesting lives, and that has given me an idea, although you'll have to be patient, because there is only one of me, and other things also have calls on my time.

Firstly, I'll be linking to my family history site, as I said earlier. Apart from anything else, you can have a good laugh at some photos of me as a young teenager - and no, it's not a young Mr Bean, despite the apparent photographic evidence to the contrary!

Secondly, as I unravel a couple of tangled threads, I have an idea for a Victorian/Edwardian novel, set here in Portsmouth, and based around the characters from my family's past that I mostly never knew, but yet who I am now almost starting to believe I lived with for many years. Oh my, but if I'd known back then what I think I'm starting to find out know, how I would have sat down with my Grandma and talked for days on end!

Any youngsters reading this, take note. I wish someone had told me to, forty five years ago now. But that's now by-the-by, because, as I said, the novel will be based around the characters from my family's past, and won't just be a dry factual account.

The working title for the novel was going to be "Pompey Bred", the same as my family website, but the story starts much earlier than the first recorded use of "Pompey" for either our city, or the football club, so I'm not sure. Maybe a few more cups of tea are needed ...

Incidentally folks, two minor historical notes in the Bob diary - I qualify for my bus pass next Monday, 7 December, and a week after that it will be nine months since I stopped smoking. It hasn't affected me at all - and the teeth marks in my filing cabinet have nothing to do with anything ...

Stay tuned, as I'll have some more info for you very shortly, including the first draft of the first chapter of the novel, whatever I decide to call it. Actually, I might just give it a working title and then maybe we could have a competition for a final published title ... yes, that's a decent idea.

Back again very soon,