This morning I recieved an email about the website billiongraves.com
I was so keen to write about this project. I have already put it on facebook asking for help. Now I am asking here as well.
Billiongraves.com is a website dedicated to having members [free] who have a smart phone [android] or an iphone go to grave yards/cemeteries and take photos of the graves and upload them. Then they can be transcribed for everyone to have access.
I went to the site this morning and walked my way through it just to see for myself how useful it may be for us here in Australia. I have found previous to this site that transcribing is usually for other countries and not for us here. Well this site is. I transcribed a few {under 10} this morning for a cemetery in South Australia. I am sure you can see the possiblities for us here if everyone could get on board.
Another thing that I liked about this site billiiongraves.com is that even if you cannot take the photos or get out physically it doesn't matter.... you are still able to help by transcribing. AND..... you can choose where you are going to transcribe. It is not just where you are given. You can choose what country, state, town etc just by going to the bottom of the page and clicking on which country you want. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to have access to all Australian cemetery records NOW, not when it becomes available online. All just by doing some photographic work or transcribing yourself. I encourage you to go to the site and have a look at the possibilities. Check out what work is already done in your country of choice, if nothing contact family from there and ask if they have the capability of taking the photos and then you can transcribe. Easy. Access. To family history records.
What about having a church activity. Whether it be youth, or individual. Families getting together and taking photos then uploading.
The reason we need the smartphone or iphone only and not an ordinary camera is explained at billiongraves.com. but briefly it is because the phones have a built on GPS system which shows location of where we are taking the photographs.
This site, if we can advertise through our church and to any and all keen participants of Family History could be a wealth of information for us here in Australia and world wide.
I encourage all who have this kind of phone to get on down to the cemetery and start taking those photos.
ps. If anyone in W.A. is near the Gingin Cemetery, Moora and Dandaragan Cemetery, Midland Cemetery, I would love for you to take the photos of those headstones and plaques.
Let me know what you think, and whether you are willing to get this information out there to others so we can really take off here in Australia and get our cemeteries transcribed.
What a wonderful work.
love to all
xx
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
two months! really!!
I looked at the last post I wrote....way back in March.....this morning and realised I havent posted for over two months. How times flies and all that.
I had the much awaited shoulder surgery on the 9th March. Maybe that is why. Although I have been housebound since then mainly I have not overly felt that positive.
Do you ever feel as though you are only saying negative things?. That is how I felt. But maybe looking back on my previous blogs and seeing in the blog that I don't be negative much at all, maybe my fear was more because I didn't want to say anything negative and thought that I would if blogging.
Anyway, update time is needed.
On a positive note, it would be remiss of me to not mention how blessed I have been with many friends that have helped. Everything from lifting my shopping , usually after telling me off for trying to do it, to one who has done the school pick up every day since the op. and many more things to boot. Today she took me to the physio. I am blessed. Without her, and my other friends life would have been so much more difficult.
While there we took the kiddies to Werribee Park Zoo, to the aquarium in Melbourne. They got to go on their first train ride, and tram ride. We went to the Queen vic markets and introduced them to spanish donuts {a must}. Then went to the museum. We even stayed in a hotel in Melbourne as well. We went on the ship 'Spirit of Tasmania' as we usually do, but is always a great trip for the kiddies.
xx
I had the much awaited shoulder surgery on the 9th March. Maybe that is why. Although I have been housebound since then mainly I have not overly felt that positive.
Do you ever feel as though you are only saying negative things?. That is how I felt. But maybe looking back on my previous blogs and seeing in the blog that I don't be negative much at all, maybe my fear was more because I didn't want to say anything negative and thought that I would if blogging.
Anyway, update time is needed.
- The surgery went fine. It didn't end up being keyhole as anticipated though. I am pretty sliced up. Much more damage than first thought they say. My clavical and Scapula [I think] are no longer touching. They cut both bones to stop some of the problem. The shoulder block they give during this surgery did not work! It is supposed to dull the pain for 24 hours as this is a painful surgery [what surgery isn't]. Well, it didn't work. And as I am allergic to morphine, codiene, tremidol, endone and any other good stuff, it was only panadol available to me since the operation. Unfortunately.... for me..... they didn't give me any post op. advice/paper work anything, so I tried using my arm, thinking that I needed to use it and push past pain as I didn't have a high threshold for pain after all. I went back to the surgeon at two weeks only to find out that I do have a pretty good threshold and that I had over done it with the movement. I thinking he thought I was joking when I asked if I could drive and whether I needed the sling still. Two months on I have just started drving now [it is so nice]. My arm still needs to be slinged up sometimes. The surgeon has told me 6months to get the arm ok to work with 'normally'...... if I am lucky!
On a positive note, it would be remiss of me to not mention how blessed I have been with many friends that have helped. Everything from lifting my shopping , usually after telling me off for trying to do it, to one who has done the school pick up every day since the op. and many more things to boot. Today she took me to the physio. I am blessed. Without her, and my other friends life would have been so much more difficult.
- Secondly, Simons father has been very unwell for some 18 months. We thought we were going to lose him then. He had a heart attack but waited some 8 hours before going to the doctors, which basically damaged his heart muscle, and reduced its capacity to less than 30%. He has since done more damage, but he is still here. To date, I think he has only about 8-9% working heart. He is amazing, like his son, he just keeps on going. Simon has been amazing. He has been responsible for his Dads wishes, with his Dad giving him Power of Attorney to help out. Simon has managed this, his job [which is pretty full on at the best of times], and still been here for our family unit. To care, support, love. And amazingly, he has also fullfilled his church obligations as well. One very strong, supportive, loving husband and Son.
While there we took the kiddies to Werribee Park Zoo, to the aquarium in Melbourne. They got to go on their first train ride, and tram ride. We went to the Queen vic markets and introduced them to spanish donuts {a must}. Then went to the museum. We even stayed in a hotel in Melbourne as well. We went on the ship 'Spirit of Tasmania' as we usually do, but is always a great trip for the kiddies.
xx
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
random
I was just sitting here –putting off doing someone’s genealogy- and looked at my gorgeous girl {miss soon to be 7}, and then noticed the pups ‘playing’ on my bed. I couldn’t resist it.
concentrating on playing her DS. Making necklaces on it.
the master Friday
Glad he is not on my pillow.!
Can you say ‘cheese’.
Kahli has already doubled Fridays weight, she just stands over him. Too cute.
Better go, skype calling. hehehehe
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Gifts that amaze - I have photos
Today I was given one of the......... best. gifts. ever.!
That may not seem so big to some but for me this is an amazing gift to be given.
I never knew my father – in fact never even saw a photo of him until 3 years ago. I had no idea what he looked like at all. He died two weeks before I decided I had enough courage to meet him.
Before Christmas while researching my family as I have done every week for about 15 years I came across a site in Western Australia that allowed me to do a ‘reverse marriage lookup’. I knew through research that my father had siblings, so one by one I typed their names in hoping to find their spouses surname.
One did, Dot? Once I found her married name I looked in the white pages and found one name so I thought I would try it, sending a long letter to her. This was really lucky as Edith is well into her 80's and I had no idea whether she would be able to help in any way at all.
She thankfully responded before Christmas with shock of course as she had not known I existed and gave me some wonderful information. I thought that was the end of it and was fine with how she had helped.
Fast forward to today- This wonderful lady in her 80s was thinking of me and sent me three photos.
Not only do I now have a ‘good’ photo of my biological father, but also my grandparents.
It is a very hard thing not ever knowing who you ‘link’ with. I never knew how hard until I saw the first photo 3 years ago. I wept buckets. I think about that day sometimes and still get really teary. I felt like I had years and years of emotions waving over me. Funny thing though, I didn't really think that it worried me not knowing. Until I saw him for the first time in over 40 years of my life.
It is so important that people have a sense of identity, where they fit in, who they belong to etc.
I am so so grateful to Dot…. my aunty I guess. I feel more complete.
My grandparents I have had more chance to 'know' through the historic documents found in my research. Edith [grandmother] was married prior to Charles, with her first husband dying in the first world war. She travelled with her son from that marriage [James] to Western Australia, I dont know why but this is where she met and married Charles Percy.
Edith died quite young from breast cancer, but not before losing James to a work accident a few years prior.
Charles on the other hand was in his latter days after Edith died, a bit of naughty man. He even spent time locked up for assualt. He was a large drinker. Reading what I have and the time frame I like to think that he truly loved his wife and did not cope with losing her so young.
Sounds nice that way.
PHOTOS
That may not seem so big to some but for me this is an amazing gift to be given.
I never knew my father – in fact never even saw a photo of him until 3 years ago. I had no idea what he looked like at all. He died two weeks before I decided I had enough courage to meet him.
 |
| My father - Ronald Douglas Percy |
=============================================
Before Christmas while researching my family as I have done every week for about 15 years I came across a site in Western Australia that allowed me to do a ‘reverse marriage lookup’. I knew through research that my father had siblings, so one by one I typed their names in hoping to find their spouses surname.
One did, Dot? Once I found her married name I looked in the white pages and found one name so I thought I would try it, sending a long letter to her. This was really lucky as Edith is well into her 80's and I had no idea whether she would be able to help in any way at all.
She thankfully responded before Christmas with shock of course as she had not known I existed and gave me some wonderful information. I thought that was the end of it and was fine with how she had helped.
Fast forward to today- This wonderful lady in her 80s was thinking of me and sent me three photos.
Not only do I now have a ‘good’ photo of my biological father, but also my grandparents.
It is a very hard thing not ever knowing who you ‘link’ with. I never knew how hard until I saw the first photo 3 years ago. I wept buckets. I think about that day sometimes and still get really teary. I felt like I had years and years of emotions waving over me. Funny thing though, I didn't really think that it worried me not knowing. Until I saw him for the first time in over 40 years of my life.
It is so important that people have a sense of identity, where they fit in, who they belong to etc.
I am so so grateful to Dot…. my aunty I guess. I feel more complete.
My grandparents I have had more chance to 'know' through the historic documents found in my research. Edith [grandmother] was married prior to Charles, with her first husband dying in the first world war. She travelled with her son from that marriage [James] to Western Australia, I dont know why but this is where she met and married Charles Percy.
Edith died quite young from breast cancer, but not before losing James to a work accident a few years prior.
Charles on the other hand was in his latter days after Edith died, a bit of naughty man. He even spent time locked up for assualt. He was a large drinker. Reading what I have and the time frame I like to think that he truly loved his wife and did not cope with losing her so young.
Sounds nice that way.
 |
| My Grandmother - Edith Mary Lucken |
 | ||||
| My Grandfather - Charles Alfred Percy |
Late valentines day post
I know it is just a tad late……
Being the same day as our wonderful son was born we tend to get a bit side tracked on this special day now. We are usually busy celebrating his birthday with him. This year was no exception.
I tried to plan ahead and made this lovely framed saying for The Main Man. He didn’t say much, maybe it was too girly for him. hehehe
On a serious note. Life has been pretty full on for us over the last few months now. With one thing or another happening. Sometimes we have lulls of drama and peace reigns supreme which I just relish, but of late we have been so busy and stressed.
Valentines day is a day to remember those you love. Simon didn't get me anything from the store.
What he did do was write the words 'I LOVE YOU' in the driveway so I could see them as I was going out later that day. Funny thing was that I didn't think he did anything as the sun was in my eyes later in the day going down that long driveway!!! He actually had to point it out. Too funny that. hehehe
This is a man who tries to show me daily how much he loves me. Sometimes we get side tracked, but mostly I feel very loved and appreciated and eternally grateful for the beautiful man that I am married to.
xx
Being the same day as our wonderful son was born we tend to get a bit side tracked on this special day now. We are usually busy celebrating his birthday with him. This year was no exception.
I tried to plan ahead and made this lovely framed saying for The Main Man. He didn’t say much, maybe it was too girly for him. hehehe
Valentines day is a day to remember those you love. Simon didn't get me anything from the store.
What he did do was write the words 'I LOVE YOU' in the driveway so I could see them as I was going out later that day. Funny thing was that I didn't think he did anything as the sun was in my eyes later in the day going down that long driveway!!! He actually had to point it out. Too funny that. hehehe
This is a man who tries to show me daily how much he loves me. Sometimes we get side tracked, but mostly I feel very loved and appreciated and eternally grateful for the beautiful man that I am married to.
xx
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