I went to a talk on findmypast.co.uk the other day and one of the things they suggested was to set up a free account and upload a gedcom file (the format used by most family tree software programs) to genesreunited.co.uk I did it, not really thinking I would get much out of it and I’ve had seven people contact me about my tree in just ten days!!

This is well worth doing. If you’re someone who already uses either of these sites then you might consider uploading your tree to ancestry.com.au to see what contacts you get from other genealogists. Maybe you’ll find that elusive missing relative or break through a frustrating road block in your research.

carved lino blocks

foam stamps

foam stamps

Go to the blog, linked above, and look at the rest of the Geek Alphabet. Thanks Robyn for showing me this!!

Farm may be culled – Local News – News | Leader Messenger

A LANDMARK Modbury Heights property known as Willison’s Farm could be sold for housing or turned into a new-age “wellness centre” under a list of options released by Tea Tree Gully Council.

Other ideas for the rundown, 19th century house and its surrounding land include an aged care home or turning it into a public park.

Councillors were last week presented with a staff report on what to do with the Golden Grove Rd property, which the council bought in 2006 for $3 million.

The stone section at the back of the house was built in the mid 19th century but is not heritage listed.

The report lists several options for the house including demolition, conversion to a private home or offices and stone “ruins” with signs explaining its history.

The council must repay a $1.5 million loan on the property by July 2011.

Mayor Miriam Smith said the council had to balance Willison’s Farm’s historical significance with “minimal long-term cost to our ratepayers”. She said the wetland the council had built on the property would remain under all options.

Tea Tree Gully Historical Society president Carole Simmonds said at a minimum she wanted the house’s stonework retained, but she preferred it to be made into a heritage park. She also wanted Willison’s Farm’s vines, planted in 1886, to remain.

The council will consult the community before making a decision.

This property belonged to my Dad’s cousin Bruce Willison. I don’t want to see it get demolished.

A Facebook group has been started to help raise awareness and to get people to contact the Tea Tree Gully council and vote in favour of keeping the house.

Some family graves and names on the war monument, Scaddens and Johns’ in Houghton, South Australia.

The Dye Woorkes:Medieval & Renaissance Dye Recipes

Amazing website with fantastic classical dye recipes, information about mordants, books and manuscripts translated from German and French.

Quote from the website-

The use of the kermes insect (coccus ilicis L.) among the Greeks has been discussed in an earlier issue of this journal (cf. Ciba Review No. 7, “Scarlet”). Apart from the conchyliae, kermes was the only animal dye used by the Ancients. Kermes dye was expensive, but it was cheaper than purple, and therefore frequently used as a substitute for it. Dioscorides already expressed the opinion that kermes is not a plant, but an animal.

My friend Louise talked about this insect or grub, in her communion message at church last night, in Hebrew it’s Tola or Towla. When the female worm dies it releases a scarlet or crimson liquid which soaks the worm and the tree bark it is on. The dead female is harvested, dried and crushed for making a scarlet dye. I gather that the Israelites used this as well as the Greeks mentioned above. Here is a message along the same lines as Louise’s. The Gospel In A Bug

More quotes from the website-

A number of recipes are concerned with the solution of alcanna. It is dissolved in oil and water, but best of all with camel’s urine, which preserves the red colour better than any other agent.

91. The Fixation of Alkanet.
Urine of sheep, or arbute-berry, or henbane in the same manner.

92. Falsification of Alkanet.
Alkanet is diluted with pine cones, the inside part of peaches, purpura, beet juice, dregs of wine, the urine of a camel and the interior of citrons.

93. Fixation of Alkanet.
Navelwort and alum mixed in equal parts, crush finely (and) throw the alkanet in it.

94. Styptic agents.
Melantheria, calcined copperas, alum, chalcitis, cinnabar, lime, bark of pomegranit, pod of a thorny tree, urine with aloes. These things serve in dying.