Seven Quick Takes Friday

Haven't done this for a while, but here we go:

1. I'm in Guelph for a workshop on Scottish Genealogy with Dr Bruce Durie, Course Director of Genealogical Studies at Strathclyde University.  He's visiting the Scottish Studies department at the University of Guelph and I'm looking forward to getting some tips on researching the Morren branch of my family tree.
2. I"m staying at a rather low-end hotel close to the university campus and didn't sleep all that well last night.  The air conditioning system is extremely noisy and the room is rather poorly furnished with lumpy pillows and a tiny bathroom.  Don't get me started on the vile in-room coffee. I don't know why I even bother brewing it. There is breakfast offered in the lobby but I am seriously considering just skipping that and hopping across the street to Cora. 
3. Ancestry.ca just announced some new records:  The Canada School Directories. I found a Goddard ancestor in the Annual Register and Business Directory of the Sons of England Benevolent Society for the Dominion of Canada which is a terrific find because I knew very little about him. There also appears to be some old case law in Ontario from the late 1800s with the name Goddard which I will be following up on.
   
4. I'm looking forward to our trip to England in a couple of weeks. We'll be staying at the Queen's International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle for the first four days and then will travel in Kent. I still need to book some accomodation for those last four days so must get on that this weekend.
   
5. We've also booked travel to Stockholm at the end of July, for just the two of us. It will be the anniversary of Zouheir's mother's death in August and there will be a mass said for her. All of her children will be there and we're planning a two-night cruise to Helsinki together which should be lots of fun and a great way to be together with everyone freed up from cooking and hosting:  a very suitable way to celebrate this remarkable woman. It will be my first visit to Sweden and I am very much looking forward to seeing Stockholm, as well as visiting with my wonderful in-laws.
6. My boys are doing well. Alex's second year at Queen's is drawing to a close, with classes ending in a week and then exams start on the 15th of April. He'll be working as a Section Head at Crestwood Valley Day Camp in July and August and is hoping to do some French study in France in May and/or June if he can find a place to study and get credit. Michael is hanging in for the rest of Grade 10, still busy with Music and working hard to focus on his other schoolwork as well. He's got a gig with the Jazz.fm Youth Big Band this Sunday at The Rex (Noon) and concerts with Hannaford coming up as well. He'll also be playing in a masterclass with Patrick Sheridan. He's looking forward to two weeks at Interprovincial Music Camp in August: one week of Jazz (bass trombone) and one week of Band/Orchestra (tuba).
7. One of the perks of being an opera subscriber is the occasional freebie. Earlier this season, on the evening of the municipal elections (and presumably low ticket sales due to the high anxiety around that election), I got comped two box-seat tickets for Death in Venice which was a terrific show, in all it's depressing glory. Next Monday, we've got invites to a working rehearsal of La Cenerentola (Cinderella).  This is not one of the operas in our subscription package, so I'm excited to be able to catch a freebie, even if in it's un-final form.

Check out some other quick takes at Conversion Diary.