Life goes on!

It's Sunday evening, 1st November 2009 - a week after my first grandchild was due to be born and we're still waiting around for his arrival. My daughter Louise went into hospital yesterday morning as the midwife had detected high blood pressure and wanted them to check her out. It wasn't for long though, the hospital tested her a few times and each time it seemed ok, so after a couple of hours they advised her to go home and just "wait".

Louise is back in the hospital now, contractions have been getting steadily more intense and frequent over the course of the afternoon and early evening, so I drove her and Will, her man, back in about two hours ago, when she was checked over she was 8cm dilated and her waters had just broke, so they're thinking any-time soon now!

On another tack, I have received Frances Tearle's birth certificate, and we were correct in our search, it is indeed the right person, Frances Jane Tearle, born in 11th December 1867 and residence shown as 'Black Pasture Cottage' in the registration district of Hexham, sub-district of Chollerton in the county of Northumberland. Father shown as James Tearle, Seaman in Her Majesty's Service. Mother is Annie Tearle, formerly Pigg! Well, that has really upset mother, she's not keen on that name at all! I really can't see the problem, it's just a name, and not one that has stayed with the family anyway.

In my opinion it all sounds so romantic, the places this family stayed over the years, Black Pasture Cottage, this throws up thoughts of the rolling countryside with really dark vegetation all around, and the next place they turn up is No1 Marina Villas, Fortunes Well, Portland, Dorset, now there's an address I'd love to have on my headed paper, sounds so enticing!

Now I have another quandary, and one that I fear I'll never be able to bottom out: Why on earth did this family end up in Little Bowden, Market Harborough, Leicestershire? When there is no sign whatever of any links with the area. James came from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire while Annie was a Geordie! The only explanation I can offer is that when James came out of the navy with his pension, he had a friend who came from this area who he either followed or contacted in order to find a job or accommodation. It seems a plausible explanation so I'll probably have to settle for that - unless I unearth any more Eureka moments where this family is concerned.

There is one further puzzle, the death of James Tearle is recorded in the index as being in Leicester, and as people generally weren't sent into hospital if they were ill it would appear that he perhaps suffered some sort of accident. It shouldn't be too long until we know anyway, have now put in a request for a copy of his death certificate. This should at least show the cause of death and who registered it.