Who The Heck Do You Think You Are?
Our Radio Events team is based four floors above me in an office at the other side of the building. I reckon I've saved myself a fortune in gym membership fees just climbing the stairs each day to visit them. I tend not to say much when I get there. I gesture for the oxygen mask and have a wee lie down.
At the moment the team is planning a whole series of activities, including a special event linked to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV series Who Do You Think You Are? It's one of the few TV programmes that Mrs Z and myself watch together. It's also prompted thousands of people to trace their own family trees. So on the 11th of February Radio Scotland will be live at New Register House in Edinburgh, working with the experts there to help people trace their ancestors. Do pop along. I'm told there will also be some authentic 19th Century Food which must be well past it's sell-by date (ho ho).
Anyway, back to the Events Team and, in particular, Jennifer Allan who is organising the Family History Day in Edinburgh. Jen, as we call her, has been tracing her own ancestry and tells me she is descended from a character by the name of Moses Jackson. She's thrilled but, lacking any further information, has simply imagined who this character might have been. No doubt she thinks of Moses and envisgaes some bearded guru, a leader in his community, a man to be feared and respected, a man of wisdom.
I, on the other hand, immediately make the connection with Michael Jackson and imagine something completely different.
Tracing the Zycinski family tree might be a litle tricky. My Dad, who is eighty-five, can supply the details of his parents and grandparents and I know that we come from a south of Lodz. The rest will have to wait until I get a cheap flight to Poland.
But I'm always reminded of the time I visted one of those Clan History Centres on "Royal Deeside". They promised they could locate the clan history of anyone in Scotland using the sophisticated shop-counter computer. I was going to give them my Mother's maiden name but then decided to test the system.
"What's your name, Sir?"
"Zycinski."
"Just a moment..."
Sure enough, a few taps on the keyboard and the Zycinski Clan was located, complete with a recommended shopping list of the various tartans and crests I
was now qualified to purchase. There was even a sporran.
In the event, I just didn't buy it.
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