There's nothing quite like coming back from a weekend AFI to find a whole bunch of new reviews on an old story. *smooches supplyship for reccing me*

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Went to visit my mum in Worcester this weekend. I love travelling by train (well, by daylight, anyhow: it's a bit boring when all you can see out the window is the reflection of the carriage). There are lots of craft shops in Worcester, and I'm jealous - there's remarkably few in Oxford. There also seems to be a lot of shops that... well, I've never seen such a concentration of pink frills, floral patterns, and aprons with pictures of cupcakes printed on them. The unicorns.... oh god, the unicorns...

Whilst I was there, I learnt a lot about my mum's side of the family - my aunt has been seriously researching the family tree, visiting distant cousins, joining websites, looking in... wherever it is you look for this information. She's managed to trace people as far back as the 15th century, which... wow. Mostly names and dates, but some interesting details, some of it only previously held in the memories of elderly relatives. Lots of deaths from silicosis (the "miner's disease" - lungs destroyed by breathing in coal dust - lots of Welsh miners in my family) and TB. Some awesome names, such as Adolphus and Gwenllian. Occupations included a governess, a scattering of clergymen, a puddler (don't ask me, I've no idea either), a wheelwright, a couple who ran a fish and chip shop in Liverpool, and a Special Envoy to Copenhagen, who died childless and left all his money to Cambridge University, but said in his will that if any heirs did subsequently appear, they were to receive one shilling. Nice guy.

I wish someone would get it into their head to research my dad's side of the family. Not me, right now: I have far too many projects on the go. It'd probably be very difficult, though - they were mostly farmworkers, as far as I know, and too poor to have gravestones. They won't have made much of a ripple in recorded history.

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I want to say something about the recent, serious, important, and occasionally mindbogglingly stupid discussions on race and othering and writing and all that, but really, I don't think I have anything to add. I'm reading, and wincing when I recognise things that I do and don't do. I'm trying to listen and learn. Great love to rydra_wong for amazing services to humanity in gathering links.