I would like to wish all my many friends around the world and here in the UK a very Happy Easter. For so many of us now so far from our native County of Hampshire, this is probably the time we miss the area the most - the trees and hedgerows now coloured a delicate and fresh green, creating dappled cool shade for shy primroses and later, stately cowslips. Gardens are bright with grape hyacinths, nodding daffodils and elegant tulips. Drifts of pink and white cherry, apple and pear blossom are balanced by the deep blue of blue bells, forget-me-nots and of course the deliciously scented bright red, yellow and orange wallflowers. All those birds the boys used to gather eggs from the nests of - are dashing back and forth putting the finishing touches to their new homes before the families arrive. Swans, pheasants, partridge and moorhens are all hunkered down in fields and along riverbanks patiently awaiting their new broods. The sun is shining, tempting children out of doors for the first time without their winter coats - Oh! that sense of freedom - remember it? I am suddenly back to being a child in Winchester again and, on my way to school, picking kingcups,pussy-willow and sticky buds; watching the water vole in the river near King Alfred's arch and the pair of Kingfishers that darted across the river by the tiny weir there. What else have I forgotten? Moya Page (nee Banting) researching BANTING and PERREN in Hampshire

Sounds like a Catherine Cookson novel Moya!!! "What have I forgotten?>" Well, there are traffic jams through the New Forest, the rush at the local supermarket!!! Mind you Eastleigh is hectic today with temps up to 80°F!!! Chris and Caroline ----- Original Message ----- From: "marp" <marp@ntlworld.com> To: <HAMPSHIRE-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 11:00 AM Subject: [HantsLife] Easter greetings! I would like to wish all my many friends around the world and here in the UK a very Happy Easter. For so many of us now so far from our native County of Hampshire, this is probably the time we miss the area the most - the trees and hedgerows now coloured a delicate and fresh green, creating dappled cool shade for shy primroses and later, stately cowslips. Gardens are bright with grape hyacinths, nodding daffodils and elegant tulips. Drifts of pink and white cherry, apple and pear blossom are balanced by the deep blue of blue bells, forget-me-nots and of course the deliciously scented bright red, yellow and orange wallflowers. All those birds the boys used to gather eggs from the nests of - are dashing back and forth putting the finishing touches to their new homes before the families arrive. Swans, pheasants, partridge and moorhens are all hunkered down in fields and along riverbanks patiently awaiting their new broods. The sun is shining, tempting children out of doors for the first time without their winter coats - Oh! that sense of freedom - remember it? I am suddenly back to being a child in Winchester again and, on my way to school, picking kingcups,pussy-willow and sticky buds; watching the water vole in the river near King Alfred's arch and the pair of Kingfishers that darted across the river by the tiny weir there. What else have I forgotten? Moya Page (nee Banting) researching BANTING and PERREN in Hampshire ==== HAMPSHIRE-LIFE Mailing List ==== This is YOUR list so please treat it the way you wish yourself treated. Remember: "FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION" It comes bundled with the software! ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 --- All of our Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. And attachments are also scanned before being added. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.471 / Virus Database: 269 - Release Date: 10/04/2003