Hi Everyone ! Well here I am on the Island, have had a few email / browser issues but think it is now all sorted. I am loving every minute and have met so many friendly and helpful people, its just a shame I'm no good with names ! Jon Matthews has been an absolute gem and makes a wonderful tour guide - his specialty tour would be Cowes pubs ! My husband can't get use to "warm , flat beer" but is trying his best. Jon has introduced me to a lot of people and is a font of knowledge. I have attended an Isle of Wight Family History Society meeting , great to put a lot of faces to names. If you live on the Island and haven't been to one yet do come a long. I have been to Northwood Cemetery on numerous occasions and it is looking lovely at the moment in all it's autumn glory, I'm yet to have a close up encounter with a red squirrel though one did wave as it passed by the window of Northwood House when I called in. At Northwood House I visited the Cowes Heritage Groups display on Cowes Churches which was very informative. I have also been along to St Mary's Church in Cowes and have decided combing the graveyard will be in the too hard basket as the majority of headstones are impossible to read. I also attended a talk which was given on the Floating Bridge, to celebrate it being 150 years old. Other than that numerous trips in to Newport where I keep stumbling upon the PITTIS name whether it be buildings or plaques and MEW crops up all over the place. Newport is very busy but I prefer the more sedate Cowes. We have been to Arreton , Ryde, Calbourne , Shalfleet and Yarmouth but all were brief visits. I was impressed with the Church in Arreton and noticed the tombstones in that particular churchyard are in pretty good condition and not too difficult to read. Yarmouth is lovely and I was amazed at the High St, in census years everyone seemed to live on the High St and yet it's only a small road. I am going back again tomorrow to have a better look around. Also went in to St James Church and went along the pier and had a smile to myself when I noted a toll gate where you can make a voluntary donation , back in 1876 one of my ancestors was a leading protestor against the toll system introduced at the time which restricted access to the pier so I had great pleasure in not donating any money. Trying to keep it brief that's about it in a nutshell. The weather up until today has been pretty mild and dry so not too much of a culture shock . I am only a couple of hundred metres from the High St in Cowes so if anyone wants any photo's of houses, pubs or shops let me know. I haven't been to the Record Office yet as I have been literally run off my feet but hope to pay a visit next week to see what they have etc. I did meet Keir Foss at a book signing in Newport, he has just published a wonderful book on Calbourne . Have also joined a yacht club - that bit of news should please Mark Urry :-) , I was asked if I'd be interested in taking up sailing but the weather would have to improve considerably first ! Angela from Oz now living in Cowes