Step lightly

Carbon footprint is the new catchphrase of the world; everyone is aware of it and there is a certain amount of shame attached to a large footprint.

Mine is going to jump significantly since I'm flying to Europe in May, but I can sheepishly say I offset that by having a low footprint anyway. Yes, I said that while covered in smug.

If you want a more accurate estimate of your household, go here and follow the links to the calculator. The best thing about this site is that it's BP. Yes, that's right, a petrol company. Finally, the petroleum industry and the car industry are seeing the light on emissions reduction - not that I can afford a hybrid car, but I use petrol with ethanol in it.

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Writers Digest have a nifty article on blogging for those wanting to maintain or start. 20 Tips for Good Blogging gives you some handy ideas and guidelines for keeping that counter ticking over.

Also in Writers Digest is an interview with Tess Gerritsen for those interested. Follow the link. Amazingly, Tess doesn't plot her books which makes them all the more intriguing and well-crafted.

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I'm back hanging around the family tree, seeing what drops out. My brother in Denmark is making headway, but still rattling the same branches I've already shaken. Still, he has some interesting extra information to follow up.

The more difficult being the corruption of names. Look for a Longstaff and not much happens; look for Langstaffe/Langstaff and out they pop. But where, in the miasma of different spelling, lie those belonging to the family? This is why secondary and tertiary confirmation is essential. I've already erred when it came to ancestors. I'm more cautious.

And it looks like that caution has been reward, with a maybe connected to David Tennant (BBC's Dr Who) and to a pauper Langstaff. David is the first famous person and John Langstaff the first pauper who maybe in the tree, albeit on a branch way back. Thrilling stuff, you know, if you find history as fascinating as I do.