As for the work angle, I can totally relate to your situation and issues. I was made redundant around 18 months ago. I held a very high paid job which took me all over the UK and overseas. The downside was extreme stress, anxiety and no time for the family. As a result I had become distanced from my wife and kids.

Over the first 3 months I was determined to find a similar job however I could not get a job despite having applied for hundreds, signed up with various recruitment agencies, and in excess of 25 interviews. However in this time the wife managed to land a full time job with just enough income to cover the bills.

So we trimmed our outgoings, unpluged was the SKY box, all uneccessary spending put on hold, all magazine subscriptions and online game subs canclled, expensive hair styling and colouring for the wife cancelled, fitting of energy saving bulbs throughout the whole house, changing habits of putting heating on to putting on another jumper instead, shopping habits changed from one store for everything to shopping around and using local markets. But to be honest when we stripped it all away, we could not believe how much money we were previously wasting with nothing to show for it.

Having failed to get a job, and having accepted my dented ego and male pride, I sat down and thought about what I would like to do. I became primary stay at home carer for the kids, doing the school runs, homework, school events etc.
and I took work as a factory cleaner to earn a few quid and get out of the house and started volunteering a morning a week as a classroom helper at the local primary school.

Over the next 6 months I then retrained and dabbled in all sorts, from health and safety, contracting to being a chocolatier. However I landed up on a teaching course having agreed to “just try it”. The end result has been I now teach on a sessional contract maintstream classes but also work with learners who are suffering from mental illness and severe learning difficulties (something I said I could and would never do). I have also become a Scout Leader and an active part of the parish groups in the community.

The result for me has been a more enriched life, full of rewards and challenges and loads of time now for the family especially my son who I had never really formed a relationship with. I no lonegr suffer the stress and strain of the rat race or social anxiety of having to keep up with the Jone’s.

So take heart there is light at the end of might appear to be a long tunnel.

For example, in the course of doing research into an artist I did a bit of digging about in her family tree to get a sense of family size, addresses, movement, employment etc and from that I could get a better sense of her class background, personal circumstances etc. I probably enjoyed that just as much as digging around the Chapman family (my maternal gg grandparents). Besides, I’m not entirely convinced by the ‘kennel club’ mentality of some genealogists.

I’ve also had some unfortunate encounters with genealogists who can get a bit keen on you being the right sort for their society.

I think it can be fascinating to put some real people onto the bones of generic history – but it can be something people lose a lifetime in and I’m not always sure what they’re getting out of it. Besides, pre-19th century records will often involve a fair degree of supposition, especially where names are relatively common. The level of certainty about who you are tracing can get very wobbly indeed so unless you’ve got especially prominent family heritage or who had a well recorded status in their area I’m a little wary of anything heading back to the 16th century or earlier…

Enjoy it, but think about what you are getting from it (a time focused activity? something to bond you to real historical people and places? a sense of self/family?) and is that what you are after.

Anyway, I can nevertheless recommend Aberdeen. Lovely City and though it is very grey (it’s the granite), you are very close to good old whisky country, plenty of great outdoors, and the beach is fabulous at all times of the year.

The horror industry has always been stereotypically predictive, placing the viewer in a state of complete confusion for the entire exposition would have probably not worked that great.

Amazing that your mother’s family tree can be traced so far back.

Anyway, it may be worth actually looking at some bank statements for the past 12 months and identifying the costs that will disappear, the costs that will be substituted by others (which may be higher or lower) and the costs that could be reduced. I say 12 months statements since it’s easy to forget some of the annual costs that may arrive during your 6 month contract. Make best use of second-hand stuff (especially for hatchlings) and/ or swap schemes (freecycle-style sites can offer some good stuff if you use them carefully). Reduce waste where possible – growing and freezing can both help with food waste and reduce bills.

Not revolutionary suggestions for sure, but good luck.