I did have to swear an oath, to uphold the objectives of charity and to foster an understanding of British and Commonwealth cultures and traditions. Quoting Shakespeare would have been fun and entertaining though!
I have done some family history research, with a lot of help from other family members. Three of my great great grandparents moved to America from England in the 1800's. They were from Lincolnshire, Cornwall and London. I know the most about the one from Lincolnshire, we've kept in contact with that part of the family over the years, visited them and found graves of some ancestors. I have a strong sense of being "at home" in Lincolnshire when I've visited there, I must feel a connection to my ancestors there, but we have some really good friends who live there too.
It was a very nice day. Met some more wonderful ladies of the DBE, had a delicious lunch, and learned about what the goals are for the year ahead. And my family managed to survive 10 hours at home on a Saturday without me
