Genealogy - it's not for the faint-hearted!

It's a brave man that says Bill Blunt is afraid to confront his past. It's well documented that Mrs Blunt and I have spent many a happy hour raking over the coals of our ancestors.

But even I have baulked at the constant twists and turns unfolding in my former colleague's recent foray into genealogical fiction via his online bog Harry McFry Investigates.

It's a nice idea - the story of someone who has 'lost' their family. As someone who is trying to lose their family quite regularly, I can't pretend I've been an avid follower of Thomas Hamburger Junior's recent attempt at fiction.

I first encountered Thomas while penning a column for the ill-fated Birkenhead Beagle, that short-lived daily newspaper that claimed its bite was worse than its bark. His articles on the darker side of family history were always popular with a 'certain' type of reader.