I hope I can capture some of the fulness we have experienced of late. In our last post, we talked about Ryan and Heather’s visit. On their heels came Darice, Rowan, Scout, Harper and Sawyer. We had a couple of weeks to be with them and time went so fast. We loved every minute and the kids were so patient and interested in learning. One of the highlights for me was when we were headed to Strafford Upon Avon (Shakespeare’s birthplace). I asked Harper if she knew who Shakespeare was and she said, “sure, he is the king of couplets.” Darice grinned from ear to ear thinking we appreciated that she was the best homeschooler ever. It seems we had a major event every day, including doing baptisms in the temple with Darice and Rowan. Here are just a few pics of our time with the Austons:
Showing their dragons purchased at Warwick Castle
Dressed for the times at the Mary Arden Farm (Shakespeare’s mother)
Entering Warwick Castle
Learning about the cotton milling industry at the Queen Street Mill
Tim, Kathy and Darice at Fountains Abbey
Scout putting on the Bishop’s robes (which has become our tradition)
We missed Darryl (who joined the family in London after their visit here). It was so nice to get re-acquainted with these kids. They have lived far away from us from the very start and we simply don’t get enough of them. They each warmed our hearts and we miss them very much.
Following Darice, Brad and Megan arrived. We only had five days with them–so we packed it with all our favorites. One of the unique experiences was to watch a play in the York Minster. The nave of the Minster was filled with a stage and a 1,000 seat auditorium for this play. The play portrays the biblical history of the world from the creation through Revelations. It was four hours long, but otherwise very well done. The sets and costumes were particularly admirable. Here are a few Brad-Megan pics:
Brad and Tim waiting “patiently” while the women shop in Bath
A beautiful day at Bodnant Gardens (North Wales)
Dinner at Lucy’s on a Plate in the Lake District
The iconic photo at Castle Combe
At lunch on a beautiful day in Castle Combe (which doesn’t have a castle)
Brad and Megan shared a hamburger at the hotel in Castle Combe
In the middle of all the excitement, the Backmans finished their mission and returned home. That leaves just two in the office. We spent a lot of time with the Backmans and enjoyed their company. We will miss them. I think I mentioned that we lived just 1 minute from them and they are right on the way to the office–so it made it very easy to arrange rides to work and temple and to just “drop in.”
This last week, there was a J. Ruben Clark Law Society conference here in Chorley. Elder Oaks was the keynote speaker (coming straight from Parliament and Oxford where he spoke and participated in panel discussions). On Saturday, Tim look Mike Jensen and Bill Atkin on a mini church history tour to sites in Preston, Chatburn and Downham. I think they had a good time. Sunday was stake conference and we enjoyed having a family sit with us that we have been trying to reactivate.
We have been getting better acquainted with Elder (Mick) and Sister (Becki) Crane. They are the Area Medical Advisors for the UK missions. Saturday, we went to Lyme Park and took the “Pemberley Walk”. This is the manor house and surrounding 1,000+ acres where the BBC Pride and Prejudice was filmed. The walk took us by the places where some of the more famous scenes from the movie were filmed–a thrill for the women and tolerable for the men. After that, we visited a little village by the name of “Bakewell” which is famous for their torts and puddings. But our favorite and unexpected surprise was the beautiful garden/park in the center of town with all the flowers in full bloom. It rounded out a perfect day.
On Saturday, May 28th, I announced to mom that I turned old that day. My left hip has been getting progressively intolerable–I suppose from arthritis. On the fateful Saturday, I could not get in the left passenger seat of the car without some pretty sever pain. I remember helping my dad get in and out of the car and how, when I rotated his left foot, he would grimace in pain. That is exactly what I did. And I became my dad. Problem is, he was 90. You will be happy to know that I am working on my car mount and dismount so as not to embarrass myself or others. It will help to have a steering wheel to hold onto when I get in and out on that side!
I am sure I am leaving out a lot, but I simply must get this posted.
Love to all.