BRRR....IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

Winter has arrived in England with increased rain, lots of bone-chilling wind, decreased daylight (8-3:45), but no snow in these parts...YEAH!  This house is where our American ward friends live (where we ate one of our Thanksgiving Dinners.)  The ivy is stunning in the fall.






The month began with an outdoor ward dinner, bonfire and fireworks for Guy Fawkes Night.  This celebration on November 5th commemorates an event dating back to 1605, where an attempt on King James (of King James Bible fame) was foiled.  The event was cold, but not freezing, and the food was great.  We were pleased to interact with several non-members who attended.

Another noteworthy event was a fireside at the church given by Eva Clark, a lady who was born in a concentration camp and who survived due to a series of miracles.  her story is told in a book, Born Survivors, written by Wendy Holden.

November 11 is called Remembrance Day here and is celebrated in most cities and villages with a town square ceremony and a nationwide poppy pin campaign.




Our church participates by placing poppy wreathes in the town square ceremonies in the villages that are within our ward boundary.  We attended one celebration which was very touching....and cold.  And we did wear our poppy pins.

































The event which occupied most of our spare time was producing the ward roadshow.  It was actually billed as a Pantomime, but was not at all what I expected because it has words, songs and lots of audience participation.  The British definition of a pantomime is different than ours.  They generally have a 2-person animal in them, so we added a 2-person camel.  Our ward was the only one that had a 2-person animal, by-the-way, but we received a hefty cheer from the audience when the camel appeared.  By default I wrote and directed the 15 minute play, and it was a great success.  Bruce made all of the tricky props, so we were a bit busy but had a great time interacting with the ward members.  Because our stake center is so far away most of the ward members were not able to see the show, so the bishop asked if we would do it again for the Ward Christmas Breakfast this weekend.  Unfortunately, I had thrown out or dismantled some of our key props so we are doing some quick reconstruction work.

We enjoyed two Thanksgiving Dinners this year, both in the same afternoon.  Our American ward members hosted a houseful of non-member American military families, and the second meal was hosted by a non-member American family and their military friends.  By the end of the day we were pretty full, but managed to eat pie anyway!  I was asked to cook a turkey and provide mashed potatoes for the second meal, so I was able to bring a turkey carcass with lots of meat left on it home for boiling.  We have been eating turkey soup all week....warm and yummy!
Unfortunately we missed being with our own family, and missed our oldest grandson's mission farewell (he left for Brazil), but we spent some quality Google Chat time with family members.

There was a major break-in down the lane from us involving the barn re-build homes that are still under construction.  Boilers, radiators and an entire kitchen was stolen...all cupboards, counter tops and appliances.  The intruders smashed three sliding glass doors to gain entrance to the three homes. Bruce spent the next two days strengthening sagging gates and securing locking mechanisms on them so that now all roads leading to the construction site are blocked.  An alarm system was also installed on the homes.

On the work scene this month, Bruce fixed a leaky barn roof, leaky tub, and leaky laundry room pipes (there is a pattern here) and a squeaking clothes dryer.  The barn roof was interesting because there was a gaping hole, but the roof is corrugated and too fragile to climb on.  So Bruce found he could catch the incoming rain and divert it directly to the eaves from the inside.  No more rain on that spot....there are numerous other minor leaks in the old barn.

Hopefully this picture doesn't scare the kiddies.  It's grandpa ready to do some sanding on the beams.




The second picture is Bruce diverting the rain out of the barn.  It's a pretty tall barn.








We also leveled a gravel driveway, replaced outdoor spot lights, painted a fence and have been waging a war against moles.  While working outside we wear lots of layers.  One day I had 5 layers on the top, 3 on the bottom, two pairs of gloves and 4 head coverings.  We were still cutting grass through November, and there are a few places that could use a little trim, but it has been too cold and rainy.

Our one historical tour this month was to a place called Bletchley Park, which housed 9,000 code-breakers from WWII.  They weren't all in this building, but in a number of buildings built on the property.  Their work and contribution to the war was kept secret not just during the war but for 30 years after the war ended.  What they were able to accomplish was truly amazing.  My admiration for the British people increases the more I learn about their history.

This month at the temple Bruce was able to do initiatory, sealings and an endowment for family members, but I was unable to find any female names from my tree.  I'll keep shaking the tree and see what falls my way.

We are healthy and happy.  Have a great holiday season.

My How Time is Flying - September/ October

It is surprising how fast the months slip by.  Our daily events were punctuated with the passing of my step-sister's husband, Grant Palmer, as well as my 2nd oldest brother, Grant.  These are the times when it is hard to be so far away from family.  I was able to spend quite a bit of time with my brother last summer, and shared some special memories with him.  I knew that he most likely wouldn't be around when I got home, so I said my goodbyes before leaving the states.

Work:  Besides the usual mowing and trimming, Bruce cranked up an old tractor pulling a bush hog and attacked a half-acre field of thistles and weeds.  Of course the tractor had a flat tire, which needed to be pumped up twice in the process.  He later removed the tire and had it repaired.  This week I had the opportunity (?) of driving this tractor while pulling a spring harrow.  Lots of fun!

I am on a barn floor repainting a sign for one of the farms.

The men also fixed a boiler, leaky bathtub, rain gutters, sharpened mower blades and installed more shelves.

The Mannings finished their mission and went home, and the new couple won't arrive until January, so it's just Bruce and me here now doing the work. Bruce does the hard stuff, I help  with the mundane tasks.

This project needed immediate attention because water was leaking from the ceiling into a laundry room.  The pipe was fixed, and the very next week (to the day) another leak began in a different spot.  Bruce fixed that one and had the drywall up and painted, when a third leak sprung open in an adjoining bathroom.  Bruce fixed the pipe, but he's leaving the hole open for an extra week to see if any other leaks show up.  While we're waiting we have been scraping, priming and painting some rusty beams on a grain storage bin, installing a new bathtub front panel and mowing.  This week Bruce's mower got stuck, so I saved the day and pulled him out.

This is Mary (sitting) and her friend Peggy.  We have been doing some work at her house.  She is 94 years old with a mind that is sharp-as-a-tack and lives alone.  We visit her often, taking her banana bread and dehydrated apples and pears.  Her younger sister (80) came for a visit from Canada, so Bruce and I spent a couple of hours in her garden (or backyard) pulling weeds and trimming trees so it would look lovely for her sister's visit.  

This is Mary's garden (back yard).  When she moved in it was a bare piece of ground, so she added  bushes, trees, flowers, a small pond, and little walkways.  If you look closely you will see the peacock to the left of the bird bath that lives in her yard.

These are some funny looking pears that we are dehydrating.  They are long and skinny and have extremely tiny seeds, so you can literally just eat the whole pear.  I did dig out some of the seeds, as you can tell. The pears are sweet, easy to peel and lovely this time of year.

 While out mowing we harvest potatoes, onions, pears and beets. The blackberries are all gone by now.  I sometimes feel like Ruth who was out gleaning in Boaz'
fields. Notice the size of the beet on the right.  We made a soup out of it.

TRIPS - Before the Mannings left, we made one last trip to London and one to Scotland.  

This is the front and back of Buckingham Palace

This is Kensington Palace where Diana lived, and where Prince William and his family live now.

Because this year marks the 20th anniversary of Diana death, they had a special display of some of the 1,000 dresses and gowns that Diana had made while she was the Princess.

We also visited Hyde Park,  Harrods store, and the Hyde Park Chapel, which is historic.

We'll show you a glimpse of Scotland...specifically Edinburgh, where we stayed for two nights. 

We toured the Ship Brittania, which was the Queen's floating castle for about 42 years. The second picture shows the drawing room, where guests would gather after a wonderful meal in the large dining room. It had a baby grand piano, which is out of the picture.  I would have taken more pictures, but my camera battery was low. 

This is the wheel house from where the Brittania was navigated. (I included this for Mark's benefit, since he is qualified to drive a submarine.)

This was a knot board on the ship....reminded me of girls camp. (But our knots weren't so fancy!)

We loved Scotland!  With our ever-present missionary tags we have been able to explain to people what church we belong to, where we are serving, and our love for the country and people.

CHURCH ACTIVITIES

Bruce is chilling out with the guys at a ward barbecue, following a ward service project

Young Womens have been keeping Ann busy with lessons, firesides, a 6 mile hike, dodge ball, cooking projects, Family History projects, and much more.  We are currently producing a roadshow, which is a parody on Aladdin, and includes props, costumes, music, etc.  We'll let you know how it turns out.  

Bruce and I drove two of the three Laurels up to Preston for an overnight Stake Laurels activity, which included a walking Church History tour through Preston, then a tour of the Preston MTC, followed by a fireside inside the MTC.  I took lots of pictures inside the MTC because that is where Stephanie was at the beginning of her England mission.  I sent her the pictures to see if the MTC had changed much in the intervening years.  

 The tour highlighting the beginnings of the Church in England was wonderful!  For me, it far surpassed all the castles, cathedrals, and estates that we have seen thus far.

This is the house where Heber C. Kimball and his companions were renting an upper floor when devils entered the room and tried to discourage the missionaries from preaching in England.  Heber C. Kimball then rebuked the evil spirits and they left. The mission in England was a huge success.  The house is vacant at present.

This is the house where President Hinckley and his companion lived while in Preston (on the top floor).  It was here that he felt discouraged and wrote home to tell his father that he was wasting his time and his father's money.  His father wrote back, "Forget yourself and go to work."  It was here that he fell to his knees and made a pledge that he would give himself to the Lord.  Interestingly enough, President Hinckley visited this home on subsequent trips to England.  After Sister Hinckley died, it was here that President Hinckley asked to be left alone in the upstairs bedroom, and he fell to his knees again and told the Lord that he was lonely without his wife, and he wouldn't mind going to her, but he would finish whatever work the Lord had left for him to do.

A funny story is that tour groups stop in front of this house often to talk and take pictures.  One little boy who lived in the house at the time came out and told the people that a very important man used to live here.  If he only understood how true that was!

We love serving here.  The people are great and even though the roads aren't getting any bigger, we are becoming more accustomed to driving on them.

New word......autumnal.  "The trees are looking autumnal".  Or "It's feeling very autumnal outside."  

Cherio!

Busy August in England

This is a sweet little flower that greets us on our front porch each day and gladdens our heart!

We began the month by traveling up to Preston area to attend the British Pageant, which is only put on over here every four years.  They installed a pre-fab building that holds 2,000 people, and the lighting, sound and scenery effects were wonderful.  It was an amazing and touching presentation which made us more fully realize how much the British people sacrificed in giving up their homes and their beloved homeland, which held centuries of tradition and history for their families.

We HAD to visit Peterborough because this is the first area where our daughter, Stephanie, served as a missionary.  She reported that she has pictures of herself in these exact spots.  Besides, Peterborough is fairly close to us.

Peterborough Cathedral

Town square clock tower

We also made a trip to Windsor Castle and to another small "cottage" named Boughton House near Kettering.

Can you imagine mopping all the floors in this house? And this is only one wing!(We were with the Mannings, and Ann was taking the picture.)

This was an interesting flower located at Boughton House.  It looked fake, but it was real! 

One of the highlights of the month for Sister Fillmore was receiving a calling as the 1st Counselor in Young Womens.  Because of the size of our ward, no organization is fully staffed and the presidents get one counselor...if they are available.  We have three Young Women at present and they are sweet, smart, and adorable.  (Side note....Sister Fillmore had the entire YW Theme memorized in British Sign Language in one week.  That is proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!) 

 Elder Fillmore has been called as an instructor in the High Priest Group.  At the same time we taught a Primary class for the month of August.  The first week we had this assignment all of the other teachers (including the  Primary president) were off on holiday (vacation), so we taught the whole Primary in one class.  Not to worry, only 6 kids were there that week!  The normal Primary attendance is around 18 kids total.  So during the second hour of church we taught Primary, then Sister Fillmore went off to teach YW, and Elder Fillmore was in Priesthood.  It's good to feel needed!

Sister Manning (the other missionary who lives downstairs) and Sister Fillmore are trying to reinstitute a monthly Family Home Evening for some of the older sisters in the ward, and it has been a lot of fun.  This month we picked up the sisters (they don't live close or even near each other), brought them to our home, played a delightful game, then drove them home.  All in a days work.

Other things we have been doing is changing a LOT of flat tires on the mowers and trailers, mowing a lot of grass, and trimming.  We did some service for a school by hauling a trailer full of old rubbish to the local recycling center.  The men also installed closet rods and mailboxes in three new houses, and made shelves to put in the houses as well.  Sister Fillmore got to paint them, and has been doing some random acts of kindness at some of our mowing sites.

 Painting the shelves as fast as Bruce could cut them out.

 Our farm Manager does a lot of re-purposing of old barns on the various farms we own, and it has been amazing to see the transformations that occur.  Every new home that he rebuilds

to use as a rental also creates more mowing for us to do each week, so we kind of have mixed feelings about that because we are already stretched as it is....but it is all good, and we have fun interacting with the tenants as well as the farm workers.

This shows a property that is getting ready for renovation into a house. Elders Fillmore and Manning were taking out some shelves in another old barn, but they didn't think the wood was worth saving....can you imagine that!

Before construction begins

Down the path from us is an old barn that is in the reconstruction phase right now.  They build a completely new structure inside the old walls that might still be standing.

        

This re-build will actually be 3 homes when completed. They seem small by U.S. standards, but they have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and the British think they are great.

This house actually had full grown trees growing out of it when it was an old barn. It also didn't have any sign of a front wall or roof. 

These are actually 3 separate houses.The one on the left is two story (but not when it was a barn).  All of them are very modern inside, and they rent for a pretty penny!

We have been harvesting apples, plums, pears, blackberries and rhubarb that is free for the picking on some of the farms, and in our own yard.  

It seems we always have more fruit than we can eat before it gets too ripe, and we don't have our dehydrator or canning supplies here.  So we have been cooking the fruits down in the slow-cooker during the day, and making apple sauce, or pear/blackberry sauce, or rhubarb sauce, which we freeze for use in cookies or cakes or a topping for yogurt.  We don't have a blender to make smoothies, so we have to get a little creative with the juices.  

Bruce cooked down some rhubarb for a sauce, but he put salt in it instead of sugar by mistake, and ended up throwing out the batch.  The next batch turned out better, and it looks lovely on top of yogurt.

In honor of our son Mark, who served his mission in Iceland, we bought some Icelandic style yogurt called Skyr (pronounced "skee-er")  The flavor is apple, carrot & ginger, but we read the label carefully to make sure it had no sheep face in it.  Fortunately it didn't, but it still tasted a little "interesting".  The rhubarb sauce added some flavor to it.  

Speaking of food, we were invited to the farm managers home to be judges as his four daughters were having a bake-off, which included cakes and cookies.  It was a tough job sampling all those sweets...but someone had to do it!  We gave each of the girls, and their mother, handmade awards for their efforts.

Cecily made fancy cookies with lots of sprinkles on them

Eliza made Whoopie Pies

Alice with a carrot cake

Esther with a fancy strawberry cake

As we travel around the countryside we are always amazed at the beautiful landscapes, the quaint villages and the variety of pheasants, peacocks, swans and ducks that we see.  Speaking of wildlife, we won't even mention (or show the pictures) of the ant bites that left Sister Fillmore with a swollen and itchy wrist for a few days.

We'll end with the Preston Temple, which we attended while we were in the area for the British Pageant.  We had been in the Preston Temple 18 years ago when we came to England to pick up Marcie from her mission, so it was nostalgic for us to return.  Marcie was here when the temple was being dedicated so she was able to participate in the openhouse events by greeting people inside the front door, serving in booths at the nearby Stake Center, or bidding farewell to guests as they left.  In England where large, cavernous cathedrals and churches are numerous, some people commented that they were expecting a large open sanctuary inside, and wondered if they had missed it!  Marcie would reply that they didn't miss anything except the boiler rooms.  It is somewhat of a long trek to get to either temple in England, (2 hours to London Temple, depending on traffic, and 3 hours to Preston), but it is so worth the time and effort.

Until next month....Cheerio!