Monday, 25 June 1012
Well, it is preparation day and it is Dad's (Dave's) birthday--75 today - that seems like a milestone we should celebrate, but instead we are just hanging out at the house.Sometimes it is good just not to have to get "missionary dressed" and go out. Dad mowed the lawn, I walked around the lake, we went grocery shopping, and now I am blogging and Dad is reading a Western. When I heard the missionaries watch Disney movies sometimes on their P-day, I knew it was OK for Westerns and children's books on our Kindle :)
As I have mentioned before, we have pretty much established a routine that doesn't change too much...making a few visits to Slovakian homes during the week, preparing lessons, etc. for Sundays and preparing a weekly missionary meal and breakfast (that doesn't sound too hard until you find you have to go to about three stores to find what you need--our main stores are local groceries called Morrisons and Sainsbury's - ASDA (equivalent to WalMart) and Costco - After having shopped in the stores today I still didn't find dry mustard - I guess I'll use regular mustard instead; and, of course, quite a few missionary/church meetings and occasionally going with the missionaries on teaching appointments.
We begin the month of June at a dinner at the mission home in Leeds to recognize a departing couple and welcoming a new one. I must say our admiration for the Mission President and his wife is way up there...they have so many responsibilities and they still take time for dinners, etc. President Lindley just called Dave for his birthday, so he must do that for every missionary too. Our missionary couple from Scotland left - they were in our zone so we would see them fairly often. We now are the only couple in the southern part of the mission. The new couple are assigned to a Youth Center in the way north of England...about as far away from us as you can get. There are seven couples now in our mission--all from the United States - two from Utah...Logan and Fillmore; one from Idaho around Rexburg I think; one from North Carolina (maybe South) I can't remember; one from California - Sacramento area; new couple are from Star Valley Wyoming; and us. Another couple leaves in two weeks (the one from Logan) and a new office couple will replace them - I don't know where they are from. It is strange to think we are in the middle now of the couples who have come since we have and those who were here before. I don't think there are any leaving now until December.
We also have had another transfer of young missionaries--our fairly good Czech speaking sister was transferred as well as our district leader. Our new missionaries are brand new from the mission home--a sister missionary from Alaska and Kansas (where her parents now live) and an Elder from Adelaide Australia. It's quite interesting watching their progress. It changes from week to week.
Before we arrived for the mission home dinner on June 1, we left early for Bradford England which is about 10 miles from the mission office in Leeds. I've mentioned that is where some on my family tree lived before coming to America. We found the Bradford Cathedral which we went into; a nice guide talked to us and had the curator come out when I told her my ancestors had been married and baptized there. He brought out one of the old record books and with his white gloves turned pages until he found one of my ancestors listed. I know the records have been microfilmed and I had the information that was there, but it was cool to actually see the book and an ancestor's name written in there. After visiting there, we drove through the city trying to locate the addresses I have of where my ancestors lived. There was actually three streets by the same name of one of the addresses. Not being able to figure out which Albion Street it was we spent quite a bit of time locating all three--I'm pretty sure the last place we visited was the street they must have lived - it was the closest to the Cathedral and over 150 years ago I don't think the city would have been as spread out as it is now. It was a highrise type of apartment building...very old...with a narrow street in front. My ancestors lived in #101 and #102 (not sure why there are two apartments listed) except for the fact they had 10 children so
they may have rented two places. The family all worked in the woolen factories which was the big industry at that time. I want to go back sometime and tour one of the woolen museums they have showing what it was like to work there.
England has just celebrated the queen's diamond jubilee. All over England they celebrate mostly with street parties and family gatherings--except in London where it was a big deal. It was all televised so you may have seen some of it at home. We do not have TV so just saw some from Internet coverage. The ward here had their own picnic by the lake where we live. They enjoy just getting together, playing soccer (football excuse me :)) and going canoeing. The Primary children dressed up like royalty with robes and crowns and marched in their own little parade. The weather was chilly but that's the way they do things here...outdoors even if it is chilly.
The Euro Cup has been the main emphasis here for a few weeks - boy, do they get excited about their football. Mostly they just take life as it comes, but someone recently wrote, when it comes to their sports that is another story. Sad to say, I think I read that England just lost to Italy; they won't be happy for sure. All the English flags that have been flying on cars, houses, etc. will be coming down I assume...maybe they will leave them up for the Olympics which is the next big thing here. The Olympic trials are going on now and so we will have to move Church a few Sundays since the stadium will be used for the trials.
Someone asked if they sing God Save the Queen instead of God Save the King...yes, they do I found out. There is also another song (maybe their national anthem). I think it is called Rule Britannia - this might be the song that infers that the Baby Jesus lived in England for a time - I've got to look up on Wikipedia the real story behind that song. We sang it at a mission home dinner when a couple from England were leaving. Kind of an interesting song--lyrics, music--I'll find out more about it.
We visited a major mall here a week or so ago - It is called Meadowhall. We have a small mall by our house, but it doesn't qualify as a mall to me. When we visited Meadowhall (actually not far from the Don Valley Stadium) I was surprised how huge it is...I would say about three times the size of Montgomery Mall in Maryland. There are a few American stores I recognize but mostly stores I have never heard. Truthfully, it seemed strange to be there not just because I don't particularly like shopping but I guess our missionary mode doesn't fit in with that now...I'm sure that will change once we get home.
I've come up with a few adjectives to describe England particularly when I get frustrated with trying to find things...antiquated, old fashioned, inconvenient..annoying sometimes, but that is what makes England England I guess. Pencil sharpeners, plastic sheet sleeves, paper clips are just a few examples. The little pencil sharpeners you find in kid's pencil cases for instance are the only pencil sharpeners I have found. I cannot sharpen a pencil very well; when I finally think I have done it the point breaks and I have to start over again. OK, just a funny example. We'll live with it - I have American consumerism in my brain!!
Another funny thing I saw recently. A milk truck delivers milk on our street early in the morning. I happened to be awake when it came by. The truck (called a lorry in England)
has a cab on the front; then the back part along the sides is opened up and there sits lots and lots of crates. The driver gets out quickly takes a crate to a door and drives away. I don't know why that seemed so funny - I think it was the open sides where you could see all the deliveries to be made.
We were delighted to have Catherine and Russell visit us a week ago - Russell had a business trip here and a conference in Greece which they later went to - The company he visited happened to be only 15 minutes from our house which made it convenient. They were to have stayed three days, but a missed flight in Houston because of weather problems which necessitated their going to Chicago to catch a flight to London delayed them by one day; once they got to London their luggage could not be located somewhere in the Heathrow airport. Three hours after landing it was finally found; they got the fastest train they could get to come to Sheffield (about a two hour train ride). They arrived Thursday afternoon instead of Wednesday morning...but we still got to take them to York, Castle Howard near York, and our favorite little village of Castleton. They were so tired with jet lag and delays, but they were good troopers and wanted to see all they could see. They tasted their fish and chips and mushy peas and we ate in Dad's favorite pub that has a carvery...buffet like food of roast, gammon and turkey with potatoes and gravy, yorkshire pudding, and vegetables. Only Dad had the carvery, the rest of us opted for something on the menu that took forever to arrive. Dad was finished so he watched us eat jacket potatoes, etc. Anyway, they got a taste of English food. They left the next day for sightseeing in London and flying on to Greece. They have now arrived home safely which is always good news!!
We look forward to more family and friends visiting...Karen says they will come next summer. They hope to be celebrating Clint's tenure and want to tour Europe especially back to Austria which Karen loves since her Study Abroad days. She is now looking into cheap ways to do all of that - My brother and his wife and hopefully my mom want to come also
before we finish...we look forward to visiting with anyone who comes through Sheffield.
Well, another long blog...hit and miss it as you wish!! I think Karen will get pictures posted fairly soon which visualizes more of what we have seen. Until next month - keep well and safe!!
