Temple Week #28, 16 - 21 December 2014

The week started with an early phone call this morning to Jeremiah for his eleventh birthday.  He was going to bed last night and he gave us a run down of his day, gifts, and the good time he had.  He likes to talk and share details and we like that.

We are baptistry coordinators this week and are on the morning schedule.  We did not have many sessions so we worked in other areas of the temple.  Missionaries from the London South Mission came in two groups for sessions, one on Tuesday and then one on Thursday.  I was assigned to assist with handing out clothing.  They had filled out slips ahead as to what they needed with sizes and then the packets had been put together.  Myself and two other sisters organized them alphabetically and gave them to the missionaries as they came through clothing.  I also assisted both groups at the end of the sessions.  That was a neat experience.  Dad was the officiator on one and follower on the other.

It was another week of no sun.  I did capture this sunrise, or should I say, attempted sunrise.  You can see the sun wants to shine but the clouds just keep getting in the way.  I found this picture of the temple on my phone.  It was taken a couple of months ago, or at least long ago enough that the leaves are still on the trees.

On Thursday, Sister Davis found me to ask if I was willing to be a proxy for a small baptism session. I agreed and then went to set up the baptistry area.  There were two men with family cards and needed a sister for the female.  There was only one name.  I met with them to collect the cards, verify them, and then get the name of the brother that would be proxy for the males in order to prepare the cards for the recorder at the font.  He said his name was Kerr.  I wrote that down then changed into baptismal clothing and went to the font.  I was baptized for Esther Hurron, the ancestor of the brother that did the baptizing.  I was confirmed at the font's edge as there was only one card.  The men took care of the male cards and I changed back into whites.  It was a neat experience.

On Friday, we had an interview with President Irwin where he commented on how nice the little baptistry session went on Thursday.  We expressed our feelings as well and then he said:  "Did you know one of the brothers was a former Area Authority?"  Of course we did not and he said it was Elder Kerr.  He had been released in April 2013 from the European Area and President Irwin had worked with him when he was a mission president.  That was a surprise to us, but good to know.  I need to pay more attention.

The temple workers have been hit with accidents and illnesses this week.  Brother Rogers is in the hospital with acute cellulitis; Sister George has a nasty eye infection that has taken two rounds of medication; Sister Garrett missed a curb, had her hands full, and fell flat on her face.  She has a sprained ankle, and a badly skinned and bruised nose and chin; and Sister McClellan fell off a chair while standing on it to put up Christmas decorations.  Her neighbor above her heard the noise and went down to see what was going on.  She called security to let her in since there was no response to her knock on the door.  They found her unconscious on the floor and was taken to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a sprained thumb on one hand, a broken wrist on the other, and three cracked ribs.  There is one bit of good news:  Sister Freeman has returned from America, having been gone since the first of September for surgery.  She has recovered and ready to get back to work.

Sister Garrett put a shopping trip together to go to Brighton.  Sister Banks was the driver and when we headed out at 3 p.m. on Thursday, it was just Sandi and I that joined her.  Sister Banks is English but lives in France.  She is quite the driver and reminded Sandi and I of driving back home; she knew where she was going and the best way to get there.  There was plenty of conversation throughout the evening in getting to know one another more.  We parked in a car park across from the beach and walked into "The Lanes" shopping area.  The area is street after street lined with little shops of all kinds.  We found clothing shops, gift shops, butcher shops, music shops, fabric shops, bakeries, eateries, confectioneries, and small shops that were mini department stores.  The windows displays of the bakeries were filled with decorated Christmas cakes and signs that read:  "Order your cake now!"  People were everywhere and Christmas decorations were strung from the buildings, set out on the sidewalks, adorned the window displays, and made up the attire of some of the store clerks.

Me, Janice, & Sandi.  (Waitress took the photo and was a little too quick to move.)  Check out the sign above the changing room at a store.  We happened upon this jail that has been around for a very long time, it seems.  Well, it is not a jail at present - it is a pub.  Go figure.

I always thought fudge was chocolate.  Here, I have learned that fudge is a base and then what flavoring you put in it is different.  We stopped at a fudge shop that must have had a dozen different flavors of fudge.  I bought salted caramel fudge.  Ooooooo, it was delicious and has become my favorite!

When we walked out onto a street that ran perpendicular to the ocean, the wind hit us forcefully and cold.  My new coat felt wonderful and the hood provided relief from the rain.  We walked up the street to the mall, went inside, and checked out a couple of stores and then decided we would head back down to the best fish and chips place, according to Janice Banks.  Sandi and I both commented that we had stopped eating fish and chips because we were burned out with them.  She said we would change our minds.

After a cold, windy, wet walk, we arrived at Harry Ramsden's fish and chips, across from the pier.  It was nice to get inside, put our bags down, take off the coats, and sit down.  We were tired but happy for the adventure.  Janice directed us in what to order and when the food came, it was delicious!  It was the best I have eaten, that is for sure.  The big difference is they serve fillet's with no skin on the fish, and that nasty fish smell was not smothering the place.  The chips were really nice as well.  We enjoyed the meal and the rest from all the walking we had done.  We took our time in eating and then packed  up and headed to the car park.  We arrived safely home at 9 p.m., happy and tired.

While we were gone, Dad took the husbands and Brother Cooper to T.G.I. Friday's for dinner.  They  enjoyed steaks and hamburgers and conversation.  Brother Banks was especially impressed with Dad's driving ability and praised him for it.  They liked their "Boys Night Out" just as much as we enjoyed our "Girls Night Out."

Saturday evening we joined a group of missionaries at Toby Carvery for a Christmas dinner, complete with crackers and Christmas pudding.  It was a fun time visiting and enjoying the good food.

We attended the annual Crawley Stake Christmas Concert, Sunday evening.  It is quite a large event and included special guests such as the mayor, a council member, a member of parliament, two police officers, and two 70's - Elder Herbertson and Elder Charles.  Elder Charles lives in the stake and Elder Herbertson is Scottish through and through.  Wow, what an accent he has.  He spoke at the conclusion and suggested we make someone else's day brighter this Christmas week.  The music was outstanding with a collection of fine musicians.  I accompanied Sister Rogers and Sister Mulholland as they sang Long, Long Ago.

The Manor Road Gospel Choir is a black group with all women and one man.  The man was exceptional at the piano as he played without music.  He sang and was heard among the women's voices.  They sang A cappella as well.

Don Goodridge is a piano teacher who travels throughout Europe giving lessons.  Matthew Muddell is one of his students.  My group sat on the front row right behind the piano and had a bird's eye view of the pianists.  It was amazing to see their fingers fly up and down the keyboard and hear the music ring out.  

Monday morning we made a trip to Costco and then in the afternoon, attended our first English pantomime, Aladdin, with the Davis' and the single sisters.   

The lead male role was played by a woman dressed as a woman and the dame of the story was played by a male dressed as a female.  So, Aladdin was a girl and Twanky the laundress was a man.  Needless to say, Twanky stole the show.  We were impressed with how lines were so well spoken, dances well executed, and general acting went on without a hitch.  The Genie was blue and popped on and off stage with a puff of smoke to hide the movement.  The actors interacted with the audience and found delight in us repeating back phrases and answering questions.  They taught us the Loundenboomer Bird song.

From Home:

The Thorson family enjoying their trip to the snow!  Eliza seems to not be sure about being cold.