The Weekend & A Trip, 7 - 10 March 2015

We enjoyed Saturday with the sun shining and temperatures around 15ºC.  A sweater was all that was needed and we had windows open some to clear out the old air and we even turned the heater down a notch.  At home, we did laundry, blogging, and preparing the primary lesson.

Sister Hale and Sister Smith joined us in a trip to Staples to make copies for the class.  They visited other stores in the strip mall and then we took them to a cash point.  They were excited to get out for a little while.  Sister Hale’s knee continues to recover and she is very happy about that.  I went over to practice the piano and Sister Crocker came by for a visit.

Sunday was busy with taking Sister Freeman and Sister Hale to church and picking up Natalie.  After meetings, Dad took Natalie home and then the other two to the bus stop.  They were going to Brighton on holiday.  I rehearsed music with others at the church while he made the run.  It was ward conference and the music and talks were wonderful with the Bishop and the Stake President speaking.  Bishop Graham challenged us to do three things in supporting the stake goals:  1 - bring a friend, 2 - be self reliant, both temporally and spiritually, 3 - find a name to take to the temple.  We can support one another as we focus on these goals and then do as John instructed the apostles when they wondered where Jesus was - Come and See - that is the first step.

President Frost reminded us of the stake goals that come from the word, rejoice.  "Rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men."  We can do this by taking the letters in rejoice, and use them as reminders of our commitment to keeping the commandments.  R-rely on Jesus Christ.  E-Energetically serve.  J-Just love all people.  O-Ordinance focused.  I-Invite others.  C-Complete self reliance, both spiritually and temporally.  E-Enjoy the journey!  He told the story of Paratrooper Joshua Leakey who is England's first living person to receive the Victorian Cross, the nation's highest decoration for valour.

In Afghanstan, August 2013, Leakey's patrol of British soldiers and US Marines was attacked by the Taliban south of Nawzad.  Their position was highly compromised and the enemy had the advantage.  In the ensuing firefight Leakey manned a machine-gun with insurgent bullets ricocheting off its frame.   A wounded US captain, who was shot in the shoulder, was down just beyond their position.  Leakey made more than one trip out to offer first aid and continued to fire the machine-gun in defending the patrol's position.  When he was presented the cross it was noted:  "He epitomised valour with his actions on that hillside in Helmand."

President Frost said this is how we as disciples of Jesus Christ should be - focused on our mission and render any service that may be required.  His prescribed formula is like a prescription and when we use it, it will bring relief and healing.  When we trust in the Lord we can do all things.

Our class went well with the topic being The Sermon On The Mount, with emphasis on The Beatitudes.  The handouts worked well and we began with the Bible video of the same.  We are spending time in the scriptures and helping the children learn how to use them and follow the footnotes.  They come up with good questions and we find the answers in the scriptures.

When we got home from church, I noticed my stomach was hurting and I thought it was just from being hungry, but even after dinner it continued to get worse.  Dad planned out a trip we would take on Tuesday and we both felt confident I would be well by then.  I was not good on Monday either.  Dad took laundry to the cleaners, renewed a prescription, and bought cream of asparagus soup and bananas for me.

Tuesday came and I was still not well.  We picked up some meds, went to my chiropractor appointment, came home and packed, and headed out.  I loaded up with things that would make the trip easier for me.  We stopped at rest services quite often, which made the travel easier.and that kept things in control somewhat.  I read the Ensign while traveling, which kept my mind off the discomfort.

Our destination was church history sites in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire counties.  The sat nav lost its gps signal for some time and we needed to know which way to go on the upcoming rotary.  We got Dad's phone out and typed in the post code and it took over.  Just about that time, the sat nav started talking to us as well and they were giving different directions.  Dad decided to rely on the phone and before we knew it, we were crossing the Severn, entering into Chepstow, Wales.

 Ready to pay the toll.

 Looking East.

 Looking west.

 Straight ahead.

The country roads curved and turned, went in and out, and with all of that, we came upon this bridge. We continued driving and before we new it again, we were back in England!  We were having quite the adventure.  We weren't counting on a drive in Wales, but that is what we got.

 The closer we got to our destination, the narrower the roads became until we were reduced to one lane with hedgerows on either side.  There were places here and there where cars had scrunched to the side for another car to pass.  We caught on quickly that when you see an advancing car, you pull over in the next available "scrunch" space for them to pass.  And, you always wave to each other as a thank you.

It wasn't much longer until we arrived at Thatch Close Bed and Breakfast, around 3:30 p.m.  It was a bit of a jig to find it.  The room was nice and cozy with a good sized bathroom.  The view is lovely out over the rolling hills.  Marilyn showed us in and gave instructions for breakfast, etc.  She loaned us some maps to plan our day for tomorrow.

I really wasn't expecting a pink building as we hardly see color here.  Made me think of Mexico.

 The buildings date to the 1700's, but not the color.

Edward and the dogs.  The dogs came in and out and were pretty much considered family, even at breakfast time.

Our view over the countryside.

 Along the hedgerow was this opening.  I was curious as to where it went and found it led to a gate that opened into a field.  It was pretty cool walking through it.

 We unpacked, took a break, and then were off in search in dinner.  We found a place but it did not open for 45 more minutes.  We turned around and went the other way and drove into Ross-on-Wye.  We found an Aldi grocery store where I bought roast chicken, rolls, milk, and cookies.  Dad got a sandwich at a convenience store and with his soda in the car, we had dinner..  We went back to our room and the evening was quiet.  I did family history and Dad planned the next day's outing.  Before we went to bed, we surprised Jason with a birthday call.