September Is Here, 1-7 September 2015

The weather continues to be rainy and much cooler temperatures.  One day we did see some sun with beautiful billowing clouds scattered across the sky.  We are back to sleeping with the windows pulled to and a second blanket on the bed.  I guess Fall must be here as there are trees that have started changing colors.  We wonder where summer went.  We hardly had warm days and it has seemed like winter just keeps going.

The temple is very quiet.  The workers are all a little slow as we look forward to shutdown next week.  Everyone is talking of their plans, etc.  We did stay busy with patrons who regularly come.  The Perry family was here for several days.  They have an older daughter who is physically and mentally disabled.  She is a delight as she comes with a bright smile and is so willing to participate in ordinances.  We all love having her come.  Her parents are so kind and gentle with her.  They are all blessed to be a family.

We assisted with a wedding on Saturday at 6 p.m.  Dad was the groom guide and I was the guest guide.  We enjoyed the opportunity to see a young couple come to be sealed.  The bride is from America as she came to study in London, attended the Britannia Ward and found her groom!

We were busy with shopping, chiropractor, and we taught Natalie two lessons.  She is off to stay with her son and wife for the month of September.  We will finish up when she returns.  Jack Brown and Tanner both had birthdays this week.  We called and spoke to both of them.  They are doing well, happy to have had a birthday, and busy growing and learning and experiencing life.

It took us all week to decide what we wanted to do the first week of our break.  Saturday night was the final straw and we made plans to go to Plymouth for a couple of days.  We went to church on Sunday and then headed to Plymouth.

We enjoyed the journey with clear sun shiny skies.

We saw Stone Henge on the way.  Too bad we had to first see it in the rain and wind last year.

The countryside was fascinating with open views of rolling hills, some plowed, some green with grass, some filled with sheep and others with cows.  There were outcroppings of stands of trees here and there, but mostly clear land for farming.  Fields were defined by hedgerows, green and lush with color.

Most of the trip was on a divided road that sometimes went down to one lane each.  It wound in and around the hills and twisted and turned from their base to their top and then down again.  I felt so open and free as I could see forever it seemed and the sun was shining brightly.   I soaked it in as it was a relief from the cold, clouds, and closed in area where we live.  We had a half hour delay through one little village as there had been a wreck and traffic was reduced to one lane, each way taking turns in going.  As Dad said:  "That messed up their day."

We checked in to the hotel in the middle of the Town Centre at 6 p.m., unpacked, and made our way out onto the street to find a place to eat.  We ate at Pizza Hut and then had gelato at the place next door.  It was a first time for us to have gelato and we both enjoyed it.  We made our way back to the hotel and settled in for the night with planning tomorrow and reading scriptures.

Yummy cones of Snickers and Cherry gelato.

Monday came and we enjoyed breakfast in the hotel on the pent house floor overlooking the harbor.  

We then took out on our adventures for the day.  We got a photo of our hotel, with our room on the seventh floor.  It is in the first row, in the crook of the tree, with the curtain half open.

You can see what a good location our hotel was in relation to all we saw and where we walked.

We ventured out towards the Hoe and explored the monuments, lighthouse, and walked down to see the shore line which is a rocky barrier between land and sea.

Plymouth Naval Memorial is an obelisk with the names of all military mariners who died at sea during all conflicts beginning with World War I.  The memorial gives a place of remembrance for those who, do to war were not allowed a proper burial.

Francis Drake sailed from Plymouth on December 13, 1577, to begin the famous voyage, during which he traversed the Strait of Magellan and discovered Drake Passage south of Cape Horn.  Drake then sailed the Golden Hind north in 1579 and in June landed in California.    He took possession of that region, naming it Nova Albion.  He returned to Plymouth September 26, 1580, having circumnavigated the globe.  

This national memorial is in recognition of the 300th anniversary of the sighting of the Spanish Armada from the Plymouth Hoe, July 19, 1888.

This memorial is in tribute to all men and women of Great Britain, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Rhodesia and South Africa, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Norway and Poland, The United States of America, The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and those of many other nations who served in all commands of the Royal Air Force, Commonwealth and Allied Air Forces during the second World War.

 Smeaton's Tower is the third and most notable eddystone lighthouse.  It marked a major step forward in the design of lighthouses. In use from 1759 to 1877, it was largely dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe in the city of Plymouth, Devon, where it now stands as a memorial to its designer, John Smeaton, the celebrated civil engineer.

Drake's Island sits in the Plymouth Sound.  It is here from where Francis Drake sailed in 1577 on his notable voyage around the world.

Plymouth Sound

The Royal Citadel was begun in 1665 as a military defense.  It was the most important English defense for over 100 years, with 70 foot high walls, strengthened over the years, and particularly during the 1750s when it was equipped with 113 guns.  It is still occupied by the military being the base of 29 Commando Regiment of the Royal Artillery.

 We walked around part of the Royal Citadel, the entire walk being more than a mile.

 This is an interesting door.  I wonder where it goes to.

Coming around the corner of the Royal Citadel and down some, we saw the Mayflower marker.  It is a stand jutting out over the water.  It marks the Pilgrims sailing from these waters in 1620 in search of religious freedom.

 A stone in the sidewalk in front of the memorial.

The the Union Jack and the Star Spangled Banner flying at the memorial.  Dad the lizard for Adellae.

 We took a boat tour of the Sound and up the mouth of the River Tamar.  The river separates Devon from Cornwall.  We enjoyed the sights of the coastline and listening to the narration of all that we were seeing.

Some of the buildings we saw were interesting.

 These make me think of legos.

 Battlement placements were all along the shore.  They were used during various wars throughout England's history.

Bunkers are under this needle.

 A modern day light house.

 The Mayflower Sailing Club sports yachts as well.  These run in the millions.

 Prince William of Orange became William III, and began a dockyard here in 1689.  This is one of the oldest building bays.

 This was once the local pub where the dock workers went to relax and relieve stress.

 Queen's Harbor Master building.  He is in charge of running the dockyard.

 Two frigates.

 HMS Drake, Fleet Maintenance Base

 These are photos of the Cornwall shore.

 Beautiful country.

  

More battlement placements used during wartime.

After the boat tour we walked the narrow shopped lined streets and found a place for lunch.  We then walked back to the hotel for an afternoon rest.  We had passed a theatre that was advertising the play "Annie."  At the hotel we checked it out online, purchased tickets and ended the day with the performance.  We had good seats at the back of the stalls in the center.  The actors were outstanding and the scenery was amazing.  We laughed, we smiled, we hummed along, and thoroughly enjoyed the event.