16 - 22 February 2016

The temple was teeming with patrons this week.  It is school half term and that frees up many from work and a school schedule.  It was great to be busy and seeing so many.  Saturday brought in mini buses from various places and two coaches from Cardiff.  The locker area was stuffed with baskets on top to hold the extra clothing, etc.  There were wedding sealings and family sealings.  At one point I heard a baby's cry and it was music to my ears!  I love it when families come.  By the end of Saturday, there were 987 endowments completed for the week.

A nasty cold virus has been swirling through the ordinance workers, office staff, and presidency for a week or more.  Some go down with it harder than others.  It makes for interesting days with reassigning workers here and there.  Most are out for 3 -5 days when it hits.  We were trying to stay healthy and worked at avoiding crowds, getting too close to others, and washing our hands often.

We had temple recommend interviews with President Johnson on Wednesday.  Wow, it is two years since our last interview and that means we are really getting close to coming home.  Each day just seems to fly by.

We did the usual with laundry, cleaning, shopping, rotas, posting letters, and Bob had blood tests.  We called Caleb on his birthday and remembered Halie & Jason's wedding anniversary.  These family events fill up our diary and that is perfect!

Monday was the big day with Bob having the procedure to remove the kidney stones.  Brother Walters and Brother Orton gave him a blessing and the Walters' took us to Spire Gatwick Park Hospital.  Bob checked in at 3 p.m. and the surgery was at 5:50 p.m.  He did well but the doctor was able to only break up and remove the large stone blocking the ureter.  We were disappointed to learn another procedure will need to be done to remove the rest of them.  As Juliann said:  ". . .breathe, pray, and all will be as it should."

Bob before surgery.  They asked if he brought a dressing robe with him.  When he said he didn't they gave him this one.

Story:  During the three hour wait for the surgery, several nurses and doctors were in and out of the room asking all kinds of questions and going over Bob's file.  They had lost the questionnaire he had filled out last week when we were in for his assessment.  It was a four page document and we were not too thrilled to have to write it all out again, but we did.  Well, an hour or so later the nurse came in laughing and saying they had found the first questionnaire; the anesthetist had it!

It wasn't long until they were back in the room asking Bob if he had been given a nasal spray.  We couldn't figure out what that was about so I asked what it was for and they started looking at his file and realized they had someone else's file!  Wow, did they ever gather things up and high tail it out of the room.  They stayed gone for quite awhile and then came back in apologizing to beat the band.  I guess someone's head was rolling somewhere.  They showed us a red sticker they placed on Bob's file indicating there was another patient with the same or similar name.  Go figure.   Needless to say, we were happy to see Mr. Swinn when he came in.  We recognized him and he recognized us.  The anesthetist came in next and before long Bob was walked to theatre.

Bridges Over The Thames, 15 February 2016

This was a bridge day as we made our way into London.  We were going to Tower Bridge but as the day carried on we enjoyed walking across two other bridges and enjoying other sites in London.  The sun was out but the air was a crisp low 40º with a freezing biting wind.  Burrrrrrrr..............

We arrived at Victoria Train Station and headed out to the underground to go to Tower Hill.

 After exiting the underground, we walked out and down the block, crossing the street and then right up the sidewalk to Tower Bridge.

Off to our right is the Tower of London.

 Tower of London

We paid our fee and walked up the north tower to cross the bridge.

Tower Bridge, built 1886-1894, is a combined bascule and suspension bridge.  The two bridge towers are tied together at the upper level by two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal tension forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward side of the towers.  The roadway in the middle opens and raises to allow large watercraft through.

 The upper walkways allowed for views up and down the river.  Looking East.

 Union Jack.

Looking West towards London Bridge and Millennium Bridge.

 The fun part was the new sections of glass floors in each walkway.  

Enjoying our "selfie."  There was a mirror overhead that made photo taking easy.  Some people were not sure about walking on the glass.  Children hesitated and adults walked as if they were tiptoeing to be quiet.  This little one though, was all for laying down and taking in the view.

 The two darkened sections of the underside of the walkways are the glass floor.

Staircase in the South Tower.

 Coming out of the South Tower we found a fellow tourist to take our picture.

We toured the Victorian Engine Rooms to see the workings of the bridge in raising and lowering the bascules.

 We were now on the other side of the river and enjoyed the walk in finding a place to have lunch.  We found Strada, a very warm and friendly restaurant.  It was bustling with customers but a table was found for us by the window.  My windows are not this clean!

A beautiful view of the Tower of London and the modern day skyline.

We headed west on The Queen's Walk along the river to London Bridge.

The London Bridge before this one now resides in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  We have walked and driven across it there.  Bob walked across it when it was here in London when he was on his first mission.  Now, today we have walked across this London Bridge that was erected in the 1970's.

 Looking east from London Bridge to Tower Bridge.

A view of modern architecture along The Queen's Walk at London Bridge.

 From The Queen's Walk on the East Bank, we could see the Monument.  Can you?  It is the tiny (supposed colossal) Doric column in the antique tradition.

The Monument stands in Monument Street off Fish Street Hill to commemorate the Great Fire of London and to celebrate the rebuilding of the City.  It was built between 1671 and 1677 by Sir Christopher Wren and his friend, Dr Robert Hooke.

Dad is on the right at the base of the Monument.

Barbara climbed the 311 steps to the top of the Monument and take in the panoramic view of the city.

 As you can see, the view from the top of the monument was different when it was built from the view now.

 Views of the city from four directions.

The bullet looking building behind, is called the Gherkin.  Makes me think of a pickle.

The view at the time of the construction of the Monument was most likely much broader as there were no high rise buildings in 1677.  It is dwarfed amid all of them now.  It is 202 feet high - the exact distance between it and the site in Pudding Lane where the fire began.

We then walked to and across the Millennium Bridge.  It is a steel suspension pedestrian bridge.

 Beginning at St Paul's end, we crossed the bridge going south.

Looking east to Tower Bridge in the distance.

Tower Bridge

 Across the bridge was the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.  It was almost 5 p.m. but we decided to go and get a picture out front.  To our surprise the last tour was just beginning and they allowed us to tag on.

Where we entered.

 The stage is made of wood, even the columns that look like marble.  This is not the original theatre but one that was constructed later as a replica.  It is used today for plays and productions.

 You can see cracks in the columns but present no danger to the structure.  The pit, as the floor is called are the cheapest seats and you stand during the whole production.  That would get tiring but if you were in the mood for entertainment it would work.  The roof is thatched and is open in the middle.

We were happy we had made it to the Globe but were tired and the end of the day was coming on.  Darkness had set in and it was colder.  We walked to London Bridge station and caught the tube back to Victoria where we arrived just in time to catch the train to Lingfield.  When we got to the car there was frost on the window.  We were very happy to make it home and get warm!

9 - 14 February 2016

Since we are now in the medical health season of our lives, we were once again to the doctor's on Monday for Bob's assessment as to when he would have surgery again to remove the kidney stones.  He was determined healthy for the procedure but no date was given with the indication it would be several weeks out.

President Irwin then visited with us and suggested we go private and get it done.  He gave us needed information and Bob proceeded with phone calls to Spire Gatwick Hospital.  When all was said and done, we met with Mr Swinn, the doctor who oversaw Bob's care at Redhill.  It was fortunate in that he had access to his files and was able to discuss with us all that was involved and we left with a surgery date of 22 February, at 5 p.m.  That was very good news to us, not quite what Bob wanted, but much better than what we had heard at Redhill.

We came out of the temple to sunshine one afternoon.  I couldn't resist the urge to take pictures.

 Even in the bareness of winter the grounds are lovely.

 A tree pointing heavenward, the place we want to ascend to.

 Wild flowers springing up here and there dotting the lush green covering.

 A reflection of eternity.

 Thus we see through barren trees, the beauty of the temple.  A place of peace and learning.

 An earthly dwelling for our Savior and a place of refuge from the busy-ness of life.

Bob was coming to and staying longer in the temple.  He was feeling much better each day.  Sometimes the knowledge of what lies ahead can bring peace and strength to carry on.  We attended a session, shopped, cleaned, and shared in birthday wishes for Koa who turned one and Nelson.  We also remembered Dan & Cheryl's wedding anniversary and birthdays for my cousin Linda and our friend Natalie Green.

We celebrated Valentine's Day with going to church and resting.