Yuma to London: Post Op & The Week Off, 1

Bob planned to ride the bus back to the hotel and then we would load up and head for home. Unfortunately he had given me his wallet yesterday for safe keeping and it had his bus pass in it! I had just come back into the room from breakfast when he called to explain the dilemma. The weather was rainy, windy, and cold again, so I bundled up and headed for the bus. He was waiting on the sidewalk when I got off the bus at hospital. We caught the next bus back, packed up, and headed home.

We were both tired when we got in, took a rest and put things away. I did a load of laundry and we found a movie to watch and just relaxed.

The week was then filled with one day home and then one day away. Bob had the dressings checked and changed on Wednesday and Friday.

Dressing change on Wednesday. We were both surprised at how large the area is.

We jumped off the bus and made our way to Five Guys for lunch. It was so good to be out of the weather and enjoy a delicious warm meal.

We planned some places to visit while in Wimbledon on Wednesday. The Buddhapadipa Temple is the first Thai Buddhist Temple built in England. It became a formal temple by Thai tradition in 1982 and is home to monks and nuns. It was just down the street and around the corner from Parkside and we braved the wind, cold, and rain in walking to it. The scaffolding is up due to roof damage repair. We spoke with a monk and he said it was not opened at present but we were welcome to tour the grounds as long as we wanted. Due to the weather we chose not to be there very long.

By the time we got to Chartwell, the sun had come out some and made for a warmer feeling. It was hard to want to walk the grounds with the ice cold wind blowing in your face.

Sir Winston Leanord Spencer-Churchill was a man of prominence in the British government throughout his life. He served as Prime Minister twice. His home, Chartwell is where he and Lady Churchhill raised their four children. It is large and covers extensive grounds. The house is presented to reflect the family's life in the 1920s and 30s when they lived there. Churchill also wrote 50 books, many many articles and speeches, and painted over 500 paintings. He was a family man and spent a lot of time with his children and being at Chartwell.

Pictures, books, and personal mementoes evoke the career and wide-ranging interests of this influential family. It was amazing to see all that was there. He was a very busy man doing many good things. Where did he find the time?

Sheep dotting the pasture beyond the pond.

The weather was bright a day or two which brought color to the landscape. But, the green is still only in the grass.

Bob's wound is doing fine with the graft taking as it should.

On Saturday we made our way to London to see the musical Wicked. We took another stroll through Harrods and found it just as expensive this time as it was the first time!

We arrived at Apollo Victoria Theatre, checked out the gift boutique, bought popcorn, and waited to go in.

The stage before the play with the dragon above.

Savannah Stevenson played Glinda. We have met her several times and she is very delightful. It was fun to watch her do what she does best. She has a powerful voice.

Bob took up with a cold beginning Friday and was a good sport for the London trip on Saturday, but Sunday was stay home and rest day and keep it to himself. It was Mother's Day in England and the Primary children sang a special song for the mothers in Sacrament Meeting. Sister George joined us for Sunday dinner.

Monday, Bob was better and we were back on the train to London, headed to St Martin-in-the-fields for a 1 p.m. concert. We arrived early and took a bus so as to see things along the way. We stopped at Westminster Cathedral of the Catholic Church and enjoyed walking through it.

We decided to eat before we headed on to St Martin's. With doing that and going the wrong way on the bus a couple of times, having to change buses, and drivers changing on both of them, we were cutting it very close. We got off at Trafalgar Square and tried to use my phone to get there but it seemed to just take us in circles.

Nelson's Column

We asked others where it was without success. And then, boom, there it was in front of us. We went in, but the concert had already started and we missed it. We came back out onto the street and realized it was right there where we got off the bus! We had walked right passed it and around the block. Oh well, we will just have to try again.

We first saw it from the backside and then walked around to the front to enter, only to find out we were too late for the concert.

So, after discussing the folly of our ways, we decided to go to Kensington Palace. We checked my phone to determine which bus and which way, but we missed it again and headed the wrong direction. We got turned around and arrived at Kensington Palace.

Kensington Palace is the birthplace and home where Queen Victoria grew up. It is also the current home of Prince William and Princess Catherine and their family. We were not aware of that part of the experience. We only toured the historical part of the palace.

King Robert!

While in the fashion hall looking at gowns Princess Diana wore, I heard a group of girls chit chattering. I turned to see them and recognized a missionary badge. I introduced myself as a missionary too, at the temple and the conversation began. Sister Kerr is from Mesa along with her friend who was there with others from BYU study abroad program. We had a delightful conversation being from the same place, and Sister Kerr asked me to watch for her recent convert, Jane, who will be in the temple March 16.