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.

2 - 8 February 2016

The week was as usual with our shift in the temple, shopping, cleaning, errands, piano, etc.  We called Spencer for his birthday, ran a visiting sister to the train station, and got haircuts.  I baked a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies and took them to the temple for our shift on Friday.  Everyone seemed to enjoy them as you can see by the empty container.

We began learning a new song in Primary on Sunday.  They children were all keen to learn it and did well.  I had gotten busy and prepared roast beef, mash, rolls, and veggies for Sunday dinner.  By the time I started taking it up to serve I realized there was way more than the two of us would eat.  Bob started calling around and found the Jensen's had not eaten yet.  They joined us and we had a great time.

It has been another week of continuous overcast, clouds, high winds, and rain.  But, we had relief on Sunday as we woke up to clear clear skies and a bright sun shining.  I even wore my sunglasses to church, the first time in about four months I could wear them.  Of course, though, the clouds had rolled in and rain began to fall before we got out of church three hours later.  When we got out of the car and walked to the lodge, I turned around to hear a child coming and saw this beautiful sight in the sky.

It put a huge smile on my face and seemed to just make everything brighter.

We had a Hi & Bye for Elder & Sister Cannon and Elder & Sister Record.  

 Elder & Sister Cannon are going home to Utah.  They serve in the mission office.  They will be in Yuma in April to visit their daughter and husband who live there.  We hope to hook up when we get there.

Elder & Sister Record come from Utah and are replacing the Cannon's in the mission office.  We got a phone call from our chiropractor, Deborah one evening to say she saw missionaries in Sainsbury's and struck up a conversation with them.  It was the Record's and they are from the same area of Salt Lake City.  She was excited to see someone from home.

The Rest of January And The Hospital, 26 January - 1 February 2016

The Jensen's took me back to the hospital Tuesday morning.  Bob had a decent night but was anxious for the procedure to take place.  He had been fasting since 2 p.m., Monday.  It turned into another long day of waiting.  He was on the list but his slot had not come up yet.  It was just before lunch when the doctor came in and said he was scheduled for 4 p.m.

The afternoon continued with us waiting.  I read and crocheted as Bob slept and rested in preparation for the procedure.  The anesthesiologist came in for a briefing mid afternoon and we continued to wait.  The weather was dreary and rainy and the view out of the window was into the window of a room in another ward.

After 4:30 p.m., the team arrived to wheel Bob to surgery.  I followed along and gave him a kiss before he went through the doors.  He said he looked at the clock and it said, 5 P.M. and the next thing he knew he saw it and it said, 6 P.M.  He was back to his room around 6:40 p.m. with the surgery being successful with the stint in place.

I had gone to the cafe for a bite to eat and wait.  The doctor had told me earlier to call the nurse about 2 1/2 hours after he went into surgery to see if he was back in his room.  I ate, read, and crocheted some more.  I watched other people in the cafe and then about 7 p.m. I decided to call.  The nurse had thought I had gone home and was surprised when I told her I was in the hospital.  She said I could come back to the room.  I stayed until 9 p.m. when Brother Knecht and Brother Mansbridge came to take me home.

The procedure was successful and Bob was feeling no pain.  They fed him a delicious meal and he ate everything they gave him.  He felt like a new man.

The Orton's took me to the hospital Wednesday and by 1 p.m., Bob was released and we were picked up by Brother and Sister Knecht.  We so thankful for the good people who watched out for us during this time.  Everyone wanted to help in some way.  During the rest of the week, the Jensen's saw that Bob had a meal when I was in the temple.  Brother Head took over coordinating and did an excellent job

Bob came to the temple for our coordinator's meeting on Thursday, and then only for a couple of hours on Friday and Saturday.  He took on light duty and tasks that did not require much action on his part.

We were to the Jensen's for dinner on Saturday for a delicious stir fry meal and cupcakes for dessert.  It was nice to be with them and eat and visit.  We finished the evening off with Pinochle.  We have great fun playing with them.

We called Thor on Sunday for his birthday.  He was having a great day and then we talked with Katie and the children.  They are all doing well and excited as we are about our arrival in April.

We ended January and began February.  The time is flying and we are beginning the "come home" process with appointments, arrangements with belongings, and taking stock of what we have here as far as what we will bring home and what we will leave.    Rex Petterborg emailed to say he is very interested in purchasing our car.  Bob called him and it appears that may be what happens.

We were out for breakfast on Monday, down to Haskins Garden Shop in Snowhill.  We enjoyed the meal and then came home to clean and do laundry.  We caught up on other tasks and ate a late lunch.  We were then off to Horsham for shopping.  We found batteries for our computer mice and I checked out the sales going on in Hotter Shoes.  I hit the jackpot and found a nice pair of Sunday heals marked way down.