For anyone that knows me in the slightest degree – and of
course I must assume that you do or you wouldn’t be reading this – you would
understand that if the word Wimbledon was spoken my brain would be fried. After all, it has been said that if you
opened my head up you wouldn’t find a brain but a large yellow/green tennis
ball. Well, the Wimbledon dream come
true happened this week and that is all I can connect with. If you follow the blog, you know that it is
already posted in and of itself, but there were also other days in the week so
I will try to set aside Wimbledon and focus on them just a bit.
Words:
Queue Line – to stand in line – for hours at a time. The Brits say it is their favorite thing to do. If they see someone standing there, they rush to them and stand behind them. These two darling women in the queue line at Wimbledon with us joked and joked about it, until the 3rd hour and then they had a queue official by the neck demanding explanations on why they were standing in line.
When you go to the Dr. (surgery), or pharmacy, or whatever needs a line, it says: Queue here.
1. How funny can a
couple be?Queue Line – to stand in line – for hours at a time. The Brits say it is their favorite thing to do. If they see someone standing there, they rush to them and stand behind them. These two darling women in the queue line at Wimbledon with us joked and joked about it, until the 3rd hour and then they had a queue official by the neck demanding explanations on why they were standing in line.
When you go to the Dr. (surgery), or pharmacy, or whatever needs a line, it says: Queue here.
Sunday started out as an ordinary Sunday. We got up and drove to church without incident and had nice meetings and lessons. We came home and fixed dinner, had a nap and then headed to a little party for Sister Renowden who is leaving and getting married. She is Cornish and has explained that the Cornish and the Whales DNA goes back to the ice age but the rest of England is all mixed up with the Romans, etc.. Sister Renowden is also a hoot or very funny. It has been a pleasure to work with her.
At the little party Sister Curley fixed scones which we were to eat Cornish style and British style. Cornish style puts the jam on in huge mounds and then tops it off with clotted cream. Yicks! You say! Well, not so. They take whole, rich milk and boil it hard and then cool it and that becomes clotted cream. It is just a very soft butter and not squite as salty as I would like. But to see them pile a scone almost makes me ill as I am not much on that much sweet. Now the British put on the clotted cream first and then the jam. We all had to try it both ways. Then Sister Mulholland had everyone give Sister Renowden marital advice. That turned into a huge comedy. Brad said not to put the Preparation H by the toothpaste. The total winner was Sister Murdock when she said that if your husband is pushing the car trying to start it and you asked him if the key should be on and he says, “No, why would you want the key on to start the car,” that he really meant yes. I guess she asked him and he said no so she didn’t turn it on and he pushed it about a half mile and it wouldn’t start and finally realized she hadn’t turned the key on. We have laughed about that all week.
We also learned that Brother Whitehouse is a top comedian. He had us just rolling off the chairs. Goodness, how we laughed. It was wonderful to be able to make a little noise.
Sister Curley's scones, jam and clotted cream.
The Cornish Way!
Sister Renowden with her pure Cornish DNA and her smile!
Sister Freeman (Salt Lake) taking a pix of Sister Pemberton (Whales),
Sister Renowden (Cornwall) and a bit of Sister Pilgrim m(Belgium).
The Mulholland's (Canada) and the Rouse's (England).
She is my dishwasher partner!
Sister Mulholland with Sister Freeman and Sister Renowden.
This is Duck's Gutts, Barry Ibbotson from Australia.
The true Duck's Gutts, Sister Adreene Ibbotson.
Sister and Brother Whitehouse (England)
with Brother and Sister McClellan (from LaBelle).
Sister Pilgrim, Sister Curley and we always get Brother Curley's bald spot.
Sister Marsh is tatting everywhere she goes. She makes Christmas tree ornaments.
The story winner, Sister Murdoch (Logan, Utah).
Brother Murdoch after pushing the car for half a mile!
2. The long awaited day!
Wimbledon, Wimbledon, Wimbledon. What a day, what a day! I couldn’t believe how close you can be to some really great matches. I do have the blog post which is as many pictures as it is words.
Center Court!
3. New jobs and rude
drivers!
Tuesday started a new experience for us as we were trained for the baptistery. Remember the baptismal font on the twelve oxen where we do baptisms for the dead. This week we are in charge of setting it up, getting the youth organized with their family file names (names they have found in the ancestry), getting them white clothing to be baptized in and confirmed in, and then organize who will do what. It takes a bit of work and it is very hot down there with the wonderfully warm baptismal font radiating heat. They usually come in a ward (how we divide up our members) group or a family group with up to about 20 youth to be baptized and confirmed. Then after that group is all done, everything needs to be cleaned up and the laundry done. Each shift can have 2 sessions but usually it isn’t that busy on weekdays.
We had a grandfather bring in two grandchildren from America. It was wonderful to have a small experience to learn how to do it all. After they were finished a young man from Romania came and asked to do 10 baptisms. Then a lady came and needed 3 women's names done that morning so I decided I would give it a go. It was a very nice experience.
Just as we said the blessing on the food the phone rang. It was Sister Palett, an English Temple worker than comes 2 weeks and then is off 2 weeks. She said that she just got an email from their American friends and they knew us – R and Eddie Hamlin. I had no idea what she was talking about. Then she explained that they had worked at BYUI with me. Still I was clueless. As she went for the email I yelled Edith, you mean Edith Hamlin. Yes! I am not even sure she knew that but come to find out that R, Edith’s husband, had baptized the Palett’s on his mission to England when he was 19. This world just gets smaller and smaller.
Anderson’s (from Lyman, WY) told us they had found some tennis courts real close. We called them and jumped in the car to find them. BAD IDEA! We never found the tennis courts but we found a few drivers that had some rather naughty words to say to us for driving too slow. As we were turning around a biker came around the corner very fast and he nearly hit us. He was a bit angry too. Brad and I were both upset and we did not sleep well at all.
Tuesday started a new experience for us as we were trained for the baptistery. Remember the baptismal font on the twelve oxen where we do baptisms for the dead. This week we are in charge of setting it up, getting the youth organized with their family file names (names they have found in the ancestry), getting them white clothing to be baptized in and confirmed in, and then organize who will do what. It takes a bit of work and it is very hot down there with the wonderfully warm baptismal font radiating heat. They usually come in a ward (how we divide up our members) group or a family group with up to about 20 youth to be baptized and confirmed. Then after that group is all done, everything needs to be cleaned up and the laundry done. Each shift can have 2 sessions but usually it isn’t that busy on weekdays.
We had a grandfather bring in two grandchildren from America. It was wonderful to have a small experience to learn how to do it all. After they were finished a young man from Romania came and asked to do 10 baptisms. Then a lady came and needed 3 women's names done that morning so I decided I would give it a go. It was a very nice experience.
Just as we said the blessing on the food the phone rang. It was Sister Palett, an English Temple worker than comes 2 weeks and then is off 2 weeks. She said that she just got an email from their American friends and they knew us – R and Eddie Hamlin. I had no idea what she was talking about. Then she explained that they had worked at BYUI with me. Still I was clueless. As she went for the email I yelled Edith, you mean Edith Hamlin. Yes! I am not even sure she knew that but come to find out that R, Edith’s husband, had baptized the Palett’s on his mission to England when he was 19. This world just gets smaller and smaller.
Anderson’s (from Lyman, WY) told us they had found some tennis courts real close. We called them and jumped in the car to find them. BAD IDEA! We never found the tennis courts but we found a few drivers that had some rather naughty words to say to us for driving too slow. As we were turning around a biker came around the corner very fast and he nearly hit us. He was a bit angry too. Brad and I were both upset and we did not sleep well at all.
A happy field of cows near by. They are happy because they are not driving!
4. Who needs sleep?
Wednesday was a calm day. We studied and practiced all the things we should be doing to run the baptistery. We were so tired from not sleeping but we exercised a bit and made a few calls home about Wimbledon. Neil was headed to Idaho and was going to stay in our house. That made us real nervous because we have turned off all the water and hot water so I had to stay up till he made it. That was around 9 PM Idaho time but 4 AM London time. I am not getting much sleep this week.
We had a wonderful family come for baptisms today. Their 17 year old granddaughter had been working on family history for years. The grandparents had promised her if she kept it up they would bring her to England for her high school graduation present where the grandparent’s families had come from. The young girl held true and has found over 150 family names for baptism. She organized the youth in her ward and they baptized over 900. She had found 15 more names in England. It was a joy to work with this family.
After that was over I had a heart to heart with Sister Marsh. I explained all my fears and sorrows and just sobbed for about an hour. Women are like that especially when you want good things for your family. Sister Marsh has a wonderful shoulder to cry on.
It was shopping day but I needed to get a renewal on my prescription that didn’t make it to me in Idaho on time, so I had a DR appointment. Wow, a new experience – going to a DR in England. You check in on a computer when you enter by putting in your birthday. While I waited I was talking to a darling lady about living and working in London at the temple for 18 months. She got really excited because she said that every time she drives by she feels like she should stop. That was a fun conversation. Then the DR called me back – get that – not the nurse but the DR. I showed him my pills explaining why I took them and within a minute he had a form for me to take to Boots (remember that is a pharmacy or drug store here). That was the entire appointment. And by the way, his office was very small with a lot of stuff everywhere. I asked the ladies out front how much I owed and they said nothing.
We went over to get the pills but we had to wait for them to be ordered so they wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow. I asked how much I needed to pay and they said nothing. Wow, and I don’t even pay for social security or Medicare over here.
We bought a bit at the little grocery there and headed home. I meant to do this for our Father's Day Dinner but I couldn't find anyone to take the picture. I wanted to show how we always had dinner with the family. Almost every meal Brad would look, stare and then laugh a little. We sure miss those kids. (If you don't blog, we have a pix of the kids over our table.)They had told Brad we could move into our BIG flat so he went and got the key. We took one suitcase over and all the stuff from the freezer. Our new flat is right across from the TV room so we sat down to watch Federer play – he won! We stayed up to talk to Neil, Becca and the boys. They told me that they had slept at our house but that when they drove in I didn’t come running, yelling and waving and they missed that a lot. That didn’t bring too many tears.
Dinner with the family. We love you!
6. First day/Last Day and Sam Robert's Horror Bathroom is no more!
This morning we had to be at the temple very early for another family from America. We jumped up early and put in the toast. I pulled it out and it was burnt black. I showed it to Brad and the alarm went off big time. We called and fanned and did everything we could but the alarm went on and on. The man came and said he tried to fix it but it didn't clear. Come to find out another man burned his toast even worse than us and we let him take all the credit for the fire alarm. It is just funny to us that it happened our first morning in the squeeze and our last morning in the squeeze. A grandmother had brought 8 grandchildren to be baptized. That was a really great experience which we really enjoyed. They were a very cute family that was truly enjoying the temple and one another.
It took a while to get that one cleaned up and the laundry done but all went very well. I am glad I wasn’t tired because they came running to the laundry to tell me they needed me in the kitchen. Good Grief! I worked in there doing dishes for about 2 hours until I could hardly stand on my feet.
Since I was so fresh we finished the move. Brian Mulholland helped us and the new couple, the Roger’s, offered to help as well. We got nearly all of our belonging over to the Lodge as it is called where I collapsed into ---- TA DA ----- a bathtub. Life is always better when there is hot water involved. The water in this flat is even hotter than the other so we are learning not to burn ourselves all over.
But the new bathroom and bathtub offer far more to this little lady and would offer even more to our dear friend, Sam Roberts. I mentioned before how in the squeeze flat there was just a little door that said push to open between our bathroom and the outside world. That literally put me into fits. I would rush in and think I needed to go to the bathroom when someone in the hall would start to talk and my body would literally go into contortions. Sam would understand, wouldn't you?
Love those fire alarms!
The bathroom with than tiny door saying push to open,
which does open really easily!
The bathroom with than tiny door saying push to open,
which does open really easily!
I was trying to make the point of how the outside world could suddenly
be the inside world. We thought the shower would be better than the toilet.
Brad got us laughing, I was suppose to be in shock.
7. Oh, this is a
Saturday!
Saturday started bright and early with a ward group coming in very early. The new bed is not so great so I had not slept too good, plus my feet hurt so bad I had to get up and take ibuprofren in the night so another night goes without much sleep. The ward showed up and we got things under control and going rather well. We had a lot of walk in people that needed a name or two done which added to our organizing but we managed. It was a rush clean up and before group one was out group two arrived. They had so many kids and so many names to do that we finally had to just tell them we couldn’t do all their names. It took a bit longer than we should of but we made it. We grabbed a quick bite and I told them I was on my way to laundry when they said they needed me more in the kitchen. When I saw the trays filled to the top with dirty dishes I just grabbed a handful and headed to the sink. Sister Rouse was also helping and the two of us got a system and we worked ourselves silly for 2 hours. We got it all caught up but we were two tired ladies with red hands from drying scalding hot silverware. And sore feet.
We came home where Brad collapsed and I watched Wimbledon for a few minutes. The Mulholland’s had been helping us all day. We couldn’t have made it without them. We decided to take them out to McDonald’s in England to thank them. She swore she wouldn’t go to McD’s without a grandkid but we went and we all loved our food.
Home again to grab a few cleaning supplies so we could starting cleaning up the squeeze. We got it about half done before the movie. It was ‘Remember the Titan’s’ so I loved it. It was a long walk home as I was just too tired but hoped this would mean I could sleep that night. WRONG! I am going to have to figure out something to fix that bed. I may mention that Brown’s got it first and refused it so Cooper’s got it second and refused it and we are just plotting our time.
There you go then with the wonders of week 7. WOWSIE!
It was quite the week indeed.
Lots of new experiences of which Wimbledon will be the memory of a life
time. Well, perhaps just a year as I
will be back next year, won’t I? So
cheerio and bless you!Saturday started bright and early with a ward group coming in very early. The new bed is not so great so I had not slept too good, plus my feet hurt so bad I had to get up and take ibuprofren in the night so another night goes without much sleep. The ward showed up and we got things under control and going rather well. We had a lot of walk in people that needed a name or two done which added to our organizing but we managed. It was a rush clean up and before group one was out group two arrived. They had so many kids and so many names to do that we finally had to just tell them we couldn’t do all their names. It took a bit longer than we should of but we made it. We grabbed a quick bite and I told them I was on my way to laundry when they said they needed me more in the kitchen. When I saw the trays filled to the top with dirty dishes I just grabbed a handful and headed to the sink. Sister Rouse was also helping and the two of us got a system and we worked ourselves silly for 2 hours. We got it all caught up but we were two tired ladies with red hands from drying scalding hot silverware. And sore feet.
We came home where Brad collapsed and I watched Wimbledon for a few minutes. The Mulholland’s had been helping us all day. We couldn’t have made it without them. We decided to take them out to McDonald’s in England to thank them. She swore she wouldn’t go to McD’s without a grandkid but we went and we all loved our food.
Home again to grab a few cleaning supplies so we could starting cleaning up the squeeze. We got it about half done before the movie. It was ‘Remember the Titan’s’ so I loved it. It was a long walk home as I was just too tired but hoped this would mean I could sleep that night. WRONG! I am going to have to figure out something to fix that bed. I may mention that Brown’s got it first and refused it so Cooper’s got it second and refused it and we are just plotting our time.
Families are eternal,
Floss your teeth and eat your roughage!
Our eternal love,
The
Parkinson’s
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