Will and Julie's Visit

We are so thrilled to have another set of our kids (they’re grown-ups, really) come to visit. 

The weather has been lovely and mild. We have showed them around the area in which we live. Will has even jogged into Lingfield. Tomorrow, we are heading west to see Stonehenge, Bath and finally Port Isaac. Port Isaac is where “Doc Martin” is filmed and it is on the west coast. It is a quaint little sea port-fishing village and a fun place to visit. 

Yesterday, whilst Julie and Will took the train into London to see the sights and Niel and I worked in the temple, I had a “special” experience with a dear little sister, who was 82 years old. She came into the temple to do just one female family file card. She was so excited and happy to be there and as we sat together before we started, she shared with me why she had come with this particular name. As a little seven-year-old girl, during the bombing in WWII, she, along with hundreds of other London children, were evacuated and farmed out to foster families outside of London. She spent 2 years with a couple, who she grew to love. She said it has taken all these years, since, to realize that this foster mother has been trying to get her to do her temple work. So, there she was, doing work for a lady she had loved as a little girl. It was touching to talk to someone who had actually been through an experience like that and then see it come full circle in the temple. She was delightful. I was so honored to have been there and hear her story.

Oh, and we had another experience when we decided to have breakfast at McDonald’s that morning with Julie and Will. We were standing at the counter discussing what to order, etc. and when I turned to find a seat, I came face to face with a young Brit who beamed at me and said a big, loud and friendly, “Howdy”. I guess he had heard our American accents and decided to greet us in our own language. It was a sweet moment and a good opportunity to say, “Howdy” back to him. It made our morning. 

Much Later--------

We have been a traveling quartet. Our little car just putts and purrs around England. We saw Stonehenge, Bath and Port Isaac. We wavered about going all the way there because Julie said that on the last episode she watched, Doctor Ellingham did or said something that really disappointed her and she almost changed her mind. Luckily, we went anyway. 

Julie and Will at Stonhenge

We participated in a wonderful Easter service at the Bath Cathedral

A gull on it's eggs

Port Isaac

Port Isaac - Doc Martin's Surgery

The weather was fabulous! The scenery, spectacular and we couldn’t have had a better trip. Loved all of it.  Honestly, it couldn’t have been more beautiful. Julie kept saying that there was no way she could take a bad picture, because every landscape was brilliant. 

(She didn’t say ‘brilliant’, I thought I’d just throw that in.)

We took them to the airport yesterday and, happily, they made it home without missing their connecting flight. Julie did have to endure a THOROUGH bag search, twice. She said it was a humiliating experience, having to let everyone see all the chocolate and Nutella packets she had accumulated. Apparently, our other daughter, Jill, had to go through the same procedure when they flew home, too. I am totally shocked that any T.S.A. person would think they looked like suspects who were trying to hide something.  

Julie...NOT amused at her second search!

Niel and I wept all the way back to our digs. We did our shifts at the temple and came back and tried to sleep off our depression. We love to see these kids, but really hate to send them home without us. Oh well.

By-the-way, Niel and I have been new assignments in the temple. We are the ‘trainers’ for our shift. We can’t tell you how extremely thrilled we are to shoulder this calling. We were kind of thinking the temple president may call us to be Shift Coordinators. Niel was not ready for such an involved calling. Little does he want to admit that he could have quite easily done it. He’s done a lot harder things in his life. However, we are happy to serve where ever we are needed. Being a ‘trainer’ encompasses training all the new and returning ordinance workers as to the proper (London Temple proper) way to carry out the work we do in the temple for the living and the dead. This week, in fact, we have been training a delightful couple who have come to us all the way from Laramie, Wyoming. They are going to be a real asset to the London Temple. They are very capable, friendly and knowledgeable. 

Elder and Sister Cooper from Laramie, WY

The only thing that has been a little bit of a hurtle for them is to deal with three foreign languages in one session.  This week we have had patrons from Portugal, France and Spain. It’s been great and we love for them to come.  They like to bring their children (who are apparently out of school) with them. As I was leaving the temple this afternoon, two darling young boys were kicking a soccer (football) between themselves. It got away at just the right moment for me to kick it back. Instead of kicking it to his companion, this little boy kicked it right back to me. It about laid me out flat. I guess he thought I could actually play with them. (I was honored.)

We hope spring is coming your way. Ours is going to be ever so lovely. The Rhododendrons are starting to blossom as well as the Azaleas. The Daffodils and Tulips are almost done. 

They were wonderful. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to send a picture of our tulips and Forget-me-nots too.

Love to all. We are tired, but happy.

From Niel (Grumps) and Carolee (Grammy)