NEWS of the PAST WEEK, Part Deux

IF YOU CANNOT VIEW THE PREVIOUS BLOG ENTRY, GO BACK ONE POSTING AND START READING THAT ONE BEFORE CONTINUING ON TO READ THIS POSTING -- BOTH ARE FOR THIS CURRENT WEEK, AND WERE WRITTEN TOGETHER.  CHEERS!

Portia @ Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

This past week we have tried Indian food, Greek food, and traditional English food -- curries and rice dishes from India, cold and hot Greek dishes using cheeses, fresh veg, herbs and spices -- Elder Hawley's favorite was the grilled Halloumi [goat and sheep milk] cheese he's going to find in Utah; and English pasties [ours were chicken and veg], the "roast of the day" [again chicken on the day we were there, but it can be any roast meat or poultry], with Yorkshire pudding, two potatoes and gravy; and fish 'n chips -- and the diner is given the WHOLE fish, sans tail and head, and thankfully w/o skin, lightly breaded and deep-fried.  We chose "garden" veg over "mushy peas" [a favorite of unknown origin], and enjoyed all these different flavors.  The pubs and restaurants often advertize "the pie of the day" and on the day we were there the pie -- not a dessert item -- was ELK.  [Desserts are groupe into a general heading under "pudding", as in, What's for Pudding? meaning an inquiry as to what is being served for dessert.]

We are seldom hungry enough to order dessert, but at the Indian restaurant in Paddington we tried the ice cream -- served in popcicle form either in Mango or Pistascio flavored ice cream; and carrot+corn pudding.  Both were really good.  We tried a modern Greek restaurant next door to the Globe Theatre; and ordered the roast chicken and fish 'n chips at a nearby-to-our-flat "local" pub on Earl's Court Road.  English food might have been viewed as bland and boring at one time, but not any more.  Because it is such a diverse and multi-cultured city, as well as a world-financial and governmental base-of-operations, there is much to choose from in the way of good food to match accommodation and tourist attractions.  The PUB is uniquely British.  What makes a true "public house" is not its construction, architecture, furniture or selection of alcoholic beverages.  It is the "clientele."  A public house means just that--everyone is welcome, even Americans and Australians!

"The local," as most British pubs are lovingly referred to, is an organic part of each community, ranking in importance along with the local post office and the town hall.  The personality of a pub greets patrons at the door, and is a most important ingredient to any town, borough, or city.  It is the social gathering place in any area, and British pub food is usually excellently prepared and can often be served by the owner, who is usually onsite to meet-greet-and-socialize.

Sister Hawley has added a section below on British recipes:

Cornish Pasty

Yorkshire Puddings

In spite of the cold and rainy weather mid-week we traveled to do a temple session in the Preston England Temple, north of Manchester, and south of Scotland, and west of Leeds and Yorkshire.  The Preston Temple is actually located on a multi-use plot in the town of Chorley.  It was a wet, and bitterly cold day.  And yet having the opportunity to visit the temple once again was a wonderfully warm, spiritually fulfilling experience.

Preston England Temple in Chorley.

Grey stone is polished like marble.

Temple Walk -- the pathway we used to walk to the temple from our rented accommodation.

Exterior temple details #1--Entrance

Exterior Details #2--Side Glass Windows

Exterior #3

Temple Grounds

Chapel or possibly stake Center, Chorley Temple Plot.

Preston Missionary Training Centre or MTC.

Family History Centre & Distribution Centre.

Preston Temple Entrance.

When we returned by high speed train to London, we were grateful to get back to somewhat warmer weather.  And when Friday dawned warmer and with mostly clear blue skies we set out once again to explore another area of Westminster, Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square is a square in central London.  With its position in the heart of London, it is a tourist attraction, and one of the most famous squares in the United Kingdom as well as the world.  At its centre is Nelson's Column, with a statue of Lord Admiral [Naval Hero] Nelson at its top, and with four bronze giant-sized male lions guarding its base.

There are four corners with pliths used for deplaying statues and sculptures, 3 being permanent, and the fourth being used for the display of contemporary art.  It consists of a large central area surrounded by roadways on three sides and stairs leading to the National Gallery on the other.  The square is also used as a location for political demonstrations and community gatherings, such as the celebration of New Year's Eve in London.  The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar [1805], a British Naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars.  The northern area had been the site of the King's Mews since the time of Edward I.  The southern end was the original Charing Cross, where the Strand from the City met Whitehall, coming north from Westminster.  As the midpoint between these twin cities, Charing Cross to this day is considered the heart of London, from which all distances are measured.  The present architecture of the Square is due to Sir Charles Barry and was completed in 1845.  The Square is owned by the Queen in "Right of the Crown," and is maintained by the Greater London Authority.  

Don at Trafalgar Square.

Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, being displayed currently, is a replica of Nelson's Ship, the HMS Victory, with sails made of printed fabric in a colourful African pattern inside a large glass bottle stopped with a cork, the first artwork displayed specifically to reflect on the historical symbolism of Trafalgar Square.  It is also the first commission by a black British artist, and is viewed by the South Africa House, located diagonally across the Square.

Ship in a Bottle.

Trafalgar Square/National Gallery

National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square block.

St. Martin-in-the-Field Church, Exterior and Interior, Trafalgar Square block.

We enjoyed our visit to the National Portrait Gallery, and walked past [but did not go inside] the St. Martin-in-the-Field Church, an Anglican church on the northeast corner of Trafalgar Square and dating back to the 1200's Roman London, and rebuilt by Henry VIII in 1542 to house plague victims [and keep them away from the city--then it was a church quite literally 'in the fields', hence the name; we also saw another view of the London Eye, Big Ben and Parliament [Westminister Hall], what remains of the Palace of Whitehall [the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698, until all but the Banqueting House was destroyed by fire], and the World War II British monument to women who served in this conflict.

The London Eye.

CloseUp, Sun shining on Big Ben.

Westminster Hall, home of British Parliament.

Drawing of Old Palace of Whitehall.

Women of World War II Monument.

We may have to go home just to REST!  There are so many places to visit, and increasingly, more now to do to get ready to go home.  Today we are planning to make a run to Tesco's with our trolley; sort through the kitchen items prior to our inventory checkout next week; and see about boxing up some small items for shipping home.  We are so surprised to realize that we have only 2 weeks and 2 days left in England.  We never planned for the 'going home' part of missionary service!

Elder Jonathan David McColgan, a Scotsman born in Wales and serving in England.

The mission president telephoned us yesterday to ask us if we would accompany one of our missionaries to Oxford on the 4th of December so that he could take a university exam there.  He also invited us to their flat for our departing dinner on the 6th of December.  Sister Hawley has printed an 8x10" photograph that Elder Hawley took of the Patch's son, who is serving here and who will be released at the end of December.

Elder Christopher Isaac Patch, youngest son of Deanne and Renn Patch.

We plan to make a gift of this photo to the Patch's, along with the book, The Infinite Atonement, [which we gave them on their 1-year anniversary], and also the finished collection of missionary photographs requested by President Patch of Sister Hawley and put into an informal Picture-Pages format for them to assemble into gift books after they finish their mission in 2012.  It took quite a bit of effort for Sister Hawley to compile what has totalled 204 missionary photographs -- 22 couples and 182 single missionaries whose release dates spread from 1 July 2009, the Patch's first day, through 30 June 2012, their last day.  We will also have our departing interviews with President Patch then.

Sister and Elder Hawley, Balcony of their #72 Huntsmore House Flat,

35 Pembroke Road, London W8 6LZ, England

NEWS of the PAST WEEK, Part Uno

Of course we parents and grandparents want to be good examples for our family members.  Sometimes, however, those who are younger are inspirations to US.  Our daughter-in-law Rachel is one such example.  The photo above shows her with four of our Grandchildren:  McKenna, Emma, Tanner and Mason.  Rachel maintains a blog, and in a recent posting she wrote the following: 

One year ago today my husband found out that he lost his job.

One year ago today I thought he would have found a new one by now.

One year ago today I thought we would never make it pass the holidays,

 let alone for one year.

One year ago we lost our income and even some of our friends, but gained true new ones.

One year ago we truly came together as a couple, parents and a family.

One year ago I thought I knew my own strength,  but I found out that I was a lot stronger than I thought.

One year ago I never would have gotten excited about toilet paper and diapers being dropped off on our doorstep.

One year ago my baby girl would never have sung this song:

"Where, oh where, is my daddy's new job? Oh, where, oh, where could it be?"

and, one year ago It would not have made me laugh so hard that I almost wet my pants.

One year ago we came closer to the Lord.

We have learned how to budget, be more frugal, and to REALLY trust in the Lord.

We have seen many blessings and received many gifts from Above.

And, although we have no job YET our prayers have been answered,

Our needs have been taken care of, and we truly feel His love.

We have a true understanding what it is to

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  

In all ways acknowledge Him,

and He shall direct thy paths.”

(Proverbs 3:5-6 )

Challenges come, and we have agency in how we meet them.  Rachel has been an outstanding example of the attitude we can choose to maintain as we learn and grow and endure and overcome.  We are proud of her efforts, and grateful for the support she gives to our son Rob.

Rachel and Rob at their wedding receiption.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

We visited the office again this past Monday, did a bit of training and answered questions, extracted some info from Sister Hawley's old hard drive to give to Elder Potts, set up a time for the APs to collect from us some items of furniture we want to donate for use by the missionaries + a time for the APs to pick us up and drive us to Heathrow.  Then we left -- quickly, quietly, comfortably.  More and more we find that we are comfortable with the conclusion of our missionary experience here, and that it is OK to prepare to leave England and return home.  We do want to "return with honor," but endings are not the time to thus prepare.  We hope each days' effort will have been pleasing unto the Lord, helpful to every missionary, and supportive of both mission president and Church guidelines and goals.

Victorial and Albert Museum, South Kensington Cromwell Road Entrance.

From the mission office we walked down the street and into the Victoria and Albert Museum -- informally called "the V and A."  This museum is considered the finest decorative-arts museum in the world, and includes collections of jewelry, furniture, and oriental carpets.  There is also the Photography Gallery, the Art and Design Galleries, and sculptures throughout.   

V and A Interiors, above and below.

We enjoyed a bowl of homemade soup with bread in the cafe there -- something we've done before for lunch when we've had time to leave the office.  We walked in the outside inner courtyard [above] and enjoyed the crisp English autumn air.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On Tuesday we rode the District tube line down to Monument Street, and took the bus to take a tour of the 3rd recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, built again [1997] for modern day theatre fans to enjoy close to the original location on the banks of the Thames River and overlooking St. Paul's Cathedral.  All wood is oak, the design has been copied as accurately as possible from the original [with modern safety features such as sprinklers on the thatched roof--needful especially since the original theatre burned to the ground in the 1500's].  Below are a few photos we took during our tour.  Plays are performed [more than just Shakespeare's works] from spring-until-fall afternoons through the end of September, to maximize the light and good weather, which is the way it would have been done in Shakespeare's day, because they wouldn't have had stage lights, electricity, heaters, etc., then.  [It's always wise to bring an umbrella, no matter where in Britain you are or what season it might be.]  Standing-room viewing cost 1 penny; wood bench seating cost 5 pennies, and individual chair seats [located on each side of the stage] cost 6 p.  Seating was often available above and behind the stage for those in the aristocracy who could afford the price:  it was not about getting the closest viewing of the play position possible; what was important to them was "being seen" by the most people.  Columns were painted to look like marble, and the stage is quite close to the size it was in the original.  A second recreation of Shakespeare's theatre was buil in the mid-1600's, but all theatres, thought to be evil at the time, were closed in 1662 by the Puritans and all were demolished by 1664.

Tour and Theatre-Ticket Entrance.

Stage front where trap door in floor is visible.

Three row-or-ring seating, 5 pence or pennies.

Ceilings over the stage were painted like the sky, with Greek mythological themes--in the sun/cloudburst can be seen the upper trap door above the stage.

Over/behind stage seats, often used in plays as well as for the orchestra, and music was/is always a part of each performance.

6-penny seating paid for individual wooden, cushioned chairs.

1-p standing room.

Children's school groups come to learn about Shakespeare,

 and have fun "acting" on a real stage.

Globe Theatre props and costumes.

Printing press similar to one that would have been used to print original copies of Will Shakespeare's writings.

Here below are views from the Thames River with the Globe Theatre behind us:  St. Paul's Cathedral, a small part of the local London [Westminister] riverside skyline, and a barely-there view of the unexpected reality of what the new London Bridge really looks like -- more of a river overpass than a bridge like the Tower Bridge, also viewable in the background.

St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminister Skyline. 

Modern London Architecture.

Moss-covered stone steps leading down to the edge of the River Thames.

Barely there--the green bridge is used for train crossings; one can see the overpass/London bridge just underneath the green bridge and beyond it.

Tower of London Bridge in the distance, seen beyond the green train-crossing bridge,

with photograph taken from the Southwark Bridge near the Globe Theatre.

London Monument

Description [above] + Top of Monument [below].

Sailing Ship Model above Thames House.

Postscript:  We have a niece whose daughter just turned 12.  We were asked, as part of an "advising group of friends and family" to offer her some advice, and this is what we came up with.

"Our advice, or what a bit of age and experience has taught us, is to do the following:  Put Heavenly Father and gospel principles first.  This one thing will make good friendships with family members and friends, no matter how young or how old you are.  It will keep you safe, physically, emotionally, spiritually.  Learn about the character of your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  Learn how the Holy Ghost speaks to you.  Get to know yourself and how to compliment yourself, and how to appreciate your talents and strengths.  Repent or change what you don't like, . . . , early.  Learn how best to be faithful and obedient.  Start your day with private prayer and scripture reading.  [It works better for Sister Hawley to start her day this way; if she leaves scripture reading until bedtime, she falls asleep reading.  When she starts her day with these two things, the days go better, some problems never appear, and the work and the challenges are easier to deal with.  She feels happier and calmer, she feels the Lord's support, and she never feels alone.]  Try to follow Jesus' example in treating others.  Choose your friends wisely.  Stick with people who have the same standards you want to have.  Jesus was kind and loving, but He was not a doormat -- He wasn't swayed by whether someone liked Him or not.  Even if everyone doesn't like you, you will like yourself.  Turning 12 is a wonderful time in your life.  So is turning 16, when you can date and drive; 18 when you can vote and go to college; and every other age-related mark of growth and achievement.  The above advice works at any age.  It will help you while you are the daughter in your family, and also when you become the wife and mother in your own family.  As you keep your goals high, you will find yourself being helped and supported from those around you, and through the Holy Ghost, Heavenly Father, and our Savior, Advocate, and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  Good luck, and may God bless you in the choices you make, and in the 'multiplicity' of blesssings you will receive."  Elder and Sister Hawley

[BLOG IS CONTINUED IN NEWS OF THE PAST WEEK, PART DEUX, NEXT POSTING]