Crystal Bridges - a MUST SEE!

We enjoyed a nice 2 1/2 hour drive to Bentonville on Saturday to join many many others in visiting Crystal Bridges, a fabulous museum of American masterworks from the colonial era to contemporary times (plus special exhibits) from the private collection of Alice Walton (Sam's daughter) plus others. The museum is a series of pavilions built around two creek-fed ponds, including 6 walking trails. (In beautiful weather, this will be amazing!) The huge sprawling tree at the entrance is a sculpture! We took a guided tour of six masterpieces from Julia, who is an artist herself as well as an art teacher - incredibly wonderful. Two of the pieces were "Kindred Spirits" by the artist Asher Durand and Norman Rockwell's "Rosie the Riveter" which was truly an eye-opening lecture. Did you know that NR had Rosie pose...but the very muscular arms she displays are taken exactly from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting of the prophet Isaiah?? Rockwell wanted to show the strength of the prophet Isaiah in stomping out sin, while Rosie's strength was stomping on the book "Mein Kampf" under her feet. When you go (and when we go back again in May to see even more) please do take a guided tour. Our day trip included lunch at Eleven, the restaurant within the Museum, which was delicious. This was a GREAT day! This museum is truly a treasure. Admission for everyone is underwritten by Wal-Mart, so its free for all of us. What a gift! And what an incredible addition to our already fantastic Ozarks.

Carla's Engagement!

On February 10, 2012, Delvin Rowlett proposed to Carla on a carriage ride at the Country Club Plaza. Their excitement and joy is obvious to all!  We rejoice in their happiness, and had this past weekend to celebrate.


We celebrated over dinner at Chicken Mary's (our second cafe in the fried chicken competition that exists in southeast Kansas.)  It was just great - and I wouldn't want to cast a vote as to the best fried chicken.

 
On Sunday some of Jerry's cousins gathered in Ft. Scott to worship with us...they thought they were going to meet Delvin and decide if they gave their approval, but they were too late for that!  They did give him a unanimous "thumbs up" to joining the family...Carolyn Barnett & Betsy Kurtz (Springfield) and Jim & Jane Carney (Kansas City).  We are glad he was joyfully embraced by all of them.
 
I want to share a word about Carla's ring(s) - because they are so very special.  Her engagement ring and the wedding bands were created by an artisan jeweler at Joslin's in Kansas City (absolutely the best place EVER) from our mothers' rings.  Her engagement ring was originally part of Jerry's mothers' rings while the wedding bands are made from stones in my mother's wedding rings.  What a special treasure - and how pleased her Grandmothers would be to be a part of this marriage.
REJOICE!  REJOICE! REJOICE!

Fried Chicken Competition

 Southeast Kansas appears to be famous for its fried chicken - and nothing could please Jerry more!  It seems that Chicken Annie's started about 75 years ago, followed by Chicken Mary's about 65 years ago...both part of the same family.  There are now 3  Annie's restaurants and 1 Mary's, which means we have 4 places to try while we are.  Well, somebody has to do it!  "Food Wars" featured these two about two years ago - and I am not sure who actually garnered the most votes..there was some dispute over the voting, as I understand.

 Our new Ft. Scott friends, Jackie and John, treated us to our first fried chicken dinner at Chicken Annies last week.  It was just delicious..its hard to see how any meal could be better, but we shall see.  Annie's is also famous for her onion rings, and I must say she has earned her reputation.

So now we have 3 more to try..plus someone in Pittsburgh told us to put Barto's in the competition as well.  Anyone want to come and try these all out with us?

This is going to be FUN and FATTENING!  But worth it, I am sure...so here we go!

UK Christmas - Scotland Pt II

Weather in the winter in Scotland can provide many challenges...and we experienced some of those.  At least we didn't have the 30' of snow some of them endured for the past two Christmases, and for that we are grateful.  However...we have had not only plenty of rain but also an enormous amount of wind.  So some of the time has just been better spent sitting in the living room being warmed by the gas fireplace and watching the dustbins blow down the streets!  While the wind has been noticable almost every day, on Tuesday it was memorable even to the newscasters.  Wind gusts hit 102 mph in Edinburgh and 96 mph in Glasgow---lots of folks without power, trees felled, tall-sided vehicles blown over,  bridges closed to all traffic, and trash dumpsters and their contents blown all over everywhere.  Its amazing to see one of those large heavy things being blown around down the road like it was a handkerchief!  We chose well to stay home on some of those times.

I'm not sure how this happened...but here we are - entering California. There has got to be a story about this town's name, but I don't happen to know it.  But it was startling to realize that we were in California for a brief while!

We actually  had sunshine yesterday (and again today) and even tho the wind is very cold, just seeing the sunshine gives you a different perspective!  We spent time today viewing the Falkirk Wheel, an engineering marvel that moves boats from one canal to another.  It wasn't operating on this day, but you can certainly grasp the idea and wonder at the folks that created it.  We walked from the lower canal up to the higher canal to get the lay of the land - fascinating.

It has been a marvelous experience to be with Julia, staying in her manse, getting acquainted with not only her pet family but also several members of her parish.  God has blessed both the parish and the pastor by bringing them together.  We look forward to a return trip to this beautiful country, and the roots of our faith, but next time in the summer.  (Its not Texas-hot, but pleasantly warm.  One day last summer a friend was dog-sitting for Julia, and when she stopped by to pick them up, her friend told her she had not let the dogs play outside because it was sweltering hot-- 76 degrees.  Oh my!

We are celebrating Epiphany by a train ride in lovely weather back to London--oh the countryside is lovely to behold! 

UK Christmas - Scotland!

It's time to leave London and head north.  We were so excited about having the train ride and seeing the countryside and were not one bit disappointed.  The train was delightful, the young couple across from us were fun to visit with, and the time fairly flew by!  But best of all was to alight at Armadale, and see Julia waving at us from the parking lot!  What a great welcome!

Julia is part of our family...she was raised in Crane MO (and we all know that Crane is the Center of the Universe!)  Her Dad (Glenn Wiley) and Jerry's Dad were cousins.  Suffice it to say, we are all family.  Julia is a few years older than our daughters...she attended Presbyterian School of Christian Education ahead of Carla..her brother and Carla were classmates together at Drury.  After some years serving as a Christian Educator, Julia went on to Columbia seminary for her M.Div.  In July 2009, Julia came to Scotland for a year of familiarization with the Church of Scotland and upon completion, received a Certificate of Eligibility to enable her to serve as a pastor here.  She was called to the Armadale Parish Church of Scotland in Armadale, Scotland, halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh.  Carla was the first of our family to come and visit Julia...and last year Jo & Scott came for a visit.  Finally we have made it!

Julia lives in a marvelous manse...its a huge home by anyone's standards...it has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, study, dining room, living room, large kitchen,  huge entryway, and a laundry room, with a fully fenced back yard to accommodate the animals who reside here:  Asher and Anna, long-haired dachshunds, and Timothy, the black cat.

We shared in a truly wonderful worship experience at the Armadale Church.  It is obvious that there is a strong bond of love and community between Julia and the church family, and our hearts were warmed by their welcome to us, and their kind and supportive words for their pastor.  In the Church of Scotland, Julia is pastor to the congregation at Armadale Church but has oversite and pastoral responsibilities to all who live within the Parrish, which is much larger than the Church family itself.  For that reason, Julia has conducted more than 75 funeral services since her arrival a year and a half ago.

Sunday afternoon we took a drive around the area, visiting at the churches that Julia had worked with during her familiarization year - Winchburgh, Kingscavil, and Abercorn (where there have been worshipers for centuries!) 

Our New Year's Eve was celebrated with one of Julia's special friends, Muriel, who invited us all over for dinner, including the dogs.  She blessed us with a starter of sweet potato soup, followed by a meal of Winter Warmer (beef pie), mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and green beans & carrots - just marvelous.  We watched a rerun of this past summer's Military Tattoo  - and we think we will celebrate our 50th anniversary by coming to the Tattoo in 2013.  What a fine way to bring in the New Year!

UK Christmas - Stirling

What a grand day with Julia!  Since its dark till nearly 9 a.m., the house is very quiet until about then..and Julia and I usually meet in the living room with our morning cuppa about that time, warming ourselves in front of the absolutely lovely gas fireplace.  A word about the weather - don't pick January unless you don't have a choice!  And if you come for the Christmas holidays, those rarely occur in the summer!  The nights are very long and the days are very short, so a lot of sightseeing gets done in the dark.  Its also quite cold - while London was much warmer than expected, Scotland is not only cold and damp but the winds have been horrific--102 mph in Edinburgh, 96  mph in Stirling the day AFTER this visit.  Needless to say that was a day we stayed inside Julia's lovely manse the entire day!  The damage done on the windy day was disastrous--bridges were closed to all traffic (for fear of blowing off!), trees came down, high-sided vehicles blew over on the roadways, chimneys and roof tiles came tumbling down, and trash bins sans trash were blowing everywhere...not a pretty sight.

But now off for Stirling..a lovely drive,  bits of sunshine mixed with sprinkling rain, until we got farther north when we started to receive snow warnings on the highway electronic billboards!  Yikes!

Stirling Castle experience was just grand.  Its bitter cold - and the wind is really blowing.  They have tall metal fencing barricades set up along the wall up to the castle to keep we tourists from being blown off!!   The scaffolding is all down and the remodeling of the lliving quarters is completed, Julia was happy to see, and it is magnificent.  We became part of a tour group with a delightful guide that I did not have trouble understanding...we saw all the places we visited when we were here for the wedding a few years ago, including the Great Hall, which is now complete with a Christmas tree, and massive curtains on all the walls to protect against the cold, and 3 huge fireplaces going (for looks only--electric).  It was fun to show Julia where we were six years ago (is that when it was?)

The private living quarters are amazing.  Two of the rooms had folks in them in period costumes to visit with you.  All the colors in the wall paintings and the ceilings were so bright and colorful now that they are restored..saw the outer & inner courts of both the King and the Queen, as well as their private bedrooms (which were only for looks, and they really each slept in another little tiny room off the bedroom - go figure!)

We had lattes in the Castle Cafe which was really a blessing by then, and helped us warm up, and now the rain is coming down harder and we decided the best thing to do is head for home ASAP...again, the snow warnings were going, and Julia says we passed several trucks bringing  stuff to put on the roads..so they are expecting the snow but only up north.

It was such a treat to be back in Stirling Castle and see all the improvements that have been made in their restoration project.

UK Christmas -The first four days of Christmas

As you know, today is Boxing Day -historically that meant that during the Christmas season, a box was available in the churches to collect money for the poor. The last day to contribute was on Christmas Day, and the following day the boxes were opened and distributed to the poor--hence, Boxing Day. In London, this is a national holiday, but the Sunday transportation schedule is supposed to exist. However, add to that the fact that the union of tube drivers called for a strike on that day - and the end result is absolute chaos! Fortunately, we did not know that before we took off--we knew the strike but didn't fully comprehend the chaos!

So off we wandered to our tube station, to find it closed, and nice attendant directed us to the bus to take to Leytonstone, where we would be able to catch the tube. We wanted to go to Leytonstone Station anyway--this is the birthplace of Alfred Hitchcock and we had been told about the terrific mosaics on the walls of the station. Sure enough - a mosaic depicting many different movies from the great master, and it was a great way to start the day. Now we are back on the tube and headed for Chancery Lane. This was our tube stop five years ago when we rented the flat..so we were in familiar territory walking to the Dickens Museum. This was wonderful..many restorations done on this brownstone - and we loved wandering through the rooms again, seeing all the Christmas decorations in the Victorian style. In one room in the basement, the original production of "A Christmas Carol" with Alastair Sims was showing on a video. In the Drawing Room, a biographer of Dickens did a reading every hour - and we listened to him read the opening scene of "A Christmas Carol". In the little cafe in the back, we were treated to hot mulled wine (not very good, IMHO-prefer Whittards, Carla!), little teas and breads. We walked back to Chancery Lane and decided to head for 221A Baker Street-Sherlock Holmes, of course. Five years ago, we picked the right time to do this and were about the only people inside when we arrived..not so this year - we joined the que to get in, took pics with the bobby guarding the door, and wandered in. Not much had changed in the last five years - it is so tiny - very narrow stairways going up four flights, only one-way traffic on them. Unfortunately "Dr. Watson" was not there this time..he was the highlight of our last visit and I am sorry for all those tourists that they didn't get that experience!

Now we are off to Starbucks for a delicious cuppa and sitting on the streetside tables watching the people go by--little dreaming what was ahead for us! After leisurely drinking our coffee, we headed back to the Baker Street underground, rode it for 2 stops to Oxford Circus, where we were to change for the Central Line. There were thousands upon thousands of folks waiting for tubes. I felt so sorry for the little ones who must have felt they were being suffocated down there around everyone elses knees! We were so crowded, we could not get in through the doorway to stand along the train tracks! We finally got that far...and one or two trains came by, already full, and a few people managed to crowd their way onto the train...and we decided we couldn't take this anymore..and somehow managed to worm our way OUT of the tube stop. Someone pointed us in the direction of a bus stop (the #25 is what we wanted) and we joined hundreds of folks waiting. In the next two hours, I would say that about 8 buses with #73 on them came by and stopped, and none of the other 6 buses that were to stop there ever showed up! Someone who looked official stopped and told us to go somewhere else if we could because there was a "detour" up the way that was holding up the buses. By now we are visiting with two young people from Lithuania who have just arrived at Gatwick and got this far with their roll-away luggage, and were heading for Stratford, also our destination. After two hours, Jerry had had it - so we set off for another bus stop, hoping that would work better. Jerry was ready to get on any bus that came by and get out of Oxford Circus to ANYWHERE, and I was about to agree with him. The cute young gal said to her male traveling companion (referring to us) "they are our only hope"--so off the four of us went. Again we tried the tube. The kids got in line to purchase their tickets, the board said a train would be by in 19 minutes, and we headed down the escalator--to find our Central Line gate shut and locked and a crude sign saying "closed." We boogied back up the stairs, caught the kids just as they were the next in line to purchase, and told them not to do it. Back to the street. Back to a different bus stop. Another wait with no buses showing up...and now we have had it. Its TAXI time. We walked to a busier street where we had seen taxis driving by. Jerry found a driver who had stopped to let folks out, and he told Jerry we needed to walk to the TAXI sign and que there, which we did. Oh dear...well, the young man with us managed to flag down a taxi, who said he would take us, gave us the approximate charge (gulp!) and we four loaded up! These kids were so cute - we told them how old we were..and they asked how old our kids were - and they said that was their parents' age..so they could be our grandchildren! Our drive took us by Kings Cross and St. Pancreas stations, and we told them that Platform 9 3/4 was in there - she looked puzzled, so I asked her if she knew Harry Potter. Her reply "well, of course"..but she seemed amazed that WE did! We suggested they go to that tube station during their stay and take their picture with the shopping cart. She said "You are very modern grandparents". Oh my..... FINALLY, we arrived at Stratford, bid goodby to our new kids, giving them a card telling them to come see us in Texas. She is 16 and in school, he is 20 and studying Economics at the University of Lithuania. They were going to visit an uncle, who lived in Stratford and she had never met..and then go to Paris for New Years Eve weekend. Bless them on their journey! Tomorrow will be a Banking Holiday, and we don't know what happened to the strike yet...so who knows what the day will bring? We are definitely in a wind-down mode! The pace of yesterday, the throngs of people on the streets, the crush of humanity in the tube stations on two different occasions, just really sapped our energy. It was off-set only by the chance meeting of the two young people from Lithuania, who made the time seem to pass faster! But we were not moving very fast at all on the second day of Christmas. So we are off to Wanstead, to our local Starbucks, for some breakfast coffee and a nice visit with 3 generations of a family at the table next to ours...awaiting the birth of a new baby boy. Delightful! Our conversations with folks like this have really been a highlight of our whole trip--because we have had time to sit, relax, strike up conversations, and become engaged with folks along the way. Now we are headed on the tube (which is running fine, by the way!) to Leicester Square and the discount ticket booth to see what might be in store for us today - and it is BILLY ELLIOTT! Oh joy! So hope another tube to Victoria Train Station (this was our first visit this trip to that magnificent enormous station - so much going on all around and an entire shopping center within the train station itself!) Our only disappointment is that the outside is under total remodeling, so everything is scaffolded..it will be very nice on another trip, I would imagine. Our seats for BE could not have been better...lowest row of the balcony, no one in front of us, you could lean in to the railing and be most comfortable and have a great view. What a thrilling play! The music is phenomenal, the story heart-wrenching, and the dancing was magnificent. There are 4 young men who play Billy - and he really carries the bulk of the show. The actors are all about 13 years of age, so we knew there had to be more than one in that part. I don't know which one we saw - but he was incredible. His energy and enthusiasm were boundless. We left the theatre energized ourselves, found a tube route home that was never full of people, (of course, it was still a Banking Holiday), returned home to make ourselves a grand dinner - and were entertained with BBCs first installment of a new presentation of Dickens' "Great Expectations" - and since we are really in a Dickens mode this trip, that was perfect! Wednesday dawns cooler and much windier, but we are off to Central London to see what play we can find for this afternoon. This time we tubed to Piccadilly Circus..how exciting! Thronging with people! Piccadilly, Oxford Circus, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square just all run together -- and Tottenham Court as well, as we found out later. We chose to see "Jersey Boys" in the afternoon, and took off walking towards Trafalgar Square. We were right at noon - poor timing, as all the coffee shops were packed, but we eventually decided to go back to St. Martins-in-the-Fields, and had soup down in the Crypt Cafe..a delightful place to eat and people watch, plus the opportunity to browse through the church again. The play was such fun - music that was all so familiar for us, all around those times in our early married life..and we delighted in it. We walked from the theatre to Tottenham Court underground, which is in our Central Line, and headed for home,
As you can see - we are definitely winding down..our energy level is lower...and we are not filling our days so full. But we have done what we wanted to do, saw plays, museums, stores, and are quite ready to end our time in London!

UK Christmas Weekend, 2011

On this Saturday morning, our first objective is to walk to town and pick up our Christmas dinner, which is being prepared by the cook at the Olive Branch, where we have spent some enjoyable times. We had originally ordered lamb chops, but the cook motioned us to the back and told us he really didn't think the lamb was very good this day and recommended the ribs and/or chicken - so we took both. We drank coffee, visited with the owner, and hung out while Chef grilled the ribs etc. After he had us packed up, the owner came over and gave us a bottle of merlot wine to enjoy with our dinner, with his complements. As we left, the cook told us he had just made a fresh batch of meatballs, so had included a package of them in our dinner as well!! Wow! Such great treatment....so home we hiked, put the groceries away, and headed out for St. Paul's. The line, at 2:15 p.m. was already very long...so we quickly joined the que and struck up conversations with the folks next to us - a young couple from South Africa and a young man from Bolivia. 3 motorcycles drove by, waving at us, with the drivers all dressed as Santa Claus..wish I could have gotten a picture, but I couldn't move that fast and wasn't prepared!

The worship service was beautiful. Music in all those cathedrals is just exceptional because of the acoustics. It was a service of readings, scripture, carols and anthems - and it was a perfect way to usher in Christmas night. As we exited following the service, we ran in to our young friends from South Africa, and he kindly took the superb photo I am attaching for you. We returned to our Wanstead station, and our walk home took us by The Nightingale pub, where we planned to stop because they were advertising "live Irish music" for tonight. If it was there, we don't know where it was! We walked in the side door and were overwhelmed with greetings from all the gentlemen standing there, who kept encouraging us to "come on in farther". Jerry's new best friend, Dave, insisted on buying us a round - and we found two chairs with a table in the little room with a fireplace, so sat down, and Dave showed up with our drinks. What a fine new friend! Jerry tried to buy him a drink before we left, but he wouldn't hear of it--said we could buy him one when he came to Texas! You are on, Dave! We were home and snuggled in before 8 p.m., which was grand. Our evening treat on the telly was a Poirot followed by a Miss Marple--but I must confess we slept through the end of Miss Marple and don't know for sure who-dunnit! Christmas was memorable - the last time Jerry and I spent a Christmas by ourselves was 1963 in Chicago IL, the first year we were married. So here we are 48 years later by ourselves in the Irwin's home in Wanstead, England. We reflected back on that first Christmas together a lot! In 1963 we had a cardboard fireplace on the wall of our tiny apartment which put out just about as much heat as the gas fireplace in the living room in Wanstead, which is not operable. We enjoyed a sweet from one of the local bakeries--not the usual "Mom's cinnamon rolls" or the new sticky buns of recent years--but a bakery sweet with our coffee/tea..and then planned to walk to a local church. We found one on the Google map and took off...it was a great walk, and a long way - and it became apparent we weren't going to make it for any 11 o'clock service, so we turned around and moseyed back home, singing "Joy to the World" with each other--a carol we have really missed hearing during this time in London. Brits are BIG on my favorite Christmas carol, "Once in Royal David's City"...a song that every year (while we were in ministry) I would request that we sing to the music minister--sometimes it happened and sometimes it didn't. Its a GREAT carol..I don't understand why we don't sing it more. And in the same vein, why don't Brits sing "Joy to the World"..not once..and not ever printed in any of the Christmas songsheets we received at various programs. Just a thought. The rest of our day was well deserved resting...catching up on some laundry (which takes FOREVER to do over here..machines are very slow..our dryer is in the garage, and requires a water container to be emptied every load or two, and drying goes on and on and on and on. I gave up on the towels, and brought them in and hung them on a rack...they were dry in the morning! We watched TV as well. Our intention had been to see "The King's Speech" last night, but it turned out to be on a channel that we don't receive, so that was a disappointment! TV is very different over here--I will not complain about our TV in the USA ever again! The news is dreadful...very little world news..lots of sports and entertainment news (thats not so different), and I really really miss CNN! (Oh, they have a channel thats called that- but its definitely not the same). And programming - we are used to watching many Xmas shows around the holiday, but not so here. Our dinner was magnificent--prepared by the chef at the Olive Branch..and we feasted on his ribs, which were yummy...along with purple baked potatoes, and lots of brussel sprouts, topped off by dessert--and accompanied by wine, a gift from the owner of the Olive Branch.

What a memorable Christmas! While we have missed sharing the holiday with our immediate family, we have thoroughly enjoyed being in the London area, being a part of a neighborhood, meeting lots of new folks, engaging in many delightful conversations, and worshiping in these magnificent cathedrals. Merry Christmas!

UK Christmas - Dec. 21-22-23, 2011

The weather is so balmy--its unbelievable - and most of our clothes sit in the suitcase...no need for long underwear since our first day here..and, in fact, no use for our knit scarves--we found out yesterday that we were much more comfortable without them, and most of the day I carried my coat over my arms!  Who would have thought?

 Living in a real home in a neighborhood area brings a whole new set of situations to one's life--its so terribly damp all the time that fighting mold is a constant battle.  It wants to grow everywhere, and one is constantly wiping up moisture from window sills, counters, etc.l  Items in the kitchen look the same but have very different names on the packages, just enough to cause you to wonder if in fact it is what you think it is!  It would take some getting used to, I must say.

We are such pros on the tube now - what a marvelous way to travel around a big city like this!  Our brisk morning walk seems to get longer every day--and its all slightly uphill first thing in the morning.  Thats probably good because if it were reversed we might never get home at night!  We hopped our Central line and headed for St. Paul's stop to walk to the Museum of London.

This is one incredible place!!!  I wonder why we never did it on one of our previous trips?  We decided it was because we were saving it for this trip.  Its a magnificent structure just a few blocks from St Pauls, and actually has a spectacular view of the dome of St. Paul's as you walk away from it back towards the tube.

The first thing we wanted to do was see the Dickens Exhibition.  We knew there was lots to see here, but Dickens was first and then - if we had time - we could do other galleries within the Museum.  We were not one bit disappointed!  They have done a spectacular job in the way they presented their Dickens material, appealing to all the senses.  Charles Dickens is a most interesting person--its because of his writings that so much of our Christmas celebrations come about, and his strong family focus, like the Cratchitts, or Oliver and his uncle..and yet, he had a very dysfunctional life, very little family life of his own.  He and his wife had ten children...and he liked the children when they were little, but once they began to grow up, he was very distant from them and unable to show any affection.  Then enter the mistress into his life, and the divorce from his wife, and a life that followed surrounded by his friends on occasions but not his family.  In his latter years he never spent Christmas with any of his family - and this from the author of "A Christmas Carol."!  The Museum has many precious possessions--his writing desk, a writing chair, original galley proofs with his corrections, multitutudes of correspondence, and many photos and sketches from his books.  We had a fascinating time.

Following lunch in the Museum Cafe, we then had time to wander through other galleries -- everything you ever wanted to know about London from hundreds of thousands of years ago to today.  There is a time line you can follow along the wall, giving the highlights of each of the years--fascinating!

As we left the Museum, Jerry realized that we were on Aldersgate street, which is where both of the Wesley brothers were converted--and there it was.  Interesting enough, it is a Presbyterian Church now, shared with a Japanese Christian church, and--unfortunately--is only open on Sundays for worship.  But we stood on the spot and Jerry got his picture taken right there!

And now we are off to Wimbledon!  Five years ago Carla, Jerry and I went to our first Christmas Panto starring Henry Winkler "The Fonz" and we had a blast...on the spur of the moment, we decided to return, this time to see Dame Edna in "Dick Whittington", one of England's favorite children's story.  There are no words to describe a panto--sort of similar to our meller-drammers, with lots of booing and hissing and cheering.  Its full of ad-libs and off-the-cuff remarks--not at all like any play we would see in the USA.  And Dame Edna did not disappoint--she/he was hilarious and just like you see on TV!  The audience was in stitches, and we missed many lines, some due to inability to understand their English, and some due to the subject matter which was local politics!  Needless to say, it was a great way to close out our day, and we are so glad we went!

Now it is Thursday before Christmas..the sun is shining...it is quite warm...very like a spring day.  We walked to town after we finally got mobile (which took a while, let me tell you!) and did the mile walk to the heart of our town where we enjoyed an English breakfast at Ceasar's Palace (NOT to be confused with the one in the USA, let me tell you!)  There was an outdoor market set up along the sidewalk with beautiful fruits and vegetables and  a multitude of olives--it was pretty as a picture!

Our matinee was Simon Cowell with his one-man show of Dickens' Christmas Carol--absolutely stunning.  He was onstage for an hour and a half with some chairs being his only prop...he did many different characters, and his interpretation of Fezziwig was just a delight.  It was a fabulous performance, and we are so glad we were there and made it part of our Christmas.  The folks next to us had heard him do a 2-hour performance of readings from Dickens a year ago, and told us we were in for a treat...and they were right.  Another delightful experience leading us to Christmas!





  Friday had so much walking in it, I don't think I even want to think about it - I will be tired again!  The morning was much cooler and very misty/drizzly..but we walked to town to take care of a few things--like ordering the food we wanted for Xmas day from a local restaurant, The Olive Branch.  It was a good walk, and we made our order - and stood amazed at all the people in the "que" outside the local butcher shop, complete the whole turkeys hanging in the window--a site I haven't seen in a long time! 

This time we headed for Knightsbridge, with the idea of seeing more of the shopping hustle and bustle, and enjoy the walk to the area of Royal Albert Hall.  Looking in the stores was fascinating--wandered in a few--this is high-end shopping and many many folks were out doing their shopping.  Now the drizzle is coming down harder, and we decided to find a cafe with outside covered seating and people watch.  We found one that suited us, and spied a table just as another gentleman did as well, so Jerry invited him to join us.  We sat over some lunch/coffee and visited for quite some time--he was just a fascinating conversationalist, and over an hour quickly flew by.  Now it is no longer drizzling, but raining!  And we headed off in the direction of RAH and the museums.

At last - just as I was beginning to feel wet, we came upon Victoria & Albert Museum and entered--to find it was Friday night which was a late night opening for them, so they would not be running us out shortly.  We browsed the shop, and then chanced to ask a gift-wrapper for a pub nearby--her directions were marvelous and we were able to go by underground tunnel out of the V&A, past the underground entrance to the National History Museum, and on to the South Kensington tube station, where we found the Hoop & Toy pub just across the street--not even getting ourselves  wet.

Fortified by pub juice and enjoying the antics of all the young adults gathered at the bar, it was soon time to retrace our steps under-ground and proceed to the Royal Albert Hall.

The concert did not disappoint us!  This is the same concert we attended five years ago "Carols at Christmas" with the orchestra in period costumes including wigs.  The music was spectacular..and the audience participated in singing many carols.  The audience was most responsive and enthusiastic, and we truly ushered in the Christmas season in a proper manner!

UK Christmas-Day 5 & 6-week before Xmas

 It is RAINING...a constant drizzle..and off to the Apple Market at Covent Garden.  Its mostly under cover, and one gigantic flea market.  In one spot, a woman with a lovely soprano voice was singing her operatic arias and trying to sell her CDs.  We listened to her for a while..and searched for a cup of coffee with a place to sit down, but to no avail...and by that time,  I was getting discouraged about Covent Garden...and THERE THEY WERE!  Two mimes.  And they were just as good as five years ago..we loved watching them with innocent passers-by, who didn't realize they were not statues..especially a group of teenage girls!  So the visit was a total success after that.

Back on the underground and off to Knightsbridge to tour Harrods...I think I liked the Alice in Wonderland windows from five years ago better, but these were elegant...all based on Svaworski jewels/crystals..and very elegant--sort of like the wicked Queen in the Narnia series.

There were thousands and thousands of shoppers/visitors everywhere - lines and lines waiting to be served in every cafe or tea room at Harrods...so we ventured across the street to Cafe Rouge.  As we ate, we were joined at the next table by 3 young men from Iran, and had a delightful conversation with them.

After Harrods, we headed home, alighting from our underground at Stratford.  This is going to be the site of the Summer Olympics next summer.  The mall there is unbelievable - biggest thing I ever saw...largest mall in Europe...most people I ever saw...brightest lights I ever saw...we were amazed. We stopped at a grocery store in the mall (similar to a Central Market in their choices) and picked up a few things...then I had to get out of there--I was getting claustrophobic with all the people around!

Its only 3 stops away from our stop at Wanstead, so we headed back, and stopped off at The George for a pint - a delightful way to end our day. 

Tuesday morning and its drizzling!  No wonder what grass and bushes there are in our neighborhood are so green!  Its not like Wimberley, thats for sure!  But, in actuality, we have had more sunshine this trip already than five years ago, so we are grateful.

We are heading for the Kensington area...the area of museums, Royal Albert Hall, Hyde Park, and Bertie's monument--what a sight!  But our first stop is at the Museum of Natural History...five years ago there was a Christmas market going on around the museum, but now it is an ice rink, and full of happy people either skating or trying to skate.  Best of all are the little penguin "helpers" to give more stability to the skaters--now even I could get out and skate with one of those, but I fear it is much too short for me!  We drank coffee outside above the rink and enjoyed watching everyone.

The museums in London are such a blessing - most of them are free, supported by donations, so available to everyone.  We wandered through many exhibits--looking at skeletons,-- one animal in particular that was uncovered by a 13 year old girl another century ago--her older brother found the skull and she unearthed the backbone...she must have been amazed!  We thought of our grandson, Garrett Worley and his interest in marine biology and wished he were here with us to see this!

Wandering through museums is exhausting--its hard standing all that time, and you long for a bench - and there are some around - so you can rest a bit.  Now its off to Victoria & Albert Museum - amazing, enormous...room after room of furniture/ pictures, tables, etc, all beautifully displayed..you just wander and wander.  But joy of joys--in our wanderings, we heard beautiful Xmas carols being sung--is it recorded or human?  Keep moving towards the sound...and there they are - six beautiful young adults standing in the rotunda of the entrance entertaining us with fabulous voices.  We just leaned on the railing and soaked it all in.  Eventually we went downstairs to the lobby to join them in some sing-along music.  They were singing for a most appreciative crowd (of course, they have their buckets there for contributions--I hope they got lots!)  Their music was such a gift for us.

Now its off to Royal Albert Hall.  We are attending a concert by King's College this evening.  We have more than one old CDs of Xmas music by this choir....so I really wanted to hear them.  It was not what I expected at all (music-wise) because only a small part was seasonal.  It was the King's College choir, plus they must have a prep school for we had a small group of young boys...and a full orchestra..plus about 100 singers that were definitely NOT in college!  (Our clue was the number of white-heads.)  Needless to say the music was heavenly, and we were delighted to be there.  We sat in the exact same seats we had booked five years ago when we attended a Christmas concert at RAH with the family.  (We are going back to RAH on Friday for the same concert as five years ago!)

These have been grand days - and we are overjoyed to be here at this tie and this place!