Christmas 2017 - Hever Castle Christmas light displays.
Monday, December 25, 2017
Christmas Eve 2017
Christmas Eve 2017
It's a quiet Sabbath day here on the London Temple Grounds. It has been a quiet week in the temple also. We have worked shorter hours throughout the week, but truly, they seemed much longer as we have not had a lot of patrons. On Friday, we had a new patron and three of us were waiting in initiatory to assist her. We would hear the temple rumors....."she's in the building .....she's with the office staff......she'd getting dressed"......We were told to take our stations because she was on her way. Then, Sister Allen, my English friend, reported that she stopped to spend a penny.
My mind goes back into American mode and I wonder what costs so little at the clothing till. Then.....like magic, I remember! She went to the restroom. Do any of you recall my English lesson from an earlier post? Well, the sweet young girl finally arrives and we attend to our duties. After our work was completed, Sister Allen came in to talk to me and Sister Kelly, another English friend. She started her conversation, "The penny dropped. Now, I know who she is".
What in the world? She spends a penny......the penny drops.....I asked her to say it again. She repeated the same phrase to me. I finally had to ask how the penny dropped. "Oh, that means that I suddenly remembered who she is". Kind of like me saying, "the light came on". Isn't that cute? I can always count on Sister Allen to add a bit of English flavor to my day. I just love her and her fun personality.
Friday was the last day the temple was open and by Saturday morning, the parking lot was cleared out. The English workers all flew the coop for the holiday. The few Americans left standing have planned a few activities to do throughout the holiday. This dark, damp weather cannot help but make it seem like Christmas. I have loved it. We attended an hour long sacrament meeting of scripture reading and carol singing today. This little Haywards Heath Ward we attend can sing! We love that. And the amazing thing about singing is that I understand every word while they are doing it. All accents are gone.
So, on this quiet Christmas Eve, I think of my dear girls and their families so far away. I pray for their safety and spiritual well being. Besides the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas is about Family. I look forward to a happy reunion someday. In the meantime, we will keep looking, listening, finding, dropping, etc pennies til we get it right over here.
ALL MY LOVE,
Sister Seaman....aka Mom and Grandma
What is a Clark?
Are you ready for this. A Clark is a clerk. You know, like the "clerk of the court." We are just back from having Christmas Dinner with the Walters. They are such a nice couple and have treated us royally. During dinner they got to talking about a certain "Clark" that lived in Bristol (which is where they are from) and I turned to Kim and ask if she knew what a "Clark" was. She said that they were talking about a guy named Clark. I informed her that they were talking about a clerk not a Clark. Go figure. Anyway, besides running into words like "Clark" every now and then things are smoothing out for us. The driving is getting easier and we are starting to understand more and more.
At dinner today, the conversation turned to Bristol and the tin mines and how old they were. Poldark is near where the Walters live. And from there, we got to talking about how the tribes of Israel got up this for. Then Brother Walters says that Joseph of Arimathea and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, are buried in Avalon, a few miles away. I said WHAT? He said that Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain often to trade for tin. I asked how he knew that and he said through well documented histories written and discovered here in England. Apparently Joseph traded for tin for the Romans and became known as the "Minister of Mines" for the Romans. . He said that Joseph had a church built here as well. Apparently, Joseph was Mary's uncle. Joseph of Arimathea became known in England as Joseph of Glastonbury. I am getting the feeling that it was not such a small world in those days, as I had originally thought.
Anyway, Christmas has come and gone here in England. We enjoyed our schedule of engagements and will now continue to party for a couple of more days. Then it's back to work for a few days and then off again for a few days. It is great. We have missed our family but they are busy having fun and barely remember us. We know that they are blessed because we are here and that makes it all worth it.
Love you,
Elder Seaman
What is a Clark?
Are you ready for this. A Clark is a clerk. You know, like the "clerk of the court." We are just back from having Christmas Dinner with the Walters. They are such a nice couple and have treated us royally. During dinner they got to talking about a certain "Clark" that lived in Bristol (which is where they are from) and I turned to Kim and ask if she knew what a "Clark" was. She said that they were talking about a guy named Clark. I informed her that they were talking about a clerk not a Clark. Go figure. Anyway, besides running into words like "Clark" every now and then things are smoothing out for us. The driving is getting easier and we are starting to understand more and more.
At dinner today, the conversation turned to Bristol and the tin mines and how old they were. Poldark is near where the Walters live. And from there, we got to talking about how the tribes of Israel got up this for. Then Brother Walters says that Joseph of Arimathea and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, are buried in Avalon, a few miles away. I said WHAT? He said that Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain often to trade for tin. I asked how he knew that and he said through well documented histories written and discovered here in England. Apparently Joseph traded for tin for the Romans and became known as the "Minister of Mines" for the Romans. . He said that Joseph had a church built here as well. Apparently, Joseph was Mary's uncle. Joseph of Arimathea became known in England as Joseph of Glastonbury. I am getting the feeling that it was not such a small world in those days, as I had originally thought.
Anyway, Christmas has come and gone here in England. We enjoyed our schedule of engagements and will now continue to party for a couple of more days. Then it's back to work for a few days and then off again for a few days. It is great. We have missed our family but they are busy having fun and barely remember us. We know that they are blessed because we are here and that makes it all worth it.
Love you,
Elder Seaman
Monday, December 18, 2017
A Dreary Winter Day
Are You Keeping Well?
December 17, 2017
We have been here long enough that I am becoming familiar and bonding with some of the patrons who come in the temple to do their work. I have especially admired Sister O'Callaghan-Evans. She has beautiful white hair and a gentle manner about her. Each act performed for her is always met with a gracious "Thank-You" and tears in her eyes.
I met up again with her and we had a minute. She said in her beautiful lilting voice, "Sister, are you keeping well?" This tender question had a thousand meanings in my head. Are you adjusting to being away from Home? Are you loving your time in the temple? Are you keeping well? Such a simple question asked so gently.
As we finished the work for a deceased sister born in 1683, Sister O'Callaghan-Evans thanked me and then said, "Don't you wonder what her life would have been like? It must have been hard. And now, today, we are opening doors for her. Isn't the gospel wonderful? It goes forward and backward and we can all be blessed by it." I tell you this little incident because I want to be like this dear English sister.
I met Sister Dregg from the Limerick Ireland branch this week. She was just baptized in August. She flew in with her son to do three baptisms. Her son was just there to watch. He did not want to do baptisms. As we had a little time before the session began, I showed her around the font and the nursery, which is close by the baptistery. She opened up and told me she has a huge fear of water. The only other time she has been under water was when she was baptized. I don't think I understood this until she went into the font with her son, who ended up doing the baptizing for her. She stood a long while in the water, then nodded to her son. The baptism for her mother took place. She rose out of the water visibly shaking and gasping. She stood another long while collecting herself to do it again for her grandmother. The process was completed again for her great grandmother. I believe there was a sigh of relief from all us as she got to walk up out of the font. After it was all over and she was dressed I asked her how she felt. She said she came to do what she had to do and she was proud of herself. She felt like it was a huge accomplishment. I was so happy for her.
These are just two highlights of my week. Aren't they simple? They may seem that we are leading a small life. We are, in some ways. Our biggest worry is to keep our load of white clothes washed. Isn't that something? Riding home from church today, Sister Walters, stated, "It's a dreary winter day." I couldn't agree more but, really, was surprised that a true blue English woman felt it too. I am so thankful the weather has not been an issue with me. I expected dreary. And my expectations are being met. Our job is to get up and walk a few yards to the temple - rain or shine. And to keep our selves well.
My final thoughts are of our Mauriah. Our oldest daughter will be 42 tomorrow. She was born wise. Sometimes I wondered who was the mother, her or I. I miss her this week. I pray she is keeping well.
My Love,
Sister Seaman.....aka Grams and Mom
Proper English Words:
*torch - flashlight
*We had a good Crack........I got to work in the cafeteria this week. Oh, I love those ladies. Rosa, the boss, told me to come back again soon because we had a good crack. (Irish for laugh. Yes, I know, its not English)
*nip in - sneak in is what I do when I am late for prayer meeting
*half past - 1:30, 2:30. 3:30, etc.....(The meeting, talk, etc....will begin at half past.)
Our Neighbor, Bobo
Today, Kim and I have had a good laugh about the signature on a Christmas Card that we received under our door this morning. It was in a plain white envelope, addressed to Brother and Sister Seaman, Flat # 14. As Kim opened it, the contents were revealed. There was a plain white piece of paper with the big words "Merry Christmas" printed on it by a laser printer in red ink. The other content was a crocheted white snowflake. It was very sweet. I ask Kim who it was from, and she looked at the card, she couldn't read it properly as she didn't have her glasses on, and said Bobo Peggy. It actually said Bob and Peggy. But the thought of this old temple worker being called Bobo was just too much. I think we really needed a good laugh. Just for the record, this couple have been just great, especially to us.
It was one of those experiences that makes you giggle in bed and wake your wife up. Anyway, it was a good time. I pray that neither of us ever slip up though and call him Bobo to his face.
We both spoke in our ward today, the Heathers Heath Ward, in Wivelsfield. Kim did a great job as always and I thought I did OK, even if I have to say so myself. We both spoke on "gifts," our assigned topic. As part of my talk, I told the story of the "The Stone Cutter." It is the story of John Moyle, a stone cutter, that emigrated to Utah after joining the church in 1851. He lived in Plymouth, England, a place not too far from here. If you have not seen the video or read the story, please do it and show it to your families for FHE. It is on LDS.org. You will never feel the same about making a commitment or a covenant. What an inspiration.
Well that's all for now. Got to go to bed. Good night Bobo.
Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
Sunday, December 10, 2017
December 10, 2017
Flat #14
We live in Flat #14 in The Lodge on the temple grounds. The Lodge is a two story brick building containing 22 flats. This is where the majority of the temple workers live, with the single sisters living over in The Manor House where President and Sister Otterson live. Each flat is decorated in what I call "Early Missionary"- Maple furniture, faux wood computer desks, homely lamps (read between the lines on this one), recycled desk chairs. Two pictures are assigned to each flat; one is a church picture with the other one being flowers or landscapes. The instruction books that are given to each new occupant strictly warns against pounding nails in the walls. Let me tell you about #14.
This No Nail Rule got me down right off the bat. One of my many weaknesses has always been to look at a room and imagine what I could do with it. You know - moving furniture around, a pillow here, a basket there, pictures and other paraphenelia slapped on the walls......Bare walls make my hands tingle. Fortunately, I rediscovered Power Tack. That is what it is called over here in Poundland. Isn't that cute? - Poundland....smells and sells the same kind of junk as Dollar Tree. I used Walltack all the time when I taught school. Even more magical than Tack are the Command Damage Free Hooks.
My favorite room in our little one bedroom flat is the kitchen. For some reason, this kitchen is the only one in The Lodge with a skylight. This makes the room seem bright and cheery. I love to look up and out that window to see planes flying overhead, the moon, clouds moving, and rain falling. It opens up, which we did often when we first arrived. We have a small microwave, stove and refrigerator. And I mean small. But it makes for a simple lifestyle. I have learned to love it. I will look forward to owning a garbage disposal again someday, though.
Our bathroom is very "English". The loo (toilet) is built into the wall - is that a water closet? The faucets are separate hot and cold. Hand and face washing are still tricky as the Hot is HOT. I have learned to run water into the plugged sink. It makes for a lovely wash. It reminds me of when I bathed my little baby girls in the kitchen sink. Another oddity in the toilet (English for bathroom) that I love is the wall heater. That thing can put out the heat and makes for a great towel rack. I feel kind of like a rich girl when I use my warm towel every morning.
Our windows in our flat face out to a grass clearing with the trees and shrubs all around it. We have loved watching the season change to fall and now, to winter through our windows. One of my favorite things has been to go walk in those woods and find greenery and branches to help give this little place a homey feel. And finally, when we vacuum, I feel like I could shut my eyes and be back at the Show Low Stake Center vacuuming the halls on a Saturday morning. We are proud users of a church owned vacuum. You know the kind - heavy and solid. I often wonder who the lucky company is that sells those things to the church.
When we open our door we literally are looking out at the temple about 300 steps away. Now, who gets to do that? We can walk down our hall or the one below and smell exactly what Brother and Sister So and So are having for dinner. The Lodge is full of couples just like us, doing exactly what we are doing everyday. There is a feeling of comraderie and unity that is hard to beat. The Lodge is a grand place to call Home for eighteen months.
Meanwhile, I met my first Angel in the temple this week. He is literally named Angel from Spain. He has been here over a year and works as a night custodian. I was so happy to meet him and kept yapping about him being my first angel in the temple. Poor guy. I don't think he was near as happy about it as I was, although he was a good sport.
Oh, MY LOVE,
Sister Seaman.....Mom and Grandma
YOUR ENGLISH LESSON:
*drove me Crackers - drove me crazy
*going for the High Jump - This means you are in Big Trouble
*Sideboard - credenza
*Dotty - confused
Health and Strength
One of the things I have worried about in coming to England on a mission is the medical issues. I was reminded today about it again. Today was Stake Conference here in the Crawley Stake. Elder Johnson of the Seventy was the visiting General Authority. He is the Area President of the Europe Area. Just previous to Elder Johnson's talk, President Frost, the Stake President, was speaking and we noticed that an elderly man in the choir seats was in trouble and a small crowd gathered. The Stake President went on not knowing what was happening behind him. Eventually he was told, but continued on until he finished. Then Elder Johnson began speaking, all the time, there is this event going on in the choir seats behind him. They put three guys standing up in front of the guy in trouble with their backs to us so we couldn't see what was going on. At one point, Elder Johnson stops for a few minutes and then continues until he is finished. The closing song is dispensed with and a prayer is given and it is over. We never knew what was wrong and they never took the guy out until it was over.
England has socialized medicine. It is called the National Health Service (NHS for short.) Let me describe to you a little of how it works. First off, the English people will tell you that it is free, which is something they are really proud of. The English government taxes everything and they are running a deficit from year to year. If this sounds free to you, we need to have a talk.
If you are an English citizen, you can register for health care. If you want to see a doctor, you call for an appointment and then wait three to four months for your visit. If you have an emergency, you call 444 and they send a paramedic to see you. If you then require transport to a hospital they call 111 for an ambulance. The ambulance comes and you are loaded in, whereupon they begin treatment in the ambulance. Once you are stabilized, then you are transported. I believe that the congestion on all the roads may be one reason for this procedure. You are not required to pull over for emergency vehicles in England. There is generally no place to pull over to.
If you need surgery, you wait another several months. The actual care that they are getting seems good. In theory, everybody may now slowly become a hypochondriac. It is free, you know. They go to the doctor for everything. Another interesting fact is that some of the drugs that require a prescription is the USA are sold over the counter here.
We are trained in the temple that when someone has an emergency in the temple (even in the dark,) we do nothing but call 444. We leave the person in place and continue on as if nothing has happened. It is a little disconcerting to me, as a little CPR could save someone's life, but that is not the English way of it.
Only time will tell if this system will really effectively serve the people. It doesn't look good to me, but I have been spoiled by the first class medical care we receive in the USA.
My thoughts have been, don't get sick, don't get hurt, and hope you make it for 18 months!
Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
We live in Flat #14 in The Lodge on the temple grounds. The Lodge is a two story brick building containing 22 flats. This is where the majority of the temple workers live, with the single sisters living over in The Manor House where President and Sister Otterson live. Each flat is decorated in what I call "Early Missionary"- Maple furniture, faux wood computer desks, homely lamps (read between the lines on this one), recycled desk chairs. Two pictures are assigned to each flat; one is a church picture with the other one being flowers or landscapes. The instruction books that are given to each new occupant strictly warns against pounding nails in the walls. Let me tell you about #14.
This No Nail Rule got me down right off the bat. One of my many weaknesses has always been to look at a room and imagine what I could do with it. You know - moving furniture around, a pillow here, a basket there, pictures and other paraphenelia slapped on the walls......Bare walls make my hands tingle. Fortunately, I rediscovered Power Tack. That is what it is called over here in Poundland. Isn't that cute? - Poundland....smells and sells the same kind of junk as Dollar Tree. I used Walltack all the time when I taught school. Even more magical than Tack are the Command Damage Free Hooks.
My favorite room in our little one bedroom flat is the kitchen. For some reason, this kitchen is the only one in The Lodge with a skylight. This makes the room seem bright and cheery. I love to look up and out that window to see planes flying overhead, the moon, clouds moving, and rain falling. It opens up, which we did often when we first arrived. We have a small microwave, stove and refrigerator. And I mean small. But it makes for a simple lifestyle. I have learned to love it. I will look forward to owning a garbage disposal again someday, though.
Our bathroom is very "English". The loo (toilet) is built into the wall - is that a water closet? The faucets are separate hot and cold. Hand and face washing are still tricky as the Hot is HOT. I have learned to run water into the plugged sink. It makes for a lovely wash. It reminds me of when I bathed my little baby girls in the kitchen sink. Another oddity in the toilet (English for bathroom) that I love is the wall heater. That thing can put out the heat and makes for a great towel rack. I feel kind of like a rich girl when I use my warm towel every morning.
Our windows in our flat face out to a grass clearing with the trees and shrubs all around it. We have loved watching the season change to fall and now, to winter through our windows. One of my favorite things has been to go walk in those woods and find greenery and branches to help give this little place a homey feel. And finally, when we vacuum, I feel like I could shut my eyes and be back at the Show Low Stake Center vacuuming the halls on a Saturday morning. We are proud users of a church owned vacuum. You know the kind - heavy and solid. I often wonder who the lucky company is that sells those things to the church.
When we open our door we literally are looking out at the temple about 300 steps away. Now, who gets to do that? We can walk down our hall or the one below and smell exactly what Brother and Sister So and So are having for dinner. The Lodge is full of couples just like us, doing exactly what we are doing everyday. There is a feeling of comraderie and unity that is hard to beat. The Lodge is a grand place to call Home for eighteen months.
Meanwhile, I met my first Angel in the temple this week. He is literally named Angel from Spain. He has been here over a year and works as a night custodian. I was so happy to meet him and kept yapping about him being my first angel in the temple. Poor guy. I don't think he was near as happy about it as I was, although he was a good sport.
Oh, MY LOVE,
Sister Seaman.....Mom and Grandma
YOUR ENGLISH LESSON:
*drove me Crackers - drove me crazy
*going for the High Jump - This means you are in Big Trouble
*Sideboard - credenza
*Dotty - confused
Health and Strength
One of the things I have worried about in coming to England on a mission is the medical issues. I was reminded today about it again. Today was Stake Conference here in the Crawley Stake. Elder Johnson of the Seventy was the visiting General Authority. He is the Area President of the Europe Area. Just previous to Elder Johnson's talk, President Frost, the Stake President, was speaking and we noticed that an elderly man in the choir seats was in trouble and a small crowd gathered. The Stake President went on not knowing what was happening behind him. Eventually he was told, but continued on until he finished. Then Elder Johnson began speaking, all the time, there is this event going on in the choir seats behind him. They put three guys standing up in front of the guy in trouble with their backs to us so we couldn't see what was going on. At one point, Elder Johnson stops for a few minutes and then continues until he is finished. The closing song is dispensed with and a prayer is given and it is over. We never knew what was wrong and they never took the guy out until it was over.
England has socialized medicine. It is called the National Health Service (NHS for short.) Let me describe to you a little of how it works. First off, the English people will tell you that it is free, which is something they are really proud of. The English government taxes everything and they are running a deficit from year to year. If this sounds free to you, we need to have a talk.
If you are an English citizen, you can register for health care. If you want to see a doctor, you call for an appointment and then wait three to four months for your visit. If you have an emergency, you call 444 and they send a paramedic to see you. If you then require transport to a hospital they call 111 for an ambulance. The ambulance comes and you are loaded in, whereupon they begin treatment in the ambulance. Once you are stabilized, then you are transported. I believe that the congestion on all the roads may be one reason for this procedure. You are not required to pull over for emergency vehicles in England. There is generally no place to pull over to.
If you need surgery, you wait another several months. The actual care that they are getting seems good. In theory, everybody may now slowly become a hypochondriac. It is free, you know. They go to the doctor for everything. Another interesting fact is that some of the drugs that require a prescription is the USA are sold over the counter here.
We are trained in the temple that when someone has an emergency in the temple (even in the dark,) we do nothing but call 444. We leave the person in place and continue on as if nothing has happened. It is a little disconcerting to me, as a little CPR could save someone's life, but that is not the English way of it.
Only time will tell if this system will really effectively serve the people. It doesn't look good to me, but I have been spoiled by the first class medical care we receive in the USA.
My thoughts have been, don't get sick, don't get hurt, and hope you make it for 18 months!
Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Monday, December 4, 2017
DECEMBER
DECEMBER
December 3, 2017
December is upon us. There is a feel of Christmas everywhere. The land seems dreary and the days grow shorter, It is dark by 4:00 pm. It is just as I pictured an old fashioned Christmas in England. We have just returned from our Break-the-Fast meal that is held with all the temple missionaries each month. So far, there has been a variety of delicious food each month, mostly potatoes. We are learning to love the missionaries we serve with.
We have been serving in the baptistery for the past two weeks. Now, that has meant we served down there only on Friday nights and Saturdays. That is when people typically schedule. We are seeing that this temple is located "out"; meaning it is difficult for saints to just get in their cars and drive to do a session. It's a big deal to get here. As a result, I so admire the youth and their leaders who give up a lot to get here.
Our first stake on Saturday came from central London. I have forgotten the stake's name. But not the kids or the leaders. One of my assignments is to get name slips prepared for each participant that is on a list which was sent in earlier. Now, can I list some of the names? Brothers Shatimehin, Aidoo-Antwi, Ford, Iguasnia, Onyeme-Campbell.....The young sisters sported the same type of names. Now, picture all these youth filing into the little reception room where I sit at this big desk. I pride myself on being pretty sharp on phonograms since I taught them so many years. So, here I go ......"Brother Onyeme-Campbell?" No one replies. I repeat it. Someone might pipe up and point to a boy and say, "That is you". I jump in questioning the youth. I get a puzzled look, so I ask him what his name is. He replies, "Mutter, mutter, mutter". I am stumped. So, now what? Trying to act like I have a bit of authority, I ask him to spell it. After he spells it two or three times, I find his blue name slip that, all the while, has been sitting right in front of me. It was exactly like playing The Match Game where one of my grandkids turn over cards until a match is found. After more quizzing, sweating, and almost playing charades, I finally felt confident that each youth had been identified and sent them on their way to get clothing.
President Otterson, our temple president, wanted to observe in the baptistry that morning. He was up by the font helping out. As the boys were baptized, it became apparent that there were only three boys left with four name cards left. President called the three boys over and asked them to identify who they were as he pointed to the cards. He finally figured out who three of the names belonged to. So, here he is, one extra card - no live body to claim it. Finally, one youth spoke up and, pointing to the name, told a boy that is was "him". He nodded that ,yes it was him, so President questioned him who the other named belonged to. It was his, he replied. So......to make a rambling story shorter.....We discovered that Brother Adoo-Antwi is also known as Brother Kojo Adjie.
We found out that morning that this stake has 128 dialects among its members. I believe they brought at least that many dialects to the temple on Saturday morning. The leaders were so kind and helpful as I kept apologizing to them over my ignorance. I was in awe of these sisters and brothers that came with these kids. Some of them were new converts, just as the youth were. Some had been members for years, migrating to London from countries in Africa or even, South America. We are seeing the fulfilling of Joseph Smith's prophecy that the Standard of Truth has been erected and will sweep every country and sound in every ear. It has been a humbling experience to see so many different nationalities come to do work in this temple.
So, My AZ Family, know that the Lord's work is truly throughout the world. He knows and loves each one of us. I believe that with all my heart. It is a typical day in the temple, when three workers are from England, Spain, and America and the patrons are holding a French or even German card. It is becoming a joy to have even a tiny, tiny role serving people and pronouncing promises from the Lord on their heads. How did a little girl from Show Low, AZ get to be here?
Sending all my Love,
Sister Seaman......Mom, Grams
YOUR ENGLISH LESSON:
centre - as in "leisure centre". Could this be a recreation center? All their "er" words are spelled "re".
This one has not been clearly explained to me.
fayre- I am going to the county Fair or craft Fair. Again, I have no clear answer for the "ai" missing
in the middle of words, with "ay" replacing it.
The "phone went". - The phone rang. (Isn't this phrase cute? Can you picture a phone walking off?)
SETTLED IN
People keep asking us if we have settled in. We have settled in. We are here and we are staying. I guess we still look a little lost or maybe we are supposed to still look a little lost. Either way, the honeymoon is over.
We are getting around a little better in the Temple and out on the roads. Kim gets to go anywhere she wants. We do have to go around the round-about more than once occasionally to get straightened out, but we get there. The roads are even looking a little wider than they did. We buy what we want to eat and now have several good choices. The routine is becoming clearer by the day.
I will say that we are exhausted by the week's end. We both sleep about 8 or 9 hours a night. I sleep more than that if you count my naps (I had 2 yesterday.) By the way, there is only 21 sleeps left until Christmas. In the states, we would say, there is only 21 days left until Christmas. The same thing but from a different perspective.
We have arrived officially in winter here. It has been cold and dark. It feels real cold but it hasn't frozen real hard yet. I suppose it is the humidity that gives the cold it's bite. The leaves have mostly fallen but the grass is still green (they say that the grass will stay green all year long), so weird.
Life here is actually becoming good. We are happy working in the Temple and being around a lot of very good people. We can even understand what they are saying now, some of the time. I noticed in church yesterday, for the first time, that I was hearing what sounded natural to me, which surprised me because they were speaking with the same accents they always have.
On a different subject, guns are an interesting subject here. The English, especially the women, are very anti-gun. They believe that they are right in not letting their citizens own guns. They have a hard time with the fact that we can openly carry a gun with us all the time. They are scared of them.
But then they have socialized medicine here too, and it doesn't appear to work that well. They wait for several months for a free appointment with a doctor and about the same for a surgery. It kills me that they call it free. They are taxed to death over here.
Well, I'll be glad to get back to writing about something good or funny one of these days, but it may not happen. Be good.
Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
SETTLED IN
People keep asking us if we have settled in. We have settled in. We are here and we are staying. I guess we still look a little lost or maybe we are supposed to still look a little lost. Either way, the honeymoon is over.
We are getting around a little better in the Temple and out on the roads. Kim gets to go anywhere she wants. We do have to go around the round-about more than once occasionally to get straightened out, but we get there. The roads are even looking a little wider than they did. We buy what we want to eat and now have several good choices. The routine is becoming clearer by the day.
I will say that we are exhausted by the week's end. We both sleep about 8 or 9 hours a night. I sleep more than that if you count my naps (I had 2 yesterday.) By the way, there is only 21 sleeps left until Christmas. In the states, we would say, there is only 21 days left until Christmas. The same thing but from a different perspective.
We have arrived officially in winter here. It has been cold and dark. It feels real cold but it hasn't frozen real hard yet. I suppose it is the humidity that gives the cold it's bite. The leaves have mostly fallen but the grass is still green (they say that the grass will stay green all year long), so weird.
Life here is actually becoming good. We are happy working in the Temple and being around a lot of very good people. We can even understand what they are saying now, some of the time. I noticed in church yesterday, for the first time, that I was hearing what sounded natural to me, which surprised me because they were speaking with the same accents they always have.
On a different subject, guns are an interesting subject here. The English, especially the women, are very anti-gun. They believe that they are right in not letting their citizens own guns. They have a hard time with the fact that we can openly carry a gun with us all the time. They are scared of them.
But then they have socialized medicine here too, and it doesn't appear to work that well. They wait for several months for a free appointment with a doctor and about the same for a surgery. It kills me that they call it free. They are taxed to death over here.
Well, I'll be glad to get back to writing about something good or funny one of these days, but it may not happen. Be good.
Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
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