Melissa, Andy and the kids' Blog

We decided that Thursday would be a rest/get ready for the country day.  We awoke to the LONDON PARTICULAR, a heavy moist fog.  I saw this and thought it would be great for a walk (I'm weird).  So I dressed, bid a good morning to everyone in the home and set out down the road. I went down to Boston Manor house and through their gardens. The pond on the grounds   A duck? I loved this spot on the pond and tried to capture it in the picture.   Then we went out for some shopping with Auntie Glyn. First stop, the Thames.    Second stop: a garden store... at a 16th century mansion, Syon House/Garden Centre          Then it was time for laundry, so we'd have clean clothes while at Sarah's village.     It was nice to have a calm day. With garden centre shopping and laundry it felt like we were at home and just doing some projects.     ...

March 12th was a "if you only had a day in London" kind of day.  We started with the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.  We figured it is a pretty famous thing so let's arrive early, like an hour before scheduled to start... or 1-2 hour after most everyone else.   Let's just say we weren't the first in line, We did get to see the guard coming in and leaving, just didn't see or hear the ceremony. Lots of Metropolitan police (bobbies) to keep us in our places. Lots of cameras (I thought it neat that I could see the procession through his screen).   Melissa's favorite kind of soldiers. The Wellington Arch, commemorating the victories of the Duke of Wellington in the Napoleonic wars. I love a book series (Sharpe by Bernard Cornwell) centered around a soldier in Wellington's army, so this was a neat stop. Across the street from Buckingham Palace Melissa and the palace A beautiful girl in a beautiful garde...

When I thought of England, it wasn't the big city of London that my heart desired to see, it was the country and seaside.  We took a day off of touring London, and went for a day drive with Auntie Monica.  We were headed for Brighton Pier, but Monica drove the scenic route to get there.  I was in Love!  The trees and fields were beautiful, along with the beautiful homes.     As we were driving, Monica mentioned that the London Temple was nearby, and it was only about a block away.  We had to drop by, but didn't go in since we weren't appropriately dressed for the temple.  This is the temple where Andy's parents were sealed for all eternity.  We were very glad that we were able to see it.  We dropped by the visitors center and visited with some of the missionaries about the history of the temple.              Back on the road.  The houses with the thatched ...