CLICK HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES »

Monday, October 27, 2008

The transportation system in England!!!

Pears soap of London Temple fame

Ken and Brother Hobbs at the Bluebell Railway

Barbara and the old engine

We are keeping very busy these days at the new Visitors' Center. Lots and lots of people show up every day, the majority on weekends, and everyone is so thrilled with the new center. It has brought about a lot of renewed energy to bring investigators, family, and friends to the Temple and the area to visit. The big dedication is coming up on Saturday, November 8, at 10:00 pm. We are in the process of helping to plan that and get everything up and ready to go. Elder Oaks from the Seventy and the President of the Europe Area will be here to dedicate it. It is very exciting. Right after that they will be putting Moroni up on the top of the steeple at the temple so that will be another exciting day.

We were instructed to begin immediately to get our drivers licenses as soon as we moved out here. We now both have our provisional licenses. Those cost us $200. The next test is the Hazard Perception Test and Theory Test and last of all is the actual driving test. We have a computer disk to help us get ready for the tests. We decided that whoever got the highest scores on the practice tests would go on and take the 2 final tests because the final two tests would cost us $200 each. So far, I have had the highest scores so it looks like it is my responsibility to get my license. We have to have it by the middle of January in order to keep driving on the English roads.

Oh, it is quite an adventure to drive here. It is not the fact that they drive on the opposite side of the road that is the hardest part. It is the narrow roads, cars parked all over the road in inopportune places, stop lights in weird places, roundabouts of every size and description everywhere you go, ten times as many cars as is safe on these narrow little roads, motorcycles passing you on every side, people riding horses up the middle of the roads, and bicycles coming and going everywhere. Then, the most exciting part is that Kenneth is the person who tells me where to go (literally). He reads the maps and flinches everytime I go into a roundabout or pass a stop light or any other little thing. My kids will be able to relate to this. The first few times we went out to practice, I came back with a terrific headache and shaking all over. Now, it has become easier. I just put cotton in my ears and drive. We get along a lot better that way.

There are so many wonderful sites close by here. There are many old castles, beautiful tree lined lanes, historic spots, etc. Last Monday, we went down to Winnie-the- Pooh land (where the author of Winnie-the-Pooh lived when he wrote the books) and rode the Bluebell Railway. It is an old train that has been restored. The stations are all restored to look like they did back in the early 1900's and it was such a scenic route. We had a great time. A lot of the temple workers went on the trip. They go on a trip each Monday, which is their P Day. We don't go very often, but this was a good one.

We hope all is well with you. If you have any extra time, pray that Ken and I will survive this driving practice and I will be able to pass the test. 40 years is a long time to be married and get separated over getting an English Driver's License!!!

It is always good to hear from you. I have a St. George temperature icon on my computer and right now at 3:00 in the afternoon there, it says that it is 81 degrees. That sounds perfect. I always did love St. George in the fall.

0 comments: