So far in regards to the English winter, I am
coping just fine. Kind of reminds me of how I found weather in Dallas (the
variety of which I really appreciated!): if you didn’t like it, just give it a
couple days and it would be different (even during worst weather seasons – summer
or winter) – unlike winter temps in Utah where once it gets cold, it stays that
way, or Phoenix where once it gets hot, you can expect it to be hot for a good
many months to come. (Or similar by comparison to church activity in England,
where I have found it is very common for persons to be off and on, hot and
cold, in and out of activity, all within a few years span – and that may continue
on for their entire lives. Whereas, as I’ve shared with some here, back where
I’m from if someone leaves the church, if they return at all, it may be decades
later before they do. During my interview with Brother Lineker, he confirmed that
perhaps as many as 40 members in our Harborne Ward fall into this roller-coaster
bracket.
There is a very light rain coming down today.
Actually, from my perch in the sky, I LOVE it – to see it, hear it, smell it! (actually
wouldn’t mind being out in it except for the fact I’m choosing not to on
account of my straightened curvlatures – er, I mean curvatures. It’s funny how,
even with my experience of coming to England quite a few times previously, I still
arrived with the impression that it rained a LOT. But you know, it really
doesn’t. I was telling Jenny that it reminds me very much of what it’s like in
Oregon. It rains and then it doesn’t, and life goes right on. It’s not like it
rains and rains steady for days on end or anything, where people hole up and
things comes to a standstill. I suppose I got an incorrect supposition maybe
because I’d been here in more raining seasons on other visits. I’ve got my
umbrella, my raincoat coat (three actually) and my boots and, really, that’s
all that matters. Precipitation has just not been a problem – and that’s a good
thing!
Just to keep you current on current events,
according to the early morning BBC news, as I got it ‘hot off the press’ this
morning (mind you, from the British perspective, of course):
After 10 years of incarceration, radical cleric Abu Qatada al-Filistini, Osama bin Laden’s supposed right-hand man,
has won his final appeal against a British government deportation order and been
set free by a British court – albeit under severe restrictions in regards to
his contacts with the outside world and a 16-hour-a-day curfew.
Google, Starbucks and Amazon have been
subpoenaed to appear before a parliamentary committee to answer accusations of
tax evasion.
Andy Murray, British darling who brought home the
Grand Slam championship of tennis this past summer, as well as gold at the summer
Olympics, has been defeated at the ATP World Tour Finals by Swiss Roger
Federer. (It is interesting here that sport-related info rates right up there
with national and international topics, read out by the same broadcast icons as
are providing the regular updates. Wow! it even has a name - Sports Desk!))
Look what appears on Thesaurus.com today, definitely my most frequented internet site – near
the top before the entries:
Mormons Believe in
Christ (underlined, in blue – an
obvious link)
learn about Mormons and how they center
their faith in Jesus Christ (NO full stop)
When I finally did venture out early this evening,
my last stop was to this little mini-mart type store, nearest of all to home.
Inside I first bumped into the student, Phil, and then, a couple aisles later encountered
Philip, the professor. I laughingly said to him that I doubted we’d come upon
Myranwy in the store, as well. He said, if we did, we’d have to wonder about
her, for sure - as she is a Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose-kinda grand dame! Hah
hah!
Photos_
1- Abu Qatada (do I agree with the British
ruling? - today the media is having a lot to say about that smirk, starting with the Prime Minister who says he's 'completely fed up' about the release)
2- Murray claiming gold, Federer, to his right, with silver,
(bronze? oh, who cares!) - at the London Olympics
