We went several miles east, down the beach. Too
bad we got such a late start because eventually we went up from the beach to
the grassy cliffs above, where our walk began to be an actual hike – where
also, after not too long, we unfortunately began to lose the light . . . AND the wind was blustery and cold. (Funny
how winter never did catch up with me until several weeks before Becky arrived.
Then, the day we left it was one of those days I’d been bragging about to her –
where all you needed to keep warm was a hoodie jacket!) Darn it, we had just
begun a fantastic adventure – the surrounding terrain looked every bit as much
like the moors as you could imagine! I guess I’ve read plum too many English romance
novels_
In the evening I participated in 20 minutes of
Polly before my favorite Sunday School teacher, Paul Dadds, picked Becky and me
up to have dinner at his and his wife, Carole’s, home for dinner – also Sisters
Woods and Boman. They had just gotten back from a day trip to London to pick up
Sister Wood’s visa at the British consulate (she’s from Preston, you may recall) so she can FINALLY get
to Idaho where she has supposed to have been all along. As for Sister Boman, I
will be seeing her at my front door sometime this summer when she returns to
her studies at BYU.
This is one of only a very few times in all the months I've been here in England that I've been invited to a proper English home for dinner. The meal was delicious - everything very tasteful. Got to know Carole as I never had before: another awesome friend.
She has been devoting a great deal of care and time with Paul’s parents – especially
his mother as she has in the last few years developed Alzheimer’s. A very
difficult situation: they are working
with these stalwart, long-time members of the branch to try and convince them that
a care home is the best choice for everybody – tough for all parties concerned.
As they are both artistic – and never been able to
have children –Paul and Carole have been able to develop some really
interesting hobbies. For one, they showed us the miniature house they’ve been
working on for years now. (It is a three-story house set in the Victorian
period, so fantastical I can hardly describe it – down to the minutest detail. For
example, Paul, who is a graphic designer by profession, has made guild-framed pictures
for the wall that have the images of Carole’s great grandparents – no larger than a third
of an inch. The furnishings, the people’s clothing, as well as the accessories
for the people AND the home, all are miraculous. I could have studied the interior rooms for hours.
It was astonishing!) Also Paul showed me his awesome stamp collection – my favorites
were the British stamps. (Good thing I don’t go for THAT anymore – stamp
collecting – the cost can add up FAST!
That good boy, Jack – he gave us his bed for the
next two nights (pretty generous) while he took the couch – till guests leave
on Sunday afternoon and we move into the largest room, space-wise, the hotel
has – on the ground floor, the one with the bath, where I will get all my stuff
sorted before heading up to Birmingham – and from there, ultimately home.
Photos_
1- devil’s toenails – pearls, anyone?!
2- the first and ONLY time I ever saw this_
