Kind of a Dead Day
Cookies, pen and flat inspection papers in hand, we left Oxford by 7:30 a.m. It reminded me a little bit of going to the Gilbert Temple with my dear friend Carol at 4:45 a.m. Never on my own would I have done that, but each time I went with her I was inspired by the beauty of the new day, and the breathtaking loveliness of the sun streaming in the floor to ceiling windows in the celestial room.
There was a morning fog, a morning mist that softly hugged the landscape. As the sun rose higher in the sky, it slowly burned off until by noon, it was a gloriously clear blue sky.
We were off to the land of my ancestors....Berkshire County. My great grandmother Checketts was born there, in Newbury. Most of her family, the Shingletons were from other areas in the county. I really do feel an affinity for this beautiful land.
We started out in Basingstoke. With the usual frustrations of roundabout on top of roundabout and busy city streets we managed to find our way to the high rise apartment building, only to find out there was no parking! So we drove around and found a spot about a half mile away, and hoofed it to their flat. We spent a little while visiting with them in their 11th story flat, and then more time instructing and advising them to work a little harder on making their place look presentable. Their vacuum wasn't working, and so SK showed them how to empty it of all of the dirt out of it. It started right up and began doing its job.
We strolled back to our car, and enjoyed the walk a little more. We noticed a sign that said "ancient church." We couldn't resist it. We walked in to the opening in the wall. What a sight! Such an intriguing old ruin! The cemetery with it surpassed Author's Ridge in America. Such a beautiful place to sleep peacefully through the centuries.
Then it was on to Newbury. The missionaries there were in a more rural-feeling area. The apartment complex was lovely. Surrounded by trees, it was beginning to look like fall. The inspection went very much like the first one of today with SK showing the missionaries how to empty the vacuum cleaner, and then the pleased shock that it was all it needed. These kids are 18 and 19 years old. They may have vacuumed in their homes before coming on a mission, but I don't think many have emptied vacuum cleaners or defrosted freezers!
But they are out here working hard, and they are being rejected and ignored, sometimes yelled at and frowned at. I love them.
After coming back to Oxford we walked to the train station where we purchased a "Two Together" pass. For the bargain price of $30 (pounds), we get a pass that gives us 30 percent off of every train ticket - providing we don't try to travel before 9:30 in the morning - rush hour. I think it will save us some money. and maybe sanity. Driving here is not exactly a cakewalk.
On the way back to the flat, we went to a post office. We did a little bumbling and stumbled across St. Thomas Church (the road we live on is named after said Thomas, and the church is at the end of our street! We walked inside the gates and were immediately drawn into the beautiful cemetery. The building was erected in 1629! The graves around the church look like they have been there just as long. It is a lovely peaceful place where time stands still.
It looks like the kind of place we ought to visit on Halloween night!
There was a morning fog, a morning mist that softly hugged the landscape. As the sun rose higher in the sky, it slowly burned off until by noon, it was a gloriously clear blue sky.
We were off to the land of my ancestors....Berkshire County. My great grandmother Checketts was born there, in Newbury. Most of her family, the Shingletons were from other areas in the county. I really do feel an affinity for this beautiful land.
We started out in Basingstoke. With the usual frustrations of roundabout on top of roundabout and busy city streets we managed to find our way to the high rise apartment building, only to find out there was no parking! So we drove around and found a spot about a half mile away, and hoofed it to their flat. We spent a little while visiting with them in their 11th story flat, and then more time instructing and advising them to work a little harder on making their place look presentable. Their vacuum wasn't working, and so SK showed them how to empty it of all of the dirt out of it. It started right up and began doing its job.
We strolled back to our car, and enjoyed the walk a little more. We noticed a sign that said "ancient church." We couldn't resist it. We walked in to the opening in the wall. What a sight! Such an intriguing old ruin! The cemetery with it surpassed Author's Ridge in America. Such a beautiful place to sleep peacefully through the centuries.
Then it was on to Newbury. The missionaries there were in a more rural-feeling area. The apartment complex was lovely. Surrounded by trees, it was beginning to look like fall. The inspection went very much like the first one of today with SK showing the missionaries how to empty the vacuum cleaner, and then the pleased shock that it was all it needed. These kids are 18 and 19 years old. They may have vacuumed in their homes before coming on a mission, but I don't think many have emptied vacuum cleaners or defrosted freezers!
But they are out here working hard, and they are being rejected and ignored, sometimes yelled at and frowned at. I love them.
After coming back to Oxford we walked to the train station where we purchased a "Two Together" pass. For the bargain price of $30 (pounds), we get a pass that gives us 30 percent off of every train ticket - providing we don't try to travel before 9:30 in the morning - rush hour. I think it will save us some money. and maybe sanity. Driving here is not exactly a cakewalk.
On the way back to the flat, we went to a post office. We did a little bumbling and stumbled across St. Thomas Church (the road we live on is named after said Thomas, and the church is at the end of our street! We walked inside the gates and were immediately drawn into the beautiful cemetery. The building was erected in 1629! The graves around the church look like they have been there just as long. It is a lovely peaceful place where time stands still.
It looks like the kind of place we ought to visit on Halloween night!
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