Boxing Day

I am only 6 years older than Deb, but I feel every one of those 6 years.  On the other hand, she was running circles around me when I was 40 and she was 34.  So it is a combination of my lack of energy and her amazing abilities to do anything and everything.  And she is beautiful.  What can I say?  She is impossible NOT to love.  And I do love her dearly.

SK and I slept in - with great glee.  We didn't set the alarm, we didn't hop out of bed running to get dressed and start the day.  We slept!  It felt good.  There were plenty of things to do, but we kind of took the day off.

Today was the official P (Preparation) Day in the mission.  We were all pretty busy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so today was it.  It was also a holiday of sorts, but some stores were open.  Yesterday, everything was closed.  It is called Boxing Day.

This is a brief explanation from Wikipedia explains how this day came to be called "Boxing Day." 

 In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663.[6] This custom is linked to an older British tradition where the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families since they would have to serve their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food. Until the late 20th century there continued to be a tradition among many in the UK to give a Christmas gift, usually cash, to vendors although not on Boxing Day as many would not work on that day.

We did laundry, organizing, reading, eating (we have too much food here), and in the afternoon we went for a walk.  It had rained in the morning and in the afternoon, everything had that wet look.  There were puddles everywhere.  The sky was beautiful, with clouds scudding by so quickly that you had to pay attention before they changed.
If you look closely, you will see SK in his dapper pose.  This chapel (University Chapel) was built in 1556.  Whew!

Look closely again....there he is!


Our very own backyard castle - The Oxford Castle, aka "The Oxford Prison."  I've posted pictures of this old building before, but I can't help but take more pictures.....every day is different!

Our intent was to walk and see the sights of Oxford.  We always walk arm in arm, not because we love to be close (we do.) but because I am not real steady when I walk and if one of us trips, we figure the other will at the very least break the fall or prevent an out and out face plant.  Oddly enough, today SK was the one to trip...but he caught himself so fast that I hardly knew that it had happened!

We ended up walking in and out of several little shops and visiting with shop clerks, all of whom are very pleasant.  We usually tell them what we are doing here, and SK always points out his badge with "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" on it.  Even on these very busy days, clerks are almost always polite and sometimes even happy to take time to chat with us.

We brought home a few fun little items.  This is what I got at one little shop for our 1 pound and 2 pound coins.  It is just so cute!

You can see that it is about 6 inches tall.  It won't hold many pound coins, but it will be fun to see just how many will fill it up.

I've posted this picture before....but just so you can compare to our new little bank...this telephone booth is in London .


We walked about 2 miles before dropping off a little birthday gift for one of our young missionaries.  She is 20 today and from Milan Italy and a great missionary.  From there it was a 5-minute walk home.  As we rounded a corner, we saw the young elders, fresh and happy.  They were on their way to meet the sisters to go to a member's home for dinner.  These kids are loved, and it is easy to see why.  We love them too!

A quiet evening is ahead.  SK is out of white shirts. I don't mind ironing when I'm not in a hurry.  I love this kind of night. 

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