Up the Lazy River

 Monday is PDay for the young missionaries.  That is the day they do laundry, clean their apartments and do their weekly shopping.  It is also the day when they are free to do a little sight-seeing if they choose.  Elder Reynoldson called last week and asked if we could go to lunch with Elder Watford, Elder Reynoldson and the sisters. They gave us the name of the restaurant, and I googled it to get the address.

We picked up the elders and drove to the church - about 2 miles away, parked the car and then walked to the restaurant, one of the very few ways to get there.  This is what an online article said about it:

The great thing about the Isis Farmhouse is that it’s only accessible on foot, by bicycle from the Thames path, or from the river itself. The spacious garden has lots of picnic tables, where you can sup your pint while you watch narrowboats chugging idly past, or the river path traffic of walkers and cyclists. It’s a welcome stop for many hikers walking the Thames Path, a short cycle ride from Oxford city centre, and just a few narrowboat lengths from the gently swishing weeping willows of Iffley Lock. There’s a good range of drinks, the food is imaginative, and the garden is fenced so your children don’t fall in the river.



We walked along the riverbank (Thames) a ways, where we met up with the sisters. We found a picnic table, sat down and ordered on our telephones.  Pretty soon a waitress came with our food!  The youngest among us is Elder Reynoldson who will turn 19 on Thursday.  We had a grand time with them.  We talked and listened and laughed.  We were at least as comfortable with them as we were with the senior missionaries on Saturday.  











By the end of the lunch - when we got home - we had logged two miles, which isn't too bad for the day.

I spent the afternoon watching tutorials, and my head is clearing ever so much.  I have enlisted the help of another senior couple in Manchester who started teaching last semester.  They are technically up to date on everything and so will hopefully be able to walk me through some of the finer points.

In the evening we attended a Zoom Family Home Evening, and then at 9, a zone meeting.  These young people are working so hard.  Some of them will be transferred out of the zone by next Tuesday and some will actually be leaving for home.  I know this is typical for a mission, but we so hate to say goodbye.


Comments

melissa said…
That sounds delightful!! I would give a “Madsen” if I could manage. 💪🏼💪🏼
April 19, 2021 at 10:35 PM
Lia said…
I wish I were those missionaries and could eat lunch with you! You know, I think your hair is very pretty. I wish mine looked as nice when it grows out.
April 20, 2021 at 8:01 PM
Erin said…
What a literal breath of fresh air to be finally be able to dine with others. And it sounds absolutely delightful!

The weeping willow is perhaps the largest I’ve ever seen. There is not a single restaurant here that offers such a view. How did the food taste? What was the world they used to describe it? Creative? Imaginative? It sounds like a polite way of saying it’s not very good.
April 22, 2021 at 7:23 AM
Elder and Sister Madsen said…
Erin...I must admit that I sat there under the shade of the tree exulting in the fact that there would be no scorpions dropping on me!!!! There are magnificent wheeping willings like that everywhere. In fact the trees are magnificient. The word imaginative - I think - is cover for "unimaginative." My garden salad was excellent with a wide variety of fresh vegetables, and Sister Bloxham had Chicken Leek Pie which was a lovely thing to behold, and she said it was delicious. But otherwise, most of it was unremarkable.
But you really can't beat the view.
April 22, 2021 at 9:01 AM
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