Bits and Pieces

The Royal Mail. Taken outside the mission home.





Really think you should all come shopping in Glasgow. This is looking towards one block of many
in city center. Two of the main streets are strictly pedestrian walkways and always packed with people. Shops here generally close at 6 although they have extended hours for Christmas-clear until 7. There are many specialty stores and clothing stores galore. I love the coats and jackets here but haven't bought any. Outside of city center are tons of charity shops. These are second hand shops which also specialize -some have clothing, some furniture, some knick knack stuff, some vintage clothing or kilts. Bargains are plentiful and it is just fun to look but my companion' s shopping endurance is limited (say, about one store)




Our home away from home. We live in the bottom left flat of the four in the building.



Typical Glasgow apartment architecture. There are probably 8 flats in this building. Lots of sandstone and bay windows. Loads of buildings are very ornate with intricate details around windows -architect's dream place.

Elder Nield is laughing at me for including this. Our pet spider, Charlene, would lower herself to the middle of our sitting room window and stuff herself with the day's catch in her web. I kept expecting to see "What do you know about the Mormon church?" written in the web but she never cooperated.

Preston England Temple

We received permission to attend the Preston Temple with the YSA in October. Stunning setting for the temple with beautiful English landscaping. As you can see, we had great weather. These flags are in front of the MTC.

Typical green sculptures- arches and trimmed hedges. Most of the flowers were gone by our trip but the landscaping was magnificent.

Buildings on the temple ground include the England MTC, distibution center, stake center and two housing buildings. One building provides accommodations for temple patrons and the other is housing for senior couples called to temple missions.

The overnight accommodation was full so we stayed in one of the vacant senior apartments-very nice.

Double decker bus carried all 70 of us to and from the Glasgow Stake Center to the temple. England actually has rest stops along the motorway although they are commercial and not government provided.

Oops Got the same picture twice.

New Lanark World Heritage Site

New Lanark is the site of a revolutionary social system
tried around 1800. The system was based on a
self contained community with equal housing, health
care and education. Employment was the cotton
mill where the majority of workers were women.
Children under 10 went to school and were not allowed to work in the mill. Each family had their own living quarters -and quarters they were.
Two rooms were allowed per family which usually meant 6 to 8 children. Trundle beds are not a modern invention! Laundry room and bathrooms were community shared-but they did have them with running water. The Lee River runs through the middle of the community providing power for the cotton mill. Plus drownings of children were not uncommon as they played too closely to the raging water. This Utopian society taught basic Christian principles of love your neighbor. It's visionary founder thought "all churches were wrong" because of changes by men.

Ironic that this equality ideal encouraged slavery in the US by increasing demand for imported cotton.

Glen Coe Scotland

For sheer breathtaking
beauty Glen Coe is the
most impressive place
we've been in Ireland or
Scotland. This has been
the setting for several films
including Braveheart and
Harry Potter scenes. It
had rained in the morning but the sun came through and
the mountains sparkled in the mist. Streams and
waterfalls run down the sides of these former
volcanoes every mile or less. This is part of the
country where the Highlanders began the kilt and
plaid traditions. And, of course, the scene of many
a battle between clans














The Three Sisters-it is possible
to identify the original volcanoes
and glacial movement that
formed the area.












The first waterfall we came to
as made the loop. We passed it again
on the return trip and wondered
why we had bothered to take a
picture of one so unimpresive.
True to Europe, the roads are
narrow with no place to stop
and snap a photo. (Also,
not only do Scottish not get cold
but they never need any "facilities")

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle sits on the
largest hill in Edinburgh. Used
over many centuries for protection
and as the seat of government.
The crown jewels are on display
here as well as the sword, scepter
and crown presented to Scottish
royalty by the Pope in the 1500's.
I am standing in the castle esplanade
where we watched the Military Tatoo in August.




View of Edinburgh from the castle
walls. Scottish architecture is
fascinating; very ornate. There
are blocks and blocks of fancy
buildings in both Edinburgh and
Glasgow.










Elder Nield jealously admiring
the piper in full regalia.
Kilts are rented like tuxedos
for formal occasions and kilt
shops are common all over
the city. Genuine
ones are all wool and quite
expensive. We considered
buying one until we found they
were over 100 pounds in the
used jobs-and that was just
the kilt. It is common to see
street performers in city center
and pipers play often hoping for
a donation.

Glasgow Missionary digs

These look great in the preview.
My posts never look the same
once I push post.
How does everyone get such
cute stuff?





My retro kitchen











A REAL refrigerator.
Now I can keep left-
overs until they turn
green. And we can
have ice and ice cream







Cute little cupboard in
my kitchen











Extra bedroom
Laundry drying
method #1

Isn't this comfy?

Room to sprawl

Even our queen bed

will seem luxurious

Our Cork Family

The whole YSA gang!

Jared and Jason

Luke

Sheron and Delan

Jasmine

Anne Marie

Raymond

Santana

Melissa

Christy

Grace