Week 11

This week has been wonderful.  We finally can go outside without coats, gloves and anything else possible to keep warm.  We still need a jacket or sweater, but we see sun and flowers and green.  It feels so nice.  We are able to enjoy all of the landscape and foliage around our flat.  We live in a complex called Kew Riverside.  It is beautifully kept -- water fall, shrubs, trees, green grass and flowers.  We can finally enjoy all these with Spring-type weather.  To top it all off, we have had sunshine and blue skies today and yesterday.

Senior Missionary Couples @ Lunch

Italian Restaurant

Hampton Court Palace Gardens

Hampton Court Palace Gardens

We spent Tuesday with 8 couples from our mission.  We met at an Italian restaurant for lunch and then visited Hampton Court Palace.  Since we had visited it two weeks ago, we enjoyed spending more time in the beautiful gardens.  Can't ever remember seeing so many daffodils! The weather was so cold when we visited the palace the first time we did nothing more than look at the gardens from the windows and walk out into them for about 5 minutes.  It was nice to walk around and enjoy their beauty and peace.
 

The Maze

Center of the maze

Elder Smart found the ladies again!

We walked through a specially
 prepared maze at the gardens.  Believe it or not we found our way to the center and back out.

   

Royal Tennis Courts - small racquets

It was very interesting to watch "tennis" at the Royal Courts at Hampton Court Palace.  Here, they play the original tennis and used a unique tennis racquet.  We were told that tennis was first played with the hand.  After too many sore hands, a racquet was created in about the shape of the hand.  The racquet is much smaller than the racquets we are familiar with and shaped differently. 

This week our digitizing started to slow down.  We are finishing up one project and the next project isn't quite ready.  So that the other four had a little work to do, Paul spent two of our regular work days upstairs in the London Family History Center doing genealogy for ward members and other missionaries. He also spent time trying to straighten out some of the Windows family records on Annie's father's side (the Ward family). He is the example of something Aaron said to us when he called this week.  He quoted Carter and said,  "If you do not like to do something then don't learn to do it well."  Paul has learned to do it (family history) well and thankfully he loves doing it

Even without Paul, we finished the digitizing work early and so Sister Powell and I took off on the bus and went grocery shopping Friday afternoon.  It was fun to shop without Paul there.  As much as I love him, it is hard to grocery shop the way I like to,  with him assisting.  I enjoy going up and down each isle and looking at what is there and what sales there may be. I will many times adjust the meals according to what I find.   He insists on having a list, going into the store, getting what's on the list and getting out.  I found so many things in the store that I had no idea were even available in England.  It will help me make a better "list" next time.

Friday night we finally went down to our complex's gym (Kew Riverside) for an orientation on what is there. They have a very nice swimming pool, hot tub, and sauna.  Also, there are lots of great exercise equipment available. Annie took advantage of the workout equipment Saturday morning while Paul slept in. 

We did our usual Saturday, "P" day cleaning of the flat and then we took off for downtown Richmond.  We "started" the process for opening a British bank account and then shopped a little and walked to Kew Gardens.  There was much more to do and see than we had time for.  We plan on returning there soon.  We saw King George III's home.  He was a good husband and father of 15 children with only one wife.  The home was still in mostly original condition.  We could see the construction of a lot of the walls as it had deteriorated some.  

Kew Gardens Palace

Beautiful Kew Gardens

Once again it was beautiful to enjoy the flowers, trees and green at the gardens.  We walked and walked to do all that we did Saturday.  We went home exhausted (having walked at least two miles).  Hopefully Paul's knees will survive.  They are doing so well but sometimes, he still feels effects of his knee surgery last summer.


We are happy and enjoy serving. We miss everyone and ask that your prayers stay with us.  We will continue to keep you all in our prayers as well.

Love,
Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad, Elder and Sister Smart