March events and visitors

The only young man who's served a mission from Guernsey branch is Joseph Mahy.  He served in the Dallas Texas Mission, and returned home March 10th.  We took Sister Shirley with us to the ferry dock to meet him; she knew him all the while he was growing up, so he's like family to her.
                         Here is a picture of Elder Mahy with his father and Shirley:

 It has been great to have him in our meetings; he is a happy, energetic person !

That weekend, our daughter Sharee and 3 of her children came to visit us.  What JOY !

Sharee, Paul, Holly, and Claire.

(In January, Holly finished her mission to Costa Rica) 

That same weekend, the 3 Assistants to the President came to visit and work with our Elders. 

  Here is a picture after church of all the Elders, Joseph Mahy, and our grandson, Paul.

After lunch we took a drive to show the family around the island.

One stop was at the "Little Chapel" which fits it's name. The walls are covered with pieces of porcelain - inside and out.

Even sea shells were used to adorn the inside.

On Monday, the 13th, we flew to London to see the sites together.

Pretty Spring

     March had lots of rain and fog, but all nature on the island began to burst with more beauty:

Daffodils everywhere... and many varieties.

I've never seen so many daffodils; they are everywhere ! 

All kinds of flowers ...  The Camellia,

Hyacinth,

and others I can't name.

New growth on unique trees, 

and trees with huge blossoms.  

Baptism in the sea

         Feb.18 we were thrilled to have a baptism.  Anna was baptized in a calm little cove called Port Soif on the north side of the island.   Sweet warm sunshine made the day even more wonderful.
              She was baptized by Elder Hardy.  He and E.Albacite began teaching her in December.

                               
                                         Several branch members were able to attend.

         In general, February weather was cold and rainy; that same weekend on Sunday night a tight                               fog settled in which interfered with ferries and flights for several days.
                     This picture was taken Monday morning looking out our bedroom window,                                                                      overlooking the glass conservatory.

In spite of cool weather, flowers are starting to bloom.  

Daffodils are blooming everywhere ... in yards, in fields, and on dirt mounds by the roads.

The Elders brought us a pretty bouquet to tell us thanks for what we do to help them :)

Feb. 21 Elder Hardy was transferred to Plymouth.   It took 3 trips to the airport that Tuesday, before he was finally on his way... as his flight kept being cancelled or delayed due to the fog.

So there were several goodbyes throughout the day :)

His replacement arrived in the evening when the fog had thinned out more.

Elder Sullivan is from St.George, Utah and has been out 20 months. 

He has a calm gentle personality, and is a great Elder. 

Oxford/ Sr.Couples

                      We flew to the mainland Feb. 2  to attend the Senior Couples conference in Oxford.

From the airport, we took a taxi to the Temple Accommodations Center.

Visited briefly with office missionaries, then did 2 temple sessions that afternoon.

Next morning we rode with other couples in mission vans to Oxford.

Were given a tour of Oxford University - lead by Bishop Tootle of the Oxford ward who works in Security at the college.

The buildings are amazing.

As was this very odd tree ... it's branches supported by posts.

It's probably very beautiful when fully adorned with leaves. 

And this large bush had unique flower strands ...

We got to go inside an ancient library; it is like a museum - you can't touch the books...there are electric sensors protecting them.   Only certain persons can "check out" the books and view them on special tables. 

The library ceiling was a work of art ..

Late afternoon we checked into our hotel, then met at the Oxford chapel for our conference.

We love being with these wonderful people.

Saturday morning we drove a short distance to tour the Blenheim Palace.

The palace was built in 1705.   It was the principle residence of the Duke of Marlborough.

It is the birth place of Sir Winston Churchill; there was one room that was a museum to his history and accomplishments.

Surrounding the palace are gardens and parks, lakes and forests.

Elders, etc.

The 10th of January, Elder Hart - after serving 10 months on Guernsey - was transferred to Bideford; his replacement is Elder Hernandez from Mexico, who speaks really good English, and just has 3 months left in his mission.

When the regular and Tri-Zone Meetings take place at the Stake Center in Poole England, our Elders watch via the church's Cisco System.  Sometimes the sound cuts out, or the picture fades away, and occasionally it stops all together...then they have to call in on a FaceTime connection.  But generally there is great teachings and helps for the work from these meetings.

                                                          Preparation Day hair cuts :)

Flowers now blooming in our front hedge  - in January :)

Buses, Christmas, Zone Leaders, etc.

Guernsey has a fairly good bus system that makes stops along the major streets around the island. We are amazed at the bus drivers, as they maneuver their bus around tight corners and down the narrow streets.  Often times, they have to "mount the pavement" (drive onto the sidewalk) in order to pass by oncoming traffic.  On the most narrow streets, even cars have to do the same to avoid crashing side mirrors.                            This is a picture of a bus on a wider main street.

On Christmas Day, in the evening, our doorbell rang; there stood Manuel - with a black plastic bag over his shoulder, his smile wider than ever - and he shouted "Merry Christmas."  He came in, and proceeded to reach into his bag and bring out a box of cereal for each of the Elders.

He's such a fun man; he is from Madeira, and speaks his own kind of  Portuguese English :)

His sweet wife is from Thailand, and her English is unique also.  They both have the biggest, brightest smiles, and are so kind to everyone.  The branch members love them a bunch.

Christmas Dinner with Elder Aguiar (Canada), Elder Hardy (St.George,UT),

Elder Albacite (Belgium), Elder Hart (Salt Lake City)

The Zone Leaders came to visit the 2nd weekend in January.  They trained and did splits with our Elders.   Sunday dinner was fun, getting to know them.  The tall Elder on the far right is 24 years old; joined the church a year before his mission.  He's an amazing leader.     

This is a couple we're working with; Mark is a member, and his partner Tina is being taught the gospel by the Elders.   We took them out to dinner on her birthday.   They both were born and raised in Guernsey.  They like Elvis Presley music, and a few years ago took a trip to America to visit Memphis and see museums, etc. of the history of his music and life.

Mark works in a wood manufacturing plant.   They are lovely, sweet folks.

Our "greenhouse"/ Ships/ etc.

The greenhouse connected to our house at one time was turned into a room; they call it a conservatory.   It has a wood floor, some cabinets, and a sink.  All the windows are single pane, and very loose fitting, so in the winter it is like stepping outside to go in there; but when the sun shines, the glass brings in the warmth of the sun, and it can be quite pleasant inside.  

    It's kind of like our "cultural hall," but since there's no basketball court, we got a ping pong table.
                                 It was a great room for activities during the warmer months.
                 The Elders enjoy it a lot on their P-day.  (They don't mind how cold it is in there)


                   Here is a picture of the ancient wooden warship "Victory" we saw in Portsmouth:

                            We were able to go inside, seeing everything from top to bottom,
                  being instructed about all the details by a navy guide in costume of the era.
                       You have to imagine what it looked like with all it's sails in place.



                                                A model of King Henry VIII

                       



                                      Reed, on the deck of another ship, the Warrior.

This one was a steam powered iron clad warship made in 1860.

  The middle of December I went to a local choir Christmas concert in the St. James church:

It was quite nice, and they invited the audience to sing-a-long with some of the carols.

They sing different words on some of the verses :)

"Tree of light" made on the old ship mast which is in the middle of the 

main round-a-bout in St. Peter Port.