Just a Plain Old Day in Newcastle-under-Lyme

It is sunny again in England today!  There are fluffy clouds and baby blue skies.  Plants are taking over the country.  It is LOVELY!!

Today we visited a wonderful couple and listened to some amazing spiritual experiences they have had due to very trying circumstances they have been required to endure.  Their faith has only gotten stronger through it all.  We cannot help but contrast it to those who get easily offended over some real or imaginary thing and leave the Church, or leave the Church because bad things happened to them and they blame God.

For the most part, we find much courage and kindness in people.  There are great people all over the world.  It is true that people are more alike than they are different.  Most of us want much the same thing in our life--safety and happiness for our loved ones, peace in our hearts, enough to eat, and a roof over our heads.

Elder Blain ate something he wasn't supposed to at a "tea" appointment last night and is now ill, so we have to stay home the rest of the day.  We hate it when one of us get sick and we lose valuable time doing missionary work.  Yet, we can only walk as fast as we can run (ha, ha).  Really, though, we can only do what we are able to do and it is better to take care so our health stays good enough to do the work most days.

We did make it to the supermarket.  I am posting pictures of that exciting event so you compare to what we have at home.  ASDA is part of the Wal*Mart family.  The prices beat most everyone out just like at home.

Many of the grocery stores have carts chained together.  You have to put a pound in to get the cart and the pound is refunded at checkout.  It saves getting carts stolen, since you cannot get one unlocked unless the pound is put in.  Of course, that doesn't stop someone from paying the pound and taking off with it anyway (ASDA must have figured that out because their carts are free).

The grocery carts are fun to learn how to maneuver.  All the wheels turn, which makes it easier to move in the store, but a challenge to take into the parking lot.  If there is a slope, you can find yourself walking beside your cart with it going sideways.

 

This is the "ski hill" for the locals.  I think there are little rollers or something that lets the skis slide.  This view is looking across from ASDA supermarket. 

 

The fabulous "squash" drink isle.  A bunch of fruit is squashed together and condensed.  It is very popular here.  The drink is cut with 5-10 parts water or soda.

 

The checkers all sit down in stores here.  You're encouraged to bring your own bags.  They like "swipe and pin" debit cards, rather than swipe and sign credit cards.  We're about the only ones using one, since they 

usually tell us they cannot accept our card.  They just don't know what to do with it!

   

Elder Blain was trying to go straight forward with the cart.  You'll notice it isn't cooperating.  If I am at the front, I can hold on to it and keep it from wandering off sideways.  Fun! 

He is sorta getting control here as he heads for our little blue car on the left. 

We are parked unloading the groceries and this is the view we have from our driveway of Stoke-on-Trent (the big city) out over the top of the houses.