Yesterday and Today

O how great the plan of our God!  Nephi 9:13

It looks like a winter wonderland everywhere we go.  This is about 10:30 in the morning out the front of our flat.  It has averaged -3 to -6 Celsius around here for the past few days.  -13 in Cheadle.  I only had on 8 layers of clothing today.

This picture was taken through a dirty car window as we sped along the motorway.  I love oak trees with icy lace.

How many of you knew that Brussels sprouts grow on stalks like this.  It looks like a little tree trunk with green knobs on it.  As old as we are, we never saw them like this and supposed they grew more like little cabbages, perhaps like broccoli or cauliflower.  It is true that we learn throughout a lifetime.  How did we miss this?

This is our English family's tree.  They have had it for years and are very attached to it.  There are many home made decorations on it with lovely memories.  The perfect Christmas tree.  Guess who likes to tear it down and eat the branches?

After a great Family Home Evening lesson given by this little sweetheart, she shared her many talents in entertaining ways.

Fun.  Our very own Ndear ('cause she is dear).

A one-eared elf with a red nose?  Is someone confused with the facts of some Christmas stories?

See the little tree in the bike shop where we purchased 14 new bikes for the missionaries?  We get to play Santa.  They have been walking or taking buses because all the bikes are broken.  It is awfully cold to start riding now, but they'll be happy to get more done in less time.  Missionaries will usually purchase their own bikes and keep them throughout their mission if they are in a bike mission.  In this mission, there are only some areas where bikes are used, so it makes it difficult to have missionaries buying and selling bikes all the time as they are transferred in and out of areas.  Hopefully, this will solve the problem as there will be bikes available at each place and the missionaries will be responsible to maintain them.

A church entrance we saw in Knutsford where the mission office is located.

Here is the steeple

Here is the church

Interesting guardian at the door.  Is this a king?

Is this the queen?

She is green with embarrassment to be captured with you-know-what hanging from her nose.  Someone should have told her.  I know, it is suppose to be green with envy, but this is England and everything is mossy and moldy if it hangs around long enough.

Who is he?  He looks like a priest or religious church officer that a pigeon got a shot at.

How would you like to live in this town?  Oh, the sign behind is similar to signs that are posted on dangerous roads.  It is probably effect in getting drivers to be a bit more caution in certain areas, especially since the roads are always posted with extremely high speed limits for narrow country roads.