Coulda, Shoulda--The Best Laid Plans

"Listen to the still small voice!  Listen!  Listen!  When you have to make a choice, He will guide you--always."  Children's Songbook, Hymn #107

". . . even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive, . . . Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.  Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; . . ."  Doctrine and Covenants 8:1-3

This is were we couldabeen today if I couldadone what I shouldadone.

See how the Irish Sea looks on our sat nav?  Yup, it was over on the right (last week).  That is how it shoulda looked today.

Colwyn Bay was where we shoulda been today.

Lovely plants in Colwyn Bay that we couldaseen again today

We couldabeen seeing beautiful buildings, like this one in Rhos-on-Sea

These people thought we were funeral directors!  They'd been to a funeral and were waiting for everyone to arrive for tea.

This fellow was guarding the tavern

We couldabeen seeing more interesting churches

As we know, all people can receive personal revelation by being prompted or enlightened about something.  Something was revealed to me at the start of this day and I am kicking myself for not listening to the prompting, even after I'd said a silent prayer for help!  It is so frustrating to pay a price for having ears but not hearing.  It is even more upsetting to not listen and act and then cause someone to miss getting help that is needed.

Today was the Dreaded Driving test.  Elder Blain did everything humanly possible to be prepared.  Our day was planned precisely around it.  Once he was done (and passed, of course), he was to get his hair cut in preparation for zone conference this week.  After that, we were going to the glorious coast of Wales to look at flats and get the one we want tied up.  But, alas, it was not to be!

The diary entry for today:  Elder Blain gets up at 6:00 a.m. to give himself time to be ready and clean out the inside of the car.  At 7:30, he comes rushing in and says there is ice all over the car, so I go out to help him dry off the windows and clean them on the inside and dry a spot for the big "L" to be placed in the back to show he is a "learner."  He tries to start the car and nothing happens!  I say a little prayer that it will start (I'm sure he is doing the same) and I hear him say the battery is dead.  A thought pops into my head that maybe it is the starter instead, but I brush it off thinking he has already considered the starter and is sure it is the battery.

Being without any tools to tinker with things and very disappointed, he trudges back into the flat to call the driver's test place and tell them he cannot make the appointment.  The first lady is nice and offers to reschedule and expresses sympathy for his plight and unfortunately, by the way, it'll cost another 61 British Pounds ($97.60), thank you very much.  Before she gets the rescheduling taken care of, our phone drops him.  He calls back and gets a lady with no sympathy, who reminds him again he has to pay and that he'll have to wait an hour and a half before he can reschedule.  She tells him to do it on the computer, which he cannot do because the computer won't accept his age as it only goes to 1941 for the birthday.  She won't try to check with the lady who already may have got the new time and date into the computer, so he proceeds to wait that out.

While waiting to call for a new test day, he calls AA service, which he used last night for a bad tire while we were in another town looking at flats.  They come quickly, hit the starter with a hammer and the car starts.  Then, Elder Blain remembers he used to do that when there was starter problems.  He knew that and didn't think of it.  He would have made his appointment if I'd said something when I was prompted with the thought!  He doesn't blame me (such a good husband) as he says all he had were pliers and they probably wouldn't have helped get it going again.  I bet they would have.  I could have saved him all that extra stress and having to go through it again on Monday when they have rescheduled him for the test.  At least he doesn't have to wait two months for another appointment like he waited for this first one.

It took all day to cancel all our flat viewings through to Friday and reschedule them to other days into Saturday, which would have been a free day to catch up any loose ends of the week.  I learned a very hard (and expensive) lesson to stay in tune to promptings and act on them instead of discounting or reasoning myself out of it.  Of course, we did have to get the starter fixed and that took all day, so we ended up with a P-day without wanting one.

Tomorrow, barring any unforeseen circumstances, like me being too stupid to pay attention to guidance, we shall leave for Colwyn Bay in Wales, then move on to Rhyl, also on the coast of Wales, and then go inland east to ChorleyChorley and look at more flats and then head home.  Saturday morning, we will leave early and head west again to a place called Runcorn (near Liverpool) to see more flats and hopefully drive around and see a few things in that area before we head home (unless we are so tired of driving we head home faster than you can say"couldadone," which is a word used here often.  I couldadone, I really couldadone . . .

We will have had all the notification deadlines passed by Monday next week, which means the pressure to find flats will lighten a little.  Good thing, since Monday is the Dreaded Driver's test, which (fingers crossed) shall take place at exactly 12:48 (talk about being precise!).  So, if any of you prayed for Elder Blain to pass the driving test today, it will probably carry over for Monday.  It won't hurt to put a wee bit of a reminder to Him upstairs if you think of it.

P.S.  Elder Blain walked 40 minutes to get the car tonight (it is now 5 p.m. and pitch black outside).  Not only was there a bad starter motor at a cost of 450 British Pounds ($720), but the battery was bad and replaced at a cost of 59 BP ($94).  A new tire (because of the one ruined last night) was 94 BP ($150).  THEN, he goes to get petrol and sees he has a front headlight out!  He just replaced the other one last week.  It didn't cost anything to have the Elders put a headlight in at the mission office, but we are supposed to be in Colwyn Bay by 9 a.m.!  No time to get a headlight in!!  We cannot break all those appointments again (or it will be like dominoes with all the other appointments), so we shall see if we can find a place to fix the headlight before dark tomorrow (4:30 p.m.).  Also, Elder Blain has to find a barber before zone conference on Thursday!  Oh, me, oh my, a lot of things have gone awry!  Pray for fix-it shops for a light (at a cost that isn't ridiculous) and a barber who can cut hair decently.  We're not asking much--just super duper beefed up prayers magnified and amplified so tomorrow is a better day.  Please?

Driving in England and D.D. Day

What is that character doing on my street?  Turning around and parking 243 times is suspicious activity in my mind.

Driving in England is a complicated process.  There are many tiny particulars that have never been thought of in the U.S.  Perhaps we'd be more civilized and courteous if we did follow the Brits in some ways of doing things.  Of course, the British have had centuries to come up with standards of conduct and how to do anything in the most complicated way.  The U.S. is working on that, but we will probably never catch up.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh is the sound I hear a lot these days as Elder Blain practices push pull, push pull, push pull on the steering wheel whenever he turns it.  With his large hands feeding the tiny steering wheel through, it is very apparent he is trying to learn to drive the English way, which is more difficult than the American way with the hand being able to be taken off the steering wheel and moved as a turn is made.  There are so many little things Elder Blain  has to pay attention to as the examiner (executioner) ticks off his little boxes and froths at the mouth for the opportunity catch him at something that will warrant a big red FAIL on the sheet.  This will bring in more money when the driver retakes the test and maintains the superior status of the examiner.  Meanwhile, the driver gets to keep driving until the next test (up to two years) even if he or she is a terrible driver.

The Dreaded Driver's (D.D.) test on the road is on Tuesday at 8:20 a.m.  Please pray for Elder Blain.  He is out at this very moment practicing how to drive.  Tell me why someone who has driven for 60 years has to practice driving.  He has driven almost five of those years in England, so why doesn't he know how to drive yet?  He is practicing three point turns without hitting a curb while looking most of the time behind himself and glancing at both mirrors, spinning his head around like a top.  Not to mention, he is supposed to stay in the skimpy lane on his side that is usually shared by traffic going both ways, since there isn't enough room in the lane to drive on your own side of the road when cars are parked, as they always are, on the side of the road.

We have removed our tiny turtle and Loon bobble heads from the dash of the car because we've been told they could fly around inside of the car and cause problems.  Yes, even though they have survived being stuck to our dash through all the herky jerky things the car does, and the emergency stops every few minutes, they might suddenly decide to fly off and break his glasses and hit his eye causing a wreak.  Those of you who know these two creatures we've had in our car for years are aware of how much bodily harm they could cause if they got dislodged.  They are the most terrible of terrible threats.  Look out for the dangerous turtle and Loon!

My concern for Elder Blain is his parking.  If he hasn't got parallel parking down by now, I don't think he shall ever.  Pray for a miracle when he has to do it on Tuesday.  I don't think they'll give him 25 tries (a small exaggeration at his expense).

Because of his need to practice, which I cannot grasp, we 'ad a word or two today.  I am focused on meeting deadlines for flat rentals, which need to happen so we can give thirty days notice or we go into another month.  Since a deadline means to me a goal to be met, I am driven to meet it 'eck or 'igh water and his driving practice gets in the way.  He says he needs Monday to practice so he'll be fresh for the test.  Monday is a day for trying to meet a deadline.  So, you can already smell some compromise in the air as he is out doing some practice this afternoon and I work to lighten the schedule. 

His test IS scheduled in my diary (planner in the U.S.)  I allocated time for him to take the test, but I was trying to find out how many hours he thinks he needs to practice when the conversation turned into more of an, er, disagreement.  I am being accused of being obsessed (yeah, true) with the flat renting process and having no consideration for what is important to him.  Guilty as charged.  I can't help it if a deadline to him is flexible and we can go merrily on our way if we don't meet it until we eventually get a flat some month down the road.  My idea of a deadline is "dead" line.  Get it done or you're dead.  All efforts were wasted and we start over from scratch--failure=F.  I refuse to get bad grades!

ahuuuuuggggggghhhhhh) sound I hear?  Gnashing of teeth and white hair flying in the air?

Oh, well, Happy Holidays from Tesco Home store:

No one can complain they are rushing Christmas since there is no Thanksgiving to skip here.

A smooth operation.  An escalator with no steps for wheel chairs and trams.  Am I a country bumpkin because I've never seen one of these?  The people in the store probably think I'm simple minded being excited about seeing this and taking pictures of it, not to mention riding up and down on it twenty times . . . okay, I know I embarrass you when you're with me.

This is Cornish pastry.  The white stuff (Paul Newman's ranch dressing) went with the appetizer, which was chicken breast nuggets.  The "pastry" is full of meat, gravy (of course), potatoes, vegetables and lots of fat that makes it taste good.  Yes, I am fat because of this.  Fat and sassy.

Scripture for the day?  How about ". . . thou has driven me out this day . . ."  Genesis 4:14 or ". . . gather her that is driven  . . ."  Micah 4:6

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

". . . thank Thee God without ceasing . . ." 1 Thes. 2:13

Let us all make it a goal to enjoy this month with gratitude. I am grateful for all of you, for life, and for the beauty found everywhere in this world in people, places, and things. I am grateful to know there is a God and a Savior and that thy love and watch over us. There are so many blessing I wish to express my thanks for that the list could be a mile long. I have a little book called, The Secret Gratitude Book, that has pages wherein I record my gratitude. The author suggests we say, "Thank you," twenty times before we write anything. It fills the heart and helps the mind ponder the richness of our blessings.

A dear friend of mine has been posting things she is thankful for every day since November 1. Reflecting on the things she is listing has helped me realize more the things I have been taking for granted. This video clip below is lovely.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving