Watts Happenin'

Train Whistle

2012-02-20T04:54:00.003Z

I guess this is what you do when you like to ‘tinker’ at being creative. I made a TRAIN WHISTLE!

Mom says I should make twenty-one, but for now there’s more to come and probably much better than this one.

Here’s how it sounds: BLOWWW……

Broken / Fixed

2012-02-05T23:44:00.009Z

All kinds of things get broken – toys, clocks, appliances, windows, cars, trees, hearts…..people. Some of my earliest memories are being interested in what makes ‘things’ tick – literally – I took an old clock that belonged to my grandma apart. I was six and…I only knew about the taking apart, not the putting it back together. Thank goodness the clock was a goner before I got a hold of it.

Since then I’ve had a life-long interest in fixing, building, repairing or improving everything. From home-made skateboards (before there were such things) and tree-houses to “Whizzer” bikes, Model “A” Fords, rental houses, cars and cabins, I built, fixed and restored more than I can count. I’ve plumbed, sawed, nailed, wired, glued and in the process gathered a fairly impressive, albeit amateurish set of tools, some of which I inherited from my grandpa Mortensen.

I decided to write this ‘Watts Happenin’ update in well over a year for two reasons.

First is about a shotgun.

I inherited an Ithaca Model 37 U.S. Army issue 12 gauge pump shotgun. My dad first let me shoot this gun in the backyard of Colin Peterson’s farm in Tremonton. He said, “hold it tight against your shoulder.” That didn’t help a bit. It knocked me right on my back. After lots of black and blue shoulders from hunting pheasant, quail, grouse, mourning doves and ducks, I shortened the gunstock end and added a recoil pad. The years have gone by and the gun has been relegated to a gun rack in the furnace room. I recently took it out to go trap shooting with the Boy Scouts from our ward. Age had finally caught up to the old gun and a crack in the stock became a split

After some searching I found a source for an unfinished gunstock machined as an exact replacement for a Model 37 Ithaca, circa 1940’s. Good ol’ internet….there’s lots of info on how to finish a gunstock. So, here’s the result:

I wish I’d taken a before picture, 'cause it looked pretty bad. Besides the new gunstock, the barrel, chamber and pump sections have all been re-blued as they call it. Here’s a picture of the finished gunstock.

Well now that I've shown it off, it's back to the gun rack in the furnace room.

The second reason I began to write was to express how glad I am that people can be ‘fixed’.

We went to the 3D movie ‘Hugo” the other night. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, the presentation and the story about how some people simply need to be ‘fixed’. There are moments in my life where I came out of adjustment, my self-governor failed and I malfunctioned. I shall be eternally grateful to the ultimate fixer, Jesus Christ, who makes it possible for me to be ‘fixed’. I am not sure I’ll ever be a perfectly working model of a disciple of Jesus Christ, but I’m better than I once was and I’m trying to be better still.

I have much to be grateful for – a wonderful wife of 52 years and counting. Together we have woven the tapestry of a wonderful life with beautiful children who have married well and given us 21 wonderful grandchildren (two incredible missionaries) and one great grandson. Wish I could have a daily hug from each.

May your lives be full and happy and may you need little 'fixing'. Love Dad

Touch The Temple

2010-10-25T06:44:00.001+01:00

Last Friday, 15 October, we went to Manti to begin a truly lifetime adventure.

On Saturday morning the Utah Watts’ family (23 strong) gathered to “Touch The Temples” from Manti to Logan in a one-day 400+ mile trip.

This was a trip to be remembered – complete with decorated cars, T-shirts alike, games and snacks – on a perfect fall day – bright sunshine and fall colors.

At each temple we gathered to touch the sacred walls and listen to a brief talk by one of the group who was assigned to tell us about ‘their’ temple. We learned lots of interesting facts including Moroni (as shown above) at the Jordan River Temple is one of only five temples where he is holding the gold plates.

Here’s the whole gang. Click on the picture if you’d care to look at more pictures of our trip.

We concluded our day at the Logan Temple where seated near the temple front door we shared thoughts about our day and testimonies about temples and families.

It was a Great Time!!!

Best wishes to all,

Grandma & Grandpa

Recognizing the Obvious

2010-03-26T15:06:00.001Z

West of central London on Cromwell Road the pavement (or ‘sidewalk’ to many of us) widens just before you get to the corner of the Tesco store. The pavement is sloped from both sides to the middle where there is a row of curved blocks to allow for rain water to flow. Down the middle of these blocks someone has painted the word “Drainage.” It is good to see this, because, for sure, without this word…. in utter confusion the rain would go somewhere else.

It is much like this in life. Sometimes, in spite of careful written directions, we go somewhere else.

Clearly, our written directions say:

Pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good[1] - then we forget to pray, disbelieve and have problems in our lives.

Love one another …. that there should be no contention[2] - then we treat others badly and contention begins.

Forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you[3] - then we hold a grudge and still expect forgiveness for ourselves.
Bring ye all the tithes…..open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing[4] – then we withhold our tithes and struggle, and not just financially.

Strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life[5] – then we wander to another path that leads to destruction and misery.

In our Family History Centre there are films of documents that are centuries old that have damaged pages that are evident when viewed, and yet the film itself has a written note to say “damaged page”. One might think that implies that without the note the document would be just fine.

I know that without the written directions of the words of God I would not be just fine.

I have a testimony of the truth in the written directions of the words of God. The list above is but a small sample of these wonderful truths. My life is better, happier and more fulfilling when I follow the directions of a loving Heavenly Father.

I shall ever be grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ that gives hope in spite of me, all too often, missing the obvious.

[1] D&C 90:24

[2] Mosiah 18:21

[3] Matthew 6:14

[4] Malachi 3:10

[5] 2 Nephi 31:18

Closing Bell

2010-02-03T22:51:00.003Z

Our mission is soon drawing to a close. Since time immemorial, bells have signaled the opening and/or closing, so it seems appropriate that we visited the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Whitechapel has been making bells since 1570 (some say 1420) and the foundry makes bells just as they were made over 500 years ago. Small ones, big ones, low tones, high tones…they made the Liberty bell and the 13 1/2 ton bell that chimes in London’s Big Ben.

The bells are cast from molten bronze (copper-tin) in a mold that is made of a loam material that consists of sand, clay, horse manure and goat hair. About the only change in the process from medieval times and church friars is the use of electronic equipment to test the pitch and resonance and a huge jig bore machine to remove material to tune the bell.

Buckets of (L to R) manure, clay, sand, sand, goat hair.

Small hand bells are made in the same way as the large cathedral bells, one at a time only polished and prettied…. as our tour guide said, “If they look good, they must sound good.” The bells we played at Christmas last year came from Whitechapel. A set of 12 bells on offer (that means on sale) go for £2,875 or about $4,700.

So unless I squeeze in another blog or two, here’s our ‘closing bell’. Turn your sound way up and listen.

Wishing you the best of everything.......

Elder & Sister Watts

Devon Delving

2010-01-10T22:41:00.005Z

My 2nd Great Grandfather, James Watts and his family lived here (Dean) in 1841 through 1851 and worked as an “Ag Lab” (agriculture laborer). The family moved to Cardiff Wales sometime before 1861, where they lived until they boldly left the Old World for the New and crossed to America coming to Utah. James and Elizabeth (71 & 75) were living in Providence in 1870. Elizabeth died in 1878 and James in 1889; both are buried in the Ogden Cemetery.

The current owner of ‘Dean Farm’ is Morley Hooksway whose family has owned the farm for over 30 years. He told me one of the houses was 400 years old and some of the others were newer…. only about 280 years old. Needless to say we took pictures of these old houses. See them here West Down - Dean

Dean is in West Down Parish, which is just Nor'East of Georgeham, where James was born in 1801. Click on the map for a larger view, and if you’re interested you can see some pictures Georgeham

We spent one day plus at the North Devon Record office in Barnstaple (that’s Barn-stuhpull to you Yanks) and another day in the Devon Record office in Exeter. We found some more family names to add – pretty fun. Some of the old records from the 1600’s and 1700’s are really hard to read.

Family History aside… we were away from the busyness of London in rural England with more sheep than people. Beautiful country. We drove along the Atlantic coastline and ate at a 13th century freehouse, The Bush Inn in Cornwall. Here are a few more pictures of our trip. Devon & Cornwall

We drove back to Exeter on the 5th of January in a blinding snowstorm, slipping and sliding all the way. No such thing as all season tires, snow plows or sanded roads in England.

Love to all,

Elder & Sister Watts

London’s Winter Solstice

2009-12-22T23:32:00.001Z

It’s winter in London! It’s cold in London! It’s the shortest day of the year. Sunrise at 8:10am and sunset at 3:46pm. Actually “Sunrise” is only a wishful thought, since it only gets to 15° above the horizon. So just picture lots of tall buildings and then try to ‘not’ stand in the shade. Almost impossible. Still….. lots of bikes out on the streets.

Christmas will soon be here and thoughts turn to things other than family history. Not much happening in the Family History Centre. But still hardly a day goes by without someone thrilled for having found a marriage record or a new name in their ancestral tree that they never knew before.

We’re going to Devon next week (South West England) to visit long deceased kin. Looking forward to walking where they walked and seeing what they saw, and maybe, just maybe…… feeling what they felt.

Merry Christmas to All……..

We love you,

Elder & Sister Watts

London Culture

2009-11-29T19:25:00.002Z

The Royal Albert Hall was built to fulfill the vision of Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's consort) of a 'Central Hall' that would be used to promote understanding and appreciation of the Arts and Sciences and would stand at the heart of the South Kensington estate, surrounded by museums and places of learning. The Royal Albert was officially opened in March 1871.

Thursday evening we went to a “Best of Broadway” concert featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Albert. The orchestra was eye-watering magnificent and the music program was varied and beautiful with singers to perfectly match decades of Broadway songs – Evita, Phantom, Man from La Mancha, Kiss Me Kate, Joseph.., Les Mis, Hairspray, Wicked, West Side Story, etc.

We were seated in the Grand Tier, second tier boxes to the left. Click on the picture for an expanded view. Our seats were in the location circled in red. To say the least it was a cultural feast.

On December 15th we’ll be back for a Christmas concert featuring the London Concert Orchestra, City of London Choir, a Children’s Chorus and The Brass Ensemble of the Band of the Scots Guards with lots of great Christmas music.

On Wednesday, the day before, we went to the Globe Theatre, the wooden peg-built replica of the original open-roof theatre where Shakespeare made his mark. It’s now off season, so we were not able to see a play. “I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it.” (As You Like It)

What a place! If we wanted to, had the time (and the money) we could then go watch the eight best tennis players in the world compete in the last ATP tournament of the year. London definitely is a city of action and happenings – plays, ballet, opera, concerts, football (lots of that). The Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Championship even made the London papers – however, mostly about David Beckham on the losing team.

Lastly, there was a lady in the Centre this week that, as we were talking about finding records of ancestors, said, “I just get chills when I find one.” There you go….. Elijah is at it again.

Love from Elder & Sister Watts

Medieval Gem - Rye

2009-11-08T18:30:00.001Z

Rye is a medieval town perched on a hill over looking the most narrow part of the English Channel in East Sussex. It seems almost suspended in time reflecting an unhurried charm of years long gone. P-day again and we’re off to explore more of this amazing country. The entrance gate above was constructed in 1329 AD

Ypres Tower looks formidable with this English maiden guarding the entrance.

And here’s Lady Watts at the Millinery Shop.

Click on the cobblestone street below to take a photo trip with us through the medieval town of Rye……

Best wishes to all….

Elder & Sister Watts

Off to the Races

2009-10-30T23:40:00.002Z

P-day again and we went to see a ‘Steeplechase’. Beautiful day, very English and lots of fun. Beautiful horses…..

The ‘Pedestrians’ -

Elder & Sister Scott, Elder & Sister Watts and Elder & Sister Inskeep.

One of many bookmakers (touts), showing the odds and taking bets. Had a hard time keeping Sister Watts away…

Interesting people….

Very proper.....

Beautiful horses.....

And here’s some of the ACTION!

Click here for more pictures.

Love to all,

Elder & Sister Watts

Walkin' in "Stile"

2009-10-13T08:08:00.005+01:00

Last Saturday we joined three other senior couples and set off to take an English country walk. It was a beautiful day as we walked along and across tree-lined fields, through bough-covered paths to see quaint villages and medieval churches.

One field 'required' us to pass through the domain of some ferocious wild animals (above). At first Sister Watts said, "I'm not going in there", but when confronted with the alternative of a very long walk, she relented and bravely faced the beasts and made it through.

The goal of the walk, aside from the exhilaration of just taking it, was to see the Watts Memorial Chapel and George F. Watts Museum. George (no relation as far as I know) was a famous painter and sculptor of the late 19th century. His works are displayed prominently throughout England - most notably St. Pauls Cathedral and the National Gallery.

Our walk took us through the villiage of Puttenham, where we ate at The Good Intent pub, walked across the Puttenham Golf Club (ca 1894) and came up "The Street."

Here's a picture of Sister Watts crossing the Stile in style. And..... below, Elder Watts is not acting his age on a rope swing. Best wishes..... Elder Watts

Missionary Engineering

2009-10-06T22:01:00.007+01:00

The Hyde Park Chapel is, in every way, a shared facility. Besides three wards, the building is used for: the England London Mission Offices, Stake Offices, Employment Center, YSA Outreach Program and the London Family History Centre. For many years the Family History Centre has put up a temporary vinyl banner sign each day to 'advertise' its existence. The existing vinyl banner had become worn and looked more like a swap meet sale sign than a sign meeting the usual high standards of the Church.

Our FHC Director asked me to arrange for a replacement banner. After some investigation, I suggested a thin, solid panel sign that would look a bit more upscale and last longer even though it would be a bit more expensive. She agreed and off I went to do a bit of engineering complete with a few drawings, a simple design for mounting and the new sign is now in place. It's lightweight and easy to hang and remove each day.
We often have patrons who say, "I saw your sign and came to investigate.

" Not rocket science, but fun nevertheless to do a little Missionary Engineering.

Elder Watts

Brilliant P-days

2009-09-27T16:50:00.008+01:00

Every missionary feels that they were called to serve in the best mission in the Church. We do! No one can argue with us, when we declare that we have the best P-days in the world. Monday, September 21st was a special day when we visited the historic and fascinating city of Oxford, and visited some of the thirty eight colleges which comprise Oxford University. It is the oldest surviving university in the English speaking world. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back as the 11th century. There are just over 20,000 students in the colleges that make up Oxford University.

A favorite was Christ Church, which is the largest college and has an Anglican cathedral. The Cathedral is the College Chapel for the College as well as the cathedral church for the Diocese of Oxford. King Henry VIII was the founder of the college. John Wesley is one of the famous people educated here. Another is Charles Dodgson whose pen name is Lewis Carroll. He became friends with the daughters of the Dean of Christ Church - especially Alice. Dodgson made up stories to entertain the sisters and thus was the beginning of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass."

The Dining Hall Scenes and stone stairways for the first two "Harry Potter" films were filmed at Christ Church.

Lot's of humorous gargoyles on all the college buildings. Click on the 'Bored Student' at the left to take a trip with us through Oxford.

Love, Sister Watts

Babylon Gardens

2009-09-20T22:58:00.005+01:00

We had to cap off the 50th celebration with a night out on the 16th, and what better place to celebrate for a missionary couple than Babylon. It's actually called the Roof Gardens and Babylon is one of the featured resturants. The gardens are on the top of a building in Kensington and are beautiful. The view over the city was spectacular.

It was a bit of a splurge for two country folk from Utah, but it was well worth it. We mentioned to the waitress that we were celebrating our 50th. The dessert came with a special decoration as you can see by clicking on the picture. I forgot to bring my camera, but we struck up a conversation with another couple next to us who had a camera. New friends, camera, email... and here we are. It was a great evening.

Have a good week!

Elder & Sister Watts

'50' And Counting

2009-09-14T06:46:00.009+01:00

On Wednesday, September 16th, we will celebrate 50 years of marriage. This is no small thing and certainly worth celebrating! This milestone is a family event and to be a 'proper' (as the English would say) party, it ought to be done with family. Well.... we're blessed for now to have a temporary family here in London and they gave us a 'proper' party last Friday evening, complete with invitations, favors, balloons, wonderful food, flowers and most of all -- Friendship. If you would care to, you can join the party here.

Just a word or two about being together for fifty years. It's not been all smooth sailing, but then as Harold B. Lee once said, "A smooth sea does not a skillful mariner make." I would recommend an occasional 'disagreement' so you can better appreciate the smooth sea moments -- well maybe 'recommend' is not the right word, but you get the idea. We've had a wonderful life together and counting blessings would overload my abacus.

As I think back I'm not sure it all began with a clear focus on how serious and important this all was. I was in love and as the saying goes, "a team of wild horses couldn't have kept me away from Barbara." But the importance and seriousness grew and came into clearer focus as I truly learned the gospel, where it says things like, "cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh", "whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever", "heirs together of the grace of life" and finally "new and everlasting covenant of marriage."

Most of all I married right. In the September Ensign President Uchtdorf says, "The scriptures give us names of several women who have blessed individuals and generations." I would include in that list - Barbara. She has blessed my life and continues to do so. I am the "best-cared-for" man in London. You would not believe some of the meals we have that she makes seemingly out of thin air. Proverbs Chapter 31:11-31 describes her to a "T" and truly "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her."

Our children get a lot of credit for this milestone; they have helped us along and trained us well. We have been blessed with five wonderful children - Brian, Barry, Rich, Julie and Jane - each with unique and individual talents and gifts. Their choices and the lives they live are a rich reward for a 50-year marriage. Add to that Jana, Nannette, Tammy, Matt and Jake and the rewards double. But that's not as good as it gets -- at the end of our 50-year marriage rainbow is truly a pot of golden grandchildren, who we cherish and love dearly. We are ever amazed and impressed with their activities and achievements that make us smile, laugh, clap, cheer... and bring us joy. Our hearts are full; we love you lots!

Lastly to our friends, we say thank you for joining us in this grand trip, bumps and all. We love you and look forward to lots of fun times yet to come.

God bless you all,

Elder and Sister Watts

Goose Fat

2009-08-18T21:24:00.006+01:00

The miracle of food in England is "Free Range!" All the quality (more expensive) foods come from free range..... free range eggs, free range chickens, free range cows, free range pigs. Somehow the eggs, milk and meat from critters in pens is second class. Well..... Jana bought us some "Free Range" Pure Goose Fat, which has sat on 'me' shelf (as the English would say) for six weeks.

With a little help from the internet recipe reservoir Sister Watts cooked up some free range potatoes using Pure goose fat. Not too bad -- but then, as with any gourmet chef, Chef Barbarez's skills in the culinary arts

could make any food tres magnifique!

Happy gourmet eating.

Elder & Sister Watts

It's 'Football'

2009-08-16T16:29:00.007+01:00

This weekend marked the beginning of the Premier League football season. Twenty teams with players averaging £1.1m in annual salary (that's £21,000 per week) begin their competition ending next May with the champion taking home, besides a solid silver trophy, over £15m. The team picked to win is Chelsea with Manchester United (winners last year) and Liverpool close behind. Lots of U.S. ownership in these teams. 'Football' is a front page topic all season and we hear about it from our patrons in the FHC as well.

Here's Elder Watts on a recent P-day outing warming up for the season with one of the local stars. We had a little trouble keeping the fans off the 'pitch'. I was asked to play for the Tottenham Hotspurs, but I had to decline due to my prior commitments to the team at the London Family History Centre.

Best wishes,

Elder Watts

Lea Valley Primary

2009-08-09T21:15:00.003+01:00

After 10 months of teaching Gospel Doctrine to the Saints of Lea Valley Ward, I was surprised when the Bishop issued a release and said he would like to have me serve in the Primary. I felt a little sad because as difficult as it was for me to teach the adults, I loved what I was learning. It has not taken long to switch allegiance to the Primary and these cute girls.

It's Raining!

2009-07-17T22:45:00.004+01:00

After a week of sunshine and temperatures in the low 30's (°C) , one of our FHC patrons said, "Well summer's over now, we can get back to normal." That would be cool, wind, sprinkles and showers. Here are a few pictures of London and E&S Watts, now seasoned Londoners -- see for yourself.

Presidents Passing

2009-07-01T21:46:00.004+01:00

Tomorrow we will have a new Mission President. President Renn Patch and his wife Deanne will replace President Clayton Foulger and his wife Marla. We have developed a great love and respect for President Foulger and his wife. They will be sorely missed.

We ('we' meaning the Family History Centre staff) were discussing over dinner two weeks ago what we might give to President and Sister Foulger as a going-away present. After much discussion, Sister Watts said, "Why don't we do their family history." It was an 'epiphany' (see the spot on definition below) moment and particularly celebratory coming from Sister Watts, who is occasionally less than enthusiastic about family history. We all took a piece of the pie to create a set of records for each of President and Sister Foulger's family line. We searched and gathered copies of censuses, overland trail records, immigration records and stories of ancestors, until we had a 'volume' (picture at left) to present to each of them along with electronic copies of all the documents on a USB memory stick.

President and Sister Foulger were thrilled, bothered somewhat by something wet in their eyes.

epiphany -a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, or commonplace occurrence or experience.

Oh.... by the way - the research revealed that Sister Watts is related to President Foulger!

How's that for ironic.

I Shook Hands with a Prophet Today!

2009-06-07T20:24:00.002+01:00

June 6th, 2009 is a day that we will always remember. We were blessed to attend a meeting with 280 elders and sisters that serve with us in the England London and England London South Missions. Our speakers were President Uchtdorf, and Elder Neil Andersen, our newest apostle. We were seated well before the meeting started and when they arrived, we all stood as they and their wives walked down the aisle. President Uchtdorf went to the pulpit and said they would like to shake our hands, so he and Elder Andersen stood down on the floor and we went row by row and all of us were able to shake their hands. Two great men that we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. It was powerful and the meeting had not yet started. Sister Watts

We Have A New Granddaughter!!

2009-06-06T07:59:00.005+01:00

Our dear friends here in London rejoiced with us at the news of the birth of our granddaughter. They thought the pink flowered plant would be a good announcement to our patrons and soothe our separation pains.

Grace Emery Freeman was born June 4th. to Matt and Julie. She weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and is beautiful. She will be welcomed home by an excited brother and two sweet sisters.

"What have you learned on your mission?"

2009-05-27T08:30:00.003+01:00

One of the blessings of serving in the England London mission is our association with the other senior couples. Every other Monday we enjoy a special family home evening with them. We take turns being the host and provide the main course of the meal and the activity or lesson after dinner. We have eaten many delicious meals, laughed as we've played fun games, or been spiritually fed with great gospel discussions. Last Monday evening, Elder and Sister Neu were the hosts and after dinner Elder Neu started our discussion with the question, "What have you learned on your mission?" The Neu's will be going home in one month. Everyone at the table will be going home before us. Each took a turn to respond to this thought provoking question and the answers were varied and inspiring. I've thought about them many times in the past two days and reflected over and over what my response was and is to this question. Jim and I were seated to respond near the end with only Sister Hintze to conclude the discussion.

The lessons I am learning are too many to mention. I do not have adequate words to describe the experience we are having.

Milestones...

2009-05-23T10:39:00.007+01:00

About a year ago my Joyfer reached an incredible milestone - 545 miles on a bike. Her picture is one of triumph over mind and body to do such a thing.

This feat folllowed another of endurance and will as three years ago my Sophie completed the Ogden Marathon in record time.

These two events far outdistance and overshadow the Elder & Sister Watts milestone of 1,000 miles in walking around England. Nevertheless, this is a 'feet' of endurance as well.

Hooray... we're still in one piece.

Best wishes to all!

Love E & S Watts

Hever Castle

2009-05-18T22:45:00.004+01:00

After working two Saturdays in a row, we had a free Saturday (P-day) to go exploring. We took a train ride with Elder and Sister Scott to Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. She was the second wife of Henry the VIII and was the key figure in the political and religious upheaval leading to the split with Rome, the Pope, the Catholic Church and the Church of England under the King's control. Anne, the mother of Elizabeth I, was subsequently beheaded by Henry's decree for charges of adultery and incest, which historians generally view as unconvincing.

History aside, the trip to the castle, walk through the castle and around the grounds was spectacular. The mile and a third walk from the train station along narrow country roads went past farms and fields that were.... well... idyllic and breathtaking come to mind (see the slide show in links at the right).

We decided to follow a less-travelled path back from the castle and found ourselves looking for Robin Hood and his merry men in a labrynth of trees and bushes. What a restful moment from the busyness of London!

Click on these pictures for a larger view.

Best wishes to all,

Elder & Sister Watts

OOooopps.... The Slide i..n..to '70'

2009-05-03T22:55:00.011+01:00

This has been a great week! Most weeks have been very busy at the Family History Centre, and when we're supposed to have some 'Back Office' time [time to work on our own family history or do some online indexing], we've had projects to do for the center. But.... I've had some success of late in finding ancestors in old parish registers -- interesting stories, but probably only to me and too long to tell here. Anyway... we had a P-day and went to the temple on Tuesday and I took some names to get temple ordinance cards to send home to family for temple work. The London Temple is about an hour away by train. It was built in 1958 and just barely had Moroni added to the spire.

We had the late shift in the center on Thursday (work to 9pm), and we had time to do some extra-curricular things earlier in the day -- that usually means shopping. We went to Portobello Road where antique markets abound. We came home with two treasures - an 'Art Nouveau' silver-plated toast holder (1890-1905) and a 'Victorian' sugar shaker (1837-1901). Click on pictures for a larger view.

Then, because my nine-year-old pocket PC (antique status) is beginning to struggle, I bought an iPod Touch, which is pretty amazing. Mom has the toast holder and the sugar shaker; I have everything but the kitchen sink on my iPod Touch. Oh.. did I mention the unmentionable... I had a birthday on Friday, so what else, the iPod is from me to me.

Then on Friday we went to dinner with the Scotts (fellow missionaries at the FHC) and the Foulgers (Mission President and his wife) to a place called 'Sticky Fingers.' Pretty much a ribs place with American food, Rolling Stones memorabilia and the food's very good. Notice the new tie - two birthday ties from Barbara along with a sack of treats.

Then the surprise of the day - an album with lots of great photos and letters from all of my family. It is a TREASURE. It was a seven-kleenex effort to read it. My family is simply the greatest!

Life is good. We miss home, but we are having the time of our lives.

Love to all, Elder Watts

London Spring

2009-04-26T16:49:00.003+01:00

There are songs about Paris in the Springtime, but I think London would maybe be hard to beat. Gardens, trees, shrubs, flower boxes..... and blooms everywhere.

For such a densely populated large city, there are lots of parks and all are well kept. Click on the collage to see a full screen view of some of the prettiest.

The Talbot

2009-04-21T23:14:00.015+01:00

At the Family History Centre we have a great view, through some large picture windows, into a cobble-stone street called the 'Mews'.

The used-to-be carriage barns are all now houses that are valued at upwards of £2m. One day last week I looked out and saw a remarkable car. With camera in hand I went for a look.

The car turned out to be a 1930 Talbot, and not just any old Talbot, but the one that competed in the 1930 Le Mans 24-hour race and took 3rd place. It looked totally in original condition without any restoration. Here are a few pictures and the race results.

Top Deck

2009-04-13T22:37:00.003+01:00

When we arrived in London seven months ago, we were greeted at the door of our flat by Don and Claudia Innskeep. They had stocked our cupboards with food, filled a vase with fresh flowers and hung cute towels in our kitchen. Don took us to pay our council taxes, obtain our freedom passes and showed us how to get around on the London double decker buses. We have enjoyed many fun times with them at work and at play. One simple pleasure he taught us was to climb the steps of a bus to the top deck and ride around the city and see the sites. We have done this many times. Sunday night, the Innskeeps traveled home from church on the top deck. When they neared their stop, Don started down the steps when the bus jerked sending Don flying head first, down the steps. When Claudia reached him, she saw that his ear was nearly severed and he was bleeding profusely. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital. Claudia called Jim and and asked that he and another elder give him a Priesthood blessing before a plastic surgeon sewed him back together.
He is home today - recovering. We will all hold on a little tighter when we ride the bus - and forget the top deck.

Finding My Past

2009-04-12T21:25:00.007+01:00

The Family History Center was closed for Good Friday and we had a scheduled P-Day on Saturday. So, with the approval of our Mission President we took an overnight trip to explore HADSPEN, the birth place of my great grandmother, Ellen (Eleanor) Hill. Hadspen is a Hamlet, which is considered a small village of 5-6 buildings and families. Hadspen is very much the same as it was in the mid-ninteenth century when Ellen and her family lived there.

Here are some pictures of Haspen with homes that were built in the 1700's. I have not been able to find which one might have been my ancestors, but for sure it was one of them. We talked to some of the residents, who were very friendly and hospitable. We also went to the Parish church that was there in the same era (above left). Some of the family died in Hadspen, so we looked through the graveyard for any 'Hill' names but couldn't find any.

We stayed at the Greystones House, which is a Bed&Breakfast just outside of Castle Cary. This home was built in the early 1800's with subsequent additions. It is beautiful, our room was a delight and we were treated to a 'full English' breakfast, which means, sausage, eggs, bacon (ham to most), a rather large mushroom, stewed tomatoes, toast and local honey or preserves, juice and museli (cereal).

Check the link at the right [Hadspen] for more pictures.

More later..... Elder Watts

Being a Missionary

2009-03-29T22:23:00.004+01:00

I've been invited to accompany the AP's on three occasions -- once this week -- to help with a new investigator discussion. These have all been very enjoyable. The discussion this week was with 'Audrey', a lady that the AP's met on the street. She says that she has been actively looking for a church and has gone to many. When she met the Elders, she was excited to hear their message. She seems very interested and excited for another teaching moment.

Friday, I helped a man, who had been in the FHC a few times, with some scans of microfiche records. We chatted a bit as we did the scans, he paid for them and left. I grabbed my lunch and went to the lunch room and found him there organizing his papers. As I ate, I began a conversation with him and he started asking me questions and commenting about the church. He noted that he had observed some missionaries and wondered if we had a training program to teach 'courtesy', 'manners' and 'good behavior.' He has a high regard for 'Mormons' and asked me if there were any Mormon 'convicts' and seemed surprised when I told him yes, there probably are. He was astonished when I told him we were here at our own expense. He knew that families are important and seemed to want to know 'more'. So, I told him about the restoration and modern day prophets. He was very receptive. I told him about conference and invited him to come see our prophet next week. He said he just might do that. I know that he will be back in the FHC if not to conference.

Great spirit as always in the Lea Valley ward today -- fast day. A new convert was confirmed and the testimonies were sweet as usual. One of our YM, a teacher, bore his testimony.

Best wishes to all,

Elder Watts

Another Week....

2009-03-22T19:38:00.003Z

Lots of activity in the FHC this week. It seems that almost every day there are those who go away smiling because they've found an ancestor for whom they've been looking for many years. It's fun to see the successes.

Yesterday, being our P-day, we went with the other three senior couples to Rochester to see the Rochester Castle (left) and the Rochester Cathedral. Rochester was the home of Charles Dickens for 14 years and there's lots of connections in Rochester to his writings. We went there for the annual Christmas Dickens Festival in December, but it was so crowded (and cold) that we didn't get to see the castle and cathedral. It was well worth a second visit. Check the links at right for pictures if you are interested - beautiful cathedral, amazing castle and interesting old buildings the most notable of which is Richard Watts' Six Poor Travelers Inn (several pictures of it). Watts, who died in 1579, is buried in the cathedral. Dickens story, Seven Poor Travelers (he is the other traveler along with the six) is a very good short story and can be found at The Seven Poor Travelers.

Great day at Lea Valley today. Today is England's "Mothering Sunday," -- British Mother's Day. Lot's of tributes to mothers. Great sacrament meeting, good lessons, great spirit. Sister Watts led a really good Gospel Doctrine class discussion about missionary work. She is a good teacher. Had a good time teaching the YM in priesthood meeting as well.

Best wishes to all for a good week!

Love, Elder & Sister Watts

London Life - Winter Style

2009-03-19T16:03:00.009Z

Aside from all the antiquities and architectural wonders of London, the people are facinating. The few pictures in the collage here don't even begin to scratch the surface of style and dress displayed. Clearly, the most common color is BLACK (coats, jackets, sweaters, dresses, socks, shoes) and the most common footwear (for younger women) is black boots with 3-4" heels. Everyone wears a scarf and, on rainy days, carries an umbrella (I guess that goes without saying). I feel a little like a paparazzi when taking uninvited pictures, but occasionally can't resist a discreet photo or two. Must make a comment about two of them. The red pom-pom in the upper left is really a coat. The man, center-bottom, lives as you see him on the street in front of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Now then -- babies! Babies in London, I think begin life as a caterpillar and live in a cocoon. They are wheeled around in buggies that have large rubber tires and plastic vinyl hoods to encapsulate their contents. The babies/children that ride in them are bundled to the point of no-movement-allowed coats and snow suits. Here are two examples.

Lastly here's an indispensible item that we could not live without, given the circumstance of not having a car and walking and/or riding busses to and from the grocery store. A TROLLEY! It folds flat for easy carrying to .... unfolds and holds lots of groceries for pulling from.

Love to all,

E & S Watts

Stories of Lea Valley Ward

2009-03-15T20:41:00.004Z

The experience we are enjoying in our ward is unique. I feel that each person has a story to be told. It is too bad that we don't always have time to visit and hear those stories. Today I decided to talk to at least one person. Her name is Ismarelda from Albania, and she was raised a Muslim. She left her home town 7 years ago to study at a University. She saw the LDS missionaries and was curious about them so she talked to them and then studied the gospel for 5 years before getting baptized 2 years ago. Her family has not spoken to her since that day and she had to leave her country. She told me she will never be able to return.

A young man spoke in Church today and told of his conversion story. I was touched by his strong spirit and testimony. He was born in Turkey and their family was not religious. He felt something was missing in his life. In 2004 he prayed to know what was missing. He met a girl who belonged to the Church and she invited him to listen to the missionaries. After the first lesson he knew it was right. He was so happy that he literally skipped home. The ward he first attended met in a small room in a book shop. He enjoyed it so much that he didn't want to leave. He read the Book of Mormon and he said it took him 3 months to get the courage to pray about it. His answer came sure and strong and he was baptized. He recently returned from serving a mission in the England, Manchester mission.

These people strengthen me and help me to be more fully aware of the great blessing the gospel has been to me all of my life. It is a privilege to be among them.
Sister Watts

Sabbath Somnolence

2009-03-15T18:39:00.010Z

Again... we felt a great spirit and warm friendship in the Lea Valley Ward. Neither of us were teaching today, and it was simply a day to soak in the words of others. I had assigned one of the Priests, Aaron Quashie, to lead the lesson discussion on the Holy Ghost. Having had experience with this sort of thing in the past, I prepared in case he 'forgot.' Aaron is the 1st Assitant in the Priest Quorum and came prepared and gave a great lesson. All 'six' (today) of the Aaronic Priesthood holders meet together. Here are the six -- with Elder Anderston from Cardston, Canada.

Aaron is the one in the back to the left of Elder Anderson.

It was a beautiful day with mostly sunshine and a high of 13 (that would be Celsius). The daffodils are everywhere and many trees and bushes are blooming.

We have been wanting to take a walk in a nearby very old cemetery, so today..... we did.

Quoth the raven "Nevermore"

The Cemetery was originally known as the West of London and Westminster Cemetery. Now it is known as the Brompton Cemetery. It is full of crypts and monuments. The link at the right leads to a few pictures. Among the dead are the living as well..... ravens, squirrels, pigeons and foxes (didn't see any of those) as well as ......Daffodils.

The chapel, modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was used in GoldenEye (1995), Pierce Brosnan's first Bond movie. Below is a picture of the chapel as well as the colonnades above the catacombs. That's not a Bond girl; it's Sister Watts peering out.

Love to all...... Elder Watts

P-Days in London

2009-03-08T20:17:00.011Z

Lunch with Woon Choa

This sweet sister from our ward wanted to "feed the missionaries," but her flat is so small that she invited us to join her for lunch at a restaurant. Along with three young elders, we went to a Chinese Buffet in Walthamstow and had a nice visit with Sister Woon Choa. She is from Hong Kong and has been a member of the Church for several years. She and her sister are the only members of the church from a family of 10. She is the ward organist and plays the piano and the organ for Sacrament meeting and Relief Society. -- 7 March 2009

Touring the Lime house Cut

A week ago we went for a walk along the "Limehouse Cut", which is a waterway canal that is the gateway to over 2,000 miles of navigable canals. The picture at the left at the beginning of the canal is the Limehouse Basin, which is now a marina for yachts and is overlooked by banks of beautiful modern 'flat' buildings. We walked along the canal through rows of old factory buildings and warehouses that once used the canal to transport materials and finished product. A towpath, where we walked, lines the canal where horses used to pull the barges along the canal. The Limehouse Cut is the first navigable canal constructed in 1766. The name 'Limehouse' came from lime kilns built in the 14th century for lime used in plaster for building 'wattle and daub' walls in early London buildings.

We walked up the canal for about two miles past the "Bow Locks" where Bow Creek joins the Limehouse cut and runs past Three Mills Island. Here is a picture of the Three Mills.

The House Mill, at the far left, is the largest tidal mill in Britain. Next to it is the Millers House with the Clock Mill on the right. The house mill was built in 1776. If you want to see how it worked, click here http://www.housemill.org.uk/mymodel.htm These buildings are now home to Three Mills Films Studios, London's largest film studio.

If you want to see a few pictures of the canal -- a canal boat that people live in -- etc. click on the Limehouse link at the right.

It was a beautiful spring day with 'daffys' beginning to poke out everywhere. Lastly, here's a picture from a 'budding' bush near our flat, a sure sign of spring.

Love you all,

E & S Watts

London Driving & More

2009-03-01T22:54:00.011Z

Downtown London's roads are the 2009 version of the original cart and wagon paths of midieval London. The street names, like the towns, counties and parishes are classics like Cheapside, Regent, Oxford, Old Brompton and High Street Kensington. But dirt wagon paths do not a modern city street make, and the city fathers, determined to limit the number of modern automobiles on said paths, have a 'Congestion Zone' that requires a daily payment of £8 to drive therein. This, from all outward appearances, seems to be a small deterrent, because there is a lot of traffic. Cars, big and small, all have large licensce plates that are 'watched' by strategic cameras to make sure no one escapes this charge. It appears to be very effective. Those who miss payment by midnight the following day are subject to a penalty of £120!

How can they monitor such a vast armada of cars you say? Well here's just one bank of cameras with 'big brother' watching.

Here are a couple of other related London driving photos. First a picture of a Taxi driver coffee shop that is in the middle of the road and is for taxi drivers only.

Next is a bollard (a post to keep cars out), a fancy one from our neighborhood in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, RBKC for short. Then here's a picture of an RBKC garbage can, also rather fancy. There are street sweepers working seemingly around the clock with a broom and a push cart. RBKC keeps the street very clean.

And lastly a Bobby from the London Metropolitan Police Force.
Elder Watts....

PS.. On Thursday we went to see Hampton Court Palace.... see the pictures from link at right.

The Week That Was

2009-02-22T22:58:00.005Z

Here are some of the (mostly regular) patrons who are in the FHC quite regularly and some everyday (click for a bigger view). Starting with the center, that's Mr. Williams, who comes almost every day and does lots of work on Irish ancestors. Then around the circle from top left, there is Mary and Janet, English to the core with cockney accents and all, who are professional genealogists. Next is Ms. Harley, who spends her time researching her ancestors from the Caribbean. At the top right is Carole Baines who lives in the Lea Valley Ward and came in for the first time on Wednesday and worked on her line in New FamilySearch. We were saddened to hear today that she had a falling accident and broke both ankles! Bottom right is Ken. He spends a lot of time in the Centre..... not sure what he finds. Bottom middle is Lynette, who is here from Australia and has spent almost every day doing family research. She has found 'many' ancestors, is here in London for several more weeks and has ordered some films to view while she's here.

Then in the last two pictures (bottom left and middle left) we have three FHC workers, who make the work pleasant for the rest of us, Sister Inskeep and Sister Watts followed in the middle left picture by Matthew Pridham. Matthew is the Assistant Director of the Centre and is very knowledgeable about Family History.

Every week there are successes with ancestors found ..... and failures with blind alleys and ancestors who are hiding. One lady came in with one name looking for more, and in fairly short order Sister Watts found four more generations for her on the IGI. She was thrilled!!

I helped a man find some Antigua (Caribbean) records, that he said were nowhere else to be found. We printed out 23 scans of documents for him. He was delighted!

Finally, here is a picture of a rather beautiful English lady with whom I work. I am most grateful for her. At least I think she's become English. As you can see she dresses English, rides busses and says thing like "pop in" and "straight away." To see her better, click on her picture.

Elder Watts

"It mattereth not what ye shall eat"

2009-02-15T16:37:00.004Z

Recently, the Whitechapel Ward in our Hyde Park Stake was asked to vacate the rented school building in which they have been meeting for several years. A month ago they started meeting in our building after our block. Last Sunday, Jim had a meeting after church, and I waited for him in the foyer. Our friends, the Scotts, attend the Whitechapel ward, and Kella plays the piano for them. I could hear the Sacrament song being played when the door flew open and their Relief Society president ran out and said, "I forgot the bread, we have no bread!" I felt her panic, but didn't know how to help. We looked in the kitchen, searching for something. When we went back to the foyer, a man came in the front door with something wrapped in foil in his hands and they went back to Sacrament meeting.
Monday morning I asked Kella what happened. She said they sang all of the verses twice and then they asked her to keep playing. Finally the Sacrament was served. "Cake! We had cake, she said." Our discussion led to D&C 27:2, "it mattereth not what ye shall eat." We had quite a laugh thinking about the different options, but concluded that when Elder Inskeep said, "I guess you could even have pickles" that that was going too far. Sister Watts

A Snowy Day in London Town

2009-02-08T20:02:00.006Z

February 2nd, 2009
It snowed in London today. It was a pretty average 6-inch Utah snowstorm, but it paralyzed this vast city that hasn’t seen so much snow in 18 years. All buses were suspended and with millions depending on them for transportation, the city came to a halt. We walked a little more than a mile to the Family History Centre and witnessed many happy children building snowmen because the schools were closed. As we walked through the Imperial College of London, we worried about getting hit with a snowball. At least 50 students were having a big snowball fight and you could hear their laughter for several blocks.

People everywhere were taking pictures. I don’t remember another day that I’ve seen so much happiness in this big and sometimes gloomy city.

The People of Lea Valley Ward

2009-02-08T18:57:00.015Z

We wanted you to meet some of the wonderful people of the Lea Valley Ward. They come from many countries -- Ghana, Nigeria, Congo, Philippines, Peru, Germany, St. Vincent (Caribbean), Hungary and, of course, England. However, they have several things in common -- large smiles, warm hearts and testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So it is our pleasure to introduce you to the folks from the Lea Valley Ward.

Clifford Robnett (Building Coordinator and Official Greeter) and Bishop David Vincent

Sister Watts with Luz (Gospel Doctrine Teachers) and Jun Roosendaal (1st Counselor to Bishop Vincent)

Full time missionaries - Elder Anderson (L) and Elder Beta (R) with Brother Augustine Adu

Elder Wilbert Kahwa (Ward Mission Leader) & Sister Watts

Brother Peter Stokes (HP Group Leader) & Sister Glenda Stokes (RS President)

Brother & Sister Baldwin

Sister Nathali Vincent (Bishop's Wife) with brand new baby girl (first child)

The 'Young Men' with Elder Anderson

Sister Blossom Gordon (Sunday School Class President)

Sister Laudicea Freilich and Sister Nerissa Irish

Wonderful people all and our brothers and sisters, who have welcomed us with open arms.

Usiku mwema, Lala salama [Swahili for goodnight and sleep well]
Elder & Sister Watts

The Circle of Life

2009-01-27T18:27:00.003Z

Well.... here's a profound thought for the day culled from a long ago memory. Just short of forty-seven years ago Barbara and I were living in a small rental house trailer in Monroeville, PA. The trailer had one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen and living room. We had no TV and spent lots of time walking, talking, reading and at the end of the day..... we sometimes played Gin Rummy.

Fast forward to 2009 and here we are in London England. We live in a small 'flat' that has one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen and living room. We have no TV and spend lots of time walking, talking, reading and at the end of the day.....last Sunday night we played.... you guessed it.... Gin Rummy.

Now... That's Progress

A typical week in the life of Elder and Sister Watts

2009-01-24T21:45:00.008Z

Sunday, January 18th. The Piccadilly underground line we usually take to church was closed so we had to go to plan B which was a bus, tube, train ride and another bus ride. It took us one hour and 20 minutes to get there and we arrived barely in time for the Sacrament. I taught the Gospel Doctrine Class and I loved what I learned about Joseph Smith's First Vision. I get good responses when I ask questions, the people are great. Jim taught the Young Men and he had a good lesson experience.
We were invited to the Stoke's (HP Group Leader & RS President) home for dinner and we enjoyed a feast. She is a black lady from the Caribbean and he is from England and a convert of seven years. A young man about 25 years old from Tanzania also came to dinner. He joined the church when he was 16 and is the only member from his family. We loved to hear their conversion stories. What great faith and commitment they have.

Monday, January 19th. We arrived at the Centre at 10:am. Every Monday Sister Richins and I count the money we've taken in, prepare a bank deposit and a financial report for the Church, and then we walk to the bank. A church auditor came as we were in the process and we reported to him how we handle the finances of the FHC. We have not been audited for years. He questioned a few of the things we have purchased over the years, but seemed to like the way we handled the money. It will be interesting to see his report.

We worked all afternoon on a special project that Sharon Hintze has us doing. We are indexing Irish Land Valuation Films. We have 356 and it takes about an hour to do each one.

We enjoyed Family Home Evening with our missionary friends. There are good cooks here in London too.

Wednesday was Zone Conference which is a special day with about 40 of the young elders and the 12 Seniors. It is always a spiritually uplifting day with instruction from President and Sister Foulger and training by several of the elders. I had to demonstrate how to eat a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, not once but twice, as a training aid (fun way to be a guinea pig).

Our time in the Centre with patrons is always interesting and challenging. We are keeping busy and I am learning a few things each day.

Friday night we went with the senior missionaries to see "The Sound of Music" at the London Palladium (a beautiful theatre). It was a wonderful production and we loved it.

On Saturday we went with the Inskeeps to walk around some parts of London: The London Stone, St. Mary le Bow Church and of course enjoy hot chocolate and pastries. We then went to the Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. Words cannot describe that magnigicent place. It was a fun and relaxing day - just what I needed.

St. Mary le Bow on the left, St. Paul's dome on the right. Both Sir Christopher Wren's work, and both very beautiful.

We are truly blessed - we are learning to love many things about London.
Love, Sister Watts

Canterbury Tales...

2009-01-04T21:18:00.003Z

We feel challenged in our Family History assignment and in our Lea Valley Ward assignments, but the truth is that we are truly blessed in our mission calling. We work with three other senior couples who are fast becoming dear friends. Also, due to the nature of the FHC operation, we had a mission vacation, so to speak, with some days off for the FHC holiday closing schedule.

We took advantage of this time to spend a few days with Jane and Jake, who were able to visit for Christmas. It was a delight to be with them and along with our Bell-playing and other Christmas involvement with our senior missionary friends and our kind FHC patrons made being away for Christmas a little less sad. We spent several hours at President Foulgers, along with Jane and Jake, on Christmas morning for a Christmas "brunch."

With Jane we visited St. Paul's Cathedral, the British Library, Westminster Abbey, the British Museum. Sister Watts and Jane went to the National Gallery as well. If you have an interest there's a brief report on some of this at http://www.thewatts.net/wattski/.

Jane left on Monday the 29th and we worked at the FHC through to New Year's eve, but closed early. Went to dinner with the Senior's (couples and two sisters) and celebrated quietly.

On Thursday we went to Canterbury with the Inskeeps and the Scotts. It's about a two hour train ride and was delightful. Canterbury is steeped in history..... Thomas Beckett, Chaucer, Roman Settlement, St. Augustine, King Aethelbert and Bertha. Check the link for pictures. We spent two nights and thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

Back to Lea Valley today and a great day in our ward meetings. Sister Watts gave a terrific Gospel Doctrine lesson to start the year on the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History. Tomorrow it's back to the Family History Centre.

We wish you all a very Happy New Year! Elder & Sister Watts

Trip To The London Temple

2008-12-16T21:22:00.005Z

We have been in London for 3 months today and we were able to go to the Temple. It took us about an hour driving through beautiful English country side on a bus to get there, and it was good to get out of the busy city. There were two buses with about 22 in each bus that were able to go and the day will be repeated next Tuesday for the rest of the missionaries who carried on with their regular duties.

We arrived back at the Hyde Park Chapel about 3:40pm for an evening of dinner, caroling, entertaining skits and of course another performance of the "BELLS" President Foulger spoke and gifts were given. It was a very special day.

This is a Christmas tradition of the England London Mission and a gift to the missionaries. It is great to spend time with the young elders and sisters.

The Angel Moroni was placed on the London Temple yesterday, December 15th. England has not allowed this until now. ...... Sister Watts

Fun - Full Week in London

2008-12-14T23:18:00.004Z

We've enjoyed a busy week with many fun activities. December is typically a slow month in the Family History Center and we have had fewer patrons than usual, but we had a shipment of 800 new films to check, label, sort and find a place for. Our director, Sharon Hintze, who has been out of town for several weeks is back and she always finds extra interesting duties for us. We have several patrons who spend many hours at our center and they have been kind with gifts of flowers, cards and treats. They express their appreciation for all we do.

After many hours of practicing the Bells, we had our premier performance at Zone Conference on Thursday. I was nervous, but we played well and it was fun. On Friday evening after closing the Center at 6:00PM, we walked to a busy corner and played the 6 songs we know over and over for an hour while the young elders handed out pass-along cards and talked to anyone who would listen, about the church. We played again on Sunday night, after the broadcast of the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional, for a special musical program that the Hyde Park Institute Choir presented to the Stake. The place was packed and we played 4 numbers. It was a special evening. ......... Sister Watts

Rochester's Dickensian Christmas

2008-12-07T21:18:00.007Z

We enjoyed a wondeful P-day at the Dickens Festival with our friends, Mike and Kella Scott. The streets of Rochester, that Charles Dickens explored as a child and in his later years, were filled with costumed characters, and sights and sounds of an era that inspired and troubled Dickens. The "Dickensian" events entertained us all day. We also loved the many quaint shops that lined the cobblestone streets.

The Rochester Castle is one of the best preserved Norman architecture in England and the Rochester Cathedral was founded in 604. We spent the day enjoying the Dickens Festival and decided to come back when the crowds are smaller to tour the castle and the cathedral.... and maybe when it's warmer. It was really cold..... they had snow-making machines to help with the ambiance.

The Dickens aura was all around with singers playing parts and then singing the query... Who the 'dickens' am I? for the crowd to guess the character. It was just plain fun to see and be there. One of Dicken's short stories is entitled, "The Seven Poor Travelers" and it involves a legacy for a 16th century man named Richard Watts, Esq. You can read about this and how it Dickens' story is reenacted each year at the Festival at http://www.thewatts.net/wattski/JWPage4.html.

The day was started by a really colorful Town Crier in front of the Cathedral who announced the proceedings. Then followed bell ringers, bands, singers, chimney sweeps, The Seven Poor Travellers' Procession (see link above) and the Grand Parade down High Street.

The Costumes were really well done and fun.

Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas Season!!

Elder & Sister Watts

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T21:15:00.002Z

Thanksgiving was a work-day in London ... and we had the late shift in the FHC as well - open until 9pm. But thanks to the modern marvel of Skype and computers we were able to share a few moments of Thanksgiving with family... without the tastes, smells and hugs though.

We made up for it with a full-course Thanksgiving meal yesterday with our mission family -- all the other senior couples. It was a great meal and brought a touch of home to our week. We are thankful for wonderful friends and family without whose support this journey would not be quite as satisfying. We appreciate your emails, blog comments and most of all..... prayers.

We are grateful for blessings that continue to amaze. Most of all we are grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ, who makes it possible for us to have hope in spite of inadequacy and shortcomings. May you all feel of our love for you and our wishes that you have a wonderful holiday season.

Elder & Sister Watts

London Transport

2008-11-18T22:13:00.000Z

We were talking this morning about how fertile the crop would be to yield a harvest of stories from our experiences riding the bus. Almost... well...no not almost... every day there's another experience to make a part of a tale. For example: Yesterday, as we were seated, near the front, I saw an elderly lady getting on and stood up to give her my seat. Then before I could blink, a rather heavy-set balding man with unruly shoulder-length grey hair slipped by the lady and sat down. I said, "Excuse me, but I was giving my seat to this lady," to which he muttered something I didn't catch. I repeated my plea, and he called me a "x@##" and to bug off that he himself was "75". As a representative of the Savior, I couldn't say or do what I felt like doing, but another seat opened and the lady sat down. As we proceeded along, she finally caught my eye and said, "Thanks for trying", and repeated the thanks as we got off.

Today, as we got on and sat down, there was a black lady in the seat across that was speaking in a bright, animated voice. I glanced her way to see to whom she was speaking... most likely a cell phone, but I soon realized that she was speaking to the 'air'. This went on until she got off two stops along the way.

The most prevalent type of experience relates not to global warming, but air pollution. Yesterday I believe it was garlic and onions for breakfast (not me mind you) and today it was .. oops somebody and I do mean some 'body' forgot to shower last month.

In the absence of TV, which I've come to think is a pretty good thing, I've been reading a book entitled "The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground was built and how it changed the city forever." It's been very interesting to read about the world's first underground railway.

I'm just sorry that our chauffeur has yet to show up for us and we are left to travel as best we can... but then maybe that's a pretty good thing too. Just think of the stories we would otherwise miss. Proverbs 1:5

These are all God's children, and we have met some wonderful people as we travel to and from and serve in the Family History Centre.

Elder Watts

P-Day at Hampstead Heath

2008-11-16T20:30:00.000Z

Saturday was a clear, cool day in London and perfect to explore Hampstead and Hampstead Heath with our friends from the Family History Center. Seated: Elder Ross Richins, Sister Claudia Inskeep, Sister Judy Richins, Sister Barbara Watts. Top: Elder Don Inskeep and Elder Watts. We had a wonderful time.

Hampstead has fun antique shops, pubs and open spaces (Hampstead Heath) with ponds and beautiful views. Today's famous people (film & rock stars) live in the same houses as the famous of previous centuries. We visited Wentworth Place, where John Keats lived when he wrote some of his greatest works. Ian Fleming of 007 fame lived in Hampstead as did a man named Goldfinger, who built a home that Fleming thought was atrocious -- hence Goldfinger became a bad guy in his novel. We had a delightful lunch (squash soup and cremé brulé) on the patio of the Kenwood House, an early 17th century gentleman's country home, and is now a major art gallery with works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Turner. Some of the movie Notting Hill (Julia Roberts) was filmed here. I was in heaven!!

The Spaniards Inn, built in 1585 as a tollgate inn, still guards the road to a single lane -- which now is a traffic bottleneck-- at the top of the Heath. See the link for pictures.

Sister Watts.....

London Life

2008-11-05T23:00:00.001Z

#1 We thought we'd add a 'secular' note about some of the little things going on in our life here in London. We've come to 'crave' (maybe that's a little strong) Lemon YumYums! --at left. All we can say is that they are soo...good. We make a fairly regular late night run (walk actually) to Waitrose (upscale grocery store) to buy them. They regularly sell for 75p (75 pence or about $1.20) but are discounted just before closing to as low as 5p.

#2 We have a rather curious ... well no way to call a spade but a spade... toilet seat. See the London Life link at the right and judge for yourself.

#3 We have accumulated a fair amount of items that have been left by other senior missionaries and are now pretty comfortable in our flat. However, a couple left for home on Friday, and there were a few items they left behind that we decided we could use. These were a bucket (bright lime green) , some cleaning supplies and a very tall floor lamp (we'll call it VTFL). See the London Life link at right to see how tall. We decided to take these home on Monday. The VTFL was heavy -- and did I say 'tall' -- not very convenient to take on a bus, so we decided to walk (1.3 miles). Oh, and did I mention that it was raining. To protect the halogen globe and business end of the lamp, we put a plastic shopping bag (orange in color) over the top of the lamp and set out for home. So here's a mental picture: Sister Watts carrying a lime green bucket full of cleaning supplies in one hand, bag over her shoulder and umbrella in the other hand -- Elder Watts carrying the VTFL with a shopping bag on the end, attache bag over his shoulder and umbrella in the other hand. It was much easier to carry the VTFL, which was quite heavy on the bottom end, in a close to horizontal position, so it looked like a jousting pole with an orange bag on the end. If you've read this far, suffice it to say the trip was uneventful, but we must have been quite a funny sight.

Best wishes to all, E & S Watts

Lea Valley Ward

2008-11-02T21:53:00.001Z

We had a marvelous time at church today. The people are so kind and genuine. Our Bishop, a 32 year old Harvard Law School grad, and his wife are expecting their first child today. As he concluded his testimony in Sacrament meeting -- while he was instructing us for the time available for testimony bearing -- four people were on their way up. He cautioned that we would truly need to stop the bearing of testimonies in a timely manner. It then was a non-stop stream of wonderful testimonies -- brothers and sisters, old and young, from Ghana, Sudan, Nigeria, and ?? and ... England. One black brother simply stood and said, "Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph Smith..... Thomas S. Monson --- all Prophets of God, all spokesmen for Jesus Christ, the same today as yesterday and forever." It was a very spiritual meeting.

We finished the day by being invited to the Mission Presidents flat for dinner with the other senior (bell ringer) couples. Six of us are practicing the Bells for Christmas (much like the Bell Choir on Temple Square.... well not much like, perhaps a very little like). It will be fun to share in helping to provide some Christmas Bell music.

Love Elder & Sister Watts

Happy people on the Tube

2008-10-26T22:48:00.000Z

Today we didn't ride the tube to Lea Valley Ward - we had Stake Conference at Hyde Park. The Chapel, Cultural Hall and Stage were packed with people. A new Stake President was sustained and it was a very special meeting. Two General Authorities of the Seventy were with us. Elder Lopez from Spain and Elder Kopischke from Germany. We loved their talks - they were inspiring. We sang in the choir, a beautiful song about the Savior.

Before the meeting started, a lady came up to us and said that she always looks for missionaries so she can shake their hands because 22 years ago two missionaries knocked on her door with a message about the Savior that changed her life. She told us that she loves the Gospel and doesn't know where she would be without it. These are beautiful people that surround us.

Where we spend our days.

2008-10-26T21:46:00.000Z

It has been a busy and good week at the London Family History Centre. Monday morning a gentleman came up to me and said he was so excited because he had put a note on a file on one of his ancestors and he heard from a cousin that he had never met. He didn't care that I couldn't help with his search, but he sure loved that I would listen to his family story. He said, "this has made my week and it is only Monday." People that love family history, really love it and spend hours in their search.

Another patron learned from a microfilm of notes that her ancestor had been murdered in Ireland. Many interesting and very nice people come in every day.

We are going to the National Archives tomorrow. It is our p-day and our leader Sharon Hintze thought this would be a good way for us to enjoy it.

Happy Birthday Caitlin!!!

2008-10-19T19:06:00.000+01:00

One of the hard things about being in London is missing important birthdays like Caitlin's 18th.

We love you, Caitlin.

This has been a good week at the FHC! Lots of patrons .... about 1,200+ per month and most are non-members. We have perhaps the 'best-there-is' set of Caribbean records (and Jamaica in particular) as well Irish records that people from Dublin come to see. We have 25 computers, 25 microfilm readers and 3 microfiche viewrs. Patrons are from all over. We've had visitors from the US, Australia, New Zealand, India, and... lots of course from England, which is our specialty. I'm still trying to learn something new every day.

One of our missionaries, Elder Snow had to go to the emergency room and is still in the hospital and may need surgery. We are all praying for his recovery. They are scheduled to go home in December and we hope he will be able to return to work for the last few weeks of their mission.

We spoke in church today and I think it went OK. We also were given church callings. I am going to teach Gospel Doctrine. I know - don't faint. I almost did. Jim will be working with the Young Men which is the job he loves. They combine all the YM because there are so few. We travel to church in one hour and 15 minutes on two different tube lines and 1 bus ride. At every tube stop the 'voice' says "mind the gap!" (see picture) Our ward is the Lea Valley Ward, and I know we will learn to love these people. They have been very warm in their welcome to us.

London - an amazing place

2008-10-12T20:31:00.000+01:00

We are enjoying our work at the London Family History Center. The people we serve with are saints and we are learning to love them. They are our family away from home and the family we love and miss. We have family home evening together twice a month and we are planning some fun things for the holidays so we don't get too home sick. I don't think it will work entirely, but it will help.
Many of our patrons come every week and don't need help except for me to get them a film or scan them a copy. When someone asks me something I don't know (every day) I find someone to help them and try to learn.
We are exploring London every chance we get and finding some amazing places to enjoy. Yesterday, we went to the Guildhall, a fascinating and beautiful place which houses a library and an art museum. It was built over an old Roman coliseum and some of the old walls are preserved. We saw women dressed in Elizabethian dress of the 1570's, Walked the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, visited the financial district where 350,000 people work, and only 5,000 live. Places like Lloyds of London, bank of London etc. etc. View the link of pictures if you would like.
We went to our new ward today after traveling 1 hour and 15 minutes by bus, tube and walking. We will have to work hard to learn the names of these faithful saints from many parts of the world. There are very few white members and we are looking forward to getting to know and love them.

London - Three weeks in

2008-10-08T07:57:00.000+01:00

Hi to everyone! It took awhile to arrange for an internet connection, so we've been 'off the grid' in matrix speak. We are enjoying London! We live in a small flat that is about 1.5 mi. from the Family History Centre. We ride the busses (a lot) and also walk (a lot - average about 4-5 miles per day). We are both family-history-challenged , but the senior missionaries that we work with are truly Saints and helping us to contribute more each day. The London Family History Centre http://www.londonfhc.org/ is a very popular place and we meet new people [member and non-member] every day - both in the centre and travelling to and fro on the bus. London is truly a melting pot of cultures. I've met a lady at our bus stop (twice now) from India whose religion is Zoroastriansm. We've not had much time, as yet, to explore London, but the phone booth picture at the left was on a P-day, otherwise I'm dressed in one of my 'many' outfits - dark suit and a wide choice of ties. The weather has been beautiful - mostly sunny and cool. We finally had a day or two of rain when an umbrella became essential. This is a brief start for news from London. We'll add more later. Elder Watts

Called to Serve

2008-09-10T04:07:00.000+01:00

Today has been a good day and it ended with a great Devotional with President and Sister Uchtdorf speaking. She was very cute and funny. He smiles big when he listens to his wife and his smile is something to see. (he is handsome) We were on the 7th row because they save the front seats for the Seniors.

His talk was powerful and inspiring. Life at the MTC is life-changing. High light again was singing "Called to Serve" with 2,000 young and enthusiastic missionaries filled with the Spirit. It is awesome. Love to all - Mom

MTC - first week completed

2008-09-08T04:26:00.000+01:00

We have concluded the first week at the MTC and it was great. What an amazing place!! There were a few difficult moments, but they were few in comparison to the special times that I will treasure always and would not trade. This week has been a blessing. Next week our training will be different because we will be at the Family History Center learning things I never thought I could do. I feel that I will be blessed and if I work hard I will be able to do the things that I need to do. Thanks to everyone who prays for missionaries. Our trip to the temple on Saturday was wonderful too. When the missionaries were prayed for I thought "Wow, I am one of those."
Barb

DAY NUMBER ONE - MTC

2008-09-02T00:27:00.000+01:00

Well... here's Elder & Sister Watts at the MTC pointing at 'our' island. It may not be tropical and in the Pacific, but it is rainy with balmy breezes. We started our day with England-like rain and, tho you can't see it, my suit is soaked.

We also had one more send-off from the 'Going-away Gang'

Whoa.... this train is going too fast!

2008-08-26T14:26:00.000+01:00

No big deal. We're only leaving for 18 months, but...... worry, worry, worry. Children, house, cabin, bills, turn-off stuff, how much can you cram in two suitcases and still stay under the allowable limit, and then there's the unknowns. Ah well, ready or not, here we go.

Ooops ... a little detour

2008-07-20T22:49:00.000+01:00

Since the launch is in a holding pattern, my missionary companion is taking a detour to Beijing to share in the experience of watching a 'family' OLYMPIAN... Hooray for Jake... And good luck...

We're on the launch pad...

2008-07-08T06:01:00.000+01:00

We're going to begin our 'BLOG' for our magnificent adventure. Keep watching for.... maybe.... some profundities! (you might want to look that one up).

Love, Dad

Beginning Blog

2006-01-09T18:39:00.000Z

Howdy,
I thought maybe we should step into some more technology stuff... "a blog" Had no idea what one was, but decided to give it a try. If you want to post a note, comment, thought, or what's going on, feel free to do it. Hope you're all doing well.

Love, Dad