Glasgow

 GLASGOW
The city was founded in the 7th century and started life in early medieval times as a small religious community grouped round a cathedral.

In the 17th and 18th centuries it became a city of trade, dealing with the American colonies in tobacco and cotton which made many people very rich. It saved 20 days by sailing from Scotland rather than London.

In the 19th century it became a city of industry with shipyards and heavy engineering works. Now it relies mostly on tourism.

Glasglow University was founded in 1451.

Sites around Glasgow. The city has 3 universities with a total enrollment of 60,000 and 2 colleges. with an additional enrollment of 90,000.

The oldest church in Glasgow was built in 1500's and survived the reformation.

 There were 114 cinemas in
Glasgow in 1939.When 1950's brought TV, many of the cinemas closed.

 Old cemetery on top of hill

Merchants would climb on the tallest building to see ships coming in to the River Clyde and then hurry off to their shops.

 This is the museum for Modern Art. It seems to be out of place for me.

Interesting bridge to cross. Look at the supporting white wires off the arch.

Glasgow is the second most popular shopping city in Europe. Second only to London. Where are my pounds, Elder?

Falkirk Wheel and the KELPIES

Falkirk Wheel

The Falkirk Wheel is Scotland's most exciting example of 21st century engineering. The wheel is the World's first and only rotating boat lift and eye catching working sculpture which links the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It raises the boats 79 feet to the upper canal. Every 5 cycles the rotation reverses.

It boasts a visitor's center to the left, boat trips, play areas and over 100 acres of woodlands plus regular events and activities to keep you coming back.

Missionaries: Ladles, Sisters Kirkpatrick & Jones and , Elders Austin & Livingston, with the small Kelpies at the Falkirk Wheel.

Notice the beautiful swan with 6 signets to the left.

The real KELPIES in the background.

The KELPIES stand 30 meters tall (one meter is 40") and are the world's largest equine sculptures. They tower over the Forth and Clyde canal, and form a grand entrance on the East Coast of Scotland. They weigh 300 tons each. It took 8 years to fabricate the stainless steel and 4 months to construct on site. There are 34,000 different and unique pieces. Google Kelpies Falkirk to find out more and see wonderful night time pictures.

What does your flat look like and what do you do?

So, here is our apt. complex. 115 Ladysmill Court, Falkirk, Scotland, FK29AP.  We enter from the parking lot side to the door on the right. You have to have a key to get in. There is another apt. building to the right as well. In between are the garbage cans we pull to the short shrubs and they are emptied every 2 weeks for the wet garbage, and every week for the recyclables. So, now I am forced to recycle.

This is the front of our building and our flat is the top left now. This is one of the 45 stairs that we go up and down each day. So far our record has only been 4 times which is only 360 stairs. Why go to the gym and do the stair stepper when you have your own free source of exercise?

There is a large window on each floor.

We are home at 115.

Our view looking down the stairs.

Welcome to our home. When people come to visit, they ring up on the phone. At first I didn't know know there was a buzzer to ring them in so I would go down the 4 flights to let them in. It only took a few visitors and the sisters to tell me I could buzz them in.

Our master bedroom. They like hanging things over the lights so we have a cute purple thing here, black one in the hallway and clear plastic and black in the living room. We love our views. The grass stays green all year round, even in the winter. Not so bad. The second and smaller bedroom is Doug's office. I have my stuff on the kitchen table.

Our dining room at the back of the couch area. I used dish towels to cover up the problem seats. Notice the wall heaters. They are heated with the boiler which we control. Only used it once so far. That was when we came back from the Highland games and had been in the rain for 3 hours straight. Also that was the night of our Chinese Laundry.

I love my kitchen. I can turn on the gas burners now without any help. My oven is electric and has some issues, but is functional. Life is good. Notice my happy face on the fridge?

Notice the beautiful drapes. We found those on sale downtown and pulled the strings at the back and attached them to the wooden strip on the wall with three screws each side. Pretty good huh?

This is the problem toilet. Now it only takes 2 flushes to work, so live is good. The inside of the toilet water above is spic and span now. I cleaned it well with Clorox like wipes when the worker had it all apart.

So you can see our color scheme in the bathroom. The towels are always damp because of the humidity.

This is our cute light fixture in the hallway.

When I do dishes I see the picture above. On the corner to the right that you can't see is a store that looks like a video store. We went inside to see if they had a telephone book, we needed to get a number for the internet service. We walked in and found it was a Gambling Place. Woops! The man was very nice and helped us and I gave him a pass along card.

We see this out our bedroom window. A more close up view of our parking area. Notice our grey car on the left. VERY narrow and so are the spaces. Just barely enough room to get in, and then if you are lucky you can get out of the car without touching the car next door. Our car doors open properly, but some open opposite so the front doors open like in America, but the back doors open on the same side the front doors open. Does that make sense? So if you aren't looking right, you tell the driver you can't get out of the car because the doors are locked, but they really aren't. You are just pushing at the wrong place.

Driving is on the left side of the road here, but the speed is in MPH, the petrol (gas) you purchase is by Liter. We bought petrol Tues. for  1.30 pounds. A liter is smaller than a gallon and a  pound =$1.65. So you do the calculations. We have given up. The freeway is only 2 narrow lanes on each side and is 70/mph. They have round abouts everywhere here and they are very involved. We may do 10-15 going one place. Very tricky because people are always entering in and you are trying to leave in one of the 4 exits on the round abouts.

Doug is studying most days to take the drivers test. Our licenses from the states are good for one year and then we have to have a UK drivers license. You have to be a resident here for 6 months before you can take the test. It is very involved. The written test is hard. One example. If you need to buy a bottle of milk for the bairn (baby) do you take a bicycle, walk, take the bus or drive your car? The answer is walk. The other part of the test is a video and you have to push a button when you see a dangerous situation. If you push it too soon, or too late, you fail the test. Then if you pass the test you take the driving test. You have to do this part almost perfect or you fail. Rarely do people pass the first time. You have to pay money to take both the written test and the driving test. So, I will be studying also. We will tell you when to start your prayers.

The Highland Games

Highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain aspects of the games are so well known as to have become emblematic of Scotland, such as the bagpipes, the kilt, and the heavy events, especially the caber toss. While centred on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic culture.

We are on the way to Braemar Highland Games. It is a little village high in the Cairngorms and is officially Britain's coldest spot. Between 1941 and 1970 its average temperature was only 6.4 degrees Celsius. In 1895 and 1982 it experiences the lowest temperature ever officially recorded in Britain. minus 28.2 degrees Celsius. Remember the rule on converting Celsius to Farenhite. The games are famous and held every September and visited by the Royal Family.

Our games began with special events for the youth. They ranged from toddlers to teens and were placed appropriately closer to the finish line if they were youngsters.  We delighted in the gunny sack races as well.

The tug of rope was by far the most exciting and went on the entire 5 hours until they finally got a winning team. The teams would switch sides and by the end of the day with all of the rain, I don't know how they could even stand up.





In their original form many centuries ago, Highland games revolved around athletic and sports competitions. Though other activities were always a part of the festivities, many today still consider Highland athletics to be what the games are all about — in short, that the athletics are the Games, and all the other activities are just entertainment. Regardless, it remains true today that the athletic competitions are at least an integral part of the events and one — the caber toss — has come to almost symbolize the Highland games.

Although quite a range of events can be a part of the Highland athletics competition, a few have become standard.

• Caber toss: A long tapered pine pole or log is stood upright and hoisted by the competitor who balances it vertically holding the smaller end in his hands (see photo). Then the competitor runs forward attempting to toss it in such a way that it turns end over end with the upper (larger) end striking the ground first. The smaller end that was originally held by the athlete then hits the ground in the 12 o'clock position measured relative to the direction of the run. If successful, the athlete is said to have turned the caber. Cabers vary greatly in length, weight, taper, and balance, all of which affect the degree of difficulty in making a successful toss. Competitors are judged on how closely their throws approximate the ideal 12 o'clock toss on an imaginary clock. Go on line to find the Caber toss pictures. Just google highland games Scotland.

• Scottish hammer throw: This event is similar to the hammer throw as seen in modern-day track and field competitions, though with some differences. In the Scottish event, a round metal ball (weighing 16 or 22 lb for men or 12 or 16 lb for women) is attached to the end of a shaft about 4 feet in length and made out of wood, bamboo, rattan, or plastic. With the feet in a fixed position, the hammer is whirled about one's head and thrown for distance over the shoulder. Hammer throwers sometimes employ specially designed footwear with flat blades to dig into the turf to maintain their balance and resist the centrifugal forces of the implement as it is whirled about the head. This substantially increases the distance attainable in the throw.

Weight throw

• Weight throw, also known as the weight for distance event. There are actually two separate events, one using a light (28 lb for men and 14 lb for women) and the other a heavy (56 lb for men, 42 lb for masters men, and 28 lb for women) weight. The weights are made of metal and have a handle attached either directly or by means of a chain. The implement is thrown using one hand only, but otherwise using any technique. Usually a spinning technique is employed. The longest throw wins.

• The queen of England is in this vehicle. It was really nice and then they played God Save the Queen. It sounded a lot like God Bless America. Which one came first? 
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• Weight over the bar, also known as weight for height. The athletes attempt to toss a 56 pound (4 stone) weight with an attached handle over a horizontal bar using only one hand. Each athlete is allowed three attempts at each height. Successful clearance of the height allows the athlete to advance into the next round at a greater height. The competition is determined by the highest successful toss with fewest misses being used to break tie scores. The winner of this sport, threw the 56 lb weight up and over 18 feet.

Many of the Heavy Events competitors in Scottish highland athletics are former high school and college track and field athletes who find the Scottish games are a good way to continue their competitive careers.

Increasingly in the USA, the Heavy Events are attracting women and master class athletes which has led to a proliferation of additional classes in Heavy Events competitions. Lighter implements are used in the classes.

Music[edit]

Massed bands 

For many Highland games festival attendees, the most memorable of all the events at the games is the massing of the pipe bands. Normally held in conjunction with the opening and closing ceremonies of the games, as many as 20 or more pipe bands will march and play together. The result is a thunderous rendition of traditional favourites Scotland the Brave or Amazing Grace, and other crowd-pleasing favorites.  Our group had 150 total members.

It is, in fact, the music of the bagpipe which has come to symbolize music at the Games and, indeed, in Scotland itself. In addition to the massed bands, nearly all Highland games gatherings feature a wide range of piping and drumming competition, including solo piping and drumming, small group ensembles and, of course, the pipe bands themselves.

But the pipes and drums are not the only music which can be heard at Highland games. Music at Highland games gatherings takes on a variety of forms. Many such events offer fiddling, harp circles, Celtic bands and other forms of musical entertainment, the latter usually spiced with a healthy amount of bagpipe music.

The dancing was one of my favorites as well. The young girls and boys danced in groups with most doing the exact same steps and also at the exact same time. They were very focused.

HASTE YE BACK!

The Second Death

    

When Doug and I spoke in Joshua's ward, we of course shared a family history moment. 

Did any of you read:

The Second Death:  Mitch Alblom—“Have a Little Faith” 

Below is an excerpt which is very thought provoking. Be sensitive to the feelings you have when reading this dialogue. 

“What do people fear most about death?” I asked the [Rabbi].

“Fear?”  He thought for a moment.  “Well, for one thing, what happens next?  Where do we go?  Is it what we imagined?”

“That’s big.”

“Yes, but there’s something else.”

“What else?”

He leaned forward.  “Being forgotten,” he whispered.

I totally agree with the Rabbi. After Doug and I are gone, what will others remember about us? What do you fear most about death?

You can help in the remembering process by thinking about stories of your ancestors, and then sharing them verbally with your family and also writing them down so others can be blessed by your memories.

Will you do that for your family?

If you do, then come back and read the next message.

What feelings did you have while sharing these stories?  

*These feelings are from the Holy Ghost (Ephesians 5

Fruits of the Spirit are these. . .”, bearing witness to the divinity (or the divine importance of the family—living and dead)—which we call the Spirit of Elijah.

*When we have these feelings of gratitude and love for our ancestors, our hearts are turning to our fathers, as prophesied would happen because of Elijah’s coming and committing the keys of the sealing power.

*When we have these feelings and recognize where they come from, we gain and strengthen our testimonies.    This is the foundation for being able to say, “I know this work is true and of God.”

*When we have these feelings and act on them, we are becoming converted and the turning of our hearts is causing a change in our hearts.  This is the foundation of a gospel-centered life—especially when it comes to fulfilling our divinely appointed responsibility to help others live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and enabling the salvation of our ancestors.

We have ARRIVED in Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh is one of the great cities of the world. It used to be called the "Athens of the North". It is a great capital city. It is the sixth most important financial capital in Europe and both the Church of Scotland and the Scottish law courts have their headquarters here. The mission home is below. It was built over 100 years ago.

On the way to Falkirk. It is Stirlingshire's largest town, and received its burgh charter in 1600. It sits at an important point on the road from Edinburgh to Stirling and was once the meeting place of various drove roads coming down from the Highlands. Here great herds of cattle were kept before being sold at "trysts" and taken further south to the markets of Northern England. Over 24,000 head of cattle were sold annually at the three trysts held each year.

Leaving the comforts of the MTC

This was our room at the MTC. It was very nice. We did have to step over the suitcases, all 4 big and 2 small ones. They were building this nice facility when we were here the last time in 2012.

Jamie and Lyn Wood came and picked us up at the MTC on Friday and took us to their home in Saratoga Springs, Utah. It is just before Provo. They took us up the mountain in their 4 wheel drive pick up on Saturday.This is Provo Lake from the other side. I was thankful to get up and down safely.Thanks Jamie and Lyn. We went to church and had lunch with them and President and Sister Hoopes from Rexburg, then back to SLC and 4 nights at Shirlene and Bill Wilson's condo. Thanks, it was very nice to stretch out a little more.