Week ending January 21, 2012

We had a routine week with no new material to write about until Saturday. 

Saturday was missionary flat inspection time on the west side of the country in Irvine and Ayr. 

Notice Ayr near the bottom on the left.  Irvin is about 12 miles north of Ayr.

We decided to get up the normal time and get them done early so we could have time to explore.  That started out a disaster .  I spoke to Amy too long on the phone and so we were rushing.  Bill forgot his glasses and phone and so that took two additional trips back in the flat.  With all of that we were still only thirteen minutes behind schedule.  But you don’t speed here in Scotland because they give out speeding tickets through the mail using the information recorded on cameras. 

Last month we were able to drive right to the flats by using the GPS unit.  This time Gabby, that's what we call the GPS unit, was being temperamental.  We lost ten minutes trying to find the first flat.  When we put in the address for the second flat we ended up on a golf course when she said we had arrived and so we were late also for the second flat.  Gabby finally got her act together and we got to the third flat the first try.  We enjoy doing flat inspections.  They are usually ready for us and we enjoy visiting with the missionaries.

It is Burn’s Week this next week.  Robert Burns is Scotland’s National Poet.  They celebrate him with a Burn’s Supper  (haggis, taters and nips) and reading of his poetry and songs. 

He was born in Alloway a short distance from Ayr.  So we went to visit the home where he was born which is still standing and in wonderful shape considering it was built before 1759, the year Robert was born there.   

It started as a two room building with the family living in one room and the animals the other.  The animals helped heat the building.  There were two others rooms added on a little later and the animal room became a school room where William (Robert’s father)  had a tutor come in and teach his children and those who lived nearby.  The next room then became the storage room/ cheese and butter making and selling room and the other the animal room.

Robert lived in this home until he was seven years old.  He was already showing signs of creativity at that young age.  He used both Scottish and English words in his writing.

From the home we walked to the Museum they have created to pay tribute to him. Our guide in the cottage encouraged us to look for the moose on our walk to the museum.  She said there was a big bronze statue of a moose that the school children that visit love to have their picture taken with.  We hurried down the path anxiously looking for a large statue of a moose with antlers.  We were surprised to discover that the "moose" was actually a mouse.  Once again the Scottish brogue stumped us.

 In the museum they have his whole life portrayed in pictures, books, songs,  and cinematic  experiences.  It was a good experience and now I know a little more about the man and why we celebrate January 25^th with a Burn’s Supper in the Branch.

Bill took pictures of the grounds at the cottage to show you what January this year looks like. Roses are starting to leaf out,  the grass is green and  it is in the thirties and forties this week with rain, sun and wind.  Not a bad winter at all.  We feel very fortunate.

While we were in the museum we received a call from Sister Connelly  inviting us to the Chinese New Year Celebration at 6:00 at the Stake Center.  So we hurried back for that.  It is about a two hour trip from the west coast back home.

The celebration was wonderful .  They had  decorated the cultural hall with Chinese decorations imported from China.  They began by serving a Chinese New Year dinner with about ten to fifteen different varieties of food for us to sample.  They had been cooking all afternoon and I bet there were about three hundred people there. 

Then they had a program sharing their culture with us in song, dance,  exercise, games,and slides of their homeland and culture.  Youth from Glasgow and Aberdeen were there taking part also. 

Sorry about the poor quality of the picture.  My camera didn't like shooting action shots in the dark.

It was a very delightful evening.