Walkden, England

Just a quick and short update.  I uploaded photos from Scotland this morning.  I hope you find them interesting.  We will see how many more photos it will let me upload for the month.

We are now staying with the Gore family in Walkden.  We arrived later than anticipated after a day of visiting in Runcorn.  We attended church in the Runcorn Ward at the local community center since their building burned down a while back.  It was good to see so many people and that we received such a hearty welcome.  We did go visit a number of families while there.  A couple of which include the Campbell (and Young), Fleming, McWilliam, Johnson, Byrom and more.  A couple of families were not home so we did not visit with them.  It was sure good to be back in Runcorn, despite the fact that you have to drive around in circles to get anywhere you want to go.  Busways might be spectacular, but at the sacrifice of the drivers!

Wall at Halton Castle

Saturday we made another trip into Liverpool.  The only thing really to mention is that we got lost and had lunch with Gheorghe and Claire Simion family.  Gheorghe was one of my mission companions.  We spent nearly four hours with him and his good wife.  It was convenient he lives in Liverpool now as he was originally from Romania.  It was a great meeting.

Amanda and Paul Ross with Gheorghe and Claire Simion in Liverpool

We are off to Hyde and Disley today. Here are a few photos of our visit of this somewhat storybook place.

Lyme Park Dutch Garden
Lyme House
Amanda and Paul Ross at Lyme House
Lyme Orangery
Lyme House from the side
Lyme rose garden in the rain
Amanda Ross and Lyme Park house and garden
Lyme house across the pond
Amanda Ross in Lyme courtyard
Lyme house entrance

Our garden

After spending a day working in our yard, I thought about how little I felt like I really accomplished.  I mowed the lawn last night and today sprayed weeds, picked some dandelions, and turned over some soil for Amanda.  She planted flowers in the flower beds, jalapenos, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, and squash.

As I puttered around the yard, I thought of how the British call their yard a garden.  Our garden is where we grow food, their garden is where they grow flowers, grass, and hedges.  Then I thought about how there are people and that is all they do for a living, maintain gardens/yards.  In honour of the season, I found some photos of gardens we have been to that seem to be more than just flowerbeds.  Sorry, no photo of our yard is included!

Here is a picture of one of the gardens at Lyme Park in Disley, England.

Garden at Lyme Park in Cheshire County, England

Garden at Lyme Park in Disley

A shot of the gardens at Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria.

Some of the gardens at Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria

Some of the gardens at Mirabell Palace in Salzburg

Some of the gardens at Hampton Court Palace in Richmond Upon Thames, England.

The garden of Hampton Court Palace, former home of Kings and Queens of England

The garden of Hampton Court Palace, former home of Kings and Queens, in Richmond upon Thames

Lastly, a view of one of the less ornate gardens at Maymont in Richmond, Virginia.

Part of the gardens at Maymont in Richmond, Virginia.

Part of the gardens at Maymont in Richmond

Walkden, England

Just a quick and short update.  I uploaded photos from Scotland this morning.  I hope you find them interesting.  We will see how many more photos it will let me upload for the month.

We are now staying with the Gore family in Walkden.  We arrived later than anticipated after a day of visiting in Runcorn.  We attended church in the Runcorn Ward at the local community center since their building burned down a while back.  It was good to see so many people and that we received such a hearty welcome.  We did go visit a number of families while there.  A couple of which include the Campbell (and Young), Fleming, McWilliam, Johnson, Byrom and more.  A couple of families were not home so we did not visit with them.  It was sure good to be back in Runcorn, despite the fact that you have to drive around in circles to get anywhere you want to go.  Busways might be spectacular, but at the sacrifice of the drivers!

Saturday we made another trip into Liverpool.  The only thing really to mention is that we got lost and had lunch with Gheorghe and Claire Simion family.  Gheorghe was one of my mission companions.  We spent nearly four hours with him and his good wife.  It was convenient he lives in Liverpool now as he was originally from Romania.  It was a great meeting.

We are off to Hyde and Disley today.