Spring in the Garden of England

Elder Kopischke and Elder Davis gave Sister Sill flowers for her birthday.

Information why Kent is considered the garden of England.

Mount Ephraim.

Mount Ephraim wild daffodils.

Looking at Blean Wood from Mount Ephraim. 

President and Sister Jordan playing a relay game (YSA activities) at Elder and Sister Johnson's home in Watford.

Elder and Sister Sill playing the relay game.

Sisters catching up on Mission experiences a the Johnson home.

Elders catching up on Mission Experiences at the Johnson home.

Sister Gundestrup found a frog on our hike.  We came to a pond on the
hike and found hundreds of frogs.

Sister Gundestrup, Elder Choi, Elder Davis and Sister Welc on our hike for P day.  This trail goes
to Fordwich.

On the trail to Fordwich.

Enjoying one of Sister Sill's wonderful meals.  The students look forward to this each week before our Institute Lesson.

Students participating in Institute Lesson.

Skit Night.   Elder Sill and Hannah doing a spoof of the Great British Bakeoff.
 Elder Sill is Paul Hollywood the host of the Great British Bakeoff.

Canterbury Ward Skit.  Once upon a time in Diva's Flat.  Sister Sill won Best Actress.  Don holding the Book of Mormon
won Best Actor and our Skit won Best Show.

YSA participants in Skit Night and guest performer, our grandson Bryson.

Bryson on top of White Cliffs of Dover.

Nicole at Leeds Castle.

Sister Sill, Bailey and Nicole at Trafalgar square.

Sister Sill and Williams on the tube.

Curtain of Les Miserables.

Sister Sill and Nicole at the Tower of London.

Walk to Leeds Castle.

Black swan was imported from Australia centuries ago to Leeds Castle and is
the symbol for the castle.

Walk to Leeds Castle, spring wild flowers carpeting the ground, blue, pink and white!

Leeds Castle wild spring flowers.

Peacock at Leeds Castle.

Leeds castle wild spring flowers.

Flowering trees at Leeds Castle with two older plants in the front.

Leeds Castle.

Leeds Castle....a lovely lady of the castle.

Leeds Castle.

We stayed at the Crown Plaza Hotel on Gloucester Road.

Bryson on Lord Nelson monument Trafalgar square London.

Bailey, Nicole, Bryson and Elder Sill at Royal phone booths...calling home!

Tower Bridge London. This blue color was Queen Victoria's favorite color and is a color you see around London.

Looking at Tower Bridge from the Tower of London.

Beefeaters at Tower of London.

Replica of King Henry VIII Armour at the White Castle Tower of London.

Bailey.... Ad for Book of Mormon Musical.

Parliament square London.

Bryson at Kings Cross Station Platform 9 3/4...everyone thought it was Harry Potter!!

Les Miserables at Capitol Theater London.  Wonderful production.

Williams at Mission Home Hyde Park London.

Tube in London.  Elder Sill, Nicole and Bailey studying the tube map.  Kurt and Bryson talking up a storm.

Williams at Buckingham Palace.

St James Park London. 

Gardens across from Buckingham Palace. Building in background is offices.

Location of Sherlock Holmes flat 221B Baker Street London.

Ruins of the Castle in Canterbury.

Tulips we planted on our balcony.

St Mary Church in Canterbury.

Canterbury Museum.

River Stour Canterbury.

Walk to a park in Canterbury.

Old Mill House on Stour River Canterbury.

Westgate gardens Canterbury.

LDS Church on Forty Acres Canterbury.

Sister Sill at Faversham, Kent Market Day.

Thought of Garrett with this sign.

Lunch at sidewalk bakery Faversham, Kent.

Roasted chicken and Yorkshire pudding that Elder Sill cooked!

Our favorite Spring flowering bush close to our flat.

Flowers at the Chartham Garden Center.

Chartham garden center.

Pub in Fokestone, Kent.

Street scene Fokestone, Kent.

Elder Sill's puzzle. Helped him unwind from a busy day.  Took him most of the year to complete.

St Gregory Church Canterbury.

St Martin Church Canterbury.   Oldest English church in continuous use.

St Martin Church Canterbury.

St Martin Church Canterbury.

St Martin Church Canterbury.

St Martin Church Canterbury...someones back garden!

St Martin Church Canterbury.

St Martin Church Canterbury.

St Martin Church Canterbury.

St Martin Church Canterbury.

Ruins of St Augustine Abbey Canterbury.

Fields of rapeseed.  Absolutely beautiful and the fragrance is breathtaking.  Use as oils for many cooking and other products.

Priyanka Nair's baptism with Sisters Welc and Gundestrup.

Priyanka was baptized by her Brother Diva.

Spring time in the Garden of England is amazingly beautiful.  Hopefully you will see from our pictures why Kent is the Garden of England.  Mt Ephraim is close to Canterbury and we went for a peek during spring time.  We will be going back in late May when the roses and the garden are blooming.

We we were able to get together with several of the senior couples and President and Sister Jordan at the Johnson's home in Watford.  It was fun to eat and catch up on everyone's mission experiences.

There are a lot of hiking trails around Canterbury.  I took our missionaries on their Preparation Day for a hike to Fordwich.  We came to a Pond that had hundred's of frogs.  Sister Sill and I went back to this same pond last week and we did not see any frogs but hundred's of tadpoles.  What happened to the frogs?

Sister Sill prepares wonderful meals each week for our students before our Institute lesson.  The students really enjoy it since they are away from home and do not get a lot of home cooking.  It has been a wonderful experience to serve these wonderful young single adults.  They are so anxious to learn.

The Canterbury Ward hosted a Skit Night for all of the Young Single Adults in our Stake.  The theme was Once Upon a Time in.......  We had a lot of fun doing  our Skit which was a spoof on living in a student's flat.  Sister Sill won Best Actress and our Skit won Best Show.  Even Bryson and Kurt participated in the Gravesend Ward's Skit.

Nicole, Kurt, Bryson and Bailey visited us.  We went to the White Cliffs of Dover, Canterbury, Leeds Castle and London over a 4 day period.  We stayed two nights in London at the Crown Plaza Hotel and saw the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Kings Cross Station, Sherlock Holmes Baker Street, Mission Home at Hyde Park.  We also saw Les Miserables at the Capitol Theater.  We had a wonderful time and the weather was very nice.

There are so many churches around Canterbury.  We love St Martin's gardens.  It sits on St Martin's Hill.  King Ethelberg's wife had converted to Christianity and when St Augustine came to England in 597 AD he added to the Chapel already built by King Ethelberg for his wife.  The gardens are beautiful.  We like to walk there from our flat.

The River Stour winds throughout the city and it is beautiful.

We made several trips to cities outside of Canterbury.  We went to Market Day in Faversham.  Faversham is a typical traditional English city.  Canterbury is a University and Tourist City so you will not find the typical shops as you will find in Faversham.  We also went to Fokestone which is by the English Channel.  This is where you go to travel by car through the English Channel to Europe.  You drive your car onto a train and the train goes through the tunnel.

The rapeseed is in full bloom.  It is so breathtaking.  It is everywhere!

Priyanka Nair is from Malaysia.  She is a first year student at Kent University studying law.  Her brother will graduate in May and will be returning to Malaysia to begin his career.  They are wonderful converts to the Church.