Berry Cottage, 5 Cheapside Road

Just some shots from around the house on a beautiful British Spring day.

The front garden

The shed in the back yard - actually what the British call a "listed building" meaning it is being preserved as a historical item. So we can't paint it, or put nails in it, but we do store stuff in it. Note the slate shingles. Amazing.

New Hat! (The London Temple)

When we first went to the temple last year it was interesting to note that the London Temple did not have the traditional statue of the angel Moroni atop the spire. When building the temple, the building authorities felt it would be distracting to the pilots landing their planes in nearby Gatwick airport. The spire was lit when the temple was open, however, it just wasn't as dramatic without the golden statue. That was in 1958.
Since then, the opposite has happened. The pilots used the spire as a guide to the airport (sort of a beacon - get it?). So last Christmas, at the 50th anniversary of the dedication, the temple got it's new golden hat.

Amanda's Prom - May 2009

Okay, tell the truth. What's your Prom fantasy? To look gooooood! To ride in a limo? To go with the cutest boy there? Amanda says,
'BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!!"

And here's the pictures to prove it.

We've All Been to Stonehenge!

Rebecca, Christine, and Rebecca

Our Rebecca brought two friends with her to visit, both from North Carolina. Rebecca Snyder and Christine Ehrisman. As you can see, they have had a great time together. We have enjoyed their company.

On the left, Rebecca A and Christine asleep. On the right, Rebecca S and John laughing after taking their sleeping pictures.

Churchill's War Room

Winston Churchill and his Cabinet Ministers ran WWII from an underground complex underneath the Treasury buildings near Whitehall in London. It was built to withstand a direct hit from a German bomb, but luckily never actually was hit - they weren't sure if it could withstand a direct hit from one of the big, 500 pounders.

The complex was huge, you only see a small part of it. It housed over 500 people and had a hospital, a shooting range, and dormitories for those working there. Interestingly, on the day of the Japanese surrender, they all packed up their belongings, turned out the lights, and walked away leaving it after working there for 6 years. It is very much the way it was left in 1945. There is also a very modern Churchill museum in the complex, opened a couple of years ago, it is a very interesting look at his life. There is a letter displayed from the King talking about a conversation they had held the previous night. The King says, "you recall where we discussed we wanted to be on D Day? Well on further consideration, I think it makes no sense to risk both the PM and the Sovereign at this dangerous time in history. I am not going, and I ask the same of you." (paraphrased) Pretty amazing, the King and Churchill wanted to lead their troops onto the beach at D Day.

The picture at the top is my favorite. In the actual War Room the walls are covered by maps tracking the progress of the war. Someone stationed there in the bunker drew a cartoon of Hitler right on the map.

This is a lousy shot of the room where the cabinet met.


This is the War Room (that cartoon of Hitler is on the left wall)


This is the room from where the BBC broadcast the news of the war.


This is another of the war rooms. You can see the row of phones, each a different color, each connected to a different head of government somewhere in the world. The ivory covered one on the right end connected to the King of England. This was the home of the first ever "hot line" - a secure phone line connecting Churchill to the Presidents of the US, Roosevelt & Truman. Churchill kept that phone in his lavatory.


The bedrooms of the Churchills. Winston on the left and his wife on the right. It is said he only stayed there three nights during the war.

Benjamin Franklins House in London

The only surviving house in the world where Ben Franklin lived is - ironically - in London. It really isn't much to see, as you will note by the fact that I included but 5 pictures, two of molding. But what was interesting was the way they presented the house. It was done by an actress representing a real person in Franklin's life in period costume, who worked with audio and video. It was really impressive technology. She would take us into a room and then have "conversations" with the audio - obviously well rehearsed - while pictures or video was displayed on the walls. In the course of the 45 minute presentation you learned a great deal about Franklin. At a point in the "conversation" someone would call from another room, or you'd hear a noise, (all part of this sophisticated audio / video system) and she'd take us to the next room to respond to whatever the sound was. And in that fashion, she took us around the house, teaching us about what Franklin did while living there. Franklin loved London and spend sixteen years there while his family stayed home.