Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Antiques, Church, Gardens, Blue Plaques

Every Thursday there is an antique market at Old Spitalfields.
It was fun to see...nothing grabbed us to buy.
 
But....
because we were close, we had to go to St Leonard Church in Shoreditch.
 
 
This is where John Powell Hughlings (brother to Ann Hughlings Pitchforth) married his first cousin Ann Meredith on 27 November 1828.
 
There was also a 3-year old William Hughlings whose burial took place here in 1807...
good chance he's an unknown brother to Ann...still working through that.
 
AND William Shakespeare attended church here (but that was in the 1500s).
 

Twas quite sad...the church is in pretty bad shape.  It was supposed to be open from 12-2, but wasn't.  There was a sign about not loitering...it's apparently a big hangout for the homeless.
 
If the cemetery was here, it's just a garden now which is maintained by the city.
At least the building's being worked on as there is lots of scaffolding around the back.
 
 
Monday I went to Kew Gardens with 5 senior missionaries (Rick was in Istanbul). 
It was so beautiful!
And it's huge....impossible to get through in just one day.
 
 
 
 
Wednesday was Book Club at a restaurant inside the Wallace House.
 The Wallace Collection has tons of furniture, paintings, sculptures, porcelain, armour, etc. 
 
 
 Some of the treasures had belonged to Marie Antoinette.  They were sold off by the French after the Revolution to earn quick money.
 
 
 
As we were leaving Manchester Square where this house is, someone mentioned the number
 of  "blue plaques" on the homes in this square, and most of them were for medical people.
 
DING, DING, DING!
 
I had planned on coming here some day, and here I was!
 
 
What is a blue plaque you say?
 
Buildings have a blue plaque if someone famous lived there.
 
Here's my famous person....
 
John Hughlings Jackson, Father of English Neurology.
 
If anyone has studied neurology, they know his name and work.
He is Ann Hughlings Pitchforth's nephew, son of her sister Sarah...
first cousin to my gr gr grandfather Samuel Pitchforth...
think that makes me a first cousin 4 times removed.
 
 
 
I know.  I get excited about weird things.
LOVE family history!!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 





Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Have I mentioned I LOVE spring?

Since we live in Westminster, we decided we should visit Westminster Abbey on Saturday.
Twas nice to not feel rushed, and just go at our own pace.
 
 
Then we did a little walk through St James Park.  The flowers were incredible.
I post these pictures for all to see, but think Ryan will really enjoy them.
We LOVE the color blocks and differing heights....hmmmm...by our front door
and our very top hill?  Much more amazing in person.
 
 
Of course, if you're by Westminster and St James Park, you really should go to
Buckingham Palace, where the flowers were also beautiful.
 

 
Lovely, lovely day.
 
 


Friday, May 10, 2013

What to do when back in London?

Can I say, springtime in London is wonderful?  So glad to be done with the record-breaking cold winter.  Leaves on the trees, flowers and blossoms everywhere...just lovely!
 
Out bedroom window.
 
 
Synagogue across the street....leaves on the trees.
 
(Compare to pictures in earlier blog with no leaves.)
 
We both came back to London kind of sick, but doing much better now.  As usual, my sweetheart works and I do my share of playing.  So sad that two of my friends are moving in the coming weeks...so we worked on their London bucket lists....
 
Apparently, you've never experienced London if you've not done a "tea". 
 May as well go to one.....
 
in a cool old building in Picadilly with a fun clock to watch on the hour....
 
 
and fun people to watch watching the clock....
(hahaha Becca, Jill, Becky....great shot, Kim)
 
 
and delectable, though pricey, food...
 

 
and London friends...
 
 
Standing....Becca, Kim, Stephanie, Becky
Sitting....Jennie, Abbey, Jill
 
 
Includes Abbey from our BYU ward and her mom, Jill.
 
 
Then, the next day you may as well go to the procession for the Opening of Parliament 2013.
 
Me, Kim and Becky with 2 Bobbies who were willing to chat with us.
 
 
Becky, Jill and me resting and waiting in the rain....
 
 
Here come the crown jewels.
 
 
And Prince Charles.  He waved at us.
 
 
And THE QUEEN!  She smiled at us.
 
 
So close.  So much pomp and circumstance.  Military band, horses, soldiers, more carriages, diplomats from all over the world...  We got there at a great time, before they started blocking off the street and requiring tickets to get into this area.  Primo spots.  Westminster Abbey directly to our right.  Parliament right across the street.  Of course, we were across from the House of Commons, not the House of Lords, the only entrance the Queen is allowed in to...
 and only once a year....
at the Opening of Parliament.
 
 
 
 

Life is so good

After spending a mere 7 weeks in London, I headed home for 6 weeks.  The purpose of this extended trip to the U.S?
 
BABIES, of course.
 
 
 
Three darling new granddaughters...2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months.


AND to see all of our sweet 14 grandchildren!
(And to see our 7 children and their spouses, of course.)
 
 
And no, I didn't forget you, Kelsi.  Our baby married Colby
 in the Mt Timpanogos Temple on April 27!  What a fabulous day it was!
 
Everything was just perfect. Well, except for little Zach throwing up in the temple parking lot, and Joel keeping Bethany's recommend in his pocket so she couldn't get in, and Kim and Bethany having to bully their way in to see their little sister married.....
 
All the things we planned for went wonderfully. Thanks to my wonderful daughters who took over my job of planning the wedding since I was AWOL in London.
 
Really, there sure aren't many pictures online for me to steal.....
 
 
 
Then on to Iowa for the Open House in Council Bluffs. 
 Ava's always asking for a "love kiss".
 

 
A plus to our visit to Council Bluffs.....
 
Pretty sure we figured out where my great-great-great grandmother is buried.
 
Ann Hughlings Pitchforth died near Winter Quarters on the Spears farm in 1846.
If  you ask the right people (Colby's parents) the right question (can this be figured out?) they put you in touch with the right person (a man in their ward) who knew exactly where the Spears-Graybill cemetery was and took us there.  A few years ago a 4-H group erected an entrance sign to the cemetery.  It's easier to read from the back side in this lighting.
 
 
 
We walked up a little hill and up a little path.  The fenced area to the left is the Spears Cemetery.  The fenced area in the middle of the picture is the Graybill Cemetery.  The short corner fence to the right is the end of the unmarked graves.
 
 
In front of the Graybill fence are 3 Graybill headstones. To the right of that are indentions in the ground which are unmarked graves.  Between that area and the small fence in the next picture are about 9 unmarked graves.  One of these would Ann Hughlings Pitchforth.


 
Found.
I've wondered my whole life if this would be possible.
 
 
I'm confident this is her final resting place.
Spears-Graybill Cemetery, Persia, Harrison, Iowa, United States.
 
Wow.
 
Such an eventful 6 weeks.