Something Old...

Something Old - Most post boxes bear the E II R logo of Queen Elizabeth II. But some go back to the days of her father, King George VI, who reigned from 1936 to 1952. Such is the case for this one, which is actually the closest letter drop to our flat, located about 5 minutes south of the train station.



Something New - They were still working on this "gateway" to Woking when we arrived in the summer, and it was completed in the fall. While it doesn't do much for me, all of the solar panels in the roof make it quite environmentally friendly, and that was enough to warrant a visit from Prince Charles near the start of the project. It links the north side of the train station (left) with the south side of the town centre (right).



Something Borrowed - This came from Nicolas, Helen, and their son Samuel for Shelly's visit. Nicolas works at King's College London, and they all live about a 30 minute walk north of our flat. Helen and Nicolas provided a wealth of information before our England adventure even began, and have been just as helpful to this day. Plus, they're really nice people with which to spend time!



Something Blue - Signs like this are all around town. It's hard to get lost! From where I was standing, the town centre is to the left (west). What you can't see are the markers pointing north to the Basingstoke Canal, or south to the train station. Ready to draw a map of Woking?

Chanukah

The 8 days of Chanukah have just ended for 2007, so during that time period, this modern Menorah stood in Trafalgar Square. (Nelson's Column is on the left.)



While I was in the area last week, I heard a passerby exclaim, "Oh look, it's that Jewish thing." I hope she took a closer look at the base of it and expanded her knowledge a bit....

Seasonal Music and More

What's been going on so far this month? It kicked off with the Illuminated Boat Procession on Saturday the 1st. This took place on the Basingstoke Canal, which lies just north of the town centre. It was originally opened in 1794, and was then restored and reopened in 1991 - almost 200 years later!



Events moved into high gear this past weekend. On Friday evening, Dave and I attended the Advent Carol Service at King's College London. It was a wonderful time of music, readings, and prayers - all by candlelight. (Good thing I splurged on those reading glasses from Target before moving here....) We had our first mulled wine and mince pies at the reception that followed.

On Saturday there was a live nativity in the town centre. Mary and Joseph didn't seem too excited about spending their afternoon on display, but the animals were quite content.



To the left of the nativity was a steel drum band playing Christmas music. And to the left of the band was the mulled wine...and mince pies! (Did you know that mince pies are filled with mincemeat, which nowadays is a vegetarian fruit mixture?) All of this took place under cover, because it was a cold and rainy day.



Sunday afternoon found us back at church, because this year it hosted The Salvation Army's "Carols for Christmas" concert. Brass music - what a great way to close out the weekend!