And the answer is . . .

I know I've been keeping you all in suspense with my Twenty Truths and a Lie.

The suspense is over.

The false answer is . . .

#12-- Found one of our ancestors' graves-- in the middle of a bush!

I keep wanting to find an ancestor's grave, but I haven't yet. I really did find a grave in a bush, though. Check this out:

I think the funniest part is that the bushes are so well trimmed-- they're just trimmed around the tombstone. I'm not sure what they were thinking when they hired that lanscaper . . .

Also, I found this little gem at the same cemetery:

(Maybe Tittlefitz isn't such a weird last name after all!)

Also, since I'm in the mood to write, here's the scoop on my other twenty adventures:

1. Walked over 14 miles in the last 3 days.

Most definitely true. And, that was as of the time of the last blog post. Since then, I have done even more walking (not many other options when you live 2 miles away from EVERYTHING!) I'm beginning to have a lot more empathy for the pioneers . . .

2. Tried carrot and coriander soup

True. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was good soup, and it sounded cool, so it made it on my list.

3. Told the Joseph Smith story at a train station.

Also true. When I sat down at the train station, I looked around and realized I was surrounded by a bunch of guys that were passing alcohol around, smoking, dirty, and tattooed. I felt really out of place. At first I just read my book and hoped the train would come soon. Before too long, though, we started talking. One of them was homeless and asked me if there were a lot of homeless people in America. I had to explain that I live in a city full of Mormons, which is pretty sheltered, and therefore I don't have the best idea of how many homeless there are outside of Utah. From there, one of the men started talking about his hometown, in Glasgow. I don't remember exactly how it came up, but he started telling me that Glasgow was full of a lot of different sects. It was just too perfect of a lead-in. I couldn't be a returned-missionary and not pick up on that. So, I took that lead and explained about a boy named Joseph Smith, who also was confused by all the different sects and religions. . . . I guess it goes to show that you never know what will happen when you miss a train. :)

4. Washed 2 loads of laundry by hand.

Unfortunately true. This was after I walked 2 miles to the non-existent laundromat (#7) and then had to drag it all 2 miles back with me. The owner of my B&B was less than thrilled to learn that I'd done it all in the bathtub, though, so I don't recommend it.

5. Saw Hitler’s desk

True. While I was stuck in Dorchester, I staked out every museum in town. One of them was a military museum. It was actually a quite impressive museum for such a little podunk town. And, by some miracle, they actually had Hitler's writing desk.

6. Saw Buckingham palace

7. Walked 2 miles to the nearest laundromat, only to find out it had been shut down

Tragically true. See #4.

8. Got lost too many times to count.

Anyone who knows me knows this is true. I am directionally defunct. Seriously! I cannot remember oral directions to save my life! They just go in one ear and out the other. (It doesn't help, either, that the British do NOT label their streets well. Half of them don't have street signs and the other half have the signs at an angle, so you can't tell which street they're pointing to, anyway. No wonder my ancestors were so anxious to leave England!) The first few days I spent in Taunton, I got lost virtually every time I stepped out the door. Thankfully, I have lost myself on enough roads that I now know my way around Taunton fairly well. Let's just not think about Nottingham on Tuesday . . .

9. Locked myself out of my room twice in one night.

True, and very embarrasing. Especially the second time I had to go find the owner of the B&B.

10. Gave out 5 pass-along cards and a Book of Mormon.

True. And the pass-along cards were all in one day (mostly to the guys I told the Joseph Smith story to at the train station). I've been loving finally getting to talk about the gospel again. It's such a refreshing change after Israel.

11. Accidentally tried to get in the driver’s seat in a taxi (darn British cars!)

True. I'm just glad I don't have to try driving here. Being a passenger and a pedestrian is bad enough.

12. Found one of our ancestors' graves-- in the middle of a bush!

False, as noted above.

13. Watched the Sound of Music at least twice—all the way through.

True. The Sound of Music is the only movie I have with me (besides The Incredibles, which I bought in Jordan, but it turned out to be only in Arabic! Grr!) and I have watched it waaaay too many times. Boredom takes on new meaning when you live by yourself. (Fortunately, there's always blogging . . . and I finally gave in and bought myself a book to read, which helps.)

14. Walked at least 45 minutes to satisfy a craving for a Magnum bar.

I shouldn't have admitted it, but this was true. And it was after having already walked 4 miles earlier that day. What I won't do for a craving . . . (I must be Janel's sister!)

15. Stayed in 4 B&Bs in 4 different towns

True. Soon to be 5 . . .

16. Rode a train, subway, double-decker bus, and car.

True. I was most excited to try a double-decker bus. Our facilitator's husband had warned us that the bus drivers in London are crazy, and that it especially sways a lot on the top level. I have to say, I found it all rather anti-climatic. Maybe I've just spent too much time around Israeli and Egyptian drivers lately. . .

17. Spent 4 hours unsuccessfully trying to find the nearest LDS church

True. And I was dang mad about it. I looked up the directions on Google Maps, but like I mentioned above, finding British addresses is a fat pain. I wandered all over, and asked everyone in sight for directions, but no one had any idea how to get there. It was definitely frustrating. (This week I'll be sure to call the bishop and ask for directions ahead of time.)

18. Ate dinner in a pub . . . by myself . . . on a Saturday night . . . and lived to tell the tale

True, but not as exciting as it sounds. In Britain, pubs are just regular restraunts until about 9pm. Since I was there in the early evening, it wasn't scary. I just made sure to pick a seat far away from the bar . . .

19. Saw a whole ceiling made of alcohol bottles.

True. Only in England . . .

20. Got the two biggest blisters I’ve ever had in my life.

True. They were a result of the 4 hours of searching for church, on top of the 8 miles of walking I had done over the 2 days before it.

The worst one was on my pinky toe. The other one doesn't show up very well in the picture, but it was on the pad/crease right below the big toe (and if you're easily grossed out, I apologize for the below picture and warn you not to look).

21. Had coins of 3 different currencies on my nightstand.

True. I looked down one night and realized that I had an English penny, a shekel, and a Euro all sitting there.

That's all, folks!