under another sun

Up fairly early and a last breakfast at La Barbarie: scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and some toast, plus cereal fruit and teas. Back to the room to pack and pay up. A lovely stay, and we were very sorry to go so quickly. Then a slow toddle to Icart, and sat looking at the sea, still fairly calm. Walked around the clifftop and took in views of Moulin Huet bay and the Dog and Lion and Saints Bay and then headed back to the hotel. Had a last sandwich there, thick ham, Guernsey butter and English mustard, plus a pint of Liberation. We had been made to feel extremely welcome at La Barbarie. A slightly amazing journey back. The travel Gods firmly on our side. The taxi was early, the Auringy plane took off ten minutes early, the flight smooth and fast climbing up eastwards from Guernsey so that I could look out on St Martin's Point and Moulin Huet Bay one more time before we slipped up above the low, still layer of clouds. Before we knew it back at Gatwick and were shortly on a train to Ea...

Hurrah! Off to Guernsey for the first time in three years. Trundled down to Preston Park station and caught the train to Gatwick. We were fearing delays and difficulties, but apart from our plane being delayed by an hour we were through security really quickly, having checked in online before. We were only carrying hand luggage which meant that there would be no hanging around. I felt twitchy generally and the vertigo I get from time to time was quite bad this morning. I tried to buy a couple of cups of tea from Pret but left in disgust after waiting at the front of the queue for twenty minutes. The flight however, was fine  on the Auringy twin engined prop. The weather in Guernsey gorgeous when we arrived (it being overcast in Blighty). Straight through security with our hand luggage and into a taxi with a loquacious woman driver from Madeira. Back to La Barbarie and a warm welcome from Sally there. Into our usual upgraded room. Lovely stuff.  Then after a cheeky glass of Lib...

Cloudy and spitting with rain this morning. Lorraine and I outside however, Lorraine determinedly sitting on the sun lounger under the clouds. Obviously as this was a holiday, I was contacted about work from my French clients and about the pitch. Had a stroll around St Martins, calling in on La Gran'mère to say hello, and miraculously seeing her without the obligatory white van parked in front was a pleasure. Then ambled about and walking down the lane opposite the corner of Les Douvres and finding new little pathways. Back to La Barbarie, where we then arranged to meet Richard at Icart. The Icart outdoor cafe becoming increasingly Alice in Wonderland with the owner being as chatty and personable as ever, and his gardens already strange with tall echiums, now with twisty paths and nooks to sit in. Here we met Richard, leaving Holly in the van, and drank a coffee and Lorraine and I  ate a slice of Guernsey gâche. Very good to see Richard again, and discuss wide ranging subjects su...

Last day in the Barbarie. Lorraine not wanting breakfast this morning, so I strapped on the nosebag alone, reading the paper. Andrew Coleman came and said hello, enquiring after Mrs Kenny. Lorraine is enjoying being called Mrs Kenny at the Barbarie, after several years of being there as my fancy woman. A walk once we'd packed, back to Icart and a short turn on the cliffs. Tried out the panorama function on the iPhone. Both of us feeling quite sad to be leaving so soon, but so happy to have had this break and time together after all the frenzy of the last couple of weeks. Back to the Barbarie for a ham sandwich, where I found I could not resist a final pint of beer. Then a taxi to the airport. The flight home obnoxious, the plane bouncing and bumping around. (The pilot had claimed it would be a 'relatively' smooth flight, a weasel word if ever I heard one). I hate not being able to see anything through the window, other than cloud, but when you can see nothing my imagina...