under another sun

Feeling brighter and rested this morning. A vegetarian Guernsey breakfast this morning. And a bit of writing of the Kenniad before a lovely walk down to Moulin Huet, but cut left along the cliff path instead of going the last bit down to the sea. Gorgeous views, of course, and we sat listening to the sighing of the sea and deeply feeling that all was right with the world. Like the rest of the channel and most of the UK we had not seen the sun so far, but it made no difference. Then back on the path, and cut up and went down the back lanes to where the wishing well. However it was full of dry leaves, and so wishing was impossible. Walked back down dog lane. Still can picture the savage canine criminal in the first house from about fifty five years ago, then past the shell of La Bella Luce on towards the Captains where Lorraine and I simply had a couple of beers. Not many people there and they weren't serving lunch by the time we arrived. A lovely pint of Butcombe however, and I coul...

First of the month, and a big day. After the full Guernsey breakfast, I mooched off for a walk leaving Lorraine sunning herself by the pool. On the way to St Martin's graveyard, I was accosted by a woman in her fifties who asked me what I was photographing and lots of other questions and she told me where she had been to school in England. In the graveyard I browsed among the graves for people I knew. There are several there including Gwen and Dave of course, my grandparents. I moved on after a while and then went into the graveyard where I had a lengthy chat with the man who looks after the place, and keeps all the lawns trim. Friendly bloke and we talked about the recent lack of rainfall and so on. Afterwards I remembered a dubious character called Graveyard George who I used to speak to when a child. He smoked lots but always respectfully tipped the ash into his hand and put it in his jacket pocket.  Back to Lorraine and after a bite to eat, caught a cab out to the west Coast to...

An absolutely beautiful day in Guernsey, in our personal heaven. Up to eat a kipper breakfast, then down towards Saints and along the cliff path then down to Moulin Huet bay. Spent several hours sitting getting quite hot in the sun, listening to the sea and the birds, and watching a woman and her dog go for a swim together, a bit of scrambling over rocks and reading books too, (I was reading about Aimé Césaire). Then as the tide drew in we sat above the bay on the bench, and I sat there doing one of those listening meditation things, listing to the sounds of the seabirds, and the other birds in the cliffside bushes and woodland behind me, and the sound of waves breaking on the rocks all around, moving to further and further away sounds with the warmth on my face. After a while the weather changed, and it grew a little misty. We walked home and after a rest, and packed our case, met Jane and Richard for a quick drink before our supper. They have been pet sitting in a big house near ...

Gathered for our Full Guernsey Breakfasts this morning. Some of us, feeling wan and hungover, but a huge breakfast did a lot to help his. Then all off down to Moulin Huet, where the beach was empty and beautiful. The sea must have been rough lately as there was little sand, and rock structures under the sand were revealed. To Lorraine and my satisfaction, the others falling under its spell right away.  Beth and John scrambling up rocks and into caves, and Sam and Jade leaping towards the sea in a way that made me think of E.H. Shepard drawings for Winnie the Pooh. Jade re-emerging later with bright pink feet having zoomed into the water. Beth proud to have scaled some big rocks with John. I kept an eye on the turning tide having visions of them stranded there. I must be getting old. After some time here, we walked back into St Martins to La Gran'mère du Chimquière. However there were two vans parked by it, and states workmen there packing up. Luckily the much missed Croix Guerin ...

A breakfast in our self-catered room of Guernsey tomatoes fried in butter on toast. An unhurried and excellent way to start the day.  Eventually we organised ourselves, and Mum went off to see Ken a brother of my Granddad, while Lorraine and I popped into The Captain's to book a table and then sauntered down to Moulin Huet. It was a gorgeously sunny day with the tide having turned recently and starting to come in. We lurked about, Lorraine finding rocks to sit in the sun on till the sun started lapping at her feet, reading and absorbing the Moulin Huet loveliness. I lurked about with my camera snapping at everything with complete abandon eventually as the sun went behind some clouds and things got cooler we made our way up the hill again. And met Mum coming the other way. She went down to the bay to take some snaps. Lorraine and I made our way to The Captains where Mum met us a little later. A good Sunday lunch to be had there, and couple of refreshing pints of beer as I mentio...

Up just in in time for breakfast, after sending off a fast note or two about the pitch next week. The full Guernsey Breakfast exemplary this morning, and set us up nicely for the journey into town where we bought two trident tickets to Herm, and mooched about shopping for sunglasses for me and shorts for Lorraine for the day had turned hot and glorious. Over in the trident sitting up top. Found ourselves near Jenny Kendall Tobias who was talking authoritatively to a woman and her daughter from Brighton about the islands. Chatted to Jenny for a while, who was on holiday with her son camping in Herm for a few days. An enormous cruise liner like a futuristic floating slab on the water mid way. Lorraine had never been to Herm, and I think last time I was there, I went with Dave my Grandfather so it must have been in the 90s. Thankfully it was almost unchanged. Although we were reliably informed by a woman in a shop in St Peter Port that the Mermaid has gone posh, and that there were st...