Delightful December

Well, December has been absolutely delightful, in spite of the weather: wind and rain arrived with a vengeance and we have just had a tremendous hailstorm. Even a couple of hours later, the hail is still lying around in drifts.

Early in the month, we set up the pump which we bought last year, after the back of the garden flooded. The field behind is slightly elevated and so, once sufficient rain had waterlogged the ground, the water took the easy option and filled up the lowest part of our garden. We dug a hole as far as we could, down to the marl, sank an old dustbin in and installed a pump which then takes the water out to the drain.

We’ve used it several times already, sometimes for an hour or so at a time. By the end of the month, there was flooding in various bits of the garden: it subsides after a few days without rain, but we are keen that the plants, shrubs and trees do not stay waterlogged. Last year, in fact, the rain flooded the slabs which the shed stands on, so that the shed itself had a couple of inches of water inside it.

School, of course, was the usual run-up to Christmas. Actually, a wind-down. Reports had been written, projects were nearing completion and we started to ease up a little on homework. The last week was full of carol service rehearsal and performance; Christmas activity booklets – mostly maths and English, with some ‘Victorian Christmas’ thrown in; Christmas party and disco; and my traditional, Victorian fireplace themed, 3D Christmas card. The children all make one each, of course, and this year I made one for a friend who had taken ill and was in hospital. He is an artist, so it was a delight to see him examine each tiny intricate feature, including the handwritten Christmas card on the mantelpiece.

Many of the children wrote me cards, but my favourite by far was the handmade nativity card. A lot of painstaking work by a shy, quiet, under-confident child who took great pleasure in showing me all the different aspects of the nativity which he had included. It gives ME tremendous pleasure to look at it.

I managed to write, and send off on time, our card and Christmas emails, completing the last of them by Christmas Eve. Intentionally, we tried to have a low-key Christmas. At the beginning of December I began to feel extremely sorry for myself. We couldn’t go anywhere to see family as we would have to self-isolate for at least two weeks on our return and the holiday was barely two weeks long in any case. Plus that Covid does indeed make it risky to travel and New Zealand does not allow visitors in at the moment – let alone having to comply with THEIR quarantine requirements (a mere two weeks in a Government-approved hotel).

I forced myself to start putting Christmas decorations up. First a few strings of lights: this year, for the first time, we draped them in the entrance hall which gave a wonderfully welcoming glow. They will probably stay there until the end of February...#Januarycheer  Nativity sets went out quickly, as did my Jesse tree – twigs from our spring-time pruning this year, with a variety of ornaments. A few years ago – over 15, in fact – Cat and I made saltdough ornaments. There are only a few left, so I have supplemented with others although, over in New Zealand, she has made a complete set for Cara. Perhaps I might do that next year... Eventually, the tree was decorated, a candle lit and evergreens placed in a vase to host my collection of hearts.

And I got over myself. We committed to helping with lunch at church on Christmas Day, discovering, to our delight, that several other friends were also on the ‘team’. Our job turned out to be preparing vegetables beforehand and then welcoming guests on the day, hosting a table. A very different Christmas Day lunch – we had always had friends and family, or gone out to friends, for all our married lives. It was good to facilitate lunch for several people who were completely on their own and it proved to be a very enjoyable time. Even the weather proved to be fine enough to cycle: a glorious, sun-filled day, the air crisp and clear over the cliffs.

Baking pepparkakor, distributing the clove-scented spicy Swedish biscuits to friends, is a tradition I have followed for many years. This year I added vanilla fudge and lemon curd as well. The gluten-free Christmas cake turned out moister than in previous years, thanks to a recipe from Nigella, but was still unsatisfactorily crumbly.

The best part of December, though, was reconnecting with friends, near and far. Writing cards and emails, reflecting back on last year’s news, is always satisfying but we also found ourselves very busy socially. My Christmas work meal was enjoyable, immediately followed by my friend and colleague Carry’s birthday party – in a pub with a skittles alley. Good fun. Our church carol service provided more opportunities and then we were at friends for the Longue Vielle.

The Longue Vielle. What a great tradition. The origins of La Longue Veille date back to 17th Century, when an Act of Parliament allowed the export of wool from mainland Britain to the Bailiwick to service Guernsey’s woolen industry. Many islanders were engaged in the manufacture of woollen stockings, frock jackets and jumpers, and neighbours would often gather in each other’s homes to work together in the production of garments in a social setting. 

In the long winter evenings neighbours were in the habit of meeting at each other’s houses in turn, and while the matrons took their places on the 'lit de fouaille' [bed made of grass or rushes],1 and the elderly men occupied the stools set in the deeper recess of the chimney, the young man and maidens gathered together on the floor, and by the dim light of the crâsset, plied their knitting, sang their songs, and told their stories. The saving of fuel and oil, which was effected by working in company under the same roof, entered for something in their calculations. These assemblies were called 'veilles,' or vielles, and were well adapted to keep up a pleasant neighbourly feeling.

The wares produced were taken into St Peter Port on a Saturday to be sold at market, with a special market held for them on the day before Christmas, known locally as “surveille”. The evening before, on the night of December 23rd, goods were packed ready to be taken to market and, it being the last market of the year, the opportunity was taken to celebrate the hard work of the last twelve months.

“Masters were in the habit of regaling their servants—merchants treated those with whom they had dealings—and neighbours clubbed together to supply the means of spending a joyous night.”
Edgar MacCulloch, Guernsey Folk Lore

During this period in Guernsey’s history the church took a somber view of any celebrative gathering connected to religious festivals, in an attempt to remove the influence of ancient pagan festivals on their congregation. With no link to a festival, be it Christian or pagan, there could be little objection to this celebration and consequently La Longue Veille became an opportunity for islanders to openly celebrate the festive season without incurring the displeasure of the local clergy. La Longue Veille continued to be a traditional gathering of family, friends and neighbours on the evening of December 23rd long after the importance of the island’s woolen industry and regular veilles had declined. Traditionally, spiced and sweetened mulled wine (known as “vin brûlé) is served in coffee cups, along with cheese and a Guernsey biscuit or galette.

Here is a recipe for mulled wine: Receipt for Guernsey Mulled Wine.

Some cloves and whole cinnamon;
An ounce of the last;
Of the first just one quarter;
Boiled, but not boiled too fast;
In a quart of cold water
To a dozen of wine;
Take a pound of loaf sugar,
Don't break it too fine;
Let them stand both together
While boiling the spice;
You can taste it to see
That the sweetness is nice.
That the cloves and the cinnamon
May simmer away,
If you're not in a hurry,
One third of the day;
It may then be poured into
The wine, and is fit
To be warmed—but not boiled
When you wish to drink it.

From Louisa Lane Clarke's The Folk Lore of Guernsey and Sark, pp. 7-8.

After that, we had planned or impromptu invitations every day until New Year – possibly one of the most fun Boxing Days we have spent, playing charades with new friends. We enjoyed skype chats with family and my two dear ‘sisters’ – Cath and Mary. (Our WhatsApp group is called Three Sisters – we miss dear Ann, our fourth, so much.) The busiest Christmas season I can remember... despite not being able to be with family, we have enjoyed the time with friends both old and new.

It has been lovely. We look back on this year with tremendous gratitude. God has been so, so good to us: keeping us and ours in good health; providing us with family, friends and fellowship (even in a season of loss - our marvellous neighbours, Nicky and Richard, moved into town just before Christmas); and, lastly, the safe arrival of Rosalie Freda Noel Dow, born on 28^th December in New Zealand – a wonderful sister for Cara. Such joy.

 

Niggling November

November began with a bang: fireworks, of course. The obligatory garden bonfire had, in fact, already happened, thanks to a wonderfully calm day in October half term: no wind = no worries about the neighbours. We were actually out for supper on Bonfire Night itself: we returned to find my rucksack and its contents - even down to pencils and pens which were secreted in quite a small pocket - strewn across the hallway. Had we been burgled? No, it was just Pickle having a panic attack because of the (distant) pops of fireworks. Similarly, the sofa cushions were scattered across the living room and all the pillows and cushions on our bed had met a similar fate.

We were out for supper two days later, on the Saturday. We left music blaring VERY loudly in two different rooms. Result: calm.

Having had gales and storms lashing our little island with rain, it was a relief, albeit a tad annoying, to have wonderful warm (15 degrees: yes, that's warm for November) sunny days for our first week back at school. Still, the weather lasted in to the first weekend as well: perfect for a chilly sea swim and a walk on the beach. We took the motorhome down, then hunted - very successfully - for sea glass and pretty pebbles. Satisfying. 

We enjoyed hosting quite a few meals (as well as my monthly breakfast.)  We weren’t too sure about  one particular combination of friends, who didn't really know each other well, but it turned out to be inspired – there were so many coincidences. It was an international gathering: Guernsey, England, South Africa, Kenya, Korea and New Zealand were all represented. (In fact, I counted up to nine countries where we had all, at one time or another, lived.) One had spent part of his childhood in Korea, not too far away from the home of another who is Korean herself; they all had Chester (where a family member is living) in common, knowing it well. Then we started talking about Francis Chan, who I’d been listening to the day before (having only heard him once before, maybe six months ago); there were common experiences regarding upbringing overseas; and we all shared our faith stories and experiences.  I love evenings like this.

Early in the month there was no news from  our dear neighbours Nicky and Richard next door about their impending move to a house in town, so we were hopeful they might not, as they hadn't sold their own house. However, they had an offer at the end of the month. It will all happen rather quickly, and, for us, sadly, but they will be gone by Christmas. ☹ Anyway, we’ll still be friends!

Otherwise, we’ve spent quite a bit of time watching Christmas movies (no one dies! Happy ending!) as the weather has turned dark and gloomy. I only get home before dark on a couple of evenings a week – we’ve had reports, and now new planning and recording to do for Maths, which will be time-consuming but at least reports and writing assessments have been done. And the difficult child in my class has had only two meltdowns in four weeks, which is amazingly good news. Long may it continue! 3 weeks to the end of term. The state schools here go on until Dec 22^nd. Eeek!

So the month ended with a glorious weekend of sunshine. Long bike rides, walks and even a splash with the bodyboard in the excellent waves in between catching up with three different lots of friends. 

Small delights. Spotting an albino pheasant hiding in a hedge; seeing pairs of buzzards every morning on our daily cycle ride. There are two which live very close to us and another pair - one of which is very pale - a couple of miles further on, known as the Riding Club pair. Kestrels too, and often harrier hawks swooping back and forth across the fields. Daisies still blooming voraciously in the garden. The New Zealand spinach showing no sign of slowing down for winter. Doesn't it realise how cold it is getting?

The vociferous solanum, shouting over the woodshed roof and oil tank

Beautiful L'Eree

Sea glass beach finds

??

The first Sunday in Advent, too, saw me haul the decorations out of the loft and start our 'Advent tree. On the other side of the world, in New Zealand, Cat had made similar saltdough ornaments with Cara, continuing a tradition. Christmas is coming.

Before that, to paraphrase a traditional Swedish children's rhyme (Nu ar det jul igen...), we celebrated Cara's birthday with her, enjoying the new delights. Cake! Party! Presents! So precious.

Opportunities in October...or Awful October

 Actually, neither of those titles are accurate, although I pray for a positive mindset to SEE those opportunities afforded us this month. Hmm... let’s see.

Well, there were opportunities to meet up with friends, although after the busyness of September we took a bit of a rest. We started the month, though, with a meal out with some of our closest friends and finished with a fun, fancy dress birthday party with the usual suspects of 'our' crowd. An unexpected, last minute lunch invitation was a joy; the monthly ladies’ breakfast a delight, as always, especially when one friend stayed on to chat and catch up over another coffee. And then, of course, were my weekly afternoon tea, chat and prayer sessions with Kareena. #lifeline  

There were a few sea swims, including one in the Venus pool on Lihou Island, where I'd gone with my class for an overnight 'team building and leadership' exercise. Also a few body-boarding sessions, especially when huge surf (4 metres) arrived on the island, albeit with high winds. The sea is still remarkably warm.

 Chats with Cara were always a highlight. She is an absolute delight, discovering language and communicating in every way she knows, so often with smiles and giggles. Videos show her collapsed with laughter on the sofa: “Cara funny. Bubba funny.” Bubba is her doll companion, whose nappy she is adept at changing, ‘cleaning’ the doll’s bottom with a tissue, alternately wiping her nose after using it. Hope she doesn’t do that with Baby Sista, once she arrives in December. Another video shows a thoughtful little girl, saying, “Cara waiting. Dada.” as she waits for her dad to come home from work.

A night away in the motorhome at Beaucette Marina in the north of the island coincided with the arrival of a storm and strong winds. 

We managed a good walk up to Fort Doyle and Fort Le Marchant and then went to the restaurant there with friends for supper. We’d wondered about staying an extra night... but woke up to lashing rain, so fled for the comforts of home. It seemed like a long way... all of eight miles. One bit of excitement on the way home: a wasp emerged from somewhere in the van - it must have been there since the summer, when we were next to many of them feasting on fallen apples. In my panic, I flicked it off my finger...onto Richard's jeans, while he was driving. I won't say exactly WHERE it was crawling around, but he had to do a sudden stop so he could concentrate on persuading it to leave, rather than thinking about when - and where - it might sting him. 

And we had a good tidy up of the loft. Finally, after several suggestions on my part, we will be giving away the gazebos Richard had been hanging on to ‘in case’ we had another huge party in the summer.(The last time was 6 years ago.) Perfect timing, just right for Christmas...along with the electric sauna, which is also leaving us. At least THAT is appropriate for the winter season...

The month, though, wasn’t the best. School was, at times, incredibly stressful and it took me most of half term to begin to regain energy and recapture my resilience. The cumulative effect of the griefs and losses of the year added to the stress, catching me by surprise, coupled with the sad news that our wonderful neighbours are moving into town. They have become dear friends: the positive is that they will STILL be dear friends. At least they haven't moved to Alderney...yes, that was on the cards at one point, for a mercifully short-lived time.

So, what were the positives this month? Friends. Fresh air. Faithfulness. Family. Fun.

Not such an awful month, after all, then.

Contentment

Chilli. I thought it was a sweet pepper...TOOK A BITE!

Superb September

September distinguished itself with incredibly warm weather. So unseasonably warm, both during the day and at night, that I almost felt uneasy: global warming. The first day of the month, in fact, saw me in church cleaning out the boiler room after recent renovations: a filthy job, entailing lots of moving crockery and other things off and on shelves. I was extremely hot by the end of it.

Then it was back to school, a slow easing in to the term with three days of preparation. Should have been intensive INSET, but due to Covid-19 and the mandatory 7 day self-isolation, no one could come to do any training. I wasn’t particularly sorry...

Birthday and wedding anniversary came next on the first Saturday in September: it was also the day of the Rocquaine Regatta. We went down for a swim at L’Eree, more sheltered from the wind, then managed to catch the rowing and raft races as we retraced our steps before climbing back up the hill to home. The weather was wonderful, so a quiet, relaxed afternoon in the sun before fish and chips on the cliffs to finish the day. And, of course, a chat with Jonny and Adele in the morning – we’d already spoken to Cara, Cat and Andy the night before which was, of course, already Saturday in New Zealand.

Lovely gifts from New Zealand!

Sunday saw me visit a local ‘apple fair’ – equivalent of an autumn fete. I arrived just in time to see the ex-Bailiff take part in the pie scoffing contest...good fun. My dear neighbour Nicky was in charge of the tea tent – the Canterbury apple tart, which I had helped to make, had already vanished by the time I got there – but a local folk band started singing. More good fun.

Then, back to school. Can’t believe another school year is beginning. #mustbemad  I have a lovely class this year, albeit with the usual challenges. I have known one particular family for many years, having taught the two older siblings. We have soon settled down into a routine...

The weather continued to be good, although my swims tailed off from the middle of the month as the tides were neaps and it was difficult to time a swim without wading through a lot of shallow water. By the end of the month, the water had started to cool a little.

We found ourselves very busy at weekends. We helped marshal for a charity walk one Saturday; had our ‘church@home’ to lunch another Sunday, after I hosted breakfast for friends the day before. They brought beautiful flowers which have given me great pleasure for a couple of weeks. More friends to supper the following weekend... with Sunday church and Saturday afternoon teatimes with Kareena, it was hectic fitting everything in at times. And, of course, Skyping with Jonny and Adele, and Cara Grace... Great fun.

One big difference this month: normally, we would be meeting with friends for Bible study and prayer every Thursday evening, as has been our habit for the last 15 years, apart from holiday times. No more. It is a relief, in some ways, not to have to traipse out or prepare every Thursday, when we are tired as the week nears its end, but there is an element of sadness and loss...

Now it is October, the weather has turned cooler, and Storm Alex is causing havoc in France. But that is another story for another month...

Amazing August

 Most of August was spent at Fauxquets Valley campsite - see Travels With Pickle - but we bookended our stay at home. The first few days were final tweaks to the house - every corner cleaned and polished to Mr Pollard's highly exacting standards - and getting the garden looking as immaculate as possible. AKA trimming hedges and bushes, of which there are Far Too Many.

The end of the month saw us, thankfully, return home. Good to be back. The guests had left it spick and span, so it was just a question of unpacking the motorhome and then unpacking our store room, having cleared out kitchen and bedrooms for them.

But the main surprise was the weather. August had turned unwelcome the last few days: cloud, rain, wind, storm even - and then then wind swung round to the north, bringing chills. Yet the last couple of days of the month were wonderful for our south-facing property. Sheltered, we were too hot outside on both patios, front and back. Walks - and blackberry picking - on the cliff path were a complete pleasure as there was no wind to speak of, the sun glanced dazzling off the open sea and, as a bonus, we had the cliffs to ourselves, save for a few pipits and a couple of gannets diving for fish offshore.

The daily swim - I have barely missed a day in the last couple of months - was so wonderful down at Rocquaine, though the sea was quite choppy. I bump into a particular parent down there quite frequently - always a pleasure to see her. We cycled home up through the lanes, a quiet route past a wonderful view over the bay. So wonderful, that we decided to come back down - with a bottle of Bailey's Salted Caramel liquer - for a (literal) sundowner at sunset.

It was absolutely lovely. The sundowner was a little bit of a let down, though: the glass we had decided to share, so romantically, had cracked on the way down, so we were reduced to taking swigs from the bottle. Not quite so romantic as sipping decorously from glasses...

Still, it was worth it. Saw the 'green flash', though it was more of a green glow around the sun, and iridescent cloud above it - apparently, a very rare phenomenon. 

So August ended, in the end, with wonderful weather. So much to be thankful for.

Exploring a douit

Church in a Torteval field

Back entrance to the campsite

Hedge veg jewellery!

Cow jam

Sheep racing at the Vintage Agricultural Show

Exploring St Saviour's church and churchyard