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

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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

July: journeying on

July had begun to settle into a rhythm of swims, gardening, walks, gardening...and then we added spring cleaning. An opportunity had come up to rent the house out for a few weeks, as we would normally do when away each summer.

I had been considering a 'staycation' in any case. I recognised that, were I to stay at home all summer,lovely as it is, I would be spending much of my time catching up on the house and garden - particularly the garden - with no real chance to unwind. We couldn't easily go off the island without having to self-isolate for two weeks on our return: the prospect of travelling over to Covid-infested England wasn't appealing and there were no boats to France, so that, in our opinion, was that. The local campsite a couple of miles away in the Fauxquets Valley had been a happy stay last year, so, we decided to see about going away for a few nights. 

We spent a pleasant day, though, investigating the motorhome 'aire' at Beaucette Marina in the north of the island. Cycling up there and visiting friends on our travels gave us a happy 24 mile cycle ride. The motorhome parking could have been well-sited up at Beaucette, the former quarry filled with boats of all descriptions from barges to yachts, but its view of the back of the restaurant, complete with rubbish bins, held,  unsurprisingly, little appeal. 

There are two other campsites in the north: Vaugrat, next to our former house, was lovely and well-sited with just a short walk to the beach, but it does not accept dogs.Pity. The other, the Bailloterie, was where we spent two weeks on our arrival in Guernsey. A pleasant, sprawling site, but without the charm of the Fauxquets. Nor is wifi quite so easily accessible from the van there... So, the Fauxquets it would be.

Booking the Fauxquets online was not without its problems and had to be done in two chunks. When we called in on a ride one day to check that the booking was valid, it was somewhat disconcerting to be told that they don't like long-stay visitors of more than three weeks. The reason: the campers get 'complacent' and start inviting visitors - a strict no-no - and who can blame the owners for their no visitors policy. The swimming pool would be filled with half of Guernsey's children if they got the chance. It didn't exactly make us feel welcome, though, and left me with a determination to be on my best behaviour. I'm a little concerned that Pickle will not feel the same way...

So the last ten days of the month were spent arranging for the guests to come. It is, indeed, the most wonderful feeling to have cupboards cleaned and emptied, the freezer defrosted - a long-held aim - and the house absolutely immaculate. Despite Jonny and Adele's absence, I am loving the feel of the clean, empty entrance hall. Even the dog crate has been stowed away in the office...

There was still masses of time to catch up with friends for coffee, go swimming and cycling, or walk the dog. Lovely to see a lot of my dear neighbour and friend next door Nicky, always so much to chat about. We will miss being able to pop in quite so easily but it will be a good excuse to cycle up to say hello.

There were a couple of challenges. Although we met new friends, partly through newcomers coming to my ladies breakfast one Saturday morning, July saw our home group, which had met for 15 years, split into two as the groups 'multiplied'. It wasn't easy. 

Then, at the end of the month, Jonny and Adele left England for Tanzania. An anxious and prayer-filled 48 hours: one cancelled flight (nothing like turning up at the airport to find your flight to be conspicuously absent) and concerns that the next flight, with another airline, were also indicating that it was cancelled couple with Covid-related uncertainty about the paperwork required to enter Tanzania. Still, all was well and they returned home with only one slight delay en-route. Phew.

The end of the month saw me enjoying an evening swim down at Rocquaine. There were only a couple of other people there: it was grey and windy, with a little surf coming in on rough waves. As I bobbed about in the water, I watched people walk by behind the top of the high sea wall. I couldn't see very well, but it looked as if there was a goat walking along with them. Strange - it must be some sort of child's buggy, I decided.

It wasn't a buggy, though. It was a goat. A Golden Guernsey ram, magnificent horns soaring above its long golden hair. It was being led about on a lead, like a dog, in the courtyard of the Imperial Hotel at the end of the road. Only in Guernsey....