Super September

September 2023

The month began really well – still in France! Didn’t return to Guernsey until the 3^rd, to glorious hot weather. My birthday was the hottest I can remember and, in a bonus, I was not at school!

So of course I went blackberry picking and then for a half km swim in the sea at Rocquaine.

The blackberry picking started quite well. However, the Pleinmont brambles are among the most unfriendly and inhospitable I have yet to meet. They tried to hide any juicy, ripe blackberries under prickles and behind nettles; thorns came at my fingers unseen, swiping hard and leaving thorns buried deep under the skin; and each spray of berries only yielded one or two ripe ones, the rest remaining stubbornly hard, red and unripe.

I persevered, but my heart wasn’t in it. I usually love the mindfulness of blackberry-picking, along with the silence, but that day I encountered a coachload of cruise ship passengers coming from the gun, a group of serious elderly men, striding along with walking poles, and a couple of German tourists I recognised from the ferry over from France. Still, it was lovely to be able to do it and rarely go to Pleinmont headland, so nice to have a different adventure.

On the way to the beach, I decided to go down a narrow footpath to a friend’s field. When we had open air church in July, I had noticed quite a few brambles in the hedgerows and so thought it would be a good place to investigate. I gathered a few along the lanes as I went there and by the time I had finished, had a 2 litre boxful – enough for a start on the Great Jam Making of the season. So all was going, well, until I took a Wrong Turning and ended up in a part of the woods I had never ever been before.

It was around midday when I started on My Great Birthday Adventure. I was lucky to get out before darkness fell….

I knew the general direction to go – downhill – so off I went. The path became progressively steeper and rockier, winding around in circles until suddenly some steep steps appeared. No other way to go – except back and up. No ordinary steps either, but ones made for giants, hewn out of granite and put in at irregular angles. The rain had evidently tried to find its own way down, carving out gullies at the side, but that was of no help to me as I carefully hauled my heavy bike, hand firmly on the brake, down beside me.

It just got worse. Eventually I could see tarmac, but at that point there was only the narrowest of footpaths – me or the bike, and of course the bike won – and to even step down onto tarmac was pretty difficult. Then, on the last metre, as I had managed to step down and was about to lift the bike down after me – said bike refused. A hefty branch had come out of nowhere and stuck its fingers between the bike’s spokes, halting it very effectively.

That took quite a bit of time to disentangle.

Even Richard, who often walks the dog in the general area, had no idea where I had been.

Otherwise, we spent the first week busily unpacking the house and catching up on huge machine-loads of washing. The ironing, of course, is another matter… I may be finished by Christmas.

Not joking. Having got back to school for a day, I found myself taking on supply in Year 6 for a colleague away ill. Diving in at the beginning of term wasn’t ideal for me or for the children, disappointed not to be getting ‘their’ new teacher, but they are a lovely class and we all got on well together. It was a bit of a juggling act with my usual day and a half, but the weather was kind and I enjoyed being back in the classroom with agreeable children, teaching a variety of subjects – including P.E., organised by my lovely colleague Pete who gave me lesson plans and great ideas. I had taught all the children before in their way up the school, so it all seemed quite easy. What was especially lovely was that the management were very grateful to me for stepping in, going as far as to give me a card and a huge bunch of flowers. Quite unnecessary, but much appreciated.

All useful pocket money… so we decided to go to Tanzania in December to see Finn and his parents. Deep breath – the flights were three times the price we paid for them just after Covid – but it seemed a good opportunity.

In other news: I hosted a ladies breakfast, after an eighteen month gap. There were a dozen of us – almost too many to fit in the dining room, but the weather was so hot that we sat outside, although we needed to retreat into the shade as the morning progressed. It felt really good to reconnect with friends old and new, gathering together around the table…

We had an ‘old’ friend, Peter, come to visit. His primary purpose was to experience the Guernsey Air Show, which he was able to do in stunningly clear and warm weather. He was absolutely thrilled by it all and hugely appreciative of everything he did, especially the Air Show, the German Occupation Museum and the Little Chapel. We even managed an evening beach barbeque with a marvellous sunset!

And the swimming! Still ‘warm’ – 18 degrees – and so I managed quite a few swims down at Rocquaine, even in the evening after work when it was beginning to get much cooler.  Such wonderful exercise.

The month passed quickly… by the end of it, had almost straightened the house out after the summer away, although still lots of little niggly projects to get done, and a mountain of ironing…as well as dealing with piles of windfalls collected on hedge veg. I expanded my repertoire of apple recipes very rapidly!  The Rugby World Cup had started, so proved to be wonderful entertainment while I got some of these chores underway…and more to come next month.

Autumn hadn’t, yet, arrived. The weather stayed remarkably warm, with some days so hot and sunny that we could sit outside – Wendy and Nicholas were down in Guernsey from Glasgow and we were able to sit on the patio over an alfresco lunch all afternoon, catching up and sharing our lives… a precious friendship. I finished my spell of supply – it had been great fun, with a wonderful class and the added bonus of being able to feel more part of the school and connect with my colleagues on a more regular basis than I am able to normally, only coming in for a day and a half each week. The gardening jobs were slowly completed and I began to catch up with friends once more.

A very different pace from the previous two months, but hugely enjoyable. Being busy is energising. Yet we still had time to enjoy moonlit evenings and see the super-bright morningstar, our house’s namesake, shining in the eastern dawn.

Traffic - me on the bike, and one car - stopped when this friendly moggy occupied the centre of the road. He moved off to greet my bike with ecstatic purrs and much rubbing against the wheels.

Duck jam on my way down the lane.

Pickle sitting outside the guestroom, mournfully hoping that Peter will appear.

It's still summer outside church!

Mercurial March

March came in like a lamb... beautiful weather. Beach weather, even: Kareena and I met for a socially distanced walk at the beach and then ended up sitting by the wall, socially distanced metres apart, for our usual chat and pray.

Teaching online had become a joy, as we had devised a system which gave the children instant feedback on their work and cut down on the many hours of marking. I still worked long days, but was able to take breaks at lunchtime to sit in the sun and relax for a few minutes.

Back at school on 8^th March, so we were up earlier for our morning cycle ride: mine to school, Richard’s to accompany me. One day, he spotted nine buzzards circling together in the air above. It was good to get back to a regular cycling routine.

It was strange to be back at school in our Covid ‘bubbles’ – out of our usual classroom, sitting apart, unable to share books or equipment, only able to use certain areas of the school at certain times. Still, the children were glad to see one another and it was good to reconnect with them after a 7 week break.

However, restrictions lasted for only two weeks until Guernsey reopened on March 22^nd, with plans for further relaxing of border restrictions until later on in the summer. One of our colleagues burst into tears of relief at the news.

But spring has sprung. Daffodils, violets and primroses exploded everywhere, trees and bushes started to come into bud and birds arrived on patio. Robins – 4 at one point; dunnocks; great tits, blackbirds and thrushes; and even a pair of coal tits all visited the bird feeders regularly. A great joy to watch them from the kitchen window....

 ...and out like a lamb, after acting like a lion in the penultimate week. Several days of stormy weather: wind, rain, gales, hail... everything spring has in its wide repertoire was thrown at us. And then came beautiful balmy weather.. a warm wind with bright sunshine raised temperatures into the late teens and the front hallway thermometer registered 35 degrees. 

Sprimg sprang into action big time. 

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...

Just June

June. Mostly a lot of fun, at school and at home. Trips out - down to the Upper School to see a play, great to see my former pupils, almost unrecognisable as a couple of years older.

Threw our caretaker/driver for a loop when he heard me say, 'Don't say the F word in this bus...' Fortnite.

Speechless when The Love of My Life proudly told me he had bought me a robotic vacuum cleaner as a birthday present..

Storm Miguel. From a day of scorching heat and sunshine to a weekend of Storm Miguel, rain battering the windows as if it were autumn. Then a couple more weeks big wind and rain and cold. #whereisthesummer #flamingjuneisadampsquib

Short tempers among the staff from demanding parents.

Cara Grace continues to delight. Ever-smiling, chuckling at the slightest opportunity, she is an incredibly reactive  baby. Loving people, imitating smiles or press-ups with equal enthusiasm - and trying to start to crawl. Delightful - and of course unsuccessful, when you are only just approaching seven months old.  Crawling is a little difficult when you are so laid back and relaxed, but she'll get there. Eventually.

Packing up the house was a busy first couple of weeks, doing our annual tidy away and deep spring clean before the first guests arrived. We took ourselves off to Fauxquets Valley campsite, enjoying the peace and quiet and the opportunity to remind ourselves of how to live the motorhome life once more. The little, solar-heated pool was fun, although the first few days were grey, cloudy, foggy, rainy and sometimes warm...not June weather at all, really. But then... summer arrived!  27 degrees, hot, sunny, a delight. #Guernseyatitsbest

Pickle, of course, loves van life. Not so keen on the friendly resident collies. One dared to appear at the door of the motorhome our first morning, casually saying hello, but Pickle would have none of it. I'll gloss over the details, but fur flew and the collie kept its distance. 20 metres, to be exact. 'High Noon' occurred regularly as both dogs stared each other down for twenty minutes or so...

Not only that, but Pickle then developed a grudge against another 'Patterdale' (a dubious claim: the small hairy black dog looked like Hairy Maclary, the hero of Cara's beloved board book).  She had to be kept on a VERY short lead...

And another delight: exploring all kinds of unknown lanes and tracks as we navigated around the campsite: including my daily trek to school. #gettingtoknowGuernsey.

Awesome October

OK, not alliteration but it sounds a bit similar.  The WEATHER!  20 degrees or thereabouts for the first half of the month – hot sun riding shotgun with warm winds from the south. Positively balmy. My only problem has been having to be in a classroom all day...
Sunrise...

                                                                                  ...Sunset

Still, we managed to get some surfing in on the back of a hurricane in the Atlantic – good waves, great fun. I wasn’t so sure about the 7.30am Sunday morning surf, though – it was pouring with rain, massive puddles across the roads as the drains were blocked with leaves – as it was really quite stingy on the face. Not that I noticed after a few minutes... just trying not to get dumped on the sand by the waves. Super exercise.

The garden has still looked great. At the beginning of the month we chopped down and dug up one of the cabbage palms – the smallest, near the garden patio – as it had died. It really was a ‘we’ – the Gardener (also Handyman/Plumber/Carvalet/Carmechanic etc etc) used the kango to dig up the root but it kept getting stuck in the woody fibres so I had to help pull it out and unstick it.  I then managed to persuade him to let me plant an apple tree, a long-held desire, which is now growing there in its place. Hopefully it will survive. I’d still like to get another tree or two... have my eye on a spot on the kitchen patio where a cotoneaster died after the winter. The fuchsias have still been flowering madly, giving up just in time to welcome the nerines - the Guernsey lily - shining pinkly, almost fluorescent, in patches.

And there are still tomatoes...and jars and jars of chutney...

And breakfast with friends:

Of course, it turned wet and windy halfway through the month, but really, it didn’t matter. Pickle still enjoyed napping in the window.

Good news from Cat and Andy on the other side of the world: Andy found a job in Auckland; finished his master's a month early; and they moved into a house, sharing with Andy's sister and Cat's dear friend Bex. Now, just waiting for Baby to arrive next month...

Jonny and Adele enjoyed half term camping on the Tanzanian coast...

Meanwhile, at home, half term was rapidly approaching, bringing with it the prospect of a breather: off to England for the motorhome’s yearly check. A good excuse to catch up with friends and family...

The biggest excitement for me, though, was an invitation to a tea party at Buckingham Palace. No, not with the Queen. More next month....