Guernsey - Day 2

Day 2 - Up before sunrise - 5.30 a.m.  Just on daybreak we walked to St Martins Village to find the Co-op, which we did and M&S Simply Food - which we didn't.  Its Sunday anyway and the shops are closed. 

We were toying with the idea of walking to St Peters Port but were told it was quite rural for the whole route.  So we started to walk from St Martins Village towards St Peters Port, but hadn't got far when a No. 11 bus came along, so hailed that instead and bought a seven day travel pass for each of us.

We thanked our lucky stars that we hadn't walked as the descent to the harbour was a steep winding road with no footpaths.  Later in the day we realised this was a detour because the sea front of St Peters Port was closed for the round the island marathon and cycle race. 

 

There were no crowds, just a handful of onlookers for the event.  I believe the Marathon was 26 miles.  The cycling was just on the sea front.  The children's cycling was fun to watch.  One little chappy, not very old, was a long way behind and everyone was cheering him on and even an adult joined him to encourage him to keep going.

 

We wandered around the piers to make notes of where we needed to board the ferries for our trips to Sark and Herm.

 



 

The tide today was quite high. 





It is now around 8.00 am

We wandered down to where the Ferry to Sark would depart and watched the 8 a.m. ferry leave with very few people on board.

We had some time before we were due to catch the No. 91 for a round the island trip.  So we popped into The Yacht Hotel on the sea front for a cup of tea.  The best cup of tea I tasted and a huge cup too and very reasonably priced.

Afterwards we walked over to another pier, where the Bumble Bee departs.  We were hoping to buy a ticket to visit Alderney in the week, but could not find their ticket office.  As it was we run out of time, so would not have been possible.

Around 9.30 a.m. we then headed for the temporary bus terminus.  Whilst the events were on, the buses were stopping further down in this car park.  The No. 91 (round the island) bus was due to leave at 10 a.m.

No bus driver?  He had slipped away for a nature call. 

The temporary loos over there in blue - seemed to be doing a roaring trade.

 

 

 

The driver on the round the island bus service was very entertaining.  It was an ordinary bus service but most of the passengers were tourists anyway.

 

 

Back at the Terminus, we boarded the No. 11 back to the apartment for a late lunch and watched other guests enjoying a dip in the pool. 

 



7 days holiday.....in Guernsey.

Apart from about three or four weekends where we stayed in a cottage and I went off and did my own thing and he stayed back to walk across the fields or watched TV, we never been on holiday together. 

So a few weeks ago he said "how about we make that trip to Guernsey.....and Sark.....and Herm - places we wanted to go when we married in the 1970s and never did.

Now I hate holidays where you pack your bags, arrive at your destination and awake the next morning and say "what shall we do today".  I have to have each day planned, what time to get up through to the end of the day and what fares and food we eat.  Big job...

But first to choose the airline - back forth, back forth between the three airlines, I then decide on Fly be, the cheapest fare, which means your bag has to be such and such size to fit in the cabin.  I had purchased two that said "Cabin Friendly" but when i measured them, I was a cm too much - or was I?  The bump on top did that measure 2 cms high, will it fit in their sizer???  

So it went on for over an hour - when I decided I must purchase the bigger size and pay more for fare - or shall I take the chance. 

Thats it I am taking the chance!  We are packing for a seven day holiday - I even bought a set of scales so I got the measurements right.  On this ticket we are allowed 10 Kgs.  I need not worry, my one was 6.5 and hubby's was 7.5 Kg. 

There are washers and dryers where we are going and since the weather forecast was good, I was able to dry the washing on the clothes line during the day. I don't like TV so watching the washing move round was more entertaining for me!

The flight leaves on Saturday, 11 am.  We need to catch a train first, but "Oh no" not direct routes to the Airport on that day - rail works all day!  The man in the ticket office suggested we leave at 5 a.m. train - but that was a bit too early, so I decided to see if I can book up a Guest House for Friday night.  Nope......all the close ones are all booked up because of a Boat event!!

As luck would have it I found one, just 1.5 miles walk from the train station - or was it?  Blisters later we arrived with a warm welcome and shown to our room.  Not bad, the breakfast was good, but what are we eating for tea - no decent shops or restaurants in the area, so we put up with a yoghut and a piece of fruit a couple of dry pieces of bread, washed down with a cup of tea.

Day 1- Up at 7 a.m. for an early breakfast - full English Breakfast and very nice too and then the long walk back to the  Central Station. A short 7 min  train ride takes us to the Airport.  Oh yes we had to wait but it was worth it to familiarise yourself to an airport.  I was worried that the bags were too big but of course they weren't.

Off we go - hold tight - this is my worst bit - taking off - "Oh for goodness sake be quiet I am concentrating" - 20 mins later we are descending.  My ears are popping big time.  With a big bump and the brakes full on I am gradually sliding off the seat.  "We are here!".

"Taxi"?  My husband asks, I say "No" the bus from the Airport goes right across the top of the lane, we can catch that instead.  I had done my research, I wasn't paying any more than I had to. And it was only 3 mins walk from the main road.

Here we are:

The ground floor apartment was lovely - overlooking the pool - hot sun every day and guess what I forgot to bring my swimsuit!!!

And look what was on the work top, a Guernsey Gache.  So delicious we bought another during the week from the local shop (Iceland).

Always a castrophe isn't there.  When we did a bit of food shopping, I bought one of those salt grinders, and the lid wasn't tightened properly even though it was clingwrapped.  And my first cooked meal was ruined, smothered in salt granules on hubby's plate.

I couldn't think of anything else other than swap plates - and threw "mine" out and said I wasn't hungry!  I would just have a small piece of Gache with Guernsey Butter instead.

An early night and our holiday begins.......

Just watching us........

to come out of our back door.  Right at the bottom of the garden on next doors shed roof.  You can wave your hands about, you can talk to them, you can even creep up to them as long as you duck down so they can't see you.

The one on the left mimicks you. You stand up, he raises his head, you crouch down, my husband tells me he crouches down too. So obviously likes a little game.

This picture was taken some yards away, not a brilliant picture because I just can't hold a camera steady these days.  This was taken in the middle of the day - it is chilly outside and not much sun.

Unfortunately, we have a den at the bottom of the garden.  We have been told we are lucky.  Not so lucky when they do dig up the potatoes whilst burrowing into the ground.  Those holes are deep and big. You have to be so careful when walking through the vegetable patch that the ground does not collapse under you and you are knee deep in one of the holes.  Luckily we haven't landed on a sleeping fox under the ground!

On occasions a fox or two have sat watching my husband tending to his vegetables in the early evening.  As long as they are in that part of the garden and happy, then they can continue to live there.  I am sure they do come up to the house during the night, as there is evidence they have been about.

Generations have come and gone over the last twenty years....no doubt they will continue to do so.

Busy busy.....

Yes I have been very busy these past few months.  I have to keep reminding myself, that I am retiring........and time to do some fun things in life.  I work for myself so I have a choice, but I haven't yet learnt the word "No".  So "busy" I mean still working!

I made a decision last week and that is to have my website taken off the world wide web.  Its gone, the content now tucked away in a drawer somewhere, but not advertising me any more. What a great start, the feeling you get when you have cleared out your wardrobe and given away all your stuff to charity. 

So what do I plan to do with this spare time.  First I have to finish some work for a client, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, so not long now that things will be ticking along nicely for him and very little input from me.

Which means I can now start on my own home projects again. 

This table - bought it off ebay about 18 months ago, painted the top and put it into use.  Decided last week to finish it.

Not bad - could be better.  Forgot I used a cream paint before, and picked up country beige instead, which turned out to be darker.  This table will be used in one of the bedrooms as a desk.

Then I popped out and bought a shed for the garden.  I wanted one that was well made and easy to put together by the two of us.

 

I don't like the colour!

So I painted it Sherwood green.....

What a difference it makes......


Tomorrow I paint two walls in someone's flat and then get on with another home project for me.........