Ad Libbing The Day

Oh my, this Guernsey Literary Festival is taking a firm hold of me, but in a nice way. 

I haven't even had a chance to tweak and release almost-ready-to-go posts.  But here I am this morning, before the next busy day kicks in.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Liberation Day has morphed into the island's National Day and is a day of joyous celebration.  Yet as I grow older, it becomes less about the party and more about quiet reflection. 

I relate more to the hardships and traumas experienced by my forebears, especially the previous couple of generations of which I have direct knowledge.

I have a greater understanding of the suffering and the significance of events. 

I see our history with an older person's eyes, I expect.  And it fills me with sadness. 

Because as human beings we are capable of such good and great things,

yet the cruel, callous, greedy, authoritarian and senseless actions of the few touch the lives of the many and create everlasting damage.

We as a species can do so much better than that.

But my ad libbing from the heart is not what you've popped in for, eh peeps?!

Quiet reflection doth not a day of celebration make.

So let's reflect on Lib Day and the bit when the tears were wiped away and the weather was glorious.

Albeit a trifle windy.  Looking dangerously close to having a Camilla-do!

We enjoyed a lovely walk in the sun to the restaurant, wishing "Happy Liberation Day" to fellow walkers as we went our merry way to La Reunion.  Our posher local restaurant.



Hair at La Reunion

And hair before La Reunion.

The view from said posh local - La Reunion's windows in summer. 

This pretty panorama has been hiding behind winter's blackout.

The Photographer wore his best Woolovers cashmere merino pullover. 

Men wear pullovers, we ladies wear jumpers.  Dunno why.

There was much to peruse on the superb menu.

A close up of my old East bracelet.  I made such a bad job of photographing it recently that I had to give it a another go.  I wanted to show you its aqua, turquoise and green Greenery gloriousness.  There's so much going on in this small space of arm decoration.

I wore a Next charcoal jersey top and white jeans so I thought the turquoise jewellery would perk up the OOTD.  Did it?
Of course, flatties were a must for the walk and my Clarks metallic tied nudes fit the bill just perfectly.
And the back-up Zara leoprint scarf to drape over shoulders if restaurant or walk became chilly.



And now we must start the food shots.  Because the food at our destination restaurant is always so pretty.

A delicious pea and Sark asparagus soup, freshly baked bread and Guernsey butter.

I have to say, I could have walked away after this course, so good and so satisfying was it.

So we asked for a lonnnnng pause after the soup to allow us to do the next course some justice.  

Like manage to eat it!

We sipped a glass of sauvignon blanc with the more than slightly twee name "Parlez Vous". 

We soaked in the views.  And we parlezed together.  Lots.



 Then after that very long pause we felt we were finally ready to head on to the main course.

I had a starter-size of crab prepped in a super-fresh way, with magical things done with Orange, Fennel, Oregano and Ginger.

The Photographer's main was a freshly caught half local lobster, served "Hot in Garlic with A House Salad and Jersey Royals.

(OK you caught me out, as you can see them in the pic I ordered a side of chunky chips too!)

The added bonus was that I couldn't finish the crab so half of it went home with me in an hermetically sealed bag as I had a cunning plan.  We could enjoy "doggy bag" crab sarnies the next day.  And we did. 😅


We declined any form of pud, of course.  We ordered double espressos as we couldn't manage one more morsel.

Yet more morsels came.  And manage them we did.

The coffees came with handmade goodies.  Something in white choc and coconut, already devoured :-), prosecco jellies and chocolate fondants. 

We parlezed to fellow diners. A lot.  Then had a pleasant walk home, along the coast, along the lanes.

We could have headed into town to soak in some atmosphere.   Enjoy the celebrations, the activities and entertainment laid on each year.

Maybe enjoy a rousing performance in the island's concert hall.

Perhaps stick around for the fireworks.

But we'll leave all of that till next year.  Instead we went home and flopped, because we could.  

These Liberation Day shots tell a story about life.  As a pensioner, I feel like I'm at the sit-down in concert hall stage! 

And that is exactly what I am did after il wrote this piece.

I dashed off to see Claire Balding at St James' Concert Hall and hear all about her new book as part of our Guernsey Literary Festival extravaganza.

A la perchoine.