Resets

Hello my lovelies!

Summer, are we on a break?  I’m sorry I occasionally got a bit huffy about your heat these past few month, but it wasn't often  and it meant nothing. 

Grande Havre

Yes peeps, our summer temperature dropped about 10-15c degrees off its high in the last week or so.  Even too cold for white jeans.  Last week's walking gear comprised of a vest, a top and an unzipped gilet.  In June!

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So summer, please come back, I’m missing our happy times together.


And I hope the rain stays off for my walk to the pub tonight.  This will be my second Friday night at the local and it's become a new post-Covid thing.  A sort of back-to-basics reset.

I've reset my grocery shopping back to times of yore too, and made other tweaks to my day-to-day too.
More on that in another post.

 Have you done any resetting as lockdown eases?



A la perchoine,
Mary x.

#grandehavre #rousseguernsey #grandehavreguernsey #guernsey #guernseyliving #guernseylife

Exit Stage 4!

Hello my lovelies!

Listening to our Chief Minister @gavinstpier’s lunchtime chats has become a Thing for island families, akin to huddles around the crystal set during the occupation.  

Friday’s was a game changer.  Announcing Stage 4 of Lockdown Exit. .

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Yesterday hairdressers were a-clippin’ at 12.01am. 

 Restaurants opened somewhat later.  

And fireworks 💥 were a-poppin’ in last night’s sky.  

Heck, even a spaceship passed by! .

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Yup, there was quite a buzz about the place for this stage in the exit process. .

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But I’ll miss the stone towers.

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A la perchoine,

Mary x. 

P. S.  I was quite proud of today’s post title, it’s a play on Top Cat’s exit stage left catch phrase  - anyone remember that?!

#guernsey #guernseylife #lockdown2020 #covid19 #lockdownexit #coronavirus #stonetowers

Freedom Day

Hello my lovelies.

I missed a day’s posting yesterday as I’ve been totally focused at getting back in hostess mode for my first family meal since lockdown.  I’m super excited.  More on that in another post. 

So today as I rush around doing last minute tweaks to house and garden and food, I will leave you with some pics I took on a recent Freedom Day. 

We allow ourselves an outing once or twice a week as we ease ourselves through the lockdown exit door.  It’s when we drive somewhere for our daily walk, rather than walk around the hood.
 I call these Freedom Days as when we did our first outing a few weeks ago that is exactly how it felt. 

So here, I give you L’Ancresse.  It’s the area I spent most of my school summer holidays pottering about in, so it has plenty of fond memories.

In no particular order, because that is the way the photos decided to upload, here’s L’Ancresse. 

A Martello tower, fortification against attack by Napoleon. 

Fortification ruins from the same period. 

In the far distance, a building that was once Pembroke Bay Hotel, where I worked at weekends and in school holidays from the age of 14.  And where by absolute chance I met The Rolling Stones in 1964, got their autographs on my Reelin and Rockin ep that I’d bought hours before and had with me, and then saw their concert that evening.  I couldn’t make this stuff up!

Fort Le Marchant, another fortification against Napoleon’s forces. 

A rare sight these days, a vapour trail. 

An Arsenal, from the napoleonic period. 

It’s a great bay for swimming, a big sandy bottom!

A German lookout tower, WWII. 

A German bunker, where I used to play as a child.  They’re locked up now. 

Gorse. 

I love how the sun’s heat warms the gorse oil and creates a fabulous perfume that fills the air at this time of year.  My spirit soars!!

Bluebells. 

A la perchoine, 

Mary x. 

Sunrise

Good morning my lovelies!
#nofilterneeded today in for his stunning sunrise over the sea.

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My bro took these -  I was probably just thinking about my first coffee of the day whilst he was out busily snapping!

I'm thankful he shared these symbolic shots with me.

A rising sun, symbolising new beginnings.

Our household bubble is allowed to bubble buddy with three other bubbles as of last weekend.
 I'm over the moon happy and Son's family,  Other Granny and The Pout Bubble have been making up for lost time since Saturday!
We've now had no new cases of Covid-19 in 3 weeks and have just 3 live cases remaining on the island, so let's tippy toe some more on that freedom path!

How are you ok doing on the lockdown exit path?
Is your area tippy toeing too?

A la perchoine,
Mary x.

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#guernsey #guernseylife #veday75 

#veday2020

Jerbourg Point

#nofilterneeded .

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And no words needed either.

Jerbourg Point, Guernsey. .

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I don’t tire of taking pics of the sea.



This was my first drive-to-walk treat as restrictions ease.
I'm allowing myself one of these treats a week as we tippy toe through our Covid-19 exit strategy.

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We've had no new cases in over 2 weeks and just a handful of live cases left.


Are things easing where you are?

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A la perchoine,
Mary x.

#guernsey #guernseylife #jerbourgpoint #seascape

Exiting Lockdown

Happy Tuesday, my lovelies!!

We’re in stage 2 of our lockdown exit strategy. 

Each island household is referred to as a bubble - is that the same where you are?

As of last weekend we can have bubble buddies, mixing with another household bubble. 

It’s a step in the right direction.

Stage 1 a couple of weeks ago was allowing certain businesses to open, such as construction and building suppliers.  An application needs to be made to our government to prove that social distancing can be maintained in the workplace and then, if successful, the firm is registered to commence business. 

There is slightly more traffic on the roads as a result. 

I’ve loved not using the car.   Our groceries and medication are delivered as we’re both over 70.  We have quiet lanes for walks in the immediate neighbourhood and we’re a short walk away from lovely beaches so daily walks have been exclusively on foot and highly enjoyable. 

We’ve only recently taken a car to an exercise spot.  These pics are from the second time we ventured further than our hood, though nowhere is far in Guernsey.  It was the second time I’d been out in a car in about ten weeks and it felt like liberation, like a holiday.  it uplifted my spirits.  But it felt like an isolated outing, a treat, and not something I feel we should do regularly in our new norm, which I happen to like in certain respects.  A pared down life is a great reset. 

Anyway the car needed a good run so we chose here, the other end of the island.  And there’s #nofilterneeded at Jerbourg Point, Guernsey!

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I hope these pics uplifts your day as much as it did mine.


How are you doing in lockdown?

A la perchoine, 

Mary x. 

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#guernsey #guernseylife #jerbourgpoint #seascape #seascapephotography

Renoir's Moulin Huet

Hi my lovelies.

Are you having a splendid August?

I'm sure your days are full like mine and you're finding little time to sit and read whilst the sun is out.  There's something about August that inspires me to live life to the full.  You too? Maybe there's a touch of panic in the air, the feeling that summer is slipping by ...

So I thought I'd just pop in with some pics of what I saw and enjoyed when out walking recently, as some of you have mentioned that you enjoy seeing pics of my home island of Guernsey, so I thought it would be nice to do a few scenic posts this month for you to whisk through when you have a moment or two to spare. 

Let's kick off with Moulin Huet, a bay along our south coast.

The island was celebrating the life of the French impressionist artist Renoir (d. 1919), who visited the island and worked on many paintings of this particular bay during his stay.

To create atmosphere, this charming family walked around the area invoking the spirit of the period.

Frames captured some of the scenes he painted.

From the hilltop tea kiosk.

I felt this pic was of the period, I rather liked it's composition.

No filters are needed when the shallow sea is this beautiful shade of jade.

Every walk must include a coffee and scones, it's the rules!

TP taking a shot through one of the frames positioned around the bay.

I hope you found a few spare moments to take a virtual walk around Moulin Huet.

A la perchoine, 

Mary x.