Not a very profitable couple of days. I decided to fit some guttering to the summer house, it’s only been waiting for two years, and during this time all the water has just run off the side and made an awful mess of the woodwork. So I went for a rummage round B&Q and found some suitable 76mm half round stuff that was specifically for sheds and summer houses. Great! I thought, and spent thirty quid on a selection of fittings and fixtures.
I couldn’t wait to get home and begin the installation. Having assembled half I decided to do a water test and tipped over a bucket of water on the roof…Without getting too technical, the overhang was too great and the guttering was too small so the result was that the water went straight over the top…
Today I took it all down and spent forty quid on a larger size, and it’s perfect…
Does anyone want some grey 76mm half round guttering?..…
Thanks Myrtle and Mags, just caught up with your good wishes on the goodnight thread Mags…:-D…Just this netbook to go in and I’m ready for the off. It’s a bit windy here so I hope the pilot knows what he’s doing. Mrs Fox is winding herself up into a crescendo, with the washer and tumble dryer going, it’s like being back in the factory…‘Bugger it’ is what I say.
Anyway, it’s about an hours drive to the airport and we fly at half one, so all you people who live down south, the Sopwith Camel that’s just flown over could be me…No fancy Jet Passenger Aircraft for Channel Island Air, it’s seat of your pants and roger that chaps…:shock::shock::shock:…See you all on the other side…Hopefully!..
No problems getting to the airport on time but apparently the captain did…so we were about an hour late getting up into the air. Didn’t notice the strong wind until we came into land and the captain wasn’t as delicate as he could have been. Anyway, it didn’t take us long to collect all the luggage from the fields adjacent to the runway, sorting it out took a little more time.
It’s our seventh visit to this hotel, and it’s like coming home, everything is where we left it. Surfermom…with a strong westerly the sea looks very choppy indeed although a more accurate appraisal will be done tomorrow when we visit St Peter Port (the capital) for my usual Crab Salad. There’s this Greek bloke who makes the best Crab Salads I’ve ever tasted.
There’s a Farmers Market in the morning at Sausmarez Manor, but to be honest Mrs Fox only goes for the Bric a Brac stalls, and I go for the pies…Good job I’m a runner. I keep getting pestered to talk to some of the other guests now so I’ll have to go…
As far as the hard landing, now you understand why it’s never a good idea wish someone who is flying, “May the road rise up to meet you…” At least you knew you had arrived.
While the surf report is a bit disappointing with all that chop, it will likely be calmer in the morning should you decide to rent a wetsuit and a nine foot longboard ;-). Regardless, it sounds like you and Mrs. Fox have a marvelous, adventuresome day planned. Just remember, “All pies and no play makes Jack a dough boy…” or something like that…
Thanks Surfermom, I’ll certainly give the nine foot longboard some consideration…But at the moment I’m digesting a full English breakfast so I’d probably sink like a stone…
This was yesterday’s ‘Mode of Transport’ and as you can see, the airline only managed to acquire it after Mr Churchill had finished with it…
This is the view from our bedroom window, over the gardens and out to sea. It’s pitched dark once the sun goes down and perfect for stargazing, I’ve never seen so many. Mrs Fox reckoned she saw a shooting star last night before we went to sleep, more like the effects of a G&T…:-D…The view is looking due South, so I wonder if Surfermom would explain what exactly we should be looking at…Starwise…:shock:
Hopefully you have come to the right place :-). This works not just for Guernsey, but generally most of the UK:
To get your bearings, look low in the sky facing south about 9:30 your time. I will introduce the lower part of the sky tonight:
1 Saturn: Fairly close to the horizon, SSW will be the brightest object in your southern view, slightly SSW, Saturn!
Antares: If you catch it before it sets around nine, look right and towards (down) the horizon from Saturn and you will see the star Antares (which is part of the tail of Scorpio, most of which has already set below the horizon).
Sagittarius: Also along the horizon, l but SSE (to your left and down) from Saturn, you will find the constellation Sagittarius (the archer). It is easiest to see by looking for the shape of a teapot. The teapot forms the body of the archer who is facing right. Here:
Milky Way: You should also be able to see the Milky Way as a band running diagonally high from your left (SSE), down towards the horizon to the right (SSW), cutting through the spout of the teapot in Sagittarius. If you are having trouble finding that spot, it may because the Milky Way appears to be so bright that it obscures some of the spout. Why?
Center of our galaxy: Just to the right of the spout of the teapot and more or less between the spout and Saturn tonight is the densest part of the Milky Way - and the center of our galaxy. At that center is a supermassive black hole!
Before you go in, look up and to your left (SSE), you might another bright star, Altair. I’ll guide you to some more interesting spots based on that start tomorrow.
Thanks Myrtle, yes it is a good view and you don’t even have to get out of bed to see it…:-D:-D:-D
Brilliant, thanks Surfermom, at the moment (5:30p.m.) there are a few cumulus clouds drifting along just above the horizon and a sort of thin high cloud that you can see through. It might be possible to see the brighter stars you have pointed out later, but hopefully the cloud just might have cleared by the time it gets dark…
This is Mrs Fox shooing away the pigeons from the gardens, how many times do I have tell her to stop being so dramatic……Actually, it’s one of the sculptures in the grounds of Sausmarez Manor when we visited the farmers market there this morning…
All that walking around the grounds, and then the two mile walk into St Peter Port I needed to take on some food, so this delicious Crab Salad did the trick…Shopping…Bring it on…
Mrs. Fox appears to be in fine form, and that lunch is making us hungry. The weather and scenery look spectacular!
Thank you for allowing us to vicariously enjoy your holiday at less expense and fewer calories :-D. Ah, but there is nothing like the real thing - I hope the fun continues!
So what did you do today Robert?..:-p
Oh…Thanks for asking…
Woke around six and was on the road for half past. Cloudy but fine, I set off down the lane for a six and a half mile run. Don’t let anyone tell you that Guernsey is mostly flat. After about a mile and a half of undulating running it drops steeply down George Road to the sea front. It’s so difficult not to overspeed while descending, and if your knees are a problem, forget it, it’s the worst direction of travel for faulty knees. Fortunately mine are just fine and managed to arrive at the bottom unscathed.
A large cruise ship was anchored in the bay, and the road along the seafront had been closed for the day to allow stallholders to peddle their wares to the passengers, from Jewelry and Pottery to Thai Food and Burgers, all with chips of course… I ran past before they came ashore, and had the whole road to run down, quite a luxury when you consider how busy it gets with traffic on a normal day.
Now the fun part begins, as you turn into St Julian’s Avenue you are faced with the steepest of climbs, even the local bus struggles on this hill. I adjusted my pace and dug in and managed to keep running the mile and a half to where it levels out before another mile of a slightly less arduous challenge. I was now running through St Martin, a small village on the outskirts of St Peter Port and about a mile from the hotel.
On previous years while doing this route I noticed that it was slightly shy of six miles to the hotel so instead of making a right turn to the hotel, I carried on past to a monument high on a mound and yes, more climbing. So after retracing my last half mile I arrived back at the hotel and clocked up six point six…That will do for today.
Mrs Fox wanted to visit the seafront market, so after breakfast we walked the two miles down into Peter Port and spent a few hours perusing the stalls. The Thai food tasted as good as it looked and we both tucked into a bowl of Thai Green Curry before deciding to take the cliff path (5 miles and plenty of steps) back to the hotel…
The weather has been very good for walking today, mostly cloudy and dull with the occasional sunny spell, but after dinner we decided to have an early night and as I write this it’s absolutely bucketing it down…
Stargazing was a bit ‘Hit and Miss’ last night with cloud obscuring the magic that laid behind. However, on a frequent toilet visit during the night, I looked out of the window and was amazed to see a clear sky absolutely bristling with stars. Unfortunately, it was in the early hours and I knew this mornings run would be a testing one so I couldn’t give it the attention I would have liked…
Most of the hotel guests were complaining that all the bus seats had been taken up by the cruise ship passengers, and this was the reason why. The P&O ship Azura…Coincidentally, I’ve just booked a fourteen day cruise round the Caribbean for next year on this very ship…:-D:-D:-D
The undulating coast path back to the hotel passes this beautiful little oasis complete with a cafe’ serving tea and Blueberry Muffins…;-)…Well it would be rude not to…
Thoroughly enjoying the writeups. Noble of you to take a break from the adventures to check in! What an absolutely fascinating location, evidenced by your photos.
What a shame about the surf! I know you must be terribly, terribly disappointed :-p. A quick seach on my surf app indicates the the best surf spot is Vazon Bay on the east side. Lovely spot in this photo with the fort beyond. I hope you stopped long enough to “smell the roses”…breathe, soak it all in…
Mixing up the running from the usual at home is very, very good for you. Are you tracking your heart rate with all those uphill climbs? You two have clearly earned your curries with all the walking - the cliff trail (love the sound of it) especially, but I would guess that the vistas are worth it! Good of you to be sampling all the local fare; I had no idea, for example, that Thai food came from Guernsey. When in Rome…. (As if anyone could ever pass by the enticing aroma of a Thai kitchen).
It sounds like a very walking friendly place and the seafront market looks lovely with the interesting architecture, planters, and well-maintained streets.
Keep an eye on those stars. They put on their show every night, it’s just that sometimes they forget to raise the curtain…
Thanks for your comments Surfermom, it’s refreshing to know that someone is enjoying my blogs…Before I get bombarded with protests from disgruntled readers, I know that there are my regulars out there and I thank you also from the bottom of my heart…:-D:-D:-D
Guernsey is indeed a beautiful place with it’s clean well maintained streets and gorgeous hideaway sandy beaches. The climate does tend to be a little moist on occasions but the benefits of that is indicated by the beautiful floral displays and plants that grow wild in the hedgerows that I have trouble growing in my more northerly garden. Having said that though, it’s usually warm even when it’s raining…
Vazon bay is located on the North side of the Island and although it is blessed with beautiful sandy beaches, it is relatively flat with sand dunes instead of cliffs and the coast path usually joins the road for long stretches. Whereas the South side of the island (where we are) has jagged rocks jutting out to sea with high cliffs with secluded little sandy beaches which usually have a tearoom nestling in the bottom, much more interesting…
After last nights heavy rain we awoke to a thick mist obscuring the sea view. We intend to walk the five miles along pretty green lanes and paths to the other side of the island this morning to discover the large Garden Centre (Friquet Garden Centre) that has an exceptional restaurant and then we’ll walk the couple of miles down into St Peter Port.
It’s been rumoured that tomorrow is going to be very sunny and hot, so perhaps a day by the pool and some reading…
Ive been on the Azura a few times OGF in fact I’m on it in November to the Caribbean. You may have been on it before so I might be out of order here but if I can give you one tip it’s as soon as you board the very first thing to do is go up to the spa and book retreat for your whole 14 days.
They only accept 28 couples, it’s not cheap about £150 each but it’s worth every penny. You have your own private deck area so no looking for sun beds, access to a small pool private waiters lunch served alfresco on private tables in the retreat area, honestly it’s so worth the money it turns a big ship into small boutique luxury. I love the Caribbean hope you have a great time
Thanks Summer, that sounds like a good idea. We’ve been on the Ventura which we understand is the sister ship and if I recall we did see something on one of the upper decks called ‘The Retreat’ and obviously were refused entry but I didn’t know why or what it was so thanks for the advice…
The cold breeze has abated and our walk across the island to the garden centre turned out to be most enjoyable. The only problem is, that some of the roads are very narrow with no footpath and with high banks on either side there is nowhere to go when a speeding vehicle zooms around the corner…:shock:…We did manage to arrive safely and enjoyed a ham salad baguette before making our way down into St Peter Port for a well earned ice cream…
Oh, how pretty! I can’t decide whether the best approach would be to sprint through there with all one’s might, or scoot…sideways…facing the hedge as closely as possible…arms spread…repeating, like a mantra, “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me, don’t hit me…”
Clearly, the dangers the Foxes were willing to risk just to earn a ham sandwich were nothing less than heroic.
Summer, your suggestion regarding retreat on the Azura is a fantastic tip!
It never ceases to amaze me…When running steep hills how the body cries out for rest and the legs turn to jelly, you think ‘This is the end!’ but once the road levels out and the legs and pace return to normal you are so glad that you didn’t sercombe and a small victory has been achieved. And so it was on this mornings seven (yes seven) mile run……
That beautiful country road that was the scene of yesterday’s walk, was the scene of this mornings run Surfermom, I went a little bit further just to take it in…Although the pace was a deal faster than yesterday, I couldn’t describe it as a ‘Sprint’…But at six a.m. just as the sun was rising there was hardly any traffic…:-D:-D:-D…Let Tuesday begin…
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. (As if anyone could ever pass by the enticing aroma of a Thai kitchen).