Christmas Guernsey

Am going against the popular trend today, I dont like Christmas jumpers!

I dont want a jumper than can only be worn for a couple of weeks a year.......and

 they tend to be squeaky acrylic, just so not my thing, sorry.

But last week Chris had a Christmas jumper day at work and we didnt want to look Bah Humbug, 

so I put my creative thinking cap on.

and ta dah came up with a Christmas Guernsey!!!!!

Our island is famous for fisher mens jumpers 

and Chris lives in his Guernsey, so I decorated it.

Paper stars were placed round the neckline, to use as a guide,

 then I chain stitched round in coloured metallic embroidered thread.

I decided that five was too many.

So Chris has a four star Guernsey, have to say I was rather pleased with it!

My reluctant model.

Bouan Noue every one xxxx

(Happy Christmas in Guernsey French)

cake and cheese

 In November I mentioned cooking my christmas cake well, ta dah, its done!

And well yesterday we tucked in with gusto, I don't ice my cake any more, as I now like to eat cheese with fruit cake.  And icing and cheese really don't mix.....

Thank you Delia as always delicious!

preping for next Sunday!

 Guess what next Sunday is?!

Yes its the Polar Bear Swim,

 oh and also a popular holiday....

...and as it was such a beautiful morning with very little wind, 

it was perfect for a preparation swim.

But once at the bathing pools it became apparent that because of the high spring tides hitting the outside walls of the pools, the swell in the Ladies Pool with big and strong.

 alot better in the Children's Pool next door

 So in we went!

Well Chris chucked himself in head first and I went for a more dignified approach,

 down the steps, that is after I found them under the swell. 

No excuse, but I like to keep my head dry.

 He's ok!

 I know you lot wont believe me, but it is surprisingly mild still.  You don't want to stay in for ages, but it is so exhilarating, and really makes you feel alive and buzzing

 Its the waves that got me out, call me a wimp but I just don't like getting a face full of sea water, especially in mid December.

But that obviously isn't something that worries Chris!

Right time for a fry up!!

a sausage cabbage rose!

 Chris and I have got totally hooked on a cook book by Caroline Conran Sud de France .  

Its brilliant, full of delicious and exciting recipes, unusual combination such as chicken with almonds, but they all work! They challenged us a bit, but not too much, our sauces are improving!  

One that caught our eye was stuffed cabbage.  Now usually you associate that with individual leaves wrapped round something delicious, but this was a whole cabbage!

You start by blanching the whole head and then slowly and carefully peel back the leaves.

Till your cabbage really does look like a cabbage rose!

Then you cut the small heart and replace it with a stuffing of sausage meat, chard and seasoning.

Then you fold the leaves back with another layer of stuffing between each leaf. 

Tie up the cabbage like a parcel and place it in a foil sling (easier to remove) and place in a casserole with stock, and cook it gently.

The finished piece looked positively historic, very impressive.

And you serve it in wedges like a cake with a tomato sauce.  It would look very splendid being carried steaming to the dinner table!

The cabbage is delicious, subtle but very tasty and surprisingly light.

What have the Child Catcher and Goldfinger got in common?

 Ian Flemming!

As well as all his very famous series of books - James Bond, he also wrote one children's book, which now is more famous as a film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!!!!

 I was in our local bookshop when I saw this elegant little book by 'Macmillan Collector's Library'. 

 I must admit, I had never realized that CCBB was anything other than a film script, 

let along that it was written by the great Ian Flemming. 

 Its beautifully presented, with an embossed hard back cover under the fly sheet.  

So it came home with me.

 Well it a very well written story and very enjoyable,  but to say that Hollywood took 

liberties with the story is the understatement of the year! 

 The beginning is very close, but then it all changes, 

different countries, different plots and very different baddies.  

Shock Horror - The Child Catcher doesn't exist!!!!

I certainly will be able to sleep easier at night.......

a November swim

The dreadful weather promised this weekend doesn't seem to have appeared, so yesterday morning Chris and I headed down for a swim.

And we werent the only ones, the changing rooms were heaving, those these guys were alot more hard core than me!  They were heading out to swim a route between the rock markers, they would be out for at least half an hour, not for me!

we prefer to wallow in the pools, its usually calmer, but yesterday the waves were still coming over, must still be Spring tides.

So a bit of a choppy one, but we are now in that strange situation when its warmer in the sea that out, 13 degrees as apposed to 10....

Chris needed the open water fix so did the little shunt between the pools, always alittle tricky when you actually swimming over the railings and the diving board is below the water!

and straight into the hot shower, but a winter swim is better than any coffee I know!

Stunningly dramatic skies

Then home to start the Christmas cake, I do Delia's Creole Cake where you marinate the dried fruit in rum, brandy, port, bitters and cherry brandy for a week, so the house is smelling incredible and I am feeling all toasty!

A memory map

A brilliant commission came my way this summer,

one that got me excited and inspired,

a moment of thinking why hadn't I thought of something like that!

A close friend of a very old friend of mine was leaving the island

and so she (and the rest of their gang) wanted to give

her and her family something to remember their time here. 

So that is how the Memory map started. 

Guernsey with places and events that were special to them. 

Then as it was from a whole group of friends, we marked each of their homes with a red circle and got them to each right a message which I then embroidered. 

Some the things featured included....

the Sark boat heading out of St Peter Port as they were huge fans of The Sark Folk Festival....

....little G-Joey coming into land......

.....ice creams on the beach.......

....our flag (will always chuck in some history if I can!).....

.....Torteval Scarecrow Festival, the reservoir and just in the image, the Hanois lighthouse...

....and just over the Cup and Saucer (Fort Grey) is a stork bringing one of their daughters home

(the other stork is flying into the hospital).

And just under the baby bundle you might just be able to make out the Table de Pion or Fairy Ring.

I did so enjoy this commission and very pleased it has been well received in its new home xxx 

being a fan!

You may remember a while back I did a blog post on this beautiful book

Well any way, a couple of weeks ago I go an email from the artist Jean-Loup and his wife Florence to say they were in Guernsey for a few days and would like to come in and see my Gallery.

Wow, this guy is a seriously good water colourist, very excited.

So I made sure I had my copy of the book in the gallery

so that when ever they popped in I would be ready!

And I was, and I got more than a asked for, not just an autograph but a beautiful little sketch,

so chuffed!

 really lovely couple, so lovely to meet them.

and I even heard rumours that there might be another book in the pipeline........

Chartres

A couple of weeks ago Chris and I had a long weekend in France, that started with a night in Chartres, a city neither of us had visited before
Its full of beautiful medieval buildings, but what makes it one of the most popular places to visit in France is the cathedral.  Its the most complete Gothic Cathedral in existence, and it is stunning!

 

And we were lucky to be there for the last weekend of the Lumiere which runs all summer.

 

The lighting display is absolutely mesmerizing, its a work of art in its self, flowing naturally from one image into another, quite beautiful. 

All of this magic was being projected from a small window above the Tourist Information Office.

But it wasn't just the cathedral but twenty other buildings over the whole city, including bridges and river side wash houses......

.......now wouldn't it be amazing to have something like this on Town Church ?