Asterix

Last weekend my sister was over with some of her school friends,

and on Sunday morning we went down with them to have a walk round Fort Grey.

It was a beautiful day but windy, but nice to be able to show people who hadn't visited before, Guernsey when she is looking her best (Saturday hadn't looked impressive at all! rain).

While we were down there we thought we would pop in to the Shipwreck Museum at Fort Grey,

but these days you need to get your ticket across the road at Guernsey Pearl.

And it was also a chance for me to ticket off one of my 'must do this summer',

which was go and see the roman ship Asterix, which came home last year.

The ship features in the middle of the first panel at the Tapestry. 

I remember it being found in 1982.

You are only aloud to dive in our harbour on Christmas Day, 

because of all the boat traffic the rest of the year, and that is when she was found.

Its thought that over the years as boats into the harbour have got bigger their propellers and bow thrusters had churned up the silt on the sea bed and at last making her visible. 

She has been in Portsmouth for the last 13 years

being restored by the same team that did the Mary Rose,

and its lovely at last to have back, and so close to the Shipwreck Museum, very apt!

You go into a little room, with good information boards in front and to your right

and the left had wall is dark glass.

If you are like myself and my sister,

you cup your hands to the glass and per in, just making out the shape of the ship. 

If you are like Chris, you approach more slowly, realise there is a very big button below the glass window with light written beside it, and press in, it all becomes clear!

I am not sure what the plans are for Asterix, but it is lovely to have her back

Place de Marche

Just a little post today.

Its amazing isn't it how the blindingly obvious can get ignored....

Was sitting in Café Delice this morning having a coffee before work,

enjoying the spring sunshine, and I just thought

'this could easily be France'

it was so beautiful. The Old Quarter of St Peter Port does have a very French feel, but so often we are tearing round in a hurry we forget to see what is right in front of us,

its so important to sit down and enjoy it.

Or as I saw in an office window on the way home last night

' Don't be so busy saving for a rainy day that you forget to enjoy the sunshine!'

I like that.

( oh and I know I should have moved my bag and coat out of the photo, sorry, was too busy enjoying my coffee!)

Greedy Gannets

My creative mojo is flowing again in stich as well as pen!

I wanted to add to my card range and one of my most popular is the Puffin,

so I have decided to concentrate on local seabirds.

My first to be tackled is the Gannet, an amazing bird that

dives head first into the sea at up to 62 miles an hour! 

Over here you tend to see them more round Alderney,

where you find the aptly named Gannet Rock home to 3% of the worlds population of Gannets.

They really are beautiful birds with very distinctive markings round their bills and eyes, perfect for my sort of embroidery.

But the unusual colouring on the backs of the heads

- very soft yellowy peach blending into the white -

proved impossible to achieve with applique and back stitch.

So I resorted to water colours and very slowly built up the layers of colour.

I don't do a lot of water colour, so I dug out my Mums old box, I love it, its so caked in colours, who knows how old some of the pigments are now, after all she has been gone for 20 years!

Really pleased with how he has turned out, right off to the printers and framers, will keep you posted!

sunshine is so liberating!!!!!

I had to share this photo from my walk to work,

I think summer is here!

Socks have gone, and I have the start of a watch mark on my wrist and the freckles are coming on well.  Everything is starting to grow in the garden and the sea is looking tempting rather than challenging!

Also a very good sign for the start of summer in Guernsey is a patriotic bloom of flags,

both the Guernsey flag ( a combination of the red cross of St George and the gold cross of William the Conqueror) and the Union Jack,

which can mean only one thing, Liberation Day!!!!

It wont be as mad as last years 70th Anniversary which saw nearly a third of the islands population crowd into St Peter Port, but its always great fun

and its lovely to see it being publicised in one of my favourite magazines!

If you want more information on 'what's on' on Monday 9th May, have a look here .

The Guernsey Tapestry will be closed that day,

but we will look forward to seeing you on the Tuesday. 

I will be taking time to enjoy our island and remember those like my father, uncle and grandparents who survived five years of Nazi Occupation, and probably raising a glass to them.