The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 2

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 2


The sky at night

This is perhaps the best time of year to see the Milky Way stretching across the sky, if the sky is really dark with no moonlight.

The Milky Way's band of countless stars is our own galaxy and extends from the northeast to overhead and down towards the southwest. It passes through the constellation of Cygnus, also known as the Northern Cross, now about overhead, and close to the bright star Vega which is also almost overhead at present.

The Milky Way is like a huge wheel of stars rotating in space, with our solar system quite a long way out from the middle. We can look outwards where there are less stars, or inwards to the line of the Milky Way towards the core or hub of the galaxy, which is why we see so many stars in that direction.

The planet Jupiter has been very prominent in the southern part of the sky during the summer evenings, and can still be seen lower in the west before disappearing for the time being below the horizon.

Another planet to look out for is Mars, just starting to appear low above the eastern horizon in the late evenings. Mars will not be quite as close this time as it was about two years ago, but will be in better view as we move into the autumn.

The Perseid meteor shower, the most reliable of the annual meteors, should this year be very favourable with little moonlight to brighten the sky. The meteors will be at a peak around the night of August 12th. With up to 80 meteors an hour sometimes recorded, some will be just a streak of light while others can be more spectacular, leaving a bright trail in the sky.

Sayings

If everything is coming your way, then you are in the wrong lane!

Few people blame themselves until they have exhausted all other possibilities!

The evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening, and then proceed to tell you why it isn't!

A lot of opinions that are expressed should have gone by slow freight



On your bike!

Local man Steve Bichard opened the very successful Adventure Cycles at Grande Rue, St Martin, five and a half years ago and it has now become an integral part of village life.

Many photographs have been taken by tourist and locals of the decorated bike that sits on the wall outside.

The shop was a brand new building built on land owned by the Ruette Braye garage. Steve managed to secure a lease before the building was finished as he had been looking to move his cycle shop from the Venture Garage in St Peter to a more prominent location.

The new shop was blessed and officially open by one of St Martin's well know cyclists, the Rev Richard Bellinger, assistant Curate at St. Martin's Parish Church and another well known local character and cyclist, Richard Cohen is also a regular customer and can often be seen cycling past, ringing his bell and calling out to the staff with his own unique turn of phrase!

Steve Bichard is no stranger to St Martin as he lived in the parish between the ages of six and twelve. He well remembers going in to Taylor's bike shop, which was where the old Co-op was, and Tostevin's Cycle Shop that was on the St Martin's Garage site.

`Life was so much slower back in the 60s,' he recalls, 'and parents never used to worry about us cycling to school. There seemed to be more little shops dotted around St Martin's, like Drinkwaters which is now the Guernsey Lighthouse, Sampson's shop at the bottom of Rue Jehannet estate, Dodd's Store next to the Boxing Club in Saint's Road and another little store on the corner by the Barberie Hotel.'

He was taught to swim at Saint's Bay by Paul Birtwhistle.

`He used to run the 'whoopee' floats in the long summers that we used to have. Or maybe time just did go slower in those days!'

`We used to sit for hours making barrages where the stream used to run down from the top of the beach, while Mum and Dad had a pot of tea carried down from the kiosk in an old tomato chip basket, and sandwiches which Mum had made at home. There was no way we could afford shop-bought sandwiches in those days, but we usually got a blackcurrant Mivi ice-lolly as a treat if we were well behaved.'

St Martin's parish had so much to offer: the beach, the harbour, the fantastic cliffs, and woods where the children could make dens.

`Our parents had to round us up for tea at six as there is no way we would have been stuck in front of the TV, and of course computer games were not even invented.'

The highlight of the year was the South Show but Steve's sixpence pocket money didn't go far, so they used to search for coins under the crown and anchor tables, and it was amazing how much money they found, all to be spent on candy floss, toffee apples and Coke.

The Co-op van turned up weekly at the Rue Jehannet Estate where Steve used to live and his Mum used to get a lot of her groceries from the van - such a difference to shopping in the smart new store. But in common with many other families, the Bichards didn't own a car when they first moved to the area, so the van was a great benefit.

The estate was brand new and everyone took a pride in their new house, and it seemed even more spacious as there were hardly any cars about.

`Walking to school was a pleasure along Saint's Road, unlike now when the older I get, the narrower the roads seem to be!'

Steve likes to put something back into the community around his business and old stomping ground, and to do his bit for Floral Guernsey. Every year he donates a cycle - this year it was two children's bikes - for auction at the parish Floral Guernsey fund-raising event, Another Blooming Good Evening. He really enjoys this event and usually invites a few customers as guests.

Last month 30 St Martin's School children turned up with their teachers to ask questions about the shop for an advert designing competition. 'They were so well behaved,' said Steve, 'and asked some very intelligent questions for ones so young. I was tickled pink by one of the adverts that featured a cartoon character with no hair, glasses and moustache! I can only say that it bore a stunning resemblance to me!'

As a true Guernseyman Steve is not always happy with the changing face of Guernsey and he in fact led the march to save Belle Greve Bay in 1993, but he realises that Guernsey must evolve to keep its very good standard of life.

`I also feel that large companies should not dictate the way the island evolves, and that the needs and wellbeing of true islanders, young and old, should always be a priority.'

Pauline Torode

A bird in the hand

A few years ago I was asked by the parish to supply and erect a number of small nest boxes in part of the wood in Moulin Huet valley. I obtained 12 -15 boxes of three designs which can attract different species depending on how they are fitted. It was hoped Blue Tits, Great Tits, Short-toed Treecreepers, Robins and possibly spotted Flycatchers would use the various options.

On other properties where boxes have been installed, over half are normally used each season. This would seem to suggest that in many cases, the only factor limiting bird populations to current levels is the availability of nesting sites. This has been further proved by the massive efforts of Vic Froome who supplies larger boxes.

Barn Owls and Kestrels have taken up residence in these large, expensive boxes throughout the island. In some cases, it would even appear that less than ideal natural sites have been abandoned in favour of the artificial homes. In one garden, a box was erected on a Tuesday and when the owner went up on the Saturday to put in a lining of woodchips, a Barn Owl flew out. That's desperation!

You cannot put up too many boxes. The only effect of saturating an area is that a large proportion will be unused but no harm will come of it. Birds will often use boxes for roosting in the winter too, making artificial homes even more important. Up to three-quarters of the boxes on a property could be used in this way, providing a lifeline, particularly to small birds during the difficult months.

In these times when many gardeners like to have everything neat, tidy and weed-free, it is not just the huge number of cats in the island which is having a negative impact on birds and other wildlife. The loss of suitable habitats has taken its toll and continues in many subtle ways.

If there are no nettles in your garden, there will be no breeding Red Admiral butterflies. If you spray for aphids, don't expect to see many ladybirds. If you poison slugs, don't waste time trying to hear a Song Thrush singing at daybreak. If you poison rats and mice, don't be surprised if you don't see Barn Owls in the headlights of the car.

House Sparrows have declined over recent years but can they get under your gutter to make their nest? Probably not - how about trying a nest box for them?

Of course nest boxes are just one way of helping wildlife. There are many others, such as making a pond, leaving some grassy corners to grow long for a season, planting native trees and bushes and creating a compost heap. If you would like ideas, La Société Guernesiaise is always happy to help with any requests for advice.

Jamie Hooper



St. Martin's moorings

When it comes to spectacular views along cliff paths, lined with a variety of wild flowers and inlets, beaches and safe anchorages for visitors and locals to enjoy, St Martin's takes some beating. The parish coastline is truly magnificent.

The welfare of the major bays is the responsibility of elected representatives, answerable to the Constable's Office, whose job is to supervise the boat moorings. Their combined knowledge ensures that there are few problems.

Half of Fermain Bay is in St Martin - the other half comes under St Peter Port. Gary Thoume looks after Fermain and some l4 moorings in Bec de Nez. The moorings committee for Saints, Petit Port and Moulin Huet are Ian Browning, Geoff Le Gallais and Alan Bonnel.

Fermain has parking restrictions, and reaching Bec de Nez involves a long walk through the fields and down the cliff path. Saints, with its own parking area, is the most popular mooring, and fishermen or pleasure boaters have very little distance to carry equipment or a fine catch after a day's sport.

Rex Bonnel, who lives opposite Les Douvres Hotel and who is the 88-year-old father of Alan, recalls spending every summer holiday at Saints with his two brothers, Arnold and Noel, fishing off the breakwater or the pier. In those days the twisting path to the bay was little more than a rough cart track.

Rex's father Walter would work in greenhouses until 8pm, then the two of them would row to Jerbourg and Moulin Huet to pull their pots for spider crabs. In his later years, Rex and his friend Reg Pearce would take their own boats out to fish, each looking out for the safety of the other.

Alan Bonnel was about six when he started fishing with his father and grandfather and his detailed knowledge of the area has developed over the years.

'We keep an eye on all the bays in the parish. Saints is recognised as an anchorage for visiting boats, but we have to watch that they don't pull up the anchors of other boats or get stuck on the telephone cable that comes ashore from Jersey,' he explained.

`And there is a big rock, uncharted and not seen at high tide, and we've had a few unwary visiting boats bump on it, but nothing serious.'

There were up to 30 small boats with moorings there before the storm last July, when many of them were lost and haven't been replaced. There are currently only 15 small craft now, hauled to shore on an endless rope loop secured to a 'bulls eye' submerged wooden block.

There are around 11 larger boats of more than 16ft, and these need punts or dinghies for shore access. These more substantial craft are on span moorings with two permanent seabed anchors fore and aft and an upright rope to the boat.

These boats make a picturesque scene on a fine summer's day, but in the winter the larger boats make their way to safer berths in St Peter Port marinas, while the punts and the smaller boats are hauled out using the winch on the slipway

This is one of the few bays where the moorings are not tidal, so the punts and dinghies are always afloat during the summer season. The moorings are free, and newcomers need to apply to the Constables' Office. There is no waiting list at present, and existing permit holders have to make use of their mooring within two years or lose it.

Saints had its share of excitement in 1967 when the 9,700-ton President Garcia, mistaking her route around the island, ran aground there with a cargo of copra, as many parishioners will clearly recall. She was damaged but successfully refloated within a week, without a single small boat being lost in the drama.

The original harbour had been constructed quite close to the present facilities, but was destroyed in the first gale after it was completed.

With the generosity of Charles Le Feuvre, Seigneur of Blancheland between 1854 and 1867, the present harbour was constructed for the use of the fishermen of St Martin. There is a granite obelisk commemorating the deed, which was partly damaged after German occupying forces threw it into the sea, but was rebuilt with as much of the stone that could be found.

A less obvious memorial can be found pencilled on the beam in the 'vote' -Guernsey-French for a cave or a vault -where the winch is housed, written by the late Maurice Thoume, to 'our dear mate Walter Bonnel', who lived on the Jerbourg Road, and who died on the steps at Petit Port aged 79 in 1964.

Pauline Torode




Parish Matters

There are occasions when familiarity, quite innocently breeds, if not contempt, then a capacity to put things to the back of the mind.

The St Martin's War Memorial, to those who fell in the First World War, is a case in point. When it was unveiled on October 28th 1923, on an important crossroads in the parish, on land donated by the de Sausmarez Family, it was a focal point for people to visit, and to have as a reminder as they passed on their daily duties.

Naturally as the years have gone by these personal memories have been replaced by the historical perspective, but it would be wrong to assume that there are no longer families in the Parish who still remember a fallen relative and who would welcome a quiet moment of reflection on occasions.

And there lies the problem. This piece of land now commands the most dangerous roadway in the Parish, on a corner that conceals a constant stream of fast moving traffic. It is only if you attempt to get to the memorial that you realize just how dangerous it is to try

Well, if there is a problem, there must be an answer. Clearly there is. We can move it to an area appropriate to its purpose - to be seen and to invoke the positives of heroism and bravery, or just quiet reflection.

Until recently no obvious site presented itself, but now the development of the Community Centre has altered the perspective and possibilities of the site. It now presents a nucleated site which is built with the service of the community in subject to the agreement of the church, and possibly planning procedures, for a small contemplative garden of remembrance with the cross at its centre.

The Memorial is still visited today, by a church parade on Remembrance Sunday, by the school and by relatives, gardeners and the occasional historian. To do this these people are risking their own lives. Is this what these brave soldiers would have wished?

If, on reading this, you believe the plan has merit, or if indeed you believe the opposite, could you communicate your thoughts either by phone, letter or e-mail to the Constables' office so that we can judge the feelings of the people of the Parish.



Natural Healing

Apart from the instinctive joy that Nature brings us, it can also be a powerful healer in times of sickness.

This I discovered for myself some years ago when I developed a long-term illness. I suffered with an ever-increasing number of chronic symptoms, which had built up over several years. It was only after many failed courses of antibiotics that I became so exasperated that I decided to try a more natural path of healing. After following a few simple steps in basic nutrition i.e. some adjustments to my diet together with additional intakes of certain missing nutrients, I began to feel my natural energy return.

I had truly forgotten how fantastic it was to feel this alive! Complementing the newly restored vigour, I noticed my health problems slowly slip away into the past. With limited knowledge but positive experience of the power of this healing, I began to study and eventually qualify as a Natural Nutritionist.

The good news is that healthy living does not have to be arduous or life-changing. Armed with a little awareness of how the body works (understanding what causes it stress and what can be supportive to its functioning) can allow us to make significant improvements to our well-being.

Simply by increasing our daily intake of water will immediately give us more energy, as well as improving memory and intellectual capacity. A documented experiment carried out at Loughborough University illustrates this perfectly: Two football teams trained for 120 minutes. Only one team was given water to drink during the entire session. Towards the end of the training period the players on the team that abstained from water became dehydrated, and therefore were making continuous errors. However, the players on the team that had been allowed to re-hydrate with water were still very much on the ball!

As well as additional nutrients, we have many wonderful herbs that have been created in order to support us. These can be used effectively in times of illness (health crises) or just for general maintenance. For example, Milk Thistle will aid and strengthen liver function, Agnus Castus helps with hormonal imbalances, Ginkgo Biloba improves circulation and memory, and of course Echinacea boosts the immune system in times of stress.

The body has been perfectly designed to keep us in good health throughout our lives. However, there is no doubt that the fast pace of modern life and high levels of man-made pollutants do eventually take their toll. So why not help yourself along the way with a little daily Natural Nutrition?

For more information, please contact Moira Le Huray



Here comes Postie

I must have been about five or six years old and in those days postmen never wore shorts but wore a uniform with a peaked cap and rode bikes with a sensible carrier in front, sufficient to carry all their delivery - not like those silly little tea-trays they have now! And - it was always the same postman. He had no need of post codes and the like. He knew everyone personally.

At such a tender age as I was, the arrival of the postman was an exciting event and if a letter was expected, one would look out of the front gate at about his usual time to see if he was in the vicinity.

Then it was a case of waiting impatiently while he popped in and out of gateways further up the lane until he came level with our house. Once that close, the question was - what is he going to bring

out of that big bag? Yes - is it? - yes - it must be - it is! - it's a rolled up package! Once again Mr Postman delivers the goods!!

It did not even occur to me to wonder who this kindly benefactor was. All I knew was that every so often kindly Mr Atkins in his smart uniform would produce a roll of comics from his bag. I did not even question the fact that they were rolled up in a used envelope. Only now do I wonder where did they come from? Was it Mr Postman himself? His own children?

We will never know. One thing I do know - it could not happen now. There's bound to be a law forbidding it but one small act of kindness made a lasting impression!



Seasons of mist

As I write these notes a mixed weather June has slipped into a damp and foggy July; the central heating is on and the strawberries are rotting in the garden. Not much of an advert for grow your own !

However, it is not always like this. Guernsey, in fact, has an excellent climate for the soft fruits in particular. We get very little late frost and provided a fruit patch is protected from cold spring easterly winds, an annual crop is virtually guaranteed.

As soft fruits are not very tall growing they also get some benefit from any convected ground warmth.

So far as soils are concerned, any deep, well drained and manured ground will do very nicely. None will tolerate bad drainage.

Success therefore, starts with thorough preparation and now is a good time of the year to finalise the site, finish the previous cropping and organise the preparations so that planting can take place during the autumn if possible. It is most important that any perennial weeds such as bindweed, couch, ground elder or mare's tail are eliminated before planting takes place; after planting this task is much more difficult.

One of the beauties of home grown fruit is the looking forward to the different crops in season. Also Guernsey (St Martin's) grown fruit will always be fresher, taste better and do you more good both physically and mentally than fruit that has Air Miles on the clock.

Do sit down and make a plan of the patch to scale if possible. This will help enormously as you will be able to determine fairly accurately the type of fruit plants and numbers before ordering. We have several good nurseries locally and provided you only want run of the mill varieties a quick early visit should procure your needs.

If, however, your choices are more specific, I recommend that you visit the garden centre as soon as possible, so that a specific order can be made up and sent for. (No local centre propagates its own stock for sale). Rare choices of varieties etc., may need to be ordered 12-15 months in advance of the proposed planting date.

So, what is worth a try, even for a small garden? Strawberries can be very successful, even in peat modules. Gooseberries and redcurrants can lie trained against walls or fences as can blackberries, loganberry and tayberry; blueberry (acid soil only) blackberry and raspberries need open garden to give of their best.

A word of warning. All this lovely fruit is very attractive to birds, so in the early years at least, some form of netting is essential. The bush fruits take a couple of years to come into worthwhile cropping but strawberries can be cropped in their first year.

Why not have a go? Then, in future years you too may be in a position to enter the South Show. This year the Horticultural classes are being held at St Martin's School on August 10th and 11th with entry night on Wed 3rd Aug, 7:30 pm at St Martin's Douzaine Room.

Whether you intend to show or not, just to grow, harvest and eat your own fruit will give you enormous satisfaction.