Guernsey Cows

In our drives about the island to members homes, I've been looking into the small grassy field areas for livestock, but never saw any.  One day I saw a small herd of sheep grazing, and then a fenced area of large goats, but no cows.  We found out that the fields are so wet and boggy from all the rain that the cows are kept in barns all winter.  With the sun coming out a little more often now, we finally saw Guernsey Cows nibbling grass in a field as we drove by.

 And while walking one day, E. Dame got this picture...

We are told that only Guernsey milk is allowed to be sold on the island :)

We think this rock wall is amazing.  Not only is it the back wall of an apartment building, it also is the wall along the street.  It looks like the horizontal lines had to be adjusted as the rocks were being set, due to the ground going up hill a bit...

                                             A view further back....

Progress

We have had success in finding several less active members of our branch; some were warm and friendly ... we're excited to get to know them better, and help them return to activity in the church.

The young woman we met earlier - who said she'd like to learn about the church - didn't answer her phone when we called.  We tried calling at different times of day, evenings and weekend... no luck.
One day we went to B and Q - which is like our Home Depot - and there she was, doing the vote reminder and registering service again.  She recognized us and immediately told us her phone had been damaged and had to be sent to mainland to be repaired; she apologized if we'd been trying to call her, and said how hard it is to function without a phone.  Other people came up and she had to get back to work, but smiled and waved to us.  So in a few weeks we'll try again. :)

Elder Dame met a man named Roger, while walking on a trail one morning.  After talking quite a while about spiritual types of things, he agreed to have us teach him at his home.  We have had 3 good lessons with him, and he is now praying and reading the Book of Mormon.  He is a kind gentle man, and has a sensitive heart; he's felt the spirit as we've taught him about our Heavenly Father and His plan.  It's been a sweet experience for us.

One sunny afternoon, on a walk from our place to a pharmacy store, we passed by the opening to this ... hidden behind the walls along the street.

    We have found out it is the Lt. Governor's house.

On each side of the entrance gate, there's a covered portal.  E. Dame thinks it's where guards used to stand...to guard the entrance, and stay out of the rain. :)

A picture of the capitol city, St. Peter Port, main front street...taken from the "car park" on the pier. Parking areas have signs that indicate how long you can park there; some are 1 hour, others are for 2, and some for 8 hours.  We found out the hard way that we have to get a "Time Card" from the Housing Office to have in our car; we must place it on our dash board when we park .. with it showing the time we parked.   (there are officers walking around, checking, ... and they leave an expensive note if you didn't display your time card :)

Nature

We are still having lots of winter wind and rain storms.  Last week, a really bad storm hung around for two days and nights. It rained constantly.  The wind was extremely strong; it rattled and shook our windows and it seemed the glass would burst out.  Several roads and lanes were closed due to downed trees and branches.
  In between storms we've been blessed with a few more hours of sun and blue skies.  When the tide is really low, and the sun shines on the ocean, the water color seems to change and looks a bright turquoise.  The picture doesn't capture the color as well as I'd hoped, but it is beautiful.

In the distance you can see the small island of Herm.  We're told it's 3 miles away from Guernsey, about a 20 minute boat ride.  It's 1 and 1/2 miles long, by 1/2 mile wide. In summer people like to sail there to walk the trails and enjoy the sandy beaches.   We will likely take a day trip there some time.

 On a P-day we visited one of the historical sites on the island.  Below is Clarence Battery, a defense fort that was built in the early 18th century.  It is on a high knob of land that juts out into the ocean and provides a multi directional view.

From the high point of Battery hill, we could look down on the "swimming pools" built in ancient days.  We are seeing low tide here - the pools hold water after the tide has gone out.  At high tide the water comes clear up to the rock wall at the roads' edge.  In the distance we can see Castle Cornet. It opens for tours the end of March, so we'll learn about it later.

Below the battery is the Guernsey Aquarium set among tunnels, quarried out of solid rock by the
German occupying forces during World War II to store ammunition and vehicles. The main tunnel was dug out by locals in 1864 to create a short cut to the cliff paths and a nice sandy beach.

                                                  nice sandy beach on the other side