Flowers

We took a walk one nice sunny afternoon to what is called Candie Gardens.  It used to be a large private estate, and was donated to the city upon the death of the owner.  It's a lovely open space, full of flowers and all kinds of green beauty, a calm and peaceful park, sitting in the midst of a busy city; a  nice spot to meet people, ask questions, learn more about the island, and the culture.  These bold colored flowers were amazing.  Though the air is always chilly, these and other "cold tolerant" flowers like pansies have been in bloom since we arrived in January. 

While in the garden we met an elderly lady named Ruth, who had a fascinating life story ...born in Germany, a child during the war, a Jew, escaping, growing up in Africa, later getting to England, becoming a doctor, retiring, and now living with her son here in Guernsey.  She asked about us, we told about ourselves and about the church; she listened intently, and asked questions. We gave her some pamphlets to read, and she said she'd see us the same time there again, when the weather is nice and not windy... saying "if it's too windy, it blows me right over."  (She was a thin little gal). 

All through March, daffodils were up and blooming everywhere.  It was strange to see many groups of them in the grassy fields.  We were told that previously flower farms were common, with budding flowers being a main export at one time.  

              Large groups of tulips are now blooming in many places along the main port street, mostly                                                     in the center of big round-a-bouts.

This beauty, I think, is a flower on a Camellia tree, which has also been in blossom since we arrived on the island.  They look like roses in their design.  Getting really close to one, it seems the pedals are waxed; they are very sturdy tough pedals, and they last a long time.

No idea what this is, but it is very unique and a lovely color; also seemed to be thick and strong.

And on to other interesting things:
          This is Elizabeth College-Junior School...which is like Jr. High School in America.  This one is for girls.   We have no idea what the very colorful knitted pieced wrapping around the tree trunk is for, but it caught our eye.  We hope to pass by there sometime when a person is available to explain :)

This school is for the young men and women upper high school grades.. Called the Elizabeth College.

The regular city bus system also does the school children's busing.  They have to walk to the bus stop areas along the main streets to get on the bus.  In the afternoon, all the children and youth we see walking to their homes or to the bus stops are dressed in uniform... that is- the boys in sharp suits, and the girls wearing plaid skirts and tights, and tailored jackets.

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

Small branch

    We are having a new unique experience being part of a very small branch of the church.  There are 31 names on the membership list; only 5 of them currently attend meetings.  Those five are such wonderful sweet people.  They are so strong and faithful.  They have welcomed us lovingly.  
    We have spent much of our time trying to make contact with the other 26 members. Locating their home or apartment is a major challenge due to house names instead of numbers, and walls blocking view of buildings.  We have found it's best to drive to the general area, find a place to park the car, then walk and look for the home.   We have found a few members, who at least spoke with us at the door and agreed to our coming to visit again.   One man who was baptized a year ago and only active a short time, hesitantly let us in, but we had a pretty good conversation, just getting acquainted; we felt positive about it.  Our progress feels like small baby steps, but we will keep praying for how to touch their hearts and remind them of the love they once felt; that they may remember the truths of the gospel will bless their life, and want to renew their faith in Jesus Christ, their Savior.

     Walking is an adventure all its own.  Many roads have no sidewalks; some have small ones on just one side of the street.

One afternoon the sun came out as we drove north to find an address of a sister.  There were some small grassy fields

and we saw several estates that had large lawns.

It was refreshing to see a pretty open area.

We had difficulty locating the address we needed so we pulled into the driveway to this house to see if someone could help us.  We just loved this cute sign that was posted at the edge :

An older woman was outside of the house so we asked her about the place we were looking for, but she didn't know.  Whenever we get a one-on-one situation with someone, it opens an opportunity to talk about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  So after discussing her pretty yard, etc.  E. Dame started that conversation, but she said she wasn't interested in religion.   Generally that is the response we and the full time Elders hear.  People either say they don't need religion, or say they're atheist. Some say they already have their church.

On another day we had to go to the Housing Authority office, and when we went in the front door there were two young adult age women standing near.  They asked if we were registered to vote. That started a fun conversation of who we were, where we were from, how long and why we're here in Guernsey.  One of the girls had heard about the church because she'd had a friend in school who was now serving a mission in Texas.  It turns out we know of him too.  He is the first young man from the branch of Guernsey to serve a mission. He has been out just about a year.  She said she'd like to learn about the church and we got her phone number to set up a time to visit.  So that is forthcoming.

Last week on a very stormy afternoon, we were driving home when suddenly it started to hail. In a matter of seconds the streets were white, and it thundered on the roof of our car.  Lasting just a few minutes, it turned back to rain as we pulled into our driveway.  This is what was left on the side of the windshield when I got out of the car...

Walls

There are rock walls everywhere: they line the streets, separate house lots, and barricade the ocean waves.  

Some are made of common rock.

Some are high; some are low.

                                         

                                             Some are covered over by lovely green vines.

               
                      Some are made with the blue-gray, and/or pink granite quarried on the island.

Many of the walls have hedges at the top that are neatly trimmed.

And some facing north have bright green, mossy growth.

This is an old granite quarry that is now a water reservoir.

From this point we could see the ocean in the background. 

Home in Guernsey

This is our home... called: La Fontenelle.  Homes have names instead of numbers. 

The front door opens to a large entry space, with the kitchen and dining rooms to the left; to the right is a large sitting room - which is going to be the "chapel" for our Sunday meetings.  The main bedrooms are on the second floor; the Elders are on the top floor.  The lot has ample parking, which is very unusual.  Most homes barely have a spot for one car to pull in off the road.  

The first morning on the island we went to meet some investigators with the Elders.  The streets are narrow, with rock walls right at roads 'edge.  The sun was out a few minutes that morning.  It rains a lot and is windy most of the time, but everything is green and beautiful.