It's not 9 by 5!

It's nothing of Earth shattering importance I know, but... I read something the other day about an art exhibition called nine by five and how this seemed relevant to Jersey... and a Google search has revealed an awful lot of webpages where the island is described as 9 x 5 miles in size.... and it's starting to irritate me now....


Perhaps people are confusing the land area generally reported as about 45 square miles with the 9 and the 5 that so happily multiply together to that number? Obviously the irregular shape doesn't lend itself well to measurements like these, but I really think that at least 10 x 6 would be a bit more realistic.

I hereby claim the Nerd of the Week award! (I'll just hang on to it from last week)

Goodbye bus centre, hello square

Where there used to be a round garden with Queen Victoria's statue in the middle, before she was carted off to West Park to be forgotten about to make room for a load of buses, there is now a paved 'concrete desert' of open nothingness. Not a bad effort to be fair, just a bit bland though. Some grass would have been nice, and more places for office workers to sit and enjoy their lunches, possibly the return of Queen Victoria's statue, etc. How about (crazy, I know, but...) some trees, perhaps? Not just two or three?

Still, it'll be handy for events like food fairs and markets, etc.
Let's just hope they don't ruin the open space with an unwanted Art Gallery!


Still looks the same from here... apart from the putrid pink tarmac (who the heck has this repulsive fetish for that revolting colour?)



A reminder of the view along Commercial Buildings from by the tunnel...





.. where a new crossing will shift priority too far to pedestrians and no doubt hold up the traffic.... (there's going to be a hilarious gridlock one of these days around the tunnel.. Grenville St.. Columberie.. Hill St.. Mulcaster St.. it's bound to happen)




... and of course they've extinguished the road along here - can't have that can we (or on-street parking... no.. no... no...)





.. further in.








So here it is. Open space at the Weighbridge.







... which actually feels quite pleasant. Gosh, a tree!







It's a fairly attractive row of buildings, so why hide them behind a hedge?





Left a bit, the Royal Yacht Hotel next to the Museum...







.. closer.







Looks like they've got plans for a crossing here but haven't quite got there yet....








.. to the left from there, they're guiding us towards the Steam Clock...






.. left a bit, towards the tunnel.







The hotel...






.. closer.







A snap to show the paving.







At least there's still some part of Caledonia Place's road left, to go down here into Ordnance Yard...
(another load of bollards too)
Note the museum's arch has been moved forwards again.



Towards Mulcaster Street...







.. back from there....
(shows the concrete desert effect, does it not?)






.. closer.








A new open 'feel' towards Liberation Square








.. and again.







Into the light, towards the harbour.






Yet more massive bumped crossings - and they wonder why so many people drive bump-absorbing 4x4s?! Duh...!

video : Kite surfing

New Crapaudvision video, kite-surfing in St.Aubin's Bay
- click here

Misc : to the West

La Haule - I like the way there are no railings here (site of an old railway 'halt' kind of station), nothing between us walkers and the beach save for a drop. It's a nice open 'feel' - but I saw the other day a call for safey railings.... more Nanny State garbage!


Not the world's clearest pic, but it doesn't cost much to include it, so what the heck.






Without a cafe here at Greve de Lecq...






... is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the back of this bunker.
Gosh how exciting, I hear you thinking :o)





Numerous landmarks, from Mont Matthieu...







.. the sheer distance (zoom) accounting for the grain (or 'noise' in digital photography) in this shot.






That'll be the 'splash.







A sunset scene is appropriate to end with...







.. thank you and goodnight.

Maufant shop to close

A bit of a loss to the local community, the rStore at Maufant is closing. This means even more car journeys for shoppers. Why do hotels and shops get permission for Change Of Use when it affects the community so much? I can see that landowners will believe they have a right to do whatever they want with their land, sell the family silver and lose an asset for the sake of a one-off gain when selling their land for housing - but if farmers can't do what they want with their land and sell their fields in the Green Zone because the community doesn't want to lose the open land, then we've established a principle and I have to ask why do we allow beneficial facilities to disappear like this?

Here's a Crapaudvision video of a drive around the place.

As more and more of this happens (left to unchecked market forces), we will end up with fewer and fewer ( but larger) stores, to the detriment of everyone but company shareholders. People are forced to travel long distances to buy food, with the similar negative consequences as out-of-town shopping centers that kill off town centers. Will we take action before the entire island ends up as almost entirely housing, with no pubs, restaurants, hotels or shops save for a few in designated areas? That's the logical conclusion, because so many owners seem to prefer to sell land for housing rather than run a business or receive rental income. So much has been lost around the island in the last two decades - it saddens me and I hate to think how much more will go.

Town Changes - Queen St side

Corner of Halkett St and Hilgrove St
- fast food in the old Brown's Fashion House
- the old Videocenter is due to be redeveloped





.. despite not being very old. But the plan includes these olde (historic) shoppes next to the cafe in the old T Smith sports shop, which means heritage lovers object.






How quaint a 'central' 5-digit phone number seems now! I wonder how much longer this will stay there?






This Queen St jeweller had a closing down sale, but is still open.







The trees with seating were removed around the time of a vintage car parade, and have yet to return (possibly due to an enlarged al fresco seating area?).
It seems like all trees are being systematically removed from the precincts.




Hilgrove St...








.. and oh I how I miss Luigi's excellent pasta!









So sad to see shops close.











They don't make 'em like that any more.












To be bulldozed out of existance? I hope not.

Town Changes - King St side

(Queen St side to follow tomorrow)
Pictures taken at the end of March 2008


Halkett Place : Rock Island, now closed...







.. and currently boarded up while being refitted.








'Yess' - previously King Street News for many years...








.. is now a Checkers Express.
Long-absent crapauds may be slightly surprised to see another Boots this end of town (been there a few years now).





Dandara's presence in the precinct (where Tie Rack was for many years), next to a Benetton that replaced the more yellow shopfront of the previous scented soap emporium.
To the left, the C&W Sure Mobile shop is on the corner, next to the cider press in front of M&S.




I thought I'd take this shot in case either of these two vanished.








At least some things seem to stay the same :o)