Severe Tree Trimming on Gorey Common

Pollarding is a pruning system (says Wikipedia) in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches. It has been common in Great Britain and Europe since medieval times and is practiced today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a predetermined height.




But until new growth appears, it looks ugly as sin and dramatically changes the look of the area!











As it was...






See for yourself...

View Larger Map

Fire fails to devastate headland

CTV reported "Fire devastates headland", "a large fire", "an area said to be the same size as 14 football pitches".

I expected devastation all the way from La Pulente to Petit Port down to the bunker on the headland point, by the sound of it. A scorched headland blighting the view from both directions.


View Larger Map

I was puzzled why they only reported with quite tight shots, not really showing the area affected in any clear way. No wide angle shots from a distance to put it into context and really show us the size of the 'devastation'. I assumed it was lazy reporting - hardly the first time. I mean, what - drive around to Corbiere and show us the view from there?!

So I took a look for myself...

Nothing to see from La Pulente, it's all green/brown here. No devastation visible, unless that's a hint of some bare gorse branches on the very ridge - but it seems to be on the wrong side of the tree compared to the shots from the other side...




.. so I took the trouble to head to the other side. Coming around from Corbiere to Petit Port, there's a small blackened patch to the right of the footpath...





View Larger Map


.. I'd bet it was "carelessly discarded smoking materials" from a right-handed idiot walking towards La Pulente.





From by the railway walk up near the old Corbiere station.

While there are flat-ish areas up top, where the path is routed it goes up to a ridge, and then quite soon drops down again to La Pulente. So if little damage is visible from the other direction, this must be about it.

The "14 football pitches" estimate puzzles me. In this picture from Google maps, I've superimposed Springfield pitch at the same scale near the area. The only bits I've seen burnt or untouched would struggle to cover 2 or 3 pitches!

The BBC also reported (www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-15058464) Crew commander Chris Powell saying "about 2296ft by 656ft (700 by 200 metres)".

OK, according to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football_pitch standard football pitches are between 90-120m long, and the widths can double from 45-90m! "105m (115yd) by 68m (74yd), or 7140 m², is the preferred size for many professional teams' stadiums".

So if Mr Powell's "700 by 200 metres" size is correct, then it is indeed in line with 14 pitches. Just doesn't seem like it, somehow, does it? Overall I'm left with an impression of sloppy journalism. What a surprise!

Commercial Bldgs - meddling with the roads

The road needed resurfacing, so the Anti-Parking Dept. has once again shifted priorities away from the many motorists to the few pedestrians.


View Larger Map


Here by South Pier the parking has come outwards a bit to provide a wider walkway / cycle route. I sense that some bollards may have to sprout up here eventually.




The dirt car park has been tarred up to make up for the loss of parking along the roadside due to a now excessively wide walkway. But, as the pic shows, we're used to pulling up there, and so people will just mount the kerb!



Life was simpler then :)




See for yourself...

View Larger Map

(and aren't the Sea Cadets hoping to build a new TS HQ here, moving down from the fort? Watch and weep as the new carpark goes, and the harbour mouth view with it)




A complete waste of resources at Commercial Buildings...








.. a new granite wall - for what good reason?






(from Pier Rd)








There used to be 'armco' metal barrier here, painted white, which was absolutely fine and drew no attention to itself. No, let's build an expensive wall instead!





How did we manage before?!







Alongside the Old Harbour, the path now meanders...








.. around the harbour wall steps...






.. despite there being no problems before, now we've lost two stretches of parking...






(as it was)





.. to make room for it.

If it becomes an official cycling route then I won't mind quite so much, but I've never had any problems along the road here, it's on the flat and it's no problem to keep up with the traffic (usually wind-assisted from a southerly).


Still, it's only public money, and it's made the route 0.0001% safer for the occasional visiting yachties walking into town.

Misc

I've hardly taken any photos this year, so here are a few odds and ends which is just about it for the time being. If viewers were to actually comment, there'd be a better chance that I'd do more :)


St.Helier Harbour...







.. and the Sea Shepherd that came over for the whaling conference.








Coastal Tours







Lots of boats - taking part in the Tour des Ports de la Manche.








At the marina by the New North Quay.







Gorey with the French coastline in the distance...







.. castle, closer...







.. Castle Green.





End of St.Catherine's Breakwater with the Ecrehos in the background, then the French coast.





Checkers before it morphed into Waitrose...








.. closer.






Our beautiful waterfront.

Ha.






One or two kites.





Where the VideoCenter used to be, on the corner of Hilgrove and Halkett Streets - with the dome of the market visible behind.
It would have made a nice open space, another square :)






At the Clock Tower at Charing Cross, a new videoscreen advertising device...







.. kind of them to tell us the Sterling-to-Sterling exhange rate is 1.000 (what about commission?!)









Aerial view of St.Helier, on display at Liberty Wharf...






.. which had yet to be developed at the time, along the an office block, the bus station, the Royal Yacht extension where the JMT depot was, and the new Weighbridge Square.






Three sides of the old burnt-out chapel have gone, leaving the grand frontage for more flats.







Through the Keyhole. Who would live in a place like this? :)

More GF Stickers

I'm starting to get a little bored with the small stickers, but some much larger ones are starting to appear. This one by Tourism Towers...








.. and on a chunky pole nearby.








Back to the small stickers, two in Pitt Street...










.. which is more of a Lane if you ask me.

Oh, you didn't.









Castle Street









Another artist joins in, Conway Street.









No thanks, think of the acrid thick smoke, and I'd have to buy another. What a stupid suggestion :)

GF street art - the September stickers

(Updated Mon 12th Sept - lots more)



Missing the GF art? Here are plenty to admire, that I've found this weekend...

(near the Town Church)





He's gone down in size - which makes them even more fun to spot - and harder to remove. Lots of them about, he's really gone to town with them (pun intended!).

(in King Street)






There are two types out there at the moment - these HELLO stickers...

(near the Pomme)







(most attractive, another at a previous site near the church)

.. but most of them use a readily available source of stickers...







.. Customs declaration stickers from the post office!


This one is along the Route Du Fort - a route very well plastered with them.








By the Town Hall, attacked already.









Parade.







Replacing an earlier cardboard work on a phone box in an open area.









Another by the Pomme.










The start of a little mystery. Doesn't look like his usual works, isn't signed, but uses the same mailing stickers!

(Conway Street)







Back to the Route du Fort...








.. it makes a change to be checking out sign posts now!









.. and phone boxes again, of course.










At a crossroads.









Nice. GF's?










No puzzle here.










By the HD park. I cut through to return to my veehickle...










.. and found this one the other side of the park.









.. and another customs sticker work...







.. along the way back to the town center, it's those knees again!









Hmmmm.


Colomberie...








Like it.









Hate it!

Can't be GF, surely? Are his mates copying his idea for a laugh?



Grenville Street.

Maybe it wasn't his idea? I'd seen this one way back at the start of all this and ignored it...








.. and farther along the same street, this one looks quite old and definitely not GF.








Alongside that one, another that really has been there a while!









So, back to Georgetown...








- it's all rather confusing.







Aha, I know where I am with this style...







.. I love this photo for the way there are the same colour tones in the car glass as the art itself.








One more for now, another callbox job.








The sheer variety of these blows me away. The enthusiasm for the art, for shape, form and colour is just wonderful for someone just starting out on what should hopefully turn into quite some career. I would not be surprised if the GF name ends up as well known as Tilling and Rolls in the island - and possibly elsewhere? Keep it up young man, you brighten up the place!

Update Wed 7th Sept

Found some more, mostly GF...




Near the Admiral...










.. and St.James.









Pier Road.







New Street.

I ignored the half-peeled away one inside a doorway in Union Street, and continued along to...







.. by the Magistrates...








.. and a nearby load of bollards.







Seale Street...








.. and another.








La Motte Street...









.. and another.






New Cut.






I saw this one at the Market ages ago and the style didn't seem to be GF - so the Hello sticker had me confused for a moment until I realised this one was for www.graff-city.com whereas GF gets his art supplies from somewhere else - www.monstercolors.com

Check out the awesome graffiti on their blog monstercolors.blogspot.com


Mon 12th Sept - lots more found in recent days...



I suspect this one is close to the artist's home :)












At the HD Park junctions










James Street









Lib. Square









Lib. Square











Lib. Square









Mulcaster Street










Mulcaster Street










New Cut...







.. quack on the back.











Conway Street










Conway Street










Conway Street on a shopfront








Lib. Square on a sign








Near Lib. Square, traffic island








Over the road from Lib. Square










Nice colourful larger one, heading into the tunnel











Weighbridge / Mulcaster Street










Mulcaster Street







A different artist, different Hello sticker









Another shopfront, Charing Cross








A small cluster at Samares...









.. 0n the inner road...









.. St. Clement.