The Town Changes

 A couple of banners aren't really going to persuade anyone to walk up to Colomberie from the Town Center, are they? Without the footfall from passing hotel guests, this area is really languishing.

 Someone has been busy netting the cliff at South Hill in case of rock falls - shame about the ugly fence that they thought was required :(

 And now, an eye on the ever changing face of St.Helier's shops... this new Portugese produce shop in Kensington Street (nearby the Wagon Wheel) used to sport a red and white stripey barber pole - ( Streetview )

La Cascata replaces the old Shahi Tandoori at the top of New St between Reids and the stonemasons.
( Streetview )

Burrard St - and Brown's Antiques gives way to a new shop in the vein of the old Music and Video Exchange. Thumb your way through boxes of old records again! (even more on the 1st floor so do go upstairs) - ( Streetview )

Bath St - it was a bike shop and the Ottoman restaurant when Google visited - ( Streetview ) - it's now another part of the ever expanding Alfonso empire :)

Aspen Estates have moved out, it's now vacant here by West's C. - ( Streetview ) - oh and FeelUnique is now Y-tel, flogging phone and internet over fixed microwave radio links (even more aerial panels about the place on tall buildings, yet, weirdly, no planning applications in the JEP!)

Beresford St - it was a bright yellow Professor Banana's Sweet Emporium - ( Streetview ) - but a new place to refuel has just opened this week.

Halkett Place - was Earth Wind & Water - ( Streetview ) - is now Madhatter http://www.madhatter.je/

.. along the road, this one has been many things, an empty shop used for charity 'pop-ups' for a while, is now Crew Clothing - ( Streetview )

 Down Hill St and around the corner to Lib. Square - an empty unit for a while... now has a Seafood Cafe. ( Streetview )

 .. into the town center again up Conway St, and here in Broad St we find Barannes have a second outlet where Fast Sandwhich was - ( Streetview )

 The bright colours in Charing Cross / York St - ( Streetview ) - are more muted with the loss of Horseplay. It's now a store of temorary stall holders - new enterprises peddling their wares but with no real reason for us to pop in unless they open it up as a through-route to Sand St again... just a suggestion guys :)

.. along a bit... shocked to see Bella Italia closed, but it's just a refurb and they will open again in May according to www.bellaitalia.co.uk with a fresh change from the brown frontage ( Streetview )

Plenty more to come, as things are always changing!

Comedy Time

Time to get a little lighthearted, if just mildly whimsical at first...

We were enjoying ice creams at the coast and one of my imaginative offsprings said "That looks like a turtle over there!" ... what do you think?

I found this sight somewhere recently - who knew trees could be so affectionate?

And then the hilarity ensues. They actually think people care enough about politics to turn out and vote on the most complicated way a hijacked electoral commission could possibly rig a ridiculous attempt to make things 'fairer' - completely ignoring the way most of us (according to the last poll) want as many island-wide mandate Senators as possible! The two new choices do away with Senators, have silly voting districts instead of parishes, and cut the number of members to 42 which is nowhere near enough to ensure good balanced government, yet will appeal to the crowd who blindly cheer for reduced costs without considering matters any more deeply.

And to cap it all, the whole thing isn't binding; the States will only debate the results and do what they always do anway - whatever they want while ignoring what we ask for!

Oh it's a right old laugh!

 The A Team have been busy with banners, God Bless 'em. They think it will be fairer their way, but it won't make any difference to what the commission is setting out to do (get more people interested) and will have negative effects that outweigh the good. Superficially 'fair' if you don't think farther than the soundbites, but damaging to the island.

An appropriate place to add one - I can't help borrowing from the slogan used to scare kids from the prospect of going to prison...  I think "B? Me? No way!" ... the very worst of the options; combining the madness of Option A and then piling on the insanity of keeping the Constables, to make it even worse!

C sense. Incredible to think that I agree with ILM on something! The fact is, ignoring the whole farcical thing won't help to register your disgust.

If you don't like the new options A or B, then C is the logical "None of the above" choice. Stick a "1" in the box for C, and don't use any other second choices.

Tell them to Think Again - Vote C until they do a better job!

World Class - Jersey Channel Islands

Another quick link - here's a great 23 minute TV programme all about Jersey, for anyone who loves this place :)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wPkPxDyqvc

Jersey Railways

While you wait patiently for me to get snapping again, I thought I'd share this wonderful link with you.

www.disused-stations.org.uk/g/gorey_pier/

Make your way from Gorey back to town, station by station, in a bygone age. It was a bit before my time... but sounds fascinating. I'd love to have a time machine to go back and take a look!

I hope that gives you something to study enjoyably :)

Path - Swan Farm to Grands Vaux

For years I've always wondered, coming down Langley Ave., is there a way up into those fields, any footpaths?

The answer is Yes, I recently discovered. There's a No Through Road called Swan Farm Lane, heading down from the exit of Grainville School's road...

At the end, Swan Farm. And to the left, an official Public Footpath to Grands Vaux...

.. so I got to stand behind that phone box at last :)

 A Bing map to illustrate what's what.

On the footpath. looking back at Langley Avenue...

.. to the right from that shot, a view over a field lets us see a distant Elizabeth Castle, amongst St.Helier's taller buildings.

Heading away from the official path, on what seems to be Permitted Access along a track between the fields.. the view back to the road where I had always wondered...

.. and there's an entrance, of sorts, to the grounds of Grainville School.

A bit farther along the track, and it emerges on the corner of Deloraine Road, at the top of the one-way hill.

Down said hill to Grands Vaux school, an old Cross...

.. and I took a detour to admire the streams below the reservoir...

.. a charming old house...

.. and a footpath opposite the GV primary school takes us behind Willow Grove to the depths of Pillar Gardens.. and another path goes right behind the houses and the woodland to emerge near the steep driveway to the Youth Center as seen here from just off the main road. The pathway back to Swan Farm is easily spotted off the car park around the corner up this road. All in all a rather pleasant bit of exploration for Team Crapaudmatic, and just goes to show that even after all these years there's still more to see! :)

Les Folies d'Olivet

Le Jardin d'Olivet is a nice piece of common land in Trinity, above the east side of Bouley Bay. A reasonably sized carpark leads off the corner of a lane.

The area mostly seems to be used by dog-walkers, and sadly not all of them pick up their mess. But anyway...

 .. it's been about 20 years since I last visited, so I thought I'd reacquaint myself with the place. The woodland on the left here leads nowhere (you have to go downwards for a fair climb before you can head west to Bouley Bay through another patch of woodland)...

.. but it's still worth a look around if you like an old (Victorian?) folly or two. This one can just be seen through the trees from the carpark. The last time I was here this was cracked, overgrown and at risk of collapse (as seen in 2007). Someone has got things back in order.

 The other side.

 Inside, from the doorway.

 Looking out of the 'window' from the first shot.

 Some colourful addition someone saw fit to bless us with.

 A little farther into the trees to the west (among a surprising number of blown-over trees), and there's another folly - round this time.

 Open at the top, and a floor of leaves at this time of year.

 Very heraldic.

Also lurking in the area is this, I wonder what it was?

 And in the private garden nearby, one of their own.

It was a pleasant walk and bit of exploration, one for parents with kids likely to be wow-ed by such things. Just be careful if there's a brisk north wind, it's only a couple of degrees C above ice making, and you're likely to catch a repulsive headcold.

*sniff*

Happy New Misc, West Park

 About time I added something this year :)

The "C word" seems a long time ago already...

 .. as Spring is almost here...

 .. just over a month until BST again.

 After rather a lot of rain, the water table is so high that the stuff is just pouring out of the ground up north...

 .. and parts of the Five Mile Road have ponds where there aren't usually any. There had better not be a hosepipe ban this summer or something is seriously wrong!

 So I dusted off my lens and took advantage of a sunny weekend at last. West Park is an absolute gem, and within lunchtime walking distance for thousands of workers, too...

.. shady clean paths (and at least one route without steps, for those in chairs - although quite steep in places)...

 .. greenery at all times of the year.

 The path right at the far (First Tower) end...

 .. and a view of that tower amongst the rooftops.

 There are some more natural tracks if Real Earth is more your thing.

 .. and of course excellent views over the bay. I like the way the pool has brighter water than the sea, here :)

So, as nasty cold wet unpleasant Winter fades into a lousy memory, I look forward some warmth, good light, Vitamin D, and the great scenery to spring back to life and give me incentive to take my camera for a walk again.