Snow?

Yes, we actually had snow in Guernsey.  It was mostly in the morning one day before it turned to rain, but it was enough to cause travel chaos (traffic jams, airport shut, etc.).  People from colder climates must be quite entertained.

It doesn't happen very often and it doesn't last very long when it does happen.  The "warm" water in the Channel (maybe about 50 degrees even now) is the main reason.  Historically, there has been recorded snowfall about once every 20 years.  Now, it has happened 3 out of the last 4 years...

Halloween

In case you were wondering, Halloween is starting to spread around the world.  I have seen evidence in several European countries over the last few years (including here in Guernsey), mainly candy and decorations for sale in stores.  I think it mostly due to US candy manufacturers trying to diversify their key markets.  Of course, it also gives adults an opporunity to dress up and get drunk.

On my way home from work tonight, I saw a few dressed up kids out with their parents.  I think most of the trick or treat activity is confined to small parties inside.  I've had nobody knocking on my door here...

Havelet

The street I live on is called Havelet.  The street is only a few hundred yards/meters long, but in that distance it manages to twist its way up from the waterfront on the edge of town to an old, established neighborhood.  The bottom part is quite steep.  The top part is very narrow and only one way as a result.  The buildings on the sides of the upper part bear the scrapes and scratches of many vehicles that apparently were not quite small enough to fit through.  It’s the type of street that you don’t see much of in the US – you can literally get hit by a car while standing on your front porch!

What I did on my Summer Vacation (2011)

[Due to popular demand from the huge throng of followers, I'm back with more posts!]

What do you do for a vacation when you enjoy cycling and you can see the French coast on a clear day?  Why not strap your bike to the top of the car and head for the Pyrenees! 

The Pyrenees are the mountain range between France and Spain.  Each July, they fill up with hundreds of thousands of cycling fans from all over the world that want to see the world's best riders slowly suffer their way up hills of varying length and steepness.

Cycling is one of the only sports that more enthusiastic fans can truly experience the same thing as the athletes - you can pull on spandex and ride the same bike on the exact course.  Try to imagine playing a baseball game with your friends at Wrigley Field or tossing a football around in the Rose Bowl - that's what it's like to ride up some of the legendary cols (passes) of the Tour de France.  There's also some fantastic scenery!

You can still see riders names painted on the road by fans maybe a decade ago as you and a surprisingly large number of other riders crawl up the hill like a trail of ants.  Switchbacks in the road give many opportunities to survey what you've already conquered snaking below.  The occasional barnyard animal (or evidence that they've been there) adds some strategy to choosing the safest path up the road.

Once you reach the top, it's a daredevil descent at 40 to 50 mph (usually faster than the cars) while looking out for sharp corners, more barnyard animals (and evidence), stones, and other things than can ruin your day in a hurry.

Near the top of the legendary Col du Tourmalet!

A Passion for Passion Fruit

It all started with an innocent introduction by a guy named Jahvid at the Poipu Plantation on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.  There was definitely an initial spark, but it took a chance encounter in Sydney, Australia to really get the relationship going.  After a few other quick encounters in the Philippines, Hawaii, Ireland, and even Seattle, I was hooked.  A very nice combination of sweet and tart!

When I moved to Guernsey, I was pleasantly surprised to find passion fruits in the supermarket.  The place I shopped when I first moved here had some for awhile.  Then we got a new Waitrose (UK supermarket chain) and they had passion fruit in abundant supply.  I heard a rumor that they would decide what to stock longer term based on items that sold well when they first opened.  I was buying passion fruit by the dozens to make sure they keep stocking it.  I have wondered what the store management must think when I’m off the island for a week or so and their passion fruit sales go way down.

Our passion fruit comes mostly from Africa – Kenya, South Africa, and maybe one or two other countries.  The South African fruit seems exceptionally large.  Maybe they use the same steroids and Botox enhanced farming methods as used in the US.

How to eat: cut in half; scoop out and eat seeds.

Beware of Buyers

When I left the US in January, I decided to put my Seattle condominium on the market.

After 4 1/2 months of lukewarm interest (including a price drop), I finally woke up to an email from my real estate agent one morning that I had an offer!  It was lower than I had hoped for, but the buyer accepted my counter offer.  Now, just to wait a month or so...

It just so happened that I had a meeting in Vancouver a couple of weeks later, so I took the opportunity to go to Seattle and sign various things that needed to be done in person.  Everything seemed to be on the right track as we got past the period for the buyer to get out of the deal based on the resale certificate (condominium rules, finances, etc.).  Then one day I had an email from my agent that the buyer wanted out of the deal based on something in the Board minutes and wanted her $10,000 earnest money back.  Unfortunately, the notice was after her review period expired and she did not check a box on her offer that would allow her to get out of the deal based on something in the Board minutes.  As a result, my agent recommended that I refuse to sign the paperwork to terminate the deal.  After some exchanges to try to resolve the issue, it seemed clear that the buyer basically had cold feet.

The buyer then went silent for some time, leaving me to wonder whether or not the deal was going forward.  Finally, as we got near to the closing date, my agent informed me that the deal would not go forward but I would get the earnest money.  So, now I am back on the market and I am taking on a renter to help offset costs until the next buyer comes along.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a wonderful book that gives some historical background on Guernsey during and just after World War II.  My mother lent me her copy to read when it became clear that I would be moving here.

In addition to being a good story, the book gave me some interesting historical background on Guernsey.  It also meant that when I was telling people I would be moving to Guernsey at least some people had heard of the place.  Not to bias any potential readers as to the type of story it is, but my unofficial sampling was that almost no men had ever heard of Guernsey, while about 75% of women had heard of it - mostly due to the book.  However, I should note that there was the occasional person that had heard of Guernsey cows.

My mother’s book club read the book just before I moved here.  I can only begin to imagine the amount of joy that it must have brought her to be able to tell her friends that her son was moving to Guernsey.

One of the authors of the book (Annie Barrows) is just now in Guernsey for the Guernsey Literary Festival.  Today, I went to her very entertaining presentation and I’m happy to report that my mother’s copy of the book will soon be making the long trip back to Olympia with a little extra writing in it.

As an example of how small a place Guernsey can be, I was having a drink with a friend last night at a local hotel bar.  Sitting at the table next to us thoroughly enjoying a book she was reading was none other than - Annie Barrows. 

The current rumor is that the book is supposed to be made into a film with Kate Winslet linked to the project.  I hope to be able to report on some Kate Winslet sightings in the near future.