Pls use this page to have your say about topics relating to Guernsey.

i.e. TRAFFIC, SCHOOLS/EDUCATION, CLUBS/PUBS/BARS/RESTAURANTS,BEACHES,ISLAND CLEANLINESS,ISLAND DEVELOPMENT,GUERNSEY PEOPLE,ISLAND VISITORS, EX-PATS,WEATHER.

Regards

Bev

Hi, Bev;

Remember me? I'm the guy from Tokyo.
I was born in St. Sampson's ?? years ago, and you very kindly e-mailed me some photos you took for me of Delancey Park near Delancey School, which I attended so many years ago.
Great photos which brought back a lot of memories!
Later transferred to the Vale School before going on to Inter when I was about 11, then came the evacuation in June 1940.
Recently got a new e-mail address, as you can see, to get rid of all the spam I was getting. In the process of cleaning up my PC, I lost everything I had saved, including all the e-mail addresses of friends.
I again came across your website while browsing, and enjoyed all the different subjects you cover, especially the recipes.
Can't get Gache Melee here, so I make my own about once a month. Love the stuff! My Grandmother's was out of this world. I improvise somewhat, not that I can't get the proper ingredients, but I like to experiment. For instance, I stopped peeling the apples (I love apple peel) and occasionally I add a banana or two, and I always smother the mixture with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. Scrumptious!
Your ormer recipe also brought back fond memories. They are much bigger in Japan, but cost the earth, some up to 100 pounds (cash)! Also, they're thinly sliced and eaten raw with a sauce, but nothing can beat those I ate as a child -- pounded, then fried. Any leftovers went into a casserole and slow-cooked. I also make Bean Jar, using pig's trotters and ham, and maybe throw in a few pork sausages, which I slow-cook in a crockpot.
I was last in Guernsey in 1987 -- I'll never forget the hurricane that hit the island in October -- but that was likely my last visit.
Love your interesting website.
I occasionally access the "thisisguernsey" website, but sometimes the news items depress me, what with robberies at knife-point, drugs, vandalism, etc., etc.
Nothing like the good ol' days!!!
Thanks again for all the memories!

Sincerely,

Nick

Hi Nick,

Yes of course I remember you, it’s so nice to hear from you again. I didn’t actually know that you lived all the way over in Tokyo. I’d love to hear more about your lifestyle and the Japanese traditions.

I remember going with my husband to take the photographs of Delancey Park for you and it was a pleasure because it was such a gorgeous day and I also gained more photos for my website.

I enjoyed reading about the way you experiment with the Guernsey recipes, I’ll admit that I also break from the traditional recipes at times and add a few bits.

I was the winner of the adult recipe competition which was featured in a new local magazine launched Winter 2004. Competitors had to create a main course using seasonal fruits which were available on local hedge stalls. I had great fun buying up the local produce and experimenting with it all. My husband enjoyed it most because he was my ‘taster’ and said he’d never eaten so well. My winning recipe features on the BBC Radio Guernsey website. ‘Fruity Fig Chicken’.

I remember the aftermath of the hurricane, though I somehow managed to sleep through the height of the storm.

Thanks again for getting in touch again, all the best

Bev

Hi, Bev;

Haven't tried your Fruity Fig Chicken yet, but I will one of these days. I read about your award for that dish and congratulate you.
As I told you last time, I love to cook, but don't always follow the recipes to a T.
Those old Guernsey recipes were OK, bearing in mind that what went into them was limited to what was available at that time, whereas today the variety of herbs and other food enhancers in the supermarkets enables us amateur cooks to experiment to our hearts content, sometimes, admittedly, to our dismay. Made some Italian salad dressing the other day that must have been the most foul-tasting mixture ever concocted, but it was fun trying.
Until I was evacuated to England in 1940 as I entered my teens, there were many items I had never tasted before -- celery and mayonnaise, to mention but two --which must seem strange to youngsters growing up on the island today.
The knowledge we now have about food gleaned from the TV and the Internet has allowed us to spread our wings and try all sorts of exotic dishes.
With regard to the photos you took for me of Delancey Park, I came across a website called "guernseypostcards," which carries several photos of Guernsey in the old days. One was an aerial photo of the park taken in the 1930s.
A favourite haunt of mine when I was a young kid, that is the Delancey Park I remember, when the Sausmarez Monument was still standing.
I have ordered a copy of that photo for about 50 pounds. In comparison, my pocket money in those days was a penny on Saturdays and a ha'penny on Wednesdays, and was usually spent at the local sweet shop on Coconut Crisps, or Gobstoppers that lasted all day, though our jaws used to be aching by the time we got through them.
Mum always found extra change so we could go to the Saturday afternoon matinees at the North Cinema --thre'pence ha'penny for about 3 hours of entertainment.
Those were the days!
Wishing you well!
Sincerely,

Nick