Channel Islands Weekend
On 9th-12th September 2005
For anyone struggling to remember that far back, it was only a short while after last year's Jersey Weekend that Maxine announced that she was organising this year's Channel Islands Weekend. My first thought was, "Errm, haven't we already done that, then?" Well, a quick flick through the tourist brochure showed that there were indeed plenty of other things still to do, so off we went again...
Seven of us flew from East Midlands Airport on Friday afternoon to join the 70-plus attendees from all over the country, and even a couple venturing over from Arizona! Because of the timing of our flight (plus delays) this meant that we were checking in to the Pomme d'Or Hotel in St Helier with only half an hour or so to spare before the icebreaker - fortunately there aren't really any problems with traffic on the island. The icebreaker itself involved trying to guess which celebrity you were after having a random name attached to your back, being able to ask each other person only one question about them. The American contingent seemed to struggle with Kylie Minogue, having never heard of her! After tucking in to the buffet, some of us broke out the Mensa Connections board to entertain both newbies and addicted veterans.
On Saturday there were various events, including trips to Mont Orgueil Castle and Jersey Zoo. Sixteen of us headed off for La Mare Vineyards. Although some of us had already been last year, this time we had a completely different programme of events lined up. This whole event was hugely entertaining, and one of the highlights of the weekend. After a tour of the vineyard (and a quick tasting), our first activity was competitive grape crushing. Splitting into two teams, we then rolled up trouser legs and raced to see who could stomp the quickest! Amazingly, after eight rounds both teams were surprisingly close, and a tied result was declared. After cleaning ourselves up, we then proceeded to the wonderful lunch which had been prepared for us. This was followed by a competitive wine tasting session, which started with us trying to identify a number of bottled aromas. Even with a list of possible scents, this was surprisingly difficult. The one that we easily identified as caramel turned out to be wrong. When told what it actually was, we responded with 'We Can't Believe It's Butter!' The second part of this event saw us sampling six more wines and attempting to identify (guess?) the country, area, vine variety and, hardest of all, the vintage. Some did surprisingly well, but my pitiful 4 points out of 24 probably means I ought to stick to the cheap plonk from the supermarket. The joint winners each took home a free bottle of wine!
After returning to the hotel, next stop was the Maritime Museum & Occupation Tapestry Gallery. The Maritime Museum contains plenty of hands-on activities, while the Occupation Tapestry Gallery next door houses the 12 commemorative tapestries stitched by each island parish, serving as a poignant reminder of the Island's occupation during World War II. The evening event was the Autumn Ball, kindly sponsored by LMA International. After a five-course dinner, Lee Durrell gave an informative after-dinner speech on the work of her late husband Gerald Durrell, and the challenges the zoo now faces as a result of the decline in Jersey tourism. A disco followed, with people bopping the night away until 1 am. The remaining stragglers stayed on for another half an hour to chat, before finally going for some sleep.
Sunday again offered various options, with some going to the Living Legend attraction and others taking a coast-to-coast walk across Jersey. Many of us opted for the day trip to Guernsey, which commenced with an impromptu additional icebreaker event. After handing out the ferry tickets at random, Maxine realised that they were all pre-printed with individual names, so we then had an extra opportunity to match a few more names with faces as we all attempted to get hold of the correct tickets. The crossing itself was slightly delayed due to engine trouble, but was quite smooth. The only thing missing was the Mensa Connections board!
Once in Guernsey, we met the coach which proceeded to take us on a tour of the island. First stop was at Sausmarez Manor, which had an interesting array of sculptures, subtropical gardens and, apparently (I can't remember seeing it!), Britain's 3rd largest dolls house collection. We had trouble working out exactly why the piece entitled "self-portrait" was in such an unusual position - perhaps the artist was just a little odd! We posed for a few photos in the stocks and around some of the sculptures before setting off again, this time heading for the "Little Chapel". Decorated with sea shells, pebbles and pieces of broken china, this tiny chapel seemed to have a surprising number of passages, nooks and crannies. The nearby clockmakers featured a large variety of beautifully crafted clocks of all shapes and sizes, and also provided our driver with a handy place to pick up the latest cricket scores! Strawberry Farm gave us a welcome chance to get some refreshments, as well as checking out the shops and the woodcarvery across the road. Sadly, finding the entrance into the strawberry farm itself proved too much even for the combined efforts of a group of Mensans. Either it was very well hidden, or simply closed for the day - the Channel Islands have yet to catch up with the mainland for Sunday opening hours, and opinions are still divided on whether this is a good or a bad thing. We then took a leisurely route back to St Peter Port, taking in some of the coastal scenery.
Dinner had been arranged at the Duke of Richmond Hotel, which is run by a local Mensan. Arriving in good time, people either had a look around the town or had a drink and chatted for an hour. Dinner itself was very nice and quite relaxed. Having heard on the way over that the return ferry would be late, we were able to take our time instead of having to rush through the meal. We didn't arrive back in Jersey much before 10 in the evening, so promptly headed down to The Waterfront to join members from the other daily activities for drinks at the Chicago Rock Cafe! Some attempted to ride the bull that had been installed for entertainment, while others contented themselves with dodgy-sounding cocktails. We didn't quite see it through to closing time at 1 am, but did give them a good run for their money.
For Monday morning, I decided to miss out the Island Fortress Museum, instead opting for a slight lie-in, a leisurely breakfast and a quick stroll, happening upon the Freedom Tree - a commemorative sculpture unveiled by the Queen in May. Next up was an enthusiastic tour of the Jersey Arts Centre by Steven Edwards. This was a truly fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what exactly goes into putting on regular productions, with insights into the extra challenges of being on an island. Some of us with later return flights spent the early afternoon taking a puddleduck (an amphibious vehicle) over to Elizabeth Castle, in St Aubin's bay. All over Jersey there are many reminders of the occupation in WWII, and this was no exception. Dotted with big red pyramids featuring photos and historical information, and riddled with bunkers, there were also plenty of reminders of earlier history, including St Helier's hermitage. We couldn't resist climbing to the very top of the castle and waving down to Rosie, who we had spotted having a drink in the cafe. We then went down to join her, and marvelled at the kamikaze sheep which seemed intent on climbing a sheer slope to reach some out-of-the-way grass. Perched so precariously, we were wondering how it was going to get back down in one piece, but despite a couple of slips it managed to avoid becoming a lamb chop. Sheep-watching over, we made our way back to the other side of the island just in time to catch the next puddleduck back to the shore. Some of us grabbed a quick bite to eat, then said our farewells before heading back to the airport.
The whole weekend went remarkably well, and is testament to Maxine's excellent organisational skills and dedication to putting together an event with something for everyone. Take note, and make sure you book for the Diamond AG in Nottingham next October! Thanks to everyone who took part - after all, it's the people that make these things worth attending, and it's always nice to see some new faces as well as old friends. Hope to see you all at a gathering soon.
Paul Henchliffe