The weather has been unseasonably pleasant recently and I took advantage of the mild temperatures to walk through town and down to the harbour. There was a light breeze coming off the water and it was so delightful out that I decided to walk all the way out to Castle Cornet.
Castle Cornet dates back originally to the 13th century, and the present castle is largely from the 16th century. It’s one of the most attractive features on the St. Peter Port harbour. It’s a fair walk out to the castle, and since I was in no great hurry I took it slowly. Although as a general rule I tend to feel the cold and therefore wear a nice warm coat, I was pleased that I’d risked just wearing my Guernsey instead … I’d worked up quite a sweat (sorry Mother, I mean a “glow”) by the time I got out to Castle Cornet.
You know, having mentioned my Guernsey; I don’t think I’ve described those here on my blog (still getting used to that word, it sounds a little vulgar somehow)!
Guernseys are a particular type of jumper (sweater for you Americans who might be reading this). Traditionally they’re made from a wool that’s lightly oiled, and they’re knitted very tightly. The result is a very warm jumper which is somewhat water-resistant, and they were originally worn by fishermen. The classic Guernsey is a very dark blue, but nowadays they’re made in a very wide variety of colors. I’m a traditionalist, so personally I stick to the dark blue … it’s a little late in life for me to be making changes of direction in fashion.
As I said, it was a pretty fair walk out to the Castle, so it was very pleasant to see my daughter walking towards her car in the parking lot outside. I had no particular need to actually visit the castle, so I gladly accepted her offer of a ride home (via a stop for a very pleasant cup of tea in one of the cafes by the waterfront).
All in all a very nice day.