Tag Archives: Jersey

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House Of Love

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dscf8088This is the enchanting home we stayed in while John and I were visiting his daughter and her family in Jersey. The house on the other side as well as this one are typical of the 18th century granite farmhouses found in Jersey. Aside from its obvious beauty…there were a few things I didn’t know about homes like this one that I’d like to share with you.

dscf8087Originally know as the Dower House,  the one pictured above would have provided a home for a woman after the death of her husband. The main house that you see on the left in the first photo would have gone to the heir and the dowager would have moved into the dower house. There have been a few exterior changes to their home with the addition of the french doors and a large kitchen window that provides a beautiful view of their garden. One thing that remains the same is the inscription on the stone above the doorway. Marriage stones are usually found on the southern side of the house and have the husband and wife’s initials along with a heart and the wedding date inscribed into them.

 

Marriage Stone

Marriage Stone 1839

Sometimes though, the date is not a wedding date, but rather some other significant date for the couple. Or a stone might have been added when alterations were made to the building.

A Second Marriage Stone

A Second Marriage Stone 1958

The house on the other side is a bit older with a date of 1753 on the marriage stone above the doorway. I don’t have a picture of it, but to help put it into perspective I thought you might  look here to see some of the historic events that occured in 1753.

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Telling Time With Dandelion Clocks

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Dandelion Clocks - Nature's Timepiece

Dandelion Clocks - Nature's Timepiece

We’ve been away for a few days resetting our internal compass to multidirectional fun and giving our imaginations a good spring shake out.  The little Jersey girl above has been our tour guide and timekeeper for the last few days and I was sad in a way to say goodbye and head for home. John and I had a great time with his younger daughter and her husband, but his little granddaughter…she was the best part of the trip for me.

There is nothing like the energy and enthusiasm of a child to make the mundane magic and help you see the world through fresh eyes. I’ll be back with some Jersey stories after I shake the sand off my shoes and sift through the 1151 or so photographs I snapped since last Thursday.

Spring Trailblazing

Spring Trailblazing

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Temporary Jersey Girl

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Jersey

Jersey

I’ve left Cornwall for a few days with John to take a little trip down to the Jersey shore. If you’re American like me, you might hear the word Jersey and think I’m referring to New Jersey, a U.S. state that some people may associate with Bruce Springsteen who still calls it home. 

Not long after we met, John mentioned having a daughter living in Jersey and I think I probably said something like, ” Hmmm,” as if I knew exactly what he was talking about while thinking to myself, how quickly can I google the word Jersey. I consider myself fairly well traveled having both visited and lived many places as a child and adult as well as spending a few years in Germany in my early 20’s. I have to admit though, when he said Jersey, I was hearing Bruce crooning Jersey Girl in my head for about half a second.  Before I could get to the keyboard to shift my focus, he began to describe Jersey and it’s location among the other Channel Islands. It’s everything he said and more, a beautiful little island with loads of shoreline located about 60 miles south of England and 12 miles from the French Coast. 

I’ve been taking tons of pictures since we arrived and would like to share some stories as well as some of the interesting history of Jersey, but I can’t get a proper signal on my laptop so it will have to wait a few more days until we get back to Cornwall.

I managed to get online for a minute so here’s a quick look at one image for now.