Spring has arrived on Jersey

Last Sunday it felt like Spring had finally arrived. The previous day had been a fog of illness that gripped three of us leaving us dozing and exhausted. On the Friday Oldest had been sent home from school ill and she clearly was very under the weather as she was shivering, despite having a fever and all she wanted to do was sleep. By the next day Mr C and I were feeling very similar and I mostly spent the day in bed sleeping, trying to shift the banging headache and feeling of nausea. The only one to escape the virus was Youngest who was most put out that she wasn’t ill and kept insisting, rather bizarrely, that she had a warty foot and spiders in her mouth.

But on Sunday morning the sun rose high in the sky and there wasn’t a rain cloud on the horizon and best of all we all felt well again. There was housework that needed doing, a washing machine that needed loading and homework that needed completing but we ignored it all and headed straight outdoors.

When the sun is shining there is really nowhere better than Jersey with its sweeping bays and clear, blue sea. We have had a lot of rain and rather miserable weather recently, as has most of the UK, and as such I have found myself pining for where we used to live in Yorkshire. We lived high up on top of the moors and when the wind blew it felt like the house was straining to stay rooted and sometimes it would feel like just one more gust and the house would be blown away. It is strange that it is during the winter months that I find myself missing Yorkshire and craving its beautifully wild landscape. You would think that if anything I would be grateful for living on Jersey with its milder climate. No longer does Mr C have to trudge out in the morning in below freezing temperatures to defrost the car for me; no longer do we wake up in the morning and bury ourselves deep into the duvet as it is so cold in the room and no longer do we have to worry about what we will do if it snows as it very rarely snows in Jersey. If it does snow then the whole island simply comes to a stand still which takes the pressure off trying to get into work.

I have come to the conclusion that the reason I miss Yorkshire in the winter is that in Jersey you don’t get a ‘proper’ winter. You don’t get that real coldness where your fingers go numb and your nose turns blue. I know it’s bizarre the things you miss and I realise that anybody reading this in Yorkshire will think I am crazy. But I miss feeling like you need to get cosy, like you want to wrap up warm and snuggle indoors. Perhaps I am feeling like this because we have just had the wettest January on record in Jersey and I am pretty sure what feels like never ending rain in February.  I am so ready for spring because Jersey does do a good spring. The whole island seems to emerge from its hibernation. Fields of beautiful local Jersey flowers start to spring up, including whole fields of daffodils.

Fields are busy with tractors and the Jersey royals are uncovered from their plastic sheets. Some of the more popular beaches are busy again with tourists and locals alike, but you can also find your hidden gems. Little sheltered bays with glorious beaches that are nearly deserted.

In Spring the sun is shining again and it means that you can make the most of those mild temperatures by pottering on the beach, exploring rock pools or simply sitting back on the sand with a coffee. So last Sunday we took ourselves to one of our favourite beaches and we enjoyed the sun’s rays whilst watching the girls scavage for shells. Whilst admiring the stunning scenery I had to admit how lucky I am to be living in such a wonderful part of the world and whilst a part of my heart will always belong to Yorkshire an ever bigger part now belongs to Jersey. So Spring please hang around for a while as we quite like you on Jersey.