Seeking comfort at Rozel, Jersey

 

Sometimes life can be very cruel and this week was a classic example of that. Devastating news from back home left me reeling. The kind of news that leaves you questioning how the world is still turning and how people are still going about their daily business. The world seems noisier. You find yourself craving silence, a chance to absorb the news. News that shouldn’t be happening. Has the world not heard the news? Of course not because whilst this news has left you and your friends heartbroken, life still goes on. In the meantime you feel confused and unsure how to act. Everything is an effort. Everything. Blogging seems so futile, nothing seems enough. You find yourself wanting to tell everyone. You find yourself wanting to scream about the unfairness of it all. Wanting to grab people and to urgently tell them that life can change in a blink of an eye. This week living on Jersey has been a curse and also a blessing. That Channel sea shouldn’t stand in the way, however, with children to consider it can make getting off the island difficult. Also hindsight is a wonderful thing and I have spent the week wishing that I had tried to get off the island more, wishing that I had taken the time to visit friends. Wishing that I had been a better friend. That’s life. However, that realisation doesn’t make it any easier. It’s a hard pill to swallow. This week has seen me wanting to move back to the UK more than ever. However, that also isn’t the answer. Whilst I wish Jersey was closer to my loved ones, I have found that Jersey has also helped me this week. It has both distracted and comforted me.

 

This week I found myself wanting to retreat from the noise of social media. I switched off. I embraced what makes Jersey great and why I love living on Jersey. There have been many trips out this week. Days spent lazying on near deserted beaches as Youngest fished for pearls in the sea. Days spent eating huge ice-creams and adding inches to the waistline. Days spent enjoying the company of Youngest away from phones, twitter and computers. A week of slowing down. The start of the week saw Jersey looking slightly grey but still beautiful. After dropping Oldest at school we bundled into the car and made the short drive to Rozel.

 

 

We arrived to find it deserted and looking eerily beautiful. The sky was hanging heavy and low over the sea. The only sound being the gentle waves lapping against the pebbles on the beach. Rozel is a picturesque cove on the north coast of Jersey. Whenever I go to visit it brings back childhood memories of reading ‘The Famous Five’ by Enid Blyton. I half expect to see smugglers hiding out on the pier and I find myself wishing that I had packed “lashings and lashings of ginger beer”.

 

 

Rozel is such a pretty little port with its brightly coloured houses that hug the beach. Everything about it is picture perfect. Every time I visit I find that I never want to leave. I find myself scouring the houses, looking for a ‘For Sale’ sign. This is a lovely beach to visit with young children as it has a small sandy beach and is quite sheltered.

 

 

However, when we visited the tide was in and it wasn’t really warm enough for paddling. We just had a lovely time enjoying the views and pretending that we were pirates looking for treasure. Who doesn’t love a bit of treasure hunting? As the morning wore on we found ourselves feeling slightly peckish. The sounds of our rumbling stomachs forced us to leave the beach and look for food. In Rozel you are spoilt for places to eat. You can find pubs, chateaus and upmarket restaurants. There is something to suit everyone’s tastes and budgets. Rozel also has the famous ‘Hungry Man.’ Loved by locals and tourists alike. Always packed on a Sunday morning after the night before!

 

 

We left the beach to go and hunt down some food. Above you can see a blue building, this is ‘The Navigator’ restaurant. A brilliant restaurant that serves fresh seafood. It also takes part in ‘Tennerfest’ in October. ‘Tennerfest’ is hugely popular and a chance to really enjoy the local cuisine. I would say that most of the restaurants on the island take part. The idea is that you can go and eat amazing food on a fixed price menu! Tennerfest also happens to coincide with my birthday so there really is no excuse not to go out and celebrate.

 

 

As we made our way round the port we started to feel the first drops of rain in the air. The sky becoming even heavier.

 

 

The sun looked like it was doing its best to break through the clouds. On Monday the sun was no match for the grey clouds. I am pleased to report that for the rest of the week the sun did win!

 

 

Despite the grey we still managed to find our little bit of yellow. I really hope that the person who owns the yellow car also owns the yellow house. That would be pretty perfect. 🙂

 

 

Don’t you just love it when you match your surroundings? Youngest showing us how it is done here. Such a cute little house. The perfect house for writing in. I would get my novels finished if I lived there. Do you hear that Mr C?

 

 

Passing the fishing boats in the harbour and Youngest was fascinated by the seaweed. Youngest decided that they were tentacles left over from the octopuses. Youngest then decided to show off her counting skills by counting all of the fishing boats. I was impressed but more worried about my growling stomach.

 

 

Finally, we arrived at Hungry Man. I had decided that I was going to get the gut buster vegetarian breakfast. I think that is what it is called. Well that was what I was going to have. Then came the realisation - it’s a Monday. The only day of the week it closes. Argh! My stomach was not happy, Youngest was not happy. None of us were happy! How could I have forgotten. I may have muttered several swear words under my breath. I promised Youngest that we would return to the “The Hungry Man”. Now the rain chose to start coming down fast and heavy. It really was reflecting our downcast mood. Pulling our coats tighter around us we made the short walk back to our car. Youngest grumbled the whole way about how hungry she was!

 

 

Once back to our car we dried off and then headed back home through winding lanes, passing green fields and views of the sea. Even in the rain Jersey looks beautiful.

 

Please note that I may not be posting everyday this week.