Family comes to stay

A treat! Our eldest and his family flew over to stay with us on Play d’eau for a long Bank Holiday weekend.

The sun comes out

Mid-afternoon last Saturday, we met his family at Guernsey’s airport and took the coast road back to Beaucette. In a display of welcome to Guernsey, out came the sun banishing the grey clouds to England and creating a clear blue sky just for us.

Gloriously indulgent

With the excited children safely tucked up in their bunks and with two-way radios just in case (!) we climbed the pontoon walkway for dinner in the Beaucette Restaurant.

Yet again, Chef James delighted us all with Seafood specials, lobster and crab tians, lamb, and fish and chips. Cholesterol level challenging deserts appeared closely followed by teas and coffees and chocolates.

We lingered over two lovely bottles of wine (a fragrant New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a mellow South African Boschendal Cabernet and Merlot blend) and glasses of Muscat for desert. What a gloriously indulgent way to start a holiday.

Being low tide, we had to negotiate the steep walkways back down to the pontoons…

Sunday

Excitement levels were high. Breakfast disappeared in a trice. In no time at all we were in the cars bound for Pembroke Bay. The son of a couple on a neighbouring boat was with us.

The sun was hot, the air clear and filled with ozone, sea and sun tan lotion. ‘Ice cream’ was the cry. ‘Cricket first’ was the response.

Exhausted (parents more than children) and all ice-creamed up, we headed back to Play d’eau for lunch. Whilst children played more cricket, football, and bounced on Beaucette’s trampoline, we dozed and slept a while.

Monday

It might have rained a bit in the night, but spirits were in no way dampened. After lunch, Ricky, Beaucette’s Marina Manager, took the family to explore Herm on his crazily fast RIB whilst we took our daughter-in-law back to the airport. Sadly, she had to be back at work the next day.

Tuesday

With more beach and cricket, our grandson ended up determined to swim. Despite warning it would be cold, he ran into the water and swam for fifteen minutes. A brave, determined, young man at eleven years old.

Wednesday – all change

Whilst our eldest packed, I went to the airport to collect another of our sons, his wife and two children. For a period, we were all together with the four grandchildren running around shrieking and causing mayhem – exactly what grandchildren should do!

After lunch it was back to the airport to drop off our eldest and his two children for their return flight to the mainland.

Piers
from the Pilot house of
Play d’eau
Fleming 55