You've got mail (well, some of you will sometime in the next few weeks)

It was a quiet weekend but a lovely one with the family.  The weather has taken on a distinct pre-spring feeling with warm sunshine and crisp air.  Evie started again at pre-school on Monday at the 'Melrose College for Ladies', I walked her there with James the first day to be introduced to Mrs. Dodd and Mrs Reynolds who were both in their proper places, Evie is convinced they live at school and never leave the property.  They are lovely and welcomed her with hugs and smiles. I had visions of Chilton all over again but its quite different (at pre-school anyway).   She bounced off into the classroom and I wandered home then down town for a coffee - life is so hard.  Went back at noon to pick her up and all was well, she galloped home, read all the numbers on the houses we went passed and then promptly went to sleep for 3 hours. 

On waking, she reminded me that we were going for coffee at Costas - a sort of Guernsey version of Starbucks which offers consistent coffee - sorry but thats the highest praise I can give to any coffee I've had so far over here.  Evie has a baby-cino, the chocolate one and demanded I remove any of the froth from the top because she only likes the milk part.  I have pointed out that perhaps she is missing the whole point of the cino experience but she still needed me to remove the fluffy-bit.  By the time we were walking home it was almost dark and very chilly, not that she minded in her snug-as-a-bug stroller.  And the uphill walk home warmed me up considerably.

Today I had to break it to her that we weren't going to Costas after her sleep and she took it quite well, obviously not addicted yet.  Instead we wandered down the road 50 metres to post our postcards.  Some of you will be aware of certain issues I have with posting things and the postal system in general - the fact you can stand in line for half an hour at the only Post Shop in Lower Hutt does my head in and I avoid it at all costs, even driving to Petone at lunchtime to avoid the Hutt.  You will therefore be pleased to know that in general I am very impressed with the Guernsey postal system.  They have little dedicated (i.e. not banking/bill payment/car registration combos with the odd bit of postage business on the side), post shops all over the tiny town of St Peter Port, including supermarkets - its genius.  And the staff are helpful, handing over airmail stickers by the sheet without being asked for them 'You'll need these too won't you?' - I certainly did.

Small confession - did have an amusing postal related moment just to remind me that postal systems and I do not really work well together.  We got one of those 'we tried to leave a parcel but you weren't there' cards through the letter box - oh, almost forgot, I LOVE getting mail through the door, you hear the gate swing open, footsteps on the steps and then the lovely wee squeak of the little door thing as the mail is pushed through the slot.  I always wanted one of those (as well as push up and down sash windows, which they have all over the place here).  Anyway, back to the parcel notice - scrawled on it was some indecipherable writing at the top and all the printed information about how to retrieve the item.  I got very brave, worked out the route on my iPhone map app and went when Evie was having a sleep (she has lost a little faith in my pathfinding ability and I didn't want her even more disillusioned if I got lost again) - got there in 10 minutes, all filters and one ways negotiated successfully.  Felt very proud of myself, sauntered confidently up to the counter of Envoy House, Guernsey Post HQ and handed over the card.  Lovely man in uniform looked at it and said 'Yes, its in the shed'.  'Oh right and where's the shed from here?' I asked confident I could get anywhere on the island now and the shed had to be close by anyway.  'No love, its IN THE SHED, see at the top it says Parcel in shed - you have got a shed I assume?'   Wheels start to turn and my mind wanders back to the front door and the under the stairs cupboard right next to it.  Oh how we laughed together - then I got back in the car, went a completely different route home because the one I came was one way of course, looked in the cupboard and there was the parcel.  A small reminder to me never to relax when parcels and postage are involved.

Anyway - the postcard expedition was a lot easier and much more successful - see for yourselves

At the front door, postcards in hand

    

Just checking the addresses are all correct before we
leave the property

10 metres from the front gate, wee rest

Ok, into the final 20 metres galloping all the way

OK, now for the hard part

Almost but not quite - needed about another
foot but made do with a lift from Bronie

Home again (oh, please note the position of the
aforementioned 'shed' - yep, that white door next
to the watering can, so close and yet so far)