You may think the Channel Islands are a bit out of the way, a backwater maybe, but in cultural terms they punch above their weight. My whole ‘writer/archaeologist/traveller’ persona kicked in over the past few weeks, but I take care in blogging when away from home because it makes insurance companies nervous. The featured image is of Fort Hommet in Guernsey where Napoleonic and German fortifications mingle in a stunning setting.
First came the Alderney Literary Festival, run by the Alderney Literary Trust, which I blogged about last month. Then came four days working down at the Roman fort at the Nunnery, working on a project for Dig Alderney. I’ve written a rough draft of a monograph about the site but needed to check a lot of details, including how the Germans adapted the fort during WW2. Here we see how the Germans cut a hole in the south wall so they could wheel a searchlight out of concealment.Flying over to Guernsey, I walked the cliffs and investigated the latest exhibitions at the museums and galleries. The Greenhouse gallery at Candie run by Guernsey Arts was showing pieces by Linda Martorella. Most of the works were for sale but not the triptych at the bottom of this image that I admired.Guernsey Museum at Candie was showing Wildlife Photographer of the Year, which the public could see for half the price of admission to the Natural History Museum’s own show. It will have ended by the time this blog is out, but the new museum foyer display is on notable Guernsey women. The next display, on the natural history collection, is being prepared for later in the spring.A new exhibition space for Guernsey is found at Art for Guernsey’s gallery in the Old Quarter. It is hosting the Channel Islands Contemporary Art exhibition, with a variety of works by artists from across the islands – and by international artists inspired by the islands. Again, most of the works are for sale, though I wouldn’t have room for the above trio inspired by Victor Hugo.By dint of fortunate timing I was also invited to the opening of Wendy Griffin’s exhibition at the Guernsey National Trust’s gallery at Saumarez Park. A second piece of serendipity allowed me to participate in a TV documentary being filmed in the islands, but that news of that is reserved for another day. And amid all this, I had plenty of down time in hotels to write up my notes on the Nunnery, and get on with Draft 1 of the next novel.
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