New Boots and Panties

Tonight's blog title is an album from 1977...the debut LP from Ian Jury. Back in those days The Blockheads were widely recognised as the best backing band around, and certainly I thought they were pretty good. The album went platinum...and is always well worth another listen. There's no real reason for using it as the blog title other than to get our reader's attention....and also to say that I've put the shorts away. I always try to last in shorts until bonfire night...and this year was no exception. I even kept the "short pants" on for the Young Farmers Club breezing competition a week ago....but it was pretty challenging, especially after the sun went down. In fact it was a little chilly all of last week, and by Saturday evening I was ready for the long trousers....so out came the jeans. I doubt you'll see my legs again until next Spring....unless you're very unlucky.

So....I need to say a little about "breezing", or shallow ploughing to you non-farming types. It is (or was) a traditional Jersey autumn activity, where the soil is turned over with a small plough to bury weeds, leaving the soil clean and ready for the "big" plough later on....usually December. These days it's not so well regarded, as it also releases nitrates....and everyone now ploughs just before planting. Anyway.....we in Luce family have a long history of taking part in the competition. I was successful back in my day, and Jack carried on the tradition winning a few times....and 2 years ago Bex won as well! Here's so photos from the various competitions.

  Me.....

Bex.....

Jack...

I think it's clear who's doing the best job!


Yet another friend came up to me today to ask "how are we were doing?". The answer is that we're doing okay...we have the odd days when things aren't so great...but we're finding our way through. Something else that I was asked about (and again it's something that quite a few people have suggested) is the turning of this blog into a book. I can report to our reader that this is already happening. One of Jill's nieces in the UK is working away getting all the blog posts into one place, and then the editing will start. Once it's all done, and we're all happy, the idea will be to make the book available to purchase, the receipts going to one of Jill's cancer charities...and I'll report more as it happens.

Today was a States day...and just before lunch, as I sat in the Assembly, a message popped into my inbox. One of my friends at the new Acorn recycling centre had sent me photo....did I know anything about a very large Bible that had just been handed in? There was a certificate inside the cover....here's the picture....

 
I was immediately excited....Hedley was my Grandfather. They had obviously unearthed a old family heirloom. I asked said friend if he could put the book to one side and I'd get my Dad to go up and buy it...we'd all be very excited to see it I was sure. Awarded from Ebenezer Chapel it was dated just months before the First World War started....one the Papa Luce had gone off to fight in. I sent Dad an email and left it with him.

On returning from the Assembly this evening I had a call from Pops. It turns out he wasn't as excited as I was to receive the news.....it had been HIM that had taken the book up to Acorn this morning! Our reader will remember that Pops is clearing out his many rooms at Holmchase ready for his big move up here to Seaford next month. I'll have to keep an eye out for more of my inheritance appearing in local charity shops in the near future!



In searching for ploughing photos in my iPhone memory bank I came across the photo below. One of Jilly and I indulging in one of her sporting passions....tennis. Taken in July last year it's from Wimbledon. We had stayed overnight in Kensington, got up really early, taxied down at 5ish, and queued in the field...and were lucky enough to be far enough up the public queue to get tickets for the Centre Court. Our reward, amongst others, was to get to see Joanna Konta beat Simona Halep in a really tight Quarter Final. Here's the moment that Konta won the second set tie break....a photo courtesy of the BBC...Jilly and I are (obviously) in the top of the shot....a little blurred, but it's clearly us. I think you can tell we were excited! Another great memory of our shared moments together.....good times. More soon reader.....