First the clutch went in the Espace, then we had to get up at 5am the next morning to catch the boat. Then there was a problem with the hotel when we finally got to Guernsey ,which is actually rather lovely-with lots of sandy beaches and cobbled streets.

                       

Neil was there to give a performance at the Literary Festival – I think it is the first literary festival he has done. We arrived a day early so we could get a glimpse of Guernsey apart from the venues. Visited Victor Hugo’s house. He lived in Guernsey for 15 years after having been exiled from France, and he was the complete bohemian artist, poet, writer. His house was filled with gothic carvings, all sorts of textiles with all sorts of materials with all sorts of nooks and crannies, plates displayed from the ceiling. All this, as well as the use of certain substances would have been inspiration enough for ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Notre dame do Paris’.

 

Neil’s first gig was a talk on his life so far. It went well with lots of questions from the audience. Later there was a gig which turned out to be in a pub rather than a theatre. Not always a good idea for Neil, because in the UK pubs are for drinking and shouting over loud music. However there were enough Neil fans there to almost drown out the ones who were really just waiting for the band. Later we heard our boat had been disabled and would not now take us back to Poole. Drove around the island, dipped toes in the sea, had tea and cake on the beach and in the end the ship limped us back to Poole helped by a very calm sea.

 

 

 

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