Linda Corby.co.uk
Trip to Roots
| Sometimes a trip back to our roots is exactly what one needs to bring the day we are living in back into relative prospective. |
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In September my daughter April and I did a quick trip back to mainland England in April’s Jeep, the purpose of the trip being to collect our Blue Merle border Collie puppy from Wales. Plus of course get a quick escape off the rock or one would go crazy, well one like me anyway. I incorporated an impromptu visit to my childhood home Hampton Lodge and the Lady of the house was kind enough to welcome April and I in through the security gates and walk around the property with her, lovely Lady with a real feeling for Hampton Lodge who is going to try and restore the property to her former glory, my personal feeling is that she is going to do a wonderful job and if I could help her in any way in the future I will do so.
This is what Hampton Lodge looks like from the front garden in September 2009, a lot of the property has gone since the days I lived there, but the beauty of it remains.
Below is the summer house on the top lawn Sept 2009.
The summer house were I hand wrote my children’s book ‘The Girl Who believed in Fairies.’ A beautiful peaceful place to sit in the late summer evenings, I have many happy if solitary memories which I often silently reminisce upon in within my minds eye, and when I do so I feel a strangely sad yet happy smile filter across my face. I often think my parents made a huge mistake in moving to Jersey, in my heart I feel that much of their lives would have been a lot happier had they not done so. OK they avoided death duties, which I believe should be abolished as in reality this is an unfair crippling tax, that is in reality a tax on funds people have already paid tax upon in their lifetime, just plain wrong in my view. I believe that everyone should pay a fair tax on the money they earn, without caps put upon those taxes, yes a percentage of the money one earns should be exempt from taxation to prevent poverty, but to be fair the same tax should be paid of X amount in the pound or dollar etc across the board irrespective of how much one does or doesn’t earn, end of. I sometimes wonder how different my life would have turned out had we not moved to Jersey, who knows, and does it really matter now? Anyway we went to visit relatives and then friends in the West Midlands, before going onto Wales the following day to pick up our Blue Merle Border Collie puppy, of course when we got there not only did we pick up our Blue Merle (now called Foxie) but also three other Border Collies, one that a friend had asked me to get the, a short haired black and white bitch (Now called Chelsea) our Foxie’s big brother now called Riley) and a short haired tri coloured bitch we named Sassie, it really hurt and I cried my eyes out when Sassie left us, she was the last to go and went to a brilliant new home with a very loving family, otherwise I would not have parted with her, and now we just have Foxie. Below is a short video of Sassie playing on the settee with Foxie on the floor shortly before Sassie left for her new home and family.
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I have to admit that if I had had a choice I wouldn't have bothered coming back to Jersey this time around.
The island has changed so much during the 40 plus years I have lived here, the States of Jersey couldn't give a sh*t about the people of the island, unless of course it is those rolling in money, human rights do not exist, and recently it has become so bad that Senator Stuart Syvret the father of the house with 20yrs experience and is now seeking legal asylum in the UK. You really should read his blog if you haven't already it is a real eye opener!
I found myself sitting on my settee earlier today thinking about what I would do if I suddenly sold a million of my books, laughing, I can tell you leaving Jersey would be high up on my list. Why, easy, I don't even get a reply when I send correspondence to States Members such as the below email.
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6 Dorset Mews Dorset Lane St Helier Jersey, C.I. JE2 3FH Tel: 747039 Mobile: 07700360796 Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Dear Senator F E Cohen, Now my husband and I have owned a small piece of land which is just under a vergee since 1981 (field 2 west of 77A Le Mont off Mont De La Mare St Peters) and have never been allowed to do anything at all with it. Please would you consider rezoning my land for a small low level echo friendly bungalow, this request is in response to your Island Plan Review. My Husband is Jersey Born, I have been in the island for over 40 years, my children are Jersey Born, my eldest daughter, my two grandsons and her husband now live in Australia due to not being able to afford a decent home in Jersey. My younger daughter will not be able to afford to buy a property or stay in Jersey unless we have a property passed on our land in St Peter which obviously she would inherit. It would appear that the only planning being passed in the island is not producing an infrastructure that takes into account the next generation of Jersey born people, due to this there is a mass exodus of our children. Not everyone wants to live in a concrete jungle in town; town under the present planning ideas is just going to become one huge ghetto. I am personally from a countryside equestrian background, and am a registered claustrophobic. I don’t know how anyone can equate how plans such as those for the Sunset Nursery’s site for colossal property’s can be acceptable in full view from the Five Mile Road, when small fields like mine appear to not even be considered. Here are links to a couple of photographs from the JEP which clearly prove my point. http://lindacorby.co.uk/clip_image003.jpg http://lindacorby.co.uk/clip_image001.jpg I am not going to go into my past disagreements with the Planning Department, but there are many due to the fact that it would appear that in the past I have been refused planning of any type while watching massive development all around my land being allowed. My land started out in the white zone (it is not agricultural land) and over the years has been rezone up to date and is now zoned as being in the conservation area. Which I find quite ludicrous as it cannot even be seen from the Five Mile Road unlike the huge developments that have been allowed all around it. Please watch the video I produced that will show you an example of what I am talking about, and the proximity of my land to surrounding properties. http://lcorby.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/the-jersey-way-of-planning/ The other video referred to in my video is Voice for children. http://voiceforjersey.blogspot.com/2009/04/when-is-fence-offence.html Over the years planning has been done by personality, I am hoping that you will consider reversing this trend and make decisions based on the present and not the past. I actually believe in ‘Do as you would be done by’ and I don’t have problems with what others have or are allowed to have, what I have got a problem with is watching others being allowed planning on my doorstep and not being allowed to have anything on my own land. A copy of this correspondence has been sent to other States Members and I will look forward to your reply and theirs. Thank you. Yours Sincerely, Linda Corby Mrs Linda Corby |
My chances of ever being allowed to live on our own land in Jersey are near enough zero, no humanity of any fair play is expected by me from any States Department, let us face it I do not do things 'The Jersey Way' I have more morels and ethic in my little finger than those who do!
One just lives in Jersey, one does not have any real quality of life, quality of life in the island is reserved for the wealthy only.
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Puppy Photographs
Sassie, Riley and Chelsea by the door in photo.
Foxie & her brother Riley with their first play sock.
Sassie & Foxie on the boat trip home.
Sassie on her favourite seat.
Foxie using chew bone for a pillow.
Foxie 1st Nov 2009, which ball to play with? You can follow me on twitter here:
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