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Five Alive

Layla Arthur
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Five Alive

My over ambitious nature led me to decide that this summer, this 17 year old was going backpacking around Europe. So this proposal could become a reality, I artfully persuaded my boyfriend to also fall in love with the idea so my parents would be satisfied I had a “bodyguard”. The original plan was a five week trip; (I did say I was over ambitious) but this quickly turned into 17 days when I took stock of my bank account and a stack of ever increasing school work. One of the stops on our whirlwind trip was Cinque Terre located in Italy.

A testament to the allure of Cinque Terre is that not once, but twice, two teenagers stumbled to a train station at 6’ clock in the morning to catch a 3 hour train. I kid you not, when I say lack of sleep was a small price to pay for the beauty which is the North West Coast of Italy. Before I terrify you late risers into never wanting to step foot in Cinque Terre, our train journey was an exception as we were at the time based in Florence and Cinque Terre was a day trip for us.

Cinque Terre, meaning five towns in Italian, is quite literally five little seaside villages built into the coastline at regular intervals. The towns are named Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. Cinque Terre is an easily accessible location from the main train station in La Spezia, from which trains depart and stop in every village of Cinque Terre every quarter of an hour. You can travel easily by train between each town, with boat trips also being an option.

The enticement of these towns for me was the brightly coloured buildings and an islander’s urge to be by the sea again. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the landscape which encompasses the villages and it can be seen that the locals have worked alongside the land in a harmonious relationship. The towns have a rich heritage of churches and monasteries, castles and the architecture of the locals houses themselves.

Linking each town is a series of footpaths, which until the train networks were completed was the only way of travelling and trading between villages. Due to these paths Cinque Terre is a hikers dream with enchanting views of the coastline and the other villages from points high up on the cliffs. The tranquillity of the pathways is more than worth the trek up and down the hills between the villages. To travel along the footpaths you need to buy a pass, which you can buy in conjunction with unlimited train travel between the villages for only £16. Accommodation, despite the small size of each town is plentiful and reasonably priced considering the beauty of the location.

The town furthest from La Spezia is Monterosso which is also the largest. This town is best known for its vast expanse of beach and local markets. It is characterised by its brightly coloured umbrellas and is the most popular of the towns for those wanting to lie and relax in the sun.

Second along is Vernazza, my personal favourite. Vernazza is rich with characteristic buildings such as Doria Castle and the Church of Santa Margherita d’Antiochia. It has two beaches, a sand one incorporated into the harbour and a more private pebble beach used by the locals. It was here that we first sampled the exquisite seafood of Cinque Terre. Never before had I tasted deep fried seafood wrapped in paper cones and after Cinque Terre, never again will I be content to eat seafood in anything but, a paper cone.

Corniglia is the only village without a harbour, situated high up on the cliffs. It is renowned for the 377 stairs which you must undertake to get from the train station up to the main village.

Manarola is very clearly the local children’s favourite village as the harbour has a series of rocks perfect for jumping and diving into the sea. Manarola is thought to be the oldest of all the towns containing the church of San Lorenzo and the Bastion.

The last village is Riomaggiore which is split in two by the railway line. On the beach side, the sea is the clearest of all the villages and so perfect for swimming and snorkelling. Higher up is the agricultural area with expanses of vineyards and terraces.

Cinque Terre was my favourite location out of all the places I travel this summer. It’s brightly coloured houses and unique charm makes it a must see for anyone looking for a tranquil holiday.

Tennerfest? No it’s Gourmetfest

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Tennerfest? No it’s Gourmetfest

Many of us will have fond memories of sunny afternoons spent drinking and dining alfresco in St Aubin.   Well just because the summer months are now a distant memory it doesn’t mean our love for St Aubin has to stop, thanks to an awesome series of culinary delights on offer at the Salty Dog Bar & Bistro over the winter months.

For those of you that perhaps aren’t familiar with this well established family run eatery then allow us to give you a flavour what of you can expect from a visit.  The Salty Dog Bar & Bistro has had their home down on the Bullwarks since 1998 and over that time have built up a great team who are enthusiastic ambassadors of not only the food they’re helping to create but also the food industry as a whole.  They love their local “Genuine Jersey” produce and are always excited about the great flavours they have worked to create on their menu.  It is because of this love and dedication that they have gained a reputation for providing the most incredible food and great service too!

If you haven’t been before then now is a great time to book a table and pay a visit.  You may have noticed that their name is missing from the Tennerfest line up, well that’s because they’ve created their own take on the seasonal foodie celebration and bring you Gourmetfest.  They’ve taken the top three best selling dishes (starters, mains and sweets) of 2016 and given them a seasonal twist to create this special Gourmetfest set menu, which will cost you just £22 for three courses.  There are also special cocktail’s on the menu for £5 and a free bottle of bubbles if you book a party of eight midweek.  The menu is available every day for lunch (Fri, Sat and Sun) and dinner until November 17th.  You can expect to see dishes which include seared local scallops and crispy slow cooked pork belly, Malaysian Penang curry, followed by chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake.

It doesn’t stop there either, the day the Gourmetfest ends offers an exclusive daytime shopping event with the recently opened Lotti Loves Cashmere, a chance to see some of their new range whilst sipping bubbles.  Or the following week on Thursday 24th November you will be “Seduced by Sicily”.  An evening of food and wine where the Sicilian menu created by Chef Proprietor Damon Duffy will be paired with wines from Dunnel’s Premier Wines, at £65ph this is guaranteed to be a great night out.

Are you a rugby fan looking for something a little different to do before a game?  Then why not book a table for lunch before the game, you’ll get a drink on arrival a two course lunch (or one course and another drink) and transport up to the game in time for kick off, all for £25 per head.

The restaurant is also open throughout the festive season, in fact they only close on Christmas and Boxing Day, offering festive menus from 18th November at discounted rates for the month of November until New Years Day. Perfect for your Christmas party or even just lunch with friends.

Everyone at the Salty Dog is passionate about good food and good service and they look forward to welcoming you to their restaurant.

 

Open seven nights a week

Lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday

 

www.saltydogbistro.com

info@saltydogbistro.com

T: 742760

A house by any other name

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A house by any other name

Roseden House is a gem of a property hidden away at the end of a long carriage driveway, with electric entry gates.  This elegant and spacious four bedroom Georgian house was originally built in 1840 and stands in almost an acre of mature garden, orchard and woodlands.  The house retains a great many well maintained original period features throughout and whilst in need of internal modernisation is a fantastic, spacious, versatile property in a great location.

Whilst Roseden House sits in the parish of Grouville, at the bottom of Grouville Hill you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in a far more rural setting, thanks to the private and peaceful situation the house resides within.  Once you have entered through the gates, parked your car and entered into the grand outer hallway you will easily forget how conveniently located the property is.  So convenient in fact there is bus stop only a few steps from the house and it would also be an easy walk into St Helier, should you wish.

The original outer tiled hallway allows for muddy boots and outdoor clothing to be stored and deposited before you move into the inner hallway, here you’ll be welcomed by wooden parquet flooring and stairs up to the first floor.  On the ground floor the property boasts a beautifully appointed large drawing room with original parquet flooring and a period fireplace, with a large woodburning stove nestled within, this overlooks the beautiful mature woodlands and gardens to the front of the property.  The coving and ceiling roses are all original and well looked after and the drawing room leads onto an adjoining large dining room, with room for huge family dinners. This then flows through onto a generously sized kitchen, complete with Miele appliances.  There is a rear balcony extending out from the kitchen, perfect for dining al fresco in the summer months.

The current owners, who have lived in the property for over 25 years added in a stud wall to create the separation between the dining room and kitchen, but this could easily be removed to create a larger more open plan kitchen dining area. There is also a large snug area, currently utilised as the family TV room, it also features another fabulous original fireplace. The house offers wonderful space for all the family and great entertaining space too, thanks to the flow of the rooms throughout the ground floor.

Downstairs, accessed from two points, is a large and useful utility room, it’s also home to the large boiler.  You can further access the large garage here, with enough room for four cars and plenty of workshop space for the most avid DIY’ers. There is also a very useful large bright room down here, with wooden flooring throughout, plumbing available for central heating to be installed and additional adjoining rooms this space could easily be turned into second generation accommodation, or guest accommodation.  It is currently used as a playroom, another great use for this space.

Outside the garden has a burbling stream running down one side and the space offers great potential to add a swimming pool if you wish, subject to planning permission of course.  Within the garden remain the granite building that housed the original outside lavatory and also the remains of the outdoor kitchen can be seen, although a shed now sits within this space.  The garden scoops around the side of the house and leads onto a mature orchard with apple, fig, cherry trees which all bare fruit and there’s even a walnut tree. In addition at the rear of the property, behind a wall, there is the former granite coach house which could be developed into secondary accommodation, it has previously held planning permission to do so and would make a fantastic characterful two bedroom cottage.

Upstairs on the first floor there are four very generously sized double bedrooms, all with large full sized bathrooms. On the top floor there is a large floored loft space, ripe for converting into either more sleeping accommodation or an absolutely fantastic cinema room or entertaining space, it runs almost the full length of the house and has windows and heating in situ too.

Whilst the house would benefit from a little modernisation internally it offers spacious and versatile accommodation to the new owners.  With second generation potential and chances to add your own stamp on this beautiful property it is one to view.  Roseden House provides a great opportunity to acquire an exceptional and stylish small country estate in a very private and desirable setting.

Savills

722227

www.savills.je

£1,900,000 guide price

Roseden House, La Rue A Don, Grouville
4 bed suites

  • 4 reception
  • Georgian property with many original features
  • Complete privacy
  • Coach house with potential to develop
  • 1.8 vergee garden with stream; orchard
  • 4 car garage; ample parking
  • Approx 4,685 sq ft

 

Changing Hands

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Changing Hands

Jersey born entrepreneur Lawrence Huggler is the man behind a great many successful businesses both here and in the UK.  He returned to Jersey after spending a number of years living and working in London and launched Bohemia Bar & Restaurant, which quickly became Jersey’s most successful Michelin starred restaurant, holding one for 12 years, and counting. 

It was thanks to excellent timing that the year they were ready to launch The Club Hotel & Spa, the island’s first luxury boutique hotel coincided with the awarding of their star in Bohemia “many people think we designed it to happen this way, when it actual fact it was just incredible timing.  We weren’t quite brave enough to launch the two together, but of course it worked out brilliantly for the hotel.”

At the same time he launched feelunique.com which after joining with another online beauty retailer, founded by two other Jersey entrepreneurs, has grown into Europe’s leading online beauty site and while now majority owned by a private equity house Lawrence remains on the board.

Not busy enough Lawrence was looking for a new project, which brings us onto his latest venture, the beautiful pink drink he is juggling in his portrait.  Lanique, is a spirit liqueur made with Attar of Rose, originating in Poland this drink and Lawrence have had a long relationship.  “We were the only bar on the island stocking Lanique when we opened Bohemia, since then others have followed, but it was this long standing relationship that made me interested in buying the business.  I knew the alcohol market was one I wanted to work with, but differentiating yourself in something like wine is very difficult.  It took me some time to convince the former owner of Lanique to sell it to me, but he knew it was going to be in good hands, due to our long history with the spirit.”

“The unique pink drink is created by steam distilling thousands of rose petals sourced from the East. Due to the amount of rose petals needed to create just a small amount of liquid, Attar of Rose is more expensive than gold in terms of weight.”

It was first discovered and enjoyed over 200 years ago and remained a firm favourite all the way through to the roaring ‘20s, but with the start of the Second World War and the rise of Communism, the production of Lanique ceased and the drink was almost consigned to the pages of history. With the fall of Communism and the reopening of Eastern Europe, curators found themselves unearthing the fascinating history of Lanique and its long-lost recipe. After years of work by dedicated artisans, Lanique was finally available for people to enjoy again.

September saw a massive score for the brand when Lanique was introduced into 70 Slug and Lettuce bars around the UK.  This latest great listing for Jersey based Lanique is on top of recent successes for the unique drink including listings with the UKs biggest online supermarket Ocado as well as being available in prestige bars and restaurants across the UK inc Nobu Mayfair, The Ivy Grill, Covent Garden, Albert Schloss Manchester and many others. Lanique is also available in South Africa, Canada and soon to be in Australia. Locally in Jersey Lanique is enjoyed in all the top bars and restaurants as well as retailing via all the drinks shops and Grande Marche superstores.  We’re big fans of the brand’s signature serve, the Lanique & Lime.

Whilst it seems that all he touches turns out pretty well, I was intrigued to know if he’s ever taken a wrong turn in business “I launched a garden products website that didn’t work.  After about six months we found we couldn’t buy the products cheap enough due to our scale, so we didn’t have the margin to compete.  I also learnt two good lessons: more research would have worked that out, looking at buying and selling prices closer and talking more to suppliers upfront. Second, it’s great to first test a business idea cheaply before committing large sums, amazing what you learn quickly!

It’s thanks to this experience that we’re working really hard to make Lanique a success in the UK before committing to the larger US market, which is obviously most expensive to enter. We have had so much great feedback from distributors and bars and learnt how we need to market and distribute Lanique.  If we had done this in UK and US at the same time we’d have spent 10 times as much but not been any further forward than we are.”

Jersey is now well and truly his and his family’s home and it’ll come as no surprise that the island’s tourism industry is something that holds a particular interest for Lawrence “it’s great to see the work Visit Jersey are doing to promote the island.  When my wife and I lived in London, before we had children, we would use the low cost airline providers to explore places on the weekend.  Saving on our airfares meant we had money to spend when we arrived, which is what we’re seeing more of in the hotel and restaurant now.  For us the last 12 months have been really positive in both the hotel and the restaurant, with lots of new faces coming from the UK.”

At the end of our time together Lawrence joked that we’d spoken about two of the least manly things you possibly could “pink drinks and cosmetics”, but then we had also spent a fair amount of time talking about cars and the joys of long distance driving prior to that, as I’d just returned from the Galleryrally.  In fact it may come as a surprise to many that he said that he’d often thought whilst driving in Europe that “being a long distance lorry driver would be a great job”, not for everyone we agreed, but perhaps that could be next on his list of things to do.

Collective living: new lifestyles of generation rent

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Collective living: new lifestyles of generation rent

My grandfather loves to sit me on his knee and tell me stories about when he was a young man, particularly those where the moral revolves around how he knuckled down, saved money and bought his first home before he was 20. I appreciate the advice, but I wish he’d realise that no 34 year old still lives with their mum out of choice. The only reason I’m still sat on his knee is that I’m hoping the exertion will hasten his demise and I might inherit enough to own a bedsit by the time I come to retire. The older generation are happy to tell youngsters they have unrealistic expectations of property ownership, but that’s a bit rich coming from people who had the option of mortgaging a three-bedroom house for the same amount of cash that some of us are putting towards renting a parking space.

What’s more irritating is that his generation’s ability to snap up investment properties in the 70s means that us youngsters must expect to pay an inflated rent in order to keep our elders in cruise holidays and beige trousers. I can’t even “be happy with renting a nice place” when 40% of my monthly income goes towards a damp hovel with no garden and walls so thin I can hear my neighbour waxing her bikini line. There’s still a property ladder, but the last person going up covered it with grease and broke most of the rungs. If you’re single, unless you’re expecting either an inheritance or a promotion, you should probably stop dreaming of owning anything grander than a chalet with its own chemical toilet and a bucket to wash with. If you too can’t get a mortgage, the following creative solutions might feel horribly familiar.

Shared housing: you too can star in your own wacky flatshare comedy

Sharing a house is a super idea when you’re a student, probably because at 18 it seems incredibly liberating not to have your parents breathing down your neck about hoovering your bedroom and washing the dishes. It inevitably becomes tiresome in the extreme, because you aren’t just sharing a house with Tamsyn from your World Cinema class, you’re also sharing it with Tamsyn’s sock microbes, her inability to turn the heating off and her loud and pretentious boyfriend, Rupert. Even if you leave university and move into a flat the size of a double bed, it’s at least a double bed where nobody eats all of your cereal or brings ten people back from a dubstep rave when you’ve got lectures in the morning. This inconvenience is no less true when you’re all working adults, as house share life is less like Friends or The Big Bang Theory than it is like Peep Show or a Channel 5 documentary about a man who kills his flatmates because they have noisy 4AM sex and never replace the toilet roll.

Multi-generational homes: mother knows best

Growing numbers of desperate young people convince themselves that living with Mum will become magically less stressful if only there’s some kind of formal agreement in place. Perhaps if you buy a larger house together, or sign a joint lease, Mum will realise that you’re an adult now and your choices about diet and laundry are yours to make? WRONG. She spent six plus hours squeezing your fat head out of her birth canal, and wiped your bottom until you were old enough to do it yourself: she will never let you forget this. If you continue to live together you’ll always be a child – any partner you have will be on indefinite probation, your privacy will be consistently disrespected and you’ll always have a theoretical curfew. On the other hand, if you endure the omnipresent tutting you will continue to get free dinners and inappropriate sympathy any time you catch cold or graze one of your knees. Mummy’s brave soldier needs to get a good night’s sleep, and there will be a crustless sandwich in his lunchbox so he isn’t too tired for that board meeting.

Life on the (not so) open road

It might be near-impossible to purchase stationary property, but there is another way to own your own space. Most of us could just about scrape together enough money to buy a home on four wheels, and if you consider mushrooming vehicle size against the shrinking square footage of houses it won’t be long before a Mercedes van is larger than a two-bedroom flat. It might not have a proper toilet (or any toilet), but you can squeeze in a kitchen that shames many bedsits and get some surprisingly comfy beds for diesel-powered romance. You’ll be living in a community of other nomads, so it might be possible to pool your resources and purchase one of those tin baths from Steptoe & Son. The major downside, aside from space, security and storage, is that we live in Jersey, so the only place you can legally overnight in your mobile home is the lawless enclave known as Le Port car park. Although I have some affection for this strange alliance of middle-class dreadhead dropouts and caravan-dwelling retirees, it has dangerous levels of bongo drum ownership and the available amenities extends to a few bins and a cafe that doesn’t like you.

Dystopian dormitory dwelling

Given all of the above, you might conclude that the only realistic solution lies in drastically lowering your expectations of a home. As always, the capitalist market is one step ahead of you, so in the near future I am confident that Jersey will import a housing model which is becoming popular in other overcrowded places, like San Francisco, Tokyo and the prison cities where they make iPhones. Optimistically marketed as “micro-apartments”, but more honestly known amongst residents as “coffin apartments”, these tiny homes offer considerably less square footage than a typical Jersey garage. Think an extremely compact single hotel room, where you need to put the toilet lid down to shower, except you also have a shelf for your microwave and a tiny little desk. Storage is found underneath your bunk and the only window is so narrow you couldn’t possibly jump out of it. The only space is in shared common rooms – like a university hall of residence where everybody swaps tips on how to cook instant noodles in a kettle. It feels like living in the future! Except the future is one depicted in a film where the lead character is oppressed and decides to join a revolution against people who are privileged enough to have enough space for a couch. At least it’s safe, warm and the space is all yours, although this isn’t too far away from the same argument you might use to justify caging a hamster. It doesn’t appeal to me, because I’m happy where I am – hoping that I can play my cards right and that Mum will let me use the garden shed to celebrate my 40th.

Penalties, Free passes + Airborne

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Penalties, Free passes + Airborne

Since it’s our collective issue we gathered this gorgeous gang of women, who all play netball for Team Jets, to be our fabulous models.

Make up Jo Baran from Bobbi Brown

All clothes and shoes available from the Contemporary Womenswear Collections, upstairs in Voisins

Collector Extraordinare

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Collector Extraordinare

In this day and age it isn’t often that you get the chance to meet a true gentleman, a man with charisma, charm and stories to share that aren’t just those of myth and legend but instead based on history and a life well lived. This month we got to meet just such a person, David Gainsborough Roberts, a face that many will recognise and a man who is the owner of one of the most incredible collections of collectibles; perfectly suited to feature in our collective issue.

His collection of over 2,000 items has been tirelessly assembled over recent decades. It is, however, now due to be passed on to new owners through a variety of auctions around the globe with the whole collection currently in the process of being sold.  David explained “I want to sell them whilst I can remember where everything is, I hate the thought, in the future, that the executor of my will would come in and just dispatch items with no thought to where they’ve come from and who owned them before me.” The provenance of each piece is of particular importance, David has a handwritten log of each item, when he bought it and how much for.  He also has reams of paperwork to accompany each, all of which are now in the hands of the various auction houses who have been tasked with the sale of each different aspect of the collection.  He explained “it’s one thing saying you have a picture owned and personalised by someone like Marilyn Monroe, but unless you can prove it then no one is interested.”  

As you would image, the stories that surround the items are often just as interesting as the items themselves. Spending time with David you get a real sense of the reason behind his desire to grow this cornucopia of historic and significant elements of popular and classic culture. Without a desire to seem crass, I asked if he ever bought anything with a future financial value in mind: “never…” was the answer. “…for me it’s about the story and the history.  I have no interest in current memorabilia or the resale value of an item.”  He started collecting from an early age, “from the age of five years old I was collecting stamps and marbles, my mother always said I should be out playing football, but when you’re six foot one by the age of 13 you realise football isn’t for you”.

An interest in books, of which he has 7,000, and antiquities is something he’s always had, but he’s also lived an interesting and varied life which has included life as an actor and five years spent as a wrestling promoter in the 1960s, crossing paths with the likes of the Kray twins “well spoken men who didn’t need to throw their weight around; tough men of course, but incredibly polite with no need for bravado.”  It was around that time he had wanted to qualify as a social worker, with the goal of becoming a probation officer, a clear influence on him and perhaps the reason for the significant crime inspired section of his collection.

David has spent a great deal of time travelling the world giving talks on his collection and sharing his vast knowledge of the history associated with the items it holds. He enjoys dispelling myths that have become common folklore, often thanks to Hollywood’s intervention. An interesting story about a chessboard owned by Robert Stroud, most well known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz” and the casting of Burt Lancaster who played him in the movie of the same name led me to ask David who he’d want to play him in a movie “I’d love someone like Hugh Grant to play me. He’s got a sense of humour, and I hope I’ve got a sense of humour and he could treat it all as a bit of a joke”.

I would have happily spent hours in David’s company, not least because he poured me a glass of champagne within five minutes of my arrival. I fear that the limit of a word count can’t do our time together justice but it was a real privilege to get to spend some time in his company. And whilst the majority of the collection for which he’s become so well known for has now gone, it is the man himself who was the most interesting part.

Below ground, above par!

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Below ground, above par!

No.10 on Bond Street is a relative newcomer to the foodie scene here in Jersey, but it has already made a very big impression on me and the countless diners who are already raving about the delightful menu and beautiful surroundings.  Having sampled the delights on their excellent menu I was keen to venture downstairs to delve a little deeper into what the bar has to offer and I wasn’t disappointed.

Although this below street level bar has had many other guises in its time, none are quite as delightful as the current owners have made it.  Every bottle behind the bar has been carefully considered, there are no poor quality spirits here, although you’ll be surprised that isn’t reflected in the prices, a cocktail is just £8, an absolute steal.  They’re also the proud purveyors of one of the finest gin collections I’ve seen on island, at last count there were 20 to choose from, each one cleverly garnished with one of their botanical components to really enhance your G&T pleasure.

I was fortunate enough to sit down and sample a few of the cocktails from the thoughtfully constructed drinks menu.  Marian is the mixologist responsible for creating my Sweet Dilly, a gin based cocktail inspired by owner Joseph’s memories of his Grandmother, her name was Dilly and she loved gin!  This clever blend of aromatics was a delight on the palate, the perfect blend of Jensen’s Gin, elderflower from the St-Germain liqueur and topped with a splash of elderflower Fever Tree tonic and a generous helping of dill oil which rolls into beautiful spheres on the top of my glass.  As a long cocktail it was also really refreshing too.  Like everything in the restaurant the unique components are freshly made in house and from local ingredients where possible.

Next up was Marian’s favourite the Old Fashioned, I think you’d be hard pushed to find a mixologist who isn’t a fan of this classic cocktail.  He chose a rye whiskey as the base and balanced it with sugar syrup and his own personal blend of bitters, patiently stirred and poured over a magnificent ice globe, made in house and by hand, this is also one of my favourites and it was a pleasure to drink, smooth and aromatic as a good Old Fashioned should be.

The beauty of this basement bar comes not only from the drinks on offer but also by way of the decor.  Once again interior designer mum, Annie Baker, has shown incredible flair with copper accents throughout complementing the copper fronted bar and the tables, chairs, stools and all of the soft furnishings are crying out to be enjoyed as the nights draw in and our evenings become longer.  If you’re looking for food to accompany your drinks then fear not, as you’ll be able to access both the small plates bar menu and can dine from the main restaurant menu too.

If you need to find me at any stage throughout the autumn and winter months then I’d consider starting at No.10, particularly if it’s between the hours of 11am-11pm Tuesday to Saturdays.  I’m likely to be sat in the alcove at the back with my feet up and an Old Fashioned in hand, I’ll see you there!

Number 10 Bond St, St Helier, Jersey / Tel: 01534 733223 / www.number10jersey.com

TO INFINITY! (OR AT LEAST BEYOND THE STRATOSPHERE)

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TO INFINITY! (OR AT LEAST BEYOND THE STRATOSPHERE)

Whether or not man may have already successfully landed anything at all on the surface of the moon, let alone actual humans, five teams from around the globe (and by that I’m referring to earthlings rather than extra-terrestrials) are aiming to send their robots there in 2017 to discover more about our closest celestial body than we’ve ever learnt before. It’s practically on our doorstep, after all.

Thanks to that gargantuan and seemingly unstoppable internet force that is Google coughing up toward the $30,000,000 prize fund for successful entrants, the handful of teams that have made the cut by convincing judges of their ability to actually manufacture conceptual machines capable of cutting their mustard (and a whole host of lunar minerals) on the surface of the moon have been working toward a deadline of 2017 as they strive to overcome another gargantuan and almost unstoppable force: gravity.

Thankfully, for the teams, the prize money is being awarded incrementally, although I can’t imagine that playing with robots on the moon necessarily falls within the twenty-million dollar budget. Still, going slightly over budget on an individual basis is probably worth the bragging rights, right? As well as the knowledge that you’re developing technology for the advancement of the human race, of course. The mission objectives state that each team must successfully land their craft on the moon, move 500m either above, across or below its surface and send back high definition video footage. Straightforward sounding enough on earth, which is where the qualifying teams have demonstrated their droids up to this point to prove feasibility, but whether or not they’ll be capable of operating in temperatures ranging from -247 degrees Celsius at night to +100 degrees Celsius during the daytime is yet to be seen.

SpaceX, the somewhat infamous developers of modern reusable space hardware that can just about land autonomously without exploding, backed by Elon Musk of PayPal fame and fortune, have already signed an agreement for two of the five shortlisted teams; Astrobotic, based in Pittsburgh (United States) and Hakuto, hailing from Japan to share a lift on one of their Falcon 9 rockets in order to get their respective rovers onto the lunar soil next year.

Hakuto, Japanese for ‘white rabbit’ after a folktale involving the shape of a rabbit being seen in the dark side of the moon, plan to land not one, but two rovers. One to drive up to the edge of a crater of their choice and the other, lighter counterpart to abseil down into said crater. I’m unable to confirm whether the cumulative distance will count toward the objectives, or whether they’re just making more work for themselves by travelling across only to still have 500 metres of downward lunar exploration to follow. Let’s not forget that they’ll be in a side-by-side race against Astrorobotic’s Uni rover to complete as many of the objectives as possible once their shared lander lands and the ramp goes down.

United States based team Moon Express have taken a completely different approach to lunar exploration by planning to land on the moon not once, but twice. Moon Express have created a ‘flying donut’ which is essentially a ring shaped fuel tank fitted with some boosters and the requisite camera equipment for their mission that’ll hitch a lift out of the Earth’s stratosphere with help from Rocket Lab and one of their Electron rockets (no sharing here, I bet these guys never got bullied back at school) before propelling itself the remainder of the 24,000 miles, performing the riskiest part of any team’s journey, the landing part, taking off again, strafing 500m and then landing again. Sending home postcards from the moon has never sounded so simple, has it? In a similar vein, Israeli team SpaceIL, who were the first to secure a spot in the contest, will launch their mission in conjunction with a SpaceX rocket according to a recently signed formal contract between the two companies but its solar powered journey to the moon will take approximately two months to complete. When it arrives, it’ll recharge its batteries before hopping, yes, hopping toward its 500m distance target.

However, there is one big issue for the teams and it’s the driving force behind Moon Express and SpaceIL’s plans to fly 500m rather than travel overland: dust. Moon dust (not the edible, popping variety) is incredibly fine and tends to clog absolutely everything it comes into contact with, not to mention obscure vision. So whilst flying above it will kick up a bit of dust, it’s at least unlikely to cause any mechanical issues. The risk of dust disabling the other teams’ rovers is exponentially higher.

German team Part Time Scientists (who now actually employ a fair few full time scientists as part of their team), and their more conventional wheeled rover are frankly my favourites to win Google’s Lunar X-Prize, purely because they all have unrelated day jobs and just fancied a crack at trying a bit of robotic space travel, don’t seem fazed by travelling on the surface, however, and have already secured three quarters of a million dollars from the judges who were impressed by their imaging equipment in particular. It’s an interesting mix of one camera lens that images through a colour sensor and a pair of black and white cameras mounted either side, because everybody knows that the best way to shoot high definition colour video on the moon is by using two cameras with black and white sensors then adding the colour from the centrally mounted lens and its associated colour sensor afterwards, don’t they? The other advantage is that they’ll also be able to shoot their footage in 3D and that’s one way to resurrect a dying fad involving wearing an awkward looking pair of glasses. Count me in.

India’s only team of the sixteen overall entrants who managed to reach the development stage, Indus, have proved quite elusive to research despite having already netted an impressive $1,000,000 in milestone prize awards from the judges for their work so far.

The Google Lunar X-Prize hasn’t avoided controversy, however, with complaints being raised about the inclusion of so-called Heritage Awards in and amongst the bonus prizes. Offering a $4,000,000 award for any team that successfully produces a Mooncast from any Apollo mission site in both high definition and a lower resolution near realtime video as well as a panoramic photo of the site in question and an image showing a substantial portion of the Apollo craft from the site, concerns have been raised over their historical, cultural and archaeological significance and the possibility of damaging them by straying too close.

We’ll have to wait until 2017 to find out who makes it first, or even if anyone makes it at all, but either way it looks as if the future of commercial space exploration is looking bright. Thanks, Google. That’s one, small hop for a lunar lander…

If the shoe fits…

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If the shoe fits…

Latchets is a fabulous modern private family home set in a very sunny location within Valley des Vaux and is surrounded by woodland.  From the moment you drive through the gates you can appreciate how private the property is and once inside the house you are struck by the light and very spacious aspect of all the rooms thanks to the clever development of the property.

Having started life as a 1960s bungalow the  four bedroom house that now occupies this large plot is long way away from its former guise. When the current owners moved in five years ago they wanted to make the very best of the location of the property and have subsequently modernised and renovated the  property throughout, to an extremely high standard.  Only two walls of the original building remain making this an 80% new build property, which brings along with it all of the things you’d expect from one. Including between floor level soundproofing, super energy efficiency thanks to being fully insulated and double glazing throughout. There’s CAT 6 cabling, a UV water filtration system and brand new plumbing and electrics too.

One thing that strikes you as soon as you enter  is how bright and airy the house is, many of the rooms have vaulted ceilings and floor to ceiling feature windows which invites the light to flood in and adds real character too.

The kitchen really is the heart of this home  with an impressive large corian island/breakfast bar for informal dining, this comes with its own built in wine fridge too. There are traditional cream shaker style units with contrasting Stella Negro corian tops to match the centre island. Double doors lead  out on to the patio and BBQ area, extending the entertainment space.  You’ll also find a traditional Villeroy & Boch Belfast sink and a ceramic topped Rangemaster cooker, cleverly blending the traditional features in this otherwise modern property. Directly next door is a large formal dining room, with feature fireplace and more doors out on to the paved patio outside. Further on and off the bright hallway is a large cloakroom and the vast living room, you’ll find white oak flooring and wet radiators, guaranteed  to keep you cosy in the winter.

A separate large utility room is adjacent to  the kitchen and also provides an additional entrance to the property, with direct access to a useful cloakroom/shower room this is the ideal place to come in after romping around the lanes in the valley and depositing your boots and clothes.  What is actually the fourth bedroom is also down here.  Whilst it is currently utilised as a playroom and home office, it would lend itself to being a fantastic second generation option or even possible income opportunity.

The front of the property is wrapped by an  impressive split level south facing patio and decking area which overlooks the garden and the surrounding fields making this a brilliant peaceful and private location for entertaining your friends when the sun shines.  Around to the south west side of the  property is also a large sunken hot tub ready to while away the hours.  Outside there is also a large secure garden and ample parking too.  There is also a double garage and basement storage under the whole footprint of the house and a cheeky little room which would make an ideal wine cellar.

Upstairs there are two large double bedrooms, both of which have Juliet balconies and like the other bedrooms there are perfect fit blinds installed, which are discreetly concealed when not in use meaning you can make the very best of those lovely surrounding views over the nearby fields and mature woodland.  There is also a large full sized house bathroom. The incredibly spacious master bedroom suite is a fantastic space, with more of those feature windows and alcoves it’s a really aesthetically pleasing room too.  There is also a very large full sized ensuite bathroom with double sinks and a rainforest double shower and plenty of built in storage.  Once again there is a Juliet balcony and views over the surrounding green fields.

The current owners also rather wisely invested  in state of the art CCTV and infrared cameras, which are easily linked up to your smart device so you can keep an eye on your property whilst away from home, it also makes it an ideal solution for those who like to lock up and leave. Latchets is a very versatile property that has been finished to a very high standard, it really does need to be viewed to truly appreciate all it has to offer the new owners.

Wilsons

877977
www.wilsons.je

£1,650,000

Qualified

• Stunning private modern family home

• Extremely sunny, light and airy spacious home

• Family kitchen/breakfast room, dining room and spacious lounge

• Master bedroom suite plus 3 double bedrooms and 3 bathrooms

• Fabulous decked balcony, paved terrace with jacuzzi and large garden

• Garage with basement storage and ample parking

• Viewing essential to appreciate this beautiful home

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