Rural – Jersey Country Life Magazine

EUNE FROUQU’THÉE D’JÈRRIAIS – (A FORKFUL OF JÈRRIAIS)

The first in a series of article in Jèrriais – Jersey’s own traditional native language.

The ‘frouque’ in question is a digging fork, rather than a table fork. An English translation follows.

The first in our series is from David Marett (David Mathet)

Et bein nouos r’véchîn acouo eune fais dans un monde pas exactément normal.  Heutheusement, par siez nous ch’n’a pas ‘té trop êpreuvant.  J’avions ieu not’ fanmil’ye alentou d’ nous.  J’avons peu faithe des p’tites prom’nades à pid ou dans not’ vouaituthe dé temps en temps et auvec lé ‘mûsé’ bein cou’èrt, j’avions fait not’ boutiqu’sie au supèrmarchi châque sémaine sans trop dé diffitchulté. 

Mes g’veux dévîntent un mio longs au mais d’Mai pour un p’tit brîn jusqu’à temps qué les barbyères ou copeux dé g’veux érpûtent lus mettre en travâs dé nouvé.  J’éthais p’têt’ ‘té à la môde dans les années souaixantes/ septante?! 

Autrément tout allait bein assez.  J’pus souôgni d’la maison et du gardîn.  J’peignis lé lief en tôle sus lé p’tit shed en driéthe, tchi c’menchait à roui.  I’ n’y-aver rein à s’pliaindre vraiment.

À St. Martîn, j’erpeûmes nos rendre à la Chapelle par la fîn dé Juilet – auvec bein des restrictions bein seux – pas pus d’quarante personnes, bein s’pathées, entrer d’un bord et sortithe dé l’autre, et pas dé chant’thie!  Ah là!  Pour nous Méthodiste ch’est tout à fait eune pénitance!  Mais v’là tchi qué j’avions à faithe.

Pour la fête d’Avôut j’eûmes à aver deux sèrvices, un mio racourchis, par iun auprés l’autre, pour les septantes tchi-qu’uns tchi voulaient y v’nîn. 

Dans l’entrétemps j’pouviêmes prendre pathe au tchulte par lé moyen dé YouTube à l’Înternet, et i’ faut dithe qué lé Révérend Danny Wheadon en à fait eune mangnifique djobbe.  J’sommes-ti chanceux!

J’n’avons pas peu rencontrer les mousses dé not’ “Messy Church”, comme j’appellons. Mais j’avons trouvé eune manniéthe dé lus fourni des histouaithes et p’tits projets à faithe siez ieux, arrangis dans eune pouque en papyi. I’ n’ont qu’à les ramâsser. I’ y-a tréjous eune solûtion si nou chèrche.  Nous en eut 17 êfants tchi prîntent par au mais d’Séptembre et ch’a ‘té bein bouon dé vaie lus photos à fabritchi les projets qué nous lus avait fourni.

Eune entréprînse tchi nos a donné bein dé pliaisi, ch’a ‘té la “Banque dé Nouôrrituthe”dé tchi qué j’ayons ieu lé privilège d’arrangi dans not’ grande Salle à la Chapelle auvec la Pâraisse et lé Supèrmarchi M et S.  I’ y-a tant dé nouôthituthe tch’éthait à êt’ fliantchie horte si j’pouvièmes pas en faithe sèrvi pour les siens tchi veinnent nos vaie lé Lundi, Mêcrédi ou lé Vendredi à l’heuthe du dîner, à eune autre dgièxaine ou d’même tchi né peuvent pon sorti dé la maîson, et à tchique jannes fanmil’yes.

Ch’ là tchi reste auprés – et i’ y-en a souvent tchique douzaine d’ assez grandes bouaitées dé nouôrituthe –  j’délivrons ès gens du Shelter en Ville et au Sanctouaithe pour les Hommes à St. Aubîn.  Comme j’ai dit, ch’a ‘té un vrai pliaîsi et privilége dé pouver aîdgi un p’tit mio dans ches temps ichîn bein tchulbutés.

Et bein n’en v’là assez pour aniet.  J’vos souhaite tous bouonne chance et, sustout, bouonne santé.  Et à bétôt pour achteu.

In translation:

By David Marett

Well, here we are again, in a world not exactly ‘normal’.

Happily, down our way, it’s not been too trying.  We have had our family around us.  We’ve been able to go for walks or little trips by car from time to time, and, with our faces well covered, our weekly shopping trips to the supermarket without too much difficulty.  In May my hair became rather long till the barber’s or hair dressers were able to open up again. I would probably looked quite trendy in the sixties or seventies?!  Otherwise everything went smoothly enough.  I was able to look after jobs around the house and in the garden.  I re-painted the corrugated iron  roof of  a small shed bhibd the house, which had started to show signs of rust.  But truly there was not much to complain about.

In St. Martin we were able to re-open our Methodist Chapel for worship at the end of July – with all the precautions of course: no more than 40 people well-spaced out; coming in one way and out the other and, of course, no singing.  Oh dear! For Methodists that really is a penance!  Never mind that’s how things are.

For Harvest Thanksgiving we had to have two slightly shortened services, one after the other, for the seventy plus people who wished to come. 

In between times, we could share in virtual worship, courtesy of YouTube on the Internet, and I must say that our Revd. Danny Wheadon has done a wonderful job of them.  How lucky we are!

As a ‘Messy Church’ we have not been able to meet with our young friends and their parents.  But we have found a way to supply them with stories, and simple craft projects by putting them in a paper bag that they can collect and do with their parents at home.  There is always a solution if we look for it.  We had 17 children who took part in September and it’s been lovely to receive their photos and comments showing them making their creations from what we had provided.

One little enterprise we have been delighted to join in has been the Parish Food Bank, which we have been privileged to host in our church Hall in cooperation with the Parish and courtesy of M&S.  There is so much foodstuff which would have to be thrown out if it couldn’t be used to help those who come up on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays around the lunch hour and another ten or so house-bound people we deliver to and a few young families.

What is left over – and there are often some dozen quite large cratefuls – we deliver to the Shelter in town and the Men’ Sanctuary at St. Aubin.  As I’ve said, it has been a real pleasure and privilege to help a little in this way in these topsy-turvy times.  

Well that’s enough for now. May I wish you all happiness and, especially, good health. Good bye for now.

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