We continue our series of articles 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. This contribution comes from Pauline Snarey
Bouônjour, ch’est Pauline Snarey auve eune autre articl’ye pouor “eune frouqu’thée d’Jèrriais”.
Duthant l’mais d’Juilet dé ch’t’ année, j’fus en Angliétèrre pour eune sémaine auve tchitch’uns d’ ma fanmil’ye pouor eune vacance. I’ y’ avait onze pèrsonnes en total, mé-même et man bouônhomme, mes deux fréthes et mes belle-sœurs, man n’veu, deux d’ mes sœurs et lus bouônhommes.
J’avêmes prîns à louage eune grand’ maîson dans La Nouvelle Forêt, compliétée atout eune ênorme bangnérêsse, des grands gardîns, plusieurs chambres, eune bibliothéque, eune êtude, eune grand’ tchuîsinne s’pathée et eune massive tchuîsinne auve un grais à fou et eune hardi longue tabl’ye tchi pouvait accomoder tout l’monde. La maîson ‘tait entouothée tout l’tou par des bouais, ou ‘tait hardi belle et juste parfaite pouor nous.
J’visitînmes lé vaste câté d’ campangne, Beaulieu, pouor un jour et j’vînmes la massive ramâss’sie privée des véhitchulles ilà. Chennechîn încliuthait des motos, des ouadgîns, des bicyclettes et des motocyclettes dé toutes formes et d’ toute sortes. La ramâss’sie ‘tait hardi împressionnante et sans doute ch’na valait un tas d’ sou étout. Étout, j’visitînmes les maîsiéthes dé la vielle Abbaye dans les gardîns du câté, i’ ‘taient originnellement bâties duthant l’ treizième siècl’ye et fondées par les mouaines Cistèrciens. Les mouaines ‘taient suffisants d’ieux mêmes et lus fèrmes et bouais’sies produithaient toute la nouôrrituthe nécessaithe pouor les bésoins d’ l’Abbaye, étout des produits pouor faithe du commèrce auve d’autres. Toutefais, en 1539, l’Abbaye fut dêtruite sus l’ordre du Rouai Henry VIII comme partie d’ sa dissolution des monastéthes. En dêpit d’la plyie, j’eûnmes une bouonne journée ensembl’ye à Beaulieu.
Sus d’autres jours, j’visitînmes des p’tits villages et des villes auve des belles caûmiéthes auve lus liefs en glyi et des ruelles, plieines dé caractéthe. Tout ch’na ‘tait, tristement, tellement pus pliaîsant et charmant qué chein qué j’ possédons ichîn à St. Hélyi aniet, tchi sembl’ye aver pèrdu trop d’ san vièr charme et sa pèrsonnalité. Et pis, j’explôrînmes les boutiques et les pliaiches d’ întéthêt, i’ y’ avait un tas d’tchi à vaie et à faithe dans chutte belle taque dé l’Angliétèrre, bein seux eune bieauté hardi difféthente dé la sienne dé not’ pétite île siez nous. Naturellement, j’visitînmes les aubèrges et les dgèrgotes étout, où’est qué j’mangînmes des r’pas auvec un goût d’èrva-s-y et j’bûmes du vîn et des biéthes locales. J’marchînmes dans la bouaîs’sie et j’vînmes des j’vaux, des couochons, et des chèrs sauvages partout, tchi chance ! Et pis, jé tchillyînmes des mouaithes et des pommes et j’griyînmes un pâté d’ fruits auve ieux, bein seux i’ tait d’licieux ! Eune arlévée j’fînmes un tou d’la forêt dans eune beusse à haut ouvèrt, lé paysage et les veues ‘taient êtourdissantes et un d’lice pouor nous à vaie.
Tchiquefais, j’nagînmes dans la bangnérêsse et jé jouînmes dé gammes dé balle dans l’ gardîn, comme des gammes dé pétanque et d’ croquet, les bouônhommes contre les bouônnefemmes, mais les hommes trichîtent pouor lus aîdgi à gângni, ch’na nouos fit touos rithe. Duthant les séthées, j’chantînmes des chansons, j’racontînmes des badinn’nies et j’nos ramémouaithînmes des vièrs mémouaithes alentou la tabl’ye, généralement pouor s’pâsser l’temps et j’dansînmes ensembl’ye dans la tchuîsinne à nos musiques favorites jusqu’à hardi tard dans la niet. J’eûnmes un tas d’ fanne en fanmil’ye et jé jouînmes vraîment d’la compagnie d’ châtchun, j’espêthe qué j’pouôrrons faithe la même chose acouo eune fais l’année tchi veint.
(English translation)
During July this year, I went to England for a week with some of my family for a holiday. There were eleven people in total, myself and my husband, my two brothers and sisters-in-law, my nephew, two of my sisters and their husbands.
We had rented a big house in the New Forest, complete with an enormous swimming pool, large gardens, lots of bedrooms, a library, study, separate dining room, and a massive kitchen with a cooking range and a very long dining table which could accommodate everybody. The house was surrounded by the woods, it was very beautiful and just perfect for us.
We visited the sprawling country estate of Beaulieu for a day, and saw the large private collection of vehicles there. This included cars, vans, bicycles and motorcycles in all shapes and sizes. The collection was very impressive and without doubt worth a lot of money too. Also, we visited the ruins of the old Abbey in the estate gardens, it was originally built during the thirteenth century and founded by the Cistercian monks. The monks were self sufficient and their farms and woodlands had produced all the food necessary for the needs of the Abbey as well as produce to trade with others. However in 1539 the Abbey was destroyed on the instruction of King Henry VIII as part of his ‘Dissolution of the Monastries’. Despite the rain, we had a good day together at Beaulieu.
On other days, we visited the little villages and towns with their pretty thatched cottages and narrow streets full of character, sadly, far more appealing than our own St. Helier is today, which seems to have lost so much of its old charm and personality. Also, we explored the shops and places of interest, there was lots see and do in this beautiful part of England, of course, a very different beauty to that of our little Island home. Naturally we visited the many pubs and inns too, where we ate some very tasty meals and drank the wine and the local beers. On several occasions, we walked in the forest and saw horses, pigs and wild deer everywhere, what luck! Also we picked some blackberries and apples and I made a fruit pie with them, everyone agreed it was delicious! One afternoon we took a tour of the forest in an open-topped bus, the scenery and the views were stunning and a delight for us to see.
Sometimes we swam in the swimming pool and played ball games in the garden, including pétanque and croquet, the men against the women, but the men had cheated to help them win, which made us all laugh. During the evenings, we sang songs, told jokes and recalled old memories around the table, generally whiling away the time, and danced together in the kitchen to our favourite music until very late. We had lots of fun as a family and really enjoyed ourselves, I hope we can do the same thing again next year.
Well that’s enough for today, thank you for listening to me, have a good week, goodbye until the next time.
