20 August 2009 by Tristan Gooley
A union jack hoisted above a flagpole higher than any of the small huts on an island may seem over-patriotic or even jingoistic, but there are two good reasons for this one on the tiny island of Marmotiere. Firstly the flagpole has been used as a transit marker to help with pilotage for boats navigating the treacherous and rock littered approaches to the island. Secondly, the Norman French, who are only six miles away, actually attempted an invasion of the Ecrehou islands in 1993. No shots were fired and the land remains in the parish of St Martins in Jersey. The white paint below the flag remains the foremost of the current transit markers.
Tags: les ecrehou, marmotiere, navigating, pilotage, transit marker |
04 August 2008 by Tristan Gooley

Back from holiday to me means back to the joys and evils of modern life. In the remotest part of south Brittany where we had chosen to hide from the real world for a fortnight, there were no landline telephones, no newspapers, no TV, no radio, no computers and no internet. We had to learn how to speak to each other again which was not an entirely smooth process. If you haven’t tried it recently let me warn you that it is a lot harder than ignoring each other and pretending to text someone.
One of the joys of returning was the ability to access information. One of the evils is being bombarded with the stuff. I decided to focus on the positives last night and used the internet for what it seems best at: unearthing truly obscure bits of information.
I am now the proud owner of a…
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Tags: bedouin, desert, navigating, nomadic ancestors, star-lore |