School open despite snow

SNOW is a rarity in Herm, so even a little sprinkling is a cause of great excitement for the children.

With all schools in the Bailiwick closed on Monday, they were looking forward to wrapping up warm and playing out all day in the white stuff. But teacher Mary Carey was able to make it easily along the coast to the Herm boat and the Trident crew were at work by 7am to make sure she made the trip across.

The Herm school can be closed so often in winter because of bad weather and cancelled boats that it is important for Mrs Carey to get here whenever she can to ensure the children miss as little school as possible.

So that the children didn't feel too cheated, they spent less time doing actual work and more time listening to music and rehearsing for their upcoming nativity.

Nevertheless, the little snowman sitting on the school wall looked very lonely waiting for his friends to come out.

Suddenly the summer season seems a million years ago and we're battening down the hatches for the colder months.

Winter can be surprisingly busy. This is the perfect time to take stock, pack up the previous summer season and prepare for the next. The maintenance team are keeping the buildings up to standard and replacing several kitchens and bathrooms; the gardeners have plenty of work to carry them through into spring; and the reservations team are busy getting to grips with a new computer system.

This year's Christmas shopping trips got off to a bad start when several boats were cancelled on the first day due to bad weather. Sunday was much calmer, though, and according to Travel Trident more than 500 visitors took advantage of the free boats and extra sailings to visit the island.

There are three more shopping weekends before Christmas. The Herm gift shops are open every day, selling a large array of gifts and other must-have items.

And once your bags are filled with purchases, refreshments are available at the Mermaid Tavern. Whether you want lunch by the fire with a nice bottle of wine, or just a warming cup of tea, you'll be well looked after.