General

Hi, my name is Sunny, I am a 15.1 Piebald (black and white) traditional gypsy cob (for those of you not up to speed with horsey height and weight this makes me a big boy). I am nearly 4, which according to my owners makes me a baby but I am very brave and act really grown up most of the time. Until very recently I lived with my friend Lucy in Devon. It has been an unusual year for me, for a start I have been allowed to grow a very long hairy coat, normally I have a hair cut in the winter.

Then my friend Lucy left me. I am not sure where she went but she was quite old and poorly. Then my owners left me with new people, but luckily they must have missed me loads because after just Christmas they came back, that was when my biggest adventure began. I was very pleased to see my owners. The other humans were Ok they fed me every day but they didn’t take me out and I really do like going out and about.

When my mum and dad came they started doing something really weird. They started packing up all my stuff and putting it into my blue lorry. I was a bit worried especially when they put my food bins into the lorry. What if they are going again and taking the food and lorry with them? I didn’t need to worry because they came in the morning as usual to give me my breakfast and I heard them talking. My mum was saying I don’t think he is going to load into the lorry with all that strange looking stuff in it. Fancy her worrying about that. I knew the food bins were in there so I walked up into the lorry without hesitation like the big brave boy I am. Oooh, I knew it was a good idea, I got an apple.

I didn’t think it such a good idea later because I was in that lorry longer than I’ve ever been in it in my life. There was also a very unusual hour when the lorry seemed to be moving but the engine was off, not sure what was going on there! Then the engine started back up and we drove for a little while more.  They had given me hay in the lorry but I was starting to worry that I wasn’t going to get any tea, when suddenly the lorry stopped.

The ramp came down and my dad asked me to walk backwards down the ramp. Don’t worry, it’s not hard. I learnt to do it when I was little and I am an expert now. I was a bit sweaty (the lorry was warm and I will admit it had been a long journey and I had been worrying about my tea), so I got a lovely warm rug put on me. I had to wait around for a bit while the lorry was emptied but I didn’t worry too much because it meant the food bins were staying with me, Yippee! Then I was put in a lovely warm stable with, yes you’ve guessed it, my tea.

Oh yeah, I’ve also got new friends here (not as important as my tea but I do like a horsey friend to talk to). I had a lovely sleep in fact I was still asleep the next morning when my dad came to give me breakfast. Normally, I am up waiting for it ages before he gets here. I then went out into a great big field with 3 friends. One of them is the same age as me, so we ran around for ages. I didn’t even think about Lucy all day. I think this is my new home. It’s great; I think Lucy would have liked it here too.

Very soon I am getting new shoes from the farrier, then you might see me out and about in Shanklin. I pull a lovely red cart with my name on the back. If you see me, can you please slow down because although I am very brave sometimes fast cars scare me.

Part 2 - Sunny’s off to School

Hi again, well I am pretty sure now that the Island is my new home as I’ve been here for ages and they have unpacked all my lorry.

Lucy hasn’t shown up, I thought maybe she had moved here first to check it out but she definitely isn’t here. I missed her at first but there are loads of horses here they aren’t Lucy but they will do. Dolly lives next door to me and she is quite nice, when the humans are about she ignores me but when everyone has gone home she talks to me through the bars of the stable. I have my own field now, I used to share but we’ve had a shuffle about and now I have a field to myself, it’s great as no one else gets to eat my grass or hay. I have Lizzie and Treacle on one side and Sunny Bay and her friend on the other. I’ve met Michael my farrier but still don’t have shoes on so I can’t go driving on the road yet.

I was settling into my lazy life just nicely when my mum said that I was going into the school. I am 4 now and I think I remember humans talking about children starting school at 4. I wasn’t looking forward to it because I have heard children talking about it and they never seem impressed about having to go there. The school day arrived and mum gave me some breakfast she said so I could concentrate instead of worrying about my tummy, I don’t know what she means? My teacher arrived her name is Jo Hogan and we are doing something called Natural Horsemanship. Sounds interesting right? I was a bit worried because I haven’t got any shoes on but I didn’t have to worry because the school is a fenced square and it has lovely soft sand, I quite like sniffing it, sometimes it goes all over my muzzle, I did try eating it but it doesn’t taste very nice.

I didn’t need to worry about not enjoying it; as it was really funny watching my mum try to talk in horse language. She is really clever at English although I think it’s a bit of a weird language, but she is not very good at horse language, unlike Jo who I could understand perfectly. I really like Jo not only can I understand what she is asking me to do (without that stupid English being spoken at all) but she thinks I am very clever knowing what she is asking, I didn’t tell her my horsey mum taught me when I was very little. I wonder if she realises its horse language she is speaking. We play loads of games, the friendly game is the best as mum rubs and scratches me all over and I stand perfectly still. Why they would think that would be difficult is beyond me, if you scratch me I will stand still all day.

The only thing that wasn’t great was Jo pointed out to mum how I had trained her to let me do what I wanted when I wanted, I had a little tantrum when mum wouldn’t let me go the way I wanted instead of the way she wanted but it got a bit boring when they both just stood there quietly so I just did it properly and guess what I got a lovely scratch again. Anyway I’ve realised the school thing is for mum not me as I know it all and she has to learn how to ask me properly, I thought she was a bit old for school, but I am happy to help her if that’s what she wants. During the week mum takes me once or twice to practice her Natural Horsemanship, she is getting the hang of it slowly.

A couple of weeks go by and mum buys me a saddle, ooh it’s quite nice it has the new Cair system so it is squidgy on my back and doesn’t create pressure points (whatever they are). Then mum says we are going to the school again but this time she puts a saddle and bridle on me. The bridle is different to the one I wear for driving. The driving one has blinkers over the eyes so I can only look ahead and can’t see behind me. Mum thought I’d be scared without my blinkers (and you can see loads of things without them) but I’ve been to and from the school in just a head collar so I didn’t let it phase me.

Mum did the funniest thing she only climbed up on my back, I turned my head and thought what is she doing up there. I’ve seen mum sitting on Lucy’s back, they used to go out together all the time and Lucy didn’t seem to mind so I wasn’t too worried. I have a different teacher for the whole mum on my back thing her name is Martine Harper and she is lovely. She tells mum what to do and every time she speaks I stop to listen (it’s only polite right) well mum isn’t very polite because she asks me to keep walking.

It’s really quite difficult as mum keeps squidging me with her legs so obviously I go faster but then she asks me to slow down. I don’t think I understand what she wants me to do; I think mum should sit on the cart as I am brilliant at that. I heard mum and dad talking the other day and I am going to have shoes on and go driving with my lovely red cart soon, maybe mum understands more than I think. I haven’t been driving for 8 months but I know I am brilliant at that so I am looking forward to it, I will let you know how I get on.

Bye for now

Sunny Jim

 

Sunny Shanklin seems to be getting quite the reputation as a place to retreat to, if the rumours of Johnny Depp ordering a pint in the Fisherman’s bedecked in a low hat and adopting a dodgy English accent are to be believed. Mr Depp is far from the first famous name to visit our idyllic seaside locale. Indeed centuries ago none other than Charles Darwin, a man who changed our understanding of where we came from, stayed for a while in Norfolk House Hotel, better known nowadays as The Waterfront Inn.

The author of ‘On the Origin of Species’ visited Shanklin and stayed a “short time for health sake” as he wrote in one of several letters sent while on holiday between 17 July and 13 August in 1858. Well within season then! Despite the timing, it would appear that the Darwin family were far from your typical holidaymakers. Indeed, they were actually visiting the Island as an escape from Scarlett Fever “which caused the death of our poor dear little youngest child & was very bad in the village.”

So Charles and the family came seeking the curative powers of the sea, a common idea in Victorian society. However, in a letter to his friend J.S. Henslow, dated Aug 4th Darwin laments “As yet the sea has not done much for us.” A little more than a week later he returned home, with his wife and children following
shortly thereafter.

So, what does a Victorian scientist, perhaps the greatest of his generation, get up to while he and his family are convalescing in sunny Shanklin? He works of course. During this time Darwin was considering whether to publish his magnum opus, and it would seem he wrote at least some of the ‘abstract’ for that work while staying in the comfort of Norfolk House. Certainly he kept very busy, remarking in another of at least five letters sent from Shanklin “I have just finished “variation under domestication” in 44 M.S. pages & that would do for one evening.” A clear demonstration of Darwin’s dedication to his life’s work, 44 pages in seemingly one evening, and of course this was all before the advent of a
word processor!

My name is Hooper and I am a black and white moggie. I moved here with my servants who have a guest house in Shanklin.  My role in the house is to sit on the back of the sofa and look pretty to entice people in. Being very beautiful helps.

In the fifteen human years I have been alive I have moved 6 times. I was also fostered for a year when my servants went travelling and had to live with my grandma when we moved out of our last house while we waited to move here.

The Island is very different for me because when I lived in England I used to get bullied a lot, especially after my brother T.C (Tony Cottee) died. There are quite a few cats here, but it’s mostly dogs and I have actually made many friends for the first time.

I enjoy having my servants at home all the time and my favourite game is pretending that I haven’t been fed. It works sometimes!

They haven’t taken me to see the sea yet and when we came on the ferry it was very late and very dark. And I heard a story that the people at Tiger World used to exercise the tigers (cousins of mine) on the beach. I don’t think they do it now, but you never know. It would be too risky. When I first saw a seagulls I was ever so frightened I had to make myself flat on the ground so they wouldn’t pick me up and feed me to their babies.

As I said I am very beautiful and I think the sea air has helped make my coat even more shiny and it feels much softer than before. Obviously I still have to spend a lot of the day grooming and getting my beauty sleep, but most of it is natural.

I don’t miss anything about England. I’m happy to be here and happy to see my servants enjoying themselves.

Our guest house doors were opened on August Bank holiday this year. I’ve always believed in ‘in at the deep end’!

Our decision to move here was only made in September last year. Despite the property market it only took us only 10 months to make a complete lifestyle change. It certainly didn’t feel like just 10 months at the time!

It was actually only after a trip to visit family in Dingle, Ireland in September 2010 that we decided that we had to do something. My job was driving me crazy and my husband’s work was disappearing from this country.

We moved here from Sevenoaks in Kent where we are both originally from. We spent time living in London and a year travelling the world with the hope of finding somewhere to live. My answer was always the Isle of Wight! It still took 16 years to convince him that the Isle of Wight was the place to be.

Why is it the place to be? Well my parents ‘dragged’ my sister and I here every year ever since I can remember. One year we diverted and went to Paignton and I cried most of the time because I wanted to be in the Isle of Wight! How dare they? I was young! Getting on that ferry always had a feeling of coming home, getting back on the ferry was that feeling you have at playschool on the first day when your Mum leaves you there. It was an emotional wrench. My piano/singing teacher moved here when I was about 15. Oh, I was so envious.

The only thing I ever remember wanting to be was an Islander – ok, so that can never happen. My parents encouraged me to go to hospitality and catering college, so I spent 3 years there and you learn everything form cooking to management, advertising and marketing. (Jamie Oliver was in the year above me – and no I never met him). Then I spent 4 years working in 4* hotels in London and loved it, but money and a life beckon at that age, so I became an estate agent (a nice one).

For our first viewings of properties on the Island we drove all the way here on our ‘way home’ from Dartmouth! The property we saw was definitely a no, but we stayed at a lovely B&B, The Finches in Shanklin and the owners were an absolute inspiration to us.

I must confess we really wanted to move to Ventnor. Although all my life I thought Shanklin was where I would be. We even found a house in Ventnor and fell in love with it, but completion for 2013 was being discussed!

It was only by accident that we saw our big blue house, but I didn’t get ‘that feeling’. I am no fan on UPVC windows and doors on a Victorian house. But a second viewing and a need to make a decision before we got off that boat we agreed a price and with lots of motivation in the chain and an excellent estate agent at Hose Rhodes Dickson we completed in 6 weeks!

In the meantime we, cat included, had to move in with family and we completed while we were at a friend’s wedding. There we were sitting outside a cafe in Como City, the phone rings and we have a house on the Isle of Wight – now that’s how it’s done! Although only then did I realize that I still had to go back to work and my husband did not!!

My husband came over just ahead of the removals with his brother, while I was at work. Ever since then he starts every sentence with “If you had lived on the Island as long as I have…” Yeah, yeah, it was my idea!

So here we are and life is very different. Our builder turned up at 8.30am on the dot every day. He still knocked every morning even though he had a key. He put up with my horrendous hangover while our carpets were being fitted and my husband was on his way home from a festival!!! And no my husband wasn’t as hung over as me! No more sherry! The builder even took instructions and delegation on how to fit a shower from our plumber who had to have knee surgery half way through the job!

The hardest thing about our new life? Coming from a full on target driven, management role in England (yes I call it England) to having a husband who shuts off at 3pm (yes he gets up early, but not as early as he used to). Also having loved the Island for so long, the frustration of people in ‘England’ not realizing how wonderful it is here. Robert Thompson does a good job of telling all and sundry in every newspaper and magazine he can, but he can’t do it on his own. It’s such a hidden gem and with more people holidaying at home it would be nice to have more newcomers visiting the Island.

The best bit? The people are wonderful. Everyone we have met has been very supportive. I even have coffee every week with our competition! I love spending time going shopping for Island produce. We argue over who gets to go and see our butcher at Briddlesford! We get our veg from Lyn at Fresh Fields and our bread from Gracie’s bakery in Shanklin. We even drive all the way to Calbourne for our preserves! It’s quite a long way when you live on the Island. Sounds ridiculous when I used to drive a 40 mile round trip to work every day!

Hope for the future? That the feeling doesn’t wear off, that we will continue to appreciate the diverse beauty of the landscape and the ever changing sea and that the variety of produce continues to grow and be experimented with, that we won’t get complacent and keep enjoying it.

Let’s see how much energy there is left after our first summer season!