La Section de la langue Jèrriaise

Les Fieillets Jèrriais

Août 1999

 

Salutâtions! La Batâle dé Flieurs has gone for another year, and l’êclyipse for several years! ‘La parade en cliai d’leune’ was very impressive, as was the êclyipse between the clouds, which we saw en Nouormandie.

Mèrcie bien des fais to those who came on the August visit to Flo Bechelet’s Battle of Flowers Museum; it was a fascinating evening with discussion en Jèrriais et Angliais. For those who have not seen it, the display is amazing in its ideas, detail colour and construction.

It is 'încriyabl’ye' to think that it is the work of one person. There are some 20 floats with a further 20 displays on the walls. The themes of the floats cover a multitude of topics and the designs and construction are so real and expert. The colours are bright, and when one looks closely, one sees the thousands of Hare’s tails (les babinnes-dé-lièvre) and Marram-grass (lé melgreu), all hand dyed. Flo has built every sort of structure from buildings - house, igloo, kraal, to animals - ostriches, flamingos, deer, doves, emus, kangaroos, horses, sheep and cows to name but a few, to human beings in different dress, and all sorts of landscapes. These range from the ice desert to the hot desert, from the mountains to the plains, from Africa and Australia to Jersey, Canada and the Arctic. Forms of transport - chariot, carriage and sledge.

All have been planned, designed and executed meticulously - she has been ‘hardi, hardi souongneuse.’

The displays on the walls in the same materials, illustrate nursery rhymes and scenes from legends and fairy tales. They also include her battle shields and plaques and photographs of the stamp issue depicting her design, and of her presentation to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

She has given us a new vocabulary which we shall try to include in the next fieillets, and we are truly grateful that she opened up for us at such a busy time before the battle. In future she will need some support to help her preserve and present this monumental record of, not only her contributions, but of a very relevant aspect of Jersey life and times which illustrates the commitment of people to a cause.

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