My Life on Sark

’My Life on Sark’ combines two autobiographical books ’So You want to Live on Sark’ and ’So you Returned to Sark.’

In the first book Chris and Ken Davies give up their life in London, England where Ken was an advertising executive and Chris a district nurse. While on holiday on the tiny car-free feudal island of Sark, in the British Channel Isles, they buy a bungalow and two acres of land and move there in 1966.

They open a guest house and eventually have a smallholding, with 200 hens, two goats, hives of bees, the lovable but fated donkey Pedro, two cats and Labradore Hugo. Through trial and error, they learn how to run a successful business, with amusing and sometimes nealy fatal experiences, as when Chris is trampled by a horse while pregnant.

Chris also becomes the sole Island nurse, working with the only doctor and visiting patients by bicycle in all weathers.

Following Chris’ difficult pregnancy Chris and Ken take a break in New Zealand; moving there in 1979. Sadly they part in 1984 and Chris returns to Sark to live with the love of her life, Peter. ’So you Returned to Sark’ tells of those very different years. Chris now enters into the social life of the island; founding a Garden walk sheme, which was to survive to this day, and becoming again the island’s nurse.

She now has more responsibility, sometimes acting as locum for the doctor overnight. She also trains as a hopeopath, combining traditional and complementay medicine in her ’Healthy Life Clinics.’ There are many stories about her experiences, especially with the indiginous Sarkee residents, descended from old Normandy families,

There is a sad end to Chris’ happy time, when Peter becomes fatally ill, and all her strength and resilience is called upon.

Both books are amply illustarted by the author, with fun sketches in the first book and attractive drawings and many black and white photos.