Red Moon - #81 Skywatch

Click to enlarge

As we have had an inadvertent red theme going on this week, what with poisonous mushrooms and berries, I'll continue with one from the archives again. Taken on the day we moved in. Yeah the unpacking could wait. Set the tripod up, grab the remote and capture the phases of the moon. Much more fun than unpacking.

Red occurs, when bits of light, photons from an astronomical object pass through the Earth's atmosphere, scattering off of particles. To confuse you particles scatter blue light more than they do red light. Blue photons have shorter wavelengths get scattered, and red photons having longer longer wavelengths pass through. Sky objects look redder from Earth than in space, because red wavelengths from the objects, penetrate the atmosphere more so than the blue ones. Also the closer to the earth's horizon, the more noticeable this redness in both the moon and the sun is. Cool eh! Also, apologies to anyone hoping to find "red moon" comic book, book, or computer game here. Wrong blog!


For other skies around the world click here after 8pm.

Oghyr

Abc this week is bought to you by the letter O

I know what you're thinking,( actually I don't. I don't presume to be a mind reader) shouldn't that be "b" for berry? Well it could be be next time around, but today we have a slight twist on the letter and we are concentrating on the berry part of the image.


Oghyr simply means berry in Manx. "What the hell is Manx" some of you out there are asking (again maybe not... I don't presume anything) "and what is she on about." For those not familiar with the blog, Manx is the old language spoken on the island on live by some folks. So fortunately when it comes to Abc I can taken blatant liberties and trawl through the Manx language to match any word to any image. Cool. Oghyr is not the only Manx word for berry, just the only one beginning with O. Others are - berrish, caor, semyr and soo. The photo taken along the bridle path, though I have never once seen a horse down there, escaped wallaby or Manx fairy.

For more ABC'S see here

Fly me to the shroom - My World # 52

blogging is the new high

Not so much if you go onto the woods you'll be in for a big surprise, but if you take a wander up the appropriately named Skyhill ( the one with the infamous battle I've covered before) you'll find the area littered with an eclectic mix of exotic looking mushrooms. This might be what keeps the island fairies so happy. Probably keeps some of the island folk even happier but perhaps I'd better not delve deeper on that subject.

Fly Amanita Muscaria - Fly Agaric may look like the prettiest, sweetest, yummiest mushroom in the world, more like something you would find in Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory but be warned it is not at all to be trusted. Stay away from it, well apart from photographing it. It is in fact highly poisonous, known to cause hallucinations, quite violent stomach upsets and at the worst can be indeed fatal. So, leave it to the Manx fairies to enjoy, photograph it and pass it by. After all they are myths in themselves and this Fly Agaric is the the one most associated with fairy magic/folklore/myth and legend. Why is a hallucinogenic drug used mostly in kids illustration then? Google Fly Agaric for more info. I'm far too high. JOKE!

For other glimpses into peoples My World's see here

Skywatch # 80 - Thunderous Applause

Angry

Had no post planned for today. Busy dogwalking and photographing the dogs at play and catching up with a friend. Marvellous! Pulled this one from the archives. Pretty intense sky, and yes a storm ensued. Just brewing there by the look of it. Short and sweet tonight I have a lot on and it's been such a fabulous day I'm not going to poke lighthearted fun at my hometown. A rarity.

For more skies of the world see here

Narrow

ABC is bought to you this week by the letter N

Deep in the Nature Reserve, Poyll Dooey, crossing the Sulby River is this cute little bridge. Guess what we call it? Yes The White Bridge. OK, that may not be the most interesting, creative name for it but who cares. It is as narrow as it looks, although I have seen a trail of motorbikes and cycles of all varieties cross over it relatively safely, thankfully it is free of all other traffic. Mainly pedestrians only, oh and the odd meandering duck waddling from one side to the other. Dog walkers frequent here too, though I'm not sure what the dogs think about the waddling ducks using it as a walkway. As for the escaped wallabies from the wildlife park, to my knowledge I don't believe they have yet to find use for this particular area and are still hiding out somewhere slightly less open. I did say wallabies and don't even get me started on the Manx Fairies. They should not be using this bridge..... they have their own named after them South of the island!


For less florid and saner posts for the letter N see here. Mrs N. see you next year.

The Stanley Karaoke - # My World 51

You can even find us on Facebook he is saying.

You will always find me in The Stanley on Fridays, and lots of other pubs along the way, but there is a special reason for hitting this one on this particular night...... Karaoke. Some you who know me personally will know it has a different name, but that is not something we shall go into here. So you know I have a love /hate relationship with the one horse town I live in.... I do with Karaoke too.

No, I do not take part in in. Never, ever. No, No, No. I go to get drunk and take photos of the people I know taking part as they love it so much. " The Bibles" as they are known get passed around containing the artists whose songs you can murder....... Meatloaf for some reason seems to suffer the most. I am still severely traumatised by a Minnie Mouse on helium strangling the life out of Bat out of Hell. For that rendition alone she is going there. I almost threw myself into the harbour that night. I mean it was the full version. I walked out the pub after hiding in the toilets, couldn't bear a minute longer to stop and get my cigarettes, headed for the door, resisting the urge to punch her for her sacrilegious destruction of an iconic song and took solace alone on the quayside until it was done.

Really though it is a laugh, and you do get some cracking singers there, many of who I know and if you are on Facebook you can find me "Babooshka" (click the bird) or "The Stanley Karaoke"

For more posts not like this, but around of other people's world they inhabit see here

Skywatch # 79 - I'm on a plane, I can't complain

And then I'm done, and I can go home

Actually I have no idea what number skywatch I'm posting but the random number spoke to me so it shall be. You'll know my musical tastes my now so I make no apologies for the outrageous use of part lyric and tweaking of a particular word too explain the image.


Simply Nirvana to be amongst the clouds looking down on the island, though not Ramsey. That would be the North. This would be the Southern bit of these here parts. Well the airport is South of the island so that'd be where we were heading. Unless you count Jurby airfield. Let me see, trip to the prison, thanks but no thanks. This was also the I'm sooooooooooooooooooo bored on the short journey back from England, oh why can't I be back in the South of France let's play with the point and shoot camera for a bit shot. Here's a tip for you though. Don't start being creative and doing that whole " hello I'm taking part in the 100 strangers photo thing on flickr.... may I take your picture" for some reason means translates as I'm a terrorist. Not like I used the word shoot, or (flash) gun. Not like any of that last bit was true either, just the image above and a glimpse of the island as seem from the sky.


Been a while since I skywatched so I'll have to check in later but here's the link back to the Skywatch team http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Even cowgirls get the bbq blues

No trees where harmed in the making of this bonfire the beach is full of dirty logs!

Actually that's a lie, the blues come whence bbq season terminates. I never tire of a bbq.... which is odd for a vegetarian( meat eaters you are OK I'm not your lentil eating meat is murder veggie) but bbq's have alcohol, food and good company. Also, it's cheaper than the pub, if you don't mind a little gritty sand on your veggie burger.... sand, yes sand. Did I not say we don't have our bbq's in the back yard?

Small island, lots of coastline, lots of beaches. The "Summer of Fun" as it was known became nothing more than, "who's house are we going round this week to party." Now not everyone wants you wrecking their house so it's hit the beach in a cowboy hat, convert a washing machine drum( don't get your mom's kids find one at at junkyard) into the perfect wood holder and to paraphrase Pink "lets
get this bbq started." Jack Daniels or cans of whatever cider is on offer, plenty of cigarettes, lighters, pray to the bbq Gods for no rain or howling gale, too much food and everyone forgets to buy plastic cutlery. No worries. Maybe toasting a custard doughnut was going too far, but toasted crab stick seemed to withhold the heat and be toasty with a soft centre and not rock hard, so the carnivores tell me. Also tomatoes slide off a metal knife poked in a fire, and lighter fuel and wind are not to be mixed.

I lament the passing of July and August, Bbq bonanza months and the hanging up of the cowboys hats for another year...... Halloween here I come.

So, where was I .....

Isn't he pretty in pink

..... taking a break from being the Queen B of the Isle of Man... you have no idea how unruly some of my subjects are.. and trying to be a normal minnion. BORING! So, instead of next month, when my original return to blogging with a bang was planned, I have woken from my coma( the snoozy real world) and reactivated the blog. This will displease many people who thought I had run off to the hills( no just lost drunk with a bag of chips in the woods, yes really) and please an awful lot apparently who seem to be addicted to what I have to bang on about and what goes on in Ramsey. Why? I mean we are talking people in the hub bub of New York think I live in the real Hell's Kitchen. No, it's just the way I convey it to the masses with a little picture which I constantly have to explain. Er, like why has that man got pink fishnet tights as gloves for starters. Have you never read my blog. Hello, I live on an island, named in honour of a man, like their are no woman here and our flag, has 3 legs as it's symbol.... pink gloved men relatively normal pass time.

Oh, if I must explain! I'm not making this up, you are looking at a member of a band called, Sloth Loves Chunk. The pink outfit is donned for the rendition of Electric Six's Gaybar.... complete with dance routine to a packed pub most places on the island, but as this is all about Ramsey, that would be er, the Britannia pub then. In fact I know it was as I spent the night snapping away, on free Jack Daniels, and enjoying the set... especially Wolfmother "Woman" and Foo Fighters "Monkey Wrench". That's just like a big hint there to keep those in the set lads and nothing whatsover to do with the blog. Now if you're on Facebook and on the island you can follow the band and turn up and support them. If you live off island you are probably still pondering why he has pink fishnet gloves on and could I not have used my first post back to show you a pretty sunset or a little snippet of history re Ramsey or the a local news event. What do you think this is a travelogue! I live here and you will see Ramsey as I do.

Sure you're happy with the once and future Queens return?