Skyline sunset, Isle of Man

                          Dark skies at dusk


The setting sun over urban Ramsey skyline, residential apartments.  Queen's Promenade looking towards St Paul's Square. 


Jane Hards Photography


Image part of Skywatch, Nikon D7000

Social Housing, demolition and rebuild

                       Gone but not forgotten

The Pondi is an Estate of houses known as "Commissioners houses."  UK readers you may be more familiar with the term "Social Housing" formerly called "Council Houses" I am not sure what the equivalent would be in other parts of the world, or even if this type of housing exists in this form elsewhere. It's a a form of accommodation owned by the local Council authority and rented out to tenants on long or short term let  at a low rental. They are not Private sector rentals. The idea was to abolish the slum landlords and overcrowding and provide lower income families with affordable habitable accommodation. Also enabling people to pay a lower rent with a view to purchasing their own home in subsequent years, then relinquishing the property to new tenants and continuing the cycle to provide a step on the mortgage ladder for all.

The image shows one of those houses being demolished, along with the rest of the estate to make way for a re build of newer improved Commissioner's houses.

Frankly my dears I do give a damn - Skywatch

Gone with wind, no a JCB

See that scene. Gorgeous or what. Well that might be one of the last times you see it. You know my favourite place. The place I always bang on about. You know the one with the rabbits, and fairy folk
(well I am stretching the truth maybe with the fairy folk but I wanna believe) and birds and dog poo (not white though since the 70's) and the river blah, blah. The one place where I can wander with my camera and not have little old ladies thinking I'm stealing their soul (they should be so lucky) by shooting them for the blog, yes that place. Yes the Poyll Dooey nature reserve. As if you didn't know by now. Well it's being ripped up by a JCB.


Well so far this is all I can tell you. Land has been levelled off one of the fields. This I'm told is for site access. For what you ask? The new house building going on. Ok so far, but not this. Diggers have ploughed a track over to the picnic site. Why? To make access to the picnic area. Trees are being hacked down. Large segments of the cultivated nature trail as well as the fields which have deliberately been left to fallow (for nature's sake, obvioulsy) are being ripped up too. Why? Likely for laying of pipes, possibly sewage outlets for the new houses.


May I suggest instead of ripping up the place that is a haven for wildlife, the powers that be actually look to the town to renovate existing derelict buildings and relevant plots. We need affordable accommodation in the town centre, not in the middle of a out of town fallow field at over inflated prices. I hope the fairy folk and Ginnie the Witch and of course myself curse your powers that be sorry asses.


Talk about can't see the wood for the trees! For less belligerent skywatch skies see here

Rebuilding

Under construction

Do you have this in your world. You probably do, or maybe you have never heard of this idea.

See older posts below which explain what Social Housing is see older posts.

Day is done

The long and winding road

When the day is done and I take the short walk home from downtown I have the choice of four routes, . Not often I go this way but I knew this road would be empty during the motorbike event and guessed in the golden hour the shadows would be at play and the curving sweep of the road could be viewed in a prettier light than usual. This road is usually busy with workman and sprawling vehicles due to the housing estate on the left being knocked down and rebuilt. It is usually shrouded under a layer of fine cement dust when dry and mud puddles when wet. Not at all a pleasant walk when you have bags of shopping and forced to jaywalk due to parked vehicles and railings cordoning off the path. Dodging rush hour and school run traffic is not my idea of a leisurely walk at all! As you can see not a soul around apart from my camera and I on a fine dry summer's evening. Heavenly!

Sad news today for us City Daily Bloggers. One of our most popular brethren Ming The Merciless, New York City Daily Photo has drawn a veil on the blog. The Northern Sky has lost one of it's brightest blogging stars to the real world. Ming is in the next phase of his life down the long and winding road and his fabulous blog will cease to be. Fortunately you can all catch up with his marvellous back posts a must for anyone curious, visiting or relocating to New York. One of these things I know blogs ceasing, but I am genuinely sorry to see this one end. Good job he's on Facebook then to follow his next adventure. Ha! Escape from New York, but not the net Ming.

RAMSEY WHAT A WASTE OF SPACE!

Jacob's ladder maybe?

If you are here for skywatch it is the post below. I always like to have a reality check with the images. Pretty skies need to be balanced withe cold light of day photos. One from the socio economic pile- in other words the crappy side of life. 

Stairway to heaven, hell no

This is about as downtown as it gets. It's the harbour, West Quay a big chunk of nothing. I have no idea what used to be there and no idea if there are any plans for this space now. It is just there. The last thing we need here is more designer flats/ apartments that won't sell due to the economic downturn. We already have a pile of those empty quayside. What we could do with in this space is affordable accommodation mini market/cafe/fishmongers/grocers... anything but an empty space.  As for the ladder it was there for days just propped up against the wall.  I'm clueless about that too but it sort of suits the image, senseless, aimless, going nowhere.  Roll up with those metaphors and analogises.

Road to nowhere?

What is the oddest of all about this is the cleanliness of the place. Usually a space like this has graffiti scrawled over it, beers cans and chip wrappers discarded. Look at it. Almost as  if someone has swept it and washed the walls down.  To be honest I find that a little freaky.  In keeping with the sort of spooky scene I overexposed the sky just to have cast that white blast over the scene to give it an unsophisticated look. It reminds me of '60s British cinema( when we made proper films) when the working class found a voice and we recognised not everyone lives in London wears a bowler hat or is a chimney sweep. Well it would do if it wasn't so freaky clean, er like a film set.

Wish you were here?

Any suggestions what you think this Ramsey waste of space should be maybe like a drop in centre for addicted to toadstools(?) Manx Fairies then do have your say and I'll be sure to put it to tender. 

Read between the lines

Is there anybody out there? Just doing it My way.  Whatever that is.