RAMSEY RUGBY

One of those bottoms was sat round my house today! Supping coffee, recalling his hols, visit back home(Irish, not a Manxman), the weddings, looking at Gary's latest work and of course talk of the Rugby Season. Hence the image. It tied in with me organizing the image library and again this is one that has been gathering virtual dust. Sometimes you just forget what you take and why. This I'll dedicate to Joanne in England who can never get enough of my Rugby pics of men in shorts. It's only a stock one so I'll send you a large image for the French hols pics. Deal.

Ramsey are the ones in the blue shirts. I was going to upload the monochrome version, then I realised that would be no good if I said blue shirts in a black and white photo. Doh! Anyway it's Rugby Season. This was home game match( I am not allowed to mention the other team) and as you can see the lads were getting stuck into a "scrum." The Rugby Pitch, Mooragh, runs alongside the Promenade. You can see the harbour in the background. In other Rugby shots I've shown you the Mountain backdrop. I know I'm lucky. No hooligans here. It's a family sport.

Brad, this is also for you and your son's baseball games. Take static shots first, where they are positioned for action, then progress to movement shots we discussed. Next time I'll show how to freeze the action, even on a little digital. This sport is a lot easier to take than the motorbikes. Another tip, know the rules of the game. This helps to take the money shot. The local paper will only take a few shots and disappear. You stay the game and you'll get the better shot. Again do not saturate the colours. The teams strip should be photographed as they wear it, not over egged.

Looking forward to the season. Expecting some big wins this year, and some great photos. Ramsey, don't let Ramsey down. I'm watching you.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY - RAMSEY RIPPLE

As I had so many of those weird sunset images we rarely get here I decided to make the most of them. This one is nothing but the sky, no trees or building for reference or perspective that I would normally shoot.The reason for this is by this time I shot this one the light was fading really fast so I had to find the brightest point of colour to bounce some light around the image.

As some of you know last week I had some very negative comments about my images basically being to good to be true and last weeks skywatch in particular being the one that seemed to warrant the most abuse. You may also have noticed that my partner Gary of, BARKER BITES BACK! actually left his own comment on my skywatch image to confirm he was with me when the image was taken and not enhanced in any way. Normally we don't interfere with each other's blogs, but I really was annoyed last week, and almost stopped the blog. So again I hope you like this natural image we get rarely over the island. Don't get to used to them though it'll be back to my dramatic clouds soon and we get a awful lot of those hanging around.

Gary is taking a break from the BARKER GALLERY BBC while the Politics Show is off air for the summer season, and the British Politicians take a holiday. Just who is running the country when they all swan off for a few months then? This means my house won't be full of Political Cartoons, but well all sorts of other artwork instead. Tour de France for German magazines, Artwork for the Berlin Underground and at the moment he is showing me his Paul Newman (tremendous it is too!) which will go onto his blog tonight, if you want to take a peek at BARKER BITES BACK!

If you want to participate in skywatch see the new blog we have, SKYWATCH
Only genuine skywatchers need apply. None of your advertising for sales sites please. This is for enthusiasts only and hosted by Jane & Tom of the fabulous WIGGERS WORLD

ODD SHOTS MONDAY - CAPTAIN DEFINITE

"Captain Definite" is the alter ego of the Btitish Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Remeber yesterday in my blog I said Gordon Brown was in for a shock, this is why. I also mentioned that my living room floor is covered in painting of footballers and politicians, well Captain Definite is one of those paintings. Captain Definite was created on my living room floor last week by my partner, Gary Barker for the BBC Politics Show Website.

Look closely at the image. It's my photo, of Barker's cartoon. Now this is the odd bit. If you look closely you will see that the image I have taken is actually on the tv. Can you imagine sitting down to your to sunday dinner to have the image you have been living with in varied incarnations appear on your own tv. Surreal. Just had to snap it fo the odd shot.

Captain Definite is part of a BBC cartoon strip created by Barker. See BARKER BITES BACK! if you want to see the entire strip, posted one a day from today. Also while your there can you tell him Babooshka would like to hoover, so pick his bloody drawings up.

Want to join Odd Shots Monday?

Then see KATNEY

CARRION CROW

The motorbikes and bikers have waved goodbye to the island for another year so it's back to the business of my bread and butter photography, namely the birds. This is actually an archive one.
I had to have a day off from the camera, so I trawled the bird pics and found this one, which is one of my favourites rather than others. I am quite often at odds with the buying public when it comes to my own images.

For a change this isn't one of the cute little colourful birdies that are on a kamikaze mission to fly into my patio windows that I nurse back to good health, but a carrion crow I snapped taking a break in Mooragh Park. Quite what fascinated him so much with this tissue is beyond me, but it certainly distracted him long enough for me to capture his likeness.

Well my busiest time is over, but Barker's is ongoing. My living room floor is still covered with painting of footballers and politicians. Gordon Brown you are in for a shock today thanks to Barker and his wit and wisdom with paint palette!

For more camera critters see MISTY DAWN Camera ctrittrers.

ISLE OF MAN TT, SIDECAR B

Two races today, but for now we'll concentrate on the afternoon race, Sidecar B. Unlike the other races that we've had this week, Sidecar B went to form, the winners, the favourite team of Nick Crowe/Mark Cox. Very popular result as they are local guys. As you can see this is the sunniest day by far, which is ok so long as you aren't taking photos. Couldn't bag the spot I wanted today as the locals were out in force, and they won't budge, but this angle isn't too bad.

Images again a quick snatch from roughly 100.

From the top.

5I, Claude Montagnier/Laurent Seyeux, finished 37th
18, Greg Lambert/ Sally Wilson finished 11th
19, Doulgas Wright/Stuart Bond finished 10th
2, Nick Crowe/Mark Cox the winners
21, Roger Stockton /Peter Alton finished 18th
7, Nigel Connole/ Dipash Chauhan finished 9th
4, Klaus Klaffenbock/Christian Parzer finished 5th
1,Dave Molyneux/Daniel Sayle bagged second place

It's the early hours of thursday morning. Whilst I'm covering the TT. Barker is Covering the living room floor with football caricatures for the European Championships. You can check out the ones he's uploaded so far at this link,BARKER BITES BACK! . We'd really like some input on these, as it's hard for us two to be objective about each others work, so your comments would be welcome. Makes a change from his Political Cartoons.

Time to hit the sack.

SURE MOBILE SIDECAR 2

1, Nick Crowe/Mark Cox 59 minutes 34.76 seconds (113.989mph)
2, Dave Molyneux/Dan Sayle 59.45.31 (113.654mph)
3, John Holden/Andrew Winkle 1:00.19.33 (112.585mph)
4, Steve Norbury/Rick Long 1:00.33.58 (112.144mph)
5, Klaus Klaffenbock/Christian Parzer 1:00.34.47 (112.117mph)
6, Tim Reeves/Patrick Farrance 1:00.59.78 (111.342mph)
7, Phil Dongworth/Stuart Castles 1:01.16.68 (110.830mph)
8, Simon Neary/Jamie Winn 1:01.19.27 (110.751mph)
9, Nigel Connole/Dipash Chauhan 1:01.51.10 (109.801mph)
10, Gary Bryan/Robert Bell 1:02.40.45 (108.360mp

RAMSEY SWIMMING BATHS

We have a perfectly good swimming baths already, just off St paul's Square where my last two post have been from, so why they are building this one is anyone's guess. We asked for a cinema. Perhaps it was a typo, or the the wording got lost in (the Manx) translation, but instead of the cinema, we don't have and need, we get a new swimming baths, we don't need. Town Planners, who obviously don't reside here, must surely be responsible. The image amused me as to the left you can see a mock up billboard of the shiny new building when finished, basking under a brilliant blue sky and solitary cloud, which I tried to emulate. Enlarge to see.

Today I'm going to mention fellow bloggers who for varied reasons known to me deserve a namecheck. It's something I'm going to do more of as I do feel the blogging community has astonished me with your interest in this tiny island. It's a way of saying thanks and perhaps sharing blogs you may not previously have come across.

Congratulations must go to a fellow photgrapher 365 BRETT TRAFFORD who has reached the finals of the best of blogs in the hobby section. I'm not at all surprised and thrilled for Brett, who is a superb photographer and writes a very eclectic mix of posts. I've already voted and drumming up support for him. If you can, have a wander round his blog. It's really worth it.

For pandering to my whims by starting the blog in the first place BIRMINGHAM UK . It's special to me beacuse it's the place I was born and raised long before I came to the Isle of Man. Engalnd's second city never looked so good, and the text to go with it has been well researched. I have learnt a lot of my old home town from this blog. Well worth spending some time there.

Finally today a blog that is very close to my heart BARKER BITES BACK! . I know how much effort this guy puts into his work, often into the early hours, and weekends, working to very stringent deadlines. The work of a cartoonist is far more time consuming and isolating than that of a photographer, especially when his work has to represent such respectable organisations such as the BBC. Really worth popping over to this blog and leaving your thoughts. Why so important to me? He's my partner that's why and he's been so supportive of my decison to quit banking for photography that a public thanks was deserved.

The tourists are arriving so I will try and snap some. Determined to get some people in my blog