Storm clouds, Queens Pier

                             on a rainy day, or not


Instead of a sunrise, storm clouds on the horizon. Looks can be deceiving though and the ominous threatening storm passed over the island and the sun shone. 

Jane Hards Photography


Image part of Skywatch, where people across the world show their skies.

Good Morning Sunshine

               Sunrise. It rained two hrs later


My office view this morning. You have to feel sorry for me don't you. I wasn't the only early bird, a few dog walkers, photographers and someone out with a metal detector. I hope they were lucky. I was content with the morning shoot.


Jane Hards Photography 


Image part of Skywatch for more of other skies around the world.

Sunset blues

                                   My office


The sun rises over the sea, so Ramsey is better for seascape sunrises as it lies on the east coast. On the other hand, if you don't mind getting your feet wet, the inland sunsets can be just as colourful fading over the town. I don't mind getting feet wet, though I do mind having to buy new footwear at an alarming rate. Saltwater, not good for shoes. View captured on my trusty Nikon D7000, in the place I call my office as I do most of my seascape work photography from.  I can think of worse views. 

For more of the Isle of Man views (little island in the middle of the Irish Sea I call home) go to Jane Hards Photography

Image part of Our World Tuesday

Manx Sunrise on the horizon

                           A good morning


Small town, big views

Sywatch

 Jane Hards Photography

Queens Pier

Ramsey

Isle of Man

Some views are worth insomnia.

Waiting for dolphins

                                but not today


The island today was on Red Alert standby for storms, torrential rain, tidal flooding, snow and a dolphin coastal water invasion.  Not that I'd mine the dolphins making an appearance. However today was a usual mixed bag of sunny blue skies one minute and showers the next. The incoming clouds, laden with water, not dolphins. The snow on the beach shot may have to wait a bit longer. Gale force winds we had, may however have blown the dolphins of course or even worse, down south of the island. Shame. There are grim places in the world to be sat freezing, wet, and dying for a coffee. Luckily, this isn't one of them, and this is a weather bomb 


Mooragh beach
Ramsey
Isle of Man


Image part of skywatch

England is Across

                                 Over there


I live on the Isle of Man.  It's an island in the middle of the Irish Sea. Like all good things it comes in small packages but perfectly formed. That is the view from the beach to England, The Lake District, from the beach in Ramsey. I'm what is called a comeover, though I am a stayover having being here over ten years. I came from that place over there, England. Now I have learned to call, that place you see in the image the land, "across" and the island I live on is "the mainland" and a pretty little mainland it is too.


Part of abc, where other bloggers around the world show you their letter of the week.

Weather bomb and waves

                                  Waterworld

The recent weather bomb, fortunately didn't cause the tiny island I live on, as much as damage as last Winter floods. Apart from a watery walkway, we had no major incidents in the town. No one needed a canoe to go shopping this time, as local shops survived without closing until refurbished. Tidal flooding, crashing waves, are part and parcel of living in a coastal town Waterworld one day, walk on the beach the next.


Image part of abc around the world

Location, Queens Promenade, Ramsey, Isle of Man

Skywatch, golden sunrise

                               Good Morning
 

Sunrise over the beach, is never the same two days running. Image part of Skywatch, a group of people all over the world showing their skies. Click here to join or view. 

You can view more of my photography on facebook here 

Upside, of tide out........

the unusual vantage point to photograph from

Yesterday I posted the aftermath of tidal flooding, an occurrence that thankfully only happens every few years or so. Today is the opposite tide action. Not just normal tide out, but extreme tide out. Where I'm standing to take the image is usually underwater. Occasionally the tide is out so far, you can walk from one beach to the other beach, without having to cross the harbour bridge. Often see horses being exercised around this time too on the beach. Unusual sight, like the tide out to this extreme. The next day it can be as high as the walled harbour, and completely under water. No two days are ever the same in a coastal town.

Moe abc's around the world can be seen here

Queens Promenade, Sunrise

     People ask why move to the Isle of Man......


Sunrises and sunsets like this to name two. The island may me small in size (33 miles, length by 13 miles, width) but we make up for up for the smallness of land, with gorgeous panoramic vistas and seascapes. Image part of Skywatch, a group around the world showing their patch of sky, here

Queen's Pier, sunrise seascape

                               Good morning

Reasons to live on The Isle of Man are many and one of those are the benefits of hardly any urban light pollution, or in some of the coastal or rural areas, none at all. You may have to get up early and get your feet a little wet but the sunrises are really worth the wait, North of the island, East coast. The pier maybe closed to the public now, but it's still one of Ramsey's icons. 


This post is part of skywatch and others around the world can be found here

Good morning sunshine

                                             Welcome to my office               

It's been a while, but now I'm back. A lot has changed in Ramsey. Well the swing bridge is undergoing repair. Trust me, that's exciting news. I still like Jack Daniels. I have a proper grown up regular photography job.   Anyway, short and sweet until I get into my stride, but that's dawn breaking good. The beach to some, my office to me.

All images will be low res

Hiding out in the harbour - abc

Highlights on the high seas

I'm beginning to feel like Ross from Friends talking to Rachael. I never deserted the blog. I WAS ON A BREAK. Can I please add not by choice. My psycho laptop, the one with suicidal tendencies had a breakdown and fell into a coma. The nut job laptop is back, motherboard images intact and whatever therapy it needed to cope with me constantly abusing it by uploading soooooooooooooooooo many images we have reached an understanding. So here's the first one to get us back into the groove before I go off at a complete tangent as usual and into a mega rant about island life not being all it should be. A sweet little finish the day off after the rugby on the way home shot of the harbour. Gotta say, it's been all doom and gloom weather wise, but just as the laptop arrived home the glorious light returned to our shores and the wonderful sky blue appeared on the high( ok harbour inlet but let me manipulate the truth as always for purple prose effect and slip in another H) just waiting for me to capture. The vessel moored too nicely weathered and hell I've even got people in there walking to the lighthouse, just to prove I ain't the only one residing here. Just the only one in hiding. Those privy to my FB real persona can vouch for the fact I actually do have a cunning highway woman outfit. Another h, though on reflection not perhaps the most inconspicuous of outfits to wear taking photos.

Well I'm hopefully back, but I'm not a slave to the blog and this is not a to be taken too seriously look at the world I live in. Photography yes, words no. This isn't a travelogue but you will learn more about true island life and quirks than any book/site/or I love the island so much I won't have a word said against it types. It's a love hate relationship after all.

For more abc's see here

View from a bridge

Never wasting time at the dock of the bay

Yes the blog bandits have been at it again, so if you are viewing on an address that is not the above url, stop . Stop it now. Very naughty. Feel free to contact me and pass on the details of the naughty site whose fingers need to me severely smacked. To calm down I had a walk along the harbour on what had to be the best day of the year so far. The light this week has been incredible. I really do mean pretty damn near bloomin' spectacular, as you can see by the above image. The closest I have ever seen the sea and light to the Cote'd Azur, and you know how much I just lurrrrrrrrrrrrrrve the French Riviera. Just wait 'til you see the beach ones next week. By the way, that strip of land you can see on the horizon is England. It was so clear with a slight heat haze that the blue of the sky and the blue of the sea just melded together perfectly. No post production, manipulation whatsoever which is just how I like it. I am the world's laziest photographer. Give me the light, I'll give you the image, then I can waste more time on the beach contemplating how I get a job in the South of France.

QUEENS PIER, RAMSEY, ISLE OF MAN - MY WORLD

Ramsey Isle of Man is my world. This image is Queens Pier 2/100 for those keeping count.

Thanks in advance for all those new people stopping by as I have been named "blog of note" today.

The Pier has since fallen on bad times, as I pointed out in my skywatch post. A group the "Friends of Queen's Pier" was set up to hightlight the plight of the pier, and to try and save it, from the neglect it has suffered over the years. It's future is still uncertain, but at least it has now been secured. We need to preserve this pier as many of those in the UK has been lost to the elements or even fire. Save our Pier. I know I'm home when I see it coming along the coast road.

For more my entries click MY WORLD and thank the skywatch gang once again for another inspired idea.

If you want to see loads of wonderful alternative images of the pier and excellent write up go to my world contributer Mannanan, British Isles

I am joining red bubble. Watch this space.