GODRED CROVAN - G

Godred Crovan

ABC This week is brought to you my the letter G

I am so excited we have snow!!!!!!!!!!!!! Back to the letter and a Viking tale.

Godred Crovan founded of the last Dynasty of the Isle of Man. His father was Harold the Black of 'Ysland' (i.e. Iceland). His origin is murky, as is a lot of Island history. He received a considerable amount of support from the Hebrides and he was successful in establishing a Dynasty that lasted for two centuries without challenge that we do know. These circumstances argue that he was in some way related to some of the previous Kings of the Isles. First noting was 1066 and all that, when we find him with Godred, son of Sigtrygg, King of Man and the Isles at the time. He was helping out King Harold Hardrada of Norway and Tostig Godwinson. That would be assisting them in their invasion of Merry Old England. The invaders were routed by Harold Godwinson, King of England and a brother of Tostig at the Battle of Stamford Bridge as all Chelsea fans should know. King Harold of Norway and Tostig were slain. Both Godreds( confusing isn't it) escaped to guess where, yes, the Isle of Man. King Godred Sigtryggson of Man and the Isles died soon after succeeded by his son Fingal. Godred Crovan seems to to have returned to Iceland. However he had plans. Big plans! In 1071 in Norway, he formed an army to invade little 'ole Isle of Man. Naval support came from the Hebrides, but stubborn opposition came in Man. Apparently the islanders were not at all impressed with this interlopping Viking. He in return was also equally as stubborn though and unimpressed. Despite two setbacks, he finally triumphed in battle at Scaefell(Skyhill) Ramsey. The Hebrideans received the South part of the island. It was take land or plunder it. The people of Man were driven into the Northern portion, that would be places like er, Ramsey then. Godred Crovan was a mighty ruler, conquering Dublin and a large part of Leinster. He was married leaving three sons, Lagman, Harold and Olaf. He died of pestilence in Islay in 1087.

Godred Croven established the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles after the Battle of Skyhill, Ramsey as it happens, on his third attempt. Sifting through info concerning anything to do with the events and timelines can be a nightmare, but the above married times, dates, places and names most frequently. It's also a Ramsey connection, rather than just generic Isle Of Man. The image is part of a scuplture to be found in the lobby of Ramsey Library of Godred and his
son Olaf. To see the full sculpture and read about Olaf click here for my other post and the scroll to Olaf lower part of the post.

Go to Mrs N for a plethera of G's.

babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman/blogspot.com/

Life's an Isle Of Man Beach - My World

Mooragh Beach, Ramsey

Keeping it simple this week and responding to a several requests for more beach images. So here we are again, walking out of town. As you can see the tide is out so you are able to actually walk out quite away. You see we have wonderul sweeping bays(two remember) but the sand is always damp due the incoming tides as I have mentioned before.


Towards the left handside would be Mooragh Promenade. We are actually further along the Promenade than we have been before. Behind me out of shot would be the harbour jetty way off in the distance now, bridge and Ramsey town. To the right is obviously the sea, but as we are an island you would expect to see land ahoy at some stage. You do, and that would be part of the British Isles, England, Scotland and Wales. On a clear day you can make out the landscape of the Lake District in Cumbria. Looking north the bay sweeps round to the promontory known as Shellagh Point. This is the closest I have taken you to it. Shellagh another Manx word. It appears Shellagh means willow. I have noted recently it's use as a girl's name. I'm not sure those using the name know of it's origin, or are Manx. I wonder if anyone out there knows of another meaning or anyone is actually named Shellagh? I'm still searching on this one. Just curious.


For perspective click the words in red below to show you stages along the beach. May help to put this scene context. For those that have read about the Grand Hotel on the blog, behind the white house on the left out of sight would be the Grand Hotel.

Beach 1
Beach 2

Beach3
Rocks

MISTAKEN GHOSTS-MONOCHROME ODD SHOTS

Ghosts

Monochrome Odd Shots

If you are here for Glass Theme Day it's the post below as today is another image. This is an archive. In fact this is one that should have been deleted ages ago and I've no idea what it's still doing hanging around vitrually. It wasn't until I stumbled across it I thought it would make a great odd shot and serve as a lesson though. Original version is colour shot in Raw. The only alteration has been to desaturate, strip the colour in Raw it's self. This left the really ghostly image you see. I know it looks like a studio image with a white canvas backdrop and overly lit but it's actually along Mooragh Promenade watching the stunt bikes. The white mist isn't ghostly ectoplasm at all but fumes from the motorbike that had just passed by. I know it looks like I'm right in front of them too but I was actually quite far away using the zoom at full pelt. The shiny black lump of plastic on the right is a bin of all things. As this image is a mistake no need to clone bins out of shot. Of the four images I took of this scene this one came out as a ghastly overexposed mistake or is it a ghostly haunting image? Depends on your point of view. One thing I will say is the girl with the white coat is far more striking as an image in this photo than the others. It is definitely a mistake to me and of absolutely no use other than here, or maybe experiment with, but sometimes they make the most interesting images. One things for sure it's odd and ghostly.


Have you made any use of your mistakes? I do find they are useful as a lesson in what not to do.

Click Katney for your odd shot quirks. Click Aileni for your monochrome maniacs. That's it off to re classify the images

Babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogpsot.com/

MARCH THEME DAY GLASS - BRITISH RED TELEPHONE BOX

A different glass

British Red Telephone Box

Theme today is glass. Glass building are relatively few in a Ramsey and I have featured the ones I could have used already, so I went for a very British Institution a Red Telephone Box. To highlight the box I just desaturated the background. A departure for me. With the advent of mobile phones phone boxes and the more modern open kiosks are dwindling in use. They are no longer replaced or new ones provided when the present ones need updating. The iconic red box stopped production many years ago, in fact there is more than one design called "K class" but you still find them in far flung places such as Gibraltar, Bermuda, obviously the UK and here. Anywhere that is part of the British Isles, UK, or British Islands. Many were sold off privately once they were de-commissioned and you will often come across one in the most unlikely country. You may have one in your area? Many also have been adapted for other uses across the world. British theme bars around the world always seem to have one too in one form or another. Click here to read more about the history from wiki.



This phone box is still in use and working. Situated outside Ramsey Football Club Ground. It still accepts coins not just phonecards or credit cards, still has a phone directory intact and as you can see is also non vandalized. Not one pane of glass smashed. It's not the only Red Telephone box in Ramsey, we have quite a few and all of them are still used. Just want to point that out. The tourist's love them. So that's my iconic glass image. Something a little different, iconic, historical, outmoded but strangely still in use here.

Have fun and do check out the many daily photos around the world and there unique images

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

GRAND ISLAND HOTEL BURGLARY

Grand Theft Auto?

Be warned I'm having a rant.

Skywatch post below for those you don't want to read the ravings of an angry blogger but would like some photography tips. Back to the post in hand. Remember a couple of weeks ago I showed you an image of the building about to be demolished for My World? Click here to read the full post. In a nutshell The Grand Island Hotel has closed, due for demolition, new flats(apartments) complex are to be built on the land, and an auction to sell any keepsakes has taken place. Well guess what? Since that post a bunch of scumbags, not as polite a word as you deserve but all common decency will allow me write in blogland, have burgled whatever was left inside. Not only that they have vandalised, no trashed, the place in the process of stripping the place of it's final trappings and dare I say dignity. Nice world isn't it when even on a small relatively safe time warp island thieving scumbags hatch a plot to do a final act of ignominy to a once Grand Hotel. Sad sign of our times. Apologisies too for the image just grabbed anyone I had to hand.



That's better Now I'll do the funny side so not to depress you all. On a lighter note all I will say is the bunch of tourists who I featured the thursday all have alibis. Of course as the hotel was way off along Mooragh Promenade it was too far for their elderly weak bladders to get to without stopping to spend a penny anyway. there are no toilets that way now the hotel has closed. Also they would have had to negotiate the swinging bridge of doom and they just will not cross that particular bridge when they come to it for all the hotel fittings in Ramsey, never mind tea in China. The Zimmer Frame Gang then have been ruled out and as the Police say it's a local job.



Make of this post what you will. It happened. That's just how the world is. I chose to post it because I like light and shade and as I say in the header sometimes the ugly side of life rears it's head and I will not gloss over this just to keep folks happy. It happened, it's sad, but tomorrow is another day as they say.

babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

THE GOLDEN HOUR IN PHOTOGRAPHY - SKYWATCH

Golden Wonder

Skywatch

I wanted to call the image The Golden Triangle but that really wasn't a good idea. Google why if you don't know. The Golden Hour it is then and it's not the medical one, but the one you hear photographer's use a lot or also referred to as the magic hour.

The Golden Hour is the the first and last hour of sunlight during the day when you'll find a certain photographic effect is achieved due to the quality of the light within these times.

The light tends to be warmer and softer. Shadows are more focused and pronounced as the sun is closer to the horizon. The sunlight is traveling at a slant striking subjects at an angle and not straight on.

Highlights tend not to be overexposed. This is due to the direct light of the sun not being as intense and harsh. Landscape photogaphers use this light a lot as the sunlight enhances, warms the ground colours. Also a favourite with painters too for the same reason. Portrait photography is favoured too as no fill flash is required as you can use the natural soft lighting and shadows. The worst time to photograph for harsh, too bold, brash sunlight is midday. Put it this way you don't get a sunset or sunrise at noon but but you do in the Golden Hour.

The image was captured towards the end of the Golden Hour, not optimum but enough to catch the yellow and golds in that Industrial Triangle of cranes, winches and sail masts along Ramsey Harbour Inlet and silhouette the building. I hope that all makes sense?

Skywatch watchers can be found here. Many thanks to Dot for the inspirational idea, Tom for the first care taking and the My world gang for looking after skywatch now.

Babooshka Ramsey Daily Photo hhtp://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

DON'T LET THE TOURISTS ESCAPE!

Not The Magical Mystery Tour but roll up anyway

I told you we have tourists. Not just for two weeks in June when the TT Road Races are here either. Real live people spending their hard earned salaries(actually pensions these were more your retired folk) to help boost the economy here North of the Island. All the way from Barnsley, Yorkshire, England. To a Manx person here the island is the mainland and the UK is commonly known as "across" which means wherever the tourists came from, they came from across but are very welcome. Very, very welcome. So where would they go this side of town?

The little group you can see were heading off towards St Paul's shopping centre. That would be a left turn at the conveniently named St Paul's church you can see that's the tallest building on the left. This lot went straight for the Shoprite, one of local Supermarkets. Actually they hit the toilets first but we'll gloss over that one. Next was St Paul's Bookshop, then we had a split in the ranks and they stopped by the one or two cafes we have dotted about the town which would be off towards the right of the image. Of course the odd one or two sneaked off for a heavier tipple in the oh so many pubs we have. Incidentally the grass verge you see that is adjacent to the old Swimming Pool. Apparently that's the place they normally went first for a slap up lunch, but that's now closed and they didn't want to leave the main body of the town and go over the bridge to the new Swimming Pool. The words told you so come to mind. Apparently it suited a Pensioner's pocket. I'm sure they'll love the New Pool soon, 0nce they are brave enough to cross the swinging bridge of doom.


Next time I'll try and get a tourist eating a Davison's ice cream or should I say fighting the seagulls for it. I swear the gulls can spot a tourist from a local a mile off and dive bomb for bag of chips. So no posed contrived smiley images but natural sneaky peeks of grumpy kids, moaning pensioners, stressed parents and argumentative adolescents. Still wish you were here?

Babooshka http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/ ramsey daily photo