Flying the Manx Flag- Skywatch

Three legged doubled edged crane

Last week I had pretty pinks and purples washing over a satin look river sunset. This week a little more down to earth. A laid back, subtle, muted early summer evening sky. You can see the gentle blues are about to be overpowered by the gathering greys of the swirling rain clouds. You can see too by those proudly waving flags that we had more than a gentle breeze. We often do.




Not gone for beauty tonight, but for more a dramatic statement. A two crane fingered salute or maybe peace sign with the flag of the Isle of Man displaying. Or maybe it's just Ramsey Harbour on a dull evening, a bland sky and I just got lucky with the billowing wind fluffing out the flag to add the icing on the composition cake. I hope the "transport lady" enjoys this little offering from the person who photographs the town, shows the world all good and bad anonymously. Wonder what she has done for the island lately other than moan about visitors? You want to come back sometime and see here to put the image in context. A picture says a thousand words of course and v signed cranes to me are just about the most perfect ones tonight. Not born here, but I live here now amongst the three legged people flying the flag.




Want to see more from around the virtual world. Click here for more skywatch images. I seem to have got these weird double spaces again. No idea why. Always seems to happen in draft form.
Oh well, never mind.

The rude woman on the bus

The only problem I have with public transport is the public

This is a very off the cuff post. Bear with me as they say in customer services, just got to get this little tale form today off my chest. It all happened on that thing above. Well not actually that bus above but one from this fleet docked in Ramsey Bus Station. This is an archive I have grabbed quickly with a wide angled crop from the old point and shoot. It serves the purpose though as the event took place on one of these buses.



The tale. A group of kids (boy and girl Scouts) were conducting a mini survey. Very sweet and very polite. Not bothering anyone at all.Well you know me. Love to have my opinion. They asked everyone the same few questions. My turn. I answered honestly. The rude woman behind me said, and more than one person heard her" I don't like her" meaning me. My crime? To answer a question about the island with an honest answer. She didn't even say it quietly. Last question the kids asked was "were are you from originally" to which my answer being England resulted in rude woman making that snorting noise people do when they are disgusted with something. There are of course words other than rude for that woman of course. Thanks so much rude woman for showing yourself up to a bunch of well meaning well mannered kids. Also for showing the island's people in a negative light. Not me with the honest answer, but you with your rude negative attitude.Silly woman. As for me. Proceeded to talk about how I can't wait to go on holiday to the best country in the world, France, soon.Ha! Ha!



So that was the bus journey from Douglas to Ramsey today. I hope the Scouts from Ireland don't think too badly of the folks here. Rude woman (you ain't no lady) did you mama not tell you if you can't say anything nice keep ya gob shut. You have done the Isle of Man and Manxies a disservice today not I.

B is for - boats bobbing along on the beautiful briony sea

Not a toy boat, just cute

It's all the fun of the letter B for abc I'm not knocking myself out to be find another bountiful image, when I simply have to show you one of the very things I am surrounded by here. Blue, blue water and of course and bouncing buoyant boats bobbing along. Actually it wasn't so much bobbing than static due to the fact it was tightly moored. The temptation of course to cut the boats fixings, jump aboard and sail away were overcome by the sensible side. Pity. Such a cute little boat, a sunny day and an island coastline to discover. Not so much anchors aweigh for life on the ocean wave as not today I'm got some work to do. It'll keep.

Are you tempted to set sail in maybe something a little bigger or waters of a different kind? Then dive into the sea of letters of and see how others interpreted the sea and land this week here. I know you think I must have taken off on the boat with the short post, but sadly no just doing stuff as you do and moored to the laptop.

After the show

Time to go home

Sometimes you just can't photograph everything that goes on in a town, especially here. Nothing for ages then events and photo opportunities just appear like 3 buses at a bus stop after there have been none for the last hour. All or nothing. Doesn't mean though there isn't anything to photograph. On the contrary. Here is one of those events that I wasn't able to shoot from the start. Earlier you would have seen bands, a mini fashion show of organic and Fair Trade clothes sampled the local spices from the local curry house or even have a fair trade coffee. You would also have seen stands for One World and Tradecraft. What to do, how to join, what they are. You may even of heard the local member of Government speaking. Of course you just have to imagine this today or instead weave a story around the image above.


Never walk away without taking a photo even if you can't photograph the main event. By turning up late I got some far more interesting images than the usual standard shots the local papers tend to do in these situations.. You always have good old fashioned street photography. The girl now free to run around, the kids tumbling in the centre, generations chatting, the strange orange organic material adorning the normally sedate Courthouse. This is not how Parliament Street looks on a Saturday morning usually. To be fair I did get a few images of the dying embers of the band playing and the stands, just not the fashion show. Can't be in two photos ops at once. I did however get to chat to a fellow local and Mrs local who indulge in the odd rambling under a cloak shall we say if you click here . They were also modeling a little organic clothing ensemble and I did get a pic of them at a distance. So never walk away even if everything has been dismantled and people are leaving. Photos to be had if you just look.


For more of My world contributions coincidentally from around the world click here

Envionmentally unfriendly

No I don't know why it's there

Can anyone tell me what they think that is sticking out of the water and also why? I know I have come across some strange things and shall we say interesting items but this bar or post of some kind looks a little scary to me. Put it this way, I wouldn't fancy being out and about on a canoe and running smack into or onto this as you bounced over the short drop of water. Ouch! This wasn't the only one I found. Roughly about 6 just poking out at various intervals along the rapid flowing water seemingly embedded in the river bed. Maybe an alien spacecraft crash landed and these are the remnants of the unidentified material. Maybe it's just a more likely mundane explanation like vandals clogging up the river with something other than a shopping trolley. That I would say is the more likely answer.Who knows? Who really cares? Who will do anything about it?

I'll leave this with you. I'm just the recorder of the images around me. To check out others monochromes see here

Water view sunset

Wonder if Terry meets Julie?

Skywatch

I was going to give you a pun laden sunset cliche post tonight. Afraid it's post and run. So you'll have to gaze on my water view sunset and just feel like your in paradise. Yes of course on a Friday night. We don't get them like this often. If you have been following the blog now for a while then you may recall those Ramsey harbour sunsets last year. Have a search of the blog for them if you like. The dirty old river looks like it's swathed in purple and pink satin, but it's just the sundown reflecting the light. I'm so lazy I don't want to wander to far from this image tonight but I'm afraid I have a little problem again. Put it this way I have a fly to squat.



For those have followed the progress my other little photo problem is well and truly sorted. Excellent outcome. Today though I have another. You can imagine how fed up I feel. As always the little bird on my finger icon, on the right of this page will take you to another well known site that will have the details later tonight.



Well I stay at home tonight. More little kinks to iron out(got to that one in somewhere)on the "hey this photo belongs to me front." Anyone would think I'm a charity. So Water view sunset I will leave you with to gaze upon, my harbour paradise and yes those colours are natural and no I won't show bigger images anymore, ever now and someone else other than me can explain why to the new commers in the comments please.

For lots of other skywatch goodies see here

Dancing Queen, dancing in the street

I bet she looks good on the dance floor

A tiny dancer for you today. So cute is she not? That is rhetorical. Thought you might like a closer look at one of the lunging ladies I featured the other week if you click here. Great crowd huh! Look closely you can see disinterest "is it time to go home yet, I'm missing Corrie"(as you look onto the image) and lets take the p... "because I haven't got the guts to do dance myself" on the right. Charming aren't they. Remember those by laws, rude obnoxious behaviour can get you a night in the cell here. Anyway lets dance. Anyone know a name? Now look I know some of you island people just have to know something. Stop keeping all the skeet to yourselves. As you know she was part of a duo we had here for Ramsey National Week( yes really we are soooooooo flipping special, needs saying) that did the wobbly dancing bums and tums along the harbour. Just left the Mitre Hotel in the background for you and for real street photography, a wheelie bin. I know I've spoilt you with the bin. Don't get used to it though, it's all boring pretty sunsets for you lot tomorrow.

Now of course many many dance related puns but it's late I'm negotiating, no not for puns for photos. You should be dancing of course in a Bee Gees style. Why? Born on this very island of course. You are all going to look that up now aren't you? Suppose I should tell you all about it as well. You are such a demanding an audience.