Black Eye Friday # 54 My World

It all started out so well......

What can I tell you about the curiously named "Black Eye Friday" that you can't actually surmise from the title. Don't let the costumes (though this one inside was an angel) pic fool you. After a beer or several the residents of the town usually end up brawling. So what's it all about then?

Once a year this strange phenomenon happens, the last main pay day for most folks before Christmas a little earlier than usual. Now most of us are used to being relatively civilised and seem capable of going on a Friday night, let your hair down pub crawl, end of the working week type of thing we normally do. Costumes, hats whatever maybe worn week in week out. So no change there. Black Eye Friday though all hell breaks lose, and the younger folks tend not to be the idiots involved. Oh no, it's those middle aged men who go out once a year, can't hold their beer, miffed at their lives who are fully intent on causing a brawl....ending up with mass punch ups, a few smashed windows, pubs barring people and probably more arrests than for the last six months. Also the next day you will pass these shame faced idiots sporting the badge of dubious honour....the black eye.... hence the name "Black Eye Friday." Thankfully this idiotic behaviour occurs once yearly but does make me wonder is this sort or event unique to our island?

For more dips into other peoples lives around the world see here after 8pm.

Skyhill Sunset - # Skywatch 83

Fiery

I'm going to keep this really, really short and sweet and just leave you with the image of a snow capped Skyhill under a fiery sunset. No waffling about life here on Toytown Island, mainly as I'm heading out later to hit the one horse town and actually get on with life so I can blog about it. Sure there is some logic in there, or a valid excuse to go for a drink. Back now after a gap of about a month. Caught the dreaded swine flu, which was rather annoying as I have not drunk with any swine for weeks! Ha Ha! I'm still doing humour though, this is not a travelogue.


For other skies of the world see here after 7.30pm

Triskelion

This week Abc is bought to you by the letter T

The Triskelion isn't exclusive to the Isle Of Man. You will find the the three legged symbol that appears on the flag around the world. It is the symbol of Brittany, France, also appears on the national flag of another island, Sicily and areas of Northern Spain. Often seen in Celtic artwork as a more spiral design of the three legs. The list goes on of where the bizarre symbol and it's origins can be found but I'm just concerned about the Island I live on.



As usual this island full of myth and legend has many variations of how and why it came to be the symbol that appears on the flag. Did the Vikings bring the symbol with them after seeing it on their travels before invading here? One thing is clear though it should never be shown the wrong way up, as the people of Mann, bow to no one." Wherever you throw it, it stands." I'll let you Google more on the Triskelion, and let all those people who have the flag the wrong way up change it. Oops! Also, I have actually posted quite a famous island landmark previously that has the Triskelion on facing the wrong way round, as a mirror image. If it was a stamp I'm sure it would be worth a mint! Surprising how many people don't actually notice it when they are milling about. Must have water on the brain or rather lax.


For more T's around the world see here

Ps. Calling all Sci Fi fans. I will just say Threshold, Marvel Comics and a certain Episode of Star Trek.

Seaweed

ABC this week is bought to you by the letter S

Living on an island I am surrounded by S's. Everything from sea to seagulls to saltwater to sailboats....even my favourite pub is s The Swan, which of course leads me nicely onto the non alcoholic swans of the bird variety around these parts as another S. Anything of course could be a shadow shot, fail safe sunrise and sunset I always have waiting to upload for rainy days, but I went with this arty farty little seaweed image. Quite monstrous looking thing it is too! I went with black and white for the textures and a close up on the more hideous aspects. Not exactly the prettiest image, but this is what we really get washed up on our shores, along with all manner of crap from buckets to bicycle wheels. Some days the whole beach seemed to be covered in this stuff above until the tide washes it back out again. Yuk! Not a fan. I like my beaches seaweed free and walkable for dogs without getting snarled up in the alien looking stuff.


Smoaghan is a Manx word for seaweed and though there are more, many more that is the only one beginning with S. I can think of a very foul English word for the stuff which I shall refrain from typing though!


For other s's around the world click here

Quallian is a puppy

This week Abc is bought to you by the letter Q

I'm full of flu, blargh, and it's soooooooooooooo boring that I've decided to cheer myself up with an image of a very cute (and slightly mad) puppy who I took for a walkies along both beaches. I was going for Queens Pier and an explanation of how the pier came across it's name, but I'm much rather console myself with a doggie image. So where does the Q come in doggie or puppy and no, the young whipper snappers name does not begin with a Q. Confusing eh? It's back to the Manx lanugage again. Quallian is Manx for puppy and to be puppyish is quailianagh, of which this cutie definitely is. Also fast too, swift of flight and fascinated by seagulls, who are learning to flee faster than this quallian.


Short and sweet, I'm all snotty. For more Q's here

Bbq Sunset # Skywatch 82

In the pink

As it's persisting down (that is the polite version) with rain all week I have dug deep into the recent archives again for a warmer cheerier image. One from the "The summer of Fun" as it became known. Never ending nights of cowboy hats, beach bbq's swigging back Jack Daniels, playing with other peoples dogs, chomping on veggie burgers, meat for the carnivores and discovering, toasting custard doughnuts is not a good idea, but crabsticks surprisingly are. Above all, the company was always the best, and this tiny island provided occasionally short bursts of days when we had glorious sunsets and hot days with a gentle cool breeze. On a cold, wet, November day, I lament the passing of such days and beach bbq's. A veggie burger just doesn't taste right without a little sand in it now. Fortunately we have plenty of pubs here and the Jack Daniels is always heavily stocked up......


Which leads me to why the early post.... the pub is where you will find me tonight!




For other skies around the world see here

Pub Watch

Honestly he is working


This week Abc is bought to you by the letter P

Now, to be serious for once, "Pub Watch" is an island wide project that keeps an eye on the drinkers who frequent the pubs, one of which is yes, me. So far, the wearing of cowboy, witch and pirate hats is not an offence ( not sure about the coppers hat I wore mind) and enjoying your Jack Daniels and causing minor havoc with broomsticks for Halloween seems to be considered reasonable drunken behaviour. If I had hit someone with the broomstick for example, considered an act of drunken violence, then I would have not only been arrested, charged with an offence, sentenced or fined, but ultimately banned from the pub. Not just the pub in question but all pubs... "island wide", all pubs on the island. That is in essence what Pub Watch is, well the lighthearted version of it. So the Police, (not the group) frequenting the joint are a regular sight and anti social behaviour won't be tolerated. Also, I do wish they would apply the same rules and regulations to people murdering Meatloaf's "Bat Out of Hell at Karaoke." Personally I really think there should be a town bylaw against it!


So, do you have any scheme like this your way. Also for more P's of the world see here