THE SUN HAS GOT HIS HAT ON?

I know Ramsey and the Isle Of Man in genreral is basking in glorious sunshine, so hell I should be happy a pink fluffy bunny. Well not quite. Firstly I don't do pink, despite a few of those pink tinged Niarbyl images, more accident than design, it's just not my colour. Bunnies are quite frankly cute, but ultimately dumb animals, and again not a genre I fall into. So we have established I am enjoying the sunshine, but not in a fluffy( I can be fluffy, but with talons) girly pink Peter rabbit kind of way. So what on earth is wrong now?

Well for starters it's the title. Bear with me on this, it will make sense. Right, the song goes "the sun has got his hat on hip hip hip hooray, the sun has got his hat on and is coming out to play." Look, if the sun had his hat on, it would cast a shadow across the land, therefore no glorious sunshine to bask in and I or he/she/ it for that matter certainly wouldn't be out to play. Surely the song should substitute the word hat for sunglasses. Now that would make pefectly logical pragmatic Vulcan sense. Your thoughts please, of which I will discount on the grounds I am always right.

The other main bugbear, which I am still steeling myself for a verbal onslaught this week is Euromanx. No, means nothing to you, but they were one of the few flight operators actually flying to mainland Europe from the island have just gone bellyup. More on that as and when I find out the "Skeet", which is Manx for gossip. Basically though loads of Manxies were stranded abroad. Not all bad then. One more thing not to feature on my other blog.

By the way the Politics show remebered they had a wbsite this week and actually mentioned Barker and featured his cartoon. Here's the link, if you want a peek, it's the called The Brown Stuff. BARKER GALLERY BBC

As it's so sunny, I decided we needed a winter shot today. This was last years 2 day snow flurry.

WALLABY WATCH!
Bad news folks. The wallaby is stranded somewhere in France awaiting the next available flight with any airline, well any airline that accepts fee playing wallabies.

PICTURE THIS!

I know it's been a few days again, or should that be several if you want to get all technical with the machinations of the english language. If it's not cones hampering my way( the evidence is on the other blog), supermarkets not replenishing goods or kamikaze birds throwing themselves into the patio windows, it's now the turn of photobox to complicate my life.

I've been using photobox along with imagekind to sell my work. Lots of reasons but lets just say logistically its the best option for worldwide domination, when you live on an island. The good news is they have closed their books to new professionals. Yippee! The bad is, they have changed to a new sleeker website. Whoopee doo! Put the champers glass down. Never that simple. Basically I now straddle two sites (not in the literal sense, that would be too painful) the old and the new link, which is confusing to customers. They have also lost/misplaced 2008 sales.Perhaps a lawsuit winging their way will spur them on to find said sales pretty sharpish.


Well you know I love too complain, so yes they have had it with both barrels, and still getting it. New improved site my derriere! It was perfectly hunky dory before, they used to be heroes, but no more golden years with them. We may have to part company unless they get their act together. Have you ever noticed when something is new and improved it's gobbly gook for we have made a mess. Terminal 5 Heathrow. I rest my (suit) case.

The photo is another from the nature reserve. I must take 200 a week here, and they are all so different. Not as moody as some I've used for skywatch, but not bad.

WALLABY WATCH!
Lost somewhere in the ether betwixt parallel photobox sites.

NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND

Actually, that should be "Notes from small island that think it's big." Small island syndrome. Akin to a Napoleon little man complex, but applied to countries. Do you want further proof that my comparisons are correct. Cats. Remember those powerful little men who invade countries, Napoleon, Hitler and Tom Cruise. Ok, not Tom Cruise he has cuban heels. If only the other two had discovered cuban heels, but I digress cats wasn't it?

Well you know the old chestnut about little men dictactors having the cat phobia, well I think the island does too. Take the Manx cat. It's a tailess cat. I mean only the island that has a three legged flag could produce a tailess cat, and yes some islanders are wary of them. So you see, little dictators persuing world domination, but fear the kitty cat and little island persuing financial industry world domination, but fear of the kitty cat. I rest my case.

It's been a busy old time lately. I took my eye off the ball for a wee while and the wallaby left the island, and the cones moved in closer. I now have the photographic evidence of the cone infestation. Quick, call in Mulder and Scully, it's an x file.

One more thing. This blog isn't supposed to make sense, it's light hearted, tongue in cheek, ranting and raving of my far too clever for her own good alter ego. So please newbies, don't be snippy. You have to admit the Tom Cruise gag was good. Just click and your'e away from the nasty blog.


WALLABY WATCH!
Kidnapped by aliens, rumour has it. Remember folks The truth is out there!

ISLE OF MAN , PC GONE MAD

The eagle eyed(no that bird pun wasn't intened) may have noticed that this photo is also on my daily blog. Now I do usually try and have differing ones, but the bloody files have gone walkabout and well, I can't access anything new. So all the other photos I have taken in Raw are lurking somewhere mysteriously on my PC. Why they would run away undercover of older files I don't know. That has been the week in general though, hence my absence.

I get one post done, nip over to this blog, but no, server down. Then MY LAPTOP JUST KEEPS MISBEHAVING. It keeps going to sleep. Goodnight, just going to standby. Then it's the hiding of files. I have obviously done some heinous deed towards it I am unaware of, but for the sweet life of me I have no notion of what that would be. It's being well very Manx. No you don't want to work, there's time enough, I'm going to sleep. Er, no you are not. You are my laptop, now do as you are told or else I will feed you to the cones.

Oh yes, before I go, or my narcoleptic laptop passes out I have been dared to do something a little mad when the TT is on. Get a T. shirt with one of my photos on with my website details printed and wear it, sort of free advertising for my sales site. Should be fun. Epecially if I could get on one of the TV channels covering it, just to wave to you all.

The photo is the baby cormorant of the one I photographed earlier this year. Check out my other blog for more info and semsible wrting. RAMSEY DAILY PHOTO

WALLABY WATCH!
Trying to get a flight anywhere off the island when TT is on. Motorbikes and wallabies don't mix.

TIME ENOUGH TO PROCRASTINATE

There is a lovely, quaint, sweet saying about jobs to be done by the islanders. The saying, and i'm not going to attempt the Manx, is called " time enough." I know, that's it. Not exactly groundbreaking is it? Not the earth shattering verbal gymnastics you have come to expect here (why use one word when you can use 25 say I) is it. I have another saying, well word for it. Not Manx but plain English. Procrastination.

Try getting a little man in to do any household job here. We may, or may not, have a damp problem. We certainly have something very strange under one particular kitchen tile. We need expert advice.Time enough we are told, time enough. We will get round to you. We will give you our opinion/diagnosis soon. Time enough. We will at some point repair/ resurface/ renovate. Time enough.

In the meantime however, I am slowly tearing my hair out at this time enough business. I may, afterall, be cultivating something quite nasty under the kitchen tile. One shudders to think. Time enough, procrastination, or just plain lazy. Subject to interpretation as always, like everything Manx.

I have decided that I do suffer from procrastination to a certain degree. It's called playing on my pc when I should be doing far more important things instead, like my tax return.

The photo. Top of a lighthouse, one at the Point Of Ayre. For my own amusement this photo seemed appropriate. Virginia Wolfe, depression, procrastination, modern day pychosis. Well it makes sense to me.

WALLABY WATCH!
Comtemplating why a wallaby needs watching.

TRAINS, BLAMES AND SORT OF APPEALS.

I'm on the bus, minding my own business, got the ipod on, staring into a faceless void of coastal sea when it happens. Do my eyes deceive me or is that the Ramsey to Douglas tram train I see along side of us. I do believe it is. Oh Happy Day!Joy To The World! Hallelujah, Praise the .... Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat! it's stopping at Laxey.

So, almost, not quite a monumental day, the Boo a happy bunny. I could have shown you pictures of it in Ramsey, with Mrs H. Brew and the grandkids. I could have have taken photographs from the train, as it cuts through the mountains. As it takes in those little one horse towns, fights it's way through the hammer horror rolling mist, passing the escaped wallaby(you never know), I could have been a contender..... Oh that's going off at a decidedly different tangent.

Manx Electric Railway, bunch of numpties.Are you trying to kill the town off altogether.We have tourist too. We still have the odd larger sized business.The excuse that this particular stretch of the track, (conveniently) is suddenly a sad state of affairs, and needs urgent repairs, year long repairs is just bull. It's not the Forth Bridge, it's a Thomas The Tank Engine, baby sized railtrack.It's a month tops, now sort it.

Rant done. The pic was last april, and the lovely pink buliding is the Police Station. It's a drab cream now. I do miss the baby pink toytown station, such a calming effect on criminals.

WALLABY WATCH!
Doing hard labour, back on the chain gang, along the laxey part of the railway.

IT'S NOT A CATTLE PROD!

It may aswell be a cattle prod, my camera that is. Following on from "Trust Me I'm A Photographer", it's still happening. Cones hold their ground, defiantly saying shoot me woman, shoot me. People however, even those laid back Manx types are reacting at the sight of a camera as if they have just had the proverbial cattle prod, inserted into the proverbial nether regions.

Surely it will hurt me more than it will hurt them? Just a fraction of their time. Me. Do they realise what I have to scarifice. Space on my card, valuable nano seconds taking it, uploading to my "oh no not more bloody photos" laptop, converting from Raw to Tif/ jpeg, filing in my image library under "supposedly human", Cropping, not cropping, colour, black and white.... Overload, Overload. You see my point though don't you? Who may I ask is gaining from the deal. I can't claim this time back. I just want to show off the good folk of the Isle of Man to the world. I could lie and tell you it's for the newspapers, then you'd be beating a path to my door.

So an old pic from last year today. Just to show we have life here. It's TT practise week, the week before the actual races, and all the bikers you see are tourist bikers, not those taking part. It's also my practise week for speeds and angles. I like this shot because it really sums up the Manx laid back way. That woman was positively dawdling, the lights had long since changed, and she nonchanlanty strolled across, oblivious to the traffic building up behind her.Wonderful.

WALLABY WATCH!
Still waiting for the woman to cross the road.

CHAFFINCH HAS WOMAN'S ARM TRANSPLANT!

Obviously there has been no such Frankenstein type transplant. It's the chaffinch that flew into the window the other week, the one I mentioned with the siskin photo.Today is all about my barmy birds. Now, my little feathered friends I love you all dearly, you keep me sane in a mad world but, lets face it your're a bit of a nightmare aren't you?

1. Stop pooping on my washing. It's very fustrating to find your birdy dropping on my freshly washed clothes. It's not big and it's not clever!

2.Learn to share. You know there is a never ending supply, so queue in an orderly fashion, and then peck away.

3.Sort out your air traffic control. It's a window, not a drive through mcbirdies. I will not always be around(or Barker) to rescue you when you've flung yourself headlong at the window, fall onto your back and can't get onto your feet. I haven't really got 3 hours to sit with you until you come round and then run round the garden with you teaching you how to fly. Besides that, it's hard trying to explain to the neighbours, er yes it's another poorly bird, too coincidental for them.

4.Stop having mass orgies in my garden. Really, the noise. Chasing each other, groups, not practising safe sex, promiscuity. Please I'm going all "NIMBY"with you birds, Not In My BackYard.

5. Last but not least, stay bloddy still when I'm trying to photograph you, yes you mr grey pied wagtail, it's not a race, chill out.

So the pic is me and my poorly chaffinch, the one that wouldn't fly off, the one that I was running up and dwon the garden with flaping my arms to encourage him to fly. So get the tripod out, set the pic up, and click the timer.

WALLABY WATCH!

Warding off those naughty cats without bells who try and kill my pretties, my birds. It suits him working outdoors as he can have a fag anytime.

TRUST ME I'M A PHOTOGRAPHER

Ok. Hands up who thought yesterdays post was an April Fool. Only partially. Barker did upload a cartoon of Mugabe, and he did get lots of traffic from government buildings in Zimbabwe. He did get the odd disturbing email, but on the whole we are quite safe. Lets face it Google earth feejit thinks we live in Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland, so doubt if Mugabe can find us. Apparently he has a small problem of an election result to consider. Here's hoping it's not in his favour.

So, my other blog, the Ramsey Daily Photo is doing well. That is it's doing well online around the world. What of the island. Well, I'm out and about in Ramsey, trawling the high street for images with the big camera with the big lens, stopping to snap varying pieces that catch my eye. So why is this considered abnormal behaviour. I'm sure the good folk of Ramsey still believe that if I snap them, I may be stealing their soul or something. Good grief people, do you not want to be immortalized on the net for posterity. Something to tell the grandkids, all around the world, that was me when I was younger picking my nose, breaking wind while having a fag outside the pub. That was me letting my dog crap everywhere and not scooping up the poop. That was me falling out the pub and dropping my chips, and shoving the chip paper into the nearest shop letterbox.

So to Ramsey, and be warned tomorrow Douglas. The camera isn't the devils tool and I am not one of his minions. If you can upload your idiotic antics onto You Tube for all the world to see then surely when I'm photographing, that ineresting angle, a humourous, sign or another sunset and you just happen to be wolfing down your ice cream in shot, then in the scheme of all worldy things, it's not so bad is it.

Todays pic is a solitary narcissus. I put a matt black card behind it( no light reflection then) and snapped away. I suppose that would account for why some people consider this photography lark of mine a bit nuts. Well all I'll say is if being able to wander about in the fresh air, with no timetable to adhere to as opposed to being stuck back in a darkened airless vault in the bank, nuts then I am, a fully paid up member of the barmy brigade. Job satisfaction, second to none.

WALLABY WATCH!
He's gone to ground in fear that I might capture his image with that pint in his hand. Wallabies are supposed to be teetotal.

MY OTHER BLOG IS A PORSCHE

Today I have gone over to the lightside. I have created a sensible, straight down the line, whinge less, irony free zone, "Isle Of Man Daily Photo" blog. It's the blog i originally set out to do, but got sidetracked with venting my spleen on this one. It is even on a humourless, dispassionate white background. It will have trite titles, real photo info, you know the technical stuff, like what ISO was used and shutter speed. All the boring bits i can't be bothered with here.

It also means i can do any old arty farty, social photography( ooh look at the locals aren't they quaint) black and white, just stepped out the house and thought this pile of dog poo looked really interesting in a conceptual art kind of a way photo i like. Hey, so long as it's a daily photo( who i wonder will check the date, will someone be secretly spying on me form the manx mafia) of the little ole town that I live in, then that will suffice. Apparently though i have already broken the the ethos of the daily pic, (fight club, first rule of fight club, there are no rules in fight club) by setting it in the whole island, rather than the town of Ramsey. Not very good with rules.

So the 2 blogs will run simultaneoulsy in a schizoid kind of way. God help the veiwer who strays from the path of the good blog, worthy, pure photo of photos, to the mad, bad and dangerous blog on the darkside of purple haze.

Queens Pier Photo today. It's seen better days neglected, and needs restoring to it's former glory, but of course the money will go elsewhere. Will have to have a rant on this one.

WALLABY WATCH!

Well that's loyalty for you? He has defected to my other blog.

THE LOST WEEKEND

Happy Easter everyone. Have we had lots of chocky eggs? Not much of a chocolate fan myself, i know, a woman who doesn't go ga ga over the sweet stuff, but crisps ooh that's another story. When it comes to pringles I don't understand the word share! I can eat a full pack in one sittiing and then roll around in agony complaining i have bad guts and swear i have no idea why. Back to the chocs, had a baileys easter egg, with minature baileys truffles. Yummy, but not as yummy as a bag of crsips.

Somehow managed to negelct my blog yesterday. Think i may have been kidnapped by aliens (or the manx mafia) and had the memory of the event erased. Time just slipped by in front of the tv and re organising photos. Can't even blame it on alcohol, now that is worrying. So saturday came and went and sunday has visisted and to be honest the photo reorganization has monopolised my time yet again. Fotunately this means i haven't been traumatised, by powercuts, bank false imprisonments, Thomas the Tank Engine(as i now refer to manx railway) being derailed or taxis failing to arrive leaving me stranded with eight bags of shopping in the middle of Ramsey. (see earlier blogs if this has confused you) No, my blood pressure is down, I am at one with The isle of Man, and even a the cormorant posed for a pic. Somewhere in the world, someone has had a shit day on my behalf. Sure the equilibrium will be restored tomorrow and the mad world of Babooska will resume.

Today's pic is entiled "cormorant in flight." Yes it's unimaginately titled what you see is what youb get with this one. I have been chasing this bloody bird, my nemesis for months now, and today, my perfect world day, there he was, and so was I.

WALLABY WATCH!

He too has had a lost weekend in Blackpool

WHEN GOOD FRIDAYS TURN BAD!

It all started so well. Barker and I both off, no photography today, no cartoon for the BBC for Barker to summit this week, so we headed for the pub, The Plough, with the Flying Flynn in toe.
Hundreds of packets of crisps and several lagers( no spirits, having a spirit free day) later I discovered my beloved West Bromwich Albion, a football team I have been following since I was in the womb were playing, and it was on the pub big screen. Then it went downhill.

We drew 1-1. Bugger. Ok not a disaster,but it was a game in hand wasted. As it's Good Friday, a chippy dinner, so Barker can have his fish, and I can escape negotiating the cooker when inebriated. Then it happened. The taxi never turned up. This has happened on several occasions and today i wasn't accepting this without a fight.

So we headed on foot for home, with me on redial to the taxi firm( Island taxis to name and shame) until they answered.20 mins later some smug git answered, and he got it with both, drunken barrels. Don't upset a drunken Babooshka, it is not a pretty site. One humiliated radio controller later and I passed the phone to Barker. Having turned the controller into a gibbering wreck, Barker calmly negotiated our next move, the very next taxi we book will be a free ride. God help him if he fails to turn up, because i will be straight in the office.

Bad customer service is annoying, no service at all is intolerable. Being British. I am supposed to bite my stiff upper lip and grumble, but not complain.Well balls to that. Wake up Isle of Man services, and get with the programme. Even here we have alternatives and message to Island Taxis, I can always use Crennalls.

On a lighter note here's the pic. It's called "Still Blue", taken early evening at Mooragh Park. Photographing over water is always good because the light bounces which intensifies colours, hence the blue hue, so no need for filters. Ooh, real photography advise for a change.

WALLABY WATCH!

He nicked my taxi.

HAS GOOGLE EARTH MOVED FOR YOU?

No, Google Eath hasn't moved for me either? It seems I though have moved for Google Earth. Confused?Not half as much as I was to find out that I now live in Scotland. It will all make sense if you read on. As usual it's one of those you couldn't make it up things. Just happens to be me again it's happened to.

Uploaded one of those clever little maps that flags who's been visiting your blog yesterday. Today I thought i'll have a nosey and that when it happened. It came up with Doulgas. Douglas is the Capital of the Isle of Man, so ok it's not Ramsey, but close. Started to zoom in as you do, and that's when it happened, it zoomed in on Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Now after the bank false imprisonment, power cut, and Thomas the Tank Engine running, but only one way, what i needed this week was some stability. Oh know, Google bloody Earth, have moved me(must have been when i slept. damn!) back to the UK mainland. How can it not recognise the Island. How traumatised do you think i am today so far this week, and it's only wednesday!

Obviously Google Earth have had a strongly worded email about this... check it out for yourselves. Hover and zoom in On the Isle of Man, and it's big fat blank nothing. Do you think the Manx Mafia have conspired with Google Earth and the real Photoblogs societies to obliterate me from Blogger land. Perhaps in fact i don't actually exsist and if you are reading this, it is you in fact that are mad. Ponder that.

Today's anitphotoblog pic is another of Ramsey Rugby. Very touchy feely this one, and they tell me it's a man's game. Getting to grips with thier manhood are they then,no just each others.

WALLABY WATCH!

Google Web and Google Earth have no record of anything called a wallaby. Should they exist they will no doubt be found in Douglas, Scotland.

JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY

Happy St Patrick's Day. That's especially for my friend Micheal, or should i say "Mehall." There are so many Micheal's, that he is Mehall pronouced as if " i was standing in me hall" with a very broad generic "oirish" accent. Message to his mom. He was a very good boy and went to church. Then he was a very bad boy and went to the pub. On the plus side this means he will have to have an extra visit to confess he was at the pub on a monday night. Barker(my other half) and I only accompanied him you understand to be polite. Honest.

Very traumatising eXperience today, I got locked in a bank. No, really. An island power cut which meant lockdown. Now, having left the banking fraternity recentlty on this mad whim of "I'm going be a photographer, so long farewell you boring little jobsworths"the last thing I needed was to be imprisoned in a confined space, with the people i had been satirising on facebook, and my blog, in the very buliding i had been kicking and screaming to get out of for a year. Never keep your bank account at the bank you have just left!

Finally escaped but will now be booking my session with Dr Melfi( I believe she has a vacancy now Tony Soprano no longer requires her services) to analyse my ordeal. No doubt the power cut will all be my mother's fault and i was trying to climb back into the comfort of the womb by getting myself locked in the bank, the safety net of my old sensible job. No it was just bad luck. Or was it? You never know on this island.

Latest news on the Manx Electric Railway Society cancelling the one and only rail link between Ramsey and Laxey that i was banging on about in one of my older posts. My threats to them, well they have relented. That is to say they will be running the service, but one way. Which way i don't know, but perleeease can the see that this is just not bloody practical. Half the battle won, but the war rages on. So then do I.

My anti photoblog pic today is an obliging herring gull who I asked kindly if he would try a landing shot for me. He used his stunt double instead and i gave him a fish head as a reward. I always promised to give him a mention. I don't know, everyone's a bloody wannabe star this days.

WALLABY WATCH!

Unfortunately still locked in the bank. He was able to run fast enough, being a wallaby he just bounced a lot. A rescue plan is underway, if my therapy is sucessful.

SHOOTING FROM THE LIP

Sloshed saturday so old news, sober sunday all the rage. Remebered what i was actually going to blog about yesterday, what is a photoblog? Discuss. Firstly, a big thank you to my friend Joanne who has duly supplied me with the correct name to yesterdays pic i lazily christened "Pink Blush". It is wait for it, a red "Australian Bottle Brush Plant" (latin - callistemon citrinus splendens). Many thanks Joanne, our guest expert today.

A photoblog is defined as a daily photo uploaded to a blog with a blurb or two about the pic. It can be animals, flora, travel, knitting, basically whatever you are into, tips ,camera info etc. What it can't be however is funny, ironic, irreverent, nonsensical. No po faced is the accepted format, wittisims are unacceptable. There's no room for escaped wallabies roaming round the isle of man, which inspired wallaby watch. Only sober sensible photoblogs please apply.

I have been turned down from a photoblogging index on the grounds that, "it is not seriously commited to the ethics of promoting photography." Hello are THEY serious. I couldn't be anymore serious myself. I gave up a good job in the very boring, dullard financial industry to persue photography as a living, which just about sustains me in jack daniels and pringles( ok lying again, it's jack daniels and coke with pringles) in the short term until i am master photographer of the world( well at least the isle of man) with matching income.

So this now is an anti photoblog. It is the antithsis to a phototoblog. It will contain a daily image but will now be devoid of any useful, relevent, technical "here's the science bit info." The image will bear no relation to the post( when does it anyway), in fact i may not even refer to it at all only perhaps in a subversive anarchic way. Who needs to be indexed anyway. I am a free anti photoblog, not a number.

So to todays pic. I would like to go into intricate details of night shoots, but my anti photoblog ethics will not permit this. What i am at liberty to tell you is that it is today, Ramsey Harbour, evening sunset and tritely titled "Golden Wonder."

WALLABY WATCH!

Has gone over to the darkside and swithced to a serious photoblog. He will be back when he realises he will no longer have his own spot, but be shunted to one side as an extra. Afterall he has a staring role here and i did discover him.

CONFESSIONS OF A PHOTOGRAPHER

Confessions of a photographer otherwise known as "one i made earlier" would be a more accurate title. When I started this supposedly serious one a day photography blog, the intention was to highlight my photographs fo sale, tips and impart you , dear readers with a little knowledge of my adopted home, The Isle Of Man. As you can see it has descended into ramblings of a insomniac photographer who is often tilting at windmills figthing lost causes( the manx railway),who can't always due to the unforgiving weather here take her daily pic. Hence falling on the old standbys in my archive, ie a butterfly. Even with global warming it is a wee bit early for yesterdays red admiral. Today i will redress the balance to purge my guily soul, though very tongue in cheek.

Todays pic is actually wednesdays pic, which i hadn't uploaded until today. Rambling again. Originally entitled sunset glow, now it is to be known as Flaming Orange. Taken again from my friends flat( previously taken red fire sunset from here) as the night fast drawing to a close in Ramsey these wondeful orange and gold tones lit the evening sky. Peel is actually the place for the best sunsets, but occasionally we are fortunate on the east side of the island and the odd spectacular night sky can be snapped.

Tomorrow the forcast is rather gloomy, so if you see an obvious autumn/fall shot appear you will know why. The most perculiar shot I have ever taken is a seagull in my kitchen. Now that has to be seen to be believed. Not superimposed, it was sheltering from another seagull. Another story for another day.

No mad Isle of Man celebrity news today. All seem to be behaving, that is apart from my partner. Not really misbehaving just falling asleep in front of the tv snoring loudly when he is supposed to be working which i find annoying to say the least. He by the way is The BBC Political Cartoonist of The BBC Politics Show. His Cartoons can be seen each week on on the website in the Barker Gallery. You can check them out for yourself under my links, along with the link to his own blog "Barker Bites Back" which he should be updating but is spark out. Please go and comment on his blog and tell him to wake up. This would amuse me tremendoulsy and frighthen the life out of him. Obviously you can tell him how wonderful the cartoons are too, which they are.

This is my first sober friday for ages. Don't panic i haven't taken the oath, we are having "sloshed saturday" instead.

WALLABY WATCH!

Having a quiet night in with friends, the flying pig and the pink elephant.

ISLE OF MAN HANGOVER

No, the Manx Mafia didn't didn't kidnap me and cut off my pinkies re my Tony Soprano banking in the Isle of Man post, that was not the reason for my absence. No, it was all self inflicted. Fridays are our night out around Ramsey. It all started quite innocently as always with a few drinks in the Swan, but of course it never stays that way. A few became a pub crawl if i remeber or as much as i can recall, taking in the Plough, and Bar Logo, finishing off with the obligatory bad food( by that i mean junk) before falling into a taxi, into the house and straight to bed. Blogging was the last thing i was capable of doing. Suffice to say a relatively good night was had by all and i have the lovely bruise on my knee where i fell off my high heels as a momento.

For anyone coming to the island to visit, looking for an alternative to Douglas can I recommend the Ramsey pub scene. The good thing about Ramsey is all the pubs are very close together, so you can have a pub crawl literally my walking along the high street and harbour. For karaoke try the Stanley. You won't need directions you will hear the songs being murdered long before you see the pub. The other good thing is we have real pubs, not chains or wine bars, which makes for an interesting night for strangers as each pub has a unique atmosphere. Also we have a good age range out, so not just full of kids. Mind you as the Police Staion is a few yards from the main pubs this could be why.

Pic today is Dierdrie the lizard. Ain't she pretty? Ok, pretty perhaps to strong, but she is certainly photographic and posed nicely. Dierdre can be found at the Wildlife Park and is a big hit with kids. In fact this was a pic i took when i accompanied one of the local schools on a outing there as the photographer.

A link for some very odd, fuuny, serious, stange new stories is Somtirtha. Try it it's a good blog i happened upon.

So, is anyone coming here for the TT? If so and you see a little mad woman with a camera, who might use the name Babooshka, looking slightly hungover, clinging a black coffee and securing her spot to take pics er that would be me.

WALLABY WATCH!

Must be hungover!

BYE BYE, ANDY KERSHAW

Below is the full story of the release from prison of one of our celebrity residents, the bcc radio dj,
Andy Kershaw. Report from The Times

Andy Kershaw was released from jail and told to go home to his mother yesterday after being arrested only days after his initial release from prison.

The former BBC Radio 1 DJ and Radio 3 presenter was arrested on Sunday afternoon for breaching a restraining order to stay away from Juliette Banner, 42, his ex-partner who lives on the Isle of Man with their children.

Two days earlier Kershaw, 48, had been released from prison after serving 44 days of a three-month sentence for the same offence. “Don’t come back,” an officer told him as he left. Kershaw appeared in court where the judge heard he had suffered “emotional meltdown” after Catherine Turner, his new partner, told him that their relationship was over.

Michael Moyle, a High Bailiff, told Kershaw that he “cut a miserable and pathetic figure” but agreed to suspend for two years a six-month jail term for pleading guilty to breach of the restraining order if Kershaw agreed to sort out his personal problems.

Eileen Kershaw, 73, the mother of the presenter, told the court that she would look after him. Outside of court Kershaw hugged his mother and told her: “I won’t squander this chance.”

The Times.

Oh dear, naughty boy. Andy Kershaw has been a big influence on the modern day music scene here, and it has to be said without him the Peel Bay music festival may not have taken place. Bye Bye, and good luck.

The pic today is entitled "Gothic Tulip"and i thought it was very apt with the leaving of a celeb resident, as the tulip looks very crestfallen, like Andy Kershaw around town these days.

Full of a shitty little cold, so feeling very sorry for myself, and very lazy with my blog post, ripping the story straight out of the newspaper.

WALLABY WATCH!

Outside the Trawlerman with a bag of fish and chips. Ok , no that was a lie. It was The kebab Shop.

CATCH 22

The pic above I have titled Catch 22. If you have seen the film or read the book, you will know why? If you are unfamiliar with Catch 22, check it out for yourselves to find out why i gave this pic this title. My black sense of humour again.

It's Nice promenade , South Of France. It's vile weather here on the I.O.M., in Dnager of taking off and landing in muchkin land of OZ, so I went for a one of my France holiday pics instead. The sculpture is quite impressive and unusual, and can be found off the old part of the town along the promenade, the Promenade Des Anglais to give it's correct title. I took this one sitting on the ground looking up, towards the sculptures against the Nice skyline to increase the dramatic effect of the torso less bodies.

Nice has over the years attracted many artists. If you like Matisse, you can go to his house, now a museum dedicated to his artwork in Chimez, a suberb of Nice, just a short bus ride away. The grounds of the Museum are also host to a summer Jazz Festival each year.Link added.

Another link to check out for the wierdest, wonderful aticles of alternative news and history about the Isle of Man is the Go Mann. A very humourous blog, cleverly written. Again link under er links.

The Amy Whinehouse closed at 86% decining she should go back into rehab.

Have added email link for any contact, sepecially you anonymous coments people, so now you have no excuse not to add your name.

WALLABY WATCH!

Too blustery today for man beast, or wild wild wallabies.

UMA THURMAN

Actually the photograph is usually titled "Duck With Quiff", but I have been told there is a resemblance to Uma Thurman with slick backed hair. I know some strange people. Apparently Uma has refered to herself as looking like a duck version of Michelle Pfeiffer when she was younger. Quackers!

Here's the science bit. Notice the duck is prominent in the pic with the backgound, blured/out of focus. This was achieved my swapping the wide angled lens for the telescopic, on full zoom, manual focus, iso 400. That's the boring bit. Basically, experiment, get to know your camera, it's setting.

The "Duck With Quiff"is selling quite well at the moment as a mother's day card. So i have galleries of pretty flowers, beautiful landscapes and cute wildlfe and it's this kooky looking bird that's doing the most business. Must be the Uma Thurman Link.

WALLABY WATCH!

Not today. It has been suggested by the Go Mann that the wallabies are the anonymous posters, which is why we haven't seen them in the wild of late around Ramsey. I like this theory. Sort of Monty Python with tons of wallabies sat at laptops in Cosat Coffee. Now that would be a good photograph.