Sir William Hillary

Recently I was walking in Douglas, thinking on taking some video of the Tower of Refuge, when I noticed this memorial to Sir William Hillary and the crew of the lifeboat that rescued those on the St George in 1830. I had seen it many times before, but somehow never paid it much attention. This time I stopped and looked at the detail on. You are really there in the midst of the storm and the agony on the faces of the oarsmen as they fight the sea.

Kirk Michael Church Yard

At the heart of Kirk Michael, and driven past everyday by many, you will find a peaceful place. This was suggested as a video and I was pleased to go and make it on a sunny November afternoon recently.

This was my first attempt at editing with HD video from my new Canon HF200. Not easy to edit as my computer is not fast enough to play the video, so it was more a case of just joining the clips up.

Manksview Video Viewing Numbers

I thought that it would be interesting to see what had proved popular and what less popular amoung my manxtube.com videos

Title Views Uploaded
09/10/09
Electric Charging Points Douglas 551 17/07/09
Ballagawne Bridge Supports 464 01/04/09
Ramsey Problem Site Made Smart 455 25/07/09
Manx Flower Festival 2009 Part 1 448 18/07/09
Floral Ramsey – Parliament Street 448 23/07/09
Bright Ideas Energy Exhibition 420 08/03/09
Not (S)mart Ramsey 417 08/04/09
Pointing Over The Edge 410 29/03/09
The Great Laxey Mine Railway 410 16/04/09
Ramsey Walk About 406 22/04/09
Fishing Boats, Ramsey 401 19/09/09
Energy From Waste 397 31/05/09
Callows Yard Castletown 396 08/04/09
Peel Bus Tight Turn 395 14/03/09
Peel A Glimpse 375 17/03/09
Flowers Spring In Ramsey 373 29/03/09
Danger Men In Road 367 15/04/09
Steam Train Port Erin 10/8/2009 No 12 358 12/08/09
Port Erin Walkabout 347 11/08/09
Shop Shop Shop Ramsey 345 21/02/09
No More Mud For Walkers 333 21/03/09
Ramsey Chess Men 330 22/07/09
Chewing Gum Douglas 322 21/02/09
Glen Mooar Coast 321 15/04/09
Laxey Underground – Dripping Wet 315 16/04/09
A Walk Down Gardners Lane, Ramsey 309 27/04/09
Mooragh Park & Lake 307 30/01/09
One Stop Bump 307 04/02/09
What Is This 307 08/03/09
Take Time Peel 303 19/07/09
Bride August 2009 299 14/08/09
Douglas Doctors Shoprite 294 28/02/09
Ramsey's New Heritage 294 26/04/09
Jurby Boarded Up 291 21/07/09
Hills From Kirk Michael Augiust 2009 288 26/08/09
Ramsey Promenade 283 28/01/09
New Bus Shelter For michael 281 21/03/09
Michael Railway Exhibition – Station 272 28/09/09
Just An (Almost) Deserted Building Sit 262 13/02/09
Ballaugh Show September 2009 258 26/09/09
Douglas Retail Opportunities 256 08/02/09
Ramsey Swans 255 01/04/09
Laxey Wheel 254 20/04/09
Water Wheel At St Johns Mill 251 01/08/09
Swing Vandalized 247 26/08/09
New Enrtrance Ramsey Cottage Hospital 237 21/02/09
Sunset (April 2009) 228 20/04/09
Michael Railway Exhibition – 2009 228 29/09/09
Douglas 16th July 2009 227 18/07/09
Resting – Douglas Railway Station 215 17/02/09
Bride Clock Strikes 205 26/09/09
Feeding On Flowers 190 26/08/09
Waterfall Cafe Glen Maye 179 21/04/09
Douglas Water Feature 172 06/02/09
Parliament Street Improved 43 08/10/09

Swing Vandalized

The childrens playground in Kirk Michael has suffered the attention of a vandal. An infant swing has been torn apart and ripped of its chains. It was a wonderful summers day with the sun shinning. What a contrast.

Bride August 2009

A visit to Bride in the summer sunshine, and it was quiet. Not like the old days when ther bin lorries used to que up to get through the village. I wandered around and saw a couple going to the cafe, a man on a bicycle, a van and a lorry. No pedestrians at all. As I say it was quiet, just the place to go for some lunch. But do watch out for the occasional lorry.

Steam Train Port Erin 10/8/2009 No. 12 "Hutchinson"

It is truly hard to beat the sight of a steam powered locomotive powering out of a station at the head of a train. To think that this was all happening in the days before electric power or the internal combustion engine. Before the steam locomotive man could only move as fast as a horse.
Good to look at, but a real time travel experience to travel on too.
In my description for the video on manxtube.com I said that this scene has hardly changed in a century, well obviously I can only say that in a general sense, as I have no idea if No. 12 worked this line when new.

Port Erin Walkabout August 2009

It was wet and dull, but with the forecast of better to come that I set off for a look around Port Erin. I like Port Erin, I live on the same island but almost never go there. I guess it is tucked away in a corner. Anyhow the rain had stopped and I enjoyed a stroll along Bridson Street. The Commissioners offices looked very smart. Where did they used to be? Just shows how rarely I go there.
One of the best parts of Port Erin is the way that the Steam Railway comes right into the heart of the village. I was in time for the rain departing for Douglas, so have made a separate video of this.
A visit to Ken Quine, Ironmonger and hardware proved the staff to be both friendly and helpful. The refreshments at the cafe at the Railway Station are highly recommeded.
Sadly I didn't have time for a visit to the Steam museum, that will have to wait.

Water Wheel At St John's Mill

It was great to be able to visit the old mill (all refurbished these days as a charity centre) and see the restored wheel in action. A walk around the outside having drawn a blank I went in and turning left there it was. I had not realised that the wheel was inside the building. I did not know what the power was used for, thinking that it drove looms perhaps. I was wrong, it was used to hammer the woolen cloth.

There is a full write up by Rebecca Richardson of Isle of Man Newspapers here

Ramsey Problem Site made Smart

For years the corner of Parliament Street\East Street has lain derelict. The properties had been sold for redevelopment but nothing happened. In 2005 the buildings became unsafe and were demolished. Hoardings were later erected and then painted. In 2008 paintings celebrating Ramsey and marking the 100th anniversary (and Closure) of Albert Road School were added.
There have been plans for a hotel on the site, but they appear to have been delayed by the global banking crises/economic uncertainty.
The former Cusha Building next door was demolished in the middle of May 2009 and at the end of May the whole area was leveled and laid to grass.
Well done to all concerned.

Floral Ramsey - Parliament Street 2009

This is my walk down Parliament Street in the rain video.

Take Time Peel Video

This is the video of my walk in Peel

Electric Cars Video

Chester Street Multistory Douglas

Floral Ramsey Glorious In Rain

A visit to Ramsey today, unusually it was raining, but the flowers were still magnificent. When I get the editing done there should be a video. I was very wet, but the pictures seem fine. The former Edna Moore/Cusha site has been very well grassed over, paths and park benches added. It is a great improvement. I guess the town will have to wait for the new development for some time yet.
I stepped into the Town Hall and could not resist recording the Chess Men, which I gather is by Amanda Barton, well worth a visit to Ramsey just to take a few minutes to watch the match in progress.

Former Railway Line Mirk Michael 2007

This is a picture of the old railway line footpath in Kirk Michael taken before the Isle of Man Water Authority's contractors dug everything up to lay a new water main for Peel. The work took place in the first half of 2002. Wildlife is slowly returning, but the path is more walker friendly (so far) because the vegetation has been cut. In this short section previously nothing was done.

Peel 17th July 2009

It was a dull July day, not at all summery, rain seemed imminent. I visited Peel, Isle of Man and took a walk down to the harbour and then along by way of the old railway line by the side of the river. This is an advertised footpath. I was disappointed. Now I know that the first part passes through an industrial area but there was no footpath, the road was in a terrible condition and there was a general air of untidiness. Further along there was a lot of overgrown grass. I didn't get too far, I had spent so much time taking picture and video that I was late for my hot chocolate at Duncan's Diner - highly recommended.
On the good side I passed some gardens full of vegetables, including one grown in fish boxes, these looked really good. Devereaux's fish shop and Moore's Kipper house both looked inviting.

From Peel 17th July 2009

From Peel 17th July 2009

From Peel 17th July 2009

From Peel 17th July 2009

Flowers Spring In Ramsey

March seems a long time ago - the summer flowers are in full bloom now. I hope to get there and take some pictures.

Blogger seems to have a slight difference with my embedded videos. What I did to get it working was to edit the final /> to >< / embed > I have added spaces to get it to display here.

Douglas Patches

Douglas Re-charging Electric Cars

So there are now two dedicated charging points in Chester Street Car Park for users of electric cars. It is a good start,but I wonder what will happen if the island gets more than two electric cars (at least if they both want to be in Douglas on the same day)?Here is a link to the
video

Creagneash and The Howe Flowers Video

The 2009 flower festival is now long over, but this short video will hopefully bring back a few memories. It attempts to capture something of displays, but nothing can compare with being there in person. The Video is marked as part 1, not sure yet if there will be a part 2. I was going to upload to Manxtube, but the connection was lost twice.
Have been in Douglas looking at life in the Capital and that has given more material to work on.

Beach Erosion Kirk Michael

The sea is powerful, the devastation total, even if it takes a long time.
This was the scene on the beach at Glen Wyllin, Kirk Michael Isle of Man on 2nd January 2008. The debris is the outfall from the trout hatchery. Because the enterprise is privatly operated the Isle of Man government have not put boulders on the shore for protection. At the time the work was done in the lower picture (1990 from memory) the cost was less than £1000 per meter.

Slideshow of Isle of Man Photos

You will find the photos on Picasaweb I guess the albums display in date order, with the most recent shown first. That means there is a lot of Manx Flower Festival 2009 photos as this is posted.

Ramsey Isle of Man January 2009

Take a walk around Ramsey, Isle of Man. Notice the Albert Road School building sitting empty, waiting for a decision on future use.

March flowers in Ramsey

The hard work is worth the effort, Ramsey Isle of Man
I am having trouble getting embedded videos from Manxtube to work.

Here is a view of Peel, Isle of Man, Harbour, from 2006, before the floating pontoons were installed.

From Peel in the Sun

Just One Manks View

Look around the Isle of Man, some things have always been there, others change. Everything has a place and it all deserves to be recorded. In a very small way that is all I have been trying to do with a few videos. I try to be positive and helpful, but also honest. I am just a bystander who sees things from one point of view. You can view my videos on www.manxtube.com/manksview

This is the scene in Castletown when the Callows Yard redevelopment was underway. Life was very difficult for existing traders. Great project, now it is finished.