3/8/24
A beach visit!
On Thursday afternoon I determined that conditions were right for a visit
to one of my favourite beaches, between Peel and Kirkmichael. It
is far from easy to get to unless you have a boat as it requires quite
a steep decent down the cliff, which at this time are covered with a luxuriant
growth of bracken, which makes progress down slow and difficult, as there
is no defined pathway and you can't see where your feet are. The
other snag with this beach is that most of it is completely covered by
the sea at high tide and the little areas left uncovered are cut off from
each other, so it needs a little planning!
Welcome to Lady Port,
starting with a couple of 360 degree panoramas. Don't forget to click on
the big images for the interactive versions.
DJI Air 2S & Insta360
Ace Pro 1/8/24

   
   
   

   
  

5/8/24
Over the weekend there
was a rally for Peel Cars on the island and we managed to catch up with
them on Douglas Promenade and then the Marine Drive on Saturday afternoon.
The Peel Car was locally constructed in Peel by a company that had previously
specialised in boat building, using a fibreglass body shell with the mechanical
components attached. The original version was the single seat P50,
with a 50 cc engine, 50 examples were produced between 1962 and 1965 after
which a new model, the two seat Peel Trident was manufactured between 1965
and 1966 with around 80 of the new model being produced. The Peel
Viking was a four wheeled sports car based on Mini components. I
believe that two prototypes were manufactured in the Isle of Man, before
production moved to England.
Panasonic FZ82
3/8/24
   
   
   
   
6/8/24
After photographing
the Peel Cars, we noticed a tall ship in Douglas Harbour so went along
the south quay for a look. She was the 'Thalassa', a Dutch registered barquentine,
constructed as recently as 1980 and used as a luxury passenger vessel.
Panasonic FZ82 3/8/24
 
We had only just arrived
back home when this Catalina flying boat passed by Onchan and I was able
to get a quick shot of it.
Panasonic FZ82
3/8/24
7/8/24
Yesterday afternoon
I set out to take some pictures of former Manx Northern Railway stations
for a historical based Facebook group. I started off at Peel Road
with the intention of going as far as Ballaugh or beyond, but was side-tracked
at Lhiannag with the beach looking very inviting from the old railway track
above!
Panasonic FZ82 6/8/24
   
   
   
   
   
11/8/24
Yesterday the island
was visited by the massive cruise ship 'Rotterdam' that anchored in Douglas
Bay and brought so many visitors that the Snaefell Mountain Railway was
reserved for them all day and other visitors and residents were unable
to us it. It didn't affect us though as we had a lovely day in the
sunshine at the Royal Manx Agricultural Show at Knockaloe, just south of
Peel.
Insta360 Ace Pro &
Panasonic FZ82 10/8/24
 

12/8/24
Some lovely cloud formations
at around sunset yesterday.
Insta360 Ace Pro 11/8/24
  
14/8/24
Some more sunset pictures,
taken from home yesterday evening and spanning time from 19:49 until 21:03.
'Official' sunset time
was 20:52 but we're 500 ft above sea level and there are higher hills around.
Insta360 Ace Pro 13/8/24
  
16/8/24
We have had some very
changeable weather this summer, ranging from hot days with hours of sunshine,
to overcast skies and heavy rain. Yesterday was one of the latter,
with heavy rain overnight continuing until lunchtime, when it started easing
off a bit. I had a few tests I wanted to do with the Ace Pro, so
after lunch set off for the Injebreck waterfall and Druidale, hoping to
get some good shots despite the weather.
Insta360 Ace Pro &
Panasonic TZ200 15/8/24
   
   
17/8/24
After Druidale, I paid
a visit to Ballaugh Old Church, just north of the village of the same nam,
at The Cronk. The church dates from around the 11th Century, but
was extended and altered in the 1700s. It was replaced by the new church
in Ballaugh village in 1832 and fell into disrepair, but was restored in
1877 and again in 1955. It is still used occasionally for weddings,
used to be open daily but is now generally locked up and (I think) only
open on Saturdays or for services.
Insta360 Ace Pro 15/8/24
   
   
   
18/8/24
The final port of call
on Thursday afternoon's trip out was Ballaugh Shore. By the time
I arrived there the cloud had rolled away from the sun, and it was hard
to imagine that for most of the day there had been heavy rain and thick
overcast. Most of the pictures are from the Ace Pro, with couple
by the TZ200, but the sticking lens problem has recurred with this camera
and being repaired once before I think that it's time to retire it from
the operational collection.
Insta360 Ace Pro &
Panasonic TZ200 15/8/24
   
   
19/8/24
The superb Milntown
Gardens are probably looking at their best right now. We went there
for lunch on Friday followed by a leisurely wander round.
Panasonic FZ82
16/8/24
   
   
   
   
   
20/8/24
Seals at The Sound!
Panasonic FZ82
17/8/24
   
There are five new Railway
pictures in Railways 2024
Pt1
Panasonic FZ82
17/8/24
   
21/8/24
The full moon over Douglas
Bay just after midnight.
Insta360 Ace Pro
20/8/24
22/8/24
A stroll around Port
St Mary on Tuesday afternoon, a lovely sunny day until a rain shower arrived!
Nikon D7100 20/8/24
   
   
   
   
Port Erin
   
23/8/24
I originally shot these
pictures for posting on a Facebook group, but though that some visitors
might be interested - buying eggs, Manx style!
Insta360 Ace Pro 22/8/24
 
There are three new
Railway pictures in Railways
2024 Pt1
Insta360 Ace Pro 22/8/24
 
24/8/24
We've had some spells
of very poor weather this month, with torrential rain and strong to gale
force winds causing havoc to the Manx Grand Prix motorcycle racing and
to the intensive ferry sailings required to bring visitors over.
However, in between there have also been some nice days and on Thursday
afternoon when enthusiasts were watching high speed practising on the TT
Mountain Course, I set off for some peace and quiet in Ballaglass Glen!
Nikon D7100 22/8/24
   
   
   
   
   
   
26/8/24
A set of pictures with
a nautical theme! Due to poor weather conditions on the English side
of the Irish Sea, combined with port restrictions at Heysham, Steam Packet
sailings had been disrupted. What was a big inconvenience for
passengers allowed a unique photo opportunity with all four current Steam
Packet vessels at Douglas together. Despite some rather poor
weather, with regular heavy rain showers, I set out to see if I could capture
them in one picture.
Panasonic FZ82 25/8/24
  
   
   
   
   
30/8/24
Regular visitors to
the website will know that I love taking aerial pictures, and since I no
longer have a current pilots license I use drones. This month I've
hardly flow at all, mainly due to the rubbish weather we have had, but
also partly due to the large restricted area that's been in force latterly
to protect the airspace around the TT course for the safety of air ambulances
that may be operating at low level in that area. Yesterday the weather
looked promising, do I set off to the north of the island with four potential
locations in mind, in the end I cancelled after the second one as the wind
was picking up towards the limits for the mini drone.
DJI Mini 2 29/8/24
  

  
After arriving home
I noticed that the cruise ship that had visited the island today was departing,
so took these shots from my window. Compared to some of the monsters
that have visited, looking like giant blocks of floating flats, the 'Star
Legend' has a lot of style!
 
31/8/24
Yesterday afternoon
we had a stroll around Langness, first time for quite a while. We
didn't have either the time or inclination to do our usual full walk from
Fort Island, so just did the southern part of the peninsula from the car
park. A bit of a hazy day but lots of wildlife to see.
Panasonic FZ82 30/8/24
   
   
   
   
   
1/9/24
A tale of Three Squares!
A little project that
I'd had in mind for a while came to fruition yesterday when the weather
conditions were good. It was to produce some 360 degree panoramas
of the City of Douglas, shooting from directly above some of the little
public squares there, flying at two heights, 200 and 400 feet. Don't
forget to click on the static panorama images to view them in larger interactive
format.
DJI Mini 2 31/8/24
Hutchinson Square
Constructed in 1888
with houses surrounding the square. During WW2 it was requisitioned
for an internment camp which is commemorated in the gardens.

Derby Square
Also constructed in
the 1800s although I don't have a year, maybe the houses were built over
a period of time?

Woodbourne Square
Construction of the
houses and square here started in 1880, the square remained private to
the residents until 1938

2/9/24
On the way back home
from my 'Three Squares' flying, I had time and batteries left so I had
a quick stop at Noble's Park to shoot some more aerial pictures.
No overall vertical picture of the park as it's too big to get all into
one shot from the maximum height of 400 ft that is permitted. During
the TT and MGP races, this area is within the Restricted Area promulgated
around the whole course, so no drone flying permitted when the roads are
closed for races or practices.
DJI Mini 2 31/8/24
  

This shot is a bit different,
I really just did it as a test but though that I'd share it. It's
stitched from a subset of the last 360 degree panorama pictures, but in
this case just using some of them to produce a linear format picture.
Some final processing in Paint Shop Pro to give a slightly 'painterly'
result.
A final re-working of
the linear panorama, this time using Corel Painter.
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