where art collides

A nice few beers with the Jameses in the Vernon Arms last night. Always good to meet up with them. Afterwards I picked up a dirty kebab from the shop around the corner from the hotel. I was in two minds about this as the reviews were not good and in fact the kebab lived up to its reputation and was eventually thrown in the bin. The one redeeming feature was that the hot chilli sauce was indeed very hot chilli sauce which is quite often not the case. Not that I often have a kebab and almost always regret it afterwards.

Couple of hours to kill in my hotel room now before setting off for Lime Street and a fast express to London. Fortunately the aircon in the hotel room has just kicked in. The symbol for “heat” was very similar to that for “cool” so nothing worked for a while. Doh.

We love stopping off in Liverpool. It is a vibrant city with loads of “action”. Yesterday I strolled to the Oxfam shop in Bold Street in the hope of picking up an interesting book or two. They have a large book section including a few stands of history books. Nowt of interest on this occasion.

Lots of homeless people on the streets which is an unfortunate aspect of modern day city living which shouldn’t need to be the case. I was coming up to a woman sat on the floor outside a shop who with no warning threw the cardboard coffee cup she was using to beg for money across the road shouting “shock horror”. It only contained a few coppers. What’s her story I wonder? V sad whatever it is.

Back at the hotel I spent the two beer vouchers we were given at check in before heading to the Vernon Arms.

The hotel barman was Italian. He had been in Liverpool 3 weeks and admitted the accent was difficult to follow eermknoworrameanlike.

Easy enough start to the day, considering we are headed back across the water. Ordinarily the morning boat leaves at the ridiculous time of oh seven hundred or near as dammit. Today the boat left at ten. Luxury ou quoi? The Fletcher’s guests were a lot earlier at eight forty five and were asked to check in two hours before departure. Urgh.

We packed yesterday and all we had to do this morning were a few last minute bits and bobs. Sue dropped us off in Doolish. Heavy commuter traffic going into town and interestingly a highway board lorry was making its way around the road speed limit signs flipping them from the temporary 40mph put in place for the TT Festival back to the “unlimited” that is a feature of some of the island’s roads.

Long queue for foot passengers. Longest I’ve seen and we passed a sign saying the waiting list was full so presumably the boat is fully booked. We have seat reservations in the premium lounge. Sfine.  In the lounge I bumped into old schoolmate Nicola Fletcher.

Now settled in the lounge and on the way to the Peul where we will spend a night. I like Liverpool. This boat enforces downtime. The Manx don’t call it a ferry. It is the boat. The telly is showing daytime TV with subtitles. Doesn’t make the programming content any more interesting. I have some stuff to watch on my phone but that is really a last resort. 

There is a very long advert for Dormeo mattresses on the box. This must be a feature length advert unless we are tuned in to a shopping channel. Sigh.

On my third cup of tea in forty five minutes. Also third pack of stem ginger and dark chocolate biscuits. A nice dunk. Listening to my fave tunes on random play. Adds that little frisson of excitement, not knowing which tune is coming up next 🙂 

So we’ve left our house on the Isle of man probably for the last time. The sale isn’t totally in the bag yet but it is looking that way and if it does go through as planned then I probs won’t be back before then. The house has served us well. 

We had fantastic family holidays visiting mam and dad and the kids will all look back at the place with fondness. It is however time to hand it over to another family. I don’t do holiday homes.

This trip we visited most of the pubs in Peel we wanted to although the Miller’s T’Ale always seemed to be shut when we wanted to go there. Did make it once early in the hols. Also visited the Whitehouse,  Royal, Peveril, Black Dog Oven and the Creek Inn. All very fine establishments. A pint of ale in the Royal is only three pounds twenty and he (Roy) chucks in free nuts!!! That’s nuts!!! The Peveril does a great pint of TT Landlord and I discovered Kaneen’s Pale Ale in the Creek. We used to get our petrol from Kaneen’s Garage in Union Mills. The Crosby was closed when we called by on Monday. Exhausted after two weeks of TT I guess.

It must be said the Jade Harbour chinese restaurant was two and a half stars at best. I’ll try to remember that for next time but there comes a time when you get fed up of pub grub and want something different.

A smooth crossing helped by some convivial conversation with our travelling companions. Bumped into old school friend @Nici Fletcher on the boat and had a nice chat. When we landed all car passengers left the Premium Lounge leaving only four of us to wait for our call. Then there was a bit of a scrum to pick up the luggage but an Uber was pleasingly very easy to pick up and we are now comfortably installed in the Doubletree. Thassit for now innit.

Great afternoon out yesterday. Lunch with Paul and Wendy at Green’s Restaurant in St Johns was a nice catch up. Had we arrived any later we would not have found a table and quite a few people were disappointed.

The Tynwald Inn over the road was interesting. No longer just a pub it is a village shop, pub and restaurant modelled along Irish lines. The landlord was indeed Irish. In the car park was an interesting steam “vehicle”. Check out the pic.

Headed north to Maughald to visit the Celtic crosses and the lighthouse. Never been to either before. See pics. The cemetery/cemeteries in Maughold seemed very large for the size of the place. Shows how old the church is.

The bikes have left. The town is a lot quieter this morning. It is amazing the difference. Yesterday afternoon the prom was rammed. Lots of people kicked out of lodgings and campsites and hanging around waiting to go to the boat. The queue for the ice cream parlour was the longest I’ve seen. Still lots of motorhomes around. I suspect that they couldn’t get a booking on the boat until later in the week.

Peel is getting back to normal. We have a couple of days left before we head back across the water ourselves. Seats booked in the Exec Lounge on the ten ey em Mananan to Liverpeul on Wednesday. They give you unlimited soft drinks and lots of biscuits 🙂 What’s not to like?

Lunch with Paul and Wendy at Greens restaurant in St Johns today so had a light breakfast. Then we are pondering heading to Maughold to look at the Celtic crosses. Quite excited about that. Been thinking about doing it for years but Maughold is a bit out of the way, if that can be said for anywhere on the Isle of Man.

Years ago when I had a summer job working on the Manx Electric Railway there was a guy there, a coach painter, who mentioned that he knew the mayor of Maughold. We all laughed at the time but hey. Who knows? Maybs there is a mayor. There can’t be more than a few houses there. I’ll let you know.

The summer employment on the electric trams was a plumb job. Probably the best holiday job you could get on the Island. It paid union rates and in a good week in the summer of nineteen eighty I could take home eighty five quid. That was a lot of money in those days for a kid with no overheads and a pint of lager costing something like thirty five pence. A night out cost two pounds. Those were the days. 

Dad used to drop me off on the prom on his way to work and I’d either walk or blag a lift off a horse tram. I knew some of the tram conductors – one or two of them were in my year in school. The horse trams were the second best summer job. You did have to work a lot harder though. On the electric trams you mostly just sat at the back keeping an eye on the overhead trolley. It was a great job.

Not been on a tram this trip. Tomorrow is the last chance. We shall see.

The baby crow is still hanging around our back garden. Yesterday one of its parents was hovering in the vicinity being quite vocal but no sign of it this morning.Given up! I’m surprised the little critter has survived this long. Presumably can’t fly.

Sue has made great progress with scything the lawn. The harvest, should we be bothered to gather in the hay, will keep the cattle going over winter. Except we don’t have any, and it wouldn’t anyway as the lawn ain’t that big. Nice idea though.

We didn’t use a scythe. @Mike lent us his strimmer. Thanks Mike.

As I write the parent crow has returned and is watching over the youngster. I can see now the kid has a broken wing. Nature at work.

Great day out yesterday. Down south to the Sound then Port St Mary and Port Erin. Ended up at Sue Moore’s house in Cronk y Voddy with a perfect view of the racing. Sue was the perfect host. The first race, the Supertwin, was red flagged during the second lap. The rider came off at Handley’s Corner, just a mile or so down the track from where we were stood. Chopper landed there and spent some time before taking off again. The rider is apparently in a stable condition.

We stayed for the first three laps of the Senior TT. The race was curtailed from six laps to four due to the need to squeeze in a couple more races delayed from yesterday and a couple of “parade” laps. There is a massive difference in speed and power between the Senior and the Supertwin. By leaving with one lap to go we were able to avoid the rush hour crowds leaving the farm field at Cronk y Voddy and were back in the nearly empty Whitehouse pub within minutes.

We were joined by Mike and the Fletchers with their guests but opted not to head off for the pizza afterwards.

Another leisurely day ahead. Cooking a leisurely breakfast followed by getting a leisurely beef stew going. Ah the life of leisure. It is a Sunday, apparently. Too early for the bells of St German’s to strike up. Our house is in the shadow of the cathedral.

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Beef stew going on top of the stove. I normally do it in the oven but we ain’t got the right pans in our house in Peel so saucepan on top of the stove it is. Means I’ll have to watch it awhile until it can prove to me it is on a stable simmer.

Looks like we might get a full day’s racing. The weather gods are in a benevolent mood, albeit their idea of letting us have sunshine instead of rain still comes with low temperatures. We won’t watch the full race card but will meander up to Cronk Y Voddy this afternoon. 

Gonna take in a swim at ten ey em, assuming the pool is open. They closed early the other day and we were denied our exercise. This is the Isle of Man. A timetable is merely a rough guide. Also need to buy provisions for tomorrow’s meal. Last night we came to a decision that I would cook beef stew for Sunday and the only thing we already have in are spuds. The butcher in Michael Street will hopefully be open.

In the meantime I started the day with granola, yo’gurt and berries. V energetic and a nice changed from the hot food that is the staple when holidaying in the Isle of Man.

Last night we headed out on the town. To prepare for the evening I changed back into jeans, in recognition of the wintery temperatures hitting the island. We had planned to do a short pub crawl ending up in the new curry house next to the Creek but the first pub we visited, the Whitehouse, had a pianist bashing out some honky tonk. We had seats, good beer and entertainment so decided to stay there until the time came to go for the curry.

The curry was ok, not stellar but acceptable and we have some leftovers that no doubt someone will consume for lunch.

When we got in the new look England football team was disappointing its fans against minnows Iceland losing nil one. England football has always been boring considering the amount of talent they have to draw on. Unfortunately I made a deal with THG that I would watch the opening game of the upcoming European tournament with her in the shed. Ah well.

There is a laundrette in Peel. This I know because I am currently using it to do a load of washing. £7 for a load that will take twenty six minutes to wash. I thought twenty six minutes was a little on the low side but the very helpful lady who works there, Paula, told me it was down to a combination of the water in the IoM and the efficiency of the machines. Industrial strength obvs.

It was a good job that Paula was there as I might otherwise have taken some time to work out what to do. It was very easy if you knew. In the meantime I’m having a cuppa in the Peel Beach Kiosk, a mere sixty metres away. I did try the Harbour Lights Cafe but they didn’t seem to have their act together. Bought a souvenir mug from the kiosk.

In a few minutes time I shall return to the laundrette to move the now clean but wet washing to one of the tumble driers where Paula assures me that the insertion of four big ones (ie £s) will see the drying process through to completion. A pound gives you six minutes of drying time.

THG has set off up Peel Hill and we plan to meet at the Breakwater Cafe upon her return. She will likely get up and down before the washing and drying process is done.

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Now sat outside the laundrette having stuck my first couple of quid in. You have to be careful because different machines take either Manx, British pound coins or either/both. I used up my British with the wash and am now eating into the Manx with the dry. All good stuff innit.

This is a very new experience although in one sense quite regressive. As mentioned yesterday I used to use a laundrette when living in Waldeck Street in Lincoln. Usually got the service wash which ain’t an option here but it turns out to be easy to do 🙂

In one sense this is all part of the return to simpler living. Just booked a Premier Inn for a night in August. OK this is only because we are off to see Joe and Lucy and there is no nearby Hilton. £84 instead of the £320 I’ve already paid in advance for the Waldorf in July!

Laundrette life has a simplicity to it. Feels good. Not as useful as having your own kit in your own utility room at home but then again we ain’t at home. Two pounds turned out not to be enough but Paula did say it would need four.

My clothes are now clean and dry and I have enough to last until I get home in a week’s time. All is well.

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It is a public holiday here on the Isle. Hadn’t realised. No racing as yet today though. Bleedin weather. We return to the mainland on Wednesday. 

We awake to the sight of thousands of ships lining up opposite the beaches of Normandy. Well in my imagination. I’ve been reading a lot about D Day.

The sound of bikes is an ever present background effect in Peel this week. Even at four thirty in the morning. Do they not sleep? I guess when you are lying in a tent the early morning light stirs you into activity. Nip to the toilet block, or hedge, fill the kettle and switch on the camping stove. Twirly to head to a caff.

More racing today but we are headed out to Glen Mooar and the Spooyt Vane Waterfall. Never been! And I’ve been living or visiting here since nineteen seventy four or thereabouts. Can’t remember exactly it was so long ago.

Back to lunch in Peel followed by a swim in the Western Swimming Pool up by the campsite, past Shoprite. Then chill out around Peel. Pick up an ice cream from Davisons maybs.

There probably are many thousands of people in the area of the DDay landings today. Tens of thousands. I doubt you could find accommodation and I suspect these days people don’t find sleeping in fields and hedgerows all that attractive. I wouldn’t, even though there would be a high degree of authenticity in doing so.

For one there are lots of cows in Normandy and you would bound to be woken by a curious herd licking your face n stuff like that. Better than bullets I suppose.

It is really hard to imagine the situation on the ground during the invasion. Enemies trying to kill each other. Bears no relation to our normal lives these days. Certainly not mine. We have a lot to be thankful for.

I’ve just finished the Stephen Ambrose DDay book. It’s notionally supposed to be the definitive history of the landings and it does go into a lot of detail but it is really only the history from the American viewpoint. It glosses over the British and Canadian efforts. Not a criticism. You just have to accept it is more an American history rather than the definitive history of the whole invasion.

In other more mundane news I have five days supply of clean clothing left with nine days left on the trip. This means a visit to the launderette on the prom is on the cards. I must say I haven’t been to a launderette since circa 1985/86 when I lived in Waldeck Street in Lincoln and frequented the one near the end of Burton Road opposite the Strugglers. I am irrationally excited about this. 

Yesterday’s rain seems to have moved on. This morning Peel is bathed in bright sunshine. Blue skies up above, everyone in love.

Popped out to the Spar shop before breakfast for a few essentials: sausages, milk and butter. Now set up for the day. Survived listening to politics on radio four but when the conversation moved on to global warming opted to bury my head in the sand and switch off.

Now just savouring a cup of tea in the dining room. Noises from the kitchen suggest ongoing tidying.

Today we head east out of Purt ny h-Inshey, dropping THG off in Doolish before turning the car north to Laksaa. Driving not tramming to Laksaa but there is a suggestion that we will hop on the MER before we head back across the water in a week’s time. The objective in Laksaa is King Orry’s Grave. Homage to Manx royalty. A somewhat contradictory position as I would be extremely unlikely to pay homage to the current lot.

I hear the noise of bikes massing to head out to the course. Should be good for racing today with rain not forecast before this evening. The disadvantage of TT watching in the Isle of Man is that you need to be in place a good three hours before a race starts in order to ensure a decent spot on a hedge. This is very much an act of faith considering the propensity of the weather here to turn on a threppeny bit. That three hour investment could turn out to be a total waste if rain comes and the race is subsequently postponed.

Moreover once in place you are effectively there for the day. Those positions on walls and hedges are like gold dust and once there don’t want to be squandered by leaving early. Although the watching of any individual bike is a very fleeting occurrence, they sometimes race by at over two hundred miles an hour, the overall experience is great. You listen to the commentary on the wireless and can compare the gap between different riders with their official position in the race to see their progress from section to section on the course.

Won’t be watching today though. Praps saving meself for the Senior on Saturday. It’s the biggie.

The real big news of the moment is the eightieth anniversary of the DDay landings. I still find it very poignant and THG and I are visiting the area ourselves in July and August. My own father was too young to take part in WW2 but did National Service in the RAF. I remember him telling me how he spent a month in the caves in Gibraltar during Operation Mariner in 1953. He was one of the wireless operators. That’s close enough to WW2.

I was born a mere sixteen years after the end of the hostilities. V close in the great scheme of things really.

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A good day out on the east side of the island today. After dropping THG in Doolish we hit marine drive. The occasional boat to be seen and Ben my Chree anchored in Doolish bay.

Down into the Old Town at Laksaa and a cawfee on the seafront there in front of The Shed caff. Nice spot. We sat watching gannets plunging after fish. Then a fishing smack appeared and slowly made its way across to the other side of the bay. At the same time a kayak floated across and into the harbour making very quick and seemingly effortless progress. Finally a small rib followed the kayak completing the flotilla line up for the moment.

A man walked two dogs along the stone beach. One of them, a spaniel, carried a huge stick in its mouth. Woman with two grandchildren made her way. The little girl kept running ahead, stopping occasionally to throw stones into the sea. If she kept it up she would eventually fill the sea. Grandma stopped and demonstrated how to throw a stone to the toddler. It didn’t go very far.

We made our way to “King Orry’s Grave”, a five thousand year old prehistoric brutal spot. Quite impressive fair play although not in a particularly grand spot at the side of the road. Presumably there would have been a good view from there before they built the surrounding cottages.

Stopped at the caff by the big Wheel at Laksaa for a cheese sandwich and was thrilled to be approached by Wendy Lambert who used to live over the road from us at Ballagarey Road and whose mum used to give me a lift to school. Was really great to see her after 44 years!!!

Finally left Laksaa and made our way down south. Derby Haven, Derby Fort and Scarlett. The old Castletown Golf Links Hotel has long since closed. My sister Ann had her wedding reception there.

Back now in Peel having had a jolly day out. This afternoon’s racing cancelled due to wet weather on the mountain. It’s been beautiful wherever we have been!