Ramsey Rocks, sunset

                               Street party


Ramsey Rocks, I've mentioned before is a annual event that takes place in the town along the harbour quayside each July. For one night only, bands, kids entertainment, food stalls etc are out in force. Except this year. This year was a washout, and cancelled due the inclement weather. The image of a full town turnout resplendent with sunset, was, unfortunately last year. Oh well, what's another year to wait. The local pubs however did a roaring trade as many of the bands played indoors and those already out for the festivities made their way there too, minus the kids. 


Image part of Skywatch.

Ramsey Sprint, Ramsey Day, Isle of Man TT

                                 Usual TT stuff

Isle of Man TT Races area two week event on island usually, June. First week practise, second week races. In between race days we have a day set a side in Ramsey, conveniently called Ramsey Day. It's a fun day out for all ages, with everything from face painting, motorbikes stunt team display, the Red Arrows  display, bike merchandise stalls and take out food stands. Most of this takes place on the Mooragh, where the rugby pitch doubles as a bike park. Strange sight to see a rugby pitch full of motorbikes.  It's also the place for the Ramsey Sprint, seen in the image.


Ramsey Sprint is a drag sprint, with a lot of wheel burns on show. Anyone can compete, though they will have to pay a small entry fee to pay. As you can see, it's not all sprint race, but stunts and entertaining the crowds for some. Visitors from all over the world take part, some with specially modified bikes for that special trick or two.  Sunshine is optional, but always welcome. More of  TT photos can be found here on facebook


This is my Our World post this week and other our world post can be seen here

Karaoke is King! Bar Logo

                            Steve and Bob


Ramsey, seems to have become the unofficial home of karaoke on the Isle of Man. Not that other towns here don't have regular karaoke, we just seem to have more people running karaoke and even more wanting to get up and murder songs or own a tune, depending on who it is. To be fair, the town has a high percentage of fantastic singers who are a pleasure to listen to.  Sometimes it's the comical strangled cat style of singing which is the somewhat hypnotically entertaining in a road crash kind of way.  Steve and Bob, run karaoke on Friday nights in the town, other nights during busy times, like the Isle of Man TT and special holidays. The venue may have changed, from The Stanley pub, to Bar Logo, but the full house of singers have followed them and karaoke, the Friday night Ramsey ritual remains, like the song, the same.



This post is part of abc, and more can be found here

People on the street

                                                      Ramsey Rocks


First day of each new month is Theme Day. This month's theme is "People on the street." I've chosen one from the archives. People on the street enjoying the local yearly festival, "Ramsey Rocks." Well enjoying it until it becomes Ramsey Washout and we endure through the rain. Or hit the pub.

Other cities taking part in the theme cam be found here
http://cdpbthemeday.blogspot.com/2014/02/march-2014-gallery-people-on-street.html

D is for drunk and disorderly

                                         Fancy a pint?

As everyone knows who follows this blog, I like a drink or several. The words Jack Daniels have been posted here a lot. However, I don't like others drinking habits recently. Happy drunk, is I, but others turn into the devil! Suddenly that really nice friend, neighbour, colleague, folks you vaguely know but always say hi too, and folks who are strangers to you, go a little crazy. Or is their true personality popping out to say hello? We even have a day on this island (Black Eye Friday) when the whole town have a brawl. What is it about drink that people suddenly can't or pretend they can't recall what they did or didn't say the night before, or worse do the night before. Drink is not an excuse to grope a girl, or worse. Ok, the upside of drink is people can be funny drunks, uninhibited and life and soul of the party. Had lots of fantastic nights with those kind of friends and strangers. The big singalongs, all good. But why the hell would you continue drinking lads if you scare, your lass friends, by hitting on the lasses in a full on way. Quite nasty. I love Jack Daniels, but I can handle a drink or several. Pity a few idiots I know can't. Detox folks, stay in and leave the alcohol to us grown ups, and by that I don't say the young folk, I say a fair few fully grown adult guys, who really behave badly to their lass friends. Now where did I put the JD.

For others abc posts see here

After the rugby, the drinking

Rugby is thirsty work

My world

Well you have all seen the images of the Rugby matches dotted about the blog, but what about afterwards? What happens when the game is done? It's drinks of course in the clubhouse. These lads were the chosen few downing yards of ale and such like for dubious or not so honours such as "Man of the Match" etc. As you can see along with the game, this is also what we call here a spectator sport. Also good for the thirsty photographer, because yes photography is thirsty work, to gain a few extra after the main event images too. What you thought I just went home after the match? Don't be silly there is drink on offer. Be rude not to partake of the odd glass of cider would it not? Yes that is rhetorical. Also gives me an opportunity to show you people of Ramsey which seems to be what you most want to see here, after sunsets, beaches and woods. So today that's what you get a completely random image taken by a drunken photographer who has supposedly put the camera down after her work is done. No such thing. There is always something, someone to photograph and the best social documentary images are the ones you get when you socialize, not work. More my world images can be seen here

Can you drink a yard of ale though?

Singing the Blues because it's raining again - My World

Here we go again

My World

It is absolutely horrible weather here. This is colloquially know unaffectionately as typical British Summer weather- rain rain and er more rain. So I am most definitely not out and about with the camera. Until it improves we will be plundering the recent archives. Recent as in the last couple of months. As far back as May and a little something today from a musical event you may recall me showing you called the Laxey Blues Festival.



This is an event I like very much as I really love live music, both working as a photographer and purely as a fan. I tend to juggle the fun with the work, camera in one hand drink in another. You can get some fun results. Here is quite an early image of one of the first acts on at the marquee, Shore Hotel. A lone singer who entertained with a diverse range of songs. Anyone on the island can name this person that would be great. In fact you have seen him before as a silhouetted image in black and white. Now he's out of the shadows. Does he remind you of anyone who may of looked like this if he had still been alive? I'll leave you with that. I'll also leave you to take a peek into other my world's here

After the show

Time to go home

Sometimes you just can't photograph everything that goes on in a town, especially here. Nothing for ages then events and photo opportunities just appear like 3 buses at a bus stop after there have been none for the last hour. All or nothing. Doesn't mean though there isn't anything to photograph. On the contrary. Here is one of those events that I wasn't able to shoot from the start. Earlier you would have seen bands, a mini fashion show of organic and Fair Trade clothes sampled the local spices from the local curry house or even have a fair trade coffee. You would also have seen stands for One World and Tradecraft. What to do, how to join, what they are. You may even of heard the local member of Government speaking. Of course you just have to imagine this today or instead weave a story around the image above.


Never walk away without taking a photo even if you can't photograph the main event. By turning up late I got some far more interesting images than the usual standard shots the local papers tend to do in these situations.. You always have good old fashioned street photography. The girl now free to run around, the kids tumbling in the centre, generations chatting, the strange orange organic material adorning the normally sedate Courthouse. This is not how Parliament Street looks on a Saturday morning usually. To be fair I did get a few images of the dying embers of the band playing and the stands, just not the fashion show. Can't be in two photos ops at once. I did however get to chat to a fellow local and Mrs local who indulge in the odd rambling under a cloak shall we say if you click here . They were also modeling a little organic clothing ensemble and I did get a pic of them at a distance. So never walk away even if everything has been dismantled and people are leaving. Photos to be had if you just look.


For more of My world contributions coincidentally from around the world click here

Enough people for ya?

I love the smell of people in the evening

So I was surprise, surprise out on Friday night. Nothing earth shattering on the news front there so far. Shocking thing was though so it seems was most of the town turned up too. Now I'd like to tell you they all came out in force just for me to take this group image but that would be a downright manipulation of the truth. No,they were here for just a little festival we have here for Ramsey National Week, called Ramsey Rocks. Yeah honest, it's official our town rocks it's little socks off once a year( shame it's not once a week as far as I'm concerned) and the residents come out to play. What though happens here, and what where this (not so select) group of humans (I use the term loosely, I know some of them, hello Jan) observing. Well that would be telling and giving the game away in one fell swoop, so no you'll just have to come back for more to find out. Let's just say there was quite a lot, more than we have in a whole year. Here's a question for the locals though. Where did I take this image from?


Now this is the naughty bit. I confess to having the mad idea after spotting an open window of going into a certain building and taking images looking onto the the harbour and this terrific view of the people below. Talk about a perfect vantage point! So, I climbed the stairs of (?) and found the room of the open window and in full view of a few shocked girlies proceeded to rattle off 3 shots. More may have got me thrown out. While they were still in shock I hightailed it back downstairs to my drink as if the whole event they had witnessed hadn't happened. The room with a view? The ladies toilets of a certain drinking hole.What can I say. I am a photographer, I came, I saw, I conquered the best location point after a little dutch courage. I do these things so you don't have to remember. You asked for people on the blog, I got you them.


Make the most of the people. They have all gone home now. Shame.

LOCALS, BUT WHO COULD IT BE?

After a colourful skywatch image I always like to get back to the nitty gritty of Ramsey local life. Guess what folks? Look at what I have for you today, top of your requests...... people! This image has been hanging around on the laptop but as Saturdays are quiet I thought I'd sneak it on today.

So question is does anyone recognise the locals gathered in Mooragh Park? This was another walking very quickly so not to be noticed shot. I actually like doing these shots with people, not having all of them in shot, body parts missing(Knoxville girl have you got them down on the body farm?) feet missing from the frame. It's your typical journalistic local newspaper image. It also implies this a part of larger scene rather than a self contained, contrived perfectly framed shot. Ok. I'll shut up with the pretentious photo speak. Back to who is it.

Now there is a clue. You can see the word coastguard on the vehicle, and yes those are definitely uniforms you can see. So I'm guessing overnight when this magic post appears, when I've gone to bed a message will appear in my comments box telling me who's who and what was going on.MANNANAN'S CLOAK it's over to you. What I can tell you is this was taken one Sunday, the last day of Ramsey Week activities. A very lively day up the park, stalls, bands, face painting even a bouncy castle. Unfortunately that was for the kids which I totally object to but have been over ruled on the subject. I'd like to bounce too, wouldn't you?

As it's Friday, you guessed by my absence one was down the local drinking emporium known as the Swan. Fortunately this time I remembered a post was required for Saturday and prepared this one in advance. After re reading last Saturday's rather drunken ramblings I thought this would be a wise move. Am I the only one who has posted drunk? Are you all good boys and girls and always post with a clear head? Thought for the weekend.