365 Project Week 26!

[curiouswombat]

Half way! This takes me to six months of weekly posts!

My cousin has just arrived to visit for a few days, but neither he nor his motorbike feature... instead

Monday's picture is a pink snapdragon. Not all that unusual - except that I didn't actually plant any snapdragons, I haven't planted any for a couple of years. So I'm guessing that it self-seeded in this pot with a geranium -



Tuesday is simply a rather nice building that I see quite often - it is the headquarters of Royal Skandia, and looks out over the sea.



Wednesday morning was damp and misty. I was visiting a patient who lived up a farm track off a single track road. These farm buildings are, clearly, not in use any more. Such abandoned barns and so forth are not an uncommon sight; I just liked the feel of them, in the damp and mist - although, on the whole, I would have preferred sunshine...



Thursday is simply another patch of gorse and heather - because I like the colours!



Friday was my day for having a clinic at the Cottage Hospital in Ramsey - this is the river that runs down into the harbour there. This lovely spot is about five minutes walk from the hospital.



There used to be a ford there, when I was a child, and I reckon it is still fordable, but it is now labelled 'unsafe for vehicles'. There is a foot bridge but, to get across the gap you can see there, now officially requires a drive of over a mile, either via the ford further up stream, or the bridge over the head of the harbour.

Saturday. I took time to visit Old Braddan Church. I will do a nicely tombstone-centric post tomorrow, which should please bogwitch, but if you just walk into the old church there are a collection of Viking and Celtic crosses all over 1,000 years old! This one is Odd's cross - well the base of a cross dedicated to the memory of Odd anyway. It shows two dragons entwined - and was found being used as a lintel over a doorway in the church tower!



Today - it is damp and autumnal again. These are the flowers in church this morning - also getting autumnal!






My cousin is visiting hoping to see some of the classic bike races around the TT course during this week and D-d is currently at the Leeds Music Festival - I hope the weather improves soon!

Comments

[gillo]

Lovely flower pics, but that carved cross is awesome!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

We have Viking Crosses lying around in a few of our churches - they are not moved from their original parish unless it is really necessary, so quite a few of the small, old, churches have ancient crosses inside them! Odd's dragons are rather nice, though - more interesting than some.

I took a picture of the 9th century wheel headed one which is actually known as the Braddan Cross, too. I'll post it tomorrow if I have time.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Today - it is damp and autumnal again

Ditto. My coleus in pots on the front and back porches are looking shriveled at the moment, I'll have to see if they snap back with the warmer weather expected later this week.

The dragon cross is fabulous!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

It feels as if it has been a short summer. Let's hope it's a long autumn - I don't fancy a long, long winter.

We have quite a few carved crosses around - but it is a rather good one!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Fantastic photos, as always!

So, is gorse the yellow flowers in that pic? I've always wondered what it looked like... but never thought it would have pretty flowers! (Of course, the main place I'd even heard of it was in the song "Long Lankin" by Steeleye Span.)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, the gorse is the yellow you see all over the island - this is a better picture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/voirreys_pics/3496757897/in/set-72157617642142824/) from my May set.

It has a sort of honeyed scent to it as well.

[keswindhover.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I like Odd's Cross. I saw a few Celtic crosses on my hols, but none as well preserved as that one.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I must make a point of going around some of the old churches taking pictures of the crosses - to be honest I'm so used to them I forget how fascinating they are... which is always the way with things close to home!

[quinara]

It feels like it's been ridiculously cold these last couple of days - though that might be something to do with my laptop being the coldest room in the house...

Love the dragon!! And the heather!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Autumn seems to be very early this year!

I was quite taken with Odd's cross - the dragons are so clear on it.

[just-ann-now.livejournal.com]

That picture of the old farm buildings look just like something from the show "Merlin" (as long as you ignore the giant tractor tire, of course).

Those dahlia flowers are gorgeous! Very vivid color combination.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I think those particular ruined farm buildings look at their best in a thin mist - Although not quite as old as Merlin - I think they are probably only a couple of hundred years old, if that.

The dahlias are rather spectacular - they drew my eye during the service.

[ballena.livejournal.com]

I love looking at your pictures and spotting where they are! You have a real eye for making ordinary everyday things look so pretty.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It is quite fun, doing it.

[dawtheminstrel.livejournal.com]

These are amazing pictures, especially the old farm buildings.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I really like that one myself, too.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I love your old barns! I'd like to have one on a bit of property here and refurbish it for a home. My husband could do the electrical, and I could do the planning and painting. The buildings are so lovely and evocative. We had often discussed refurbishing fixer-uppers with our brother-in-law and nephew, but life was so busy running a business and rearing children, that there wasn't the time or the money to do so.

What a beautiful spot by the river! Your island is very diverse in its beauties.

Love the dragons!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Quite a lot of them have been refurbished and turned into, very expensive, houses. But the lack of a roof at one end of this might mean it is considered beyond renovation, from the point of view of getting planning permission.

[kathyh]

The cross is fabulous and those farm buildings make a really evocative picture. Beautiful photos.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I have a picture of a wheel-headed 9th century cross too - I'll post it tomorrow.

Many of the barns have been 'refurbished' - but someone still lives in the farmhouse for these ones!

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

I always have time for a good tomb post! Like the Odd stone too.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The Odd stone is rather good - I had forgotten that there were crosses inside Old Kirk Braddan until I went in.

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

I'm absolutely drooling over those farm buildings. Sadly around here, nearly very old barn has been turned into a house, which is very nice for those living in them, but we've lost something very special from the landscape.

Could those dragons be the original Ring of Barahir do you think?

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Many of our old barns have been 'converted' too. These ones are fairly out of the way, and with the family living on site in a more modern bungalow, which is why, I guess, these ones have escaped. I have a vague feeling that they need to be 'substantially intact' to get permission - and the roof is missing off the far side of these, too.

The Viking carvings remind me, usually, of the Rohirrim - but the dragons are more Ring of Barahir, you are right.

[jerusha]

I love the picture of the abandoned buildings. It looks like something that would go on a postcard.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I do rather like that one.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

Lovely pictures! I like the barn (which reminds me of the Lakes) and the gorse and, especially, the two dragons. They look as though the sculptor based them on a lizard of some kind :-)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I was rather taken by those old barns, I must admit. I don't know where they got the idea for their dragons from - but they are rather smart!

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

That carved cross is just neat!

I love the ramshackle farmyard in the mist. Really ethereal; or at least it looks that way in the picture. Probably not so much in real life if it's anything like the farms I know!

I noticed leaves starting to turn here over the last couple of days. I love fall, but I'm not quite ready to wrap my brain around it quite yet!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I have a picture of one of the other crosses too - I am just resizing them, and then I'll post them later.

The farm is still worked - they've just abandoned that bit - but it did look quite picturesque in the drizzle.

[ellaygee-09.livejournal.com]

Beautiful pictures, I love old cross. Those church flowers do look autumnal don't they. Summer here was cool and very rainy until recently, then we had a miserable week of 90F temperatures and high humidity. I told my daughter that I feel we are owed a nice autumn.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

We have had a very variable summer - the only period of prolonged (more than three days in a row...) warmth and sunshine was the end of June, when we got up to 30C on one day. Otherwise we have a couple of days of dry warm weather (20C or so), then a couple of days of damp, cool, weather, and so on.

And now it feels decidedly like autumn.

I have some more pictures of crosses from Braddan - I'll post them later today.

[framefolly.livejournal.com]

What a picturesque week! I love the misty barns :) .

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I rather like that one myself.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

What beautiful photos! You live in a lovely place!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. The Isle of Man - "Small but perfectly formed" - should be our new slogan.

[missmurchison.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing, especially that wonderful cross.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I have a couple more ancient cross pictures - I'll post a selection from Braddan church later today.

[cbtreks.livejournal.com]

Damp and autumnal here as well. No rain today but plenty of gorgeous clouds (and rain last week). I saw time and temperature signs that indicated it was in the mid-60s (F) but it didn't feel like it. I hope it's like this into November. As much as I like winter, I don't want an early one this year.

Love-love-love the Odd's Cross photo! And the barns, too. And the river.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

We have had a lot of cool damp days during this summer - interspersed with only slightly warmer dry days. I am hoping for a long, dry autumn but, if the last couple of days are anything to go by, that's some hope....

I took a couple more pictures of ancient crosses, and some not quite so ancient grave stones, when I was there - I'll post them later today.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

I really like the photo of the barns. The mist somehow makes the place look both cosy and desolate, at the same time. It also sent me off on a half hour google for Manx geology, which informed me that it was varied and diverse, so I'm going to ask you, instead. Is that a shale/slate type rock they're built from?

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I like that one, too. As for the geology - we do have all sorts - it probably is a shale/slate type of stone - you might find this site (http://www.manxgeology.com/) interesting to find out more.

Maybe for this week I'll do a couple of close ups of stone walls and buildings!

[syderia]

Ooh, pretty !

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Not as impressive as your lovely pictures of Angers, though!

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

That barn photo is so evocative... you can almost imagine at any moment the farmer in his horse-drawn cart pulling out.

I've had morning glories "volunteer" in my container plants. It's always a bit fun to see what else might come up besides what I actually planted.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

It would have been horses and carts for a lot of the working life of the building - but going by the size of that tyre there have been tractors more recently!

I love the idea of 'volunteer' pants - I think I must adopt the description straight away.

[vegmb.livejournal.com]

I would have never guessed that was a barn in Wednesday's picture. Ours look nothing like that. And I the crosses and tombstones, both here and in your other post, are amazing.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

You can tell that the far end of the range is a barn of some sort because of the stone steps up to a door half way up to allow access to the top of the hay and straw stored in it!

There would probably have been cattle or horses at the near end.