The Stunning views of the Isle of Man

I would like to share some of the views that the island has to offer...some were taken from the car as we traveled over the mountain and some are stills.

This is why we love it here so much!

Animal Adventures

After the Mann Cat Sanctuary, my second favourite adventure is to visit the animals at Curraghs Wildlife Park.  One of the reasons I visit is that I believe that they are doing very important work by breeding endangered species to ensure survival.  

Come meet some of the residents...

Penguins

Coati

Peacock

Capybara

Short-clawed Otter

Pink Flamingos

Roseate Cockatoo

Emu

Lynx

Meerkat

Red Panda

 This year they introduced Red Ruffed Lemurs, along with their resident Black & White Lemurs.  A brand new outdoor enclosure is being built, so for now they are being housed in a indoor facility.  This little guy jumped on his perch and put his feet on the glass as if to say 'look at me' 

Pelicans

 After a long day walking around the park, it was time to head home to an Indian curry for dinner!

More sightseeing coming up!

A little racing!

One of the reasons for our visit to the IOM is the racing, so here is a little of what we have enjoyed so far.

It isn't always go, go, go, so there is some 'down time' between races....this is how I spend my leisure time.

 Check out the Ex Renzo Pasolini 1967 350/4

...it is a very iconic machine!

  Enjoy a few bikes racing up May Hill 

on the one sunny day we have had all week!

After a long day of racing, we headed to our favourite Italian restaurant in Port St. Mary, Andrea's.

I always have their seafood tagliatelle, which never disappoints.

 Still praying for good weather.....

Old villages and old friends

When Ken was 17 years old he met Rob in high school and became fast friends.  They used to heat up 'Castrol R oil' in a cast iron frying pan and listen to old recordings of the TT races, pretending they were there.  That was Ken's introduction to the TT that now brings us to the IOM each year.  Ironically, it was Rob's passion for motorcycle racing that flamed Ken's, but Rob had never been himself.  That all changed this year when he decided to see everything first hand.  With our extensive knowledge of where to go and what to do, as we had been shown by Christine & David during our early years, we included Rob in our outings to make his first visit memorable.  

Our first stop was a little sightseeing with a visit to Cregneash village to see how the Manx people lived many years ago

We wandered around this lovely old village, learning what crofting  life was like in the late 19th century

Religion was a very important part of their daily lives, so needless to say, there was a lovely old Church

Celtic Cross

Our next stop was the The Sound, (also know as the Calf of Man)

which is the most southerly point on the island

The day's finale was a 'family' supper with friends prepared by moi!

 It was a perfect day!

Waiting for the rain to STOP

OK, I get it....we are in the middle of the Irish Sea and we really should expect some inclement weather, but really....rain every day....and the racers can't even get in any practice time!

I feel sorry for the racers who come from all over the world to race, spending countless amounts of money

 and not be able to get in any road time!

Until the weather co-operates, we found other entertaining things to do, such as meet up with an IOM friend for lunch at The Prospect Pub in Douglas.  I had what I would call 'a nacho lasagne'.  Layers of tortilla chips, chili and cheese, baked until all gooey!  Top it off with a very creamy sour cream, and you don't need to eat for a week!!

Even though the rain was persistent, there were a few sunny breaks which allowed us to walk through the paddock to check out the bikes.

Here they are waiting on the grid with their 'raincoats' on

I even got a chance to bump into the famous John McGuinness, the second most successful TT rider next to the late Joey Dunlop

 On the way home, we took a few minutes to stop by my favourite place on the island, The Mann Cat Sanctuary

The day ended with a traditional UK delight.....

Looking forward to sunny skies, or at the very least, no rain....:) 

IOM - the first few days

During the first week of the Classic TT, the practice laps are only run in the evening, leaving us time to visit the island during the day.

Every year the village of Port Erin holds a commemorative day to honour those who fought in the two World Wars.  These  lovely ladies were singing all the old war time songs.

 Everyone watching sang along and you could see the glint of memory in the eyes of the more senior attendees.

We went back to our old haunt, The Station Pub for a bite of lunch to try out their new menu.

My chicken wings were quite good, but many were missing in action.

Ken tried their open faced club sandwich

....tasted pretty good according to him!

It has been particularly foggy over the past few days, which is not unusual for the island, but offered some interesting photo ops!

The sky also offered a pretty dramatic tableau

With practice cancelled, the only thing left to do was go back to the cottage and and give some loving to the resident kitties!

Yes, his father was Manx, so only half a tail!

 Let's hope for some better weather soon!