A visit with the kitties

If you know me at all, you will understand why a visit to Mann Cat Sanctuary is a must when I arrive.

We were greeted by a variety of loving felines, some of which you could see had a hard start to life.

A real Manx cat

Next was a visit to the paddock to see what bikes were going to race!

Maria Costello's bike - one of the few lady riders

 

Something special on the Island this year, are hand decorated giant fiberglass wallabies. I came across the first one at the paddock.

You might wonder why the IOM would be showing off wallabies......The island has a wildlife sanctuary that has some wallabies.....a couple (male & female) escaped a number of years ago and started a family, which led to more and more and more.  Now the island hosts a large population of wild wallabies. 

After a long day walking around, it was time to go back to the cottage for comfort food

Our UK friends, Christine & David....& Ken

More island fun tomorrow.

The Island at war

Each year we happen to arrive when the island holds events to remember its participation in WW2.  Parts of the island were used as internment camps and the airport in Jurby was used to land fighter jets for the allies.

Port Erin was buzzing with all sorts of activities.

Lovely old tunes being belted out!

Once we settled in to our cottage for our stay, we walked down to the beach in Port St. Mary.  It was a very windy day, so the surf was up and waves crashed over the stones!

Our cottage is on this promenade

Time for dinner....Just around the bay at Gansey, there is lovely hotel,  The Shore, which has a wonderful dining room.

Warm goat cheese salad

Lamb Shanks

Creme brule

 This is the view of Gansey from my earlier walk

A visit with the cats tomorrow.

First few days in the Isle of Man

We have started our annual pilgrimage to the Isle of Man, staying at a lovely BnB, close to  where our rented cottage is.

After 26 hours with no sleep, 

dinner was in order before hitting the sack.

Chicken burger with chips

It was such a nice evening, we took a stroll down to the beach in Port Erin to get some fresh air.

The mist was blanketing Bradda Head in Port Erin

This island is magical.

More island delights tomorrow!

My last day

My 2 weeks in France have just flown by.  It feels like a whirlwind of castles, churches, history, great food and wonderful company. 

For my last full day, we went to the Victor Hugo market in Toulouse.

It is a bustling hub of activity, with vendors showing off their fare, shoppers deciding what to buy for lunch and people sipping wine at local bars within the market.

Trish and I decided to try the

 'have a glass of wine at the market' thing!!

  Very civilized!

In the afternoon, we strolled though downtown Toulouse

 to take in the sites.

St Etienne Church

Having a goodbye cuddle with the neighbourhood kitty

We capped off the day with a hearty bowl of soup that I made from the leftover chicken from the other evening. There is nothing like comfort food to end off a fabulous holiday.

Thank you to Trish, Francois, Victoria and Andy 

for making me feel so welcome and loved!

The last few days

After spending a few days relaxing in the country, we all trooped back to Toulouse to see a couple of art exhibits.

The first one was 'living art' where a group of students from Trish's art class made costumes resembling animals that they had seen at a museum.  They paraded down the street, then stopped in the town square for a 'live movement' show.

We roasted chicken and broccoli for dinner...very healthy!

The following day, we headed to an old ammunition factory to see some fabulous graffiti and art by local students.

My niece Victoria's drawings

Victoria's drawings as well

Homemade pizza was a perfect end to the day

A day at the market coming up.