Flying Cat - June 2007

Miaoweeee! We are freeee!!!! As soon as the Baskets of Confinement were opened, me and m'Marmalade Chum shot out the Catflap of Doom and rushed around Rolling Acres sorting out the scent-marking and sniffing our Messages from Interlopers. It would have been nice to have been left alone for these precious private moments, but we were stalked by fpu+digicam: it was a small price to pay for freedom to roam, really.
Once the first frolicsome frisson was over, I came indoors to inspect what I thought was going to be a Very Exciting Parcel Indeed. It turned out to be, from a feline point of view, a trifle disappointing, as I am not a tea-drinker - and nor is m'Marmalade Chum - but then I opened and read my Very Own Letter, and understood that the tea was mine only inasmuch as it gives me more influence over fpu, and I knew immediately the pure dead brilliant cunningness of my very good friend in The Deep South, Cub Chavsbane. She is certainly not any number bytes short of a picnic that one *admiring purr* and I am a very grateful cat. The fpu's had a most enjoyable time on the Isle of Man and I will publish some of their photos sometime soon. Mpu becomes very excited at mention of 100 years of Big Bikes, and fpu keeps dribbling on about men-in-leather....oh well...meanwhile, here are some weekend pics of Rolling Acres, where summer seems to have burst out all over.

FC's Very Exciting Parcel from his friend, The Cub.

FC's Very Own Letter

contents of FC's...er...parcel

FC On Patrol in Rolling Acres

FC On The Prowl...stalking his Marmalade Chum...

FC's Marmalade Chum at Very Wee Waterhole

FC finds his Marmalade Chum and decides to have a Discussion.
Some plants FC discovered On Patrol in Rolling Acres, having Gained his Freedom....

viper's bugloss

orchid

poppies and persicaria bistorta superba....it used to be 'superbum' but seems to have been changed, at least in some publications. Can't think why...

columbine and iris sibirica

persicaria and white geranium - geranium phaeum 'widow' in background

a riot of colour in FC's Jungle

irises pseudocorus and sibirica in bog, Pond1

Peony rose - a forty-four flower year

Mercy me, I'm cream crackered! I do wish certain parenal units (you know who you are) wouldn't get so carried away with digicam. The time it's taken me to sort through all the dross and pick out a selection of photos that will give a flavour of The Isle of Man to anyone who hasn't been there: you would not believe! *sigh* My paws are worn out. I must go and be supine somewhere Very Comfy for a while: not particularly hard for a cat, I admit, but it takes time out of my busy day....doing this and that and such.
Everyone should go to 'the island'. It is a wonderful and unique place. If you visit, or go and live there, but are not a Manx native, you are a 'come-over': if you stay, you are a 'stop-over': if you visit mainland Britain, you go 'accross' and, according to mpu - and I'm not entirely convinced - he and fpu enjoy elevated status as 'go-backers'....aye right. If you like wee trains and glorious countryside and walking and old-fashioned seaside towns and good food and beer....go to The Isle of Man! But not before you've looked at my pictures, purrrlease. Thank you for popping by.
(Did I mention it was the 100th Anniversary TT Races? So there might be the odd bike shot, here and there....)

at The Bungalow: Snaefell Mountain Railway Station

at The Bungalow: looking towards Halewood's Rise

at The Bungalow: a matchless behind

at The Bungalow: sidecar

Ballig, near St John's

a charming hog and motorbike enthusiast, St John's

Douglas enjoys a big bang

we're on our way to Ramsay

I think we're being followed...

someone's nicked the Three Graces from the National Gallery of Scotland...

The Aussies are here, fostering good relations

at the Ramsay Sprint, one eighth of a mile to beat the record...two old geezers: one of them is a 1920s Norton

a super-charged, nitrous oxide injected Harley...what a gas!

The Red arrows over Ramsay Bay



The Manx Steam Railway: Maitland

The Manx Electric Railway

Snaefell Mountain Railway car at Laxey

Horse tram on Douglas Prom: working

tram horse going home for his tea

on Douglas prom: an Indian with a Matchless behind...

Indian's gear shift: pure class

Peel Castle: home of the ghostly moddy doo (black dog)

Peel Promenade, near Spit Corner

Charles Street, Peel

Manx cottage - mine hosts

Manx cottage - garden

Manx cottage - a feathered parental unit

Manx cottage - Ms Tiggywinkle pays a brief visit, but becomes annoyed at being stalked by paparazzi and goes next door

"The Yellow's on the Broom"
...and to finish, a little ditty by that ubiquitous biped, Anon.
Noah, sailing o'er the seas
Ran fast aground on Ararat,
His d.o.g. then made a spring and took
The tail from off a pretty cat;
Puss through the window quick did fly,
And bravely through the waters swam
Nor ever stopped till high and dry,
She landed on the calf of Man.
Thus tailless Puss earned Mona's thanks
And ever after was called Manx.
(and all this time I thought the poor 'rumpies' and 'stumpies' are as they are because of a genetic aberation.....still, I suppose you could call d.o.g.s genetic aberations, now I think of it!)