Return of the Walk-a-Blog

Just like I always seem to be on Marine Drive when I mention training, I'm sure that this isn't the first time Irene & I have been out for a 'walk-a-blog' when we've ended up in Laxey, though our route this time was almost entirely different.

As we set off with young Happy in the pram, the weather looked glorious but as we hit the Promenade, soon realised that our entire journey would be into a stiff and extremely cool N.N.E. breeze.

We continued onto King Edward Bay Road, following the coast as far as Groudle and then continuing on another half a mile or so and this time, instead of turning right to head off to St Adnan's (Lonan Old Church,) we took a left across the Manx Electric Railway tracks, up the extremely steep climb to Bibaloe Beg (where the is one of those farms where you can pick your own produce at various times of the year, the crop depending on the season but I reckon it'll be strawberries soon.)

From there we crossed the A2 main road to Laxey, up the Begoade Road where they now hold an annual music festival which last year was headlined by Manx world wide superstar, Davey Knowles http://www.thegardenparty.im/ held on July 6th & 7th this time around.

There isn't the same gradient as at Bibaloe but it's a longer haul of perhaps 2 miles up past Coan Rhenney Plantation and you certainly feel it pushing a pram. This is another area of the Island where they are improving the green lanes for mountain bikers and moto cross riders but there are also picnic stops.

Instead of continuing to Creg-ny-Baa, we navigated North East, on this occasion opting to continue straight on past Axnfell instead of the winding road around Glen Ruy and Baldhoon as we feared Harry might be starting to become a little hungry. Therefore, we had a well earned pint at the Mines Tavern, sat outside in the sunshine. The plan had been to eat but unfortunately, the menu was somewhat reminiscent of pub grub circa 1985 and the roast beef which I might have had was 'off.' So, we ended up next door at the Manx Electric Railway Station café and had three lovely bowls of soup and it was better value too! Apparently there is a new eatery in Laxey by the wheel which my mother ate at recently and she recommends.

Harry Birthday Happy

It's been a while since I've given a proper update on grandson no.2 but Wednesday 18th April is his 1st birthday. If anyone finds out what happened to last year, I would be extremely grateful if they could let me know.

After the tragic circumstance in which he was born with the loss of his twin brother, Christopher, Happy is barely recognisable from the tiny little eight weeks premature fellow in the incubator as he has wasted no time at all catching up.

The family joke is that he has no fuel gauge: He never knows when he's had enough; he must be the World's easiest baby to feed as whatever you present him disappears and fast!

Of course, at home, it's a case of everything moveable has to be moved as he takes maximum advantage of his newly found mobility. Ninna and Granddad are seriously considering cancelling our Parish Walk training in favour of sprinting whilst of course Mummy Lucy is usually one step ahead without having to resort to such measures.

One day of babysitting (see return of the Walk-a-Blog in a couple of days) and we managed to let him cut his finger on 'we-know-not-what' in our bedroom, (there was blood over everything!) and his lip on gravel when he decided to go from sitting to crawling without remembering to use his hands. We handed him back with blessed relief.

Anyway, I went with Lucy to his annual overhaul and I obviously look so young that I was asked twice if I was Dad. The doctor was extremely pleased with Happy's progress and he is now 75cm long and 10.7kg which for the older blogophiles out there is 2'6" and 23.5lb. Many Harry returns Grandson!

50th Anniversary Athletics Festival

Easter saw Manx Harriers hold the 50th Isle of Man Easter Athletics Festival and the guest of honour, Dr. Ron Hill and his wife, May stayed at the Welbeck Hotel. Ron is one of the all time great British runners and has held world records at several distances including Marathon

At the age of 73, Ron who has run every single day since 1964 competed in all three events, the 10k Port Erin Road Race, The Peel Hill Race and the 5k relay along Douglas Promenade as well as presenting the prizes at the Beer Drinking Competition.



Thanks to the hard working committee, the festival has seen a revival over the last few years and the Road Race with 333 runners toeing the line was a fine sight to see, on what must be one of the prettiest courses (though admittedly not particularly fast due to the abundant Manx hills) in the British Isles.

Despite these geographical difficulties, a world record was set as a pantomime camel became the first such creature to complete 10k in under 40 minutes.

New Exhibition at the Sayle Gallery

Some time ago, I remember ticking a box to agree to receive invitations to the previews of exhibitions at the Sayle Gallery which is part of the Villa Marina complex on Douglas Promenade and it was to one of these which I went last night accompanied by my friend and sadist/dentist, Nigel Armstrong.

Ernst Eisenmayer was interned on the Island during the Second World War where he began an artistic career that has stretched through to this day (he is now aged 92 years and lives once again in Austria.

He has practised his art in many media including sketch, painting, impressionism, sculpture, collage and computer generated pictures.

I have to confess that my knowledge of Art is limited but I know what I like and I'm afraid that this gentleman's work didn't really grasp my imagination (or lack of) but what was far more interesting to me was the story of the man himself.

Sent to Dachau at eighteen years of age for trying to leave the German Empire (Austria had just been subsumed,) Ernst's brother at only sixteen was lucky enough to be transported to England.

Jan Daws nee Eisenmayer (daughter of the artist)

Apparently at that time, mass extermination of Jews and dissidents hadn't begun and fortunately the man who had sponsored the flight of his sibling heard of his plight and was also able to rescue and bring him to the United Kingdom. Most of his peers that did manage to flee were well connected or rich but that wasn't the case with Herr Eisenmayer and it was just luck and the generosity of his sponsor that saved him.

The exhibition is a journey through his life and work, accompanied also by a video interview (which I didn't have the opportunity to see.) Many of his recollections by sketch & painting of his time in Dachau were recorded during his internment, he also contributed to the internees' magazine and you can have fun trying to work out the local places where one or two of his pictures were drawn.

For a more comprehensive preview of the Exhibition see