A Manx Monday - -

Strange light coming in to work this morning. The sky was heavy with rain clouds and we did indeed have at least one real downpour over night as the raindrops hammering on the skylight woke me. There is a single cloud in front of us with its edges just tinged with pink and is the only scrap of colour on what is an almost entirely grey sky; very dark to my right over towards Ireland and behind me over Cronk-ny-Eary-Laa but paling slightly towards Castletown & Derbyhaven as the palest fingers of sunlight peer through the grey. The waning moon is in its last quarter I think, a pale silver sickle hanging motionless over the bay. The tide is on its way in this morning, and there must be some wind about as all the waves have white frothy tops – there is an odd kind of mist just hugging the shoreline, giving the impression that the rocks are bubbling in the waves and this is steam rising from them, almost like that from a kettle, and oddly there are no birds to be seen – very unusual on this stretch of the shore.

Have taken the afternoon off today as the boiler man is coming to service the Rayburn, and traveling home on the bus at a different time of day was lovely. The earlier grey clouds have given way to beautiful blue skies coming towards us from Ireland, with just little drifts of white cotton wool tails to break up the blue. The bus whizzes through the villages of Ballabeg, Arbory and Colby – ( having no speed limits on some of our roads allows the drivers to put their foot down at times) all slightly inland and across the fields I can see a sheet of silver on the horizon - the sea -sparkling and shimmering in the bright sunlight. The sun may still be quite low in the sky but it sure is flooding the landscape with gold! And oh such fun, there gamboling in the fields we have lambs!! Now I know spring is really on its way!
When I do finally get back to Purt Chiarn I discover that actually it is quite breezy and facing me is a turquoise & jade sea – with little white tops to the waves. A beautiful colour combination – not unlike the Hockney Bead one in the last batch of Dolly Beads. The breeze is quite fresh as I walk up the promenade and overhead I can hear the gulls screaming and calling as they wheel and glide, oh so gracefully, on the thermals on Bradda Head the white of their breasts and wings showing clearly against the blue of the sky. It’s a beautiful day so I hope the boiler man is quick – then I can go for a walk to enjoy this unexpected bonus afternoon.