POYLL DOOEY NATURE RESERVE

Poyll Dooey ABC

Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve is an area of land in Ramsey that is a haven for wildlife. It is also a haven for me as a photographer. You have seen this image above before, but not as a day shot, but one of my skywatch shots, where the skies are rich in purples and the trees are usually silhouetted. How different one place can look from day to night.

Poyll Dooey has a series of nature trails running through it. Follow the trails and you will happen upon many wonderful birds, rabbits, dragonflies, ladybirds... and dogs. It's a dog walkers heaven. Take a step off the nature trails and walkways and you will find yourself wading through overgrown scrub land, ponds, bogs, wild grasses and wild flowers such as bluebells and onto the meadows. Nestled amongst all of this is a picnic area in a beautifully maintained garden setting. walk to the far side of Poyll Dooey you happen upon the white bridge or wander a trail 'til you reach the Sulby River and follow it into Ramsey Town. In fact I have taken you round the Poyll Dooey many times, but usually down by the river. This is the meadow that lies in front of the white bridge.

Poyll Dooey, what does it mean though? Poyll means Pool that was the easy bit, but Dooey. First time around when I posted a Poyll Dooey post I asked if anyone had any ideas. Well I'll ask again. I've since found two meaning "sand dunes" or "fun gathering." Now as these two meaning differ greatly from each other I wonder if anyone else has another alternative.

By the way. The New American President will be making a guest appearance (of sorts) on this blog tomorrow. Obviously not in the flesh, but his er image will be.


Want to join ABC got the lovely hostess with the mostest, MRS NESBITT'S PLACE

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'(ON AN AUTUMN DAY?)

Has something happened to Blogger? Apologises to anyone who left a commenst on skywatch that I haven't got back to yet, but about 20 have disappeared into the ether. Checked scheduled outrage and nothing there so who knows. Aplogisies too for this post, it was supposed to be a neme and awards post but pics and copy and paste won't load. It could of course be the Manx fairies being a little mischievous tonight as the whole server is somewhat erratic today so a modified draft post that was not due for an outing is here for your viewing pleasure instead.

We seem to be having somewhat of an Indian Summer here. On my virtual blog travels I see others parts of the world are too. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining on a personal level but it is throwing the photography out of whack. People it's supposed to be red gold and greens intermingling leaves strewn across the pavements, not butterflies. The image shows you the leaves on the turn and as you can see in the background the bright blue cloudless sky peeping through looks more like the height of summer. Global warming no doubt. Personally I could do without seasons. Give me Provence( actually just give me Provence) sunshine all year round, no snow, no rain and I'd be a happy bunny. Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve is definitley having an identity crisis at the moment, clinging onto those metamorphing leaves. I will have no Autumn collection at this rate!

One thing I do have is lots of images that aren't so pretty. Ramsey is regenerating, supposedly.
One day I walk past a shop the next day it's closing. Houses are being demolished to make way for who knows what, the new swimming pool is still ongoing and roadworks abound. So we shall be leaving the Nature Reserve behind for a short hiatus to concentrate on the Ramsey buildings old and new. Quite what the workman think everytime I start trying to sneak into empty building to snap those arty derelict shots I don't know. It's like trying to get into MI5. The more closed off the cordoned demolition sites are, I'm afraid the more this photographer is intrigued. Perhaps it's the new Area 51?

Do you have any mystery areas in your town?

Magic post will appear whilst I'm asleep. That is if Blogger goes to print or maybe it's sleeping too. SHH!

SKYWATCH FRIDAY - RAMSEY, DAY FOR NIGHT

RAMSEY, DAY FOR NIGHT
BABOOSHKA
This image is copyrighted.


July 4th, we had this marvellous sunset. Never seen a sky like this in the 5 years I've been here.
For those who saw the previous posts you know I took a heaps of the setting sun that night over the nature reserve. Most of them I am using on a project which requires exclusivity, but this is one of the surplus I had left over. The other surplus stockI may post at sometime, unless I have alternative use for them.

For the record, no filters, photoshop or any other digital enhancements used. This was the sun setting between 10.pm 10.30pm July 4th 2008. You can check other sites to see I was not the only one who got this night's sunset images, but I am one of the few who got it at the optimum moments.

Not a lot else to say tonight. Need a blog break, due to small minded people who really have nothing better to do that belittle the blog. I'll let the image do the talking instead.It has a lot more to say with such colourful vibrant language than I do tonight, and that really is a change.

Please stop by Wiggers World tonight, as the sun is setting on the blog. Thank you.

To join skywatch go to SKYWATCH
The concept was Dot's, the next host WIGGERS WORLD the guardians of skywatch now are Tom, Imac and Sandy

ODD SHOTS MONDAY - WELCOME TO THE DEADWOOD FAMILY REUNION!

Is this the ultimate perhaps in recycling? I mean talk about cutting out the middle man. Literally going to the root cause or source of green issues depending upon your viewpoint. Perhaps it's the font of all knowledge when it comes too... No no more puns.

Odd though it certainly is. Again it's my beloved Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve, Ramsey where the odd shot sofa was. For those who didn't see it there really was an abandoned chair from a three piece suite in the woods. What to make of this though? It's quite high up about 8ft and there is no way to climb up the trunk it's too wide. No helpful branches either to step on. It certainly wasn't blown there by the wind. It's been placed on the branch. Can't say I ever see anyone reading the Racing Post in Ramsey either. So a real mystery then.

So is this a kiddie prank or a drunken jape? If it is can you just leave a comment on the blog telling me when and how you did this. Obviously I know when I took this and only the people responsible will be able to pinpoint the date and actual position. So don't bother with the wrong answers. Or just email me if you want.

I don't know. What with martian footprints , giant hand signs, purple houses, 3 legged flag symbols and Manx fairies and wild wallabies this place is becoming more Alice in Wonderland everyday. It wouldn't surprise me if I came across a white rabbit with a pocket watch shouting how late he was for his Tea Party in the Poyll Dooey next.

Want to join Odd Shots Monday?

Then see KATNEY

SKYWATCH FRIDAY- THE BRIGHT LIGHTS POYLL DOOEY

Is it Friday already. Well no actually it's still Thursday and this is a timed post. I no longer trust Blogger with the week I've had!

Oh yes, the pic. Do not try this at home, I am serious! This was very naughty of me. Breaking golden rules of photography with the one. I am too rebellious though, and the scene just begged to be taken. Do not point your naked lens at the sun!!!!!!!!

Wandering round Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve I found a nice bench, under this the tree in the pic to sit and change the lens. When I looked up the sun was so bright overhead that I thought I would get a way with one shot. The rest were taken with the sun not as exposed and streaming through the leaves. A very quick manual shot with a wide angled lens, ISO 200 to keep the blue sky blue and capture the white flash. I angled the camera against the leaves to create the sunflares. You will notice looking back over my images I like sunflares and try and catch the light to create them whenever I can. If I had used the auto setting this image would not have been as vibrant, and the sky would have been bleached. Have a go with manual setting when you can. Have confidence, you really do get finer, sharper hues and lines and it will train your eye on focusing, and perspective. Honest!

More bridge shots in the IOO series to come( the same photographed IOO different ways) and more Mutiny on The Bounty Isle of Man connections.

To join skywatch go to SKYWATCH
The concept was Dot's, the next host WIGGERS WORLD the guardians of skywatch now are Tom, Imac and Sandy

RAMSEY SERENDIPITY

After yesterdays naughty bit of graffiti(I just shoot the facts, like them or not) I thought a nice pretty little pic would redress the balance. To all those people who haven't read the blog header and what the blog is all about and left very negative comments, try reading it properly. I say I will show all sides of the town, as it is whether that be good bad or indifferent. Today we have the good, the pretty, through rose tinted leaves!

Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve, has a series of nature trails meandering through it. I decided to follow one of these and came across these very vivid rich red leaves on a recently planted sapling. The sky seemed to be one enormous dirty white blanket of cloud, so I knew that the reds would pop out against it. Just how white the backdrop would be I didn't realise as the camera had been on the wrong ISO. When I uploaded I could see the white was completely bleached out. Normally I don't favour this look, but I just went with it and now don't mind the image. Serendipity and photography really do go hand in hand sometimes.

So have you had a serendipitous moment with your camera?

WHITE BRIDGE RAMSEY, POYLL DOOEY NATURE RESERVE

For a fellow blogger excellent you should visit, Jackie GLASCOW

Another Ramsey Landmark, and one of Babooshka's regular haunts is the aptly, if not imaginatively named White Bridge. The bridge is situated in The Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve and crosses over the Sulby river. The hill you can see on the left in the distance is Skyhill as in the battle which I have covered before in the viking posts. It's basically a single file pedestrian only bridge, although bikes and motorbikes can be walked but not ridden across. It really is quite a narrow, sturdy but perfectly formed walkway.

When looking for information about this bridge, again, I either came back to my own links or just found the vaguest reference, or uncorroborated info, which I need to confirm. Even images seemed limited. The Poyll Dooey Reserve is just the same. This is a specific area that has been set aside as a nature reserve/wetlands site for wildlife and yet it's almost as if it's some dirty little secret the island is ashamed of. To say I am exasperated by this is an understatement. I have a few ideas where to find text to post with my photos I regularly take of this place, so I will elaborate more soon. So Jackie, I will be showing so much more of my beautiful reserve, which has already featured in most of my skywatch shots, litter shots and river shots hopefully soon.

Oh yes one more thing. Can I suggest you trawl the internet for your own images. Let's just say
some people steal images for their own ends, pass them off as theirs, or unknown source and re use them, er sometimes in blogs would you believe! I am onto them, and it won't be pretty. Copyright means hands of, pay, or ask permission.