Loaghtan Books

OK, it's not the most brilliant picture in the world, but this was the view from the office window last Saturday night. I was working late and saw a HUGE fire on the other side of the valley - bear in mind this is at least a mile away.  I knew there was a farmhouse over there and the fire was easily house sized, although in the dark I couldn't see what was actually burning.  I rang the fire brigade. I don't ring 999 very often. Most of the Manx firefighters are volunteers, as the island isn't big enough to support several crews of full-time firefighters.  Even so, two engines from Ramsey arrived remarkably quickly.  We watched them speed up to the fire, lights flashing. Then we watched them turn round and go away again.  (Oh dear.) It turns out that the farmer was burning rubbish in one of his fields, had people on hand supervising, and everything was under control. My call out was what they term 'a false alarm but with good intent'.  The fire service was kind a

No, the photograph is not the senior partner at home.  Nor the junior partner, either, in case you're wondering (cheek!). The gorgeous model library above can be seen in the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire.  We visited the UK earlier in the year for various family events, and found time to visit Bourton and model Bourton. It struck me that home libraries are becoming increasingly rare.  I live happily surrounded by books both professionally and personally.  However, people I visit seem increasingly to be divesting themselves of their book collection.  To me that's like throwing away old friends.  As I type this (not in a posh library like the one above, but in an office full of mis-matched furniture) I have books on shelves behind my desk, just like the red-faced gentleman above.  Most of them are of use to me in my work, but I'm strangely reassured by their presence. At home I've still got books which I've owned since childhood.  Just looki

I hate rudeness. Yesterday we had a business meeting in Ramsey so thought we'd take the opportunity to have lunch out.  We went to Gopher's; nice place with excellent freshly-prepared food.  The only problem, if it is one, is that customers often have to share tables.  Gopher's is rightly popular. So there we were eating our baguettes (warm, with gooey cheese and salad - delicious) and a couple of scruffy-ish men asked if they could join us.  No problem with that and we'd nearly finished anyway.  Then they started to talk to us. Now I like a good skeet (Manx = chat/gossip) as much as anyone, but I've rarely come across anybody as rude as one of these two men.  He gave his order to the waitress in a bored voice while playing with his phone and without  having the courtesy to look at her.  He quizzed us loudly about Loaghtan Books, didn't listen to our answers, and seemed to think that we were second-hand book sellers, remarking that he'd have to get in touch

Spotted in Ramsey yesterday (20 August) was this Royal Navy Bomb Disposal vehicle. Seven mortars dating from the Second World War were discovered on 18 August near a footpath in the south of the island running between Cregneash and Calf Sound.  Unsurprisingly the Isle of Man does not have its own bomb disposal squad, so the area was cordoned off while specialist help was obtained from across. Bomb Disposal experts from Faslane destroyed the ordnance in a controlled explosion near The Chasms, just round the corner from Cregneash, either yesterday or earlier today. All this is well and good, but what were the Bomb squad doing in Ramsey, forty miles away at the other end of the island?

Now you see me... There have been developments since the last blog post.  Apparently the stones of the Three Legs had not been removed, but had been painted over to blend with the hillside and so not stand out. Deciding that its disappearance was not acceptable, four friends from Ramsey have trekked up the shoulder of North Barrule and painted the Three Legs white again.  Each had to carry two large and heavy tins of paint - popping to the shops if they ran out wasn't an easy option from Mann's second highest peak. The job took about four hours but when they had finished, the Three Legs was again displayed over the north of the island. How long will they be allowed to stand firm?  Watch this space!

For those of you who don't know, the above is the largest Three Legs of Man in the world. Or it was. With a diameter of 100 feet, the Three Legs perched on the north-west shoulder of North Barrule, the Isle of Man's second highest peak, and was clearly visible from Ramsey and the North.  The design was created out of local rocks by Bryan Callister over twelve weeks in 2019. Unfortunately he didn't have planning permission, or whatever it was he needed.  Many people liked the proud display of the Manx emblem, but some objected and kept objecting to what they saw as illegal man-made items defacing the landscape. On 9 August 2024 the Department of Infrastructure removed the Barrule Three Legs.  They had to close the mountain road to do it.  It seems a poor use of tax payers money. Now the only place to see Mr Callister's creation is in historic photographs.  Or the second edition of our book Three Legs Good .