Loaghtan Books

There aren't many offices where car rallys regularly run past the front door.  The vehicles are usually too fast (and too close) to photograph well, though, hence the stamp. I can understand why rally drivers like the area.  There are loads of small, twisty, steep roads to challenge even the best drivers.  Many end up in the neighbouring fields, presumably unintentionally.  If they're very unlucky they arrive in the field upside down. Sometimes 'our' road is closed, so we have to arrange access to the premises to avoid the closure.  Manx delivery drivers are quite used to organising their route to avoid sporting events. Sometimes, however, the road is still open.  Postal vans arrive, staff turn up, and tourists come to observe.  Rally drivers have to be aware of (and avoid) other road users including camper vans, pedestrians - we have no pavement - horses, chickens (feral), hares and the occasional wallaby. It couldn't happen anywhere else.

 Above is Dreemskerry Quarry in the snow.  It's just up the road from the office.  It's actually quite small but looks almost alpine here. No longer a working quarry it is occasionally used for motorbike trials and is also home to a colony of feral cockerels.  Their previous owner kept the hens, as they provide eggs, but the cockerels were non productive (no comments please, ladies) so were 'freed' (aka dumped) in the quarry.  The Isle of Man has no foxes so the birds seem to be doing quite well.  They do appear to have the occasional rowdy party, however, as we can sometimes hear crowing from the office.  Local residents are less than happy at the occasional wake-up call at five in the morning. The island gets very little snow as a rule, but, like most of the north of Britain, had its share today.  The office is sheltered from all but an east wind, but, as that's what it was, we came to work to find the windows plastered with stuck-on snow. ...