Spring is here!!!

Ah Spring, just a lovely time of the year and I have both Isle of Man and West Chester to share with you. This really is a feast for the eyes and I just am so pleased to have captured the Island looking so good. It really does a good job of Spring

The noise from the bees in the cherry blossom was deafening, they were literally as "busy as bees"

This swathe of cherry trees are just so breathtaking

Underneath them was just lovely, oh and Isaac

We were there just at the right time

Flouncy and full of light

These guys are just funny

Magnolias blooming

Lovely hill side and church spire

Oh there are my roads and shadows again

The thing about beech trees is that they hang onto their leaves and hang on...they do give a nice colour to the landscape

The yellow on the hillside is the gorse in full flower

Gorse was making the hills bright yellow and golden

lovely bluebells at the side of the road

Everything seemed to be bursting into bud

Calm seas

I took this shot as the sea was so flat and looked like glass

The early morning mists were very atmospheric

This is Fairy Hill an old man made hill

The dew was so heavy that morning

Mr Peasant was in a hurry not to have his picture taken

and off he trotted

Amazed the wind hadn't blown these guys down, now that's a creative container. Not sure it's so sea worthy now

Didn't I say everything was bursting into life

But we did have some stiff breezes and look at those flags go

Rough seas on a bright and blustery day

 bright sky and deep blue sea

Back in West Chester and the rain is filling the pavements with washed up blossoms

Luckily not all of it was washed away

The evening sunlight really showed this pink blossom off

Horse chestnut flowers are brilliant and they were just coming out

but wow! now that's what I call colour

Ah Longwood

Foxgloves a plenty

Truly spectacular

So pleased I didn't miss the wisteria

It really doesn't look real

The smell was terrific

Amazingly there were lots of tourist and I was crafty and managed to get none in my photos!

Just look at the sky! so blue and and whitest of clouds

wisteria is so delicate looking but it's trunk is pretty determined and they really do look like rope

I have literally walked past this a million times...but today I decided that a picture was required and I even managed to get the Italian water garden in there and far right corner a favorite tree! It has such a triangular top!

..oh lovely

Yes that is a purple poppy

Perfect

OHHH look shadows and reflections inside the lovely greenhouse

Delphiniums blue

Flowering maple

Brilliant "lollipop" plant

This one too is an old favorite

I thought that the water was pretty amazing and showing it's meniscus really well :)

I love Princess Trees and I couldn't believe the flowers were just blooming and then as I looked past I saw the topiary garden glowing green, just fab

More Princess Trees and the Copper Beech in the back round

Hope you enjoyed the whistle stop tour....

March

Having had a trip to the Isle of Man this month, I took my camera (in Isaac's carry on! he is definitely the best person to travel with, as he always has space in bags for my extra stuff) and tried to get some snaps and some turned out to be quite interesting. So this is really End of winter and beginning of Spring Manx style.

Along with water towers of New York, I also have a thing about Manx Roads and so at the risk of boring you...there are some roads in this blog..I think it is the combination of flat road, stone wall and knarly trees...they have a something to them and of course the sky in this one is pretty brilliant

This picture the whole thing is a study in greens...just so lush. Even the sky is grey green.

This is one of the most quintessentially holiday snap of the Island. With Cregnesh Church in the fore ground and The Calf of Man behind it. I must have taken this picture a thousand times. But this one was a quick snap from a moving car!

As we head down towards The Sound the Calf is looking so near and the sun is doing it's best to sparkle on the sea

This is of Maughold Head, again snapped from a moving car and again the lushness of the patchwork fields is quite soothing to the eye

I love this shot of crows or to be precise corvids..as I'm not sure what bird in that particular family they are! Thank you Isaac. These birds were disturbed and they were resettling

But first they had to take to the air and wheel around making lots and lots of noise

Back to serenity and the North of the Island this time and the sunshine on the old sea cliffs of Ramsey. Looking this way back at the Island from the top of the Island,  where it is flat is always spectacular and again the sun is doing a great job

I'm sure this is a no no and probably doesn't appeal to anyone. But the is something mesmerizing about the road and the sun. This is on the mountain road, as we head south

I know another road shot. Bluest of skies and the road. I like the detail of the fence posts on the stone sod topped wall. It is a mundane shot but shows the dramatic nature of the Manx landscape

My wonderful travelling companion asked for a cars picnic. Which is something on rainy and bored days I would do, when we lived on the Island. I would pack Louie and Isaac in the car  and head somewhere with food to munch on. So off we went with Nana our best driver and found our way to Fort Island

As you can see the cloud was low and it was a dull day. But the grass is so vibrant and the rocks are so fab! Of course not forgetting explorer setting out.

I like this picture a lot. It's got it all, edges and outlines galore. Tuftey grass that is really springy and you could bounce on. Plus the wondrous outcrops of rock 

This is another favorite. The canons are ready and as you look back towards Castletown, you can see the mists are down. Talk about a low ceiling

It was also windy!

We got a fare amount of rain on our visit and even though I counted the window wipers timing, still didn't quite miss it. But what a splotchy day!

Hard to imagine it turns into this

Or indeed these spring blossoms are about

Lovely crocuses

Wow, talk about swirling waters

Spied these nesting birds on a rocky outcrop on Marine Drive

Spectacular

Truly varied landscape and the sea stretching on forever

Favorite shot, of fence posts, rocky outcrop and great sky

The gorse is out in bloom

I'm saying crow. That bit at the back is a feather, literally the wind was ruffling his feathers

Bit of an arty shot this one. I liked the rusty colour and of course it is turquoise. Just don't lean on the railing!

I know, roads..

What can I say. But this one shows really well the line of the tops of the trees. I also like that I got the bend in the road for added interest :)

Another shot I hoped to get, the barns and the doorways..plus the shadows on the road. Just great in fact the shadows in this are super duper. Even on the buildings

Ok it's a road

But it's the colour of the sky, so muted and then the white of the cottage.

Magical. It could be a magical walk way

So onto Peel and the castle. 

The sun is trying to reach around

I liked the colour of the boats and of course all the birds lined up

This is like five minutes later. Talk about different scene

Yup, we're waiting

The marina in Peel quite a relaxed scene

Honestly the light in the Isle of Man is constantly changing

Good old Tower of Refuge in Douglas bay. You never get the same thing twice. 

This is just an interesting thing I spied

And yes this deserved to be in the blog.The sogginess of this picture is complete. Plus Mr nice tractor man did move in for us to let us pass. Thank you Manx Farmer Man, we love you!~

Hope you liked the snapshot of the Island in March...