Introduction

 

Introduction

 

Back in 2009, in the olden days when my first digital camera was still young and frightening, we planned a walk around the Island.

 

In midwinter, January 2010, I sent an email to my sister in Canada " . . . during the summer and autumn we walked the Raad ny Foillan (The Way of the Gull - or The Coastal Footpath) - with some friends.  It is about 95 miles in all and we divided it up into twelve sections and aimed to walk one section each week.  It is debatable who suggested the enterprise.  I remember sitting on top of Bradda Hill in early spring with Tim, Dorothy and Trevor, and saying that we should walk up there again in summer when the wild flowers were in bloom.  Dorothy responded and said why didn't we walk the whole Raad ny Foillan again - and then we got involved in a discussion about whether to go clockwise or anti-clockwise.  When we returned home I told Linda about the proposed walk.  Perhaps my memory is defective because later everyone (except me) seemed to think that they had personally come up with the idea!

 

    We started after TT, without Linda.  She had visitors and said that she didn't mind missing the first couple of sections which involved a lot of tedious beach walking.  After her visitors left, Linda had a variety of minor problems including a bad back and didn't join us until the last stretch along the beach from Ramsey to the Point of Ayre.  We didn't finish until late autumn because we missed a few weeks when our friends were off the Island."     

 

I had taken photographs on walks before but this was the beginning of the "walk emails" which were written partly for myself as a way of preserving memories; partly for Linda as a consolation for missing most of the fun; and partly for long-suffering relatives scattered around the world who might - or might not - be interested.

 

Now I am starting the mammoth task of tidying up the photographs, which were originally smaller and sent as attachments, and transferring the emails to a blog.

 

I had various ideas for a title - including a play on the words Moddey Dhoo (a scary black dog which is believed to haunt Peel Castle) but decided on Memories - because this is really just a collection of happy memories.

 

A Moddey Dhoo - Spring in Ballaglass 2009 - Alexander amongst the bluebells.