Bowled over

Although it now almost 17 hours since I got up today, I've not really contributed much to the website. But for those people who seem to be concerned when I don't produce something, here is a photo that has a few connections with what I have done today.

I started the day with a run around Baldwin, something that I have not done for a few weeks. I turn off the East Baldwin road to go over into St Lukes which the hardest part. At the end of the valley is Ballachrink Farm which is now farmed by my cousin Graham but for many years was run by his father (my uncle) Kenyon. He is pictured displaying at the Royal Manx Agricultural Show (brown coat) in 1963.

Tonight I have walked about 7 miles with Ben around Douglas "skeeting" in all sorts of places. We looked into the bowl and it is amazing to see that work has started on the refurbishment just a week after Tynwald approval to develop it. At the moment it looks very run down.

I probably bored Ben with my stories of how the school sports would be held there on the bumpy grass track. And then as we walked up towards Ballakermeen came the stories of the school cross country races finishing by running up the Gooseneck.

Thinking of running up the Gooseneck as an 11 year old made me think, for the first time today, that running up Algare Hill at 6.30 this morning was not that bad.

I'm going to come back to traditions, good and bad, in the next few days but if you support tradition, don't forget that we are about to enter the "show" period of the summer. But they don't hold them at the Bowl anymore - not when we are about to spend £3 million on replacing that bumpy grass field. Some traditions maybe best brought to an end.