Blogs from Peel, Isle of Man, Europe

Born in the parish of Patrick seventy years ago, writer, David Moore reflects on his life growing up on the Isle of Man, and his fascinating insight into the sweet life of beekeeping. It’s not an uncommon sight to behold, hands wavering in the air and vocabulary limited to “EEK!” while running around in a commotion of circles. This is what many of us are reduced to when a tiny black and yellow insect whizzes past. Bees, a misunderstood insect are a common sight during the summer months, buzzing in and out of the canopies of bushes sprinkled with blossoming flowers in search for nectar. David Moore delves further into his understanding of bees… Bees are fascinating little machines, programmed by millions of years of evolution- like tiny travelling computers. In 1898, my grandfather Quayle gained ... read more

Guy Fawkes made his mark in history with a bang, not quite how he intended, and it feels almost cliché that we continue to commemorate his capture with dazzling displays of fireworks and bonfires. Yet, when it comes to explosives our fascination doesn’t just stop with a handful of fiery fireworks, or the chemistry lab of a school, no. It’s deep and rooted. Rightly or wrongly, our history is splattered with the use of these materials that detonate, and the Isle of Man is no exception. Donald and Margaret Watterson of Creglea Farm, in Dalby, used dynamite to help clear their farmland shortly after the Second World War, around 50-years ago. “There were four steel Pylons or Radio Defense Systems (RDS) in this area ” recalls Mr. Watterson. These Radio Detection Findings (RDF) or Pylons, nicknamed ... read more

We got to Peel (Manx: Purt ny hlnshey) about 5 PM, in accordance with our prior calculating. That day the weather was quite well and let us enjoy the island's landscape. Hills and cliffs everywhere. Houses are plastered and in general look much better than in England. In England towns look bleak and getting upset especially when raining. We noticed no litter anywhere. Our guesthouse - The Fernleigh is lokated at the front of the sea and quite close from Peel castle. We notice nice owners and cosy room. Splendid we thought - That's would be a nice couple of days holidays. First decision that we made it was go anywhere to take a breath and see someting interesting, and obviously to find a local pub to drink some beers after despite of we brought from ... read more