Cissie on the Isle of Man

Friday is Party Time, so welcome to Paint Party Friday, week 17 0f year 2, hosted by Eva and Kristin, and Darcy's postcard challenge, week 27. Our participants are off to the Isle of Man this week.

Last time Jason and Shannon were exploring Illinois along Route 66.
Jason can’t believe his eyes when he sees his Mum sitting at the table with Cissie and Thelma when they get home. Being Jason, he says ‘Bloody 'ell, Mum, what you doin’ ‘ere?’ But he- and Shannon- are very happy that Queenie is there, and Jason spends a lot of time sitting with his Mum, catching up on what’s been going on in their lives. Shannon is a bit put out that he wants to be alone with his Mum for a couple of hours. Thelma says, ‘Give the boy a bit of time. Just think of all the time we’ve spent together!’ ‘Rather not’, hisses Shannon, it was 28 years too long, if you ask me!’
But she cheers up when the ladies tell her that they are off to the Isle of Man for a long weekend, and she will have 4 lovely days with Jason all to herself….
The Isle of Man is another of Cissie’s special missions. Queenie has told her that Jason’s dad was planning to go there when ‘he b*ggered off and left her sitting with the baby!’
The three ladies pack their cases. Queenie can’t believe that Cissie and Thelma are taking so much stuff. She just takes a shoulder bag with jeans, shorts and few t-shirts. Jason and Shannon bring them to the station, and they take the train to Liverpool, and then the ferry, operated by the Isle of Man Steamship Company, to Douglas. The weather is good, and the ladies are hungry after the long train journey, where they just had an outside hamper of snacks to keep them going. After finding their hotel, they go out to look for a restaurant, and Cissie is really happy to see several fish-and-chip shops, where they enjoy double portions of everything before going to a café for their tea and cakes.
On the next day they do some sightseeing, and visit Peel Castle and other sights of the Island. They take a coach, and manage to see all the famous sights in one day, as the island is not exactly large.

 The escutcheon

 Peel Castle

The Calf of Man seen from the Cragneash

The Braaid, in the central Isle of Man, with remnants of a Celtic-Norse roundhouse and two longhouses, ca. 650-950 AD

The Triskelion Sculpture

Manx Loaghtan Sheep

(All photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

In the evening they meet up with a private detective, who has been making enquiries about Henry, Jason’s Dad. He says he doesn’t have good news, as Henry got killed a pub brawl some years back, and offers to show them where he is buried. Queenie does not really want to go, but decides in the end to tag along. At the graveyard, Cissie and Thelma are very sad, Queenie not. ‘I only came to make sure he really is here!’ she says. Thelma whispers to Cissie, ‘Now I know where Jason gets it from!’
Queenie says she doesn’t want to talk about it again, and they all go to the pub for the rest of the evening….
Cissie says to Thelma, ‘She can’t help being like that, she’s had a hard life! At least we tried!’

On the journey home, Queenie is a lot more cheerful than she was on the way there, and is happy to be getting back to London.

Here is the postcard they send Jason and Shannon. I have superimposed a statue of the Triskelion over Peel Castle, and the heads show Cissie, Thelma (with the blond perm) and the red headed Queenie. The triskele or Triskelion is an ancient symbol, consisting of three branches or legs, that radiate from a centre. The symbol is found on the Isle of Man, and earlier on Sicily.The Manx triskelion is known in the Manx language as Ny Tree Cassyn ("The Three Legs"). The symbol has been associated with the island since at least the 13th century.

For Paint Party Friday I have re-used an old canvas. It originally had a clock in it, which was broken. It has been over-painted to give it more colour, sprayed, and partly varnished and then heat-bubbled to give texture. I added a photo of my Great Aunt in 1918, which has been cut with a TH cabinet card die, and then varnished and aged, before being mounted onto the frame in the middle.

Have a great day you all, take care, and thanks a lot for visiting!