marktrevorowen

The Picture House

100 years ago, the fondly remembered Isle of Man cinema, The Picture House, opened. To mark the anniversary, I’ve written this piece for Gef. Read all about my encounter with Dracula in the Manx Museum, the timing issues of Movietone Follies, and why Audrey Hepburn just wouldn’t go away.

Queen Victoria and the Disco Kings

I’ve written a new article for the website Gef. It has a cast of (almost) thousands of Manx and Manx-connected worthies, standing very still around Douglas. https://gef.im/2021/07/31/how-deep-is-your-love-for-statues/?fbclid=IwAR21CdSYGNJ14jMSn2b-txVgfpx1eTmehcY-xEjAq1CEcRS-hepyCSySeCM

Stick in the Memory

Facebook Memories is at it again. It’s now charmingly informed me that seven years have passed since I took this photo. Apart from any sort of long-distance travel being a memory now, this has also reminded me that the day I visited the Eiffel Tower, was also the day that I saw somebody use aContinue reading “Stick in the Memory”

Motorcycle Emptiness

I’ve been writing for the lovely Gef website again. This time I’m looking at (or rather, not looking at) something currently noticeably absent from the Isle of Man, and finding homemade ways to fill the gap. https://gef.im/2021/06/02/keeping-those-tt-vibes-alive/

Little Stone Face

A short time ago, I wrote a piece for the fine Manx website Gef about Ghost Signs. If you’re not familiar with the phrase, here’s a link to the article, which will elucidate further. https://gef.im/2021/05/09/ghost-signs/ Although I don’t have the same zealous thirst for discovering remnants of the past on buildings that some do, IContinue reading “Little Stone Face”

Moonrise Memory

To paraphrase the best line ever uttered in a 007 movie, the Memories feature on Facebook appears with the tedious inevitability of an unloved season. Mercifully, they’ve tweaked the algorithm to stop people being jauntily reminded of the post they made that got a personal best of 248 reactions – when it was announcing theContinue reading “Moonrise Memory”

Ghost Signs

Here’s a link to my latest article for the excellent Manx website Gef. Gef is named after a phantom talking mongoose, who was reputed to have haunted a farmhouse in the Island in the 1930s. As you do. And in this piece I’m discussing ghosts of a different kind. Darth Vader also gets a mention.Continue reading “Ghost Signs”

This Is Not Bliss

Some time ago, a few friends and I were out for a hike in the north of the Isle of Man. We met in the grand sturdy village of Kirk Michael and set off on an upward ascent, towards the Northern Hills of the Island. It was a fine clear day, with sunshine powerful enoughContinue reading “This Is Not Bliss”

Sour Charity

On the evidence of the above photo, life in the Museum Quarter of Douglas at least is returning to normal. Barely had the latest lockdown lifted, than this familiar sight appeared. Clothes fly-tipped on the door of a charity shop, which is making it quite clear that it is not open to receive donations. (AndContinue reading “Sour Charity”

Seasons of the Tholtan

As we emerged, blinking like bush babies from the latest lockdown, a friend suggested using our rediscovered freedom to go for a walk in the Manx countryside. As I live in the middle of Douglas, and therefore hadn’t left the town boundaries for eight weeks or so, this seemed an excellent idea. A bit ofContinue reading “Seasons of the Tholtan”