A games room made by pupils at Bunscoill Ghaelgagh as part of their school fair has raised £110 for Hospice Isle of Man.

Eight-year-old Lilee Fox was keen to support the charity to thank them for the support given to her granny before she died.

Lilee explained: ‘They were good games and they raised a lot of money.

‘In one game they had to role a coin to land on the North Pole. There was a shooting game called Grinch Busters, a calendar game where they had to guess a date and if that had been chosen they won a prize, guess the name of the guilley sniaghtee (snow boy), a lucky dip, a fruit piano where they had to complete circuits using fruit to power it and play Jingle Bells, throw a ball into a pot, pin the nose on Rudolf and choose the card with a carrot on to win a prize.’

Lilee thanked the pupils for making the games, which raised £44. The remainder of the money presented was raised by Lilee’s family.

The money will be used to buy arts and crafts materials at Hospice.

Plans to create a ‘destination venue’ for events at Ardonan Farm in Regaby have been refused at appeal.

Ardonan Estate Ltd applied to create a working country estate with 16 five-star tourist bed spaces, a new home from which Mr and Mrs Kerruish would live and administer the business, habitat improvements and space for marquees to be erected for events along with parking.

The plan (14/01308/B) was supported by the Department of Economic Development’s tourism division, which said the development would provide an ‘economic benefit from construction of about £2m and on-going benefits for the tourism sector and by local sourcing of food and drink’.

The whole application was originally refused, and at appeal, independent inspector Stephen Amos upheld the decision, adding two more reasons for the decision.

Now DEFA Minister Richard Ronan has allowed some aspects of the development but refused others.

Subject to a number of conditions, Self-catering tourist accommodation can be created at the ‘spud shed’ and the farmhouse can be used as tourist accommodation. A new road access can be created and works can be carried out to create or alter ponds, dubs and wetland areas.

But he refused approval for a new home to be built, which the applicant had described as ‘essential’.

And he refused the creation of a destination venue, saying it had not been established that nearby residents would be adequately protected from harm to their living conditions due to potential noise and general disturbance.

Andreas Commissioners had opposed the destination venue, saying it would be ‘out of keeping with the small, quiet hamlet’.

This picture was taken by our photographer Dave Kneale on Monday in Derby Square, Douglas, showing daffodils blooming early.

The flowers usually bloom in spring but the milder weather has led to it happening earlier.

A Ramsey Garden Centre spokesman said: ‘It’s not that rare to be honest. The weather is so mild at the moment we haven’t had any frost or frozen ground to slow the growing process down.

‘Some of our narcissus have been flowering since late November and we plant them for Christmas.

‘It’s just a natural process of them thinking it’s spring. Some places in England have had daffodils flowering since early December. Enjoy them they’re beautiful.’

Judy Matthews, from the Isle of Man Flower Festival committee, said: ‘I’m not an expert on this but I do know that daffodils seem to be in bloom all over the place this year, as a result of the long warm autumn and early winter.

‘Nature seems to have been fooled in many ways, as the Manx Hedgehog Conservation Society told us that the hedgehogs have been confused by the warm weather and have bred again, resulting in small hedgehogs who have not had the opportunity to build up sufficient resources to enable them to hibernate safely.

‘At least the daffodils will not have this problem!’

Sandy Huyton from the Manx Hedgehog Conservation Society said: ‘We have found that some hedgehogs haven’t hibernated through, They have been confused by the weather and woken up and the females have gone back into breeding after we had an Indian summer in September.

‘It is extremely worrying because if a deep frost comes they could get hypothermia.

‘We have six in foster care at the moment looking after underweight hedgehogs. Once they are all well enough we’ll be getting them together to release them back into to the wild.

‘We only set up the charity in May 2015 but we’ve had such an influx of people getting in touch.

‘All we can do is monitor the hedgehogs’ habits and engage with the public through education and awareness to find out how we can help in the best way.

‘Our Facebook page has almost 900 likes and there is a waiting list to become a foster carer so the engagement of the public has been great, a lot of lives have been saved. We’ll be looking to do more in the New Year.’

A Met Office spokesman at Ronaldsway Airport said: ‘December has indeed been significantly milder than average.

‘The long-term average daily maximum is around 9°C, but this year we’ve regularly seen temperatures of around 12°C, and a couple of days with 13°C.

‘Overnight minima have also been much higher than normal, and significantly for daffodils, the soil temperature is still up at 9°C at 30cm depth.

‘December is likely to be a record-breaker.’

The island seems to have escaped the worst of last night’s Storm Frank.

Adrian Cowin from the Met Office at Ronaldsway said that rainfall on Tuesday night was a ‘little less than predicted’.

He said: ‘Severe gales caused some minor damage, there were reports of a number of trees and a couple of power cables down.

‘Gales at the airport were recorded at 57mph with 65mph in Douglas and Peel Harbour.

‘As you would expect the highest gales were at Douglas breakwater where 73mph was recorded and between 76 and 84mph over the Mountain Road.

‘There was quite a range of rainfall recorded with between 10mm and 20mm, and 30 to 50mm over hills.

‘So it was a little less than we thought, but it was a close call.’

He said: ‘Watching the radar overnight the more persistant rain clobbered parts of Northern Ireland and southern Scotland and slid just past us.

‘Douglas Promenade and Shore Road in Gansey suffered some splashover with seaweed and stones left behind and this is expected again at around 2.30pm this afternoon.’

Talking about the next few days, Adrian said: ‘It will continue quite unsettled with gales at times and further bands of rain but just normal bands and there are no significant issues expected.’

Last night, police reported Glenfaba Road at The Raggatt being closed for a period while a fallen tree was removed and trees being down at Sulby Straight and Tholt-y-Will Road.

A nativity scene donated to Noble’s Hospital has proved popular with visitors and children.

The display was donated by St Mary’s Church in Douglas and Men in Sheds made a new crib. The scene is in the atrium at the hospital until January 4. Cooper Whitlam, aged 15 months, is pictured.

More than 120 island residents attended a quiz night and raised £5,000 for Manx Cancer Help.

The ‘Look for me in Rainbows’ event, held at The Outback in Douglas, was organised by Hannah Christie in memory of her mum who lost her battle with cancer in July this year.

The charity evening was named after the song played at Hannah’s mother’s funeral and was held on what would have been her 65th birthday.

More than 25 teams took part in the quiz and over 40 prizes were donated by local businesses for the auction.

A well-known island rally driver has died after falling ill at Cream nightclub’s Boxing Day closing party in Liverpool .

Merseyside Police today named 47-year-old Andrew Glaister as the second man to have died following the event at the Nation venue on Wolstenholme Square.

Tributes have been paid on social media to Mr Glaister, who lived in Ramsey and ran his own haulage company AGH Haulage.

He had been fighting for his life in hospital since the early hours of Sunday but died on Tuesday night.

A post mortem is due to take place this afternoon to establish cause of death.

The death of Mr Glaister follows that of 19-year-old John Milburn, an apprentice engineer from Crosby, Merseyside, who fell ill at the superclub that same night.

Both deaths continue to be treated as unexplained, said police.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Kameen said: ‘We have launched a comprehensive investigation into the tragic deaths of these two men. At this stage of the investigation, we are exploring a number of lines of enquiry, one being that they may be drug-related. It is however too early to say if the deaths are linked.

‘We are speaking with friends of both victims alongside staff and management from Nation nightclub, to establish the full circumstances surrounding the movements of both men that night. CCTV is being examined from the location and surrounding area.

‘I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind people of the dangers of taking illegal substances. We recognise our city’s nightclubs and bars will be busy over the coming days, especially on New Year’s Eve and I would like to remind people not to take any illegal drugs – you don’t know what’s in them or how they are going to affect you.’

Tributes have been paid on social media.

One reads: ‘Shell shocked like everyone else. Another great personality taken way too soon. RIP mate you will be sorely missed. Thoughts to the family at this difficult time.’

Another poster said: ‘I have only recently got to know Andy after he bought my ex Talbot Sunbeam rally car here in Ireland. He seemed such a lovely guy and would talk forever about rallying. I’m shocked to hear of his sudden death. Let’s hope there is plenty Funbeams in heaven. Sincerest condolences to all his family and friends. RIP Andy.’

A third said: ‘Such a shock this morning, so sad to hear that we’ve lost another legend. Rest in peace Andy Glaister thanks for all your help with the gigs, it’s been a pleasure. Our thoughts are with all of the family and friends, you will be missed. Xxxx.’

Mr Milburn’s grieving father Graham is demanding answers as to how his son died. He said: ‘He went to a party that night and he never came home.’

Cream first opened its doors at Nation in 1992. The venue is being demolished as part of a £40m redevelopment of Wolstenholme Square. Cream will be rebuilt there as a new subterranean superclub.

Despite missing the worst of Storm Frank the island has still been taking a battering from high winds today.

At the airport a lamp post snapped but luckily no-one was injured and there have been severe disruptions with flights at Ronaldsway.

Brett Turner, who witnessed the lamp post breaking and provided the photo said: ‘I was in the car park and the wind just caught the lamp post and bent it over.

‘Luckily no-one was near it at the time.’

Anyone travelling is advised to monitor departures and arrivals at Ronaldsway as many flights are delayed.

Visit the links below to check on flight times.

https://www.gov.im/categories/travel-traffic-and-motoring/isle-of-man-airport/flight-arrivals/

https://www.gov.im/categories/travel-traffic-and-motoring/isle-of-man-airport/flight-departures/

An investigation is being carried out at a nursing home in Ramsey after a woman died.

Police sent a statement to all the island’s media after a reporter from the Manx Independent made inquiries about the matter.

It reads: ‘On Friday, December 18, the police were informed of concerns regarding the treatment and care of a 95-year-old female resident of Beaconsfield Nursing Home who had passed away.

‘Working in partnership with the Department of Social Care Safeguarding Adults Team and management from Beaconsfield Nursing Home a joint investigation is being undertaken led by the Police examining the events leading up to the ladies (sic) death.

‘The management at Beaconsfield Nursing Home in consultation with the Department of Social Care registrations and inspections and safeguarding adults teams have taken the decision to suspend a number of staff as a precautionary measure while the investigation is ongoing.

‘The Coroner of Inquests has been notified and is aware of the ongoing investigation and a post mortem has been undertaken.

‘Enquiries are ongoing and at this time Detective Inspector Mark Newey, leading the investigation, has underlined that they are treating the death as unexplained. Due to the ongoing investigation the police are not able to make any further comment at this time.’

More in tomorrow’s Manx Independent.

The lower section of Summerhill Glen has been closed today (Wednesday) because of fallen and unsafe trees.

A council spokesman said they were unsure as yet when the section of the glen would reopen.

‘The council apologises for any inconvenience and asks the public to respect the fenced off areas for safety reasons,’ he said.

Hospice Isle of Man will be doing its bit for the environment by helping people to recycle real Christmas trees.

Trees can be collected by the charity’s team by registering on www.charityxmastreecollection.com and by paying a minimum donation of £5 per tree.

The team will collect the trees from outside people’s homes on January 6, 7 and 8.

Only the trees that have been registered and left outside can be collected.

All the trees will be taken to Ballaneven in Peel for crushing and recycling as compost.

Hospice thanked Richard Kneen for his help with this at Ballaneven.

Sharon Connor, the new events manager for the hospice, has persuaded Newfield, a local e-gaming company, which is also where her son works, to help.

Staff from the company will be helping to collect the trees and then load the them into vans .

Newfield director Mr Mark Reynolds said: ‘We are delighted that our staff have chosen to volunteer for this event.

‘Hospice Isle of Man is a wonderful charity, close to many of our hearts.

‘It is great to see that recycling used Christmas trees can have such a positive impact upon the lives of the people on the island and benefit the environment.’

Hospice thanked David Quayle of Athol Garage for the support of a van to collect the trees.

Next Chapter is a new Isle of Man business with an attention-grabbing USP – they provide customisable books for every chapter in your life.

The company has launched an online survey to gather input to its product development and wants as many responses as it can get to improve its market research.

Respondents who leave their email address, which is optional, will be entered into a prize draw as a reward for completing the survey. The survey takes about three minutes to complete at nextchapter.im

Next Chapter is planning a series of books about the major events in people’s lives.

Their first will be A Book For The Better Half – a light-hearted guide for bridegrooms-to-be on all the considerations to be taken into account between popping the question and departing for the honeymoon.

The book will be available as a standard imprint, and as a custom edition featuring the names and pictures of all the main participants whom the groom-to-be will need to interact with in the run-up to matrimony.

It will be available to order through the company’s website, where customers for the custom edition will be able to specify the personalisations for their unique gift book, and the company plans to also distribute the standard imprint through major retail booksellers.

Next Chapter is the trading name of Team Resonance, set up by Castle Rushen students as part of the Junior Achievement Company of The Year programme.

All of the team are investors in the company and they have raised substantial additional seed capital through running discos and associated food and drink sales to partygoers.

A new Captain of the Parish of German has officially been appointed at a ceremony at Government House.

Local businessman and charity volunteer Allen Charles Corlett was presented with his Warrant of Appointment and Badge of Office by Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood.

Mr Corlett, who has lived in the parish for more than 35 years and was born in Peel, has given service to the community in German through his work with many different organisations.

Most notably he serves as lifeboat operations manager with the RNLI at Peel and is a member of the Noble’s Hospital League of Friends, which helps purchase equipment, furniture and toys for the hospital and its patients.

As well as this, he has also held the post of chairman of the Manx Lottery Trust and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Rushen and Western Mann.

Mr Corlett, who is managing director of building company Corletts, said: ‘I am privileged to live in the parish of German and I am very honoured to accept this role.’

Talking about the ceremony he said: ‘It was very emotional simply because it’s not something I thought I would ever do. I am very passionate about the Isle of Man and the role is long established since the Vikings - I am very excited!’

The Captain of the Parish can be traced back to Viking times when the Captain would command the island’s civil military forces.

Nowadays the role includes attending the Tynwald Day ceremony at Tynwald Hill on July 5 and calling and chairing requisition meetings in the parish.

Voters must make a formal request in writing to the Captain, who will then invite candidates to address voters and answer any questions they may have at the meeting.

‘I think it’s about being a non-political focus in the parish, if people need help or if groups need bringing together,’ Mr Corlett said.

The businessman succeeds the late John Kennaugh as the new parish official. Mr Kennaugh was a well-known Manx farmer in the island and held the post from 1992.

He was a Justice of the Peace for 24 years and was the longest-serving German commissioner having been first elected more than 40 years ago. He was also awarded lifetime membership to the Manx National Farmers’ Union for which he was president of for 10 years.

TT legend John McGuinness is set to have a special mural made dedicated to his TT race history in his hometown of Morecambe.

Images of the 23-times TT winner will be painted in the style of a newspaper page on the wall of a Morecambe barber shop in the Lancashire town.

John, known as ‘The Morecambe Missile’, told The Morecambe Visitor: ‘The designer has been round to my house with some ideas and it’s going to be really cool. It would be great if it could be done in time for the TT next May.’

In this year’s races, the TT star took home first place trophies in the Pokerstars Senior TT Race and the SES TT Zero Challenge, and smashed the lap record on the second lap of the senior race with a speed of 132.701mph.

As well as this, the motorcycle rider came in fourth place in the RST Superbike TT, seventh in the Monster Energy Supersport TT 1 and eighth in the Supersport TT 2 motorbike races.

The new mural is hoped to draw tourists and motorcycle enthusiasts to the seaside town on their way to the island for the races, which takes place from May 28 to June 10 next year.

The giant collage of images will be drawn by London based illustrator Ben Tallon and is part of an art project called Victoria Press.

Elena Gifford of Deco Publique, co-ordinators of the art project, told The Morecambe Visitor: ‘It’s really important to us that John likes it. He’s been really good at giving us advice and he’s been so supportive.

‘He’s going to help us promote that area to the thousands of people who come to Morecambe.’

The Victoria Press project will tell the story of the town’s history through a series of different artworks.

Each piece will be in the style of a newspaper page as a tribute to the former home of the Morecambe Visitor Newspaper.

The new pieces of artwork aim to transform the look of the town centre to create a heritage attraction to pull people into Morecambe.

Work for the mural dedicated to the TT star is set to begin next year.

To find out more about next year’s TT races visit www.iomtt.com or visit the ‘Isle of Man TT’ page on Facebook.

There’s an interview with the Chief Minister in this week’s Manx Independent.

He tells us what he’s been pleased with in his administration so far, and what he’s found frustrating.

We also ask him whether he’s planning to stand in next year’s general election.

The lead story in the paper is the inquiry into the death of a woman at a nursing home in Ramsey.

There’s also the second part of our photo review of the year. The first part was in the Examiner earlier this week.

The Manx Independent is in the shops now.

Laxey resident Steve Partington took these pictures of the Snaefell mountain railway when he took a walk on Sunday.

He told the Manx Independent: ‘We weren’t out looking for damage, we just went out for a walk and came upon it. As you can see from the photographs, it’s not far up from the Laxey Wheel. You can see where the rush of water has washed stuff away and down on to the railway tracks. It got worse as you went further up.

‘There’s obviously been an awful lat of water. I’m no engineer but it looked like a lot of stones all over the tracks that will need clearing at least.’

The railway is set to reopen for the summer season on Thursday, March 24.

Notwithstanding some impassioned rhetoric from David Cameron at COP21 on the need to take vigorous action to fight climate change, he’s presiding over some of the most shocking slash-and-burn tactics against the renewables industry, since Margaret Thatcher routed the coal mines.

So this month, instead of focusing on a single issue, I thought I’d give a summary of what’s been happening in environmental regulation in the UK - and what it says about that government’s approach to protecting its people’s environment.

Air Quality

On December 17, DEFRA published draft air quality plans to control nitrogen dioxide. This is an overview document, setting out how the UK will improve air quality and achieve the NO2 limits which it must, under the EU Air Quality Directive 2008. It also published 38 individual air quality plans, for different areas in the UK. Did they do this out of concern for their citizens’ health?

They did not. Instead, it’s in response to a decision I reported on earlier this year - the Supreme Court’s ruling of in April 2015, which ordered the government to prepare new air quality plans by December 31 2015. Yay! Score 1 for clean air! The UK government also says it intends to introduce legislation requiring five cities to implement clean air zones by 2020, and will consult on its proposals in 2016.

Renewable Energy

In a new blow to the (until recently thriving) UK renewables industry, which has been creating masses of new jobs whilst relying on tiny subsidies compared to those for the fossil fuel industry, the Department of Energy and Climate Change published its response to August’s consultation on a fundamental review of feed-in tariffs (FITs) for smaller-scale renewable electricity generation (the schemes that tend to be community-owned as opposed to feeding big business....). The government said it will slash FITs for new solar PV, hydro and wind projects, and withdraw FITs for extensions to existing projects from January 15 2016.

Fracking

On December 17 2015, the Department for Communities and Local Government responded to its August 2015 consultation on ‘permitted development rights’ for drilling boreholes for shale gas exploration in England. On the same day, amidst howls of protest from Middle England, the Oil and Gas Authority also announced its 14th round of onshore oil and gas licences and updated its ‘regulatory roadmap’. It offered licences for a staggering 159 blocks. Press response to this was explosive: on that day I was travelling back on the train from the UK, and happened to pick up Metro – the freesheet for Londoners. Two whole sheets of the newspaper were dedicated to the public’s outpourings of rage – the government has even broken its original promise not to allow shale fracking under National Parks and in areas where drinking water could be contaminated. This is a massive expansion in the number of shale gas exploratory licences granted (up from from 137 to 230), with some of the blocks located in wildlife and habitat protected areas.

The previous day, the UK’s Task Force on Shale Gas published its final report into the potential for fracking in the UK. It indicated that test drilling should start ‘as soon as possible’, to let developers map the size and profitableness of fracking the UK.

Financial Reporting

On December 15 2015, the Financial Reporting Council published a ‘letter of advice’ to the audit committee chairs of larger listed companies. This suggests ways they can improve their reporting in 2015 annual accounts. On environmental issues, the FRC said that whilst investors don’t expect disclosure of all possible risks, it was surprised at how few disclosed climate change risks – a strong hint that companies need to sharpen their pencils here.

GMOs

The House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee issued a report on Genetically Modified Insects, calling on the government to launch a field trial of these beasties. Given how often plant GMOs ‘escape’ their trial sites and contaminate the local ecosystems, it’s seen by many as an accident waiting to happen. The report recommends that the government should:

- Invest in a GM insect field trial to test the science of GM insects.

- Initiate a programme of public engagement alongside the field trial, giving the public “the opportunity to understand the development of GM insect technologies and avoid the polarised debate that enveloped GM crop technologies” (ie, do some PR work)

- Consider alternative regulatory approaches in the light of this trial, because they think the EU rules for protecting people and ecosystems is too painful and damages companies’ profits)

- Support the commercialisation of UK-based GM insect research

The Ben-my-Chree is currently stuck outside Heysham harbour.

The Steam Packet says: ‘Due to the recent severe weather there is a submerged obstruction in the approach to the channel at Heysham.

‘The Ben-my-Chree will have to wait for sufficient clearance before she can approach safely.’

Every year King William’s College sets a baffling quiz for its pupils to complete during the Christmas holidays.

It is a huge challenge every year.

How many questions can you answer?

1 During 1951:

1 who developed an innovative equine?

2 what over-sized delivery brought joy to Dolly and Marty?

3 whose work was also recognised by Barnard and Matteucci?

4 which two spies in the cigar business faced the firing squad on the same morning?

5 whose determination to have no hatred or bitterness for anyone would be later set in stone?

6 which eponymous vessel met its Waterloo at the hands of an adversary, which had been an ally 100 years earlier?

7 where did the British deployment of Red Star backfire owing to inclement weather?

8 what yarn revealed the murderous activities of the Black Stone?

9 which former MO to the Pennywell Colliery passed away?

10 from what disaster did PL 11 rescue the first survivors?

2

1 who took prizes with canaries?

2 who was the victim of a cactus booby-trap?

3 who provided details of cadaveric rigidity from his copy of Dixon n Mann?

4 which product of the Royal Free was thought to have administered air emboli?

5 who lost his gold pince-nez in a stranger’s astrakhan collar during the rush-hour at Victoria?

6 who was one of the most exclusive hairdressers in the West End who produced an ivory-handled razor which travelled via Stamford?

7 which air pilot, carrying vital evidence from New York, came down near Whitehaven?

8 which Boer War veteran died from arsenic poisoning on 10th November?

9 who died as a result of acoustic bombardment by Batty Thomas et. Al?

10 who was saved by a dog-collar?

3

1 who was returned from Condaford in the general election?

2 in what election were 45 green umbrellas used to influence voters?

3 in which constituency was Mr Browborough’s election reversed due to bribery?

4 in which West Indian constituency was the election ‘sweetness done and turning sour’?

5 which crusader’s ultimate election was so prolonged that electors were threatened with starvation?

6 who won the election, having engineered the demise of the four favourites, and then chose self-cremation?

7 which MP for Aylesbury was expelled, but later headed the poll where he stood for Middlesex?

8 who spoke in support of the Liberal candidate in Brattleburn, a Tory stronghold?

9 whose supposedly forged red letter led to the Government’s electoral defeat?

10 whose election was declared by Albert Theophylus Despart-Smith?

4

1 where was the Tide Waiter based?

2 where was £53 million inappropriately acquired?

3 where did the blinded Gloucester attempt suicide?

4 where did Simpkinson lose his fiddle-patterned table spoons?

5 where is the circulation of blood nominally remembered in a hospital setting?

6 where, according to Lucy’s elder cousin and chaperone, were we all hopelessly behind the times?

7 where does a 20 second cycle operate from an octagonal tower?

8 where does the bell-tower resemble a three-tiered tepee?

9 what did Bradshaw liken to the victim of Vesuvius?

10 where is the home of the Episcopal digit?

5

1 what was built as a wayfarers’ chapel on the Via Devana?

2 what has occupied a site in Sheep Street for over 900 years?

3 which concert venue originally housed a turntable of the LNWR?

4 where does a circular tour reveal numerous examples of Jurassic geology?

5 which building is based on the plans of Mario Asprucci, commissioned by the Bishop of Derry?

6 which edifice, formerly housing a Science Library, owned its building to an Old Savilian physician’s bequest?

7 where did midwifery give way, through a Gate, to a diplomatic film venue?

8 in which little village did the Knights of St John build their church?

9 where did Campbell create a copy of the Villa Almerico Capra?

10 where did Rienzi initiate an annual festival 120 years ago?

6

1 which line is left where for buns?

2 where did the express train draw up unwontedly?

3 on what railroad do livestock pass free through the toll gate?

4 to what do the words ‘Jamme, jamme, ‘ncoppa, jamme ja apply?

5 where did the convict, and the boy with violin go on till the train came in?

6 whence the goods, delaying the eight o’clock excursion train for an hour (or more)?

7 what station was the Catalan surrealist’s ‘Centre of the Universe’?

8 where, in reality, did Celia and Trevor enjoy a short relationship?

9 where was the Normandy train’s arrival depicted?

10 where did Nordens Strauss locate his gallop?

7

1 what is St Anthony’s sister?

2 where might Beetle Drivers be particularly popular?

3 what enquiry elicited the reply ‘I am George, I am’?

4 what has an almost unique tolerance of a diterpene-rich diet?

5 which named canid may be observed by the congregation at Kirk Andreas?

6 who confronted Lungri at the cave mouth, claiming possession of the man’s cub?

7 who described a silent nocturnal interment on a Galician rampart?

8 what was, in 1972, uniquely surmounted by a helipad?

9 the death of which hero is remembered in Matlock?

10 which establishment dominates the Mittelhaardt?

8

1 who named his daughter after Great Aunt Betsey?

2 who was called the Tee’d Ball by the young advocates?

3 where were Middle Easteren differences settled ‘with one accord’?

4 which ‘King’ lost his life in the battle across the river from San Antonio?

5 whose cardiectomy remnant was interred beneath an example of Chlorophora excelsa?

6 which leading Covenanter was hung, drawn and quartered for complicity in an archiepiscopal murder?

7 who witnessed the suicide of the kaffir king and Christian minister in the Rooirand cave?

8 which hairy little man with pink lips and a wall eye came out of the sun?

9 who received an apparently well-deserved caprine nickname?

10 who underwent a nocturnal mammary transformation?

9

1 what was the undoing of Sir Claude Amory?

2 what is appropriately marketed in pellet form?

3 what crimson infusion has hypotensive properties?

4 what beverage’s infallibility bore a papal comparison?

5 what did the Rocky Mountain fur-trapper consider to be superior to whisky?

6 what was brought to the incarcerated Bufo following the bubble-and-squeak?

7 with what did his mother dose Peter on his escape from the garden?

8 what is the choice of the precious Gaborone detective?

9 what citrous concoction recalls a great reformer?

10 what spots characterise von Recklinghausen?

10

1 what was partnered on bended knee?

2 which two protagonists share a liking for Allie?

3 how was Miss Languish’s strong will described by her aunt?

4 what name was given by Disney to Barrie’s anonymous reptile?

5 who maintained that he who trusts a woman will walk on duckweed in a pool?

6 who displayed his distinctive motif when winning for the second time at West Side?

7 what suffered solar destruction following pachydermal confrontation?

8 who enjoyed a fusion initially with Horus, and later with Ra?

9 who changed hands while crossing the Irish Sea?

10 which island trio has reptilian etymology?

11

1 what were the pipe-cleaners stolen from Uncle Jim?

2 why might the jay wrongly be seen as more precious than the lark?

3 what characterised the little men apart from coloured jacket and cap?

4 what was the crest of Blind John, adopted by the victorious leader after the battle in 1346?

5 what, developed by Rex and Cromie, owed its name to Harold, and brought immediate success for Geoff?

6 what, in addition to the Yellow Jacket did the British commander receive after victory at Changzhou Fu?

7 in what tale does David, living with his parents at Firetown, receive a rifle for his fourteenth birthday?

8 in what tale did Joseppi stumble out the Musoline Overture on a zither in Wadi Halfa?

9 which scarecrow was created by a pipe-smoking New England witch?

10 which clandestine group saved Ran on the edge of Exmoore?

12 Which code name was given to the agent who:

1 thwarted weitsprung?

2 faked the demolition of the Mosquito factory?

3 warned the High Command of the threat from FUSAG?

4 threatened revelation following the death of her beloved dog?

5 successfully misled Rommel and employed his notional girlfriend Misanthrope?

6 photographed Sir Hughe’s secret papers and was rewarded with counterfeit sterling?

7 began by proving himself to the Abwehr with a report on Pierre Laval?

8 nearly blew it when he mistakenly confused Glass and Sand?

9 was known as Leonhard by his German paymasters?

10 later dug up artefacts in Corsica?

13

1 what does the Bard credit with subtlety?

2 where does Kitchener have an Elephantine companion?

3 where did pigeon-shooting lead to inappropriate British reprisals?

4 where did Mrs Doyle narrowly escape death from a falling boulder

5 where was the P. & O. liner Mongolia expected at 11 am on Wednesday October 9th?

6 where did the French lieutenant find the trilingual text which provided the key to understanding the ancient scripts?

7 for what was Rigoletto substituted for the opening of the Opera House?

8 which heir presumptive drowned when his train fell into the river?

9 where did Wustenfuchs’s substitute suffer a fatal heart attack?

10 where did Giocante stand on the burning deck?

14

The etymology of which country’s name:

1 rules out mendacity?

2 describes littoral wealth?

3 suggests sacred insularity?

4 recalls the Dude’s favourite cocktail?

5 shows the long reach of a Basque windmill?

6 misrenders the name of an East India Company captain?

7 derives from pachydermal slaughter?

8 derives from crustacean abundance?

9 warns of shallow waters?

10 has lunar connections?

15

1 what Viennese dance celebrated 26th July?

2 who responded to news of the lugger in Kitts Hole?

3 what reckless delight is enhanced by an abundance of Xeres?

4 in what did the snail decline the whiting’s invitation to take part?

5 in which morbid exercise does a xylophone represent an osseous rattle?

6 what famous dance sequence precedes Grimaldo’s attempt on the life of Badoero?

7 who ‘waltzed’ in happy anticipation of a rendezvous with Marianne?

8 in what did two geriatrics rekindle their love in West Yorkshire?

9 in what pas de deux does Pertussis seem to participate?

10 what was sung from the shade of a Coolibah?

16 What:

1 day shares with Bridget?

2 did Ramsay combine with Turtle Soup?

3 was named after Margaretha, Martha and Astrid?

4 was inspired through an invitation to see Elsa of Brabant?

5 was Tom’s intended fate prior to his rescue from beneath the attic?

6 according to the Captain, always ate better if it did not scald your gullet?

7 is a sweetened combination of egg yolk and a Sicilian wine?

8 creation formerly had the sobriquet ‘solognotte’?

9 do Margrethe’s subjects use as a shibboleth?

10 moistens the lip and brightens the eye?

17

1 on what was Smiler fed?

2 where is the vanelline source of ferruginous waters?

3 whose scholarly woodpecker was a wooden bookend?

4 where, according to Bede, as Adda’s brother the Abbots?

5 what was given its name by Lamancha owing to the execrable food and wine?

6 where was she heard singing about her laddie’s blue bonnet and dimpled chin?

7 to which establishment was the frisky prentice hauled with fanfares?

8 where in 1940 were tables for two laid as tables for four?

9 what was earned by William and discarded by Tony?

10 whence the Cholmeleians?

18 During 2015

1 which popular character fell to a Minnesota toxophilite?

2 whose crown-scarred skull has found a final resting place?

3 where has a polychrome hybrid of Galanthus been relaunched?

4 which archiepiscopal foundation has closed its doors after 432 years?

5 for which sleuth has his luscinial escapade now turned out to be his swan song?

6 which anthem, played in error, was equally erroneously attributed to Kazakhstan?

7 which six-times winner did his final lap almost 65 years after his first victory?

8 how has Suffragette militancy progressed to Suffragen achievement?

9 how did a redesigned garden contribute to gold in China?

10 how has Bellerophon returned at the expense of Aquila?

Storms lashed the Isle of Man yesterday.

Mike Wade took this video in Castletown, while reader Mike Radcliffe took these photos there.