When Paul arrives at my house on Sunday, I’m actually in the process of putting my camera bag in the back of the car and I can direct him to park on the grass so Mum can get her car out if she needs to.

“Hi Alan, are we ready to go?”, he asks when he gets out of the car.

“Yes, I thought we’d head off right away, the weather might not hold for the whole of the day. I want to take advantage of the sunshine.”

“Are we going in this car?” He points to my blue Hyundai coupe, even though it is obvious as I have the hatchback open. I bought it because a friend was getting one. I’d never had a factory-new car before, but the deal on this one, a grey import from Japan, was too good to pass up. I struggled with the payments at first, but I loved it.

“Yes, if that’s okay with you. Actually, can I ask you a car-related question?”

“Sure?”

“Is your insurance in your own name?”

“Yes, Mum and Dad said it would have to be eventually, so we just started out right. It’s really expensive that way, but I’ll get my own no-claim discount in a couple of years.”

“Well, that’s great. We’ll have to pretend you don’t need the ‘R’ plates. You can drive.” I toss the keys to him casually. “Just resist the temptation to go too fast.”

“Oh, wow, really.”

“Yes, now get in before I change my mind. We have to make the most of this weather. You know the way to the glen?”

“Yes, I think so,” Paul says as he gets behind the wheel and adjusts the seat and mirror for his slightly larger frame.

We drive in silence for a few minutes, keeping within Paul’s licence-mandated speed limit. He concentrates on driving carefully and smoothly while he gets used to the clutch and steering.

“It’s so different to my little hatchback,” he tells me after a few miles. “Everything is so much more precise and positive. This thing drives like it’s on rails.”

“Yes, it is pretty new and has much bigger tyres than your little Vauxhall. You’re missing out on the best bit. It’ll really fly if you put your foot down, but you’re not allowed!”

“No, Alan, I got a little bit of that at that last stop sign. It really pulls when you start off doesn’t it.”

“Absolutely. It’s not really all that sporty as sports cars go, I like the fact that it’s practical enough for work as well. Even so, it can be really fun to push a bit and, like you said, everything is so tight and positive. It does bring the teenage hoodlum out in me occasionally.”

“That actually doesn’t sound like you at all. I can’t picture you as a teenage tear-away.”

“No, I probably never managed to fit into that niche, but I do like to drive very fast sometimes. Maybe I’ll drive back.”

We pass through Ramsey and continue south, up the hill through Ballure, then down in to Maughold, turning onto narrow country lanes towards our destination.

Ballaglass Glen has a small car park and the walking paths are quite well-kept and not too muddy, at least in the summer. It is one of my favourite locations, I love the ever-changing light and the gentle murmuring of the river as it flows quietly over cascades and small waterfalls. Now, in summer, it is a gentle trickle, but after a rainstorm or melting snow, it becomes a brown raging torrent that scours its bed clean and drags fallen tree-trunks down to wedge between the rounded rocks.

I don’t think Paul has ever walked the paths here just for the pleasure of the walk, but today he seems happy to take in the scenery and try and see it the way I do as I stop in strange locations to take oddly angled photographs of the varied light and tumbling waters.

“You really enjoy this, don’t you?” he asks as we take a short break on a convenient bench near the farthest extent of the network of paths. Above and to our right, the Electric Tram whistles as it approaches the halt above the glen on a steep embankment.

“Yes. I’m usually on my own out here. I enjoy the solitude and the creativity of taking photos. I’m free to concentrate on trying to see the scene differently, odd angles and particular plays of light.

“I guess I’m most often happy when I’m on my own. I don’t like crowds or social situations and this is a bit of an escape.” I glance in his direction and can see the start of a frown. “It can be nice to have company though! It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”

“You don’t mind me coming with you then? You just sounded like you would prefer to be on your own.”

“Absolutely not. It’s just not what I normally do, but I’m having a good time with you. I enjoy your company and it is a refreshing change of routine. I guess I’m just so used to being out on my own, just me with the camera, that it feels a little odd. Not bad, just odd.”

“I was afraid that I was imposing,” he sounds a little hesitant. “I don’t want you to think I’m pushing myself into your life or trying to take your time away from other things.”

“Hey, Paul, don’t think that way. Just because I’m happy to be on my own most of the time doesn’t mean that I don’t want to have friends to hang out with and chat to. Honestly, I struggle to make friends usually and you have managed to break that barrier down.”

“Okay, that’s alright then.”

“Yes, it is.” I place my hand on his knee to lever myself back on to my feet, causing him to look down at my hand. “Come on, let’s head back to the car by the path on the other side of the stream.”

“I can understand you enjoying the solitude. I don’t particularly like to spend all my time on my own, but making friends can be hard. We’ve moved around a lot over the years, it’s hard to connect with new people each time you move, especially at a new school.”

“Yes, Paul. I felt the same when we returned to the Island. My step-dad is from Manchester and we lived there for a about five years. Came back when I was eleven, to go to a better secondary school.”

“But you are Manx, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yes. Probably as Manx as they come. All local as far back as I’ve ever been told about. My Father’s family were farmers. He was killed in an accident when I was four.”

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”

“It was awful,” I can’t stop a little blurriness of vision as I tear up a little. “But it’s a long time ago now and Dad’s been a pretty good replacement.”

“Sorry, don’t talk about it if it hurts.” Paul places a hand on my shoulder and pats a couple of times. “Did you still know anyone when you came back from England, friends from before you went away?”

“One or two, but we never really re-connected. Five years away at that age is a long time. I did make a few friends at school, but they were school friends and when I left, we just never kept in touch. Most of them went off to university and I didn’t want to. Actually, I don’t think many of them came back.”

“Yes, I know what that’s like. I don’t really have any contact with the kids from my last school either. I do have a few friends here, they’re mostly still at school, going to do their A-levels, but we do try and keep up with each other.”

“Well, it has become so much easier to keep in touch these days, with email and mobile phones.”

“Oh, fuck. You didn’t even have mobile phones when you were my age. That’s so weird.”

“Hey, I’m not that old, it’s just that technology moves at such a fantastic pace. The world changes before you know it.”

I drive back, adjusting the seat back to my own most comfortable position. Once back through the Ramsey traffic and out of the speed restrictions, I knock it down into third gear and press my foot to the floor. The 140 or so horses beneath the bonnet are unleashed and the engine screams towards the redline.

Within a few seconds, we are in top gear and flying along at more than 100 miles per hour. The car is planted on the road and will go faster, but the road is bumpy and the straight bits are coming to an end. I can’t explain what a delight it is to live in a country with no national speed limit. Once you hit that end of restriction sign, you are free to do whatever speed is safe. Don’t get caught doing anything silly though, as the punishment can be severe and very costly.

“Fucking hell!” Paul cries as we accelerate, a huge grin spreading across his face. “I know you said it can shift, but you could have warned me.”

“Fun, isn’t it?”

“Hell yes!”

Summer passes quickly, with a couple of further photographic walking excursions for the two of us. I feel that we are really starting to be friends, happy to just spend time in each other’s company, whether talking or in silence.

Paul came in to the house when we were done with our first walk and met my parents. I’ve never felt the need to move out and probably wouldn’t have had the confidence to do so in any case. We live in a big government-owned property with plenty of space for my parents, my brother and myself. Dad had to take early retirement after a heart attack and Mum works just a couple of days in the local shop.

The house is too big for the four of us really, but we’ve been here for long enough to want to stay. Indeed, there’s enough space for me to have the biggest bedroom as an office/lounge and then one of the smaller rooms for sleeping.

Paul loves the office setup. I’ve a couple of corner desks with my main and secondary PCs set up. This fills one end of the large room and a large couch and a big projection screen to act as a home cinema fill out other end, surrounded by cabinets and shelves.

“We’ll have to watch a movie sometime,” he tells me when he sees the setup. “When I have a bit more time.”

“Sure. I have hundreds on the file server and the projector is hooked up to a PC to access all of them. You’ll have to tell me when you have an evening free and we’ll have a proper movie night with popcorn and everything.”

“You have so much tech!” he mutters as he takes in the contents of my desks.

“Yeah, I can’t resist. Part of it comes with the job, but a lot of it is just me wanting to have things. The hi-fi system components are more than fifteen years old now, as are the big speakers. I love the idea of having the movies and TV shows on tap. I’ve converted most of the movies from DVD myself, but there are one or two pirates as well.

“The internet is so slow to download them though. We’re supposed to be getting faster broadband early next year. I can’t wait.

“Apart from that, all the computer stuff is excused by work. I need multiple screens to do the website design stuff and I can’t tie up the machine doing video all the time, hence the second system.”

“Well, as you know, we just have the family computer at home, but I’m thinking of getting a laptop for myself. A phone screen isn’t much good for movies and stuff.”

“Yes, Paul, you probably need your own computer for your college work as well. I’m not a laptop fan myself, never really found a need to have one, I suppose. If you need any help or advice about one though, you know you only have to ask. I might even be able to get you a trade discount from our main supplier. Tony, our rep there, did me a great deal on the three identical monitors.”