Olive Flowers North Fife

The Olive Buds are now in flower, I gave them a wee shake and the pollen cascaded down, I hope that will do the trick.

Olives North Fife

I purchased a wee Olive tree 2 years ago, potted it lived in a poly tunnel over the last prolonged winter, this year it has produced over a thousand flower buds. Apparently they are pollinated by insects and wind in a dry atmosphere. Now in a greenhouse (less moist than the poly tunnel) I've got my fingers crossed for a productive outcome. I'm on a learning curve and would appreciate any helpful advice on management.

Vapour trail North Fife

Vapour trail North Fife, we see them all the time, this one though has a North South trajectory , normally they scribe an oblique line in the sky.

A condensation trail, also called a vapour trail, forms at altitudes above 25,000 feet in temperatures below -40 degrees when engine exhaust condenses into ice crystals, creating an artificial cirrus cloud. Water is produced by hydrocarbon burning engines in about the same quantity as fuel consumed, and in the right conditions, this extra addition of water into the air pushes the water vapor past the saturation point, and condensation occurs. It takes a moment to happen, which accounts for the contrail appearing a short distance behind the aircraft, rather than immediately. Contrails can also be caused at high altitudes by the extreme low pressure areas created by wingtip vortices, which reduce the temperature enough to condense the existing moisture in the air. I bet you're glad to know that.

Letter Design, Letter Drawing, Letter Carving Workshop Newburgh North Fife

Once again John Neilson tutors a successful 5 day course on letter design drawing and carving in the project space at the Steeple, Newburgh, North Fife.

 

Carving Slate. 

Carving Sandstone. 

Carving Slate.

In stone, tap tap tapping away.

2+ days were taken designing Roman Italic lower case lettering through pen calligraphy then drawing, repetition of making letter forms is essential, hand / eye coordination becomes natural and fluid. Carving them in stone is another set of disciplines also mastered through repetition and a good tutor.

 John Neilson overseeing a participant.

This course was organised by The Lettering and Commemorative Arts Trust. Click to see more.

Romney Sheep North Fife

New Zealand Romney sheep in a field opposite my home. They belong to James Oswald my good neighbour.

What do you want?

Possibly nervous at my approach this lamb takes succour with a wee sook.... Baaaar.

What a quizzical look.

Emboldened they comfortably graze.

A year from now someone could be eating me!

Ornamental Poppies North Fife

Poppies, there are hundreds of kinds, short lived flowers but worth having them around in the garden.

 

The next day  15 hours later, all was revealed. Once you have them in a garden they do indeed pop up for years, the seeds capable of germinating after decades of dormancy. The trigger is light, disturb the soil and Hey Presto, as in the 1st world war, the killing fields cratered and blasted by shell fire blossomed in profusion with field poppies. Now an icon for remembrance day.

Poppies are used in cooking, the seeds in bread for example and many other uses. The poppies main use is in medicine. A panacea for many ailments.

Egyptian Walking Onions

Tree onions, Allium ×proliferum, are similar to common onions, but with a cluster of bulblets where a normal onion would have flowers.

They are also commonly called top onions, topsetting onions, walking onions, or Egyptian onions. Tree onion bulblets will sprout and grow while still on the original stalk, which may bend down under the weight of the new growth and take root some distance from the parent plant, giving rise to the name walking onion.

A few were planted 3 years ago and they've been marching along big style ever since. We eat the stems as chives or spring onion, the bulbs pickled or just as onion cooked.

Tayview June 16th North Fife

At last there's the feel of summer, much warmer, flowers abound, everywhere is really green. The sun shines intermittently through the cloud blessing us all.

Looking West.

Looking East to the Sidlaws, notice the clouds. Ordinary Nimbus.

To the South a different kind of Nimbus,  Asperatus Clouds (Undulatus asperatus) my head can be often in the clouds but this kind is not frequent.

 

Hawthorn North Fife 2013

Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) a pink variety. May Blossom so called, it is the middle of June for goodness sake. Roadsides, field boundaries and randomly scattered examples shout their presence with wonderful displays of flowers, usually they're white, (Crataegus monogyna) both have red berries providing a plentiful food supply for birds.

Crataegus laevigata

Crataegus monogyna

Coble Boat Races Newburgh 2013

Senior heats underway

Battling against the strong winds and tide at the turn point.

and each other.

No 3 looses an oar.

Retrieved and put back in place.

Digging deep

 

Second heat start.

Less drag when you're flying.

 

 

Finishing.

Ladies Race, after much milling around and getting into line, it started. Heading upstream first.

They're off.

No2  clear winners, composed start and drawn closest to the shore (always an advantage).

A good time of under 5 minutes.

Second place....No 1

3rd place

4th place

5th place

A good day. Archive quality, high resolution prints of any photograph can be provided. Mail Me.