Samye Ling Tea Party 2009

Samye Ling annual tea party held on the nearest weekend to the 8th August in commemoration of the inauguration of the Shrine room in 1988. Since 1975 I have been closely involved in the development of Samye Ling Tibetan Centre as a contributor and beneficiary. I am always delighted to visit, catch up with friends and eat cake.

The Cake, multi layered sponge fresh cream with fresh fruits and flowers, enough for the hundreds of guests to enjoy.

Lotus like Lilly flowers bloom in the water surrounding a statue of Guru Rimpoche at Samye Ling.

The Right Honourable David Steel Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC engrossed in conversation with Lama Yeshey Abbot of Samye Ling.

Sherab Palden Beru, Master artist painter and teacher of thanka painting now 90 with Yanchen Tarap wife of Akong Rinpoche.

Dolkar singing a traditional Tibetan song.


Nawand Tashi and Dolkar in action.




David White playing Union pipes at Samye Ling tea party.



A superb wood carving of the Karma Kagyu Lineage and protectors.

Milarepa in touch the material way, courtesy Andrew Gordon.

John and Alice Maxwell entertain at the Samye Ling Tea Party.



Shrine Room doorway. Samye Ling Tibetan Centre Eskdalemuir Scotland. Go inside to discover oneself.

A group of early Samye Ling builders with Akong Rinpoche and Sherab Palden Beru.

Flisk North Fife Aug 2009

Another really pleasant day at Flisk North Fife. Warm, nil wind, no Jets or Helicopters and lots of natural activity.

Normally the Burnished Brass moth is a dusk time flyer but here tucking into a withering daisey.

Wood Wasp laying her eggs through her ovipositor which probes deep into wood where the larva will hatch and munch away sometimes for years before pupating and hatching as a winged wasp.

Tay Sky forever different here in North Fife.

Eden Estuary Nature Reserve North Fife

On my way to The Eden Estuary Nature Reserve my attention was frequently drawn to the candy-floss clouds over the River Tay.







Inner Bridge spans Motray water as it joins the Eden Estuary. Motray water begins below Craigsimmie, less than a mile from my home, flowing through Brunton, Luthrie, Rathillet,north through Kilmany then meandering south by Leuchars to Guardbridge.

A wee trickle at Brunton but even here brown trout can be seen.

Mullein Eden estuary along with dock seeds and willowherb.

Of the Butterflies seen today, Small Heath, Common Blue, Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Meadow brown and Small Copper, I only managed to capture on camera what you see. When it's really warm these flying beauties are very skittish as are the silverY moths.

This year around here the Painted Lady Butterfly seems to be dominant.

Tortoiseshell butterfly, far fewer this year.

Incoming to R.A.F. Leuchars after a spin around Scotland.

I had previously sat here and returned to this spot 2 miles later having discovered that I had lost the car keys. There is nothing like looking for a needle in a haystack. In the event they remain somewhere.



The Eden Estuary nature reserve Guardbridge North Fife at high tide.

Pittenweem Arts Festival Fife

Pittenweem Arts Festival 2009. For the first time ever I visited this truly wonderful display of artworks and events. Below are just a few of the venues, approaching 100 in all. If you appreciate arts and crafts, it's really worth a visit.

Angie Turner at venue 33.




Elaine Allison at Venue 33

Naboland To partake visit the site. Venue 30 at Pittenweem Arts Festival.


Reinhard's coat which features in his exhibitions.

Reinhard Behrens gleaming in in his in-house installation.


A water colour with Reinhard's submarine and Tibetans. Titled The Long Goodbye.

Margaret Smyth at Venue 30 with an oil painting by her of a view from a room above.



Kerstie Behrens tucked away in the garden shed.


Hamish Stewart Venue 63 images showing with Ian Rolland water colours. Accommodation in Pittenweem.

Susie Lancome at venue 80, really excellent linocuts and collages, worth a view.

Susan McGill at Venue 80 Pittenweem Arts Festival.

Tracy Butler at Venue 28 Pittenweem Arts Festival.

Josephine Gillespie at Venue 69 Pittenweem Arts Festival.

Gill Smith at Venue 76 Pittenweem Arts Festival.



Gill Smith with artwork.

Robert Melville Photographs. What a delight to come across Robert's exhibition of truly wonderful photos. Taken locally and depicting the rich images found usually very early in the morning, of storms, sun rises over Anstruther and Pittenweem, wildlife included. Truly worth a visit, displaying a sensitivity and appreciation of what is. The sort image I would be really happy to have taken myself. Robert is outside the main event, on the fringe but can be found at, 15 Abbey Road, Pittenweem, KY10 2NB. melville361@btinternet.com

Pittenweem looking North from the car park.

Self portraits North Fife

At present as I delve into the arts crafts realm in Pittenweem Fife and at the Tower Arts in Newburgh I am minded of my own past productions. Me thinks I would like to re-engage and create some new works. So Watch this space.

Self portraits in fire-clay, stone-ware fired boxes, part white glazed, iron oxide coated, paint and silver leaf. The bass relief contemporary, the head on a car suspension spring, Prophetic of my present.

East Neuk Fife Pittenweem

Pittenweem Harbour in The East Neuk of Fife. Pittenweem is about 30 minute drive from my home in North Fife and today I visited the Burgh to view the many exhibitions taking place.

Pittenweem Harbour showing the wholesale fish market building on the left.

Pittenweem visitors wander to view gallery after gallery.


Pittenweem sea front houses, some of which are venues for the art festival.

Road side natural art in Pittenweem.


One doesn't have to go far at any occasion in Scotland to be entertained by musicians. Here the Tackety Boot acoustic Duo.

Blue Door Gallery, Pittenweem.


Blue Door Gallery Pittenweem East Neuk. At present showing ceramic and wood turning work by Thomas Hopkins Gibson.