St Andrews Day St Andrews 2009

Cheerful parking attendants keeping the West Port end of South Street clear of traffic in readiness for tonight's ceilidh and torch lit parade in St Andrews North Fife.

Market Square St Andrews.


A nice change from the bagpipes to hear the melodic soft sounds of the flute for the enjoyment of passers by on South Street St Andrews.

Off South Street St Andrews today.


Almost full moon over the North Sea from St Andrews.


St Andrews Castle and Sea, St Andrews day and a chilly one at that with the odd surfer enjoying the swell.

Home November North Fife

Silver and gold working bench at home, untouched for over a year due to other pursuits and interests. I am amazed to see cobwebs heralding the fact. Every picture tells a story.

Tara's room, having done her French horn practice she abandons the room to enjoy the comfort and warmth of the fire and television diversions.

North Howe Transition Toun Library in Monimail Tower

On Sunday 22november a community library was opened, instigated by the North Howe Transition Toun movement and housed in Monimail Tower North Fife.

The Library occupies the top floor of this 16th century tower and is accessed by this narrow spiral stone staircase above the room which displays much historic information.

Already there are many books donated which can be borrowed or read in the comfortable wood-stove heated library.





Poetry readings, music, singing, story telling took place for the entertainment of all.




To celebrate people gathered and enjoyed refreshments and thankfully the weather was kind.

Kirkcaldy view Fife

As viewed from the North on the esplanade Kirkcaldy Fife
Inchkeith (Gaelic: Innis Cheith) is an island in the Firth of Forth, Scotland. It is part of Fife.
Inchkeith has had a colourful history as a result of its proximity to Edinburgh and strategic location for use as home for a lighthouse and for military purposes defending the Firth of Forth for attack from shipping, and more recently protecting the upstream Forth Road Bridge, and Rosyth Dockyard. Inchkeith has by some accounts has been inhabited (intermittently) for almost 1800 years.
Inchkeith is approximately half the size of the Isle of May at the mouth of the Firth, but is higher. Beyond and to the West are Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat which is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park, a remarkably wild piece of highland landscape in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, about a mile to the East of Edinburgh Castle. The hill rises above the city to a height of 251 m (820 ft). In between are a small group of rocks called East Vows.

Anstruther setting winter sun

Looking South from Anstruther East Nuek of Fife,late afternoon over the Firth of Forth. Anstruther is the home of The Scottish Fisheries Museum and boat connection the Isle of May.


The setting Sun from Anstruther on a coldish, windy November day.

The River Tay November 18th

The River Tay by Newburgh North Fife November 18th. A dreich day, dull, murky, cold, wet of a kind that finds ageing joints without much feeling good factor. We have had huge rainfalls along with the rest of the UK leaving much standing water on the land and on the road to Newburgh springs have erupted forcing up the tarmacadam creating ever deeper holes assisted by road traffic. The weather being what it is will change for the better or worse, a tiny impact compared to so many other places. It seems we are into a sustained period of extremes.

Arriving Geese at Flisk North Fife.

16th Karmapa

16th Gyalwa Karmapa. His Holiness Rangjung Rigpe Dorje died on November 5th 1981 in the film posted below one can gain insight into his powerful spiritual presence and stature. In 1978 and 1980 I had the great fortune to spend many months photographing His Holiness, The regents, Shamar Rimpoche, Jamgon Khongtrul Rimpoche, Gyaltsap Rimpoche, Situ Rimpoche and many others of the Karma Kargyudpa Lineage. Monks, Paintings, Rupas, Texts dances etc. The experience was transforming. Gregg Eller's film has sparked and rekindled those memories for which I am very thankful. I retain an archive of large format photographs of those times which can be now printed up to A2 Giclee on archive quality heavyweight paper, if you so wish.

Recalling A Buddha, a film by Gregg Eller. The life story of the Sixteenth Karmapa is told by those close to him in Tibet, the generation of teachers that he trained and many others that he touched. This feature-length film looks closely at enlightened qualities and examines them in the context of historical events such as the fall of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism's migration to the West.

How Karmapa lived and how he died gives us the example of an awakened being: a person with a noble heart.

The DVD includes two hours of Extras material:

1. Interview with a Buddha: Karmapa XVI, Jamgon Kongtrul and Karmapa's retunie appeared on a half hour talk show. The entire program is the extra.
2. The Ceremony of the Vajra Crown: In 1980, a director who would later be nominated for an Oscar filmed the Black Crown ceremony in beautiful 16mm color.
3. The Line of Karmapas: Thrangu Rinpoche, senior teacher of the Karma Kagyu lineage, eminent scholar Gene Smith, and Beru Khyentse Rinpoche share thoughts on the previous 15 incarnations of Karmapas.
4. Preserving the Dharma Texts: H.E. Shamar Rinpoche and Gene Smith recount the partnership between the Sixteenth Karmapa and the U.S. Library of Congress to reprint sacred texts brought out of Tibet and made available to the newly forming monasteries in Asia.
5. Rumtek: various "alumni" of Rumtek monastery, seat of the Karmapas share memories of living in a high concentration of realized masters.
6. Connecting to Karmapa: Westerners who entered the mandala of the Karmapa share how they came to relate to the Sixteenth Karmapa.

Makers Market The Steeple Newburgh North Fife

Today at The Steeple Arts studios and project space in Newburgh North Fife. A tremendously successful Makers Market took place. Thanks largely to the promotion by Twist and Fibre Craft Studios.
Those who displayed were:- Jim Shears, Gavin and Nicola Burnet, Feltastic, Bruce Shaw, John McWilliams, Jacqueline Keronka, Sarah Jacobs, Moyra Stewart, Chris Drewer, Barnie Maggio, Josephine Gillespie, Ruth Atkinson, Caroline John, Jean Calder, Sue Davis, Budzi Bags with excellent beverages, soups, cakes etc provided by Hatters Tearoom of Newburgh.




















Makers Market The Steeple Newburgh North Fife.

Meg C Weeks Paintings Newburgh north Fife

An Exhibition of Paintings from Newburgh and beyond by Meg C Weeks. A talented young American Artist spent October as Artist in Residence at The Steeple WASP Studios, Newburgh, North Fife culminating in an exhibition of oil paintings executed in the field.
Meg can be contacted:- www.megcweeks.com

By Newburgh North Fife.


Exhibition of paintings, Newburgh and environs executed October 2009 by Meg C Weeks.

Creativefife Awards 2009

A very delighted Mary Ann Orr and Lauren duPreez at the Creativefife Awards 2009 ceremony Glenrothes.

Twenty four finalists in all categories made presentations and a difficult decision resulted in Budzi Bags being the outright winner.

The symbolic trophy, "An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come" Victor Hugo.


Explanation of the product and submission to Creativefife Annual awards 2009

Feeling Sheepish North Fife

Today I was delighted to come across this wonderful video. It has completely assuaged my antipathy towards the Welsh. Take the time to enjoy this really creative, clever, humorous video. If there is such a thing as Oscars for video production, then surely this must be a candidate. Go on spoil yourself. It beats dancing bears, dogs through hoops, just about most things and you don't need wellies to enjoy.

Remembrance Day Newburgh North Fife 2009

The War Memorial on Remembrance Day Newburgh North Fife 2009. The end of the day in the setting sun the memorial remained silent. On Remembrance Sunday the weather was kind to the gathered crowd who paid respects with singing by children from Newburgh Primary School.

halloween

Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en) is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints, but is today largely a secular celebration. Strangely I spent this time in a cemetery viewing graves and headstones, there's nothing quite like it to bring to focus ones own eventual mortality. The pervading ambience was of decay and regeneration. The fallen leaves and the issue of the fruiting bodies of fungi.