Vulcan Jet Bomber North Fife

Vulcan Jet Bomber today flying over north fife out of RAF Leuchars. Vulcan XH 558 is the only flying example of this aircraft having been restored at a cost of over £7 million. Vulcan XH558 roared into the air again on Thursday 18th October 2007, a perfect day for flying. An unforgettable day for the Vulcan to the Sky team. A great British project, owing its success to optimism, determination, teamwork and a little bit of paranoia! I remember when I worked in Lincoln 1968/69 the job required a weekly trip to Scunthorpe following the ridge past RAF Scampton, on a few occasions one of these beasts would pass just a few feet overhead and I would involuntarily cringe at the wheel of my car. The enormity, noise and vibration and the road being in a small cutting it was a very sudden experience. Aghhh

This hot air balloon occupies the same airspace that the vulcan had used earlier that day. Amazing the Vulcan may be but given the connectivity of drifting with the wind silently, going with the flow except for the odd blast of the burner. I prefer the balloon.

Harvest September North Fife

September harvest, a good month or so later than usual but for the moment we are blessed with a high pressure weather system giving warm sunny drying days after a lot of rain. These organically grown oats are at Jamesfield which borders north fife.

Very ripe barley at Flisk, short stalked and needing a low cut to be gathered by the combine harvester.



Wheat, so ripe that it's starting to loose its grain. All in all the yields are good and right now as I write, outside one can hear combines and tractors working away although it is 11-30pm, dark and becoming cool.

Loch Mill North Fife Sept 2009

Today was very pleasant, warm and sunny for a change as a high pressure builds over the UK. Loch Mill, Newburgh is a favourite spot to sit and enjoy the natural solitude and just be.

Other posts of this spot.

River Tay Rainbow Sept

River Tay Rainbow today Sept 8th, unusually low in the sky for mid-day, there must be some explanation for it but it's beyond me. What I like about the picture is that with the Fire of the sun it contains all of the elements. Earth, Wood, Metal, Water. Happen-stance, I know.

Simply Magic North Fife

Simply Magic at the Steeple, High Street, Newburgh North Fife. Mary-Ann Orr is Artist in residence at the WASPS Artists studios and is offering these courses. I have a studio in the same building, hence the connection.

A demonstration thread artwork by Mary-Ann Orr who tutored the participants below.


Recycling is simply magic. Here showing the rich palette of textures and colours gleaned from recycled fabrics and work in progress by participants.

Thread Art Illustration by Liz Lindsay.

Thread Art by Debbie Seargent with inspirational postcard,

Thread Art Illustration by Paula Garrow.

Three other courses follow:- Textile transformation for fashion accessories. Learn how to de-construct recycled textiles and fibres and make your own fabric, You will make your own samplers and choose to make into a bag. We use the technique of melding, free motion stitch, embroidery, cording and more. 2 day course, Sept 13th-14th 15th. contact. orrgallery@gmail.com

A Wand in the wardrobe- wearable art- learn how to transform the old into the new. you will be taught the basic techniques of deconstruction of textiles and fibres. Then using multiple free motion stitch techniques you will re-construct the textiles into a panel of a new garment. You will make a light linen summer top with a thread art collar. 24th, 25th,&26th.contact. orrgallery@gmail.com

The Fine Art of Thread Art.
You will be shown how to transform 'virtually anything that can be stitched down' into a 'painting'. (approx 350mm x 450mm). Mary-Ann will show you how to enlarge and prepare a design, design considerations, colour selections and suitability of textiles. Together you will cover the full spectrum of free motion stitches, free motion embroidery, cording, melding and other appropriate fibre art techniques. 6 days. 14th-20th September. contact. orrgallery@gmail.com

Newport-on-Tay Property for sale.

Fantastic location.

Heronbank, 99a Tay Street, Newport on Tay, North Fife.

Offers around £395,000

Pagan Osborne are delighted to offer this individual architect designed villa which enjoys spectacular uninterrupted views of the River Tay and Dundee beyond. Positioned within a secluded waterfront setting, the property is approximately 1.5 miles from Dundee city centre and 11 miles from St Andrews.
The accommodation is formed over four levels, offering a degree of flexibility in the layout. The subjects comprise: L-shaped sitting room/dining room with river views, living room with river views, dining kitchen, utility room, three double bedrooms (master with en suite and dressing room), study/fourth bedroom, double height conservatory, gallery playroom, fully tiled family bathroom and a cloaks WC. In addition, there is an integral garden store accessed from the exterior. Externally, the private driveway leads to a car port positioned to the rear of the property.
Property Type : Detached
Public Rooms : 4
Bedrooms : 3
Bathrooms : 2
Garden : yes
Garage : no
To the front, the property affords wonderful views between the Tay road and rail bridges. The mature walled garden is mostly laid to lawn with two patio areas and various plants/shrubberies. The property is completed by gas central heating and double glazing. Pagan Osborne highly recommend early viewing to appreciate the accommodation on offer.
Images
Pagan Osborne Property Services
Solicitors and Estate Agents
106 South Street
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9QD

Tel : 01334 475151
Fax : 01334 477219

E-mail : property-standrews@pagan.co.uk
Website : www.paganosborne.com

The Ecology Centre Craigencalt Kinghorn Fife

Last week I visited Craigencalt Ecology Centre along with well over 1000 others for the summer bash. A delightful day out with music, entertainments, information and examples of ecological thinking.

The Ecology Centre is situated in stunning grounds by Kinghorn Loch in Fife. Every year our unique Centre helps people by:
* Assisting around 4,000 children to experience the natural world;
* Enabling unemployed and disabled people to improve their confidence, skills and social ability through work experience and training, improving their opportunities for the future;
* Supporting volunteers contributing thousands of hours looking after the environment;
* Managing The Ecology Centre site for free public access throughout the year

We offer direct experience of the natural environment to improve peoples’ quality of life and encourage responsible citizenship. Today the Centre is a haven for natural wildlife and we welcome over 5,500 educational visitors annually.socialability through work experience and training, improving their opportunities for the future;
* Supporting volunteers contributing thousands of hours looking after the environment;
* Managing The Ecology Centre site for free public access throughout the year



Ecohouse. The Eco-house is totally self sufficient in energy, water and sewage disposal and built using recycled materials.

Ecohouse how to do notice.

Exotic plant growth in a warm house constructed from recycled plastic bottles.

Lady longlegs entertaining the gathering.



Pumpkin in the Craigencalt greenhouse. Kinghorn Fife.

Evening Primrose in the Herb Garden.

Newburgh Orchard Group 2009

Newburgh Orchard Group, a community project whereby fruit and preserves are sold to the public who come from as far afield as Dundee, Cupar and Perth. Newburgh garden growers are paid a percentage, the remainder contributes to Newburgh Community trust for the benefit of the town.

Newburgh North Fife Orchard Group. The town historically has produced fruit, namely plums which were introduced by the monks of Lindores Abbey. This is the second week of the sale, last week long queues formed down the High Street and in a short period of time over 1000 Lbs of plums were sold.

As can be seen other fruit and veg were available.

Full Moon North Fife

Full Moon tonight North Fife. After so much rain and cloud it was a joy to be able to see the moon. It's influence upon life and tide is huge in a physical/behavioural way and changes with each phase. One way of understanding these influences is through astrology. To gain insight one could study the book below or ask any lunatic.


Product Description
Tonic
"This book teaches you everything you need to understand the
influence of the moon"

Spirit & Destiny
"you'll feel like magical secrets have been shared with you by the
time you reach the final pages"
Buy now. The Secrets of Moon Astrology: Using the Moon's Signs and Phases to Enhance Your Life

Sunflowers North Fife

Sunflower North Fife. All my life I have been attracted to this wonderful flower, absolutely delighted to witness fields of them in France. The seeds and oil are much used as food for human consumption and for field margin sowing where game birds are reared. They provided rich inspiration to Vincent Van Gogh whose paintings are known worldwide. The book below follows that trend.

Sunflowers, a novel by Sheramy Bundrick. In her knockout debut novel, art historian Bundrick (Music and Image in Classical Athens) brings Vincent Van Gogh's paintings and personal story to vibrant life. While Bundrick takes many liberties (recorded in an author's note) in her fictionalized account of Van Gogh's affair with her narrator, fille de maison Rachel Courteau, she gives Rachel such a believable voice that the proceedings seem genuine. At 35, Van Gogh meets lovable spitfire Rachel while surreptitiously sketching her in a garden. Having taken refuge in an Arles brothel after the death of her parents, Rachel greets Van Gogh as a customer not long after, and soon feelings blossom between them. Visiting friend Paul Gauguin and the cloud of Van Gogh's madness undercut the couple's bliss, as do financial troubles and Rachel's life at the maison, where she's kept a virtual prisoner. While infusing well-known historical moments (like Van Gogh's infamous self-mutilation) with vivid details, humanizing Van Gogh and putting his famous works in context, Bundrick generates an impressive volume of suspense, delight and heartbreak. To be published this October. See:-Sunflowers

Comma Butterfly North Fife

Today I was amazed to notice this Comma butterfly on ragwort in the garden. Polygonia c-album was only 100 years ago almost extinct in Britain. The reason for its decline is still a mystery, but from 1830 to 1920 sightings in the southern counties of England were reduced to just one or two. It wasn't until around 1930 that numbers started to increase. Today the comma is a familiar sight in southern England and Wales and now Scotland. Its food plants are Birch, Elm, Willow and Nettle all of which are in the garden. The most common visitor this year has been large and small whites which have decimated our cabbages. It was a delight to see, the butterfly, not the cabbages.



This classic guide to the butterflies of Britain and northern Europe enters its third edition as part of the authoritative Collins Guide series. This comprehensive guide to the butterflies of Britain and Europe features over 400 species, depicting both male and female insects. Species descriptions include details on taxonomic nomenclature, distribution, flight period, variation, habitat, behaviour and life cycle. Subspecies are included where there is significant variation, and distribution maps accompany each widespread species. Illustrated by Richard Lewington, the world's leading butterfly illustrator, this is an ideal field guide for travelling naturalists and butterfly enthusiasts alike and is an essential addition to every nature lover's bookshelves.Collins Butterfly Guide: The Most Complete Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe