Sunset Newburgh North Fife November 24th

Sunset over Newburgh North Fife today 24th November, for me a late trip into town temperature falling with the clearing sky, brrrrr, maybe frost again as last night.

Stunning colours.

Tayside Newburgh North Fife November 19th

It's raining, severe flood warnings issued again today, most fell last night the river Earn flooding many houses in Comrie.

Tayside 19th November, looking East, heavy clouds predominate with the odd glimpse of sunlight reflecting.

Looking West.

Prix Pictet Ushirikano: Building a sustainable future in Kenya's Northern Ranglands [Hardcover]

Prix Pictet Ushirikano: Building a sustainable future in Kenya's Northern Ranglands [Hardcover]

Well seen and stunning photographs by Chris Jordan. The Prix Pictet Commission is an invitation for one of the photographers short-listed for the Prix Pictet to document a sustainability project in a particular country or region. For the third Commission, Chris Jordan took photographs on a field trip to the Nakuprat-Gotu Conservancy in Northern Kenya, an initiative led by tribal Elders, which aims to bring peace and prosperity to a region ravaged by violence and climate change. Jordan’s photographs both document the problems - particularly the poaching of elephants - and celebrate the heroes and triumphs of what he calls a “quiet revolution” aimed at building a sustainable future for this community. Africa is perhaps the most romanticized continent, especially when it comes to nature and nature photography. "Ushirikiano" is a picture book depicting scenes from Kenya - its rural and tribal regions, as well as the environmental dangers that its residents and the wildlife are struggling with. The photographer Chris Jordan manages to capture the beauty of African landscape and life with a keen eye for the details that may escape many others as secondary or irrelevant - a rusting barrel on the side of the road, a colourful water reservoir, a digital wristwatch on a traditionally ornamented arm of villager, randomly scattered cloths on the grand inside of the scouts' house. These choices of subject matter give this book a distinctly journalistic feel. The most prominent photograph in this book is also the most disturbing one: it's a fold out four-page spread of a dead bull elephant carcass. It's an unsettling image of an elephant whose tusks and trunk removed. Its mutilated head has a nightmarish quality, and it brings home the horrors of ivory poaching. One of the aims of this picture book is to bring attention to the environmental degradation that this part of Africa is suffering due to climate change. However, aside from the gruesome pictures of elephant poaching (which could have in principle been taken at almost any point in Africa's long history) it is hard fro me to perceive the devastation that is alluded to in the book's introduction. The semi-arid landscapes that feature prominently throughout the book look just like the kind of landscape that have become familiar to the Western audiences form the decades of well-made nature documentaries. It is possible that the climate change has affected the aridity for the worse, but based on the photographs in this book it is hard to come to that conclusion. There is a lot to commend about this book in terms of pure aesthetic value. Chris Jordan manages to capture the people and their immediate environments very eloquently and beautifully. The contrasts between the colourful traditional garbs of African villagers and their more modern accessories create powerful dissonances that capture one's attention. Nonetheless, this is not entirely a feel-good coffee table book. It serves an important social purpose of creating awareness of the problems and challenges faced by people who live far away from us - both geographically and culturally. It is a tribute to the art of photography and to Chris Jordan's indubitable skills that a book like this one can bridge those vast distances and make its subjects feel more intimately close to us. Well worth purchasing. RRP: £26.95 Price: £22.91 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions You Save: £4.04 (15%) Look and buy here.Prix Pictet Ushirikano: Buliding a sustainable future in Kenya's Northern Ranglands .

Tayside Views 6th & 7th November 2012

Tayside Views 6th & 7th November 2012.

Tayview Newburgh afternoon of the 6th November.

Newburgh Sky an hour later.

Tayside Sky, later still.

Yesterday 7th November evening, looking East the sky was subtle in colour, not so dynamic as the westerly views but lovely quality never the less.

Tayview Newburgh North Fife November 2012

Tayviews over the last few days, always different, sometimes stunning, usually worth a pic or three.

Meanwhile music is being played in The Steeple courtyard during the Arts and Crafts Makers Market. Three more to come before Christmas, an increasingly popular event.

Tayview from Newburgh North Fife, road bridge connecting Fife to Dundee on the horizon.

Today, 6th November.

Usually it's the Sky that grabs me as I drive along, I have to stop and record.

On my way home tonight there were more amazing views, to be posted tomorrow.

Japanese Maple North Fife

Acer palmatum, called Japanese Maple or Smooth Japanese Maple (Japanese: irohamomiji, or momiji,) is a species of woody plant native to Japan, North Korea, South Korea, China, Eastern Mongolia, and South East Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their attractive leaf shapes and colours. They are highly sought after and are relatively costly trees given their size. A good way to acquire, find and collect seeds this time of the year, they require stratification to germinate, just pop them into a freezer for a few days.

Japanese Maple has been cultivated in Japan for centuries and in temperate areas around the world since the 1800s.The first specimen of the tree reached England in 1820.

Acer palmatum includes hundreds of named cultivars with countless forms, colours, leaf types, sizes, and preferred growing conditions. Heights of mature specimens can range from 0.5 m to 25 m, depending on type. Some tolerate sun, and others like shade. Almost all are adaptable and blend well with companion plants. The trees are particularly suitable for borders and ornamental paths because the root systems are compact and not invasive. Well drained soil is preferred, and the trees grow strongest when they are not over-fertilized. Many varieties of Acer palmatum are successfully grown in containers. This young tree is growing successfully in Newburgh North Fife, I was struck by the vivid colour sprinkled on the grass.