Public buildings in public spaces: Dunfermline architecture guide #2

Public buildings in public spaces: Dunfermline architecture guide #2

A few months ago we moved from Dunfermline to Culross. Writing this, the view is of the slate and pan-tiled roofs of the various NTS-owned houses as well as our tallest building – the towered Town House – where questionable justice was meted out on a regular basis to thieves and adulterers. And it feels appropriate that a public building is the one that sticks out, that overlooks our everyday

Foodies walking tours of St Andrews and Edinburgh

Would you consider signing up for a foodies walking tour of your home town? Alan Chalmers, after seeing foodie walking tours in cities in Canada and America, decided to start one in Edinburgh, and more recently, in St Andrews.  It’s true that most of his customers are tourists,  ranging from high end visitors to backpackers, who save up the £49 for the food tour as the main treat during their

Blue Fields: Biggar photogapher shortlisted for Sony World Photographic Awards

Such a bizarre world is captured in these stunning pictures. Blue Fields was shot by Scottish landscape photographer Simon Butterworth at a solar salt operation in Shark Bay, the westernmost point of mainland Australia. The images were shot from a light aircraft flying at between 4,000 & 5,000ft with Simon hanging out of an open door, strapped in with just a seat belt. The series was shortlisted for this year’s

Scottish shed shortlisted for Shed of the Year!

A shed in the grounds of Inshriach House, near Aviemore has been shortlisted for Shed of the Year 2015. You can vote for the Scottish contender on the readers sheds website. George Clarke will be introducing the finalists on his TV series and announcing the winner on  Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year, airing on Channel 4 in June. Walter Micklethwait, who runs Inshriach House, built the shed with help from his girlfriend

‘The best small gigs in the world’, Letham Nights, Fife

The village hall in Letham in Fife looked a little unloved until resident Michael Farrell decided to bring the community hall back to life by launching Letham Nights. The first live music event was in October 2008. Since then Michael and Roy Campbell have been ‘ blown away by the response from the music community’. Chloe Hall, an artist from Melbourne in Australia told them; ‘I love the sound of

First pop up restaurant near Crossgates, Fife

Couple, Jock Sharp and Fiona Frazer, who run a small holding near Crossgates selling fresh eggs and homemade bread, hosted their first pop up restaurant on Saturday 16 May. The Flamkuchen was the brilliant idea of Liane Cumming who has worked at Woodlea Stables since 2014. From Fife originally, Liane had spent two years living in Germany where she discovered a love of flammkuchen, the German version of pizza, which

JFK on art: ‘we must set the artist free’

This is an an excerpt from a great speech given by John F Kennedy on 26 October 1963 at Amherst College in Massachusetts, in honour of the poet Robert Frost. Frost had died in January of that year. In this speech, President Kennedy made clear the need for a nation to represent itself not only through its strength but also through its art and through, “full recognition of the place of

Summer night markets return to Balgove Larder, St Andrews

The summer night markets at Balgove Larder, St Andrews start again tonight, Wednesday 13 May. Live music and local food and drink producers will be there including Eden Mill Brewery,  Watsons Chocolates and Spice of Fife. From 5pm until 9pm.

‘Sarah’s Room’ wins Best Feature at Fife Film Expo

After receiving 1200 submissions, the inaugural Fife Film Expo on 9 May featured over 50 shorts and five feature film screenings. The event, which took place at the Lochgelly Centre, also included Q&As with filmmakers, animation and film workshops and networking opportunities. Winner of the Best Feature award was Sarah’s Room, a psychedelic horror/thriller directed by Edinburgh filmmaker Grant McPhee. The film is Scotland’s first feature to be released in 4K and was

Jethro Tull – 40th anniversary album released

Minstrel in the Gallery was the eighth LP by Jethro Tull and the last to feature the longtime line up of Dunfermline-born Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Evans, Barrie Barlow and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond. To celebrate the classic rock album’s 40th anniversary it has now been remastered and expanded.  The new version features b-sides, live recordings, studio outtakes, session material and footage of the band performing in Paris in 1975. The presentation case