Fish Supper/Chippy Tea…..The Scottish Crannog Centre…..From ‘Free Tibet’…..
by Bernie Bell - 08:25 on 21 June 2024
Fish Supper/Chippy Tea…
Whatever you call it – you can’t beat it! Our American friend is sampling the delights of Scotland’s best!...
Gold ingots mined
from the sea with nets
veins swimming in the dark
Gold nuggets mined
from the soil with spades
the sun regrown underground
Gold not melted like the lager
glimmering in my glass
but deep fried
with mushy green
https://bartbarkerpoet.com/2024/06/17/dining-gold/
(My second dinner of fish & chips in four days in Scotland. That's reasonable, right?)
In answer to Bart’s question I said…. ‘Get 'em while you can, Bart!’
And sent him friend Wendy’s fish supper poem….
Small things
Sitting in a van
in the rain
watching the sea foam
through misting windows,
*
pulling open paper wrapping
the appetising smell
smacks us in the face
as waves slap on the beach
*
herring gull stands
sideways on, one eyed
one-legged, thinking
of chips, waiting
*
bite through the crispy fried
outer layer into hot soft potato
satisfied chewing and munching
snug in the dry warm cab
*
breathing, steaming, eating
staring into blurry horizon
through steady play of rain
splashing on the screen
*
tip tap tapping on the roof
trickling down the gulleys
mouths and fingers full of chips
delighting in this.
Wendy Alford October 2012
*************************************************************
The Scottish Crannog Centre…
This looks very, very interesting……
https://blog.engineshed.scot/2024/06/10/traditional-skills-crannog-centre/
This piece includes my Crannogs tuppenceworth…
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=15859
****************************************************************
From ‘Free Tibet’….
“Priceless Buddhist heritage could be lost forever.
Over the past month, we have shared critical information about how residents of Dege County in eastern Tibet are resisting the construction of the massive Kamtok hydropower dam, which threatens their villages and way of life.
The information comes from Occupying Tibet’s Rivers, a groundbreaking report co-written by our research partner Tibet Watch.
This week, we turn our attention to the cultural and religious heritage that is at risk.
Dege County was once a kingdom and a cradle of arts and culture. As with much of Tibet, Buddhism lies at the heart of its identity, with its monasteries housing invaluable 14th-century Buddhist frescoes.
In the words of Tsering Woeser, a group of murals in Wontoe Monastery, Dege County, are among “the most important Tibetan Buddhist murals discovered locally so far and have a high reference value for the study of Tibetan pictorial art.” The intricate murals cover more than 1,000 square metres of the monastery's walls.
These works of art have survived in situ for more than 500 years, withstanding devastating historical events, including the Cultural Revolution.
This could be about to come to an end. With the construction of the Kamtok hydroelectric dam, the Chinese government plans to divert the Drichu River and recklessly sweep away centuries of religious and cultural heritage.
Its ambition is to exploit Tibet’s rivers to generate electricity for its cities. In doing so, it will destroy at least six ancient monasteries. Both Wontoe and Yena Monasteries, sites of major historic and cultural significance, face flooding.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Jomda County, Rabten, Tashi Yargon, Tashi Margon, and Githok Monasteries all risk being submerged under the waters of the Drichu River. There are no assurances that any of these monasteries will be protected or rebuilt.
This is nothing short of an assault on Tibetan cultural identity and the common heritage of human society. Such frescoes and monasteries inform us not only about the Tibetan connection to Buddhism, but also about humanity’s relationship with religion through the centuries.
This crisis is mirrored across Tibet as the Chinese Communist Party tightens its grip on religion and seeks to exploit Tibet’s land and resources.
Last week, we learned that demolitions have already started at Atsok Monastery in Drakkar County, which is also affected by hydropower dam construction. There are also parallels with events in Drago County, which lies at the heart of our Stop China's War on Buddhism campaign.
International government must speak out. We know they can because they have done so before when Buddhist heritage came under threat. The demolition of Buddhist statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2001 caused irreparable loss and attracted widespread international outrage. Will governments speak out now for the monasteries of Dege and Jomda County?
You can read the full report on Tibet Watch's website:
Thank you for your continued support.
John Jones
Head of Campaigns, Policy, and Research
P.S. Every piece of news you read from occupied Tibet is retrieved against the odds. To support human rights monitoring in Dege County, you can donate on our website: https://www.freetibet.org/donate. Thank you."
Add your comment
