PHOTO left to right: Allan Wright (GPC), Ian Livingston, Pauline Drysdale, Lindsay Callander, Kenny Livingston, Phil McMenemy, (GPC) and Roger Lever (GPC)

IMAGE BY: Roger Lever

‘The Galloway Photographic Collective,’ a collective of Galloway based professional photographers, acknowledge the work of ‘Macmillan Cancer Support’ and have organised a charitable evening at ‘’The Workshop Gallery’ 183 King Street, Castle Douglas on Friday 29th November at 6.30pm to raise funds for this most worthy charity.

The Livingston Brothers, Ian and Kenny, were very willing to become involved and have offered their open plan gallery to host this free event.

Each photographer will offer limited edition, framed images, and one of the group, Kim Ayres, will offer a portrait shoot as a prize.

These images will be beautiful and will grace any home or business.

Drinks and nibbles will be available on the night and any raffle donations from other Castle Douglas businesses/individuals would be most welcome.

We look forward to welcoming you on the evening and thank you for supporting this venture and this worthwhile charity.

For further information please contact: Kenny or Ian at Livingstons, Pauline Drysdale of Macmillan Cancer Support or any member of ‘The Galloway Photographic Collective.’

Raffle tickets are available from: Livingstons, 183 King St, Castle Douglas, The Gallery at Laurieston and can be purchased on the night at this FREE event!!

Kirkcudbright Academy was the forum recently for the annual Youth Speaks Competition sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kirkcudbright.

Eleven pupils from the school participated with those from the S1 to S3 year group competing for a decorative Quaich whereas the prize for the winner from the Senior School was the Jim Scott Memorial Trophy. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the award of that Trophy. To the evident enjoyment of the audience the topics chosen by the participants covered a wide range of interests, including Anne Frank to the importance of drama in the curriculum, and demonstrated the knowledge, enthusiasm and ability of all of those who took part.

The panel of judges drawn form the Academy (Mrs Clelland), the Community (Dr David Deveraux) and the Rotary Club (Mike Kirby) most skilfully discharged their duty with the chair person announcing the winners from the Junior School as 1st – Magnus Riley; 2nd – Megan Ginnelly; and, 3rd – Douglas Greive, with those from the Senior School being 1st – Dylan Blore; 2nd – Lydia Reilly; and, 3rd James Hannay. Rona Johnston was recognised by the judges as the most promising runner-up among the speakers

The prizes were awarded by Rotary President, Dr John Locke, who commended all of the participants for their efforts. In his closing remarks MC for the event, Gavin Scott, observed that the competition had been a great success and thanked the English Department of the Academy for supporting and encouraging all of the pupils who had been involved.

Moore’s Fish & Chips, 254 King Street, Castle Douglas, DG7 1HA – Tel: 01556 502347

Yesterday I went along to Moore’s Chip Shop in Castle Douglas to find out a bit more about how they are planning on raising money for charity on Monday!

On the 11th of November 2013 , Moore’s Chip shop will be raising money for the Fisherman’s Mission as part National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) Chip –In for Charity Event to Celebrate 100 years of the Foundation!

They got involved with this event through the NFFF as the chips shop is situated so close to the town of Kirkcudbright, and because of the region’s strong coastal connection. D&G has over 220 miles of coastline and many fishing ports ! The Fisherman’s Mission has supported a number of local familys and individuals in the region! The team at Moore’s are proud to do their part to help the cause, as fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world , and without Fisherman there would be no fish for them to serve !

Moore’s Chip Shop which has been serving the community since 1977 has always supported the Fisherman’s Mission by having one of their collection tins situated in the shop, and they have held fundraisers for the mission in the past!

All the staff employed at the recently re-vamped state of the art Chippy take the greatest pride in serving the fish that is bought in from suppliers and fish markets in Scotland. Moore’s only sells fish that is bought from sources that are committed to the sustainable and environmentally friendly practices of catching fish !

So on Monday the 11th of November 2013 they will be raising as much money as they can by selling WEE FISH SUPPERS for a minimum of £1.00

The wee fish supper is comprised of a half fish with a half portion of chips and a small dish of mushy peas.

Opening hours on the 11th will be from 11.45 am all day long until 10.00pm and the WEE FISH SUPPERS will be available all day !

I chatted with Craig the Chip shop Manager , while he was busy serving, and he hope’s to see as many folk as possible coming along supporting this great cause.

DGWGO will be going along that’s for sure!

DG Youth View is an online photography project run by Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival in partnership with Phil McMenemy, Kim Ayres and DGWGO. Young people aged 13-21 were encouraged to send in their pictures with the aim of getting a snapshot of how our region looks to young folks, and bring together a community of people interested in photography.

In an online competition entries were asked for under the categories:

My Place: Photos of a place I spend time or love to visit
My People: Photos of people I spend time with
My Festival: Photos of performance.

We were delighted with the range of images, people and places that were produced and would like to give a big thank you to everyone who entered.

Kim Ayres said “It was great to see such a range of creative minds in action, with a wide variety of styles and interpretations.” Phil McMenemy said ‘We are grateful for the time and trouble our young people went to, to submit their personal take on all things Galloway.” Robin Baird added “It was a real honour for me to have the chance to see all the entries to DGYouthView! It was a very difficult task for all of us to judge ,which just goes to prove There is a lot of young talent out there in D&G”

The winners will spend a day learning from Kim Ayres and Phil McMenemy, and get a photographers pass to The Yah’s album launch at Eastebrook Hall on November the 23rd

The winners are:

My People

Winner Esme Kirsch age 17

Phil says: “The judges were struck by the timeless quality of this image. This could have been last week or last century – it captures the essence of childhood and made us all smile. Well done.”

Commended Joseph Stevenson, Lewis Crosby

My Place

Winner Lewis Crosby age 19

Robin Baird of DGWGO says: “This picture captured all of the judges eye’s. It showed a lot of thought , and really makes you want to know where that place is , and to visit it for yourself either in reality or in your imagination.”

Commended: Abbie Johnston Age 14

My Festival

Winner Brodie Donohoe Aged 15

Kim Ayres Says

“It’s not always easy to get a good performance shot – you have no control over the movements of the performer, the lighting or the background. This photo gives a good sense of the setting and the atmosphere”

Special Commendation

Nicola Henderson Age 20

Pete Renwick of Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival says: “To me this photo sums up the spirit of dgyouthview. It is a beautifully framed landscape shot and has a real sense of capturing enjoyment and belonging.”
To see all the entries go to www.facebook.com/dgyouthview

To see more of Phil and Kim’s Work see www.kimayres.co.uk, and http://philmcmenemy.smugmug.com/

The project was run by Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival with support from the Holywood Trust.

No 17 Cafe, 17 Church Crescent, Dumfries, DG1 1DF – Tel:01387 253832

For more than 40 years of being known locally, to the people of Dumfries and Galloway as “The Doonhamer”, proprietors Florence and Nicolae Popescu are delighted to open the doors once again to the café on 17 Church Crescent, Dumfries now known as “No.17”.

Back in the driving seat after a few months off, Florence and Nic are steering the newly named No.17 in an exciting new direction. The café opened its doors on Tuesday 15th October with a brand new sophisticated look; the chic, monochrome décor evokes a continental feel offering customers a warm and relaxed atmosphere whilst being family friendly.

Keep up to date with No 17 on their Facebook Page

No.17 is open from 9am Tuesday to Saturday. Customers can look forward to ordering a freshly cooked breakfast and home baking, accompanied by their renowned, delicious ,freshly brewed Grand Milano Italian coffee with a Belgian chocolate finishing touch.

Lunches are available from 12pm until 2.30pm, all created with fresh, seasonal and local produce. The daily specials board will offer a variety of home-made Italian and British mouth-watering dishes, including Nic’s famous Risotto. Lunch can be enjoyed with a glass of Sicilian house wine, Nero D’Avola, Prosecco or a chilled glass of Peroni Italian Lager.

Nic’s passion and love of quality fresh food brought him to Dumfries from Romania 12 years ago;  he enrolled at Dumfries and Galloway College of Technology to study Higher Professional Cooking for 2 years followed by a further 2 years studying for an HND in Management and Hospitality. After 4 years of hard work and dedication he graduated and only a few months later both he and Florence bought what was “The Doonhamer”.

Florence brought all her cooking experience to the table in their new venture having opened Claudio’s Italian Restaurant in Moffat in 1996 (with her late husband Claudio Capriglione) and making it the success it is today with the help of her family. Nic prides himself in offering his customers fresh, delicious food at very reasonable prices and this is evident by the amount of regular customers that come through the doors on a weekly basis.

Florence, Nic& Staff are very much looking forward to welcoming back their regular customers who have faithfully supported them over the years whilst also embracing their new customers.

Perfect for vegetarians; other vegetables that are ideal to use for Risotto include broccoli, spinach, artichokes, marrow, courgettes, cauliflower & butternut squash. To enhance the flavour of the rice, recycle the vegetable cooking water.

Ingredients
Serves 6

500g fresh green asparagus (weighed after cleaning and trimming)
1.7 litres (3pints) water (for cooking asparagus and for risotto)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
80g salted butter 100ml dry white wine
350g Arborio rice
100g freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Wash and peel the asparagus and cut away 3cm or so of the hard white stalk at the bottom (use this and the skin to add the flavour to the cooking water). Cut off about 5cm of the tips and set them aside (as they are tender, they will need less cooking) and keep them intact for garnishing.

2. Boil the asparagus stalks with the trimmings in the 1.7L of water for 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness.

3. When they are half cooked, add the tips to the boiling water, when they are fully cooked, strain the stock and pop it back on the heat to let it simmer away gently. Separate out the asparagus tips, stalks and trimmings. Set the tips aside for garnishing, and chop the stalks finely and discard the trimmings.

4. On a medium heat fry the chopped onion in half of the butter, then add the chopped asparagus stalks and toss it for a couple minutes.

5. Now add the rice; coating it in the melted butter, after which pour in the wine making sure the rice absorbs it all and now proceed to the basic risotto method on a low heat.

6. Add the simmering asparagus stock slowly (a ladle at a time) until the rice absorbs each ladle full of stock; repeat this until the rice is al dente (to the bite) and creamy, but not too stodgy.

7. Remove from the heat and wait for a minute or two, stir in the remaining butter, some salt and pepper, and finally add the grated Parmesan and mix through.

8. Serve in bowls, and decorate with the asparagus tips.

9. Finally, pour yourself a large glass of crisp white wine and enjoy!!
BUON APPETITO!!!

On October the 19th and 20th 2013, Kirkcudbright Summer festivities held their annual Food Festival in the Town Hall.

It is estimated that over 1000 people passed through the doors over the weekend !

On the Saturday there were a huge selection of stalls , showcasing the finest food and Drink from right across the Region .

On the Sunday the Festival was all about food demonstrations , under the title of “Four Chefs, One Venue, One Day”

The 4 chefs involved where :-

Simon Rogan “one of the most innovative chefs in the country”

Double Michelin Star Celebrity Chef and proprietor Simon Rogan of L’Enclume in Carmel Cumbria. Simon Rogan not only has two Michelin Stars to his name but has also been awarded both the “Best Chef” and “Best Restaurant” award 2013 by Cateys (The hospitality industry’s equivalent of the Oscars). Simon has also appeared on the last two series of Masterchef, in this year’s penultimate show the contestants cooked Simon’s menu for the “Chefs Table” where each of the chefs hold three Michelin Stars. He competed on the Great British Menu 2012 and won the dessert course. He also managed to be in the top three dishes for the starter, fish course and main and was in many ways the man of the series.

Willie Pike MBE “probably one of the country’s best competition chefs”

Master Chef Willie Pike MBE. Willie has cooked for many distinguished guests and dignitaries, including the Royal Family. He has probably won most culinary accolades in his career including the Coveted Red Jacket from the Craft Guild of Chefs as the best competition chef in Britain. Willie was also the founder member of the Scottish Culinary Team winning 60 medals at the highest level and C.I.S Scotland’s Chef of the Year. Willie specialises in Sugar Craft and Desserts along with high quality local recipes .

Ian McAndrew “a mix of art, instinct and meticulous cooking practice”

Local Chef and proprietor Ian McAndrew of Blackaddie Country House Hotel Sanquhar. Ian won the Coveted Michelin Star in his restaurant venture in Canterbury where he gained a coveted Michelin star in his first year of operation. Ian was at the time the youngest Englishman to attain a coveted Michelin Star. Ian was awarded the honour of Chef Laureate to the British Academy of Gastronomes headed up by Egon Ronay. He has written three best selling cookery books including, ‘A Feast of Fish’ and ‘Poultry & Game’ his second book, referred to by most chefs as the best book on game ever to be written. He has developed a kitchen garden at the hotel and he regularly forages for wild foods and is a keen supporter of all local producers within the region.

Martin Avey “His presentation is superb and the taste even better”
Local Chef and proprietor Martin Avey of Del Amitry in Annan. Martin has already won recognition from leading food critics in Scotland, and has been awarded an AA Rosette, and in 2012 entered the Michelin Guide with 2 Knive and Fork awards. Martin has a comprehensive understanding of produce and flavours and is committed to ensuring the highest standards of quality and culinary skill.The menus are changed on a weekly basis, each embracing locally-sourced seasonal produce whenever possible.

DGWGO were lucky enough to be invited along to experience the day and to photograph it ! I have to say I didn’t really know what to expect . But what a day it was, really very professional and a total credit to the organisers . With huge crowds in the Hall for each demonstration , and with Giant Screens and great audio equipment you couldn’t miss a thing, plus the Smell, oh the smell of the food the chefs were cooking was amazing- and every time the Chefs invited the crowds up to sample what they had cooked , the whole lot got cleaned up! nothing was wasted , and the day seemed to be enjoyed by everyone that I spoke to, Including the 4 chefs and their Families !

Also winner of the Kirkcudbright Rotary Club’s Young Chef Competition Emma Hay had a chance to assist some of the chefs with their cooking , and she proved to be a total star and very helpful.

With the food festival being such a success , I chatted to Gavin from Kirkcudbright summer Festivities committee afterwards , he said they were overjoyed with how the weekend had gone , and here is to things being even bigger and better for next year !

All I can say is it’s a great event , a credit for the whole region as it showcased produce and food from right across D&G , and Food and Drink always bring folk together , and by the smiles in the crowds it makes them happy too !

RB

[headline htype=”h4″] Featured Photographer[/headline]

Kevin is based in Heathhall in Dumfries currently 34 years old and living with his wife Linda and son Marshall. He has recently established his business in Dumfries in April 2013 after an unexpected redundancy.

With a strong interest in motorsport he decided back in 2004 to pick up the camera to record the sports he loves attending.

It wasn’t until 2005 that in Dumfries itself Colin, Alister and father Jimmy McRae all competed in the RSAC Scottish rally and I don’t think Kevin has put his camera down since.

Kevin is recognised for his dedication to Motorsport through many if his personal projects with the driver, teams, branding companies.

When he starting moving forward with his photography he moved on to other subjects taking in Eden festival which is a growing event that takes place at Raehills meadows in Dumfries and Galloway which landed Kevin with a double page spread in the well know Digital SLR magazine, other publications include Pacenotes magazine, Eden festival website, South Of Scotland car club website and various newspapers.

He feels privileged to live in Dumfries and Galloway as there is so much subject to photograph and so many events locally you are never stuck for fresh and different ideas.

Dumfries has good reputation and everyone he meets when out on location throughout the region usually either says a polite hello or even stops for a chat asking what he is taking photos of.

More recent additions to Kevin business venture include setting up a portrait studio which has enjoyed an early success and creating his own calendars both for landscape and motorsport which will be available soon featuring lots of local views and local rally teams.

Check out Kevin’s website for more information or his Facebook Page

Photography tips and advice:
Learn the basics and get out and take some shots to learn what different settings give you.
Nothing you take is wrong it’s all art in in its own way you are the only judge to say if it’s good or not.
Camera equipment:
Camera: Canon EOS5D MK2
Lenses: Canon 70-300mm IS USM Canon 28-80mm

[headline htype=”h4″] Featured Images[/headline]

Steve Turnbull Photography went along to the Prozone Paintball, near Annan, last weekend for the final big paintball game of the season – Super Heroes Vs Super Villains

The event included 70 of the UK’s best Woodsball players coming from as far as Wolverhampton and Aberdeen to take part in this excitement packed weekend.

I arrived at Prozone Paintball early Saturday morning (26th October 2013) to find the day was already a hive of activity, players were arriving, trade stands were being set up and food vendors were busy firing up their stoves for the breakfast rolls. Soon there were more than 40 players on site; most of them had also set up camp for the weekend. The weather was poor but that didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits as the weekend promised to be a massive battle of good versus evil.

Players were gearing up for the three-man tournament in the bunkers zone for some 3 on 3 close quarter combat.

The atmosphere was alive, the trade shows hopping, there was music playing, and excitement was already building for the Sunday’s epic 6 hour game.

At 9am on the Sunday the fun started all players started to gear up checking markers (paintball Guns) by making sure they were firing at the legal limit for the day’s action. Some were in fancy dress; Batman and Robin made an appearance for the super heroes and there was even an evil Spiderman for the Super Villains.

Shortly after 10am the Super Heroes and Super Villains took to the field and battled out the first mission.

Both teams met head-on in the mid-field and paint, and smoke bombs started to fly! In true Hollywood style the Super Villains gave a good fight to start but to no avail as they lost the first game

1-0 to the Super Heroes and the banter started to fly

The second game kicked off, with both sides meeting head on in the village field. The Super Villains having to detonate a bomb as the Super Heroes looked to stop them yet again. The paint was flying with both sides playing some of the best paintball of the year. The Super Heroes took the win and stopped their opponents from detonating their bomb

2-0 to the Super Heroes

Game three was about defending the Super Villain’s secret base, deep within the bunkers were a maze of twisting and turning corridors and rooms. Paint was spilt, there were flash bangs and smoke thrown in. The Super Villains quickly got their act together and took game 3.

2-1 to the Super Heroes

The final battle was EPIC, to say the least. Both teams started out on the same side of the village field to rescue their captains from each other’s head quarters.

As soon as “Game on!” was called there was a mass of smoke bombs and flash bangs being thrown from all angles. The two teams clashed in an adrealin filled game which turned out to be one of the most fiercest fire fights of the day. There were some amazing moves made by players to get their team’s captains back to their base. Both teams fought hard and pushed the field but neither team managed to rescue their captains within the game time.

Final score of the day, and yes in true HOLLYWOOD style, the Super Heroes saved the day – Super Heroes 2 Super Villains 1

After the final battle, everyone met within the office area for the prizes give away where prizes, worth hundreds of pounds, were raffled off.  All in aid of the charity PAINTBALL FOR KIDS

Prizes were donated by WARPED PAINTBALL giving away top of the range playing gear.

PROZONE paintball donated free entry to the Scotland and England game

TAZBALL gave away free entry to their two massive games

As I were driving home from the event, I was going over the entire day in my mind and couldn’t believe how much fun everyone had. The event ran smoothly, the referees did an amazing job of getting in the action and ensuring everyone stayed safe and followed the rules, and the objectives were fun and realistic to achieve. If you haven’t been to PROZONE PAINTBALL, I would highly recommend checking this field out. Hope to see you at a field soon or at next year’s big game!

http://www.prozone.org.uk

https://www.facebook.com/ProzonePaintball