afwrite's photostream  

The latest Giant Panda to arrive in Scotland, takes a trip on the 17:20 First Scotrail service to Springburn from Bowling Station. Tuesday 27th December 2011.

I hope you all have a great time and remember the important things in life, like family and friends and health and happiness. We lose sight of these things in our hurly burly lives throughout the year.

I'll leave it to my good friends The Cuban Brothers to put it in perspective - see below :

A message from Havana

On the plateau between Beinn Ime and Bein Liubhean 1pm Sunday 18th December, Arrochar, Scotland.

After the night before, Glasgow style.

Buchanan Street/Sauchiehall Street, Scotland 4th November 2011

Of all the artistic traditions of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, painting with coloured sand is one of the most exquisite. Mandalas are representations of the celestial mansion of one or more deities. To make the Mandala, millions of grains of coloured sand are placed painstakingly in an elaborate design laid down in the Buddhist texts, which is memorised during the monks' training. The material used is marble dust coloured by the monks in the monastery, and the design is made using hollow metal funnels called Chagpurs. In ancient times, powdered precious and semi-precious stones were used. St Mungo Museum of Religion, Glasgow 26th November 2011.

www.tashi-lhunpo.org.uk