A.D.L associated deliveries ltd
View allAll Photos Tagged Associate
I associate Goldenrod with the brilliant colour it has to attract pollinators, and with the year round contribution it makes to living creatures in the ecosystem. I used to think it was a source of seasonal allergies, but in fact its pollen is not wind borne - only bees, butterflies and birds can move it around.
I liked the clean look I got at the Honey Bee’s ‘mouth parts’, and the front legs that have dedicated bristles for cleaning the proboscis. The prominent mandibles, used for chewing and eating things, are displaced by the mandible but visible at its base, on either side of the proboscis. The front of the face is a bit dusty, but the compound eyes are unobstructed.
After what feels like days and days of overcast skies, I thought some bright summery colours and activity might be a tonic.
The transience of the cherry blossoms, their beauty, and their volatility have often been associated with mortality and the graceful and ready acceptance of destiny and karma.
The Orange-breasted Sunbird is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful of the approximately 150 species of sunbird. It is endemic to South Africa and has a restricted range within the
fynbos biome of Western Cape, where it is associated
with ericas and proteas.
A crow plucks a shrimp from the foreshore at low tide between Minehead and Dunster with waves crashing behind it in the background. Crows are not normally associated with being a marine bird however they were nearly as numerous as the oyster catchers on the foreshore on this particular day.
ERF 'LV' model 66GX six-wheeler flatbed lorry NBB609L seen in Slinfold, Sussex at a Boxing Day vehicle gathering.
BR Coal Sector 'Grid' 56121 waits time in the loop at Ellesmere Port before gaining access to the Manisty Wharf branch with a train of Cawoods containerised coal for export to Ireland.
In the background Stanlow Shell and its associated industries all connected by Oil Sites Road.
* Cawoods owned at one time 172 4-wheel PFA wagons all made at Standard Wagon Heywood. Later some were sold to British Fuels and repainted in a red livery.
I always associate violets with Mothering Sunday, stemming from childhood. At morning service in our village, the children would queue along the aisle to receive each a little bunch of violets to give to our mothers. I think the three of us siblings helped to pick them from the wild for the Rector to use. I also associate violets with deliciously violet scent everlasting (boiled) sweets that our grandmother used to give us sometimes.
Happy Mothering Sunday
Thank you everyone so much for sharing your quality photos which is a great way to see and keep in touch with the world from home. Also for your kind comments and favours which are much valued. I am not able to take on any more members to follow or to post to groups. I prefer not to receive invites to groups
A TRRA yard job is seen working the south end of Madison Yard just outside of Brooklyn, Illinois. In the background, 101 prepares to depart for Lindenwood via the Mac Bridge. The concrete bridge piers in the background were part of the Illinois Terminal's Venice High Line, a mile-long trestle that connected the McKinley Bridge with the IT's yard facilities in East Madison. It was abandoned around the same time as when the IT ended rail service over the McKinley Bridge in 1977.
This year, I had the idea of making an image of the “Île d’or” associated with the Milky Way andthe shooting stars of the “Perseids”. Mission not so obvious...
The Île d'Or is located in the Var, in the town of Saint-Raphaël, and faces the Dramont landing beach. It would have inspired Hergé to create the Black Island of the adventures of Tintin.
The Perseids are a swarm of shooting stars visible each year in August, when the Earth crosses its path. This year's peak was around August 10.
First difficulty… On this date the full moon took place. The Milky Way was therefore not visible, because of the strong luminosity emitted by the Moon.
So I made this image on August 2, when the Moon was setting early. The shooting stars were rather rare… Only one visible that evening… And luckily, it passed right above the lighthouse of the island, next to the Rho Ophuici region…
Another difficulty was to manage the heavy light pollution generated by the coastal towns (Sainte-Maxime, Saint-Raphaël and Saint-Tropez). This required reducing the "ISO" of the device and doing "stacking" consisting of stacking several (strictly identical) photos of the sky. The goal was to reduce noise and capture as much information as possible.
We can therefore distinguish the Milky Way, and its "bulb" (or "heart") inside which there are many nebulae, stars and globular clusters.
Here is the final image: panorama of 4 photos taken with the Sigma 28mm f/1.4 - Canon 6d Astrodon. 10 minutes of exposure.
I was accompanied that evening by my father. A good moment of sharing with the family!
Hope you like it, thanks in advance
Dilmun is associated with ancient sites on the islands of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, the Cradle of Civilization.
Dilmun (sometimes transliterated Telmun) is associated with ancient sites on the islands of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. Because of its location along the sea trade routes linking Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley Civilization, Dilmun developed in the Bronze Age, from ca. 3000 BC, into one of the greatest entrepots of trade of the ancient world.
There is both literary and archaeological evidence for the trade between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley (probably correctly identified with the land called Meluhha in Akkadian). Impressions of clay seals from the Indus Valley city of Harappa were evidently used to seal bundles of merchandise, as clay seal impressions with cord or sack marks on the reverse side testify.
A number of these Indus Valley seals have turned up at Ur and other Mesopotamian sites. "Persian Gulf" types of circular stamped rather than rolled seals, known from Dilmun, that appear at Lothal in Gujarat, India, and Faylahkah, as well as in Mesopotamia, are convincing corroboration of the long-distance sea trade. What the commerce consisted of is less sure: timber and precious woods, ivory, lapis lazuli, gold, and luxury goods such as carnelian and glazed stone beads, pearls from the Persian Gulf, shell and bone inlays, were among the goods sent to Mesopotamia in exchange for silver, tin, woolen textiles, olive oil and grains. Copper ingots, certainly, bitumen, which occurred naturally in Mesopotamia, may have been exchanged for cotton textiles and domestic fowl, major products of the Indus region that are not native to Mesopotamia - all these have been instanced.
Mesopotamian trade documents, lists of goods, and official inscriptions mentioning Meluhha supplement Harappan seals and archaeological finds. Literary references to Meluhhan trade date from the Akkadian, the Third Dynasty of Ur, and Isin - Larsa Periods (ca. 2350 - 1800 BC), but the trade probably started in the Early Dynastic Period (ca. 2600 BC). Some Meluhhan vessels may have sailed directly to Mesopotamian ports, but by the Isin - Larsa Period, Dilmun monopolized the trade. By the subsequent Old Babylonian period, trade between the two cultures evidently had ceased entirely.
The Bahrain National Museum assesses that its "Golden Age" lasted ca. 2200 - 1600 BC. Its decline dates from the time the Indus Valley civilization suddenly and mysteriously collapsed, in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. This would of course have stripped Dilmun of its importance as a trading center between Mesopotamia and India. The decay of the great sea trade with the east may have affected the power shift northwards observed in Mesopotamia itself.
Evidence about Neolithic human cultures in Dilmun comes from flint tools and weapons. From later periods, cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals, pottery and even correspondence between rulers throw light on Dilmun. Written records mentioning the archipelago exist in Sumerian, Akkadian, Persian, Greek, and Latin sources.
Dilmun, sometimes described as "the place where the sun rises" and "the Land of the Living" is the scene of a Sumerian creation myth and the place where the deified Sumerian hero of the flood, Ziusudra (Utnapishtim), was taken by the gods to live for ever.
There is mention of Dilmun as a vassal of Assyria in the 8th century BC and by about 600 BC, it had been fully incorporated into the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Dilmun then falls into deep eclipse marked by the decline of the copper trade, so long controlled by Dilmun, and the switch to a less important role in the new trade of frankincense and spices. The discovery of an impressive palace at the Ras al Qalah site in Bahrain is promising to increase knowledge of this late period.
Otherwise, there is virtually no information until the passage of Nearchus, the admiral in charge of Alexander the Great's fleet on the return from the Indus Valley. Nearchus kept to the Iranian coast of the Gulf, however, and cannot have stopped at Dilmun. Nearchus established a colony on the island of Falaika off the coast of Kuwait in the late 4th century BC, and explored the Gulf perhaps least as far south as Dilmun/Bahrain.
From the time of Nearchus until the coming of Islam in the 7th century AD Dilmun/Bahrain was known by its Greek name of Tylos. The political history for this period is little known, but Tylos was at one point part of the Seleucid Empire, and of Characene and perhaps part of the Parthian Empire. Shapur II annexed it, together with eastern Arabia, into the Persian Sassanian empire in the 4th century.
Unlike Egyptian and Mesopotamian tablets and cylinders, the Dilmun legacy has been discovered on circular seals. The primitive forms of images carved on the seal indicate they were used as charms or talisman. Carved on wood, soapstone shells or metal, these images clearly define a complex society. Temples in the center of the agrarian village, towns, city-states, religious, and economic cultural life. All facets of the emergence of an evolutionary society are reflected in the inscriptions about the seals.
Impressions found on pottery and property is a probable usage of the seals. Burying them with the dead was probably to avoid misuse. Tiny fragments found impressed, suggest identifying property. Clearly there was an intrinsic value; each seal tells a story, has an identity.
Seals depict Enki, God of wisdom and sweet water. Gilgamesh as a massive and heroic figure, the 'Bull of heaven' hat. Ladies of the mountains 'Inanas' servants wearing her triangle signs depicting space for her power. 'Nana' is the moon god who was also named 'sin'. Symbol was the bull of heaven head. Inana, goddess of immortality.
From the dreams of Gilgamesh, to the philosophy of life. Seals depicting a harmonious life with nature and god are painted here in the colors and form I hope you enjoy. The colors naturally excite and stimulate, often sexually. Indisputably the ancient myths of immortality and resurrection influenced Dilmun beliefs and are abundantly supported in the seal designs, represented by gods of the sun and moon.
The Mesopotamian texts described Tilmun as situated at the 'mouth' of two bodies of water. The Sinai peninsula, shaped as an inverted triangle indeed begins where the Red Sea separates into two arms - the gulf of Suez on the west, and the Gulf of Elat (Gulf of Aqaba) on the east.
The texts spoke of mountainous Tilmun. The Sinai peninsula is indeed made up of a high mountainous southern part, a mountainous central plateau, and a northern plain (surrounded by mountains), which levels off via sandy hills to the Mediterranean coastline. Sargon of Akkad claimed that he reached as 'washed his weapons' in the Mediterranean; 'the sea lands' - the lands along the Mediterranean coast - 'three times I encircled; Tilmun my hand captured'. Sargon II, king of Assyria in the eighth century BC, asserted that he had conquered the area stretching 'from Bit-Yahkin on the shore of the salt Sea as far as the border of Tilmun'. The name 'Salt Sea' has survived to this day as a Hebrew name for the Dead Sea - another confirmation that Tilmun lay in proximity to the Dead Sea.
The cradle of civilization is sometimes referenced by the name Dilmun, or Tilmun. Here, it was said, the god Ea and his wife were placed to institute 'a sinless age of complete happiness'.
Here too animals lived in peace and harmony, man had no rival and the god Enlil `in one tongue gave praise'. It is also described as a pure, clean and `bright' `abode of the immortals' where death, disease and sorrow are unknown and some mortals have been given `life like a god', words reminiscent of the Airyana Vaejah, the realm of the immortals in Iranian myth and legend, and the Eden of Hebraic tradition
Although Dilmun is equated by most scholars with the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, there is evidence to suggest that a much earlier mythical Dilmun was located in a mountainous region beyond the plains of Sumer.
But where exactly was it located Mesopotamian inscriptions do not say; however, the Zoroastrian Bundahishn text and the Christian records of Arbela in Iraqi Kurdistan both refer to a location named Dilamƒn as having existed around the head waters of the Tigris, south-west of Lake Van - the very area in which the biblical Eden is said to have been located.
Furthermore, Ea (the Akkadian Enki) was said to have presided over the concourse of Mesopotamia's two greatest rivers - the Tigris and Euphrates - which are shown in depictions as flowing from each of his shoulders.
This would have undoubtedly have meant that the head-waters, or sources, of these rivers would have been looked upon as sacred to Ea by the cultures of Mesopotamia's Fertile Crescent.
- Zecharia Sitchin The Stairway to Heaven
Dilmun was allegedly a magical land, the birthplace of the gods and the place where the arts of civilization where said first to have been transmitted to men. It was the subject of many legends told by the Sumerians, the people of southern Iraq; it was famed as a land where death and disease were unknown and men and animals lived at peace together.
It was the home of the Sumerian king who was the origin of the myth of Noah, the immortal survivor of the Great Flood, a story retold in the Qu'ran and the Bible.
The first great hero of world literature, Gilgamesh the king of Uruk, journeyed to Dilmun in search of the secret of eternal youth.
He found it deep in the waters of the Persian Gulf, off Bahrain, but lost it when the flower which restored the youth of those who sought it, was stolen by a snake, lurking in a pool as Gilgamesh returned to his kingdom; this is the reason why the snake sloughs his skin.
Symbolism - All is Myth and Metaphor in our reality
* water: flow of consciousness - creation
* restore to youth: move out of the physical body and return to higher frequency forms of sound, light, and color
* snake: DNA - the human bio-genetic experiment in time and emotion
* kingdom - Leo - Lion - King - Omega - closure
Dilmun was also the center of the most important trade routes of the third and second millennia BC. The most important commodity was copper for which Dilmun was famous and the dates for which Bahrain was always celebrated, from ancient times until the present day.
Because Dilmun was so sacred a land, there were many temples built there, the impressive remains of which can be seen today. The largest and most splendid temple surviving in Western Asia is at Barbar on Bahrain's northern shore.
The most famous of all Bahrain's rich archaeological heritage are the 200,000 grave mounds which are a feature of the landscape in the northern half of the island and which, by their size and quality of construction, show how prosperous Bahrain must have been in ancient times.
Dilmun continued to be the most important center of trade in the Gulf region throughout its history.
After the Sumerians, the Babylonians, Assyrians, even the Greeks, settled on the islands, because of their strategic importance in the movement of merchandise, north and south, east and west, by sea and by the land routes to which the seas gave access.
The records of their diplomatic relations with the kings of Dilmun, some of whose names are known from the records, testify to the importance of the islands throughout antiquity.
All left evidence of their presence, preserved today in the Bahrain National Museum and in the immense archaeological sites in which Bahrain is particularly rich.
Bahrain is an open-air treasure house of the past, a unique heritage from the earliest times when men first began to keep records of their hopes, fears and achievements.
It is the contemporary of ancient Egypt with Sumer and the peoples who succeeded them, of the great cities of the Indus Valley.
Source: www.crystalinks.com/dilmun.html
From my set entitled “Roses”
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157607214064416/
In my collection entitled “The Garden”
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760718...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A rose is a perennial flowering shrub or vine of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species. The species form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp thorns. Most are native to Asia, with smaller numbers of species native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Natives, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and fragrance. [1]
The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, with sharply toothed oval-shaped leaflets. The plants fleshy edible fruit is called a rose hip. Rose plants range in size from tiny, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach 20 metres in height. Species from different parts of the world easily hybridize, which has given rise to the many types of garden roses.
The name originates from Latin rosa, borrowed through Oscan from colonial Greek in southern Italy: rhodon (Aeolic form: wrodon), from Aramaic wurrdā, from Assyrian wurtinnu, from Old Iranian *warda (cf. Armenian vard, Avestan warda, Sogdian ward, Parthian wâr).[2][3]
Attar of rose is the steam-extracted essential oil from rose flowers that has been used in perfumes for centuries. Rose water, made from the rose oil, is widely used in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Rose hips are occasionally made into jam, jelly, and marmalade, or are brewed for tea, primarily for their high Vitamin C content. They are also pressed and filtered to make rose hip syrup. Rose hips are also used to produce Rose hip seed oil, which is used in skin products.
The leaves of most species are 5–15 centimetres long, pinnate, with (3–) 5–9 (–13) leaflets and basal stipules; the leaflets usually have a serrated margin, and often a few small prickles on the underside of the stem. The vast majority of roses are deciduous, but a few (particularly in Southeast Asia) are evergreen or nearly so.
The flowers of most species roses have five petals, with the exception of Rosa sericea, which usually has only four. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink, though in a few species yellow or red. Beneath the petals are five sepals (or in the case of some Rosa sericea, four). These may be long enough to be visible when viewed from above and appear as green points alternating with the rounded petals. The ovary is inferior, developing below the petals and sepals.
The aggregate fruit of the rose is a berry-like structure called a rose hip. Rose species that produce open-faced flowers are attractive to pollinating bees and other insects, thus more apt to produce hips. Many of the domestic cultivars are so tightly petalled that they do not provide access for pollination. The hips of most species are red, but a few (e.g. Rosa pimpinellifolia) have dark purple to black hips. Each hip comprises an outer fleshy layer, the hypanthium, which contains 5–160 "seeds" (technically dry single-seeded fruits called achenes) embedded in a matrix of fine, but stiff, hairs. Rose hips of some species, especially the Dog Rose (Rosa canina) and Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa), are very rich in vitamin C, among the richest sources of any plant. The hips are eaten by fruit-eating birds such as thrushes and waxwings, which then disperse the seeds in their droppings. Some birds, particularly finches, also eat the seeds.
While the sharp objects along a rose stem are commonly called "thorns", they are actually prickles — outgrowths of the epidermis (the outer layer of tissue of the stem). True thorns, as produced by e.g. Citrus or Pyracantha, are modified stems, which always originate at a node and which have nodes and internodes along the length of the thorn itself. Rose prickles are typically sickle-shaped hooks, which aid the rose in hanging onto other vegetation when growing over it. Some species such as Rosa rugosa and R. pimpinellifolia have densely packed straight spines, probably an adaptation to reduce browsing by animals, but also possibly an adaptation to trap wind-blown sand and so reduce erosion and protect their roots (both of these species grow naturally on coastal sand dunes). Despite the presence of prickles, roses are frequently browsed by deer. A few species of roses only have vestigial prickles that have no points.
Roses are popular garden shrubs, as well as the most popular and commonly sold florists' flowers. In addition to their great economic importance as a florists crop, roses are also of great value to the perfume industry.
Many thousands of rose hybrids and cultivars have been bred and selected for garden use; most are double-flowered with many or all of the stamens having mutated into additional petals. As long ago as 1840 a collection numbering over one thousand different cultivars, varieties and species was possible when a rosarium was planted by Loddiges nursery for Abney Park Cemetery, an early Victorian garden cemetery and arboretum in England.
Twentieth-century rose breeders generally emphasized size and colour, producing large, attractive blooms with little or no scent. Many wild and "old-fashioned" roses, by contrast, have a strong sweet scent.
Roses thrive in temperate climates, though certain species and cultivars can flourish in sub-tropical and even tropical climates, especially when grafted onto appropriate rootstock.
Rose pruning, sometimes regarded as a horticultural art form, is largely dependent on the type of rose to be pruned, the reason for pruning, and the time of year it is at the time of the desired pruning.
Most Old Garden Roses of strict European heritage (albas, damasks, gallicas, etc.) are shrubs that bloom once yearly, in late spring or early summer, on two-year-old (or older) canes. As such, their pruning requirements are quite minimal, and are overall similar to any other analogous shrub, such as lilac or forsythia. Generally, only old, spindly canes should be pruned away, to make room for new canes. One-year-old canes should never be pruned because doing so will remove next year's flower buds. The shrubs can also be pruned back lightly, immediately after the blooms fade, to reduce the overall height or width of the plant. In general, pruning requirements for OGRs are much less laborious and regimented than for Modern hybrids.
Modern hybrids, including the hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, modern miniatures, and English roses, have a complex genetic background that almost always includes China roses (R. chinensis). China roses were evergrowing, everblooming roses from humid subtropical regions that bloomed constantly on any new vegetative growth produced during the growing season. Their modern hybrid descendants exhibit similar habits: Unlike Old Garden Roses, modern hybrids bloom continuously (until stopped by frost) on any new canes produced during the growing season. They therefore require pruning away of any spent flowering stem, in order to divert the plant's energy into producing new growth and thence new flowers.
Additionally, Modern Hybrids planted in cold-winter climates will almost universally require a "hard" annual pruning (reducing all canes to 8"–12" in height) in early spring. Again, because of their complex China rose background, Modern Hybrids are typically not as cold-hardy as European OGRs, and low winter temperatures often desiccate or kill exposed canes. In spring, if left unpruned, these damanged canes will often die back all the way to the shrub's root zone, resulting in a weakened, disfigured plant. The annual "hard" pruning of hybrid teas, floribundas, etc. should generally be done in early spring; most gardeners coincide this pruning with the blooming of forsythia shrubs. Canes should be cut about 1/2" above a vegetative bud (identifiable as a point on a cane where a leaf once grew).
For both Old Garden Roses and Modern Hybrids, any weak, damaged or diseased growth should be pruned away completely, regardless of the time of year. Any pruning of any rose should also be done so that the cut is made at a forty five degree angle above a vegetative bud. This helps the pruned stem callus over more quickly, and also mitigates moisture buildup over the cut, which can lead to disease problems.
For all general rose pruning (including cutting flowers for arrangements), sharp secateurs (hand-held, sickle-bladed pruners) should be used to cut any growth 1/2" or less in diameter. For canes of a thickness greater than 1/2", pole loppers or a small handsaw are generally more effective; secateurs may be damaged or broken in such instances.
Deadheading is the simple practice of manually removing any spent, faded, withered, or discoloured flowers from rose shrubs over the course of the blooming season. The purpose of deadheading is to encourage the plant to focus its energy and resources on forming new offshoots and blooms, rather than in fruit production. Deadheading may also be perfomed, if spent flowers are unsightly, for aethestic purposes. Roses are particularly responsive to deadheading.
Deadheading causes different effects on different varieties of roses. For continual blooming varieties, whether Old Garden roses or more modern hybrid varieties, deadheading allows the rose plant to continue forming new shoots, leaves, and blooms. For "once-blooming" varieties (that bloom only once each season), deadheading has the effect of causing the plant to form new green growth, even though new blooms will not form until the next blooming season.
For most rose gardeners, deadheading is used to refresh the growth of the rose plants to keep the rose plants strong, vibrant, and productive.
The rose has always been valued for its beauty and has a long history of symbolism. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with their goddesses of love referred to as Aphrodite and Venus. In Rome a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secret or confidential matters were discussed. The phrase sub rosa, or "under the rose", means to keep a secret — derived from this ancient Roman practice.
Early Christians identified the five petals of the rose with the five wounds of Christ. Despite this interpretation, their leaders were hesitant to adopt it because of its association with Roman excesses and pagan ritual. The red rose was eventually adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs. Roses also later came to be associated with the Virgin Mary.
Rose culture came into its own in Europe in the 1800s with the introduction of perpetual blooming roses from China. There are currently thousands of varieties of roses developed for bloom shape, size, fragrance and even for lack of prickles.
Roses are ancient symbols of love and beauty. The rose was sacred to a number of goddesses (including Isis and Aphrodite), and is often used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. 'Rose' means pink or red in a variety of languages (such as Romance languages, Greek, and Polish).
The rose is the national flower of England and the United States[4], as well as being the symbol of England Rugby, and of the Rugby Football Union. It is also the provincial flower of Yorkshire and Lancashire in England (the white rose and red rose respectively) and of Alberta (the wild rose), and the state flower of four US states: Iowa and North Dakota (R. arkansana), Georgia (R. laevigata), and New York[5] (Rosa generally). Portland, Oregon counts "City of Roses" among its nicknames, and holds an annual Rose Festival.
Roses are occasionally the basis of design for rose windows, such windows comprising five or ten segments (the five petals and five sepals of a rose) or multiples thereof; however most Gothic rose windows are much more elaborate and were probably based originally on the wheel and other symbolism.
A red rose (often held in a hand) is a symbol of socialism or social democracy; it is also used as a symbol by the British and Irish Labour Parties, as well as by the French, Spanish (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Portuguese, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Brazilian, Dutch (Partij van de Arbeid) and European socialist parties. This originated when the red rose was used as a badge by the marchers in the May 1968 street protests in Paris. White Rose was a World War II non violent resistance group in Germany.
Roses are often portrayed by artists. The French artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté produced some of the most detailed paintings of roses.
Henri Fantin-Latour was also a prolific painter of still life, particularly flowers including roses. The Rose 'Fantin-Latour' was named after the artist.
Other impressionists including Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne have paintings of roses among their works.
Rose perfumes are made from attar of roses or rose oil, which is a mixture of volatile essential oils obtained by steam distilling the crushed petals of roses. The technique originated in Persia (the word Rose itself is from Persian) then spread through Arabia and India, but nowadays about 70% to 80% of production is in the Rose Valley near Kazanluk in Bulgaria, with some production in Qamsar in Iran and Germany.[citation needed]
The Kaaba in Mecca is annually washed by the Iranian rose water from Qamsar. In Bulgaria, Iran and Germany, damask roses (Rosa damascena 'Trigintipetala') are used. In the French rose oil industry Rosa centifolia is used. The oil, pale yellow or yellow-grey in color, is sometimes called 'Rose Absolute' oil to distinguish it from diluted versions. The weight of oil extracted is about one three-thousandth to one six-thousandth of the weight of the flowers; for example, about two thousand flowers are required to produce one gram of oil.
The main constituents of attar of roses are the fragrant alcohols geraniol and l-citronellol; and rose camphor, an odourless paraffin. β-Damascenone is also a significant contributor to the scent.
Quotes
What's in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet. — William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet act II, sc. ii
O, my love's like a red, red rose/That's newly sprung in June — Robert Burns, A Red, Red Rose
Information appears to stew out of me naturally, like the precious ottar of roses out of the otter. Mark Twain, Roughing It
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses. — James Oppenheim, "Bread and Roses"
Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose — Gertrude Stein, Sacred Emily (1913), a poem included in Geography and Plays.
The Grade II Listed early Trinity House-commissioned, symmetrical lighthouse complex, on Caldey Island, a small island off the coast from Tenby in Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
A painted plaque on the lighthouse records 'Erected A.D. 1828 by the Corporation of Trinity House and light exhibited for the benefit of navigation, January 26th 1829.' The lighthouse was engineered and built by Joseph Nelson, a notable lighthouse engineer from Leeds, who was responsible for the construction of a number of lighthouses in the British Isles. The lantern appears to be a replacement, possibly of 1875 (the date on the associated oil store), together with the optic. The lighthouse serves as a marker for coastal traffic and displays an intermittent flashing light with 2 red sectors.
Information Source:
britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/300005936-lighthouse-with-ad...
Seen in FLICKR BLOG,theme EUZKADI blog.flickr.net/en/2010/08/02/euzkadi/
Berroeta,Navarra,Spain
The Baztan valley is a land of noblemen, indianos who returned after making their fortunes in the Americas, smugglers, shepherds and pilgrims who travelled to Santiago along the alternative route that crosses the valley.
Baztan is an evergreen valley with an Atlantic climate and is also the largest municipality in Navarre, covering 374 square kilometres, 15 towns/villages and dozens of caseríos (farmhouses) that dot a landscape of cultivated fields, woods, and meadows in which livestock graze.
There are several medieval palaces and noble houses in the valley, all of them well kept and of great beauty.
The visitor to Arrraioz is met by the haughty figure of the Palace of Jauregizar, a tower of medieval origin with a wooden platform at the top. The road to Ziga leads up to the belvedere of the Baztan, which offers excellent views over the area.
The commercial and administrative centre of Baztan is Elizondo, with its noble houses, palaces and monumental and religious buildings. Baztan has interesting museums such as the ethnographic museum dedicated to Jorge Oteiza (Elizondo) or the Santxotena sculpture museum (Arizkun). It also has delightful spots such as the Xorroxin waterfall (Erratzu), the dolmens of Izpegi and the megaliths of Erratzu-Aldudes.
On the way to the border with France, a road at the top of the Otsondo pass leads to Urdazubi/Urdax, where you can see a mill, a monastery and the spectacular caves of Ikaburu. A guided tour reveals beautiful formations of stalactites and stalagmites and the flowing waters of the Urtxuma, a stream that runs through the caves.
Caves of Urdazubi/Urdax are linked by road or a signposted path to those of Zugarramurdi, which history and legend have always associated with witchcraft.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
El Valle de Baztan es tierra de hidalgos, de indianos que volvieron de ultramar, de contrabandistas, de pastores y de peregrinos que acudían a Santiago por la ruta alternativa que atraviesa el valle.
El Baztan es un valle siempre verde, de clima cantábrico, el municipio más extenso de Navarra, con 374 kilómetros cuadrados, que incluye 15 pueblos y decenas de caseríos que salpican un paisaje formado por prados en los que pasta el ganado, cultivos y bosques.
Son numerosos los palacios medievales y señoriales que adornan las localidades baztanesas, todas de gran belleza y cuidado caserío.
Arraioz recibe al visitante con la altiva figura del palacio de Jauregizar, una torre de origen medieval con cadalso de madera en la parte superior. Si se toma el desvío a Ziga, se asciende al mirador de Baztan, que ofrece una bella panorámica de la zona.
El centro comercial y administrativo de Baztan es Elizondo, con sus caserones, palacios y edificios monumentales y religiosos. Baztan cuenta con interesantes museos como el etnográfico Jorge Oteiza (Elizondo) o el museo escultórico Santxotena (Arizkun), y con bellos rincones donde perderse como la cascada de Xorroxin (Erratzu), los dólmenes de Izpegi y los megalitos de Erratzu-Aldudes.
En el camino que lleva a la frontera con Francia, un primer desvío en las últimas rampas del puerto de Otsondo conduce hasta Urdazubi/Urdax, donde puede visitarse el molino, el monasterio y la espectacular cueva de Ikaburu. Una visita guiada permite contemplar bellas formaciones de estalactitas y estalagmitas y escuchar el murmullo del Urtxuma, un riachuelo que discurre por el interior de la gruta.
La cuevas de Urdazubi/Urdax está unida por carretera o por una senda señalizada con la de Zugarramurdi, que la historia y la leyenda han ligado para siempre a la brujería.
The Rosette Nebula is an H II region located in the constellation of Monoceros. The nebula is associated with the star cluster NGC 2244. It lies around 5,200 light years distant.
HEQ5 PRO
WO71GT with adjustable corrector/reducer
QHY183C Gain 16 -20C
26 subs totalling 140mins
Processed using Pixinsight and Photoshop 6.
Crow in the spotlight ...
Sony ILCE-7R
300mm F2.8 G
The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a perching duck species found in East Asia. It is medium-sized, at 41–49 cm (16–19 in) long with a 65–75 cm (26–30 in) wingspan. It is closely related to the North American wood duck, the only other member of the genus Aix. Aix is an Ancient Greek word used by Aristotle to refer to an unknown diving bird, and galericulata is the Latin for a wig, derived from galerum, a cap or bonnet.
The adult male is a striking and unmistakable bird. It has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and "whiskers". The breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, with two orange "sails" at the back. The female is similar to female wood duck, with a white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye, but is paler below, has a small white flank stripe, and a pale tip to its bill.
Both the males and females have crests, but the crest is more pronounced on the male.
Like many other species of ducks, the male undergoes a moult after the mating season into eclipse plumage. When in eclipse plumage, the male looks similar to the female, but can be told apart by their bright yellow-orange beak, lack of any crest, and a less-pronounced eye-stripe.
Mandarin ducklings are almost identical in appearance to wood ducklings, and very similar to mallard ducklings. The ducklings can be distinguished from mallard ducklings because the eye-stripe of mandarin ducklings (and wood ducklings) stops at the eye, while in mallard ducklings it reaches all the way to the bill.
The hooded crow (Corvus cornix) (also called hoodie is a Eurasian bird species in the Corvus genus. Widely distributed, it is also known locally as Scotch crow and Danish crow. In Ireland it is called grey crow, just as in the Slavic languages and in Danish. In German it is called "mist crow" ("Nebelkrähe"). Found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East, it is an ashy grey bird with black head, throat, wings, tail, and thigh feathers, as well as a black bill, eyes, and feet. Like other corvids, it is an omnivorous and opportunistic forager and feeder.
It is so similar in morphology and habits to the carrion crow (Corvus corone), for many years they were considered by most authorities to be geographical races of one species. Hybridization observed where their ranges overlapped added weight to this view. However, since 2002, the hooded crow has been elevated to full species status after closer observation; the hybridisation was less than expected and hybrids had decreased vigour. Within the hooded crow species, four subspecies are recognized, with one, the Mesopotamian crow, possibly distinct enough to warrant species status itself.
Except for the head, throat, wings, tail, and thigh feathers, which are black and mostly glossy, the plumage is ash-grey, the dark shafts giving it a streaky appearance. The bill and legs are black; the iris dark brown. Only one moult occurs, in autumn, as in other crow species. The male is the larger bird, otherwise the sexes are alike. Their flight is slow and heavy and usually straight. Their length varies from 48 to 52 cm (19 to 20 in). When first hatched, the young are much blacker than the parents. Juveniles have duller plumage with bluish or greyish eyes and initially a red mouth. Wingspan is 98 cm (39 in) and weight is on average 510 g.
The mallard or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females (hens or ducks) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black speculum feathers which commonly also include iridescent blue feathers especially among males. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes. This species is the main ancestor of most breeds of domesticated ducks.
The mallard is a medium-sized waterfowl species although it is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks. It is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long (of which the body makes up around two-thirds), has a wingspan of 81–98 cm (32–39 in),[16] and weighs 0.72–1.58 kg (1.6–3.5 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 25.7 to 30.6 cm (10.1 to 12.0 in), the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in) and the tarsus is 4.1 to 4.8 cm (1.6 to 1.9 in).
The breeding male mallard is unmistakable, with a glossy bottle-green head and white collar which demarcates the head from the purple-tinged brown breast, grey brown wings, and a pale grey belly. The rear of the male is black, with the dark tail having white borders. The bill of the male is a yellowish orange tipped with black while that of the female is generally darker ranging from black to mottled orange. The female mallard is predominantly mottled with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat and neck with a darker crown and eye-stripe.
Owing to their highly 'malleable' genetic code, Mallards can display a large amount of variation, as seen here with this female, who displays faded or 'apricot' plumage.
Both male and female mallards have distinct iridescent purple blue speculum feathers edged with white, prominent in flight or at rest, though temporarily shed during the annual summer moult. Upon hatching, the plumage colouring of the duckling is yellow on the underside and face (with streaks by the eyes) and black on the back (with some yellow spots) all the way to the top and back of the head. Its legs and bill are also black. As it nears a month in age, the duckling's plumage will start becoming drab, looking more like the female (though its plumage is more streaked) and its legs will lose their dark grey colouring. Two months after hatching, the fledgling period has ended and the duckling is now a juvenile. Between three and four months of age, the juvenile can finally begin flying as its wings are fully developed for flight (which can be confirmed by the sight of purple speculum feathers). Its bill will soon lose its dark grey colouring and its sex can finally be distinguished visually by three factors. The bill colouring is yellow in males, black and orange for females. The breast feathers are reddish-brown for males, brown for females. The centre tail feather is curled for males (called a drake feather), straight for females.[citation needed]
During the final period of maturity leading up to adulthood (6–10 months of age), the plumage of female juveniles remains the same while the plumage of male juveniles slowly changes to its characteristic colours.[citation needed] This plumage change also applies to adult mallard males when they transition in and out of their non-breeding eclipse plumage at the beginning and the end of the summer moulting period. The adulthood age for mallards is 14 months and the average life expectancy is 3 years, but they can live to twenty.
In captivity, domestic ducks come in wild-type plumages, white, and other colours. Most of these colour variants are also known in domestic mallards not bred as livestock, but kept as pets, aviary birds, etc., where they are rare but increasing in availability.
A noisy species, the female has a deeper quack stereotypically associated with ducks. Male mallards also make a sound which is phonetically similar to that of the female, but it is a deep and raspy sound which can also sound like mek or whak. When incubating a nest, or when offspring are present, Females vocalise differently, making a call which sounds like a truncated version of the usual quack. They will also hiss if the nest or their offspring are threatened or interfered with.
The mallard is a rare example of both Allen's Rule and Bergmann's Rule in birds. Bergmann's Rule, which states that polar forms tend to be larger than related ones from warmer climates, has numerous examples in birds. Allen's Rule says that appendages like ears tend to be smaller in polar forms to minimize heat loss, and larger in tropical and desert equivalents to facilitate heat diffusion, and that the polar taxa are stockier overall. Examples of this rule in birds are rare, as they lack external ears. However, the bill of ducks is very well supplied with blood vessels and is vulnerable to cold.[citation needed]
Due to the malleability of the mallard's genetic code, which gives it its vast interbreeding capability, mutations in the genes that decide plumage colour are very common and have resulted in a wide variety of hybrids such as Brewer's duck (mallard × gadwall, Anas strepera).
Source:
Wikipedia
Designed by Fred Pojezny, Jr.
1956
I love, love, love this building. It's so simple and elegant but so revolutionary and eye popping at the same time.
Architects: Delugan Meissl Associated Architects
Location: Shell Terrain, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Team: Philip Beckman, Sebastian Brunke, Alejandro C. Carrera, Ruben Van Colenberghe, Burkhard Floors, Gerhard Gölles, Daniela Hensler, Thilo Reich, Hendrik Steinigeweg
Year: 2005 – 2011
Area: 6.300 sqm
www.archdaily.com/223973/eye-new-dutch-film-institute-del...
copyright All rights reserved Ian C Brightman Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission
I always associate scape and flight with the search for light, we stretch, we strive and fight to leave the past behind us. In a more relaxed tone, I wanna tell you something interesting about this photo, it has been taken a while ago, right after saving “Tito” from the cold winter, my new roommate. It posed on the perfect time, a natural artist no doubt. I’m sure this won’t be the last time you’ll see Tito.
-------------------------------------------
Siempre asocio la huida y el escape con la búsqueda de la luz, estiramos, nos esforzamos para alcanzarla y dejar lo demás detrás, en el pasado. En un tono más relajado, les quiero comentar algo interesante sobre esta foto, fue tomada hace un tiempo atrás, justo después de salvar de las calles de invierno a "Tito" mi nuevo compañero de piso. Posó en el momento perfecto para quedar en la toma de esta forma, un artista por naturaleza sin duda. Estoy seguro de que no será la última vez que lo vean.
Varvara Stepanova (1894 – 1958) was a Russian artist. With her husband Alexander Rodchenko, she was associated with the Constructivist branch of the Russian avant-garde, which rejected aesthetic values in favour of revolutionary ones. Her activities extended into propaganda, poetry, stage scenery and textile designs.
Hair Ice, associated with the fungus Exidiopsis effusa on the New Forest, New Forest National Park, Hampshire England
Book cover design by Kuhlman Associates for Left-Handed Liberty: a Play about Magna Carta by John Arden. New York: Grove Press, 1966. PR6001.R44 L4 1966
© All rights reserved Ian C Brightman Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
Ever since its grand opening City Center has become the centerpiece of downtown West Palm Beach. The City Center complex includes the City Hall (150,000 GSF, including the City’s Commission Chambers), the Mandel Public Library (85,000 GSF, including a 150-seat auditorium, children’s library, and teen library), the Palm Beach Photographic Centre and Museum (35,000 GSF) and a parking garage for 300 cars with charging stations for electric vehicles.
Song + Associates originally conducted a space-needs study in 1997 to program the future functions of City Center as part of Phase I for the project. Once funding was established years later, Song + Associates validated the study by providing necessary program modifications to reflect the city’s growth and reorganization. We also developed new programs for those departments that were not part of the original study. This phase of the project consisted of weekly meetings with the library staff, Photographic Centre staff, and each of the 22 departments within City Hall in order to understand the workflow, workspaces, support spaces, and department adjacencies. After the programming and master planning was completed then came the design to create a civic connection space for the public all in one convenient location.
Awards:
Urban Land Institute Vision Award, 2010
International Downtown Association Award of Distinction, 2009
American City & County Crown Community Award, 2009
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.songandassociates.com/city-center
www.pbcgov.org/papa/Asps/PropertyDetail/PropertyDetail.as...
www.emporis.com/buildings/1202161/west-palm-beach-city-ce...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
The building is anchored by three towers, the tallest of which stands at 295 feet, making it the second tallest building in the city. The tallest being the historic Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel. The west tower is adorned with a 12-foot tall working weathervane that is an exact replica of the original “Lady of Faith” weathervane atop the Giralda Tower in Seville, Spain. The west tower also holds a carillon that plays nearly 2,000 hymns, bells, tolls, and classic chimes to mark the hour.
The moment you enter the Alhambra Towers lobby, you are enveloped in color and texture. The floor is imported stone tile from Italy and the Etruscan-styled alabaster chandeliers above are from Spain. There’s a large double fountain in the center of the room and elegant sculptures along the edges. The light shining through the original stained glass from a church that once stood on the property, recycled into the design of the room, exudes a warm, somewhat ethereal glow.
In honor of the city’s first post office, which inhabited the site before the church, Allen Morris brought in original restored brass mailboxes and a 1920’s letter dropbox from the historic McGraw Hill building in Chicago. There’s also an antique shoeshine stand and an old-fashioned telephone.
On display in the lobby are several one-of-a-kind paintings by Carlos and Guillermo Arriola that pay homage to the Spanish cathedrals that ultimately influenced the building’s design and architecture.
There’s no other word for the art and architecture of Alhambra Towers other than extraordinary!
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
en.phorio.com/alhambra_towers,_coral_gables,_united_states
www.emporis.com/buildings/135307/alhambra-towers-coral-ga...
www.alhambratowers.com/alhambra-towers/
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
The Scripps Center is a high-rise office building located at 312 Walnut Street at the corner of 3rd Street in the Central Business District of Cincinnati, Ohio. At the height of 468.01 feet (142.65 m), with 36 stories, it is the fourth tallest building in the city, and the tallest added between the building of the Carew Tower in 1931 and the opening of the Great American Tower at Queen City Square – the tallest building in Cincinnati – in 2011. It was completed in 1990, and includes 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) of office space. The building was designed by Houston architects Hoover & Furr; Glaser & Associates was architect of record. Space Design International was also involved with the building's design.
The headquarters of the E. W. Scripps Company is located in the Scripps Center.
In connection with the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game played in Cincinnati, the upper exterior of the Scripps Center was decorated with a gigantic hat and mustache, giving it the appearance of a 19th century Cincinnati Redlegs player. Despite public support for keeping the decorations permanently, the mustache and hat were removed after the game. Television cameras were also mounted on the building's roof to provide aerial views of the game.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.emporis.com/buildings/122088/scripps-center-cincinnat...
The Nu River Landing residential condominium located right alongside the New River in beautiful downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Most of the 409 units here at Nu River Landing feature downtown and river views, quality contemporary finishes, floor to ceiling windows. The property also features basketball and racquetball courts, billiards, a roof-top heated pool, a sauna, state of the art fitness center, and much more.
Nu River Landing is within walking distance of the Las Olas Blvd entertainment district, Broward Performing Arts Center, and River Walk. Tenants can hop on the water taxi and ride to the beach or any of the other stops along the scenic Intracoastal waterway.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.highrises.com/fort-lauderdale/nu-river-landing-condos/
www.emporis.com/buildings/133986/nuriver-landings-fort-la...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
The associated video with this picture series is Our Trip to Crete on YouTube.
This part of our adventures on our Grand Tour of Europe is in episode three of the Take Flight with Scott video series on YouTube. Please join us there for even more content from this trip. Part one is our time on Crete, Greece with our teen nieces Madeline and Emily.
Also, you can follow my personal ZiffedTraveler Instagram or the TakeFlight with Scott Instagram pages for more content and news. We are on Facebook, too.
www.buymeacoffee.com/scottalanmiller
^^^^ You Can Support My Work ^^^^
About the reserve
These two old commons are former ancient wood pasture where, historically, livestock grazed on grassland scattered with large trees. Woodlands have been grazed to create wood pasture since at least the Middle Ages. This was often associated with old commons where the owner granted rights to the commoners to graze their cattle, sheep and pigs. Trees were often planted and protected to grow large timber, giving rise to old, widely-spaced trees with a grassy woodland floor – something between woodland and parkland.
Today the nature reserve has over 240 veteran trees – some of the oldest in the county – which have grown over several hundred years. These old trees support a huge range of wildlife as well as being historically and culturally significant in their own right. The trees grew in open spaces where they developed widely-spreading branches. They were often pollarded (branches harvested for small timber, cut at head height or above, out of the reach of grazing animals) and allowed to re-grow. Many of the trees on the reserve bear the signs of pollarding – particularly ancient beech, sweet chestnuts and oaks – and have spreading crowns typical of trees that have grown in open conditions.
The trees are great for fungi and over 200 species have been found – chanterelle, beefsteak and various bracket fungi are among some of the more common. The reserve is also home to some rarer fungi including the Rhodotus palmatus, which requires a supply of dead elm, and the rare bracket fungus Hericium cirrhatum, which can be found at the end of freshly cut beech trunks.
Woodpeckers are attracted by the old trees as well as tits and nuthatches. The dead wood is fantastic for saproxylic species of beetle – those dependent on dead or dying wood at some point during their life cycle. The old fish pond at the edge of the wood is inhabited by a variety of freshwater invertebrates and is worth visiting.
During the last century grazing on the commons reduced substantially and saplings began to fill in the spaces between the trees. These vigorous young trees have started to shade out the older oaks and sweet chestnuts and, left unchecked, this competition for nutrients and light can cause the veteran trees to die. We’re gradually restoring the wood pasture by felling carefully selected beech trees – much of the dead wood is left on site to provide habitat for fungus and invertebrates. In time we hope to re-introduce grazing onto the reserve.
Information from the Woodland Trust.
Gardens by the Bay by Grant Associates and Wilkinson Eyre Architects,
an enormous tropical garden in Singapore filled with tree-like towers, shell-shaped greenhouses and a 30-metre-high man-made waterfall
Taken on 19/05/2019 at14:16:52Hrs, from the Singapore Flyer over the F1 race track pit lanes using a Fuji FinePix XP 210 camera.
View Large for more detail.
An abstract from a website:
The Metropolitan Natural Park (Parque Natural Metropolitano) is just a few minutes from downtown Panama City. It’s easy to reach by car or taxi and provides travelers with a good daytime excursion while visiting Panama City.
Dry lowland Pacific forest, which is rare in Central America due to deforestation, makes up much of the park. Incredibly, the park’s forest is home to 284 types of trees. The park also protects all kinds of critters, including 254 species of birds, 45 species of mammals, 36 species of reptiles, and 14 species of amphibians. Geoffroy’s tamarins, two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths live here, although you’ll need luck to see them. You’re more likely to spot birds and reptiles.
The park’s five trails cover some 3 miles (5 km). The Mono Tití Road ascends to the top of Cerro Cedro (Cedar’s Hill) and offers impressive views of Panama City.