Happy Chinese New Year

Dear friends, thank you so much for your continued support and inspiration throughout the past year. I really appreciate!

May the New Year bring you health, happiness, peace and prosperity. May your 2023 be bright and full of beautiful moments!

North Landing, Flamborough, Yorkshire, UK

Koi Fish

Camera: Nikon f5

Lens: Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art

Film: Kentmere 100

Skärblacka, Östergötland, Sweden

The rest of the ship entering San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge. And one of the Matson Line ships on its way out.

Entering San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge.

In 1883, Sitting Bull was a guest of honor at the opening ceremonies for the Northern Pacific Railroad. When it was his turn to speak, he said in the Lakota language, “I hate all white people. You are thieves and liars. You have taken away our land and made us outcasts.” A quick-thinking interpreter told the crowd the chief was happy to be there and that he looked forward to peace and prosperity with the white people. Sitting Bull received a standing ovation.

Taken at Blind Horse Creek

Introverts & Extroverts Scavenger Hunt

Taken at Hillary's Marina at sunrise. Absolutely stunning morning light.

Peony stands out with special cultural message...Its fullness in bloom emits a sense of elegance, happiness, fortune and prosperity, the feelings of which are cherished in Oriental culture. This gorgeous specimen is in my Oriental bed in front of my porch so I can admire it from above with is many blooms. They have large, shapely, semi-double flowers with petals slightly curved, bright clear magenta with a tidy tuft of creamy-yellow stamens. This lovely peony is starting to fade, but I find even in decay there is beauty. I love how the deep magenta turns color is accentuated here.

PP work in Topaz Sudio2 A Touch of Drama filters.

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Taken at Prosperity Falls: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Saidar/90/89/30

Highgate Common Staffordshire

What3Words

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The Magpie is a highly intelligent member of the corvid family (which includes crows and ravens) known for its striking black-and-white plumage and complex social behavior. While often unfairly branded as a "thief" or a bad omen in European folklore, it is revered as a symbol of good luck and prosperity in many East Asian cultures.

High Intelligence & Behavior

Self-Awareness:

The Eurasian magpie is one of the few non-mammal species to pass the mirror test, proving it can recognize its own reflection.

Problem Solving:

They are known to use tools, play games, and work in teams to fend off predators or hunt.

Social Memory:

Magpies can recognize individual human faces and may remember people who have been either kind or threatening in the past.

Grief:

They have been observed performing elaborate social rituals that resemble funerals when a member of their group dies.

Appearance & Identification

Iridescent Feathers:

While they look black and white from a distance, their black feathers actually have a blue, green, and purple iridescent sheen visible in sunlight.

Long Tail:

The tail makes up more than half of the bird's total length (approx. 45 cm total) and is used for balance and communication.

Vocalisations:

Their most common sound is a harsh, rapid "chacker-chacker" chatter, though they are also capable mimics of other sounds and even human speech.

Habitat & Diet

Adaptability:

They are found across Europe, Asia, and North America, thriving in suburban gardens, parks, and farmland.

Diet:

As omnivores, they eat a varied diet including insects, seeds, fruit, carrion, and occasionally the eggs or chicks of other birds.

Nesting:

They build large, domed nests of twigs and mud, usually high in trees or thorny bushes for protection.

Icons of the Baby Boom.

Your first impressions of Arles in the south of France will likely be marked by the city's Roman legacy. In 49 BCE, the city's prosperity and political standing rose meteorically when it backed Julius Caesar over his rival Pompey the Great. Caesar plundered Marseille, which supported the wrong side, and Arles eclipsed Marseille as the region's major port.

Soon, its citizens were living the high life, with gladiator fights and chariot races in magnificent open-air theaters that are still surprisingly intact today. The city's 12,000-seat theater and 20,000-seat amphitheater continue to stage major events, including Arles' famous férias, with their controversial bullfights, and street parties.

Arles is also famous for its role in the history of art. The city boasts some very impressive (and gleamingly futuristic) art museums and it hosts a world-renowned photography festival every year. And, of course, some of Vincent van Gogh's most well-known works were conceived here.

Prosperity for eels !

;-) A German wordgame , or just misspelling ?

Wohlstand für alle = Prosperity for everybody

iPhoneography heavily altered in Adobe Photoshop

This Tern chases all of the other Terns away from the tidal gate area at Bolsa Chica. He wants is all and he's quite successful!

Forster's Tern

Sterna forsteri

Member of Nature’s Spirit

Good Stewards of Nature

© 2019 Patricia Ware - All Rights Reserved

Minor crop - best enlarged - it's easier to see the two fish he caught in his beak

For 52 weeks for dogs,

Last day of the year, last sunset and last photo of 52 weeks 2016.

Great project the 52 weeks, we have memories forever.

We are looking forward to 2017, always with Leia by my side.

May the new year bring health to the whole group, and if there is prosperity, much better.

Nice week and happy new year!

Seen in

the ORIGINAL 52 Weeks for Dogs

Both Mandarin ducks and Mandarin oranges play special roles in Chinese traditions! Mandarin ducks are like the ultimate lovebirds, symbolizing romance and loyalty. Mandarin oranges are the stars of Chinese New Year, gifted to spread good luck and prosperity.

Mandarin Ducks are pretty but unsavory to eat,

Mandarin oranges, sweet treats that can't be beat.

Martvili Monastery (Georgian: მარტვილის მონასტერი) is a Georgian monastic complex located in the village of Martvili in the Martvili District of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Province (Mkhare) of Georgia. It sits upon the highest hill in the vicinity and was of strategic importance.

The site upon the hill where the monastery stands today was used in ancient times as a pagan cultural center and was a sacred site. There once stood an ancient and enormous oak tree that was worshipped as an idol of fertility and prosperity. Infants were once sacrificed here as well. After the conversion of the native population to Christianity, the ancient tree was cut down so as not to worship it anymore. A church was originally constructed in the late 7th century upon the roots of the old oak tree and was named in honor of Saint Andrew who preached Christianity and converted the pagans across the Samegrelo region.

The main Martvili-Chkondidi Cathedral (Mingrelian: Chkoni translates to "oak") was reconstructed in the 10th century after invasions that destroyed the prior church. Preserved in the church are frescoes of the 14th to 17th centuries.

123106 051-Enhanced-SR neo

For MACRO MONDAYS, this week’s theme: "Currency".

The Coin (1 inch in Diameter) in the front with Chinese Character 乾隆通寶 was a kind of cash coins produced under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty (1735 to 1796).

The gold ingot behind the coin called Yuanbao 元寶, was also a currency used in the first dynasty of Imperial China from 221 to 206 BC.

At the present days, they remain a symbol of wealth and prosperity and are commonly depicted during the Chinese New Year festivities.

As today is Chines New Year's Eve, I wish my Flickr friends a healthy and prosperous year!

HMM!

♥ Thank you very much for your visits, faves, and kind comments ♥

A simpler place in time.

"A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy, and prosperous being; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer of the man with his surroundings."

- James Allen

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Thanks to all for 17,000.000+ views, visits and kind comments..!!

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission.

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

In the middle of Shinjuku’s relentless pace, tucked away near the Kabukicho district, stands Hanazono-jinja. Its name translates to "Flower Garden Shrine," a quiet nod to the history of a site that has been a spiritual landmark for centuries. Dedicated to Inari—the deity of fertility and worldly success—the shrine has long been a place of refuge for those seeking prosperity in business.

While the exact origin of Hanazono remains unrecorded, it was already a recognized site by 1590, during the Azuchi–Momoyama period. This was an era before the Tokugawa shogunate established its power in Edo, the city we now know as Tokyo. Over time, the shrine’s physical presence shifted; it was originally located south of its current position before moving during the mid-17th century.

The history of Hanazono is one of constant reconstruction. It was heavily damaged by fires in 1780 and 1811, and later completely destroyed during the air raids of World War II. The structure seen today, built in the traditional dozo-zukuri architectural style, is a concrete replica completed in 1965.

Walking through the grounds, one finds the Itoku Inari sub-shrine, reached through a corridor of small torii gates. Clustered at the end of this path are the kitsune (fox) guardians, the traditional messengers of Inari.

During a quiet morning visit, the sharp light of the early hours often reveals the daily life that keeps the sanctuary running. In the shadows of the haiden, a shrine priest or assistant in traditional attire can be seen attending to his duties—a reminder that the sanctuary’s pristine state is the result of constant, quiet diligence. It is this intersection, where ancient ritual meets the urban giants of Shinjuku, that defines Hanazono today.

... an exotic touch...

fruits are for Good Health... every kind....

also sounding like "lucky gold" in Chinese, kumkwat is a symbol of good fortune and prosperity.

It is a Chinese tradition to place a pot of fully bloomed kumkwat at home during the festive season.

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check out more Hong Kong Streets & Candid shots here:

Taking the Streets in Hong Kong

In the mood for RED :

RED

Explore the Chinese Cultures:

Chinese Traditions

"Prosperity", a traditional Yorkshire fishing coble, hauled up on the beach at North Landing, Flamborough Head, Yorkshire.

f we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.

Anne Bradstreet,

A gift from a friend, a beautiful cake to which I added some raspberries, chocolate sauce and cream... very decadent and realized what a beautiful little blessing that I did not ask for nor expect.

Psalm 128:1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.

........an enucleated mother probably purposely blinded begging with her child.

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A billion people on this planet live way below the poverty level

and live in horrendous conditions.

The West is to be congratulated for its prosperity and high standard of living thought and technology

However we all live on this planet, together

for materialism is certianly no panacea for happiness, success and inner tyranny.

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

M Theresa

Siem Reap

We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can do without.” Immanuel Kant

Hunger is not an issue of charity. It is an issue of justice.

-Jacques Diouf

Photography’s new conscience

linktr.ee/GlennLosack

linktr.ee/GlennLosack

glosack.wixsite.com/tbws

As the new year begins, I wish one and all, a very happy new year! May the new year bring in new tides of joy, happiness, love, success & prosperity to you all. May all your non evil dreams come true ;)

Ungheria, Budapest, Pest dalla collina Gellert, Primavera 2016

La collina Gellért, alta 235 metri, si affaccia sul Danubio a Budapest, Ungheria. Prese questo nome in onore di San Gerardo, che fu ucciso gettandolo dalla collina. Il famoso Hotel Gellért e le Terme Gellert si trovano nella omonima piazza, ai piedi della collina, vicino al Ponte della Libertà. La Statua della Libertà alle pendici della collina è un monumento che ricorda coloro che hanno sacrificato la loro vita per l'indipendenza, la libertà e la prosperità di Ungheria. La vista di Budapest da qui è unica soprattutto al tramonto.

Gellért Hill is a 235 m high hill overlooking the Danube in Budapest, Hungary. Gellért Hill was named after Saint Gerard who was thrown to death from the hill. The famous Hotel Gellért and the Gellért Baths can be found in Gellért Square at the foot of the hill, next to Liberty Bridge. The Liberty Statue or Freedom Statue is a monument at the top of the hill and it commemorates those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary. The view of Budapest from here is unique especially at sunset.

Guang Fu Temple

The temple, which is a mix of modern and Art Deco architecture styles, is believed to be over 100 years old.

It started out as a small wooden temple with Tua Pek Kong as its resident deity.

Over the years, the temple was renovated and extended but some of its original furnishings such as the ornately carved wooden altar and the statues of the deities were maintained.

Today, other than the Tua Pek Kong, devotees can also offer prayers to other deities such as the Goddess of Mercy and Buddha in the temple.

Tua Pek Kong (God of Prosperity)

Source: www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2017/10/02/butterworths-v...

Butterworth, Penang 🇲🇾

September 2023

Memory of a good companion lost last week, never did like his pic being taken, gone but not forgotten

Українська хата мазанка під стріхою - традиційне житло українців на Поділлі.

На Поділлі хати у селі завжди виглядали гарно. Завжди побілені, іноді розписані в квітах та в пташках. В конструкції будівель цих районів у другій половині 19 століття переважав каркас з заповненням його деревом та глино-соломою з наступною обмазкою та побілкою. Особливістю подільської народної архітектури є широке застосування в декорі поліхромних розписів, підводок, кольорового пофарбування стін як житла, так і господарських будівель. Тридільна споруда (хата-сіни-хата). Поруч з хатою знаходилась клуня в якій молотили хліб.

Хата 1907 року села Яснозір`я-2 Черкаського району Черкаської області.

Садиба заможного селянина – це приклад «відкритого двору», де чиста частина розташована на першому плані при вході: хата, комора, криниця та погріб. Центральне місце на садибі відводилося хаті, за планом вона тридільна: хата, сіни, хата-світлиця, рублена із соснових пиляних брусів, з короткими випусками вінців. У великих просторих хатах на дві половини виділено одне чисте приміщення – світлиця, прибрана по-святковому: мальовані ікони, народна картинка в купованих червоних «кролівецьких» рушниках перед образами – святкові обрядові прикраси. Біля полу на лаві стоїть маленька скринька, в якій зберігалося намисто, стрічки, дукачі, гроші, документи.

У лівій хаті – щоденний побут селянської родини, де готувалася їжа, бавили дітей, ткали, пряли. У сінях великий спільний димохід для печей. На долівці стоїть ножна ступа, діжка-шаплик для купання, струг для вичинення шкіри.

Заможність господаря простежується і на подвір’ї. Господарські приміщення великі, відрізняються різноманітністю та гарним будівельним матеріалами, з яких вони зроблені.

This farmstead of a prosperous farmer exemplifies a concept of an “open yard”. Its clean part is located at the fore, near the entrance: a house, a storeroom, a wall and a vault. The farmstead’s central place is occupied by the three-room house, consisting of a house, a mudroom, a solar and made of pine-tree saw beams with short open tips. One clean room – a solar – was separated in big double-halved houses. This is a lovely decorated room with painted icons and a national picture, framed by purchased “krolivetsky” embroidered towels and sacral festive items in front of them. A small box on a bench next to the pil (rest space) was made for keeping bead necklaces, strips, precious items, money, and documents.

An ordinary life of a farmer’s family is represented by the left-side house. Here they cooked, nursed babies, wove, spun yarn. A large chimney, common for the both stoves was placed in the mudroom. A mortar, a trough for bathing and a drawing-knife lay here on the floor.

Prosperity of the owner of the house is also evidenced by the yard. All service buildings here are quite big and notable for their difference and good building materials.

When I first visited Lisbon the city still had buildings where house wives did the laundry together (by hand). Since then Portugal joined the EU and enjoyed some improved prosperity. But it seems that some people in the traditional working-class neighbourhood Alfama still stick to the old ways. I hope it is out of tradition or because of social contacts, not out of poverty.

Happy New Year! May the new year bring you more goodness, prosperity, and love!

Meaning about Marigold Flower

In explore 29-10-2016