Saturday 16 September 2017

Colour Companions. Sunset Splurge. Most Famous Female in History?

                                               ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN
After last weeks tribute to a special lady here's another. I have to say 'Belinda' has a much better view of the world than I have as she lives on a hill overlooking the city. I'd marry her in an instant but only for the amazing panoramas from her windows. This is not one of them :o)
Pink for a girl. It was on a recent bus trip into Edinburgh that she happened to ask... "Who is the most famous woman in history?"
After a think about it and several suggestions from her I replied "Cleopatra... it's got to be! "
I explained my reasons. "She died over 2000 years ago yet her image is still everywhere around us, in almost every country, despite not really knowing what she looked like. Given that fact it's fair to speculate that she will still be around and known throughout the world 2000 years in the future and still be an icon then if humans still exist. Even robots will know her story. Who else can match that? Will any modern celebrity/ individual be well known and instantly recognized by nearly every person on the planet 2000 years from now?"
The Virgin Mary and Joan of Arc were considered then dismissed. (V.M. demoted as that image of mother and child was apparently lifted straight from Isis and the infant Horus according to many historians and no genuine provable evidence exists of a real women as yet but Cleopatra's image, life and death is verified by countless coins and ancient tablets. Also, V.M. has been heavily promoted for well over 1000 years by the vast machinery of Catholic and Christian churches into every home yet still remains unchanged as a static image. (Cleopatra meanwhile is on everything in modern times from food products to lucky charms to gambling machines- slightly ironic given her unlucky end and is still as famous/ infamous as ever she was yet she also evolves and changes style and even colour/race with each new generation's tastes and attitudes.) Joan of Arc has that as well, just not as much or as universal, being again tied to one religion and a certain static look. In short, she doesn't appeal or fascinate modern generations in the same way.
Once I'd explained why I thought Cleopatra should be number one she eventually agreed. Hence the last photo post tribute to a true immortal.... Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator to give her the full title. Names are also very important in the long lasting memory game. Famous people that have hard to pronounce names do not get remembered past their own death usually. It can be that simple. That and a great back story... preferably with a tragic ending.
So the answer to the post/quiz/tribute last week that no one bothered to guess is.... The Royal Queen of Ancient Egypt. Maybe it was too easy for an answer?
Sunsets can come in a range of colours. Goldilocks evening here on a frozen Lake of Menteith. Belle missed this, which was a real pity, as she can ice skate fairly well.
Cloud reflections on the outskirts of Glasgow near Clydebank. A beauty mirror for a muse.
Flamingo pink dawn over the Western Highlands.
Catkins and cherry trees. Late spring.
Almondvale colours. Loth-Lothian.
Stars fallen to earth.
Wild garlic.
Forsythia reflections. A bush named after a direct relative of UK entertainer Bruce Forsyth. As it flowers very early in spring each year, sometimes with late snow still present, it is often linked with resurrection.
The River Leven at Dumbarton.
Flowering gorse bushes on the Kilpatrick Hills.
Beautiful blue skies and daffodils. Glasgow's glorious western suburbs.
Daffodils in Glasgow park.
First light in the Western Highlands. The Avalon spirit world colours of my own Morgan Le Fay perhaps?
Red sunset on the River Clyde.
The red earth of Loth-Lothian.
Sunset on the River Clyde. Renfrew Ferry. Last crossing of the evening.

As a contrast to feminine pursuits here's a manly, 'band of brothers' style video. A classic modern song I liked immediately it also featured on the compilation CD Western Skies- best new American Music... which has been a favourite on long car journeys for several years now as it features many different bands but not a bad song on it.



















14 comments:

Linda said...

Your photos are absolutely gorgeous and dreamy, and what a picturesque place!

blueskyscotland said...

Thanks Linda, that's the effect I was aiming for in this gallery.

Linda W. said...

Lovely sky shots - so colorful! It's nice to see you still have flowers blooming. Ours are pretty much dried up from our hot, dry summer.

Kay G. said...

Very gorgeous photos. I have told you this before but I want to visit there and see these views myself!

Forsythia! I love learning that Bruce Forsyth is descended from the man who brought us this gorgeous plant! We also call it "yellow bells". My sister was born in Forsyth, Georgia and they now have a "Forsythia Festival" there in March.

Bruce Forsyth, I remember him well. I know that he died recently and that people do his "Thinker" pose in his honor, I really love that. They should plant Forsythia in his honor too!

Kay G. said...

Also, I wanted to say-For me, the most famous woman in history would still have to be Mary.
The fact that I can only say "Mary" and you know who I mean should prove that point.

blueskyscotland said...

Cheers Linda W,
Our summer has been cold and very wet with rain or heavy showers for months now. I know the USA and Canada have been experiencing severe heat and wildfires this year. Hopefully you will be back to normal conditions soon.

blueskyscotland said...

Hi Kay.
I suppose it's all a matter of personal taste as I've always liked fallen women myself rather than the pure version. Katy Perry or Adele- same thing :o)
You would like the video of the young girl on the last post before this one though as that is special and really worth a watch. Alma Deutscher. Finding Cinderella.

Anonymous said...

I love sunset shots and the range of colours they bring. I didn't get the quiz in the previous post by the way! :)

Carol said...

Damn! I thought it was me! ;-)

How on earth did you guys get a PURPLE sunset??!

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

Wonderful shots, Bob; and you sound happy! :-) You may be right about Cleopatra. Hope you dropped in on the Auchentoshan distillery...

blueskyscotland said...

I thought it was more a pink sunset myself. Fairly rare colour. Far north camping trip to Gairloch and I remember it was during a week long heatwave. Very dry atmosphere probably, unusual for west coast Scotland.

blueskyscotland said...

Cheers Mike.
Photo tributes to immortals are supposed to be happy. Never been to that distillery yet despite living five minutes away from it :o)

Neil said...

Excellent Bob. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your wonderful sunset photos. September/October is usually a good time for the; there was a fantastic one a couple of nights ago but I was too far away from a viewpoint to get to photograph it.

blueskyscotland said...

Hi Neil,
I've been without a camera for the last three weeks so I,m looking forward to getting it back again soon, hopefully.