PLOVDIV SUNSET

Plovdiv (Bulgarian: Пловдив)[2] is the second-largest city in Bulgaria with a population of 341,567 inhabitants as of 2015. It is the administrative centre of Plovdiv Province and the municipalities of the City of Plovdiv, Maritsa municipality, and Rodopi municipality, whose municipal body had a population of 404,665 inhabitants as of 2015.

It is an important economic, transport, cultural, and educational centre. Plovdiv's history spans 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC, ranking it among the world's oldest cities. Plovdiv was known in the West for most of its recorded history by the Greek name Philippoupolis (Φιλιππούπολις), which was introduced in 340 BC. The city was originally a Thracian settlement, later becoming invaded by Persians, Macedonians, Celts, Romans, Goths, Huns, Bulgarians, Crusaders, Russians and Ottomans.

On 4 January 1878, Plovdiv was liberated from Ottoman rule by the Russian army. It remained within the borders of Bulgaria until July of the same year, when it became the capital of the autonomous Ottoman region of Eastern Rumelia. In 1885, Plovdiv and Eastern Rumelia itself became part of Bulgaria. Plovdiv is situated in south-central Bulgaria on the two banks of the Maritsa River. The city has historically developed on seven syenite hills, some of which are 250 m high. Because of these hills, Plovdiv is often referred to in Bulgaria as "The City of the Seven Hills".

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

FRIDAY GREENS #44 - LEUCADENDRON

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

Leucadendron laureolum x salignum 'Inca Gold' is a spectacular golden colour in winter. It is ideal for low maintenance, low water use gardens. Great for cut flowers.

This post is also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

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KING PROTEA

The king protea (Protea cynaroides) is a flowering plant. It is a distinctive member of the family Proteaceae, having the largest flower head in the genus. The species is also known as giant protea, honeypot or king sugar bush. It is widely distributed in the southwestern and southern parts of South Africa in the fynbos region.

The king protea is the national flower of South Africa. It also is the flagship of the The Protea Atlas Project, run by the South African National Botanical Institute. The king protea has several colour forms and horticulturists have recognised 81 garden varieties, some of which have injudiciously been planted in its natural range. In some varieties the pink of the flower and red borders of leaves are replaced by a creamy yellow.

This unusual flower has a long vase life in flower arrangements, and makes for an excellent dried flower. Protea cynaroides is adapted to survive wildfires by its thick underground stem, which contains many dormant buds; these will produce the new growth after the fire.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

BIKE

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and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

FRIDAY GREENS #43 - PLUMS

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

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DUTCH IRIS

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

SUNSET FROM MY WINDOW

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and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
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FRIDAY GREENS #42 - WILD LEEK

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

The three-cornered leek (Allium triquetrum) is an invasive weed that can carpet large areas very quickly because of its rapidly germinating seeds that quickly form a dense clump of leaves and flowers. Pretty though this three-cornered leek may be, don't be tempted to pick it as a cut flower because it does reek strongly of an oniony smell! However, all parts of the plant are edible. The leaves and flowers can be added to salads, and the bulbs can be substituted for garlic.

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TEA PLANT FLOWER

Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. It is of the genus Camellia (Chinese: 茶花; pinyin: Cháhuā, literally: "tea flower") of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. Common names include "tea plant", "tea shrub", and "tea tree" (not to be confused with Melaleuca alternifolia, the source of tea tree oil, or Leptospermum scoparium, the New Zealand teatree).

Two major varieties are grown: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis for Chinese teas, and Camellia sinensis var. assamica for Indian Assam teas. White tea, yellow tea, green tea, oolong, pu-erh tea and black tea are all harvested from one or the other, but are processed differently to attain varying levels of oxidation. Kukicha (twig tea) is also harvested from Camellia sinensis, but uses twigs and stems rather than leaves.

Camellia sinensis is an evergreen shrub or small tree that is usually trimmed to below 2 m when cultivated for its leaves. It has a strong taproot. The flowers are yellow-white, 2.5–4 cm in diameter, with 7 to 8 petals. The seeds of Camellia sinensis and Camellia oleifera can be pressed to yield tea oil, a sweetish seasoning and cooking oil that should not be confused with tea tree oil, an essential oil that is used for medical and cosmetic purposes, and originates from the leaves of a different plant.

The leaves are 4–15 cm long and 2–5 cm broad. Fresh leaves contain about 4% caffeine, as well as related compounds including theobromine. The young, light green leaves are preferably harvested for tea production; they have short white hairs on the underside. Older leaves are deeper green. Different leaf ages produce differing tea qualities, since their chemical compositions are different. Usually, the tip (bud) and the first two to three leaves are harvested for processing. This hand picking is repeated every one to two weeks. 

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MORNING MOON

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FRIDAY GREENS #41 - OKRA

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers, bhendi, bhindi, bamia, ochro or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, and South Asian origins. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world.

The products of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic "goo" or slime when the seed pods are cooked; the mucilage contains soluble fibre. Some people prefer to minimise the sliminess; keeping the pods intact, and brief cooking, for example stir-frying, help to achieve this. Cooking with acidic ingredients such as a few drops of lemon juice, tomatoes, or vinegar may also help. Alternatively, the pods can be sliced thinly and cooked for a long time so the mucilage dissolves, as in gumbo (recipe for gumbo here). The immature pods may be pickled.

Okra is a popular health food due to its high fibre, vitamin C, and folate content. Okra is also known for being high in antioxidants. Okra is also a good source of calcium and potassium. Stir fried okra Okra leaves may be cooked in a similar way to the greens of beets or dandelions. Since the entire plant is edible, the leaves are also eaten raw in salads.

Okra seeds may be roasted and ground to form a caffeine-free substitute for coffee. Greenish-yellow edible okra oil is pressed from okra seeds; it has a pleasant taste and odour, and is high in unsaturated fats such as oleic acid and linoleic acid.

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FUCHSIA

Fuchsia is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees in the family Onagraceae. The first, Fuchsia triphylla, was discovered on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (present day Dominican Republic and Haiti) about 1696–1697 by the French Minim monk and botanist, Charles Plumier during his third expedition to the Greater Antilles. He named the new genus after the renowned German botanist Leonhart Fuchs (1501–1566).

There are currently almost 110 recognized species of Fuchsia. The vast majority are native to South America, but with a few occurring north through Central America to Mexico, and also several from New Zealand to Tahiti. One species, F. magellanica, extends as far as the southern tip of South America, occurring on Tierra del Fuego in the cool temperate zone, but the majority are tropical or subtropical. Most fuchsias are shrubs from 0.2–4 m tall, but one New Zealand species, the kōtukutuku (F. excorticata), is unusual in the genus in being a tree, growing up to 12–15 metres.

Fuchsias are popular garden shrubs, and once planted can live for years with a minimal amount of care. The British Fuchsia Society maintains a list of "hardy" fuchsias that have been proven to survive a number of winters throughout Britain and to be back in flower each year by July. Enthusiasts report that hundreds and even thousands of hybrids survive and prosper throughout Britain. In the United States, the Northwest Fuchsia Society maintains an extensive list of fuchsias that have proven hardy in members' gardens in the Pacific Northwest over at least three winters.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

TREE SILHOUETTE

A wild olive tree in our local park silhouetted against the Spring sunshine.

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

FRIDAY GREENS #40 - ELM IN SPRING

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

This post is also part of the Sky Watch Friday meme.

I appreciate your comments, and please add a link back to this page from your own Friday Greens blog post.

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SPRING FLOWERS

Our Spring is now well-advanced and we have a wealth of flowers blooming in our gardens. The late bulbs in cooler parts and the harbingers of Summer have also started to appear. We have temperatures in the low 30s predicted for next week and that is rather high all of the sudden...

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.