Snowdrops-first day of spring

Snowdrops are the symbol of spring, of nature's rebirth.
It is a custom by us to offer every woman, mother, grandmother, work colleague and friend a small bouquet of snowdrops on the 1st of March.
Here is a bunch of snowdrops for my lady readers and blog friends.
These are common snowdrops but I bet you don't recognize them.
I captured them from bellow and the details surprised me too.

Let's hope spring is coming soon. For now there is no sign of spring but the according to the weather forecast we shall have spring beginning from the 1st of March till Thursday, when we expect snow again.
On the first of March women also receive a special gift, called Martisor. See in my next post what it is all about.

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White tulip-macro photo

This white tulip photo, I share with you today is my favorite tulip shot.
I like it because it is just white and looks so pure and delicate.See more white tulip pictures at this other post.

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Art reflecting in art gallery window-reflection photos

Weekend again and that means reflection photos for James.
On sunny days reflections are so clear and captivating.
On the reflection in the window of this small art gallery, under that scaffold is hidden the statue of Matthias Corvinus (1443- 1490).
King Matthias (Matyas Kiraly in Hungarian) was born in my town and he was King of Hungary from 1458 to his death.
After conducting several military campaigns he became also King of Bohemia, (1469-1490) and Duke of Austria. He was the most popular of all Hungarian Kings,educated, wise, patient, brave and most of all, just. That is why has was also called Matthias Rex (Latin for just), on the memorial plate of the statue .

Statue of Matthias Corvinus (1902) artwork of Janos Fadrusz in front of St. Michael's Church in Cluj-Napoca.

The statue is in restoration for such a long time, more than 10 years, that I had to borrow this free photo from Wikipedia.
Visit Weekend reflections for many beautiful reflection photos.

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Spring in Botanical Garden-Cluj Napoca

The Botanical Garden in my town is a beautiful, quiet place for relaxation, the largest green area that somehow was spared of the cruelty of the ongoing real-estate fever.
Founded in 1920 by the university professor Alexandru Borza the Garden belongs at present to the "Babes-Bolyai" University of Cluj Napoca.
The Botanical Garden spreads over 14 hectares of hilly land and holds over 10 000 plant species of extremely diverse types from all around the world.
The Botanical Institute is hosted at the location of the Gardens too. Specialists and students from the College of Biology and geology perform their valuable researches here also.
The Garden is divided in many sections; my favorite is the ornamental section which is, as the name indicates, destined exclusively for a decorative purposes. Depending on the season, numerous plant species enchant visitors with their beauty.
I can tell you, this is photographers' paradise. The beautiful flowers just stand there, being an excellent resource for taking photos. You don't even have to be nice to the florist, like in other places.
In spring over 120 tulip, hyacinth, crocus and daffodil species are waiting to be admired.

In the middle of the Botanical Garden there is a water tower. Climbing the stairs up to the top of the tower is rewarded with a wonderful view over the city.
Another sections hold the Roman garden and there is also a medicinal sections and five glass houses.
The Japanese Garden is another spot of great attraction. It has a brook and a Japanese-style box; blossoming magnolias, hibiscus and other ornamental plants make the place very attractive.

Each year I spend long hours in the Botanical Garden taking pictures of spring flowers, so in my future posts I shall share lots of them.

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Spring blossom-macro photo

Spring blossoms are as delicate as new life can be. These beautiful heralds of spring, emerging from the seemingly dead branches will soon bring back the smile on our faces, after a long winter.
Though this picture is from my archive, spring is just after the corner.

Visit Today's Flowers for more beautiful flower photos.
Have a look at amazing macro photos at Lisa's Macro Monday.

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Silent evening on a rainy day-cityscape

This is an older photo from last autumn .
It was a rainy day and almost dark outside. Walking along the river, I saw the lights inside this inn. It looked so cozy, so warm, comparing with the hustle and bustle on sunny days.

Visit Scenic Sunday for beautiful scenery photos.

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Beautiful bouquet of lilies-flower photos

It is Pink Saturday again.
As it is still winter by us and there are no spring flowers yet, I welcome you with this bouquet of lilies.

Visit Pink Saturday at Beverly's for other pink contributions.

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Old reflecting in new - cityscape

It is weekend again and it's reflection day.
In the pictures I have the two sides of a street competing for beauty, old vs new.


See other reflection photos at Weekend reflections.

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Sky watch - sunset

At sunset, nature is painting for us
day after day, pictures of infinite beauty.

~John Ruskiin~

Just another colorful sunset photo.

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Squirrel crunching on a nut-nature photo

There is a little squirrel on the tree top. He was crunching on something and constantly moving, so I couldn't take a decent picture of it.
Still I treasure this photo because this is the only squirrel I've ever seen in my town, in the Botanical Gardens.

Visit Shadow shot Sunday at Hey Harriet for beautiful shadow shots and Camera Critters for lovely animal shots.

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Late afternoon sun rays-reflection photo

Late afternoon sun rays reflecting in a building's glass facade.
I captured these photos last autumn but as there is not much sunshine these winter days, it feels good to look at them.


Visit Weekend reflections hosted by James for beautiful reflection photos.

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Still winter on the hill-landscape photos

Frosty morning captured from my window. Everything is frozen by the neighbors.

Silky clouds at sunset.

Visit Sky watch Friday for beautiful sky photos.

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Alstroemeria flower - Peruvian lily picture

This is an alstroemeria flower, often called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas.
Alstroemeria looks like a miniature lily but I find it has a more delicate appearance.
I love those spotted and striped markings and contrasting patches.

Alstroemeria leaves grow upside down, with the leaf twisting as it grows out from the stem so that the bottom faces upwards, much like the twists and turns of our friendships. That could be the reason why alstroemeria flower is a particular symbol of friendship and devotion.

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Winter is not over-winter photos

I know, nobody wants to see snow photos any more, but what can I do?
Winter decided to stay some more weeks, so the flower photos will have to wait.
The beautiful white snow decorates the trees and not only;

The owner of this bike probably did not appreciate taking the bus in the morning.

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Saint Michael church-Cluj Napoca

This is the reflection of Saint Michael church in my town, my contribution to Weekend reflections, kindly hosted by James.

The tower of Saint Michael Church was rebuilt in 1837-1862 and is the newest part of the church. The clock tower is 80 m (262.467') height and it is the highest church tower in Transylvania.

The oldest section of Saint Michael church is the altar, inaugurated in 1390.The construction of the church was completed between 1442-1447 but there are no recordings of when the construction began.

According to Wikipedia:

"The first related document from 1349, signed by the archbishop of Avignon and fifteen other bishops grants the indulgence for those contributing to the illumination and furniture of the Saint Michael Church."

The old Roman Catholic church built in Gothic style is one of the most beautiful architectural jewelries of the old center and it is the second largest church in Transylvania.
Visit Weekend reflections for beautiful reflection photos.

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Difference between static pages and post pages.

Static pages have some different properties you should be aware of, when deciding what content would be appropriate for a static page, as I mentioned in my previous post.
Before creating one, you should also know the differences between a static page and a post page. Here are some of the differences:

Static pages

- are not archived;
- don't show up in feeds;
- don't have time stamp, no post footer at all;
- you don't apply labels to static pages;
- are not to be seen on followers reading list;
- have their own Edit pages panel;
- you can display them or just keep them hidden from visitors eyes (e.g. a list of all pages) and use the URL where needed.
- with some extra work it is possible to customize a static page (stand alone page) by hiding other elements like sidebar, footer and even heather(see the screenshot bellow).
This is useful, for example to create photo galleries, about page, contact page and link to them from a menu button or any other link.

How do you recognize a static page by its url?

Static pages have this extra /p/ in their url, instead of the date, like so:

static page - http://yourblog.blogspot.com/p/galleries.html
post page - http://yourblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/galleries.html

Move your cursor over my gallery in the main navigation and see it's url in the status bar, at the bottom-left corner of your monitor.

Related posts:

Create static pages-new feature in Blogger
Ways to display static pages
Managing static pages in Blogger blogs
Customize - style static pages, hide sidebar in Blogger
Hide the sidebar on designer templates-static pages Blogger
How to change the background color of the comment box on specific pages
Style static pages menu list-customize pagelist navigation
Style pagelist menu add custom css-designer templates Blogger

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Ways to display static pages list

Before you create static pages in Blogger, you have to know that there are a few different ways to display static pages list, mainly:

- display your static pages on the Blogger provided, horizontal or vertical menu (pagelist widget)
- keep your pages private, link to them from your posts or from a custom menu or share them just with friends.

What is the difference between the three options?
Blogger static pages have two components:

- a widget containing the list of the static pages which shows up on your blog as a horizontal or vertical menu.
- the static page itself which looks almost like a post page.

This is how the menus look like:

1. a vertical menu in the sidebar like this
   


2. a horizontal menu above the post area or in the crosscol section (under header) with the styling set in the CSS of your own template .
   
   Though you can customize the look and feel of the widget (in new templates), you are not permitted to include other links in this menu, just those of static pages.
   Now you can add links to external websites or pages to your pagelist (menu), using the new Blogger interface.


3. Don't show your pages but link to them from a post, form a menu or just share the page url with your friends.

Select the appearance and visibility of your links

On the old interface (if you are still using it) there was this window (next picture) you could choose an option from. Don't look for it, it is gone but read bellow...

To choose the way you want to display your pages you have to switch to the new interface.

Here is a quick update to this feature:

Step 1. Click the "Try the updated Blogger interface" link at the top of the editor page.

Step 2.In the next window select your blog, click the dropdown menu shown in the picture and select pages;

Step 3.
Click again the dropdown near Show pages as and you will see the three options (picture at the right).

We are done here. No we are not, you say?! You are right, let's see why?

Selectively display or hide pages

As you probably noticed, no matter which option you choose from the above, all your pages in your blog will be handled the same way: all displayed or all hidden. This is not exactly what we want, is it?

If you have many pages there is no way to squeeze all their links in a horizontal menu. Besides, you may want to hide a few of them.
If so, see how to reorder your pages.

You should also know the differences between a post page and a static page.
Static pages have some different properties you should be aware of, before you create one.

Of course, you can publish and experiment on your own; you can delete these pages at any time.

Related posts:

Add external links to your page list or create a custom menu
Difference between static pages and post pages.
Managing static pages in Blogger blogs
Customize - style static pages, hide sidebar in Blogger
Hide the sidebar on designer templates-static pages Blogger
Style static pages menu list-customize pagelist navigation
Christmas icons-Decorate your blog!

Read more >>