Purple flowers against the sky
Colour,  Sunday Stills,  Themed galleries

Gallery: purple blowing my mind

May 15, 2023 / 36 Comments

Purple haze all in my eyes,

Don’t know if it’s day or night.

You got me blowin’, blowin’ my mind.

Is it tomorrow or just the end of time?

Jimi Hendrix

Purple is the colour of wealth and royalty. Its rich tones call to mind the trappings of majesty and ceremony. Its blend of red and blue means that it lies carries messages both of tranquillity and of passion. Purple is also the colour of creativity, as it fosters creativity by stimulating our senses while also promoting the calmness needed for thoughtful observation and introspection. And it just happens to be my favourite colour too!

A couple of years ago I compiled a gallery of purple flowers for a Friendly Friday challenge. So for this week’s Sunday Stills theme of Purple Haze I set myself the personal challenge of avoiding flowers this time around. And I almost managed it! But I couldn’t resist including a handful of flowers from recent trips, too recent to have made it into that previous gallery. They include the glorious bougainvillea from Costa Rica in my feature photo.

The majority of my choices are also from those recent trips, but I’ve dug around in the archives a bit too. Some have featured before but most I hope will be new to you.

Purple wall and tile street numbers

Street sign in Cartagena, Colombia

Girl in a doorway wearing a purple dress

Model shoot in the old town of Cartagena, Colombia

Main chapel of the Salt Cathedral, Zipaquirá, Colombia

What appears to be a blue-lit cross hanging in front of the wall of salt is in fact cut out of that wall and illuminated from the other side

Rough wall illuminated in purple with a large blue cross
Wall painting of a large purple cat

Street art in Sofia, Bulgaria

Mural with a penguin painting

More street art in Sofia

Round stained glass window dated 1777

Stained glass window in Seville’s cathedral

Arch lit in purple and green lights

The Mirror Stream Fountain in Kharkiv, Ukraine

The water wasn’t flowing as it was so cold and icy, but the colours were constantly changing. I fear that like so much of Kharkiv this fountain must have been a casualty of war.

Large Buddha's head bathed in purple light

In a bar on Pub Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The Cavern Club in Liverpool, where the Beatles first found fame

Empty stage with drum kit lit in purple
Large mural of a girl bent over

Street art in Brighton, England

Small metal Eiffel Towers on rings, coloured purple and red

Souvenir key rings for sale in Montmartre, Paris

Sign advertising 'erotic waffles'

Shop sign in Seville, Spain

The ‘erotic waffles’ were regular waffles in ‘unusual’ shapes, and no, I didn’t buy one!

Young boy in a cap decorated with purple feathers

At a festival in Tallinn, Estonia

Women in purple clothes and red hats

Red Hatters in Washington State

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.

Jenny Joseph

Purple berries on a branch

Berries in a Dorset garden, England

And now for just a couple of flowers!
Purple morning glory flower

By the Peace Pagoda near Pokhara, Nepal

Purple pansies

In a street planter in Blloku, Tirana

36 Comments

  • Rose

    May 18, 2023 at 19:13 Reply

    My fave is the “The Mirror Stream Fountain in Kharkiv, Ukraine”. My heart aches for the country and all the people.

  • wetanddustyroads

    May 17, 2023 at 10:34 Reply

    You have some beautiful purples here. I love the berries in England (they seem almost unreal) … and a purple post just wouldn’t be complete without the beautiful bougainvillea!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 17, 2023 at 10:45 Reply

      Thank you 😊 The berries are a rather surprising colour, I’ve not seen similar anywhere else! And yes, bougainvillea is a must for a purple post and welcome anywhere 😀

  • Suzanne

    May 17, 2023 at 02:03 Reply

    Purple is on trend, just saying 😉 I certainly don’t think it ages a person, unless of course they are an aged person. I enjoy the odd burst of purple as I personally suit it, though I also wear a fair amount of black with more white thrown in during summer. A fun post, Sarah, full of cheerful colour.

  • Trresa

    May 16, 2023 at 23:21 Reply

    WOW such vibrant purples you have here. It seems like the images are popping out of my screen.

  • SoyBend

    May 16, 2023 at 23:14 Reply

    Such a beautiful color, Sarah! I liked the purple kitty street art, the stunning Mirror Stream Fountain, and the pretty blossoms at the end of your post.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 17, 2023 at 08:13 Reply

      Thanks so much Siobhan 😀 The colours of that fountain were constantly changing, I have photos of it in various shades. Such a dreadful shame to think what has happened to that city since our visit though.

  • Alli Templeton

    May 15, 2023 at 22:19 Reply

    You know I said the other day that your tree post was my favourite ever? Well it has a rival now! 😀 I hadn’t realised your favourite colour was purple too – it’s been mine for as long as I can remember and I never wear any other colour, just that and black. So you can imagine how much this post appeals! What a stunning collection you’ve put together, and all so fitting to the theme. The top shot nearly made my eyes come out on organ stops, as did that breathtaking cross image in the chapel of the Salt Cathedral, even more so with the optical illusion – I did think it was a blue cross hanging in front of the wall until I read your caption! I had to show my whole family that gorgeous cat in sofia, as we all love cats, and this picture is marvellous. Needless to say there was a chorus of ‘oh wow!’ all round… Fantastic show, Sarah, and thanks for making my day – twice now in a week! 🙂

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 16, 2023 at 08:22 Reply

      Thank you again so much Alli 😊 I really do appreciate these kind comments. That optical illusion had us fooled too. Our guide asked us, while still at a distance, to guess the weight of the cross. We thought we were being quite clever, remembering that salt would weigh less that most rock, but of course we were way out as the right answer is nothing!

  • restlessjo

    May 15, 2023 at 21:37 Reply

    I had to dig deep in the memory, but I did once have a lilac frock, Sarah. Back when zip fronts were fashionable… if you go that far back! Excellent gallery, hon.

  • Terri Webster Schrandt

    May 15, 2023 at 15:14 Reply

    Your purple collection of all things (and I mean ALL) purple is incredible, Sarah! I always enjoy how you set up your galleries to show case each image. I personally don’t like publishing song lyrics in my posts due to copyright infringements, but Hendrix nails it (why I used two words in my post title). I can just imagine the erotic waffles, good capture on that sign :), I like the purple keyrings. I have to watch out wearing purple as well, especially when my hair was more red 😀

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 15, 2023 at 15:38 Reply

      Glad you like my purples Terri, and yes, I like to showcase the images as much as possible in these photo-heavy posts 🙂 I take your point about song lyrics but I’ve always understood a short extract isn’t too much of an issue. I used a different verse from Purple Haze in a post a couple of years ago and haven’t been sued – yet 😆

  • Denzil

    May 15, 2023 at 12:00 Reply

    Great selection Sarah. What are those berries? They look like grapes, but not grapes. Was also expecting some Purple Rain from someone with your creativity! (Says he, planting a creative thought in Sarah’s mind!)

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 15, 2023 at 12:31 Reply

      I have to say I have no idea what the berries are, but certainly not grapes. They’re quite small, maybe similar in size to a holly berry. As for purple rain – – maybe a purple raindrop might be feasible with some nifty editing?!

  • margaret21

    May 15, 2023 at 11:43 Reply

    I’ve not worn purple ever since a friend said ‘So aging, purple …’. That Estonian boy proves it’s just not true. What a varied and sumptuous gallery. Though I’ll pass on an erotic waffle … or a key ring.

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