There is beauty in everything and everyone

The below picture is of a Scottish Thistle ( Onopordum acanthium ) in Australia it is considered a very noxious weed and a plant to be eradicated at all costs. It is considered to have little value and to be an unwanted pest and yet despite all these negative perceptions it delivers one of the most striking and unique flowers around & it's cultural significants in it's native homeland of Scotland is immeasurable ( as listed below ) where it is both loved and respected.

I'd like to think in some ways, irrespective of any negitive perceptions each of us have attracted or created that we are all a bit like the Scottish Thistle and shine bright for those that matter and carve out our own piece of significants where ever our homelands may be.

Photograph © Andrew Swansson

The thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland since the reign of Alexander III (1249–1286) and was used on silver coins issued by James III in 1470. According to the legend, an invading Norse army was attempting to sneak up at night upon a Scots army encampment. During this operation one barefoot Norseman had the misfortune to step upon a Scots Thistle, causing him to cry out in pain, thus alerting Scots to the presence of the Norse invaders. Some sources suggest the specific occasion was the Battle of Largs, which marked the beginning of the departure of the King Haakon IV (Haakon the Elder) of Norway who, having control of the Northern Isles and Hebrides, had harried the coast of the Kingdom of Scotland for some years.