GREECE I.D.

A postcard from Greece, serving to identify the country in a mosaic.

This post is part of the  Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

MY SUNDAY BEST MEME #85 - FLY

Welcome to the meme, "My Sunday Best", which is a photographic and creative meme that allows you to showcase your talents in imaging. Every Sunday, you can post here showing an image you have created using your camera, (and/or) image processing software, and/or painting and drawing in the conventional way and have scanned in.

The rules are simple:
1) Create your image and post it up on your blog;
2) Put the "My Sunday Best" logo image link somewhere on your post so people can click and come by here;
3) Leave a comment here once you have posted;
4) Visit other posters' blogs and be amazed with their creativity!

Please do not use this meme to advertise your goods or services. This is a creative meme and any inappropriate links or comments shall be removed immediately!

The bluebottle fly or bottlebee (Calliphora vomitoria) is a common blow fly found in most areas of the world and is the type species for the genus Calliphora. Similar species include the greenbottle fly, a close relative that can be distinguished by its bright green metallic colouring. Bluebottle fly adults feed on nectar, while the larvae feed on carcasses of dead animals. Adults are also pollinators to some flowers with strong odour.

This post is part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

DUCK

The Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea) is a small duck. The male has brown back, rich chestnut coloured chest and sides with dark tail and white patch on the rear (the white patch is in front of the tail at the "water line" when it swims). The head is dark green. Females are brown with scalloped pattern. The bill is grey in both sexes. The female Chestnut Teal is very similar to the Grey Teal, but is darker.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

SPRING SKY

Spectacular clouds as changeable weather ushers in our Southern Hemisphere Spring.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme.

CALLERY PEAR

Pyrus calleryana, the Callery pear known in the USA as the Bradford Pear, is a species of pear native to China and Vietnam, in the family Rosaceae. It is a deciduous tree growing to 5 to 8 m tall, often with a conic to rounded crown. The leaves are oval, 4 to 8 cm long, glossy dark green above, and slightly paler below.

The white, five-petaled flowers are about 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter. They are produced abundantly in early spring, before the leaves expand fully. The fruits of the Callery pear are small (less than one cm in diameter), and hard, almost woody, until softened by frost, after which they are readily taken by birds, which disperse the seeds in their droppings. In summer, the foliage is dark green and very smooth, and in autumn the leaves commonly turn brilliant colours, ranging from yellow and orange to more commonly red, pink, purple, and bronze.

Their dense clusters of white blossoms are conspicuous and very pretty in early spring, however their smell is commonly found unpleasant by many people (me included!). The smell is often described as 'fishy' and 'putrid'.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

KEYS 2

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

I get up in the morning, torture a typewriter until it screams, then stop. - Clarence Budington Kelland

DUNKIRK, FRANCE

Dunkirk (French: Dunkerque, Dutch: Duinkerke) is a town in the region of Nord-Pas de Calais in France. The name Dunkirk derives from West Flemish "dun" (Dune) and "Kerke" (Church), i.e. "The Church on the Dunes". Dunkirk is a small town in the northernmost tip of France. It is very close to the border with Belgium and is actually located on the shores of the North Sea. Dunkirk has a wide variety of tourist attractions including beaches, architectural and historical sites, festivals, cafes with live music, a theatre, a conference centre, museums, cinemas and its Carnival. Seven hundred hectares of dunes, 15 kilometres of beaches, and a recognised sailing resort make the Flanders coast an increasingly popular seaside resort for tourists who can find quality activities and entertainment all year round.

A history enthusiast after having visited the Dunkirk War Museum and the Town Cemetery's War Memorial might want to head South-East to the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ieper, Belgium. The Museum which looks at the history of the First World War in the Western Flanders Front region. Both France and Belgium have abolished passport control under the Schengen Agreement, so moving between these countries is easy. Other locations worth visiting which are connected to the First World war is the The Museum of the Great War in Péronne, France and the Sommme 1916 Museum in Albert, also in France.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

OM

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

MY SUNDAY BEST MEME #84 - PAPERWEIGHT

Welcome to the meme, "My Sunday Best", which is a photographic and creative meme that allows you to showcase your talents in imaging. Every Sunday, you can post here showing an image you have created using your camera, (and/or) image processing software, and/or painting and drawing in the conventional way and have scanned in.

The rules are simple:
1) Create your image and post it up on your blog;
2) Put the "My Sunday Best" logo image link somewhere on your post so people can click and come by here;
3) Leave a comment here once you have posted;
4) Visit other posters' blogs and be amazed with their creativity!

Please do not use this meme to advertise your goods or services. This is a creative meme and any inappropriate links or comments shall be removed immediately!

This post is part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme,

WILLIE WAGTAIL

The willie (or willy) wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and Eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest. Measuring 19–21.5 cm in length, the willie wagtail is contrastingly coloured with almost entirely black upperparts and white underparts; the male and female have similar plumage.

Three subspecies are recognised; Rhipidura leucophrys leucophrys from central and southern Australia, the smaller R. l. picata from northern Australia, and the larger R. l. melaleuca from New Guinea and islands in its vicinity. It is unrelated to the true wagtails of the genus Motacilla. The willie wagtail is insectivorous and spends much time chasing prey in open habitat. Its common name is derived from its habit of wagging its tail horizontally when foraging on the ground.

Aggressive and territorial, the willie wagtail will often harass much larger birds such as the laughing kookaburra and wedge-tailed eagle. It has responded well to human alteration of the landscape and is a common sight in urban lawns, parks, and gardens. It was widely featured in Aboriginal folklore around the country as either a bringer of bad news or a stealer of secrets.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.