WINTER SUN & SHADOWS

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you." - Walt Whitman

Winter sunshine makes for some strong shadows in Yarra Park in Melbourne.

This post is part of the Shadow Shot Sunday meme.

ICE

We have had some very cold mornings int he last few days. On a couple of occasions our garden pond was freezing over and at the edges one could see the frond-like patterns of ice forming on the surface of the water...

This post is part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

MORNING SKIES IN FREMANTLE

On my morning walk in Fremantle, Western Australia, while travelling for work, there was occasion to enjoy some dramatic sunrise skies.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

PEONIES

Paeonia (peony or paeony) is a genus of flowering plants, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, Southern Europe and Western North America. Boundaries between species are not clear and estimates of the number of species range from 25 to 40. Most are herbaceous perennial plants 0.5–1.5 metres tall, but some resemble trees 1.5–3 metres tall. They have compound, deeply lobed leaves and large, often fragrant, flowers, ranging from red to white or yellow, in late spring and early summer.

The peony is named after Paeon (also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

FREMANTLE, BY THE SEA

I always enjoy early morning walks, all the more so when I am travelling for work. It is a good opportunity to get some exercise for the day (which is usually spent having meetings indoors)... Here is a wintry seascape on the Bathers' Beach in Fremantle, with not many bathers in sight!

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.

FLAMINGO FLOWER

Anthurium, or flamingo flower is a tropical, evergreen flowering plant which thrives in low light. It's one of the few low light plants that will flower in normal household conditions, and the blooms are a beautiful sight to behold. The foliage of flamingo flower is also appealing for indoor gardening, and the plant will live happily for many years with proper care and maintenance. Flamingo flower has been hybridised for the past 100 years, and various compact hybrids are available, all of which are ideal for indoor containers. One plant may live for as long as five years, or indefinitely when propagated through division.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
And also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

FREMANTLE BY NIGHT

I am in Perth for work for a few days and I staying in Fremantle. Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829. It was declared a city in 1929, and has a population of approximately 25,000.The city is named after Captain Charles Howe Fremantle, the English naval officer who had pronounced possession of Western Australia and who established a camp at the site. The city contains well-preserved 19th-century buildings and other heritage features. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for Fremantle is Freo.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme.

FLYING IT TOWARDS SYDNEY

A few weeks ago I was flying to Sydney and took these photos. The two bridges visible are the Taren Point Rd Bridge and the Princess Highway Bridge, at Taren Point and Sylvania Waters respectively.

This post is part of the Sunday Bridges meme.

HOMETIME

It's time to go home for commuters in the City. Here at the Flinders Street train station, it's always busy, but more so during peak hours...

This post is part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

ADELAIDE CLOUDSCAPES

I recently flew to Adelaide for work and had occasion to take some photos of these interesting cloudscapes. I always ask for a window seat and enjoy the opportunity to snap some photos from the plane.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

HYACINTHS

The Spring bulbs have been forced and one finds bunches of freesias, tulips, hyacinths, jonquils, daffodils out in full force in the nurseries and florist shops. These delightful pots of hyacinths were for sale at our local nursery.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MORNING DEW

A cold morning's dew makes the leaves sparkle as if they're diamond-studded.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.

RED CINERARIA

I was quite amazed to see at our local nursery shop this striking shade of cineraria. I knew the various shades of blue, pink, magenta and bicolour hybrids, however, I had never seen such a bright vibrant red before...

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

HARVEST

As we are now well truly in Winter in the Southern Hemisphere, it's heartening to be able to go shopping and buy some preserved sunshine in the form of this delicious and fresh produce.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme.

PERTH VISTAS

Distant views of the Kwinana Freeway bridge over the Swan River in Perth, Australia. King's Park is visible in the background with the Anzac War Memorial obelisk visible on top of the hill.

This post is part of the Sunday Bridges meme.

AUTUMN LEAF

This last fallen leaf,
On wet concrete, signalling:
One season's ending.

This post is part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

STORM GATHERING

Waiting to take off at Sydney Airport, it is always comforting to see a storm gathering. Nevertheless, despite the stormy skies, it proved to be a pleasant flight without incident.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

WATER LILY

Nymphaea (water lily) is a genus of hardy and tender aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. There are about 50 species in the genus, which has a cosmopolitan distribution. White-flowered waterlilies (of several species) are the national flower of Bangladesh. The flowers illustrated here are the beautiful hybrids Nymphaea "Peach Glow".

The name Nymphaea comes from the Greek term "Νυμφαία", possibly related to "Νύμφη" meaning "nymph". The nymphs in Greek mythology were supernatural feminine beings associated with springs, so the application of the name to delicately flowered aquatic plants is understandable. Despite its common name "water lily" (water-lily, waterlily), Nymphaea is not related to the true lily, Lilium.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

PORT BOTANY, SYDNEY

Port Botany is a deepwater seaport located in Botany Bay in Sydney, Australia. The port is dominated by trade in containerised manufactured products, and to a lesser extent, bulk liquid imports including petroleum and natural gas. It is Australia's second-largest container port, and is administered by the Sydney Ports Corporation, a corporation owned by the Government of New South Wales.

Here are two views of the port taken from a plane, one from above and another from one of the runways of Mascot Airport, which projects into the sea across the port. The photos were taken on a recent trip to Sydney.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.

MAHONIA - OREGON GRAPE

Mahonia is a genus of about 70 species of evergreen shrubs in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalaya, North America and Central America. They are closely related to the genus Berberis. Botanists disagree on the acceptability of the genus name Mahonia. Several authorities argue plants in this genus should be included in the genus Berberis because several species in both genera are able to hybridize, and because when the two genera are looked at as a whole, there is no definite morphological separation. Mahonia typically have large, pinnate leaves 10–50 cm long with 5-15 leaflets, and flowers in racemes (5–20 cm long).

The genus name Mahonia honours the Philadelphia horticulturist Bernard McMahon who introduced the plant from materials collected by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.The type species of the genus is Mahonia aquifolium, (Oregon grape) from the Pacific coast of North America.Several species are popular garden shrubs, grown for their ornamental, often spiny, evergreen foliage, yellow flowers in autumn, winter and early spring, and blue-black berries. The flowers are borne in terminal clusters or spreading racemes, and may be among the earliest flowers to appear in the growing season. The berries are edible, and rich in vitamin C, though with a very sharp flavour.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme.