SUNSET SKY

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

ROSE TIME

The roses are in full bloom at the moment in Melbourne and the mild, wet weather we have been having is ensuring they are flowering profusely.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

URN

urn | əːn | noun
1: A tall, rounded vase with a stem and base. Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is a very well known poem.

To read the poem, click on this link.

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

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA

Pretoria (Xhosa: E-Pitoli) is a city in the northern part of Gauteng province in South Africa. It straddles the Apies River and has spread eastwards into the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountains. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the administrative branch of government (Cape Town is the legislative capital and Bloemfontein the judicial capital), and of foreign embassies to South Africa.

Pretoria has a reputation for being an academic city with three universities and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) located in its eastern suburbs. The city also hosts the South African Bureau of Standards making the city a hub for research. Pretoria is the central part of the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality which was formed by the amalgamation of several former local authorities including Centurion and Soshanguve.

There have been proposals to change the name of Pretoria itself to Tshwane, and the proposed name change has caused some public controversy. Pretoria is named after the Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius, and within South Africa sometimes called the "Jacaranda City" due to the thousands of jacaranda trees planted in its streets, parks and gardens. Being an invasive species, jacaranda trees are no longer allowed to be planted in Pretoria.

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.

CLOTHES MAKETH THE MAN

And the woman!

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 Macro Monday meme.

MY SUNDAY BEST MEME #94 - SUNRISE

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!

Sunrise on the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia.

This post is part of the My Sunday Photo meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

NESTING BRONZEWING

The common bronzewing (Phaps chalcoptera) is a species of medium-sized, heavily built pigeon. Native to Australia and one of the country's most common pigeons, the common bronzewing is able to live in almost any habitat, with the possible exception of very barren areas and dense rainforests.

Common bronzewings construct a rough nest of twigs and sticks, which is placed low down in a tree or bush. The eggs hatch after a period of roughly 14 to 16 days, after being incubated by both the male and the female. Both parents share the responsibility of caring for the young. In common with other pigeons, common bronzewings release a milky substance from their crop to feed their young.

This nest was photographed in the Darebin Parklands in suburban Melbourne.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

CLOUDS

At the Darebin Parklands in suburban Melbourne.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

BLUE GERANIUM

Geranium 'Johnson's Blue' was the first of the brilliant blue geraniums to catch gardeners' eyes. The Royal Horticultural Society gave it the Award of Garden Merit (AGM). The blue of its flowers is hard to photograph and is always more startling when you actually see the plant. The flower stalks can grow quite tall and will droop under the weight of the blossoms. Most gardeners don't bother to stake them, since it is still an attractive plant, even with its floppy habit.

The flowers should be cut back after the first bloom, to get sporadic repeat blooms. Often the whole plant can begin to look scraggly and a good shearing is needed to totally rejuvenate it. 'Johnson's Blue' geranium is drought tolerant. It blooms best in full sun, but appreciates some afternoon shade in hot, dry areas. It's very disease resistant and a magnet for bees and butterflies.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

T-SQUARE

T-square noun

A T-shaped instrument for drawing or testing right angles.

Etymology:  Its name comes from its resemblance to the letter T.

When I was in High School, we had a few art lessons in "technical drawing" where we learnt how to use various drawing instruments, such as T-squares, set squares, protractors, compasses, etc, in order to construct precise drawings of various objects. These drawings could then be used as a guide for constructing these objects in wood, metal or plastic.

It is rare to find such instruments nowadays as technical drawings can be done quite easily by the use of various drawing programs on a computer...

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS

Leiden is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 122,565, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration with its suburbs Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, Voorschoten and Zoeterwoude with around 190,000 inhabitants. Leiden is located on the Old Rhine, at a distance of some 20 kilometres from The Hague to its south and some 40 km from Amsterdam to its north. The recreational area of the Kaag Lakes (Kagerplassen) lies just to the northeast of Leiden.

A university city since 1575, Leiden houses Leiden University, the oldest university of the Netherlands, and Leiden University Medical Centre. It is twinned with Oxford, the location of the United Kingdom's oldest university. Over 1994/95 I spent several months in the Netherlands engaged in various academic/research activities. I lived in Leiden for five weeks, which was a wonderful time for me. I spent a great deal of my spare time cycling around the city and environs visiting the grand old buildings, notable museums, beauty spots and historical sites.

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.

LATE SPRING GARDEN

Our garden is abloom this time of the year and it is a pleasure to spend time in it on days like today when the sun is shining and the temperature is warm. The colours and the perfumes, the song of birds, the buzz of bees, the trickling of the water in the fountain, and the sound of music playing softly in the background while we sip on a cool drink is a vision of Paradise...

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Macro Monday meme,

and also part of the Through my Lens meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

MY SUNDAY BEST MEME #93 - RAIN

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!

Rain, rain, go away.
Come again another day.
Baby wants to play.
Rain, rain, go away...

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

IBIS

The Australian white ibis (Threskiornis moluccus) is a wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

GRASSLAND

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

BRACTEANTHA

Bracteantha bracteata commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Australia. Described by Étienne Pierre Ventenat in 1803, it was known as Helichrysum bracteatum for many years before being transferred to a new genus Xerochrysum in 1990. It grows as a woody or herbaceous perennial or annual shrub up to a metre tall with green or grey leafy foliage.

Golden yellow or white flower heads are produced from spring to autumn; their distinctive feature is the papery bracts that resemble petals. The species is widespread, growing in a variety of habitats across the country, from rainforest margins to deserts and subalpine areas.

The golden everlasting serves as food for various larvae of lepidopterans (butterflies and moths), and adult butterflies, hoverflies, native bees, small beetles, and grasshoppers visit the flower heads. The golden everlasting has proven very adaptable to cultivation. It was propagated and developed in Germany in the 1850s, and annual cultivars in a host of colour forms from white to bronze to purple flowers became available. Many of these are still sold in mixed seed packs. In Australia, many cultivars are perennial shrubs, which have become popular garden plants. Sturdier, long-stemmed forms are used commercially in the cut flower industry.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

SPRING 3

A spring is a place where groundwater flows out of the ground. A spring may flow the whole year or only sometimes. This depends on the water getting into the ground all of the time (rain) or only once in a while (snow melting). Water from a spring often flows downhill, along the land. This is how rivers start. Some springs produce water that is good for health reasons. Sometimes towns grow by these springs because many people who are ill come there to get better. Such towns are called spa towns.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

SANTA FE, USA

Santa Fe (Tewa: Oghá P’o'oge, Navajo: Yootó) is the capital and fourth-most populous city of the U.S. state of New Mexico. In addition to being the eponymous seat of Santa Fe County, it has approximately 83,875 inhabitants with a metropolitan area population of approximately 144,170.

Due to its geographic location in Northern New Mexico–at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Rocky Mountains–Santa Fe exhibits an alpine and dry steppe climate with pronounced forestry, various mountain ranges, and large plains, along its city limits. During the winter season, Santa Fe typically experiences considerable snowfall and drops in temperature allowing it to maintain New Mexico's third-largest ski resort, Ski Santa Fe, following Angel Fire Resort and Taos Ski Valley. The city's subalpine land elevation is 7,199 feet above sea level, making it the third highest city in elevation in the United States. It is jointly-eponymous with Santa Fe, Granada, Spain–both cities feature a castle, lion, and the Spanish imperial eagle on their official seals and flags. Spanish culture is celebrated annually in Santa Fe, most notably with Fiestas de Santa Fe and the burning of Zozobra.

As the cultural and economic centre of New Mexico, the city exerts substantial influence in the state's politics, education, entertainment, environment, media, fashion, science, culture, and the arts. The Governor's Mansion, New Mexico Legislature, and Supreme Court of New Mexico are all headquartered in Santa Fe. It is home to the New Mexico Museum of Art, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, and Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, operating the International Folk Art Market and Santa Fe Indian Market during the summers.

While it possesses modern infrastructure, the city has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, San Miguel Mission, and Santa Fe Plaza. In addition to numerous parks and woodlands, the Santa Fe National Forest is within its northern city limits. The city has one of the most expensive real estate and rental markets in the country. Known for its art market, Santa Fe has the third-largest art market value in the United States, with nearly 250 art galleries and brokers. The city was designated a UNESCO World Creative City in 2005 for its efforts in cultural preservation.

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.

HEXAGON STEW

Chopping up a few photos of the Parklands into a hexagon stew makes me look more closely at the details, which would otherwise have been easily missed: Rough bark, bright orange fungus, purple rock, green foliage, blue sky and watery reflections, mallow flower.

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

MY SUNDAY BEST MEME #92 - SIMPSON'S DONKEY

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!

John (Jack) Simpson Kirkpatrick (6 July 1892 – 19 May 1915), who served under the name John Simpson, was a stretcher bearer with the 1st Australian Division during the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I. After landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, Simpson began to use donkeys to provide first aid and carry wounded soldiers to the beach, for evacuation. Simpson and the donkeys continued this work for three and a half weeks, often under fire, until he was killed, during the Third attack on Anzac Cove. "Simpson and his Donkey" are a part of the "Anzac legend". 

Peter Corlett's sculpture 'Simpson and his donkey, 1915' is a bronze statue at the National War Memorial in Canberra, Australia, made in 1987-8.

This post is part of the My Sunday Photo meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

BLACK CAT

The neighbour's cat having a bit of a rest in the garden... Taking care of the manicure, and then more rest!

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

SEAFARERS BRIDGE, MELBOURNE

The Seafarers Bridge is a footbridge over the Yarra River between Docklands and South Wharf in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The bridge connects the north and south banks of the river while providing a formal entrance to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The bridge main span is supported by steel ties connected to elliptical arches, with three arches on the north side and four arches on the south side. The bridge was named in homage to the ‘Mission to Seafarers’ centre located nearby on the northern bank of the Yarra River and to represent Melbourne’s rich maritime history.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,

and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme.

PIGFACE

Carpobrotus glaucescens, commonly known as angular sea-fig or pigface, is a species of flowering plant in the Aizoaceae (ice plant) family. It is a succulent coastal ground-cover native to temperate eastern Australia. The succulent leaves are 3.5–10 cm long and 9–15 mm wide, straight or slightly curved. The flowers are 3.2–6 cm wide, and light purple. The red to purple fruit is 2–3 cm long and 1.6–2.4 cm wide.

The fruit pulp is edible, with a flavour like salty strawberry or kiwifruit. The skin is discarded. The leaves are also edible cooked, and can be used as a preserved pickles. Fruit of the plant can also be made into a toffee or jam. The roasted leaves have been used as a salt substitute. Early European explorers used the plant as an anti-scurvy treatment. The juice of the leaves can also be used to relieve pain from insect bites. Carpobrotus comes from the Greek ‘karpos' (fruit) and ‘brota' (edible things) and refers to the edible fruits.

As would be expected C. glaucescens is very salt tolerant and is able to withstand salt spray, strong winds and sand blast. If covered with sand the plant can survive, grow upwards and produce a new plant mat over the old one. Pigface is generally a summer-spring growing plant. It can be grown either from seed or cuttings. Propagation is easiest by layering (rooting horizontal stem cuttings), as this is how the plant grows naturally. These layers should be around 30 cm in length and planted leaving at least 5 cm of the plant above the sand or soil. The plant can also be grown from cut pieces or division of large plants.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

RAINBOW

"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow." - Gilbert K. Chesterton

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