SUNDAY BEST #401 - AT THE PARK

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 our goods or services. This is a creative meme and any inappropriate links or comments shall be removed immediately.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Last week, Roentare in Melbourne shared this beautiful shot of a sea cave in Portsea. Please visit his blog for more fantastic photos!

SUNDAY BEST #292 - NILLUMBIK SHIRE

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 Shire of Nillumbik is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It contains some outer northern suburbs of Melbourne and rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 435 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 66,000 people. It was formed in 1994 from the merger of parts of the Shire of Eltham, Shire of Diamond Valley, Shire of Healesville and City of Whittlesea. The shire uses the tag-line the green wedge shire. Nillumbik was rated third of 590 Australian Local Government Areas in the BankWest Quality of Life Index 2008. The countryside in the Shire is quite idyllic as this photograph shows.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Last week, Taken for Granted in the USA posted this lovely photo of a Baltimore Oreole. Please visit his blog for more great shots!

SUNDAY BEST #233 - B&W

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 theme is of your own choosing, so post on any subject you desire.

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Last week I liked all of your photos very much, but I lingered more on Betty's beautiful and serene New Zealand beach, which I reproduce below. For more of her work, please visit her page.

MY SUNDAY BEST MEME #133 - SPRING, WAITING

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 theme is of your own choosing, so post on any subject you desire.

Our Winter dragged on for a while this year and it felt as though Spring was tarrying somewhere, reluctant to come to us...

Last week, Jesh from the USA had a post with some wonderful photos, the one below being my favourite this week. Visit her blog for more great images!

'I' IS FOR IGLOO

The Inuit inhabit igloos of ice.

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

METEORA, GREECE

The Metéora (Greek: Μετέωρα, pronounced [mɛˈtɛoɾɐ], lit. "middle of the sky", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above" — etymologically related to "Meteorite") is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

All of the monasteries that are located at Metéora are perched on high cliffs and accessible by staircases cut into the rock formations. They were created to serve monks and nuns following the teachings of the Greek Orthodox Church. Much of the architecture of these buildings is Athonite in origin. Of the six intact monasteries, the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen and Monastery Roussanou are inhabited by nuns.

This post is part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.

TASMANIAN COUNTRYSIDE

Tasmania is a place of wild beauty and Australia's smallest state. The island presents enormous variety within a compact space. It is about the size of the Republic of Ireland, or that of Hokkaido in Japan, or twice the size of Switzerland. In this small area one finds |landscapes which change from green rainforested valleys, peaks and highland lakes to long glistening beaches, towering sea cliffs and cities that are not yet overwhelming. Often these contrasts are all within a 90-minute drive. It has a climate which is maritime and mild.

This post is part of the Scenic Sunday meme,
and also part of the Psalm Sunday meme.

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river...

RIVER TORRENS, ADELAIDE

The River Torrens is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains and was one of the reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows 85 kilometres from its source in the Adelaide Hills near Mount Pleasant, across the Adelaide Plains, past the city centre and empties into Gulf St Vincent between Henley Beach South and West Beach.

The upper stretches of the river and the reservoirs in its watershed supply a significant part of the city's water supply. The river's long linear parks and a constructed lake in the lower stretch are iconic of the city. At its 1836 discovery an inland bend was chosen as the site of the Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide.

The river is named after Colonel Robert Torrens, chairman of the colonial commissioners and a significant figure in the city's founding. The river is also known by its native Kaurna name Karra wirra-parri. The river and its tributaries are highly variable in flow, and together drain an area of 508 square kilometres. They range from sometimes raging torrents, damaging bridges and flooding city areas, to trickles and completely dry in summer. Winter and spring flooding has prompted the construction of flood reduction works. A constructed sea outlet, landscaped linear parks and three holding reservoirs contain peak flow.

The river's flora and fauna have been both deliberately and accidentally impacted since settlement. In the 19th century, native forests were cleared, gravel removed for construction and many foreign species introduced. With construction of the linear parks, many species native to the river have been replanted, and introduced species have been controlled as weeds. Since European settlement the river has been a frequently touted tourist attraction. During the early years of settlement, the river acted as both the city’s primary water source and main sewer, leading to outbreaks of typhus and cholera.

This post is part of James' Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Sunday meme.

SICILIAN LANDSCAPE

Sicily has some stunning landscapes to offer, as well as thousands of years of history, unique culture, picturesque villages and bustling cities. It really is a wonderful place to visit and all three times we have been there we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

This timeless landscape near Segesta shows the rich cultivated fields, but also in the foreground some fallow ground with highly decorative dried seed heads of what I think are wild angelica.

This post is part of Sylvia's Skywatch Friday meme.