ELEGY FOR PEACE

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

DANDELION SEEDS

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme.

PLUM TIME

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

TRACHELIUM

Trachelium caeruleum (common name blue throatwort) is a species of flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae native to the Mediterranean, where its native range includes Algeria, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, and Sicily. It has also become naturalised in a few areas, including New Zealand, the Azores, and parts of mainland Europe.

Growing to 120 cm tall by 30 cm wide, it is a woody-based erect herbaceous perennial, with oval leaves and dense cushions of violet-purple flowers in summer. The specific epithet caeruleum means "dark blue". In temperate climates this plant is usually grown as a half-hardy annual for summer bedding schemes or planters. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. There are many cultivars with a variety of flower colours, including white, red, pink, and dark purple.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

AMSTERDAM POSTCARD

Amsterdam is the capital city and most populous city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its status as the Dutch capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands though it is not the seat of the Dutch government, which is The Hague. Amsterdam has a population of 813,562 within the city-proper, 1,112,165 in the urban region and 1,575,263 in the greater metropolitan area. The city itself, contrary to the Dutch national institute of statistics, calculates the number of inhabitants in the greater metropolitan area to be 2,332,773.

The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. It comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately 7 million. Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin as a dam of the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century), a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading centre for finance and diamonds.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. I spent a few months living in Holland a couple of decades ago and I have fond memories of the city.

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

BOAT ON THE YARRA

Rowboat on the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

AGAPANTHUS 'BLACK PANTHA'

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

FOREST PATH

This photo was taken in Melbourne's Dandenongs. The Dandenong Ranges (commonly just the Dandenongs) are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately 35 km east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The ranges consist mostly of rolling hills, steeply weathered valleys and gullies covered in thick temperate rainforest, predominantly of tall Mountain Ash trees and dense ferny undergrowth.

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

PONDERING & REFLECTING

This is one of the ponds at Latrobe University in Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia. At the weekends especially it is a great place for locals to meet and have fun - not to mention their dogs.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

BRISBANE SUNSET

Taken from an airplane window as I was flying out of Brisbane one evening.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.