WATERBIRDS

Australian waterbirds with moorhens and ducks abounding in Victoria, here in the Darebin Parklands in Melbourne.

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.

ORANGE SUNRISE

An orange sunrise in Tasmania.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

HAEMANTHUS

Haemanthus coccineus, the Blood Flower or Paintbrush Lily, is a bulbous geophyte in the genus Haemanthus, native to Southern Africa.The generic name Haemanthus is derived from the Greek words haima for blood and anthos for flower; coccineus is the Latin word for red or scarlet. In the Afrikaans language it is known as Bergajuin, Bloedblom, and one may also encounter it under many other vernacular names. It is in the Amaryllidaceae family.

The flowerheads of Haemanthus coccineus emerge between February and April (it is now in bloom in our garden in Melbourne, Australia), with scarlet spathe valves on them like bright shaving brushes, make it a striking plant. The flowers are soon followed by translucent, fleshy berries. There are usually two large leaves per bulb, and occasionally three, which appear after flowering. The brilliant flowerheads account for its early appearance in Europe, being described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1762. Together with Haemanthus sanguineus (Jacq.), this was the first Haemanthus to be introduced to European horticulture as an ornamental plant.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

HA LONG BAY, VIETNAM

Ha Long Bay, situated in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1600 islands and islets forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and relatively unaffected by human influence.  The bay is located 160 km away east of Hanoi and it takes about 3 – 3.5 hours to get there by car or minibus.

Ha Long literally means “descending dragon” and according to local myth, long ago when their forefathers were fighting foreign invaders from the north, the gods from heaven sent a family of dragons to help defend their land. This family of dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long Bay and began spitting out jewels and jade. Upon hitting the sea, these jewels turned into the various islands and islets dotting the seascape and formed a formidable fortress against the invaders. The locals were able to keep their land safe and formed what is now the country of Vietnam. The Dragon family fell so much in love with this area for its calm water and for the reverence of the people of Vietnam that they decided to remain on earth. This is a perfect day trip out from Hanoi.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

TRANQUIL MORNING

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

TEMPUS EDAX RERUM

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

and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme.

MEDITATION

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

STAIRWAY TO INDIA

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

DARLING HARBOUR EVENING

A walk along the Esplanade at Darling Harbour, as the Evening Star begins to set.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

PEACE ROSE

The Peace rose, correctly Rosa 'Madame A. Meilland', is a well-known and successful garden rose. Over one hundred million plants had been sold, as of 1992. It is a Hybrid Tea rose with large flowers of a light yellow to cream colour, slightly flushed at the petal edges with crimson-pink, being slightly fragrant also. It is hardy and vigorous and relatively resistant to disease, making it popular in gardens as well as in the floral trade.

It was developed by French horticulturist Francis Meilland in the years 1935 to 1939. When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France he sent cuttings to friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United States to protect the new rose. It is said, that it was sent to the US on the last plane available before the German invasion, where it was safely propagated by the Conard Pyle Co. during the war.

The rose became known as Peace in the following way: In early 1945 Meilland wrote to Field Marshal Alan Brooke (later Viscount Alanbrooke), the principal author of the master strategy that won the Second World War, to thank him for his key part in the liberation of France and to ask if Brooke would give his name to the rose. Brooke declined saying that, though he was honoured to be asked, his name would soon be forgotten and a much better and more enduring name would be "Peace".

The adoption of the trade name "Peace" was publicly announced in the United States on 29 April 1945 by the introducers, Messrs Conard Pyle Co. This was the very day that Berlin fell, officially considered the end of the Second World War in Europe. Later that year Peace roses were given to each of the delegations at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations in San Francisco, each with a note which read: "We hope the 'Peace' rose will influence men’s thoughts for everlasting world peace".

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.