MOON & BIRD

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

PROTEA "PINK ICE"

Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: suikerbos), in the family Proteaceae.

The family Proteaceae to which Protea species belong is an ancient one among angiosperms. Evidence from pollen fossils suggests Proteaceae ancestors grew in Gondwana, in the Upper Cretaceous, 75–80 million years ago. The Proteaceae are divided into two subfamilies: the Proteoideae, best represented in southern Africa, and the Grevilleoideae, concentrated in Australia and South America and the other smaller segments of Gondwana that are now part of eastern Asia. Africa shares only one genus with Madagascar, whereas South America and Australia share many common genera – this indicates they separated from Africa before they separated from each other.

Proteas are a great plant to grow in the garden or pot. Their flowers are well sought after and come in a range of colours from deep pinks, pinky orange, lime and whites, which are long lasting when cut. Great for the easy care gardener as well, as they require little water once established.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

LICHEN

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

WILSONS PROM

The Wilsons Promontory, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria. South Point at 39°08′06″S 146°22′32″E is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia. Located at nearby South East Point, (39°07′S 146°25′E) is the Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse. Most of the peninsula is protected by the Wilsons Promontory National Park and the Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.

Tourists may choose basic or luxe, cabins or camping (powered/unpowered) if they wish to stay inside Wilsons Promontory National Park. Many however choose to stay in accommodation just outside the Park in Yanakie, where they can still view the Wisons Promontory mountains and scenery and be only minutes from the Park's free entrance. There are overnight hiking tracks with two key circuits, one in the north and one in the south. The southern circuit is more popular with overnight hikers with several camping areas suited to wild camping. Camping is only allowed in the designated areas to reduce damage to the bush.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

COOL AND WET

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

AUTUMNAL WALK

A walk in the neighbourhood today as the weather was mild and sunny in the morning. The leaves are turning, the berries and fruits are ripening and the days continue to shorten. Just as well for the morning walk, as the weather changed to cold and rain later in the afternoon.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

SIBERIAN HUSKY

The Siberian Husky is a medium-sized working sled dog breed. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family. It is recognisable by its thickly furred double coat, erect triangular ears, and distinctive markings, and is smaller than the similar-looking Alaskan Malamute.

Siberian Huskies originated in Northeast Asia where they are bred by the Chukchi people of Siberia for sled-pulling, and companionship. It is an active, energetic, resilient breed, whose ancestors lived in the extremely cold and harsh environment of the Siberian Arctic.

William Goosak, a Russian fur trader, introduced them to Nome, Alaska, during the Nome Gold Rush, initially as sled dogs. Today, the Siberian Husky is typically kept as a house pet, though they are still frequently used as sled dogs by competitive and recreational mushers.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNBURST

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

GREY SKIES

Autumn is well and truly with us here in Melbourne, with low temperatures, rain, turning leaves and of course grey skies. The grass is green though and that makes all the difference!

The sculpture is called "The Nest" and more information about can be found here.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

RAINY

We've had an Antarctic blast these past couple of days and the weather turned cold and wet all of the sudden. The rain has done the world of good to the gardens and parks.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

NORTHCOTE AMPHITHEATRE

The Northcote Amphitheatre in Fairfield Park began life in 1983 as a temporary scaffolding arena seating 500. It was the brainchild of Epidavros Summer Festival, a community theatre company specialising in drama in the outdoors. A co-operative building venture between the Northcote Council and community groups, began in July 1985.

The venue is also known as the Northcote Open-air Theatre, and is designed on classical lines, comprising 11 tiers of terraced seating in a semi-circular arrangement around a circular stage, 10 metres in diameter. The auditorium is built from sawn bluestone slabs over a concrete skin. It seats 460 and commands a splendid view of the Yarra River and surrounding bushland.

The bluestone was originally mined from the Northcote quarry and used to line gutters and kerbs in Northcote. When concrete replaced the stone gutters and kerbs, the bluestone was recycled for use in the seating area. It is set in a public park with boating facilities and tearooms close by.

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.

OF FEATHER AND FOWL

A Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa), a silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) and a Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa).

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

PRICKLY PEARS

Opuntia, commonly called prickly pear, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as tuna (fruit), sabra, nopal (paddle, plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word nōpalli for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word nōchtli for the fruit; or paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves. The most common culinary species is the Indian fig opuntia (O. ficus-indica).

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

OLD DOG

An old dog saying hello as we were walking around the neighbourhood.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

EVENING FALLS

Sunset from my window.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DAISIES IN AUTUMN

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

BERRIES

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

YARRA SUNRISE

Early risers in Melbourne can be treated by sights like this by the shores of the Yarra River, right in the CBD. Black swans (Cygnus atratus) are a common sight, as of course are the omnipresent seagulls and coots.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

OBJETS TROUVÉS

objet trouvé | ˈtruːveɪ | noun (plural objets trouvés pronounced same) an object found by an artist and displayed with no, or minimal, alteration as a work of art.

ORIGIN French, literally ‘found object’.

While on a walk. I took some photos of various objects discarded on the sidewalk, the street, on roadside verges. Here is a mosaic of some of them.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

TOADSTOOLS

We've had the first couple of really wintry days in Melbourne, with rain, hail, cold and up on the mountains, even snow. The wet has made the toadstools and mushrooms pop up in profusion.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

CORMORANT

A cormorant sunning itself on a log in a pond at the Parklands. A magic moment captured quickly and perhaps not in perfect focus, but the impression of serenity and a communion with nature is the essence.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

INDUSTRIAL EVENING

Evening falls in a light industrial area in Fairfield. The weather is changing to showers and cooler temperatures tomorrow...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DAISIES

A blaze of colour in the Autumnal garden, daisies can always be relied upon to provide a focal point.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

AUTUMNAL

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

GERASIMON'S MELBOURNE

Peter Gerasimon was born in 1951 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, one of eight children of Russian/German immigrants. Very early in his life he developed an interest in fine arts and attended art classes, despite advice from relatives and friends that this was not a secure career choice. Although he preferred to learn the hard way, by trial and error, he did develop his skills formally through art studies at the Escuela de Artes Quilmes, Argentina 1966-1967 and a course at the Famous Artists' School for Talented Young People 1969-1971.

Not convinced that the arts could support him in the future, Peter pursued a career in economics and business management, but painting remained his passion. Even on his business travels he always found some time to draw sketches and produce an occasional painting. In early 1996 he gave up his busy management career to go after his passion and become a full time artist. He set up his home studio and gallery, “Glenrowan Studios” in Gisborne, Victoria, near the Macedon Ranges and met with instant success.

Gerasimon has participated in some Art Shows in Australia and has obtained several Awards at the Berwick, Ivanhoe and Woodend Art Shows.The art of Gerasimon is a mix of the realistic with the naïve, his canvases often depicting everyday scenes, streetscapes and landscapes in a rather dispassionate and detached manner, which nevertheless manages to evince emotion in the viewer. His paintings also include depictions of Australian flora and fauna, which border on the genre of scientific illustration, while his still life painting often evokes a deeper symbolic meaning. Still other types of paintings include commissioned work and illustrative material. More of the artist’s oeuvre can be found on his website (http://www.gerasimon.com.au/). The painting below is of the Flinders Street Railway Station.

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.

RERUN

An anthology of past images collected and reposted in the form of a digital collage.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

LILLY-PILLY

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE IT

Syzygium smithii (formerly Acmena smithii) is a summer-flowering, winter-fruiting evergreen tree, belonging to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It shares the common name "lilly pilly" with several other plants. In New Zealand, it is commonly known as 'monkey apple'. It is planted as shrubs or hedgerows, and features: rough, woody bark; cream and green smooth, waxy leaves; flushes of pink new growth; and white to maroon edible berries. Unpruned, it will grow about 3–5 m tall in the garden.

The tree and fruit were called "Tdgerail" by the Indigenous people of the Illawarra (New South Wales); and "Coochin-coochin" by others in Queensland. Early colonists noted that the fruits were eaten by the Indigenous Australians and are acidulous, and wholesome. They can be made into jams and chutneys.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

IBIS

The Australian white ibis (Threskiornis moluccus) is a wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia. It has a predominantly white plumage with a bare, black head, long downcurved bill and black legs. Its sister species is the sacred ibis. Historically rare in urban areas, the Australian white ibis has immigrated to urban areas of the east coast in increasing numbers since the late 1970s.

It is now commonly seen in Wollongong, Sydney, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Townsville. In recent years the bird has also become increasing common in Perth, Western Australia and surrounding towns in south-western Australia. Populations have disappeared from natural breeding areas such as the Macquarie Marshes in north-western New South Wales. Management plans have been introduced to control problematic urban populations in Sydney.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

EVENING FALLS

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

RUDBECKIA

Rudbeckia is a plant genus of 23 species in the family Asteraceae. The name of this genus was given by Carolus Linnaeus in honor of his teacher at Uppsala University, Professor Olof Rudbeck the Younger (1660-1740), and his father, Professor Olof Rudbeck the Elder (1630-1702), both of whom were botanists. The species are commonly called coneflowers and black-eyed-susans; all are native to North America and many species are cultivated in gardens for their showy yellow or gold flower heads.

The species are herbaceous, mostly perennial plants (some annual or biennial) growing to 0.5-3 m tall, with simple or branched stems. The leaves are spirally arranged, entire to deeply lobed, 5-25 cm long. The flowers are produced in daisy-like inflorescences, with yellow or orange florets arranged in a prominent, cone-shaped head; "cone-shaped" because the ray florets tend to point out and down as the flower head opens.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.