DUCK

The chestnut teal duck (Anas castanea) is a dabbling duck found in Australia. The male (shown here) has a distinctive green head, while the female has rather more drab plumage.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme.

RAINBOW

A hopeful sign...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

PLUM BLOSSOMS

The Spring blossoms have started to appear, and this plum tree makes a fine show despite the vagaries of the weather and the multitude of misfortunes that seem to be plaguing the world at the present time...

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

KINGLAKE VIEW

Kinglake is a town in Victoria, Australia, 56 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government areas are the Shires of Murrindindi and Nillumbik. At the 2016 Census, Kinglake had a population of 1,536. The town was one of the worst affected during the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.

Kinglake, comprising forest, farmland, a national park and a township, is located in the Kinglake Ranges, part of the Great Dividing Range. The Kinglake Ranges vary in height from 525 m - 610 m above sea level. Many areas of Kinglake overlook the Melbourne skyline to the south west and the Yarra Valley wineries to the south, with views of Port Phillip Bay south of Melbourne possible on clear days. Kinglake is generally 3 °C colder than Metropolitan Melbourne, with the summers being very pleasant and heavy frosts and occasional snowfalls during winter.

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.

WINTRY PARK

In Melbourne's stately, old parks the century-old European trees have lost their leaves as Winter advances. COVID restrictions and the cold weather are keeping people indoors.

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.

HOPE BLOOMING

We have had a relatively mild Winter this year and we're seeing many Spring flowers appearing unseasonably early. They are much needed and provide a glimmer of hope in these strange times we are all living through.

Clockwise from upper left: Fumitory; Camellia; Isopogon; Anemone; Yellow Jasmine.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

STATE OF DISASTER

A "State of Disaster" has been declared in Victoria as the state tightens COVID-19 restrictions and implements a nightly curfew in Melbourne. Premier Daniel Andrews announced that from 6pm on Sunday police now have additional powers to make sure people are complying with public health directions. The move to harsher restrictions comes as coronavirus cases continue to remain high, more than halfway through the state’s initial six-week lockdown...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

MAGGIE THE MAGPIE

The Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. Although once considered to be three separate species, it is now considered to be one, with nine recognised subspecies. A member of the Artamidae, the Australian magpie is placed in its own genus Gymnorhina and is most closely related to the black butcherbird (Melloria quoyi). It is not, however, closely related to the European magpie, which is a corvid.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNSHINE

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” ― Albert Camus

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

CACTUS FLOWER

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.