AT THE NURSERY

We visited Poynton's Nursery in Essendon this morning and it was absolutely marvellous. Huge range of plants, garden statues, fountains and water features, a café, and helpful, friendly staff. Not to forget two shops onsite with homewares and decorative items. Will go back there soon!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

GRASS PARROT

The red-rumped parrot (Psephotus haematonotus), also known as the red-backed parrot or grass parrot, is a common bird of south-eastern Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin. Red-rumped parrots are slim, elegant, moderate-sized parrots approximately 28 cm in length.

The male's plumage (as seen here) is a bright emerald-green with yellow underparts, a brick-red rump and blue highlights on the wings and upper back. The female's plumage is less vibrant, with pale olive underparts, dull green wings and back and blue-black wingtips. The characteristic red rump is only found in the male.

This particular specimen was foraging on the lawn of the nature strip outside our house this morning.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNRISE

 This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

ARGYRANTHEMUM

Argyranthemum (marguerite, marguerite daisy, dill daisy) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae. Members of this genus are sometimes also placed in the genus Chrysanthemum. The genus is endemic to Macaronesia, occurring only on the Canary Islands, the Savage Islands, and Madeira.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

SUMMER DAY

A perfect Summer's day today in Melbourne. And as I was stuck in the City, here are some archival photos of seaside vistas. Sigh...

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday Meme

and also part of the Nature Notes Meme

Fishing in Mornington

Brighton Bathing Boxes

Sandringham Beach

Williamstown Foreshore

Dromana Pier

CITY

A view towards Port Philip Bay from Southbank. Ever more high rise apartment blocks keep going up all in the name of progress...

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme.

EXHIBITION

The Gallery Unbound is opening on the 8th January at 497 High St Northcote, 3070, Vic with an exhibition of works by four artists. One of them is me, @jammysevenk.

Come and join us at the celebration of the opening and meet the exhibiting artists at the Gallery on Friday January 10, 2025, 6-8 pm. I'll be glad to see you there.

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

AT PRESTON MARKET

Sunday brunch at Preston Market.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

COCKATOO

The sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is a relatively large (44–55 cm) white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea and some of the islands of Indonesia. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests. They are well known in aviculture, although they can be demanding pets.

In Australia, sulphur-crested cockatoos can be found widely in the north and east, ranging as far south as Tasmania, but avoiding arid inland areas with few trees. They are numerous in suburban habitats in cities such as Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. Except for highland areas, they occur throughout most of New Guinea and on nearby smaller islands such as Waigeo, Misool and Aru, and various islands in the Cenderawasih Bay and Milne Bay.

Their distinctive raucous call can be very loud; it is adapted to travel through the forest environments in which they live, including tropical and subtropical rainforests. These birds are naturally curious, as well as very intelligent. They have adapted very well to European settlement in Australia and live in many urban areas. These birds are very long-lived, and can live upwards of 70 years in captivity, although they only live to about 20–40 years in the wild. They have been known to engage in geophagy, the process of eating clay to detoxify their food. These birds produce a very fine powder to waterproof themselves instead of oil as many other birds do.

In Melbourne they are a very common sight, often in very large flocks, especially so in the suburbs with good native tree coverage, or in parklands. They are popular pets and can be trained to talk.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme