Chaenomeles speciosa (commonly known as flowering quince or Japanese quince or as zhou pi mugua in traditional Chinese medicine) is a thorny deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub native to eastern Asia. It is taller than another commonly cultivated species, C. japonica, usually growing to about 2 m. The flowers are usually red, but may be white or pink, and the fruit is a fragrant but hard pome that resembles a quince.
This plant is widely cultivated in temperate regions for its twining habit and its showy flowers which appear early in the season - occasionally even in midwinter. It is frequently used as an informal low hedge. Numerous cultivars with flowers in shades of white, pink and red have been selected. Many of these cultivars and hybrids have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
The fruit has been part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years, used to treat arthritis, leg oedema, and cramping in the calf muscle. A constituent of its extract has been found to be an effective and selective dopamine reuptake inhibitor.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Mordialloc is a suburb in Melbourne, Australia, 24 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston. At the 2006 Census, Mordialloc had a population of 7524. The name is derived from the Aboriginal term "moordy yallock", which translates roughly to "muddy creek." Mordialloc Post Office opened on 17th October 1863.
Mordialloc Creek is arguably the most significant feature of the suburb. Mordialloc Creek has a rich history of traditional wooden boat building. The Creek is still home to Pompei's boat works. Many classic boats line the walls of the creek and may still be admired today. Cafés, hotels and refreshment kiosks may also be found around the creek near its mouth near the sea. Looking at these photos taken in Summer, I'm longing for some nice warm weather...
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.
Maldon is a town in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Mount Alexander local government area, and about 136 km from Melbourne. It has been designated "Australia's first notable town" and is known for its 19th-century appearance, maintained since gold-rush days. At the 2006 census, Maldon had a population of 1,601.
The district where Maldon now stands was first discovered by white Europeans in 1836, during Major Thomas Mitchell's famous Victorian expedition. It was settled soon afterwards by pastoralists, and two sheep runs were established in the area, at the foot of Mount Tarrangower. In December 1853, gold was discovered at Cairn Curran (the name given to one of the sheep runs), and Maldon became a part of the Victorian Gold Rush.
The goldfield, which was named "Tarrangower Fields" after Mount Tarrangower, immediately attracted an immense number of men eager to make their fortunes at the diggings. Just one month after gold was first discovered, the Chief Commissioner for Goldfields reported 3000 miners had arrived at the diggings. A month after that, a journalist for The Argus reported that the road from Castlemaine to Maldon was lined with the shops of people hoping to make a living of their own from the miners
In 1861, a government census declared the town's population to be 3341, servicing an additional 5,000-6,000 miners at the diggings. At that time it was the eighth-largest town in Victoria, and remained so for the next decade. However, as miners were forced to dig deeper to obtain usable specimens, or as mines ran dry completely, the population began to decline. By 1891, Maldon was reduced to 1,600 inhabitants. Mining of small claims continued through the 20th century, together with sluicing of gullies and tailings.
Maldon is now sustained by its appeal as a retreat and retirement venue for artists and writers, as well as tourist trade. The town holds several annual fairs, including a Winter Fair, Easter Fair, Art Show, and Folk Festival. Notable landmarks include Beehive Chimney, Mount Tarrangower and fire tower, Lake Cairn Curran, and the railway station.
This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.
We went for a walk this morning and ended up in a little neighbourhood in Northcote we hadn't been before. In a tiny old shopping strip in Simpson St, we chanced upon this café, called Breakalatte, which unfortunately is closed on Mondays. It sounds like a fascinating place with a meld of Anglo/Middle Eastern cuisine, serving breakfast and brunch. Will go back to try it. Meanwhile, the mural and retro sign caught my eye!
This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Monday Murals meme.
St Andrews is a town in Victoria, Australia, which is 36 km north-east from Melbourne's city centre. St Andrews has a population of about 1600 people and is well known for its alternative market which is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It also has a hotel, general store, school, bakery, CFA, a community centre and of course St Andrew's Church. It's always lovely to drive there and the countryside around it is quite beautiful with some nice unspoilt bushland, as well as lush farmland and vineyards.
This post is part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme,
as well as part of the Scenic Weekends meme.
The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70 km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls. The area where the creek meets the river was traditionally the location for large gatherings of the Wurundjeri people and is suspected to have been the location for one of the earliest land treaties in Australia between Indigenous Australians and European settlers.
The landscape around the junction of the Merri Creek with the Yarra River and the nearby Dights Falls is quite an idyllic one, with major conservation and beautification works. One might think one is in the country if it weren't for the huge overpass where the Eastern Freeway passes over the Creek and leads to the outer suburbs. The CBD is only 2.5 km away.
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.
Winter twilight in the suburbs. Evening rush hour and everyone is in a hurry to get home...
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
Ivanhoe Shopping Centre is an old-fashioned, strip-style shopping centre along Upper Heidelberg Rd in Ivanhoe. We enjoy shopping there, much more so than in the newer style shopping malls that all look the same and are full of boring shops, cranky staff and impolite, presumptuous security guards.
A beautiful florist shop we often frequent is the Jaclyn Roma Floral Designs at 168 Upper Heidelberg Rd. We enjoy going there because of the friendly staff, lovely fresh flowers and tasteful accessories. We went there today and the smell of Spring greeted us as soon as we walked in. Here are some of the photos we took there.
This post is part of the Signs, Signs meme,
and also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Ballarat is a city located on the Yarrowee River and lower western plains of the Great Dividing Range in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately 105 kilometres west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. It is the third most populous urban area in the state, with a population of 85,935.
It is the state's most populated inland settlement, and fifth most populated inland settlement in Australia. People from Ballarat are referred to as Ballaratians or Ballafornians. The City of Ballarat local government area encompasses both the Greater Ballarat urban area and outlying towns.
Lake Wendouree is an artificially-created and maintained shallow urban lake located adjacent to the suburb of the same name in the city of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The name Wendouree comes from a local aboriginal word 'wendaaree' which means 'go away': a story is told that when settler William Cross Yuille asked a local indigenous woman what the name of the swamp was, that was her reply.
The lake is home to many black swans (Cygnus atratus), ducks and coots. Note the cygnets in photo 4, which are gray in colour.
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 Wild Bird Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.
