TALL

Eucalyptus is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, they are commonly known as eucalypts. Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut". Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species.

Eucalyptus regnans is the tallest of all flowering plants, and possibly the tallest of all plants, although no living specimens can make that claim. The tallest measured living specimen, named Centurion, stands 100.5 metres (330 feet) tall in Tasmania.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

HELLO!

A friendly doggie we met while we were walking in the Darebin Parklands. He had to stop and say hello!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

YARRA SUNSET

Early evening sunset as we head towards Winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

BORONIA

Boronia is a genus of about 160 species of flowering plants in the citrus family Rutaceae, most are endemic in Australia with a few species in New Caledonia, which were previously placed in the genus Boronella. They occur in all Australian states but the genus is under review and a number of species are yet to be described or the description published. Boronias are similar to familiar plants in the genera Zieria, Eriostemon and Correa but can be distinguished from them by the number of petals or stamens. Some species have a distinctive fragrance and are popular garden plants.

Plants in the genus Boronia are nearly always shrubs although a very small number occur as herbs or as small trees. The leaves are usually arranged in opposite pairs and may be simple leaves or compound leaves with up to nineteen or more leaflets, in either a pinnate or bipinnate arrangement. The flowers are arranged in groups in the leaf axils or on the ends of the branches and have both male and female parts. There are usually four separate sepals, usually four separate petals and generally eight stamens. (In Zieria there are only four stamens, Eriostemon species have five petals and in Correa the petals are joined to form a bell-shaped tube.) There are four carpels with their styles fused and there are two ovules in each carpel.

Boronias are found in all states and mainland territories of Australia and generally grow in open forests or woodlands, only rarely in rainforests or arid areas. Boronias, especially B. megastigma, are known for their perfumed flowers. Unfortunately, they are generally somewhat difficult to grow in cultivation. All species require excellent drainage and part shade. Shown here is red boronia (Boronia heterophylla), which features bell-shaped blossoms that are a striking magenta pink and have a delicate perfume that adds to their appeal as a cut flower. It grows to about 1.5 m in height by half a metre wide. It originates in Western Australia but has adapted well to east coast gardens as well. ‘Ice Charlotte’ is a white flowered form of this species that has similar requirements.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

SUNSHINE

We've had a couple of days of wonderful, mellow, autumnal sunshine and it was the perfect weather for a long walk in the Darebin Parklands. It seems many other people had the same idea, but the park is large enough so that one can find stretches where one thinks oneself quite alone there!

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

SANDRINGHAM BEACH

Sandringham is a beachside suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located 16 km southeast of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Bayside and its federal division is the Division of Goldstein. At the 2011 Census, Sandringham had a population of 9,309.

Sandringham Beach is a straight, 2.5 km long beach that faces the south-west. The southern half is backed by steep bluffs, which rise to 30 m at Red Bluff. This section has been eroding and is often narrow. Some seawalls and a groyne have been constructed to manage both the beach and bluff erosion.

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.

SPIRALS

Now that we are still confined indoors due to the pandemic, and the weather has been cool and wet, I have been doing a lot more painting. This is one of my latest, which is painted on a panel that i to be inserted into a room divider with 15 such panels (all different designs). It is a mixed media piece.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

RIVER VISTA

Along the Yarra River, looking towards the East, with Melbourne's tallest skyscraper the Eureka tower visible mid-right (second skyscraper from right). Eureka Tower is a 297.3-metre skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior completed on 1 June 2006.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

SEAGULL

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNCATCHERS

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) flowers against the sky.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

IBERIS

Iberis sempervirens (evergreen candytuft, perennial candytuft) is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to southern Europe. It is a spreading subshrub growing to 30 cm high by 40 cm broad. As an ornamental plant it is a spring-blooming favourite, often seen cascading over rocks and walls, or used as groundcover. The glossy, evergreen foliage forms a billowing mound, with many fragrant, pure white flowers for several weeks during spring and early summer.

When grown in a garden it may require light pruning right after blooming, but otherwise plants can be left alone in fall and early spring. It is drought-tolerant once established. It prefers a well-drained site, so heavy clay soils that stay wet in winter should be avoided. It is not easily divided. Iberis is so named because many members of the genus come from the Iberian Peninsula. Sempervirens means "always green", referring to the evergreen foliage. This plant and the cultivar 'Snowflake' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

AT HOME

It's 6:31 p.m. in Southbank on a cold, dark, Autumn evening. Social distancing and stay at home directives are still in force and most people choose to be at home. These are tall residential apartment buildings viewed from another across the way. Yes, almost everyone seems to be at home...

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

YARRA VALLEY MEMORIES

The Yarra Valley is less than hour’s drive to the northeast of the Melbourne CBD and is the place where Victorian winegrowing started in the mid-19th century. As one goes past the outer suburbs of Melbourne, one encounters rolling hills densely planted with vines, beautiful verdant valleys and distant blue mountain range backdrops. There are lush pastures, beautiful forests and rivers with villages surrounded by bushland like Marysville, Healesville, Yarra Glen and Warburton.

There are many vineyards to visit, ranging from the small family concerns that produce boutique wine ranges in small quantities, to the larger concerns that have many hectares of vines and produce wine by the megalitre each season. There are hundred-year-old vineyards and wineries as well as the new arrivals that have just planted out their vines. One may sample the wines, tour some of the winemaking facilities, and there is no dearth of places to linger over a meal as one discovers the regional fresh produce, well-prepared food that is matched to the local wines in the vineyard restaurants. One may also choose to stay a night or two in a chic boutique B&B, a self-contained cottage, a winery retreat or even a five-star luxury hotel/resort.

Looking back in the archives, this photo caught my eye, which seemed to epitomise the Yarra Valley on a fine Spring day, with the roses blooming and the vines full of green grapes. As soon as the isolation restrictions are lifted, this is definitely a place on my "to visit" list!

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.

I NEED...

...TO GET OUT OF THE GREY CITY!

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

LONE BOAT

Autumn or not, fair weather or foul, pandemic be damned, a-sailing-we-will-go!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

IN THE RED

A sparrow playing hidey in the salvia flower spikes.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNRISE SILHOUETTES

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

CARE RAINBOW

A hope rainbow made of painted stones in a neighbour's garden. Yellow everlasting daisies (Helichrysum) are in the foreground. 

The COVID-19 crisis has brought forward the importance of keeping a positive attitude, caring about ourselves, our families and our communities, and hoping for a quick resolution of the pandemic.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

NO JUNK MAIL

A neighbour's mailbox has me thinking of wabi-sabi...

"In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘寂) is a world view centred on the acceptance of transience and imperfection."

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

AT NIGHT

View from Southbank towards the  West.

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.

AUTUMN

The Moon, the Evening Star and the Sun alternate in rapid succession as the year sinks towards Winter.

Berries brighten the grey days, with Blackberries, Red Peppercorns and Lilly-Pillies ready for collection, while the deciduous trees burn richly in their Autumnal garb.

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

ACORN

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

ALFIE

Alfie the rabbit is the pet rabbit belonging to our neighbourhood pet shop. He lives in rather nice accommodation in the front shop window and welcomes customers as they come in. In the evenings and weekends he goes away and spends time at home and in the open.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SOUTHBANK SUNSET

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

NASTURTIUM

Tropaeolum majus (garden nasturtium, Indian cress or monks cress) is a flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, originating in the Andes from Bolivia north to Colombia. The species has become naturalised in parts of the United States (California, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut). It is of cultivated, probably hybrid origin, with possible parent species including T. minus, T. moritzianum, T. peltophorum, and T. peregrinum. It is not closely related to the genus Nasturtium (which includes watercress).

This carmine nasturtium is a more unusual shade than the orange or yellow varieties and it is a striking addition to any garden. I also find the developing seedheads as photogenic as the flowers!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

COVID EXERCISE

Perfect for maintaining appropriate social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic...

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

ROYAL EXHIBITION BUILDING

The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, flanked by Victoria, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district. It was built to host the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880–81 and later hosted (in the Western annex) the opening of the first Parliament of Australia in 1901.

Throughout the 20th century smaller sections and wings of the building were subject to demolition and fire; however, the main building, known as the Great Hall, survived. It received restoration throughout the 1990s and in 2004 became the first building in Australia to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, being one of the last remaining major 19th-century exhibition buildings in the world. It is the world's most complete surviving site from the International Exhibition movement 1851–1914.

It sits adjacent to the Melbourne Museum and is the largest item in Museum Victoria's collection. Today, the building hosts various exhibitions and other events and is closely tied with events at the Melbourne Museum. This view is taken from a window high up the St Vincent's Hospital.

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.

NUMBERS

Walking around the neighbourhood, one sees a lot of interesting things. The profusion of different styles, colours and arrangements of various numbers intrigued me and I started taking photos. What better way to display them than a mosaic?

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

GLASS

A blown glass paperweight at 3:25 p.m. just when the sun peeked through the clouds for a few seconds!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

FISHING SPIDER

Dolomedes is a genus of large spiders of the family Pisauridae. They are also known as fishing spiders, raft spiders, dock spiders or wharf spiders. Almost all Dolomedes species are semiaquatic, with the exception of the tree-dwelling D. albineus of the Southeastern United States. Many species have a striking pale stripe down each side of the body.

They hunt by waiting at the edge of a pool or stream, then when they detect the ripples from prey, they run across the surface to subdue it using their foremost legs, which are tipped with small claws; like other spiders they then inject venom with their hollow jaws to kill and digest the prey. They mainly eat insects, but some larger species are able to catch small fish. They can also climb beneath the water, when they become encased in a silvery film of air.

"Dolomedes" is derived from the Greek word "dolomedes" which means wily, deceitful. There are over a hundred species of Dolomedes throughout the world; examples include Dolomedes aquaticus, a forest-stream species of New Zealand, the raft spider (D. fimbriatus), which lives in bogs in Europe, and the great raft spider (D. plantarius), which lives in fens, also in Europe. Many species are large, some with females up to 26 mm long with a leg span of 80 mm.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

RAINY

Melbourne has recorded its wettest start to a year on record. The 9 mm overnight rain and this morning takes the tally to 409 mm, more to this time in the year since such records started in 1924. A winter chill is gripping Victoria, with icy winds sweeping the state. Blizzard conditions are expected in the state’s Alpine region, bringing up to 50cm of snow by the weekend.

Thee temperature managed to climb up to 13˚C today, but with the icy winds prevailing most of the day, it felt more like 7˚C. Tomorrow, we are expecting a maximum of 12˚C, with more rain and wind. Perfect lockdown weather!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.