DIANELLA

Dianella caerulea, commonly known as the blue flax-lily, blueberry lily, or paroo lily, is a perennial herb of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, found across the eastern states of Australia and Tasmania. It is a herbaceous strappy perennial plant to a metre high, with dark green blade-like leaves to 70 cm long. Blue flowers in spring and summer are followed by indigo-coloured berries. It adapts readily to cultivation and is commonly seen in Australian gardens and amenities plantings.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

BEE, BUSY

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.

GIPPSLAND RURAL

Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers an elongated area of 41,556 km2 located further east of the Shire of Cardinia (Melbourne's outermost southeastern suburbs) between Dandenong Ranges and Mornington Peninsula, and is bounded to the north by the mountain ranges and plateaus/highlands of the High Country (which separate it from Hume region in Victoria's northeast), to the southwest by the Western Port Bay, to the south and east by the Bass Strait and the Tasman Sea, and to the east and northeast by the Black-Allan Line (the easternmost section of the Victoria/New South Wales state border).

The Gippsland region is generally divided by the Strzelecki Ranges and tributaries of the Gippsland Lakes into five statistical sub-regions — namely the West Gippsland, South Gippsland, Latrobe Valley, Central Gippsland and East Gippsland. As at the 2016 Australian census, Gippsland had a population of 271,266, with the principal population centres of the region, in descending order of population, Traralgon, Moe, Warragul, Morwell, Sale, Bairnsdale, Drouin, Leongatha, and Phillip Island. Gippsland is best known for its primary production such as mining, power generation and farming as well as its tourist destinations — Phillip Island, Wilsons Promontory, the Gippsland Lakes, Walhalla, the Baw Baw Plateau, and the Strzelecki Ranges.

As of midnight tonight, the LaTrobe Valley sub-region is entering a 7-day lockdown as some cases of COVID were detected. It is hoped the prompt response will curb the spread of virus...

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.

SPRING IS HERE

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

MAILBOX

Definitely a wabi-sabi example!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DOGGIE BAG

He just got tired of walking...

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HEAVENWARD

Fennel seed-heads in silhouette.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

GYMEA LILIES

Doryanthes excelsa, in the Doryanthaceae family, known as Gymea Lily, is a flowering plant indigenous to the coastal areas of New South Wales near Sydney.The plant has sword-like leaves more than a meter long. It flowers in spring and summer, sending up a flower spike up to 6 m high, which at its apex bears a large cluster of bright red flowers, each 10 cm across.

The name "Gymea Lily" is derived from a local Eora dialect. Doryanthes means spear-flower in Greek, and excelsa is Latin for exceptional. The Sydney suburbs of Gymea and Gymea Bay are named after the lily. The genus Doryanthes was first described in 1802 by the Portuguese priest, statesman, philosopher and botanist José Francisco Correia de Serra (1750–1823), a close friend of Sir Joseph Banks. 

Doryanthes excelsa has also inspired the naming of Doryanthes, the journal of history and heritage for Southern Sydney founded by Dharawal historian Les Bursill. Honey-eaters love the nectar of these large, crimson flowers on stems 2–3 m tall. Aboriginal people in the Lake Macquarie district of NSW were observed in 1836 roasting the stems, having cut them when half a meter high and as thick as a person's arm. They also roasted the roots which they made into a sort of cake to be eaten cold.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

OLD GARAGE

It wouldn't take long for nature to take over all traces of humankind's existence if we were all to suddenly die out!

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.

OMINOUS TIMES

COVID lockdown woes in Melbourne... Our weather seems to agree and the Grand Old Dame, Flinders Street Station, tries to outdo the dramatics of the sky with its own portentous illuminations. Not a good time to travel. C'est la vie!

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,
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CHANGE OF SEASON

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

DETRAFFICKED

Weekday, time of the afternoon peak hour traffic. Huh? Where are all the cars? You say. Well, this is COVID lockdown normal for Melbourne. Today we had a release of a "Roadmap out of the COVID Lockdown". It was a bit of a joke, as painfully it has confirmed lockdown will stay and most industries will be shut or highly restricted until the end of October, in a bid to prevent our health system from being overrun by COVID-19... 

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PATIENT DOG

Waiting for his owner who is doing the grocery shopping inside...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

FLY AWAY

How common a sight in our skies was this a couple of years ago. COVID has now ensured that air traffic is a minuscule fraction of what it was then. Now, a day trip out of metropolitan Melbourne by car sounds like an exciting adventure. We still are confined at home, only venturing out within a radius of 5 km, and only for essential business (and not during the curfew, i.e. between 9:00 pm to 5:00 am)...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

YELLOW LILIES

Lilium (members of which are true lilies) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the Liliaceae family, growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though their range extends into the northern subtropics. Many other plants have "lily" in their common name but are not related to true lilies.

Asiatic Lilies, shown here, are a very popular garden and florist flower and they offer a brilliantly colourful range of blooms to choose from. The bulbs of Asiatic lilies are tough and resilient, providing a bounty of colourful blooms for vases, very easily grown and wonderfully tolerant of searing Australia's hot Summers. Asiatic Lilies come in a wide range of brilliant colours from bright red to soft and pretty pink which means they can be used to create pockets of colour or gentle waves of soft and pretty cottage colours. Asiatic Lilies have more advantages in that they are great in pots and the bulbs can be planted anytime between May and October (in the Southern Hemisphere).

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

SPRING SUNSHINE

One of the things I am thankful for these days of the COVID lockdown is that within walking distance of my home we have several large parks and Parklands, where I can walk within the 5 km allowed radius. This is wonderful for my daily exercise, but also for replenishing my spiritual and mental reserves in order to cope with the insanity fo the times. We've had some beautiful sunny Spring days and walking in areas such as this (Yarra Bend Park) has been delightful.

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

We are currently on day 40 of our sixth COVID lockdown and "enjoying" a 9:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew. The City is lit up but deserted, the very few people out and about having very special reasons and permission to do so... And so our life has been transformed.

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.

ANTIPODEAN SEASONS

As the Southern Hemisphere moves steadily onwards to the heart of Spring, so does the Northern Hemisphere sink into Autumn...

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

COVID THANKS

Adversity affects people in different ways: Some crack under the strain and dissolve into a mass of blubbering jelly; others become insecure, selfish and violent; others freeze into inaction and observe helplessly all that develops; yet others are afraid and cower in denial, being ready to believe anything that will provide quick, albeit irrational, comfort.

A select group face the challenges of adversity and rise to their full height, diving into their inner bottomless seas of strength and courage, and face squarely whatever the world throws at them. Such people are society's rocks and it is on them that we should lean taking energy from their strength, hope from their courageous actions, and nurture our courage to imitate their example.

A neighbour has made a simple yet expressive statement on their fence, regarding the COVID challenge we are all living through. Thanking your relatives, friends, neighbours, but most importantly strangers for doing the right thing for society's health and wellbeing is a courageous act, considering that COVID-deniers and anti-vaxxers can become violent and vindictive. Thank YOU, neighbour!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

LADYBIRD

Harmonia conformis (the large spotted ladybird) is a species of ladybird (the family Coccinellidae). It has a light reddish appearance and its colouration includes 20 large black spots, 18 of which are found on the elytra (wing covers). They are quite large for ladybirds, being about 6–7 mm long.

It is a predator of other insects, eating aphids as both a It is found in Australia, and has been introduced to New Zealand, where it is common in northern regions. Another member of the same genus, Harmonia antipoda, also occurs in New Zealand. This species, however, is a native and is much smaller and harder to find.

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EVENING TRAIN

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POET'S NARCISSUS

Narcissus poeticus (poet's daffodil, poet's narcissus, nargis, pheasant's eye, findern flower, and pinkster lily) was one of the first daffodils to be cultivated, and is frequently identified as the narcissus of ancient times (although Narcissus tazetta and Narcissus jonquilla have also been considered as possibilities). It is also often associated with the Greek legend of Narcissus.

It is the type species of the genus Narcissus and is widely naturalized in North America. The flower is extremely fragrant, with a ring of petals in pure white and a short corona of light yellow with a distinct reddish edge. It grows to 20 to 40 cm tall. Poet's daffodil is cultivated in the Netherlands and southern France for its essential oil, narcissus oil, one of the most popular fragrances used in perfumes.

Narcissus oil is used as a principal ingredient in 11% of modern quality perfumes—including 'Fatale' and 'Samsara'—as a floral concrete or absolute. The oil's fragrance resembles a combination of jasmine and hyacinth. While all narcissi are poisonous when eaten, poet's daffodil is more dangerous than others, acting as a strong emetic and irritant. The scent is powerful enough that it can cause headache and vomiting if a large quantity is kept in a closed room.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

NATURAL...

Walking along the Yarra River in Abbotsford, Melbourne, enjoying the vast areas of parklands and nature reserve along the river. This is amazing as these vast tracts of natural bushland are within a stone's throw of the bustling city centre.

Melbourne has a population of over five million people, so I consider myself very lucky to have such splendid conservation areas within walking distance of my home. Furthermore, to have for neighbours so much native flora and fauna in their natural environment!

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.

MELBOURNE BY NIGHT

Melbourne by night is a lonely place these days of COVID lockdown and 9:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew...

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.

SPRING MOOD

We've had a couple of Spring days alternating with wintry ones. However, as the days lengthen, as the flowers bloom and the butterflies flutter by, there is no denying it, Spring has sprung in the Southern Hemisphere.

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

ROWING

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DRAGONFLY

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

LOCKDOWN SUNRISE

Looks ominous, but a good time to do one's allowed exercise within a 5km radius...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

IRIS

Iris is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the ancient Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris, referring to the wide variety of flower colours found among the many species. As well as being the scientific name, iris is also very widely used as a common name for all Iris species, though some plants called thus belong to other closely related genera. A common name for some species is 'flags', while the plants of the subgenus Scorpiris are widely known as 'junos', particularly in horticulture.

It is a popular garden flower and its blossoms provide wonderful splashes of colour in the Spring garden. The genus is widely distributed throughout the north temperate zone. Their habitats are varied, ranging from cold and montane regions to the grassy slopes, meadowlands and riverbanks of Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, Asia and across North America.

Irises are perennial herbs, growing from creeping rhizomes (rhizomatous irises) or, in drier climates, from bulbs (bulbous irises). They have long, erect flowering stems which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow, and flattened or have a circular cross-section. The rhizomatous species usually have 3–10 basal sword-shaped leaves growing in dense clumps. The bulbous species have cylindrical, basal leaves. 

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

TREE TRUNK & BARK

I often look admiringly at the wonderful colours and textures of bark on tree trunks. A microcosm where one may enter and get lost in...

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.