HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Here are some of my painted stones that celebrate Halloween. You can find more of my art at my Instagram account @jammysevenk

This post is part of the Blue Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

SPRING MOSAIC

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Mosaic Monday meme.

SUNSET WALK

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme

HAPPY DIWALI!

The cold and rainy weather has not dampened the spirits of the organisers or attendees of the celebrations of Diwali in Melbourne this weekend!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SPRING

Just to remind everyone that it's Spring in Melbourne, despite the rain and floods and pumpkins... The flowers still manage to put on a good show!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

PUMPKIN TIME...

Are you ready for Trick-or-Treating?

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.

DOCKLANDS

Evening at Melbourne's Docklands. The Seafarers' Bridge in the distance.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

SUNNY

The temperature is rising day by day and when it's not raining (we have had a lot of rain lately!), the sun feels hotter. At the Darebin Parklands on a fine day...

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

MID-SPRING

A fine, sunny afternoon makes for a perfect respite from the gray and wet weather we've had for a while now. The vibrant green of the new growth of vegetation is a bold affirmation of hope.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

BLACK SWAN

The Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions.

Black Swans are large birds with mostly black plumage and red bills. They are monogamous breeders that share incubation duties and cygnet rearing between the sexes. Described scientifically by English naturalist John Latham in 1790, the Black Swan was formerly placed into a monotypic genus, Chenopis.

Black Swans can be found singly, or in loose companies numbering into the hundreds or even thousands.  Black Swans are popular birds in zoological gardens and bird collections, and escapees are sometimes seen outside their natural range. This specimen was snapped at the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme.

LA NIÑA PRESSES ON

Our weather is true to the predicted La Niña pattern, with higher than average rainfall in Spring and Summer, with lower than normal temperatures. The extensive severe flooding that has occurred in Southeastern Australia continues and is causing much damage and great anguish in the affected regions. This too shall pass...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SEASIDE DAISY

Erigeron karvinskianus, the Mexican fleabane, is a species of daisy-like flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Mexico and parts of Central America. Other common names include Latin American fleabane, Santa Barbara daisy, Spanish daisy, Karwinsky's fleabane, or bony-tip fleabane.

It is a vigorous, spreading perennial plant growing from woody rhizomes to a maximum height of 15 cm. Its leaves are located along the stem, the basal leaves dying off as the plant bolts. They are sometimes slightly toothed or lobed near the tips. The inflorescences hold one or more flower heads which are each about 1 cm wide. They have golden yellow disc florets in the center surrounded by a fringe of up to 80 white to pinkish ray florets.

Erigeron karvinskianus is native to much of Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela and is naturalised in many other places, including parts of Africa and Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Chile and the west coast of the United States.

This species is cultivated for its prolific daisy-like blooms, and is often confused with the closely related true daisy Bellis perennis. It is frequently grown in crevices in walls or paving, where it rapidly spreads to provide a carpet of flowers. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It was used to colonise the concrete terraces of the football stadium (Estadio Azteca) built in Mexico City for the 1970 World Cup.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

WEB

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.

BY THE YARRA

In between the rainy days, there are fine, sunny Spring days. Lose no opportunity to go out and enjoy the sun by the Yarra River in the City.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme

CITY LIFE

Becoming more hectic and crowded by the day...

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

FLOODS!

Thousands of people across Southeastern Australia were directed to evacuate their homes on Friday, including some in a western suburb of Melbourne, after two days of incessant rains triggered flash flooding and fast-moving waters burst river banks. Large parts of the state of Victoria, southern New South Wales and the northern regions of the island state of Tasmania were pounded by an intense weather system with some taking more than a month's worth of rain since late Wednesday.

Fortunately Fairfield, our suburb, was not very hard hit - the first photo being taken outside our house. The waters stayed well away from our house! Darebin Creek, about a 10 minute walk from our home was swollen but adjacent properties were not affected. People in other suburbs, especially Maribyrnong, were not so lucky as you can see in the last two photos!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

WHITE CAT

A neighbour's cat looking on condescendingly!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

WET, WET, WET

Melbourne has experienced quite heavy rain with localised flooding in some suburbs, especially those adjacent to overflowing waterways. Victoria has also suffered from extreme weather events and many country towns have been flooded out. It's good to hear from the weather report that we have some respite from the big wet in the next couple of days...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

LEWISIA

Lewisias are small, colourful flowering plants in the Montiaceae family, which are native to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Named after the US explorer Lieutenant Meriwether Lewis, these plants are wonderful for providing colour in rock crevices in a cool climate.

Lewisia cotyledon 'Elise' shown here flowers in the first season without a cold period and can be used as an annual for rockeries, beds and containers. The plant starts flowering 4-5 months after sowing and is sturdy, with attractive fleshy, succulent leaves and flowers all season long in shades of pastel pink, rose, salmon, orange, white and yellow, and bicolour patterns.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

AT THE CREEK

The Darebin Creek winding its way through the Parklands in inner suburban Melbourne. We're expecting a couple of days of heavy, Spring rain so waterways are likely to flood.

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.

VICTORIAN COUNTRYSIDE

Field of blooming canola in Gippsland, about 100 km East of Melbourne.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

FLORAL

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

FEDERATION SQUARE

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

TAKING IT EASY...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

LA NIÑA SKY

We are currently in the midst of a La Niña weather event in Southeastern Australia. Meteorologists predict that the current La Niña is looking relatively short and weak, likely to peak in late spring or early summer However, it is not the only factor that could push us towards wet conditions in the coming months, with tropical weather systems being driven southward. With catchments already so wet from the past few years of rain, flooding cannot be ruled out this summer...

Last night and today we had quite a few downpours in Melbourne, with flash-flooding and disruptions to traffic and local damage to property. It makes for spectacular skies in any case!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

PINK WEEPING CHERRY

Prunus subhirtella "Rosea" – Pink Weeping Cherry has pendulous branches grafted onto standing trunks. Young leaves are reddish-bronze becoming green when mature. Autumn foliage is in shades of yellow, orange, and scarlet. Wonderful single rosy pink blossoms in large clusters that form in mid-spring, make this a spectacular feature tree.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

PEACEFUL

Don't take things for granted: Freedom, peace, stability, a content life enjoyed in a home where the fridge is full and where there are people who care for you... Be thankful for all the "little" things that add up to a lot.

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.

HELLO MINI BEASTS

We were at the Pacific Epping Shopping Centre the other day and we chanced upon the Mini Beasts exhibition, where four tiny critters of the Australian bush were represented by gigantic interactive sculptures - fun!

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

BYE BYE (AND HELLO)

A mosaic of some of the mosaics that I have posted over the last few years. I thought this mishmash of mishmashes to be appropriate as a farewell to our gracious host, Angie, who has done a great job in running the meme so well for some time now. Hello to Heidrun, who is taking over hosting Mosaic Monday!

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

BACK ALLEY

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

INQUISITIVE

An inquisitive look from a dog surprised as it saw me approaching: "Nice doggie, relax, only shots here are the ones I take with my camera!"

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme