JABIRU FOR THE NEW YEAR

The Jabiru, also known as the Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) is the only stork found in Australia. With black and white body plumage, glossy dark green and purple neck and massive black bill, it is easily identified from all other Australian birds. The legs are long and coral-red in colour. The female is distinguished by its yellow eye. Immature birds resemble adults, but the black plumage is replaced by brown and the white plumage is duskier.

The Jabiru is restricted mainly to coastal and near-coastal areas of northern and eastern Australia. Throughout the monsoonal areas of northern Australia, it is still widespread, but fewer numbers appear southwards to eastern Australia.This distinctive black-and-white waterbird stands an impressive 1.3m tall and has a wingspan of around 2m. The species Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus comprises two subspecies, E. a. asiaticus in India and south-east Asia, and E. a. australis in Australia and New Guinea.

The Stork symbolises rebirth or new life. It is thought to represent new physical or spiritual beginnings. They are linked to hearth, home and protection. The Stork is sacred to the ancient Greek goddess Hera. She and the stork are symbols of protection, especially so in the home, of families and children.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MAY YOU HAVE HEALTH, HAPPINESS,

PEACE AND PROSPERITY!

SUNSET AT THE PARK

Living in a big city like Melbourne can be quite stressful. Thankfully we still have many areas of unspoilt natural bushland right in the midst of our city. These little islands of serenity and repose are places where we can take refuge in and recover some of our sanity... This sunset is at the Yarra Bend Park.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

BLANDFORDIA

Blandfordia grandiflora is a species of flowering plant native to south-eastern Australia. B. grandiflora is commonly known as the Large Christmas Bell because it generally flowers in December and January. It is a perennial herb, and has tubular, bell-shaped flowers. It is one of only four Blandfordia species.

The generic name Blandfordia honours the Marquis of Blandford and the term grandiflora means "large flowered". Of the four species of Blandfordia, B. grandiflora is considered the most robust, so the name grandiflora suits the plant. At one time, B. grandiflora went by the name B. flammea. Although Blandfordia grandiflora is only native to Australia, in the nineteenth century, many botanists grew it in Great Britain because it can easily be grown as a potted plant.

B. grandiflora grows well in sandy soils. The wet coastal heaths of Australia, such as, New South Wales and Queensland have the sandy soil necessary for B. grandiflora to grow. In order for B. grandiflora to grow, the soil should be light and well-drained and the plant should not be in direct sunlight or in heavy shade. B. grandiflora is a very slow growing plant, so more aggressive plants easily swamp it in the wild. 

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

BUG

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.

IN THE CITY

The Manchester Unity Building is an Art Deco Gothic inspired office and retail building in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, constructed in 1931–32 for the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows. The soaring stepped corner tower on a prominent intersection opposite the Melbourne Town Hall makes it one of the most prominent and best known buildings in Melbourne. Architect Marcus Barlow designed the building, which was built by W E Cooper Pty Ltd, contracted for the price of £215,000.

Barlow's design clearly draws heavily on the Tribune Tower in Chicago, Illinois. This design by Raymond Hood won an international competition in 1922, was completed in 1925, and has very similar vertical ribbing, buff coloured cladding, and a stepped Gothic crown complete with flying buttresses also seen on the Manchester Unity. Another more direct inspiration might have been the very similar but less ornate Grace Building in York Street, Sydney designed by Morrow and Gordon, which was completed in 1930 before the Manchester Unity started construction, but both are said to have been inspired by the Tribune Tower.

The building is of concrete-encased steel construction, with the exterior cladding consisting of two hundred and fifty tons of terracotta faience tiles. Australian marbles are used extensively on interior walls throughout the building. Two escalators, the first in Melbourne, were installed by Austral Otis to provide access to the basement arcade and first floor from the ground floor arcade (though only one now survives). Three high-speed elevators were installed, capable of speeds of 600 feet per minute (3.0 m/s). The building's roof reaches 40 m, which was the height limit for buildings in Melbourne at the time of its construction, but the ornamental tower and spire extends a further 24 m, as was permitted for non-habitable portions of buildings.

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

SUMMER

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

CHRISTMAS BY THE RIVER

A glorious day for Christmas this year and many people took advantage of the good weather and flocked to the beaches and swimming pools. Relatively quiet at the Fairfield Boathouse, but it was early and only a few people around. Christmas brunch on the riverside is so civilised!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

CRESTED PIGEON

The crested pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) is a bird found widely throughout mainland Australia except for the far northern tropical areas. It is the only member of the genus Ocyphaps. Only two Australian pigeon species possess an erect crest, the crested pigeon and the spinifex pigeon. The crested pigeon is the larger of the two species. 

The crested pigeon is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a topknot pigeon, but the topknot pigeon, Lopholaimus antarcticus has a red-brown crest that does not stand erect. The length of the crested pigeon varies from 30 to 34 cm. Colouration is grey with tinges of brown and green. It has a feathered but slender, black spike on top of the head. It runs with the crest erect. The periorbital skin is bright orange. Wings have black stripes and are bronzed, while the primary feathers have colourful areas of brown, purple, blue, and green.

Immature birds have duller colours with no bronzing on the wings. If startled, the crested pigeon takes to the air with a distinctive whistling 'call', the source of the noise can be attributed to the way the air rushes over a modified primary feather found on the wings.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

MERRY CHRISTMAS To Everyone!

SUMMER STORM

Brewing...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

POINSETTIA

Poinsettia means Christmas is near!

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a culturally and commercially important plant species of the diverse spurge family that is indigenous to Mexico and Central America. It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the United States in 1825.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

FESTIVE

S*E*A*S*O*N*S   G*R*E*E*T*I*N*G*S

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.

CHRISTMAS IN MELBOURNE

New and old together for this Festive Season in Melbourne!

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

CHRISTMAS IS NEAR

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

AT THE MARKET

At the Latrobe University Sunday Market in Bundoora.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

GOOD DOGGY...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET SKY

Looking out from my window towards the east, as the sun sets.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

LEUCOSPERMUM

'Carnival Crimson' is a medium size growing variety of Leucospermum that is known for its prolific flowering nature, and flowers that hold their bright deep crimson colouring through the season. Its compact growth habit doesn't compromise on its flowering ability and will make a great addition to native, waterwise and smaller gardens. This plant is frost tolerant once established.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

ALMOST CHRISTMAS

I can't believe how soon it will be until Christmas is upon us. It crept up on me I must admit and suddenly the Christmas decorations were up and became blatantly obvious. This was a local council's effort at the entrance to a park and it must have just been put up as it looked brand new when I took the photo a few days ago. I wonder how it's shaping up now after the last three days of torrential rain we've had...

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 DAY TRIP

Gippsland is an economic rural region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-eastern part of that state. It covers an area of 41,556 square kilometres, and lies to the east of the eastern suburbs of Greater Melbourne, to the north of Bass Strait, to the west of the Tasman Sea, to the south of the Black-Allan Line that marks part of the Victorian/New South Wales border, and to the east and southeast of the Great Dividing Range that lies within the Hume region and the Victorian Alps. Gippsland is generally broken down into the East Gippsland, South Gippsland, West Gippsland, and the Latrobe Valley statistical divisions.

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, being 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.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

FRACTURED ART

I've taken my digital scissors and have chopped up my latest artwork to create this mosaic. If you would like to have a look at the uncut original, please see my instagram account here.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

BY THE CREEK

At the Darebin Parklands in suburban Melbourne, relaxing on a sunny, summery day. The murmur of the flowing water is so relaxing and calming...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

SUBURBAN LLAMAS

The llama (Lama glama) is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is soft and contains only a small amount of lanolin. Llamas can learn simple tasks after a few repetitions. When using a pack, they can carry about 25 to 30% of their body weight for 8 to 13 km. The name llama (in the past also spelled "lama" or "glama") was adopted by European settlers from native Peruvians.

These llamas are pets living in one of the outer suburbs of Melbourne. Their wool is shorn and often used for home spinning and weaving or knitting.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

MOON AND MARS

Looking out of my window tonight as the moon rises, with Mars on the upper left at about 11 o'clock in the sky.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

ROSES

Roses in the garden. We've had a cool and wet Summer so far, which seems to have benefitted the roses... An unidentified cultivar, which always looks pretty when in full flower like this.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

FUNGUS

A fungus (pl: fungi) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and moulds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from the other eukaryotic kingdoms, which by one traditional classification include Plantae, Animalia, Protozoa, and Chromista.

Fungi are important to everyday human life. Fungi are important decomposers in most ecosystems. Mycorrhizal fungi are essential for the growth of most plants. Fungi, as food, play a role in human nutrition in the form of mushrooms, and also as agents of fermentation in the production of bread, cheeses, alcoholic beverages, and numerous other food preparations. Secondary metabolites of fungi are used as medicines, such as antibiotics and anticoagulants. Fungi are model organisms for the study of eukaryotic genetics and metabolism.

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.

SUNRISE

Sunrise in the City, with the Yarra River reflecting the glorious sky!

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

PRECIOUS BLUE

Semiprecious stones dazzle with their colour, but beware! All that shines is not gold. Upper left is a howlite-turquenite, which is a howlite (normaly creamy white), dyed blue to become a blue turquenite. In the middle, a labradorite, which looks much better than it really is, and finally, in the lower right lapis lazuli: The source of the precious artists' pigment, ultramarine... But a soft stone, nevertheless, which makes for jewellery easily scratched.

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

CHANGE

Change may not always be for the better...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

FISHPOND

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNRISE

On the Yarra River in the City, looking towards the East (of course!).

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

LEPTOSPERMUM

Leptospermum is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, although this name is sometimes also used for some species of Melaleuca. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greatest diversity in the south of the continent, but some are native to other parts of the world, including New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

Leptospermums all have five conspicuous petals and five groups of stamens which alternate with the petals. There is a single style in the centre of the flower and the fruit is a woody capsule. The first formal description of a leptospermum was published in 1776 by the German botanists Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Johann Georg Adam Forster, but an unambiguous definition of individual species in the genus was not achieved until 1979.

Leptospermums grow in a wide range of habitats but are most commonly found in moist, low-nutrient soils. They have important uses in horticulture, in the production of honey and in floristry.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme