LOCKED OUT!

Well, you painted the town red last night, so no use looking like that now... 

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET VIEW

OK, you found the plane, a bit harder to find the bird, but what about Superman?

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

OKIE BEAN

Dipogon lignosus, the okie bean, Cape sweet-pea, dolichos pea or mile-a-minute vine, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is the only species classified in the monotypic genus Dipogon which belongs to the subfamily Faboideae.

It is a climbing woody, herbaceous perennial which becomes woody towards the base. The soft green stems climb over nearby structures, shrubs or trees, and can grow up to 2m tall, extending a long way horizontally if possible. Its leaves are dark to medium green above, paler below and are composed of three diamond shaped leaflets which have a wide set base before tapering to a fine point. Each leaflet has its own stalk.

The flowers are typical for the pea family and are pink, mauve, magenta and purple in colour, growing on the tips of new growth stems in short, dense racemes with long peduncles. Flowering occurs throughout spring and summer, i.e. August to January in its native South Africa. The pods are flat and sickle-shaped, each containing four to six seeds, and are formed soon after flowering. In warmer climates this is an evergreen, but it may develop a deciduous habit in areas where are subject to frosts.

Dipogon lignosus has a native range that covers the Western Cape and Eastern Cape in South Africa where it prefers milder areas where it is not subjected to frost. It is an invasive weed in Australia and New Zealand and in some areas control of D. lignosus can be mandated.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

FRINGE-LILY

Thysanotus tuberosus, known as the common fringe-lily is a perennial herb in the Asparagaceae family, which is endemic to Australia. The generic name comes from the Greek θύσανος (thysanos) and means "tasselled", while species name tuberosus refers to the crisp tasting edible root.

The leaves are linear in shape, and round at cross section towards the top. The plant reaches a height from 20 cm to 60 cm tall and grows in a wide variety of situations, from semi-arid parts of south eastern Australia to coastal areas receiving more than 1300 mm of rain per year. The plants are often found in open country, heathlands or in dry sclerophyll woodland.

Flowers form from September to April. The three-petalled flowers are purple, with frilly edges, and only last for one day. They are among the more colourful wildflowers in Southeastern Australia. There are two sub-species: The tepals are somewhat longer and wider in subsp. tuberosus, being 10 to 19 mm long, and around 10 mm wide. In subsp. parviflorus the inner anthers are smaller, and straight to slightly curved. 

Fringe-lilies are not often seen in cultivation despite their obvious beauty. Generally they have proved to be difficult to maintain in cultivation.T. tuberosus should be grown in a well-drained sunny position. It is also suited to growing in a container. Propagation is relatively easy from seed which does not require any special pre-treatment.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

MELBOURNE SPRING

Lunching outdoors in glorious Spring weather in Melbourne's Armadale. One of the must-see and be-seen-in spots of our City if you're visiting...

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

SUCH IS LIFE

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

and also part of the Seasons meme.

ARMADALE TOWN HALL

Armadale is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Armadale recorded a population of 9,368 at the 2021 census. The suburb has its own railway station, as well as Toorak railway station, which is also in Armadale. The suburb is also well served by trams and buses. It is bordered by Glenferrie Road to the east, Orrong Road to the west, Malvern Road to the north and Dandenong Road/Princes Highway to the south.

Armadale is considered one of Melbourne's premier blue chip areas, with High Street, its main thoroughfare, containing high-end antique and fashion stores, hair salons, exclusive restaurants and galleries. Glenferrie Road, a divider between Armadale and neighbouring suburb Malvern, is well known for its shopping and restaurants. Armadale contains and is in close proximity to a number of Melbourne's leading private schools, including Lauriston Girls' School and the King David School. Armadale also contains a number of parks, including Toorak Park, Victory Square Reserve, Armadale Reserve and the Union Street Gardens.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

WARRANDYTE

Warrandyte is an outer suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Manningham. At the 2011 Census, Warrandyte had a population of 5,520. Warrandyte is bounded in the west by the Mullum Mullum Creek and Target Road, in the north by the Yarra River, in the east by Jumping Creek and Anzac Road, and in the south by an irregular line from Reynolds Road, north of Donvale, Park Orchards and Warrandyte South.

Warrandyte was founded as a Victorian town, located in the once gold-rich rolling hills east of Melbourne, and is now on the north-eastern boundary of suburban Melbourne. Gold was first discovered in the town in 1851 and together, with towns like Bendigo and Ballarat, led the way in gold discoveries during the Victorian gold rush. Today Warrandyte retains much of its past in its surviving buildings of the Colonial period and remains a twin community with North Warrandyte, which borders the Yarra River to its north.

The Warrandyte Road Bridge over the Yarra River connects Warrandyte with North Warrandyte. The first bridge was built in 1861, but after its demise, the current bridge was built in 1952.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

SPRING SUN

 This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

SPRING BLOSSOM

Prunus cerasifera, or the purple leaf plum is a small deciduous tree commonly planted for its deep reddish-purple leaves and white/pale pink flowers that are among the first to appear in spring. Although it is short lived, it is fast growing and great for use as a specimen or shade tree. It is in the Rosaceae family, and this like many of the stone fruits are part of the Prunus genus.

Purple leaf plum grows to approximately 4-6 m tall and wide at maturity, and has a rounded shape. It should be planted in a location with full sun. The leaves will turn green if grown in the shade. Most cultivars for sale have the reddish-purple leaves, there are ones with green foliage also available.

Flowers are small, fragrant and either white or pale pink. Purple leaf plum is one of the first trees to flower in the spring, with the blossoms appearing before the leaves. Although the fruits are small at only 3 cm, they are edible. These little gems can be yellow, purple, or red, depending on the cultivar chosen. Birds love to eat these fruits off the tree, too.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DAREBIN PARKLANDS

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.

ROYAL EXHIBITION BUILDING

Inside the Victorian Royal Exhibition Buildings, a classified World Heritage Site. This was during the recent Affordable Art Fair of Melbourne.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

PAPERBARK TREE

Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as the broad-leaved paperbark, paper bark tea tree, punk tree or niaouli, is a small- to medium-sized tree of the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It grows as a spreading tree up to 20 m tall, with its trunk covered by a white, beige and grey thick papery bark. The grey-green leaves are egg-shaped, and cream or white bottlebrush-like flowers appear from late spring to autumn.

It was first formally described in 1797 by the Spanish naturalist Antonio José Cavanilles. Native to New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and coastal eastern Australia, from Botany Bay in New South Wales northwards into Queensland, M. quinquenervia grows in swamps, on floodplains and near rivers and estuaries, often on silty soil. It has become naturalised in the Everglades in Florida, where it is considered a serious weed by the USDA.

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

ST ANDREWS CHURCH

St Andrews is a town in Victoria, Australia, 36 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2011 Census, St Andrews had a population of 1,138. St Andrews is well known for its alternative market, which is open every Saturday from 8am to 2pm. It also contains a hotel, primary school, bakery, CFA, general store and a community centre, as well as the small church from which the town takes its name.

Originally called Queenstown, the area was surveyed in 1858 and a town proclaimed on 25 February 1861. St Andrew Post Office had opened earlier on 1 January 1856 and was renamed St Andrews in 1923. It experienced population growth during the Victorian gold rush, when prospectors mined the hills around the town. The first discovery of gold in Queenstown was recorded in The Herald on 9 and 11 March 1855 and was attributed to a George Boston and two Scotsmen.

On 7 February 2009 a major bushfire destroyed houses on Ninks, Muller, Jacksons and Wild Dog Creek Roads, as well as Buttermans Track and Olives Lane. Its progression toward the town centre was halted by a southerly wind change, which saved the rest of the town, but drove the fire front further east, destroying the towns of Kinglake and Marysville.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

PAMPERED DOG

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

RAINY EVENING

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SPRING BOUQUET

A bouquet of flowers from our garden: Daisies, freesias, marigolds, calendulas, bluebells, begonias, alstroemerias, anemones and stocks.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CONSTRUCTION

Yet another apartment building going up in Southbank, just behind the beautiful, historic Boyd Centre. We are rapidly becoming an overdeveloped city with all the attendant misfortunes: Pollution, overcrowding, increased crime, poverty, poor infrastructure, decreased social and community support mechanisms, etc, etc. Melbourne once was said to be the "World's Most Livable City" - alas, nevermore.

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.

SUBURBAN FOOTBALL OVAL

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

ON A WALK

Amazing what one may see when taking a long walk...

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

YARRA RIVER AT WARRANDYTE

Warrandyte is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Manningham. At the 2011 Census, Warrandyte had a population of 5,520. Warrandyte is bounded in the west by the Mullum Mullum Creek and Target Road, in the north by the Yarra River, in the east by Jumping Creek and Anzac Road, and in the south by an irregular line from Reynolds Road, north of Donvale, Park Orchards and Warrandyte South.

Warrandyte was founded as a Victorian town, located in the once gold-rich rolling hills east of Melbourne, and is now on the north-eastern boundary of suburban Melbourne. Gold was first discovered in the town in 1851 and together, with towns like Bendigo and Ballarat, led the way in gold discoveries during the Victorian gold rush. Today Warrandyte retains much of its past in its surviving buildings of the Colonial period and remains a twin community with North Warrandyte, which borders the Yarra River to its north.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DOG ART

A street art mural in Port Melbourne. It is signed the I.D. group,"The Instinct Driven". More information here.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

CRESCENT MOON

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

NECTARINE BLOSSOMS

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

SPRING FLOWERS

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.

AT THE QUEEN VIC

The Queen Victoria Market (also known colloquially as Vic Market or Queen Vic) is a major landmark in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Covering over seven hectares (17 acres), it is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere. Constructed in stages from the 1860s and officially opened in 1878, the Queen Victoria Market is the last remaining major market in the CBD, and along with Prahran Market and South Melbourne Market, the last of the city's Victorian era markets still operating. It is listed on both the Victorian Heritage Register and the National Heritage List, and is one of Melbourne's major tourist sites, attracting approximately 10 million visitors annually.

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

ZEN BOX

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

IN KENSINGTON

Kensington is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. Kensington recorded a population of 10,745 at the 2021 census.

Kensington is known for its village feel, cafes, and diversity of architecture - including Victorian terraces, cottages, warehouse apartments and new structures in the west of the suburb. The suburb is hilly in sections and contains established tree lined streets.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

AQUARIUM

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNSET

Change of seasons and a spectacular sunset from my window.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme