FUN IN THE SUN

In Mornington, making the most of the sunny, warm, fine day.

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

IN THE 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.

MORNINGTON BEACH

The Mornington Peninsula's rainbow-coloured bathing boxes have provided a colourful backdrop to countless swims and lazy beach days all along the coast of Port Phillip Bay. While technically no more than a shed, with no water or electricity, many of the historic bathing boxes have been passed down through generations and remain in high demand. Found on beaches from Mount Eliza and Dromana to Rosebud and Portsea, these iconic bathing boxes are the peninsula's symbol of summer and have become a tourist attraction in their own right.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

LAP OF LUXURY

A neighbour's cat on her special seat, enjoying the sun and watching the world go by...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

PIGEONS

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SPRING ROSES

Roses from our garden. Although it's mid-Spring, we've been having cold, wet and windy weather with snow falling above 900 metres altitude. Nevertheless, our rose bushes are blooming and we're able to pick and enjoy the fragrant blossoms indoors.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

STONNINGTON HISTORY CENTRE

The Stonnington History Centre is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of the City of Stonnington and the former cities of Malvern and Prahran. The Centre is a branch of the Stonnington Library and Information Service. More information about the centre can be found here.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

PRAHRAN MARKET

Melbourne's oldest produce market, Prahran Market is open 5 days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) for quality produce and friendly service. Prahran Market is Australia's oldest continuously running food market, proudly being in operation since 1864.

Located in bustling South Yarra (163-185 Commercial Road South Yarra), Prahran Market is easy to get to by train, tram, bus, car (parking is easy), bike or foot! The traders here offer the widest choice to their customers including heirloom produce and hard to find specialties, cheeses, smallgoods, artisan products, certified organic fruit and vegetables, beef, pork, poultry and game. Not to mention fresh sustainable fish, seafood, shellfish and crustaceans.

As it's getting closer to Halloween, pumpkins are everywhere, even though they are expensive imports (remember we have Spring here in Melbourne).

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

SPRING SHOWERS

A mosaic created digitally in Photoshop from three different images.

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 CAFÉ

At one of our local cafés, where good food, good coffee and friendly chats can be enjoyed.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

HALLOWEEN PRACTICE

The neighbour's cat getting into mischief on their roof... (PS: She managed to get down safely).

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET RUN

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SPRING ROSES

We know it's really Spring when our hardy red climbing rose (an unknown hybrid!) is in bloom like this.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DAREBIN CREEK

In the Darebin Parklands, in Alphington, enjoying the Spring sunshine and the warmer weather.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

TWILIGHT BY THE YARRA

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

OCTOBER 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.

GREVILLE ST, PRAHRAN

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

"NO DOGS ALLOWED"

'So I wait patiently...'

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNRISE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

FREESIAS

We have a flower garden in our backyard and it is a pleasure to see the arrival and departure of the seasons, each bringing with it a bounty of floral gifts. It's always a pleasure to cut some flowers from one's garden and bring them into the house. Freesias are particularly rewarding as they need little care, bloom profusely and many varieties are scented beautifully. Many of the new large-flowered cultivars come in some astounding shades. Here are some of the ones growing in our garden.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

APPLE BLOSSOM TIME

Spring sunshine and apple blossoms, a wonderful combination!

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

IN GIPPSLAND

I had to travel to Gippsland for work today and although the weather started out cool and drizzly in Melbourne, it warmed up and became sunny when I arrived. Gippsland is one of Victoria’s most popular regions to visit, and with good reason. It’s a great place to get outdoors and enjoy nature. It is an easy drive east of Melbourne and its extensive area combines rugged coastline, lush forests, mountain peaks and alpine meadows, lakes and raw, unspoilt natural spaces. Gippsland is full of history and culture too, which can be readily explored and enjoyed with the help of friendly locals.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme.

CAFÉ CULTURE

In Greville St Prahran, although one could mistake it for a little café in France. Always wonderful to enjoy Melbourne's café culture on a lovely Spring day like last Sunday.

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

IN PRAHRAN

Chapel Street is straight and runs for over 4.14 kilometres along an approximate north-south alignment from the Yarra River in the north to Brighton Road in the south, traversing the south east suburbs of South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor, St Kilda and St Kilda East. Major street crossings are Alexandra Avenue, Toorak Road, Commercial Road, High Street, Dandenong Road, Alma Road, Inkerman Street and Carlisle Street. Tram route 78 travels along the entire length of Chapel Street, between Richmond and St Kilda. The Sandringham line railway stations of South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor and Balaclava are all within 300 metres of Chapel Street.

Prahran takes its name from Pur-ra-ran, a Boonwurrung Aboriginal word which was thought to mean "land partially surrounded by water". When naming began the suburbs spelling was intended to be Praharan and pronounced Pur-ra-ran, but a spelling mistake on a government form lead to the name Prahran.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

BUSY BEE

Bee on a Crassula flower. Crassula ovata, commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree, is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers. It is native to South Africa and Mozambique, and is common as a houseplant worldwide. Much of its popularity stems from the low levels of care needed; the jade plant requires little water and can survive in most indoor conditions. These flowers are in bloom in Melbourne at the moment and the bees are feasting!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET BY THE SEA

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

QUINCE IN FLOWER

The quince (Cydonia oblonga) is the sole member of the genus Cydonia in the family Rosaceae (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits). It is a small deciduous tree that bears a pome fruit, similar in appearance to a pear, and bright golden-yellow when mature. Throughout history the cooked fruit has been used as food, but the tree is also grown for its attractive pale pink blossom and other ornamental qualities.

The tree grows 5 to 8 metres high and 4 to 6 metres wide. The fruit is 7 to 12 centimetres long and 6 to 9 centimetres across. It is native to rocky slopes and woodland margins in South-west Asia, Turkey and Iran although it can be grown successfully at latitudes as far north as Scotland. The immature fruit is green with dense grey-white pubescence, most of which rubs off before maturity in late autumn when the fruit changes colour to yellow with hard, strongly perfumed flesh.

The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, 6–11 cm long, with an entire margin and densely pubescent with fine white hairs. The flowers, produced in spring after the leaves, are white or pink, 5 cm across, with five petals. Quince jam, jelly, paste and stewed fruit are all quite delicious and easily made. Quinces are also used as an ingredient in savoury food. You can find several recipes here.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

UPHILL PATH

Walking in the Darebin Parklands on a Spring day.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

IVANHOE LIBRARY

The Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub is a state of the art public building offering access to 200,000 library items, several exhibition spaces, meeting rooms, artists' studio spaces and access to Banyule Council services. A great place to take part in all sorts of activities and then relax with a coffee or lunch at the attached café.

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

EPHEMERAL

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

IN THE SHADE

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme