HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025!

Best wishes for the New Year. May health, happiness and creativity light up every day of your year. Be well, be joyful, be kind. Enjoy the good moments, give back tenfold the love you receive once. Share your joys, they will be multiplied and will lighten up many lives around you. Share your sadness, it will be divided and will dissipate.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025!

THIS WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS

A mosaic of photos, one from each month of the past year. Once again, a busy year, full of good and not so good things, surprises and routine happenings, some things old and cherished, others new and exciting. Goodbye to 2024, hello to 2025.

***************

****May the New Year 2025 be a better year for everyone!****
***************

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

EXHIBITING MY ART

Getting ready for a Gallery Unbound Solo Exhibition 08 Jan - 26 January at 497 High Street Northcote, Victoria. 3070, Australia. The Opening Celebration is on Friday 10 January 6pm - 8pm with drinks and nibbles available. You are welcome to attend and see lots of my artwork shown there.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

ROCK DOVE

The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon (Columba livia) is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons).  In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon", although this is the wild form of the bird; the pigeons most familiar to people are the domesticated form of the wild rock dove. The domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica, which includes about 1,000 different breeds) descended from this species.

Escaped domestic pigeons have increased the populations of feral pigeons around the world. Wild rock doves are pale grey with two black bars on each wing, whereas domestic and feral pigeons vary in the colour and pattern of their plumage. Few differences are seen between males and females; i.e they are not strongly sexually dimorphic. The species is generally monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents care for the young for a time.

Australian Rock Doves, also known as Feral Pigeons, are descended from the Rock Pigeon, found in Europe and Asia. Many plumage variants have been developed by selective breeding over the years and the most common colours of feral birds are a mixture of grey, black, white and brown, with purple and green sheens.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

END OF YEAR SUNSET

As the end of 2024 is fast approaching, it's time to reflect a little - and what better and more apt time than a sunset for doing so. A mixed year, as they all tend to be, but it seems the world is becoming a little more crazy as the years go by. This is a man of the last century speaking, so I come with all sorts of experiences and memories that the youth of today would find quite quaint and old-fashioned. Maybe I'm a bit of a dinosaur, going towards extinction, but I'll die a happy dinosaur...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

ORIENTAL LILIES

Lilium (members of which are true lilies) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants 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. 

The lilies illustrated here are Oriental hybrids (Division VII). These are based on hybrids within Lilium section Archelirion, specifically L. auratum and L. speciosum, together with crossbreeds from several species native to Japan, including L. nobilissimum, L. rubellum, L. alexandrae, and L. japonicum. They are fragrant, and the flowers tend to be outward facing. Plants tend to be tall, and the flowers may be quite large.

The whole group are sometimes referred to as "stargazers" because many of them appear to look upwards. They are used extensively as a cut flower and are long-lasting in flower arrangements.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Merry Christmas! A hot, fine day in Melbourne today, perfect for an Antipodean Summer Christmas. This is the view towards one of our local parks, early in the morning. The temperature climbed up to 34˚C. Boxing Day tomorrow promises even hotter weather with a maximum expected around 40˚C.

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

SUMMER SOLSTICE

The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year, bringing the most daylight hours between sunrise and sunset. In the Southern Hemisphere, this happens when our side of Earth is tilted closest to the sun. As a result, the sun's rays hit the Earth more directly, leading to extended daylight hours and the sun appearing higher in the sky.

At the same time, the Northern Hemisphere will experience the Winter Solstice, due to the North Pole being at its farthest tilt away from the sun.

This year in Melbourne, the Summer Solstice blessed us with 14 hours and 47 minutes of sunshine. Summer Solstice was on Saturday, 21st December.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

ADVENT AT CHRIST CHURCH

Christ Church is an Anglican church in the busy centre of Brunswick, just twenty minutes by tram to the north of the Melbourne CBD. The first part of the building was dedicated in 1857 and reached its final form in 1875, and has been used for weekly and daily worship since that time.

Christ Church has a proud tradition of Anglican worship in the Catholic tradition in the Northern Region of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia. Preaching and sacraments are at the centre of worship at Christ Church. Services at Christ Church blend the old and the new, drawing on the Book of Common Prayer (1662, revised 1928) and A Prayerbook for Australia (1995).

The parish is involved in the local community in various ways, including inter-church activities with the other churches in the area, and through connections to Trinity College, and St Paul's Cathedral. Christ Church is classified by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and is also listed on the State Government of Victoria Heritage database.

Christ Church is a good example of Italian Renaissance architecture, although the campanile alone is of Romanesque design. The Nave was built in1857 (Architect: Purchas & Swyer, Builder: Peter Cunningham); The Transept, Chancel & Vestry in 1863-1864 (Architect: Smith & Watts, Builder: Dry & Co.); The Campanile in 1870-1871 (Architect: Smith & Watts, Builder: Martin & Peacock); The Apse in 1874-1875 (Architect: J. Wyatt, Builder: Pickering & Dolly).

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

GALAHS

The galah (Eolophus roseicapilla), also known as the rose-breasted cockatoo, galah cockatoo, roseate cockatoo or pink and grey, is one of the most common and widespread cockatoos, and it can be found in open country in almost all parts of mainland Australia. It is endemic on the mainland and was introduced to Tasmania, where its distinctive pink and grey plumage and its bold and loud behaviour make it a familiar sight in the bush and increasingly in urban areas.

It appears to have benefitted from the change in the landscape since European colonisation and may be replacing the Major Mitchell's cockatoo in parts of its range. The term galah is derived from gilaa, a word found in Yuwaalaraay and neighbouring Aboriginal languages.

Galahs are about 35 cm long and weigh 270–350 g. They have a pale grey to mid-grey back, a pale grey rump, a pink face and chest, and a light pink mobile crest. They have a bone-coloured beak and the bare skin of the eye rings is carunculated. They have grey legs.

The genders appear similar, however generally adult birds differ in the colour of the irises; the male has very dark brown (almost black) irises, and the female has mid-brown or red irises. The colours of the juveniles are duller than the adults. Juveniles have greyish chests, crowns, and crests, and they have brown irises and whitish bare eye rings, which are not carunculated.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNSET SILHOUETTES

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

AGAPANTHUS

Agapanthus praecox (Common Agapanthus, Blue Lily, African Lily, or Lily of the Nile) is a native of Natal and Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Local names for this species include agapant, bloulelie, isicakathi and ubani. Most of the cultivated plants of the genus Agapanthus are hybrids or cultivars of this species. The plant is reportedly naturalised in Great Britain, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Eritrea, Ethiopia, St. Helena, Victoria, Norfolk Island, New Zealand, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica and Tristan da Cunha.

Agapanthus praecox subspecies orientalis (shown here) occurs in Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal. It has up to 20 poisonous, strap-like leaves per plant which are arching and are not leathery. These range in length from 20 to 70 cm long and 3 to 5 cm wide. Flower colour ranges from various shades of blue to white. Shiny black seeds are produced in three-sided capsules. These have perianth segments which are less than 50 mm in length.

Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis is highly regarded for being tough in sun and heat, long-flowering, and is a favourite for many councils in Australia for the landscaping of roads and other public areas which do not get watered. The plant is still widely planted but in some areas it is considered a weed, and planting has been discontinued, although it is not generally regarded as highly invasive. In Melbourne these plants grow luxuriantly and bloom for several weeks around Christmas. They are a common garden plant, but are also planted on nature reserves and verges along roads.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

WEATHERVANE

It may look like a farm barn, but it's a suburban house.

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

and also part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

AT SOUTHBANK

Christmas tree at Southbank. The violet baubles are rather too lugubrious for my taste, despite the Barbie pink bows and bells...

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

IT'S CLOSE...

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

SUMMER IS HERE

We've had a hot day today, with a maximum temperature of 33˚C. Tomorrow we expect a maximum of 41˚C, so Summer is definitely here. The sky is a brilliant blue as the sun beats down and the red earth is hotter than it looks. The gum trees provide some welcome shade.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

THIRSTY BEE

On a hot day, bees swarm on the birdbath, drinking much water.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

NIGHT SKY, JUST NOW

Looking out of my bedroom window, with the Moon Jupiter Orion and Sirius taking pride of place. I have included a screenshot from the excellent app Stellarium that is a must have for all stargazers as it can help identify all those heavenly bodies up there in real time. If you are interested in all things space, star, planet, exoplanet, SETI and extraterrestrial life, follow my account on Instagram: @nicvard

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

TRUMPET VINE

Campsis radicans, the trumpet vine, or trumpet creeper (also known in North America as cow-itch vine or hummingbird vine), is a species of flowering plant in the trumpet vine family Bignoniaceae, native to eastern North America, and naturalised elsewhere. Growing to 10 metres, it is a vigorous, deciduous woody vine, notable for its showy trumpet-shaped flowers. It inhabits woodlands and riverbanks, and is also a popular garden plant.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DAM

Farm dams are an omnipresent feature in the agricultural landscapes of eastern Australia, providing essential water for stock, crops, households and for native wildlife. They have typically been shaped like a shallow pond in which water accumulates and is accessed by animals.

In the context of a changing climate, water loss from farm dams by evaporation is likely to increase due to more extended dry periods, meaning traditional dams may become a less secure farm water source. This heightens the need for careful farm water planning and dam management.

Good design, construction and management of farm dams can pay significant dividends for farm productivity and for the environment. Enhancement of existing dams has significant benefits for agricultural productivity, biodiversity and climate management, through improved water quality, improved water persistence, improved provision of ecosystem services and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme,

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

BUCOLIC SCENE

Lush countryside in Gippsland, less than an hour's drive from Melbourne. Ideal location for a day trip, and the "Deli Trail" is a must for foodies. One may find numerous outlets selling produce and gourmet food, including cheeses, free-range meats, seafood, and organic fruits and vegetables. The region's wineries are gaining recognition for producing premium, cool climate wines, with over 30 cellar doors open to the public, offering diverse food and wine.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

EARLY SUMMER

A collage of summery colours (clockwise): Pomegranate arils, robins' eggs, lemon slices, Himalayan poppies, red rose, waterlily.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

WAITING FOR THE TRAIN

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

THE LITTLE B&W HEN

It's still not unusual in Melbourne to walk by a house in the suburbs and suddenly hear a cock crow, or the clucking of chickens. Some people have hens in a coop in the backyard, or some more adventurous, greener souls allow them free range in the front yard...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

RAINY EVENING

After a hot and humid day, we had some rain in the evening, which made things a little more comfortable. Not to mention the opportunity for taking a sky shot of the sunset through a wet window...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

HELLO SUMMER

The mercury climbed up to 34˚C in our garden today, so we did well to pick the amaryllis and white lily early in the morning, before the sun fried them. The amaryllis is a wonderful salmon pink colour, and the white Christmas Lily is delightfully perfumed.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

YARRA RIVER

Yarra River at Dight's Falls, about 4 km from the City centre.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme
and also part of Roentare’s Water Meme

IDYLLIC

A farm and a farmhouse, rolling hills and horses to ride on. A forest in your back yard, and wake to the sound of birdsong every day. Quiet place, clean air, and only an hour by train from the City...

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

SUMMER MAKES AN ENTRANCE

We have had a maximum temperature of 32˚C today and it felt very summery. We were warned by our meteorologists that Australia will experience a hotter than average Summer this year. Being by the seaside on days like today is lovely, but that sun can scorch!

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

ART EXHIBITION

At an exhibition where I took part with five of my works being shown. It is held at the "Gallery Unbound" 497 High St Northcote, Victoria, Australia and the "Essence" exhibition will be on display until 22nd December 2024.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

AUSTRALIAN WATER DRAGON

The Australian water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii), which includes the eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii) and the Gippsland water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howittii) subspecies, is an arboreal agamid species native to eastern Australia from Victoria northwards to Queensland. There may be a small introduced population on the south-east coast of South Australia.

The Gippsland water dragon is generally the more southern of the two subspecies and the more cold adapted and heat sensitive. Visually distinguishing the Gippsland water dragon from the Eastern water dragon is relatively easy, as long as their skin is reasonably clean and not stained from the water, as identification of the two subspecies depends largely on observable differences in colours and patterns.

Australian water dragons have long powerful limbs and claws for climbing, a long muscular laterally-compressed tail for swimming, and prominent nuchal and vertebral crests (a nuchal crest is a central row of spikes at the base of the head. These spikes continue down the spine, getting smaller as they reach the base of the tail).

Including their tails, which comprise about two-thirds of their total length, adult females grow to about 60 cm long, and adult males can grow slightly longer than one metre and weigh about 1 kg. Males show bolder colouration and have larger heads than females. Colour is less distinct in juveniles.

The Australian water dragon's diet depends on its size. Juveniles and yearlings tend to feed on spiders and small insects such as ants, crickets, and caterpillars. When they get bigger, so does their prey. An adult diet includes small rodents, such as baby mice, other reptiles, frogs, fish, crabs, yabbies, molluscs, worms and eggs, although insects are still the most commonly consumed. Types of vegetation reportedly consumed include figs, lilly-pilly fruits, berries, and other fruits and flowers.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

EVENING GLOW

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SCAEVOLA

Scaevola is a genus of flowering plants in the Goodenia family, Goodeniaceae. It consists of more than 130 tropical species, with the centre of diversity being Australia and Polynesia. Common names for Scaevola species include scaevolas, fan-flowers, half-flowers, and naupaka, the fan flower's Hawaiian name. The flowers are shaped as if they have been cut in half. The generic name means "left-handed" in Latin.

Many legends have been told to explain the formation of the naupaka's unique half flowers. In one version a woman tears the flower in half after a quarrel with her lover. The gods, angered, turn all naupaka flowers into half flowers and the two lovers remain separated while the man is destined to search in vain for another whole flower.

Scaevola is the only Goodeniaceae genus that is widespread outside of Australia. In at least six separate dispersals, about 40 species have spread throughout the Pacific Basin, with a few reaching the tropical coasts of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The Hawaiian Islands are home to ten Scaevola species, nine of which are endemic. Eight of the indigenous species are the result of a single colonisation event.

Scaevola aemula (Fairy Fan-flower or Common Fan-flower, shown here) is a small shrub native to southern Australia. It grows to 50 cm in height and produces white or blue flowers in spikes up to 24 cm long from August to March in its native range. These are followed by rounded, wrinkled berries to 4.5 mm in length. The species occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.

The species is thought to be the most commonly cultivated of the genus Scaevola, and a large number of cultivars have been developed. Most of these are mat-forming to a height of 12 cm and spreading up to 1 metre in width. It prefers a sunny or partially shaded, well-drained position and tolerates salt spray and periods of drought. Pruning and pinching of tip growth may be carried out to shape the plant. Propagation is from cuttings or by layering.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

ALMA MATER

On the City Campus of the University of Melbourne. Despite the large number of new buildings that have gone up since I was a student there, it was heartening to discover that some green spaces have remained and little nooks such as this one have hardly changed at all.

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

YARRA VALLEY VIEW

The Yarra Valley is the name given to the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately 90 kilometres east of the City of Melbourne and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay. The name Yarra Valley is usually used in reference to the upper regions surrounding the Yarra River and generally does not encompass the lower regions including the city and suburban areas, where the topography flattens out, or the upper reaches which are in inaccessible bushland.

Included in the Yarra Valley is the sub-region of Upper Yarra (or the Upper Yarra Valley) which encompasses the towns of the former Shire of Upper Yarra in the catchment area upstream of and including Woori Yallock. The Yarra Valley a popular day-trip and tourist area, featuring a range of natural features and agricultural produce, as well as the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail.The Yarra Valley is host to a thriving wine growing industry.

The area's relatively cool climate makes it particularly suited to the production of high-quality chardonnay, pinot noir and sparkling wine. Vine-grazing is a popular activity for Melburnians and there is a large selection of excellent vineyards making world-class wines in the Yarra Valley.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

BIG CITY LIFE

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

IN THE SPRING GARDEN

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

POSSUMS

The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula, from the Greek for "furry tailed" and the Latin for "little fox", previously in the genus Phalangista) is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the second largest of the possums.  Like most possums, the common brushtail possum is nocturnal. It is mainly a folivore, but has been known to eat small mammals such as rats.

In most Australian habitats, leaves of eucalyptus are a significant part of the diet but rarely the sole item eaten. The tail is prehensile and naked on its lower underside. There are four colour variations: silver-grey, brown, black, and gold.  It is the Australian marsupial most often seen by city-dwellers, as it is one of few that thrives in cities, as well as a wide range of natural and human-modified environments. Around human habitations, common brushtails are inventive and determined foragers with a liking for fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and kitchen raids.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUMMER IS ON ITS WAY

We had a maximum temperature of 36˚C today, which was a little uncomfortable, especially as it was quite high after the few 20s and mid 20s we'd had previously. The sunset turned out to be quite summery too...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

HIPPEASTRUM

Hippeastrum flowering in our garden. Hippeastrum is a genus in the family Amaryllidaceae. The name Hippeastrum, given to it by William Herbert, means "knight's star", although precisely what Herbert meant by the name is not certain.

For many years there was confusion among botanists over the generic names Amaryllis and Hippeastrum, one result of which is that the common name amaryllis is mainly used for cultivars of this genus, often sold as indoor flowering bulbs particularly at Christmas in the northern hemisphere.

By contrast the generic name Amaryllis applies to bulbs from South Africa, usually grown outdoors. The genus is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

ALTONA WETLANDS

The Altona Important Bird Area (IBA) comprises several wetland sites on, or close to, the north-western coast of Port Phillip in Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Collectively they total 1223 hectares in area and lie within, or adjacent to, the western suburbs of the city of Melbourne. They were classified as an IBA because they support more than 1% of the world populations of Red-necked Stint, Chestnut Teal and Pacific Gull.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme

and also part of the Nature Notes meme

SOUTHERN CROSS

Southern Cross Station is the most important rail terminal in Victoria and has been redeveloped into a world-class public transport interchange, with fast rail connections to regional Victorian centres and new facilities for rail, taxi and bus passengers. Now more than just a railway station, Southern Cross Station is a combination railway, shopping centre and bus terminal.

The shopping centre includes supermarkets, DFO - Direct Factory Outlet and over 100 other shops, bars and restaurants. On Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western boundary of the central business district, it is the hub of the state's regional railway network, serving as a terminus for long-distance V/Line trains.

It also serves the twice-daily Countrylink XPT service to Sydney, and The Overland to Adelaide three times per week. It has a bus station with 24-hour Skybus service to Melbourne airport. Southern Cross is one of five stations forming the City Loop, a mostly underground railway that encircles the CBD. Southern Cross and Flinders Street are the only stations in the Loop that are above ground.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

NATURE WALK

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