SUNSET SONG

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

ANZAC POPPIES

Papaver rhoeas (common names include common poppy, corn poppy, corn rose, field poppy, Flanders poppy or red poppy) is an annual herbaceous species of flowering plant in the poppy family, Papaveraceae. This poppy is notable as an agricultural weed (hence the common names including "corn" and "field") and after World War I as a symbol of dead soldiers. Before the advent of herbicides, P. rhoeas sometimes was so abundant in agricultural fields that it could be mistaken for a crop. However, the only species of Papaveraceae grown as a field crop on a large scale is Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy

Papaver rhoeas is a variable, erect annual, forming a long-lived soil seed bank that can germinate when the soil is disturbed. In the northern hemisphere it generally flowers in late spring, but if the weather is warm enough other flowers frequently appear at the beginning of autumn. It grows up to about 70 cm in height. The flowers are large and showy, 50 to 100mm across, with four petals that are vivid red, most commonly with a black spot at their base. The flower stem is usually covered with coarse hairs that are held at right angles to the surface, helping to distinguish it from Papaver dubium in which the hairs are more usually appressed (i.e. held close to the stem).

The capsules are hairless, obovoid (egg-shaped), less than twice as tall as they are wide, with a stigma at least as wide as the capsule. Like many other species of Papaver, the plant exudes white to yellowish latex when the tissues are broken Its origin is not known for certain. As with many such plants, the area of origin is often ascribed by Americans to Europe, and by northern Europeans to southern Europe. Its native range includes West Asia, North Africa and Europe.

It is known to have been associated with agriculture in the Old World since early times and has had an old symbolism and association with agricultural fertility. It has most of the characteristics of a successful weed of agriculture. These include an annual lifecycle that fits into that of most cereals, a tolerance of simple weed control methods, the ability to flower and seed itself before the crop is harvested, and the ability to form a long-lived seed bank. The leaves and latex have an acrid taste and are mildly poisonous to grazing animals. A sterile hybrid with Papaver dubium is known, P. x hungaricum, that is intermediate in all characters with P. rhoeas.

Due to the extent of ground disturbance in warfare during World War I, corn poppies bloomed in between the trench lines and no man's lands on the Western front. Poppies are a prominent feature of "In Flanders Fields" by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, one of the most frequently quoted English-language poems composed during the First World War. During the 20th century, the wearing of a poppy at and before Remembrance Day each year became an established custom in English-speaking western countries. It is also used at some other dates in some countries, such as at appeals for Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand.

Lest we Forget...

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MELBOURNE ELMS

Over 6000 mainly English elms Ulmus procera and Dutch elms U. x hollandica adorn the streets, boulevards and parks in the City of Melbourne, and some 11,200 elms are maintained within a 10-km radius of Melbourne's city centre. The Golden Wych elm U. glabra 'Lutescens', the Weeping Wych elm U. glabra 'Camperdownii' and the Chinese elm U. parvifolia have been widely planted since the 1950s, especially in the gardens of Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

The impact of introduced pests, city growth and the danger of an accidental introduction of Dutch elm disease continue to threaten Melbourne's ageing elm population. As a result of these pressures, groups such as the Friends of the Elms and the Elm Pests and Diseases Task Force have been formed to protect what is considered one of the finest remaining populations of mature elms in the world.

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

WAITING FOR WINTER

In Gippsland, all the hay is collected and stored for Winter. Autumn days are mellow and swinging between laughter and tears - sun one day, rain the next.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme.

EARTH DAY

For Earth Day today, a mosaic of four acrylic paint pouring canvases I've made, with the photographs that inspired them. I've merged the photos on top with my paintings below.

We live in a wonderful, beautiful, amazing planet and yet we do our utmost to ruin it and destroy it. Earth Day should make us stop think and change our behaviour so we can save this precious planet for the generations to come.

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

MEET JUNIOR...

Porsche Junior is a tractor manufactured by Porsche-Diesel from 1952 to 1963. It is powered by an air-cooled 14 hp 822 cc, single-cylinder diesel engine. This little beauty is on display in a shop in our neighbourhood. One must stop and look at it!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

WALKIES?

But you promised...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNRISE FLIGHT

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

FLOWER STALL

At the Camberwell Market.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DAREBIN CREEK

Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation alliance, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.

The creek rises on the northern urban fringe of Melbourne north of the suburb of Epping, following a general southerly route and meeting the Yarra at Alphington. The creek forms much of the municipal boundary between the City of Darebin and City of Banyule. Formerly an intermittent stream, increased stormwater runoff with urbanisation of the Darebin Creek catchment has resulted in permanent water flow. 

The creek runs through Darebin Parklands (where this phot was taken), a large nature reserve one or two kilometres northwest of the junction at which the creek meets the Yarra. The Darebin Creek Trail runs along the banks in the lower reaches of the creek.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme,
and also part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

SASSAFRAS

Sassafras is a locality and township within Greater Melbourne, beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary, 43 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox and Shire of Yarra Ranges local government areas. Sassafras recorded a population of 970 at the 2021 census.

The Sassafras village is located at an altitude of approximately 500 metres, in a saddle on the top of the ridgeline of the Dandenong Ranges, a few kilometres south of the highest peak of Mount Dandenong. The locality of Sassafras extends from Hilton Road in the south, to just north of the village. In the east, it extends down the Sassafras Gully, whilst to the West much of the locality is within the Dandenong Ranges National Park.

The area was named Sassafras Gully, after the sassafras trees which grow in gully along Sassafras Creek. The land was opened to small scale farming in 1893 and a small township developed. The Post Office opened on 1 June 1901 and has always been known as Sassafras Gully. Today Sassafras is a tourist destination with several boutique stores including Devonshire tea outlets, cafés, toy shops, antique shops and nurseries.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

FALLING

Into Autumn...

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

CAFÉ

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

CAT

Sprung!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

RAINBOW

Find the two pots of gold!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

AUTUMN ROSE

We are seeing the last of the roses in our garden. This is a beautiful rose, just after a rain shower. It is Rosa 'Mister Lincoln', also known as 'Mr. Lincoln', which is a dark red hybrid tea rose cultivar. Bred by Herbert Swim and Weeks Rose Growers in 1964, the rose was named an All-America Rose Selections winner in 1965.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DAREBIN CREEK

The Darebin Creek at Preston. Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation alliance, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.

The creek rises on the northern urban fringe of Melbourne north of the suburb of Epping, following a general southerly route and meeting the Yarra at Alphington. The creek forms much of the municipal boundary between the City of Darebin and City of Banyule. Formerly an intermittent stream, increased stormwater runoff with urbanisation of the Darebin Creek catchment has resulted in permanent water flow. 

The creek runs through Darebin Parklands, a large nature reserve one or two kilometres northwest of the junction at which the creek meets the Yarra. The Darebin Creek Trail runs along the banks in the lower reaches of the creek.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

GIPPSLAND LANDSCAPE

As Autumn advances, the colours of the countryside change and the vistas become more varied and interesting. Always nice to go on a day-trip out of the City and enjoy such scenic views.

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

AUTUMN BERRIES

As the rains come, and the mosses and liverworts awaken, the berries ripen in the forests and gardens. Pyracantha with the unusual bright yellow berries (usually red and orange) and the cheerful red haws of the hawthorn (always a happy find). Add the errant flower of a canola plant and the rich green of some of the evergreen trees seen between the branches of a deciduous tree.

A Photoshop mosaic composed of several photos that have been melded together and seamlessly superimposed.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

And also part of the Seasons meme.

HIGH ST, NORTHCOTE

High Street in Northcote has in the last few years woken from its torpor of the previous two decades and is developing into a vibrant, bohemian, rather trendy part of Melbourne. Always fun to walk there and go into many of the quirky shops or have something to eat in the numerous eateries or cafés. A little bit scruffy in parts, but also quite likeable.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

OLD FAITHFUL

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNRISE

Waiting for Daylight Saving time to end this weekend, as it is quite dark at the moment in the early morning, sunrise not until 7:30 a.m...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

CRUCIFIX ORCHID

Crucifix orchid (Epidendrum ibaguense) is a species of the Orchidaceae family that occurs naturally from Mexico to Colombia. It has long, thin stems and leathery leaves. The flowers bloom in clusters, with up to 20 flowers open on a stem at once. They come in orange, red, mauve, purple, pink and yellow. We have the orange, pink and red varieties growing profusely as potted specimens in our garden and they are very rewarding plants.

The common name 'crucifix orchid' refers to the lip of the flower (called the labellum), which resembles a small, gold cross. Crucifix orchids are tough, easy to grow, easily propagated and they have vivid, long lasting flowers. In fact, they are an excellent beginner's orchid. They can be grown in containers in a free-draining mix, amongst rocks in the garden, or in soil. They like a frost-free climate and flower best in a full sun position.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

EUCALYPTS

Eucalyptus is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of Eucalyptus are trees, often mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia and Angophora, they are commonly known as eucalypts or "gum trees".

Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, the leaves have oil glands, and the sepals and petals are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut". Eucalypt trees are the tallest flowering plants on the planet.

Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Many eucalypt species have adapted to wildfire, and are able to resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire. A few species are native to islands north of Australia and a smaller number are only found outside the continent.

Eucalypts have been grown in plantations in many other countries because they are fast growing and have valuable timber, or can be used for pulpwood, for honey production or essential oils. In some countries, however, they have been removed because of the danger of forest fires due to their high flammability.

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

ON MT DANDENONG

Mount Dandenong, sometimes styled as Mt. Dandenong, is a township and suburb of the Greater Melbourne area in Victoria, Australia, 44 km east of the Melbourne central business district (CBD), located within the local government area of the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

Mount Dandenong recorded a population of 1,271 at the 2021 census. Light to moderate snowfalls occur on Mount Dandenong a few times most years, mostly frequently between late winter and late spring. The area around Mount Dandenong experienced a highly unusual summer snow fall on Christmas Day 2006.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

THE WEBS OF AUTUMN

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

IN THE BOOKSHOP

Visiting the fantastic "Through the Looking Glass" bookshop in Sassafras in the Dandenongs. A perfect place to spend some time in (allow a couple of hours!) and buy some wonderful books.

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. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent on climatic conditions. It is a large bird with black plumage and a red bill. It is a monogamous breeder, with both partners sharing incubation and cygnet-rearing duties.

This posts is part of the Saturday Critters meme

GOOD FRIDAY

Best wishes for the Easter Season. Peace, health, serenity for all in these troubled times worldwide.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

EASTER ASTERS

Easter (or Michaelmas - depending in which Hemisphere you live!) daisies (Aster novi-belgii) were once popular in gardens, but are less frequently seen now. They are herbaceous perennials with upright, much-branched stems on which masses of small daisies are produced in late summer and autumn. The flowers range in colour from white through pale lilac blue, mauve, purple and pink to deep reddish plum.

They can be planted in mixed borders and can also be used effectively in beds on their own. The taller varieties often need staking, and are best planted at the back of garden beds. A. novi-belgii was introduced from North America into Britain in 1710. In America they were called New York daisies, however, in England these plants bloomed at the same time as St Michael's Day is celebrated (September 29th), and so they became associated with the festival of Michaelmas and were given its name. In the Southern hemisphere where Easter is an Autumnal feast, the daisies bloom at about this time and hence the term "Easter Daisies". 

These daisies are easy to grow. Plant them in full sun in a rich, moisture-retentive soil. When they die down in winter cut the dead stems back to ground level. When the new shoots appear in spring, apply a mulch of well-rotted manure or compost to which fertiliser has been added. Lift and divide the clumps every second or third year in winter.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE IT!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

SUN-SHADE

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

ACLAND ST

Acland Street is a street in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, which enjoys great popularity as a recreational area, mainly due to its many restaurants and its proximity to the entertainment areas along St Kilda beach.

Acland Street runs on a north-west to south-east axis between Fitzroy and Barkly Streets. It was one of the first streets laid out when St Kilda was surveyed in 1842. The north-west end of the street is largely residential, and features many fine houses from the late 19th century, some of them converted to flats or other uses, such as the Linden Gallery, and earlier, Acland Street Gallery, which was at number 18, and closed in 1990.

The south-east end of the street, between Carlisle and Barkly Streets, is a commercial strip, with many cafés, cake shops, venues, retail outlets and restaurants. The section of Acland Street between Barkly Street and Carlisle Street is a tram zone where route 96 terminates.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

IT'S AUTUMN

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

ALL NATIONS PARK

All Nations Park is a contemporary park located in Northcote, an inner suburb. The park was created on the site of the former Northcote Landfill and opened to the public in 2002. The park is 13 hectares in size and is home to many unique features, including The Hilltop, Veterans Walk and ANZAC Memorial, lake and performance area, The Olive Grove, lawn areas, contemporary Indigenous gardens, playground with disabled access, skate park, art projects, and outdoor exercise area for All Abilities. The park is a popular destination for locals and visitors alike and offers stunning views of the surrounding area.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

"I'M AWAKE..."

"...So don't try anything funny!"

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SINGING TO THE MOON

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SUNFLOWER

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme