QUOKKA

 The quokka (Setonix brachyurus), the only member of the genus Setonix, is a small macropod about the size of a domestic cat. Like other marsupials in the macropod family (such as kangaroos and wallabies), the quokka is herbivorous and mainly nocturnal.

Quokkas can be found on some smaller islands off the coast of Western Australia, in particular on Rottnest Island just off Perth and Bald Island near Albany. A small mainland colony exists in the protected area of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, where they co-exist with the critically endangered Gilbert's potoroo.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET SILHOUETTES

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

CAMELLIA 'YULETIDE'

Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide' (common Name – Camellia Yuletide) is a wonderful variety of Camellia. Tough-as-boots variety, producing an abundance of beautiful red flowers late Autumn to Winter. This variety can withstand varying conditions from dry to coastal regions. It is 1 - 2 metres tall. and is one of the best plants to provide winter colour and flowering in almost any garden setting.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

RAIN

We've had a lot of weather the last two days in Melbourne, with wind, rain, hail and even snow on the peaks. Winter is hanging on a bit, showing us his teeth as he is leaving...

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

MALVERN TOWN HALL

Malvern Town Hall is the former town hall of the municipality of Malvern in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is the seat of the local government area of the City of Stonnington. The Second Empire and Italianate style Victorian era building is located on the northeast corner of Glenferrie Road and High Street, in Malvern.

The foundation stone of the Malvern Shire Hall was laid by the Hon. Alfred Deakin, the Minister of Public Works, on 22 September 1885. Heritage Victoria describes the Malvern Town Hall as aesthetically and historically significant. It is an extraordinary and essentially intact example of a building of its type, having two towers. The building demonstrates a changing sequence of styles from the Late Victorian Boom period to interwar Adamesque. The use of marble and terrazzo in the foyers and the plaster Adamesque ornamentation in the hall is of note.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

SPRING IS COMING

The bulbs and blossom in the garden have begun to bloom and there is a warmth in the air now and then. Spring is coming.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme

WOMIN-DJERRING

 "Womin-Djerring" (Coming Together) is the court in the University of Melbourne's Science Gallery group of buildings.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

DUCKLINGS

The Grey Teal Duck (45 cm) is found across Australia, it travels long distances to reach water and has a varied diet.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

FULL MOON

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

EARLY SPRING FLOWERS

Suddenly, everything seems to be blooming in Melbourne. Signs of an early Spring... The flowers below are:

King protea, jonquils, japonica, scabious, wattle, and double flowering plum.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

SIGNS OF SPRING

At the Darebin Parklands, on a cold but sunny Winter's day, with signs of Spring stirring...

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.

AT THE PARK

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

ICY

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

WINTER SUN

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

JELLYFISH

Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, although a few are not mobile, being anchored to the seabed by stalks.

The bell can pulsate to provide propulsion and highly efficient locomotion. The tentacles are armed with stinging cells and may be used to capture prey and defend against predators. Jellyfish have a complex life cycle; the medusa is normally the sexual phase, the planula larva can disperse widely and is followed by a sedentary polyp phase.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

WINTRY SUNRISE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

DAFFODIL SEASON

Yes, they've started blooming.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

TENTATIVE SPRING

We've had a couple of days of warmer weather in Melbourne and some Spring flowers have begun making their appearance. This ornamental plum trees in a sheltered, sunny spot have burst forth into full Spring blossom. Making the most of this weather, as we are going back to Winter weather over the weekend!

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

ALIMENTARY DELIGHTS

At Alimentari Delicatessen and Goods Store at 304 Smith Street Collingwood VIC 3066. It's a delightful place to eat, drink, and shop for various goodies, meet friends and enjoy the terrific atmosphere. Very good, very Melbourne...

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

WINTRY

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

WINTER SUNSHINE

A lovely sunny, warm day in Melbourne today, a presage of coming Spring. Many people took to the parks, outdoor locales and open-air venues to make the most of the sunshine.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

BLUEBOTTLE FLY

The bluebottle fly or bottlebee (Calliphora vomitoria) is a common blow fly found in most areas of the world and is the type species for the genus Calliphora. Similar species include the greenbottle fly, a close relative that can be distinguished by its bright green metallic colouring. Bluebottle fly adults feed on nectar, while the larvae feed on carcasses of dead animals. Adults are also pollinators to some flowers with strong odour.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

CLOUDSCAPE

At the railway station.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SCARLET PIMPERNEL

Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), also known as red pimpernel, red chickweed, poorman's barometer, poor man's weather-glass, shepherd's weather glass or shepherd's clock, is a low-growing annual plant. The native range of the species is Europe and Western and North Africa. The species has been distributed widely by humans, either deliberately as an ornamental flower or accidentally. A. arvensis is now naturalised almost worldwide, with a range that encompasses The Americas, Central and East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Malaysia, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and Southern Africa.

Although traditionally included in the family Primulaceae, the genus Anagallis is now considered to be better placed within the related family Myrsinaceae. In the APG III system, Primulaceae is expanded to include Myrsinaceae, thus Anagallis is in Primulaceae sensu lato.This common European plant is generally considered a weed and is an indicator of light soils. It is most well known for being the emblem of the fictional hero "The Scarlet Pimpernel", a novel written by the Baroness Emma Orczy.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

BERRIES

x Fatshedera is an intergeneric hybrid created by crossing Fatsia japonica 'Moserii' (Japanese fatsia) with Hedera helix (common ivy)  in the Araliaceae family. With one parent being a shrub and the other a vine, the plant can be trained in multiple ways.  It can be tied to supports as a vine or allowed to grow along the ground as a groundcover. Pruning the plant to encourage bushiness will give it a more shrub-like form. Greenish-white flowers are produced in Autumn, and berries (seen here) develop in Winter.

This plant is very tolerant of adverse conditions including air pollution and coastal sea spray.  Plant in shade or north exposure for winter protection.  Works well planted under taller shrubs, in containers, or in borders.  It even makes a good houseplant.  Propagates by softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings. Variegated cultivars are available.

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

TRAIN TRIP

We have a fairly good suburban and country rail service in Victoria and I often use it now that the traffic has become quite heavy and the drivers on the road more aggressive. Here is a photo taken from a train trip to Gippsland, showing the rich farmland (taking photos from a fast-moving train through double glazed windows against the sun is not easy!).

The lush pastures of West Gippsland support a strong local dairy produce industry that provides much of Melbourne's milk, as well as milk for the area's award-winning export cheeses. The same hills are also the grazing ground for pasture-fed beef, lamb and game.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

WAITING 2

The bare plane tree branches are touched by the setting sun. A reminder that Spring is not too far away,

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

WAITING

 ...For his master to return (in the foyer, protected from the cold and rain, good to see!).

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNRISE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

STIRRINGS OF SPRING

The fragrant violets and wattles are blooming in the garden, and the first bulbs are showing their flowers: Anemones, jonquils and lachenalias. Meanwhile, the neighbour's almond tree is all buds that are unfurling their blossoms. Spring is not too far away, although we've had some bitterly cold days...

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme