HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2026

Dear Friends, Best wishes for a New Year filled with health, happiness and peace!

MOONEE PONDS

Moonee Ponds is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Moonee Valley. At the 2024 Census, Moonee Ponds had a population of 16,400. Moonee Ponds is home to Queens Park and the Moonee Valley Racecourse.

Puckle Street is the main shopping street and there are many shops and cafes along its length. At its eastern end is Moonee Ponds Junction and at its western end is Moonee Ponds train station. It is a lively and colourful, old fashioned strip shopping centre.

New development with residential towers has changed the character of this suburb and further building works will  increase its population and put further stress in its infrastructure.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

BRUNSWICK ST

Brunswick Street is a street in inner northern Melbourne, known for cafés, live music venues, quirky shops, street entertainment and alternative fashion boutiques. Brunswick Street runs north-south through the inner northern Melbourne suburbs of Fitzroy and Fitzroy North, from Victoria Parade at its southernmost end, crossing Alexandra Parade, and continuing until it reaches St Georges Road in Fitzroy North, near the Edinburgh Gardens; there, its former northward course is continued by a much smaller residential street named Brunswick Street North. Tram route 112 runs along the entire length of Brunswick Street for part of its journey.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme

ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

GEESE

The Cape Barren goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) is a large goose resident in southern Australia, classified in the family Anatidae. The species is named for Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers. These are bulky geese and their almost uniformly grey plumage, bearing rounded black spots, is unique. The tail and flight feathers are blackish and the legs are pink with black feet. The short, decurved black bill and light green cere gives it a very peculiar expression

The Cape Barren goose is 75 to 100 cm long, weighs 3 to 7 kg and has a 150 to 190 cm wingspan; males are somewhat larger than females. This bird feeds by grazing and rarely swims. Their ability to drink salt or brackish water allows numbers of geese to remain on offshore islands all year round. They are one of the rarest of the world's geese. They are gregarious outside the breeding season, when they wander more widely, forming small flocks.

A previous decline in numbers appears to have been reversed as birds in the east at least have adapted to feeding on agricultural land. The breeding areas are grassy islands off the Australian coast, where this species nests on the ground in colonies. It bears captivity well, quite readily breeding in confinement if large enough paddocks are provided. This photo was taken on Phillip Island, where large numbers of these geese may be seen.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

TWILIGHT OF THE YEAR

As 2025 progresses towards its end, we reflect on all that's been and gone. In the twilight of the year we once again wonder how all these terrible things that have happened were allowed to happen...

We all desire peace, and yet wars rage on. We all value security and serenity, yet we tolerate injustice and gross upheavals. We all look to our youth with eyes full of hope for the future, and we see violence and recklessness. We all believe in freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of thought, yet we are confronted by intolerance, extremism, fanaticism and terrorism...

As 2026 will dawn, what will it bring? Is there a chance that things will improve? Have we had enough? What can we each do to bring about a change for the better?

An image below of twilight, and a lullaby of hope...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

More of my music can be found on instagram @otidorchestre

GAILLARDIA

Gaillardia, commonly known as the blanket flower, is a genus of vibrant, daisy-like flowering plants known for their hardiness and ability to thrive in hot, dry conditions. They are popular in gardens for their long blooming period and ability to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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

KEW BOATHOUSE

Historic Studley Park Boathouse, Kew, is only 10 minutes from the city centre and offers visitors the opportunity to dine in the restaurant, relax over a lighter meal in the indoor/outdoor café, or have a light snack from the kiosk while enjoying sweeping views of the Yarra River and natural bushland. You can also hire row boats, canoes and kayaks from the oldest operating boathouse in Australia. Open every day of the year except Christmas Day. Kids love the place as there are activities, animals and wide open spaces to play in.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

and also part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

YULETIDE

Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time" or "Yule season") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected with it the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht. It later underwent Christianised reformulation resulting in the term Christmastide. Holly and mistletoe are symbols of Yule.

Terms with an etymological equivalent to Yule are used in the Nordic countries for Christmas with its religious rites, but also for the holidays of this season. Today Yule is also used to a lesser extent in the English-speaking world as a synonym for Christmas. Present-day Christmas customs and traditions such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from pagan Yule. Today the event is celebrated in Heathenry and some other forms of Modern Paganism.

The image below is a digital mosaic I created with Photoshop.

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

CHRISTMAS CHEER

A Salvation Army brass ensemble spreading Christmas cheer and collecting some donations for much needed relief this festive season.

Donate here.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

LADYBIRD

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

A YEAR OF SKIES

This post is art of the Skywatch Friday meme

LILIES AND ROSES

We are finally having some hot Summer weather in Melbourne and the garden is full of roses and lilies.

Within the garden's peaceful scene

Appeared two lovely foes,

Aspiring to the rank of queen,

The Lily and the Rose.
                                      (William Cowper)

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

AT THE CHURCH

The Holy Trinity Church in Kew

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

WATERSIDE HOTEL

The Waterside Hotel is a multi-level hospitality venue located at 508 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000. It features a classic pub, a Southeast Asian restaurant, a rooftop bar with city views, and several event spaces. It is situated on the corner of Flinders and King Sts, in the City.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

ADVENT SEASON

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

MOONSTRUCK

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

RAINBOW LORIKEETS

We are lucky in Australia to see these beautiful birds in our gardens even in the City!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

CONTRAIL SKY

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SUMMER BOUQUET

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

AQUARIUM

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

BRUNSWICK TOWN HALL

Brunswick was declared a municipality in 1857, after residents petitioned for municipal government. The first municipal chambers were erected in 1859 on Sydney Road at Lobb's Hill, between Stewart and Albion streets. The present Town Hall began with the construction of what is now the central section in 1877, designed in Renaissance Revival style by Evander McIvor, consisting of three bays, with arched windows, rustication at the ground level, and paired pilasters above.

In 1888 a competition was held for a new structure, won by architect Sydney H Wilson, with a very grand scheme with a central clocktower, similar in style and elaboration to the just completed Collingwood Town Hall. The project however did not proceed, and instead an addition to the north in matching style was built in 1908, the same year Brunswick became a City.

In 1926 it was decided to finally complete the building, and include a smaller and larger hall, as well as offices for the Council. Sydney H Wilson was again the architect, along with Charles R Heath. The design incorporated the 1908 wing, with new sections to the south matching in detail, as part of an imposing building in Victorian Second Empire style, with a taller central section, mansard roofs, and a porte-cochere. The completed building, without the planned finials and cresting, opened in August 1927 with a 'brilliant spectacle'.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

VIRTUALITY

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

A digital mosaic created using Photoshop.

SHOPPING MALL

At the Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DUCK

The chestnut teal duck (Anas castanea) is a dabbling duck found in Australia. Males have a distinctive green head.

This post is part of the the "Saturday Critters meme"

CLOUDSCAPE

We've had a cool and wet Spring this year, with plenty of opportunity to enjoy dramatic skies like this one here!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

ASIATIC LILY

Asiatic lily (Lilium spp) 'Heartstrings' 

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

12 APOSTLES

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243-kilometre stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and is the world's largest war memorial; dedicated to casualties of World War I.

It is an important tourist attraction in the region, which winds through varying terrain alongside the coast, and provides access to several prominent landmarks; including the nationally significant Twelve Apostles rock formations. The Twelve Apostles is a collection of miocene limestone rock stacks jutting from the water in Port Campbell National Park, between Princetown and Peterborough on the Great Ocean Road.

The Apostles were formed by erosion: The harsh weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually eroded the soft limestone to form caves in the cliffs, which then became arches, which in turn collapsed; leaving rock stacks up to 45 metres high. The site was known as the Sow and Piglets until 1922 (Muttonbird Island, near Loch Ard Gorge, was the Sow, and the smaller rock stacks the Piglets); after which it was renamed to The Apostles for tourism purposes. The formation eventually became known as the Twelve Apostles, despite only ever having nine stacks.

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

MELBOURNE IMMIGRATION MUSEUM

The Immigration Museum focuses on Melbourne and Victoria’s immigration history. First opened in 1998 as a division of Museums Victoria, Immigration Museum is located at the restored Old Customs House Building on Flinders Street in Melbourne, Victoria.

The architects of Customs House were Peter Kerr, with additional input by J.J. Clark and Arthur Ebden Johnson. Constructed between 1855 and 1876, its creation was a reflection of vastly expanded trade and soaring revenue from the goldrush, resulting in one of Melbourne's grand buildings. The museum's most important space, the Long Room, is a notable piece of Renaissance Revival architecture. The site was listed in 1948 as one of the key sites for the modernisation of Melbourne. An 11 storey £750,000 Customs House office tower was proposed, which however, did not proceed.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

CONFUSEASONAL

December is the first month of our Southern Hemisphere Summer. However, in Melbourne this year we've had a very cold and wet Spring. The pants have gone a little crazy and today we had rain and very cool weather, with snowfalls on the highest mountains of three of our states: Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. Our seasons have Northern Hemisphere envy...

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme

and also part of the Seasons meme