PROTEA

Leucospermum (Pincushion, Pincushion Protea or Leucospermum) is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, native to Zimbabwe and South Africa, where they occupy a variety of habitats, including scrub, forest, and mountain slopes. They are evergreen shrubs (rarely small trees) growing to 0.5-5 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, tough and leathery, simple, linear to lanceolate, 2-12 cm long and 0.5-3 cm broad, with a serrated margin or serrated at the leaf apex only.

The flowers are produced in dense inflorescences, which have large numbers of prominent styles, which inspires the name. The genus is closely related in evolution and appearance to the Australian genus Banksia. Shown here is a Leucospermum patersonii hybrid. An excellent ornamental hardy shrub for most well-drained soils and full sun positions. It is a relatively fast growing landscape shrub for coastal or inland gardens. The two-tone orange-red flowers make a great long stemmed cut flower, and is thus grown commercially for this purpose.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme

WINDOW

How fortunate I am to live in a place where the Winter is mild enough to allow flowers to bloom, and even on the greyest Winter day to be able to look out of the window and be cheered by splashes of vivid colour!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

SUN REFLECTION

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

AUTUMNAL WALK

A walk in the neighbourhood today as the weather was mild and sunny in the morning. The leaves are turning, the berries and fruits are ripening and the days continue to shorten. Just as well for the morning walk, as the weather changed to cold and rain later in the afternoon.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

AUTUMN SUNSET

An evening walk during Autumn can be transformed into a magical light show...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,

and also part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

AT SOUTHERN CROSS

At the Southern Cross Railway Station in Melbourne City.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

ESCAPING...

 ... the Pandemic!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

LAKESIDE

In the Darebin Parklands, a short walk from my home.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

WINDOW VIEW

View from my window through a crystal ball. Note that the photo is rotated 180˚ as the image through a glass ball is normally seen upside down.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

CLEMATIS SEED HEAD

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

SUMMERFIELD

As Winter tightens its hold on us here in the Great South Land, as the days shorten and the nights become darker, longer, cold and wet, it's time to reminisce of happier, warmer, brighter times...

Summerfield

On a perfect Summer's day
Walking on a fresh green field,
Making memories warm and bright
For a cold and dismal Winter's night.

On a Summerfield my merry fay,
With a kiss a promise sealed:
Lips that savoured cool sweet wine, 
Now in Winter's tears taste brine.

Oh to be in Summerfield again,
'Neath blue sky on verdant grass,
Clasping hands and heart alight
How we'd love, all sense delight...

But instead in Winter's bane
I look in frozen looking glass:
Wrinkles, white hair, all decline,
And for Summerfield I long and pine.

NJV

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

TALL

Eucalyptus is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, they are commonly known as eucalypts. Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut". Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species.

Eucalyptus regnans is the tallest of all flowering plants, and possibly the tallest of all plants, although no living specimens can make that claim. The tallest measured living specimen, named Centurion, stands 100.5 metres (330 feet) tall in Tasmania.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

YARRA BEND PATH

Yarra Bend Park has been one of Melbourne’s largest expanses of inner suburban parkland for nearly 150 years. Yarra Bend Park and neighbouring Studley Park were reserved in 1877. Both park areas and several reserves were combined in 1929 to create one large park. The combined area became known as Yarra Bend National Park despite never being raised to formal national park status.

During the 1930’s additions included picnic and sporting grounds, toilet facilities and a public golf course. The Park provides a great open space for walking, bike riding, riverside cafes, golf, boating, BBQs, picnicking and a host of other leisure activities. Numerous winding paths provide plenty of opportunity for leisurely promenades in the natural serene surrounds of the park.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

LEAVES

Gum trees (= Eucalyptus) are perennial trees that shed leaves when they naturally senesce, or when the tree is under stress. Drought, heat, extreme conditions will cause leaf fall and the shed leaves are a multitude of colours.

This post is part of the  My Sunday Best meme,

and also part  of the  Photo Sunday meme.

MOON VIEW

View from my window, with full moon. The asterism effect around the bright moon orb, reminiscent of a star sapphire, was something that developed with the long exposure.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

LANDSCAPE

At the Darebin Parklands in suburban Melbourne.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

X MARKS THE SPOT

The two trees making an "X" shape across the creek in Darebin Parklands stirred my imagination and I fancifully imagined that they marked a special spot. I went to investigate and guess what I found? The remnants of a dead possum, whose half-mummified skull smiled eerily at me in amused derision...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

SHINY BENTLEY

Bentley Motors Limited is a British luxury automaker, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the German company Volkswagen AG. Its principal activity is the design, engineering, manufacture, and distribution of luxury automobiles sold under the Bentley marque. Based in Crewe, England, Bentley Motors Limited was founded by W. O. Bentley on 18 January 1919 in Cricklewood near London and was acquired by Rolls-Royce in 1931.

Bentley Motors Limited is the direct successor of Rolls-Royce Motors, which Volkswagen AG purchased in 1998. The purchase included the vehicle designs, model nameplates, production and administrative facilities, the Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce grille shape trademarks, but not the rights to the use of the Rolls-Royce name or logo, which are owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings plc and were later licensed to BMW AG. Bentley vehicles are sold via franchised dealers worldwide, and as of November 2012, China was the largest individual market for Bentley automobiles.

Most Bentley cars are assembled at the company's plant in Crewe, with a small number of Continental Flying Spurs assembled at the Transparent Factory in Dresden, Germany. Automobile bodies for the Continental model line are produced in Zwickau, Germany. Bentley cars are largely hand-built. Bentley cars won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 and 2003. The current Bentley production models are the Continental Flying Spur, Continental GT and Mulsanne. Notable former Bentley production models include the Bentley 4½ Litre, Bentley Speed Six, Bentley R Type Continental, Bentley Turbo R and Bentley Arnage.

This Bentley was parked in our neighbourhood and its proud owner keeps it sparkling, shiny clean as  though it has just left the showroom!

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

FOREST GREEN

In the Darebin Parklands where new leaf growth makes the sunlight green...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

POINTS OF INTEREST

The Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly officially called The Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia. It was designed by architect Sir Roy Grounds, the masterplan for the complex (along with the National Gallery of Victoria) was approved in 1960 and construction began in 1973 following some delays. The complex opened in stages, with Hamer Hall opening in 1982 and the Theatres Building opening in 1984. The Arts Centre is located by the Yarra River and along St Kilda Road, one of the city's main thoroughfares, and extends into the Melbourne Arts Precinct, with its spire a well-knwon landmark of Melbourne.

The sculptures are by Cole Sopov, who was born in Greece in 1938, and studied fine arts in Europe before immigrating to Australia in 1971. From 1973 to 1974 he attended the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, before being appointed lecturer in Fine Arts at Monash University from 1977 to 1995. Sopov was commissioned by John Truscott in 1983-84 to create two groups of figures, ‘Family of Man I’ and ‘Family of Man II’ for the entrance foyer of the Theatres Building. These two sculpture groups were moved in 2001 to their current prominent location overlooking the lawn area between the Theatres Building and Hamer Hall.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.