MANNINGHAM CITY SQUARE

MC2 (Manningham City Square)  is a community centre that provides a wide range of organisations that focus on health, education, welfare, community, arts, cultural and heritage activities all in the one location. Located at 687 Doncaster Road, Doncaster between the Council Offices and the Doncaster Primary School, MC2 offers services and facilities such as: MC2 Meeting Rooms; Community services; Doncaster Kindergarten; Health Services; Welfare and Support Services; Library; Art Gallery; Art Studios and Café.

The sculpture is “Water Creature” (2006) by Deborah Halpern, crafted in ceramic, fibreglass and steel. Manningham Council acquired the art work in 2011 to commemorate the opening of MC2 (Manningham City Square). It is located right next to community gardening boxes that demonstrate how easy it is to grow one's own vegetables and herbs.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

2014: MY YEAR IN REVIEW

Today's post is a review of some of my photos from 2014. Each of the twelve photos represents a view of Melbourne and its surrounds for each of the twelve months.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,

and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

JANUARY 2014: Summertime in Mornington

FEBRUARY 2014: Sunrise in Bourke St, City 

MARCH 2014: Pink Cestrum nocturnum

APRIL 2014: Sunday market in St Kilda

MAY 2014: Autumn in Melbourne's parks

JUNE 2014: Night fast approaching in Southbank

JULY 2014: Market in St Andrews

AUGUST 2014: Federation Square reflections 

SEPTEMBER 2014: Seafarers' Bridge in Docklands

OCTOBER 2014: Gymea lily flowers in the Fitzroy Gardens

NOVEMBER 2014: Fairfield Boathouse

DECEMBER 2014: Another Christmas Past...

BATMAN MARKET, COBURG

Batman Market is a new weekend market located at 14 -22 Gaffney Street, Coburg. It is centrally located, 15 minute drive from Melbourne Airport and 8km from Melbourne CBD. Getting to Batman Market by public transport is easy, as it is located right next to Batman Railway Station (Upfield Line – 20 minutes from CBD) and the Sydney Road/Gaffney Street intersection where one can catch the #19 tram or several bus routes The market provides its surrounding communities access to a variety of Melbourne’s food, fresh produce and unique local products.

We visited this market last Sunday, on its opening weekend, when the weather was perfect: Temperatures around 30˚C, sunny and fine. The market was well-attended and a large variety of stalls were set up, predominantly selling street food of various kinds. Indian, Argentinian, Colombian, Chinese, Sri Lankan, Turkish, etc, etc. There were some art and craft stalls, fresh flowers and vegetables, clothing, some trash and treasure stalls and buskers. The politicians were not absent either, with Liberals handing out blue balloons and Labor handing out red ones - no surprise, a state election is nigh...

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,

and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

ALL NATIONS PARK, NORTHCOTE

It turned out to be a brilliant, very warm, sunshine-filled Spring day. We enjoyed the sun and birdsong, the flowers and the warmth. The windows of the house were open, the heaters well and truly turned off and even dinner was seasonally adjusted with asparagus quiche, fresh garden salad and lemon sorbet for dessert. A delightful day that left us thankful for life and its bounty, which good fortune has allowed us to enjoy!

I realise that as we enjoy Spring and its delights, many of my friends in the Northern hemisphere are embarking on the more sombre voyage of Autumn. However, one must take delight in whatever each season metes out, for there are many pleasures that are specific to each one. On this day of the Spring Equinox (or Autumn Equinox, if you live up North!), enjoy the natural delights of your season…

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,

and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

SUBURBAN GARDEN WITH 'DORTMUND' ROSE

This is a quiet street in Northcote, an inner Melbourne suburb. Most houses have both front and back yards and they are generally well looked after. This stunning rose bush invited photography!

Rosa 'Dortmund' is an upright, Kordesii climbing rose producing showy clusters of flat, single, red flowers with a white eye and dense glossy, dark green leaves. Dortmund has all the great qualities of the Kordes style: health, vigour, and clear elegant lines. The lovely ruffled blooms, of a cheery red with a large white eye occur in large clusters further set off by the glossy dark green foliage. It is impossible not to notice this rose when it is in bloom. Introduced in 1955.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

IVANHOE WALK

Ivanhoe is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-east from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Banyule. At the 2011 Census, Ivanhoe had a population of 11,085. In 2011 the average individual in Ivanhoe earned $728 per week, which was more than the national average of $577 per week. Ivanhoe is renowned for its older style homes, with many dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Here is a little roadside reserve where a tree stump has been carved into this beautiful statue. Unfortunately, it has been vandalised with unsightly graffiti. The twig with three species of lichen was too interesting not to photograph! The Winter sunshine was conducive to a nice long walk.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme.