HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2026

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

ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

ADVENT SEASON

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

REMEMBRANCE DAY AT THE SHRINE

Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, at 5:45 am for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at 11:00 am—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918—although, according to Thomas R. Gowenlock, an intelligence officer with the U.S. First Division, shelling from both sides continued for the rest of the day, ending only at nightfall. The armistice initially expired after a period of 36 days and had to be extended several times. A formal peace agreement was reached only when the Treaty of Versailles was signed the following year.

The Shrine of Remembrance (commonly referred to as 'The Shrine') is a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, but now functions as a memorial to all Australians who have served in any war. It is a site of annual observances for Anzac Day (25 April) and Remembrance Day (11 November), and is one of the largest war memorials in Australia.

Designed by architects Phillip Hudson and James Wardrop, both World War I veterans, the Shrine is in classical style, based on the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The crowning element at the top of the ziggurat roof references the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. Built from Tynong granite, the Shrine originally consisted only of the central sanctuary surrounded by the ambulatory. The sanctuary contains the marble Stone of Remembrance, upon which is engraved the words "Greater love hath no man" (John 15:13); once per year, on 11 November at 11 a.m. (Remembrance Day), a ray of sunlight shines through an aperture in the roof to light up the word "Love" in the inscription. Beneath the sanctuary lies the crypt, which contains a bronze statue of a soldier father and son, and panels listing every unit of the Australian Imperial Force.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

HAPPY BILBY EASTER!

Macrotis is a genus of desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores known as bilbies or rabbit-bandicoots; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. At the time of European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. The lesser bilby became extinct in the 1950s; the greater bilby survives but remains endangered. It is currently listed as a vulnerable species.

The greater bilby is on average 55 cm long, excluding the tail, which is usually around 29 cm long. Its fur is usually grey or white; it has a long, pointy nose and very long ears, hence the reference of its nickname to rabbits.

Bilbies in Australia are associated with Easter and a great fund-raising effort to save the species from extinction comes to the fore during this time of the year, where the animal plays the role of Easter mascot, just as the Easter Bunny does in other parts of the world.

Happy Easter

To All who Celebrate it!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

MELBOURNE GREEK FESTIVAL

Antipodes Greek Festival in Melbourne is a way to immerse yourself in the rich and vibrant world of Greek culture. It is and interesting and exciting experience celebrating all things Greek. There is always an extraordinary lineup of performers, artists, stallholders, and surprises that ensure you experience a most epic celebration. Generally, this Festival is held in February every year. Here are some Cretan Dancers, dancing a folk dance called the "Sousta".

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

SUPER!

Superheroes being kind to animals, isn't that just great as role modelling? Celebrations at our Gym today for its 55 years of history and one year since its reopening recently after a full refurbishment.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

BIRTHDAY BOUQUET

An early Winter bouquet from our garden with golden wattles, orange calendulas, pink bergenias, red alstroemerias and white daisies.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

HAPPY ORTHODOX EASTER

Happy Easter to all Orthodox Christians who celebrate this great Feast Day today, Sunday 5th of May.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best 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.

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

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

MOOMBA & LABOUR DAY

Moomba (also known as the Moomba Festival) is held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Run by the City of Melbourne, it is Australia's largest free community festival. This Melburnian tradition is celebrated over four days, incorporating the Labour Day long weekend, from Friday to the second Monday in March.

Moomba is culturally important to Melbourne, having been celebrated since 1955, and regularly attracts up to a million people, with a record attendance of 3.8 million (2.3 million tourists) set in 2018. In 2003, the event was renamed Melbourne Moomba Waterfest.

Traditional events include the Moomba parade, crowning of Moomba monarchs, fireworks displays, carnivals in the gardens along the river, river activities including watersports, water floats and the Birdman Rally, as well as live music and bands.

Labour Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

This posts is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

MR LINCOLN ROSE

Rosa 'Mister Lincoln', also known as 'Mr. Lincoln', 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.

'Mister Lincoln' is a vigorous, tall upright shrub, 121–213 cm in height. Blooms are very large, 15  cm or more in diameter, with 30 to 35 petals. The rose has a strong damask fragrance. The high-centred, deep red petals are generally borne singly on long stems and do not fade, even in the hottest climates.

The shrub is a repeat bloomer.The buds are deep red and open up into large, velvety red, double blossoms. The foliage is dark red when young and becomes leathery and dark, matte green when the plant is older. It is generally healthy and heat tolerant, but is susceptible to blackspot. 'Mister Lincoln' is hardy to zone 5–9.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

With best wishes for health, peace and happiness in 2024!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

SEASON'S GREETINGS!

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

BOUQUET

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

EASTER PYSANKY

Easter egg decorating is an important art form that dates back centuries. Known as pysanky, these Ukrainian Easter eggs shown below are decorated using the wax-resist (batik) method. Covered in stunning motifs often taken from Slavic folk art, you'll also find these decorated eggs in many parts of eastern Europe.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

HAPPY BILBY EASTER

Macrotis is a genus of desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores known as bilbies or rabbit-bandicoots; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. At the time of European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. The lesser bilby became extinct in the 1950s; the greater bilby survives but remains endangered. It is currently listed as a vulnerable species. The greater bilby is on average 55 cm long, excluding the tail, which is usually around 29 cm long. Its fur is usually grey or white; it has a long, pointy nose and very long ears, hence the reference of its nickname to rabbits.

Bilbies in Australia are associated with Easter and a great fund-raising effort to save the species from extinction comes to the fore during this time of the year, where the animal plays the role of Easter mascot, just as the Easter Bunny does in other parts of the world.

HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE

WHO CELEBRATES IT!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.