PARKLANDS POND

A beautiful sunny Winter's day at the Darebin Parklands today. Cold, but lovely to see the sun after a frosty morning with temperatures around zero degrees (lowest this time of the year for about 20 years).

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

HOMETIME

Driving back home after work in Winter...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

WARRANDYTE VISTA

Warrandyte is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Manningham. At the 2011 Census, Warrandyte had a population of 5,520. Warrandyte is bounded in the west by the Mullum Mullum Creek and Target Road, in the north by the Yarra River, in the east by Jumping Creek and Anzac Road, and in the south by an irregular line from Reynolds Road, north of Donvale, Park Orchards and Warrandyte South.

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

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 121 - STAR MAGNOLIA

Magnolia stellata, sometimes called the star magnolia, is a slow-growing shrub or small tree native to Japan. It bears large, showy white or pink flowers in early spring, before its leaves open. This species is closely related to the Kobushi magnolia (Magnolia kobus), and is treated by many botanists as a variety or even a cultivar of that. However, Magnolia stellata was accepted as a distinct species in the 1998 monograph by Hunt.

This tree grows 1.5 to 2.5 m in height, spreading to 4.6 m in width at maturity. Young trees display upright oval growth, but the plants spread and mound with age. The tree blooms at a young age, with the slightly fragrant 7–10 cm flowers covering the bare plant in late winter or early spring before the leaves appear. There is natural variation within the flower colour, which varies from white to rich pink; the hue of pink magnolias also changes from year to year, depending on day and night air temperatures prior to and during flowering.

The flowers are star-shaped, with at least 12 thin, delicate petal-like tepals—some cultivars have more than 30. The leaves open bronze-green, turning to deep green as they mature, and yellow before dropping in autumn. They are oblong and about 10 cm long by about an 4 cm wide.

These magnolias produce a reddish-green, knobby aggregate fruit about 2 in long that matures and opens in early autumn. Mature fruit opens by slits to reveal orange-red seeds, but the fruits often drop before developing fully. Young twigs have smooth, shiny chestnut brown bark, while the main trunks have smooth, silvery gray bark. Like the saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana), it is deciduous, revealing a twiggy, naked frame in winter. Plants have thick, fleshy roots which are found fairly close to the surface and do not tolerate much disturbance.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MORNINGTON BOATS

Mornington is a sea side town on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, located 57 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. It is in the Local Government Area of the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. Mornington is known for its "village" atmosphere and its beautiful beaches. Mornington is a popular tourist destination with Melburnians who often make day trips to visit the area's bay beaches and wineries.

The Post Office opened on 21 May 1856 as Schnapper Point and was renamed Mornington in 1864. The town centre runs into the foreshore area and local beach, which features a yacht club, restaurant and park with playground facilities. Mornington is an attractive destination for shopping and features some excellent restaurants and cafes. The north of Mornington is also home to several horse breeders and stables.

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,
and also part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

YARRA BEND TREES

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 Yarra Bend Golf Club House, officially opened in May 1936, is an original example of American ‘Country Club’ type architecture. The Park provides a great open space for walking, bike riding, riverside cafes, golf, boating, BBQs, picnicking and a host of other leisure activities.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Trees & Bushes meme,
and also part of the Tuesday Afternoon meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

FITZROY GRAFFITI

This series of graffiti and street art is found in a back alley parallel to Brunswick Street, in North Fitzroy. It has a strong African and black pride flavour, amplified perhaps by the "Sankofa" quote.

Sankofa is a word in the Akan language of Ghana that translates as "reach back and get it" (san - to return; ko - to go; fa - to fetch, to seek and take) and also refers to the Asante Adinkra symbol represented either by a bird with its head turned backwards taking an egg off its back, or as a stylised heart shape.

Sankofa is often associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi," which translates as: "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten." The Sankofa symbol appears frequently in traditional Akan art, and has also been adopted as an important symbol in an African-American and African Diaspora context to represent the need to reflect on the past to build a successful future. It is one of the most widely dispersed adinkra symbols, appearing in modern jewellery, tattoos, and clothing.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Monday Murals meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

WINTER SUNLIGHT

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

SOUTHBANK PROMENADE

Melbourne's Southbank is situated on the sunny southern shore of the Yarra, Southbank offers a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. It's easy enough to relax in a waterside venue and watch the people passing by. With magnificent views over the historic Flinders Street station, Southbank is the perfect position to see the city light up at night.

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

URBAN MOONRISE

Caught the moon rising by chance as I walking back home last week. Always difficult to photograph well amongst all the tall structures that obscure the view...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.