AT THE MARKET

The Kingsbury Drive Community Market is held every Sunday between 9am and 1pm. Stallholders sell a large variety of crafts, bric-a-brac and plants.The market is managed by Diamond Valley Community Support (DVCS).  Income from the market is used to fund the various community services provided by DVCS. The market is located in Car Park 2, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Trees & Bushes meme.

REGATTA

A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas. A regatta often includes social and promotional activities which surround the racing event, and except in the case of boat type (or "class") championships, is usually named for the town or venue where the event takes place.

Although regattas are typically amateur competitions, they are usually formally structured events, with comprehensive rules describing the schedule and procedures of the event. Regattas may be organised as championships for a particular area or type of boat, but are often held just for the joy of competition, camaraderie, and general promotion of the sport.

The view here is captured from Southbank, looking towards the bay in a Southerly direction. The distant shore of the Mornington Peninsula can be seen, as well as the sailing boats taking part in a regatta. Melbourne is built around the Bay and there are many Yacht Clubs around the bayside suburbs offering boating facilities and organised boating events.

This post is part of the Blue Monday meme.

NESTING TIME

The common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a species of true thrush. It is also called Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply blackbird where this does not lead to confusion with a similar-looking local species. It breeds in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to Canada, United States, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

The male of the nominate subspecies, which is found throughout most of Europe, is all black except for a yellow eye-ring and bill and has a rich, melodious song; the adult female and juvenile have mainly dark brown plumage. This species breeds in woods and gardens, building a neat, mud-lined, cup-shaped nest. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms, berries, and fruits.

Both sexes are territorial on the breeding grounds, with distinctive threat displays, but are more gregarious during migration and in wintering areas. Pairs stay in their territory throughout the year where the climate is sufficiently temperate. This common and conspicuous species has given rise to a number of literary and cultural references, frequently related to its song.

We have blackbirds in our garden and this is the fifth year that they are nesting here and raising young. They are partial to building their nest in tall rosemary bushes, which affords them protection from predators and the elements.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme.

SUNSET ON THE YARRA

Watching the sun set on the Yarra River at South Wharf.

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,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

AT THE GREENGROCER'S

We are very lucky in Melbourne to have an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables available year-round. Locally-grown produce accounts for the majority of what is for sale, and this because we are blessed with a climate that is well-suited for the great majority of common fruit and vegies. Occasionally one does see an exotic, imported item (usually out of season produce), but this is the exception.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 132 - APPLE TREE

The apple tree (Malus domestica) is a deciduous tree in the rose family best known for its sweet, pomaceous fruit, the apple. It is cultivated worldwide as a fruit tree, and is the most widely grown species in the genus Malus. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today.

Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe, and were brought to North America by European colonists. Apples have religious and mythological significance in many cultures, including Norse, Greek and European Christian traditions. Apple trees are large if grown from seed, but small if grafted onto roots (rootstock). There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples, resulting in a range of desired characteristics. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including cooking, eating raw and cider production.

Apples are generally propagated by grafting, although wild apples grow readily from seed. Trees and fruit are prone to a number of fungal, bacterial and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of organic and non-organic means. In 2010, the fruit's genome was decoded as part of research on disease control and selective breeding in apple production. About 80 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2013, and China produced almost half of this total.

The United States is the second-leading producer, with more than 6% of world production. Turkey is third, followed by Italy, India and Poland. Apples are often eaten raw, but can also be found in many prepared foods (especially desserts) and drinks. Many beneficial health effects are thought to result from eating apples; however, two types of allergies are attributed to various proteins found in the fruit.

This apple tree is found in an outer suburban Sunday Trash-n-Treasure market. It is perhaps a remnant from an orchard or an old garden. It still manages to put on quite a show in Spring and the delicious aroma of the flowers is quite breathtaking.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MELBOURNE NURSERIES

Melburnians are garden-crazy. And passionate gardeners need lots of plants and garden supplies to keep them happy. No surprise therefore to find that nurseries, garden shops, garden supply shops and seedling/tree/plant shops abound in Melbourne. In almost all suburbs one may find these specialty shops catering for every need of the gardener and it is a pleasure to walk in there, and of course to shop there as temptation is too strong!

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,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

Beasley's Nursery, Doncaster East

Beasley's Nursery Doncaster east

Banksia Nursery, Wantirna South

Acorn Nursery, Surrey Hills

The Greenery, Bulleen

Bulleen Art and Garden, Bulleen

Bulleen Art and Garden, Bulleen 

Rivers Nursery, Yarrambat

Rivers Nursery, Yarrambat

TREES AT THE PARKLANDS

The Darebin Parklands straddle Alphington and Ivanhoe, approximately 10 kilometres northeast of the City of Melbourne, and they are a district park covering an area of 33 hectares. Darebin Creek flows through the Parklands, to join the Yarra River, at Alphington. The Darebin Parklands are highly regarded for its social, recreation, education, conservation, water quality management, cultural and heritage values.

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

LIGHT INDUSTRIAL

A couple of blocks down from our house there is a light industrial zoned area that is full of warehouses, small factories and some factory retail outlets. It is interesting how the typical suburban streets with the neat houses suddenly give way to a completely different cityscape that sometimes looks quite surreal...

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

FLORA

We are now well into Spring in Melbourne, and the roses have started to bloom while the deciduous trees are sporting their new green leaf cover. Our weather highly changeable with very warm days alternating with cooler ones and just to keep things interesting, a thunderstorm or two... Melbourne gardens are looking grand!

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme.