FOGGY

It's been cold and wintry these past few mornings, and on a couple of days we've had morning fog. Although I enjoy taking my morning walk in the fog, it's so lovely to come home to a warm house and a cup of steaming hot chocolate!

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

YARRA BEND, FAIRFIELD

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.

Fairfield Boathouse was established in 1908 by John St Clair as a picnic, camping and refreshment room area. John St Clair was a piano tuner from Smith St, Fitzroy, with a vision. He firstly wrote a letter to the Premier suggesting that he open a refreshment room and boat shed area, with motor boats at Fairfield Park. The Premier had to seek the approval form Yarra Bend Hospital of the Insane because the proposal for the boat shed was actually on the hospital grounds. The Premier gave his permission for the boat shed project to go ahead.

In 1985 the boathouse was restored and re-opened. The derelict building had recently housed squatters and possums. The project took 30,000 hours of restoration work. Meticulous work and an eye for detail was required for rebuilding. Even the gardens have been restored to encourage native birds. It now enjoys renewed popularity and is a pleasure to visit.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

TEMPUS FUGIT

"Sed fugit interea, fugit inreparabile tempus." Virgil, line 284 of book 3, "Georgics".
(Fast flies meanwhile the irreparable hour."

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

DUCKS

The chestnut teal duck (Anas castanea) is a dabbling duck found in Australia. Males have a distinctive green head, while the female has rather more drab plumage.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNBURST

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

A STRANGE BOUQUET

Here in Southern Hemisphere, June is the first month of Winter. Admittedly, in Melbourne our Winter is very mild compared to say, Central Europe, Canada or the Northeastern USA. It almost never snows, and the lowest Winter temperatures are rarely below 10˚C (= 50˚F). However, nights can be quite cold, and it is often rainy.

This year, Winter has come rather early and we have had some very wet and cold weather beginning mid-May. This has alternated with days of milder, dry weather. Our gardens have become rather confused and the plants are doing strange things. This bouquet from our back garden was collected yesterday and it shows an odd assortment of flowers all  normally blooming at different times of the year, but amazingly, now all flowering at the same time: 

White Spanish jasmine (Summer);

Pink roses (Spring and Summer);

Crimson carnations (Summer);

Zinnias (Summer and Autumn);

Chrysanthemums (Autumn);

White and Yellow jonquils (Winter and Spring);

Cosmos (Summer and Autumn);

Stock (Spring and Summer);

Shasta Daisy (Summer).

A truly paradoxical collection!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

SEASONAL

We are definitely progressing into Winter, but the garden this year seems confused. Spring flowers have bloomed and while some trees are completely leafless and bare, others are hanging on to their Autumn foliage. The cold weather and rain don't seem to have affected the grass, which is growing quite luxuriantly and requires mowing often, something I haven't done at this time in previous years. Very strange...

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme.

BRIDGES

Standing on Queen's Bridge and looking to the East one sees the old Sandridge Rail Bridge, now converted to a footbridge The Sandridge Bridge is a historic former railway bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia, which has been redeveloped in 2006 as a new pedestrian and cycle path featuring public art. It is the third bridge on the site and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The bridge is 178.4 metres long and is made up of five spans, measuring in length, from the south bank to the north bank: 36.9 metres.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

FUNGI

A fungus (plural: fungi) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and moulds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from the other eukaryotic life kingdoms of plants and animals.

Abundant worldwide, most fungi are inconspicuous because of the small size of their structures, and their cryptic lifestyles in soil or on dead matter. Fungi include symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi and also parasites. They may become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or as moulds. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange in the environment.

They have long been used as a direct source of human food, in the form of mushrooms and truffles; as a leavening agent for bread; and in the fermentation of various food products, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce. Since the 1940s, fungi have been used for the production of antibiotics, and, more recently, various enzymes produced by fungi are used industrially and in detergents.

Fungi can break down manufactured materials and buildings, and become significant pathogens of humans and other animals. Losses of crops due to fungal diseases (e.g., rice blast disease) or food spoilage can have a large impact on human food supplies and local economies.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.