Sunday 30 April 2017

RUINS AT SOUNION, GREECE

Cape Sounion (Modern Greek: Aκρωτήριο Σούνιο, transliterated Akrotírio Soúnio) is a promontory located 69 kilometres south-southeast of Athens, at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula in Greece. Cape Sounion is noted as the site of ruins of an ancient Greek temple of Poseidon, the god of the sea in classical mythology. The remains are perched on the headland, surrounded on three sides by the sea. The ruins bear the deeply engraved name of English Romantic poet Lord Byron (1788–1823). The site is a popular day-excursion for tourists from Athens, with the sunset over the Aegean Sea, as viewed from the ruins, a sought-after spectacle.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

Saturday 29 April 2017

KOOKABURRA

Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus Dacelo native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between 28–42 cm in length. The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, onomatopoeic of its call. The loud distinctive call of the Laughing Kookaburra is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve a jungle setting. They are found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savanna, as well as in suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. Even though they belong to the larger group known as "kingfishers", kookaburras are not closely associated with water.

This laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a large robust bird occupying dry eucalypt forest, woodland, city parks and gardens. Here it is perching on a gum tree in the Darebin Parklands in Melbourne's inner northeastern suburbs.

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.



And here you can hear the kookaburra's laughing call:

Friday 28 April 2017

SOLDIER BEETLE

The plague soldier beetle or green soldier beetle (Chauliognathus lugubris) is a species of soldier beetle (Cantharidae) native to Australia. It has a flattened body to 15 millimetres long with a prominent yellow-orange stripe behind the black prothorax. The abdomen is yellow-orange but is mostly obscured by the metallic olive green elytra. The beetles often form large mating swarms.

This post is part of the Weekend Green meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal.

Wednesday 26 April 2017

SEA HOLLY

Eryngium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae. There are about 250 species. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the centre of diversity in South America. Common names include eryngo and amethyst sea holly (though the genus is not related to the true hollies, Ilex).

These are annual and perennial herbs with hairless and usually spiny leaves. The dome-shaped umbels of steely blue or white flowers have whorls of spiny basal bracts. Some species are native to rocky and coastal areas, but the majority are grassland plants. In the language of flowers, they represent "admiration".

Illustrated here is Eryngium x zabelii ‘Big Blue’, a common garden and cut flower. It produces especially large heads of steel-blue prickly flowers over a mound of silvery leaves that add texture to the sunny border. Exceptionally good for cutting, fresh or dried. Plants are mid-sized in habit with strong stems. A versatile plant, fitting well into the border and also useful in containers. Drought tolerant once established. Sea Holly is an easy-care perennial that adapts well to most sunny areas with average to dry soil. Remove old stems to ground level in late Autumn or early Spring.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

POLLY POSSUM OF PARKVILLE

The Prancing Possum

There was an old possum of Parkville
Who wanted to go into vaudeville:
She dressed up in satin
Learned to dance Latin,
But failed to audition, she was ill…

Our possum didn’t give up, persisted,
And all her willpower she enlisted,
Gulped her antibiotics
Ate her macrobiotics
And to go on stage she insisted!

Polly the possum became famous
Packed all her bags, now she’s in Vegas:
She shimmies and dances,
She prances, romances,
And ne’er does she run out of gas.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

Tuesday 25 April 2017

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL - CANBERRA

The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia. The memorial includes an extensive national military museum.

The Australian War Memorial was opened in 1941, and is widely regarded as one of the most significant memorials of its type in the world. The Memorial is located in Australia's capital, Canberra. It is the north terminus of the city's ceremonial land axis, which stretches from Parliament House on Capital Hill along a line passing through the summit of the cone-shaped Mount Ainslie to the northeast. No continuous roadway links the two points, but there is a clear line of sight from the front balcony of Parliament House to the War Memorial, and from the front steps of the War Memorial back to Parliament House.

The Australian War Memorial consists of three parts: the Commemorative Area (shrine) including the Hall of Memory with the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, the Memorial's galleries (museum) and Research Centre (records). The Memorial also has an outdoor Sculpture Garden. The Memorial is currently open daily from 10am until 5pm, except on Christmas Day. Many people include Anzac Parade as part of the Australian War Memorial because of the Parade's physical design leading up to the War Memorial, but it is maintained separately by the National Capital Authority (NCA).

Each year, on Anzac Day, the Australian War Memorial holds a range of activities, commemorative events and services that remember and honour all Australians who served and died in war and on operational service. The spirit of Anzac, with its qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, continues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity.

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.







Sunday 23 April 2017

RUSTY

“Beneath the rust and grime which dulls the shine of our weathered hearts, joy patiently waits to be rediscovered”― John Mark Green

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

Thursday 20 April 2017

OSTEOSPERMUM BOUNTY

Osteospermum is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Calenduleae, one of the smaller tribes of the sunflower/daisy family Asteraceae. The common name is African daisy or Cape daisy.

Osteospermum used to belong to the genus Dimorphotheca, but only the annual species remain in that genus now; the perennials have been placed in the genus Osteospermum. An amazing variety of cultivars have been developed, in a stunning variety of colours. The new "Flower Power Double" hybrids have added more diversity in this versatile and prolific garden bloomer.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Wednesday 19 April 2017

OKAPIS & OCELOTS

The Okapi and the Ocelot

Okapis live in Africa
And striped pajamas wear;
They will not roam in Attica
Don’t have enough airfare.

Their diet green and vegetal,
Their lot alone, forlorn;
It’s only when they’re marital
That others they don’t scorn.

Giraffes they have for cousins
And they will roam all day,
Nibbling leaves in dozens
With long black tongue in sway.

Ocelots live in America
And spotty fur they don;
At night their esoterica
They studiously will con.

They are meat eaters avid,
In social skills not lacking:
With kittens female gravid,
Will have dad’s solid backing.

Their relatives are leopards,
Lions and panthers too;
But not the German shepherds
Nor ewe, nor gnu nor shrew.

Okapis don’t meet ocelots
And just as well maybe,
For stripes will clash with spots
You see, and the two don’t agree.

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

Tuesday 18 April 2017

BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of 2.15 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centered on Brisbane, encompasses a population of more than 3 million. The Brisbane central business district stands on the original European settlement and is situated inside a bend of the Brisbane River, approximately 23 km from its mouth at Moreton Bay.

The metropolitan area extends in all directions along the floodplain of the Brisbane River valley between the bay and the Great Dividing Range. While the metropolitan area is governed by several municipalities, a large portion of central Brisbane is governed by the Brisbane City Council, which is by far Australia's largest Local Government Area by population. The demonym of Brisbane is Brisbanite.

Brisbane is named after the river on which it sits, which, in turn, was named after Scotsman Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825. The first European settlement in Queensland was a penal colony at Redcliffe, 28 kilometres north of the Brisbane central business district, in 1824. That settlement was soon abandoned and moved to North Quay in 1825. Free settlers were permitted from 1842. Brisbane was chosen as the capital when Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony from New South Wales in 1859.

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.








Friday 14 April 2017

Thursday 13 April 2017

AUTUMN ROSES

A Rosa, 'Graham Thomas' (English rose by David Austin) in our garden, blooming profusely in Autumn. It produces cupped shaped blooms of rich, pure yellow that have a strong tea rose fragrance. It has an upright growth habit that can be trained as a spectacular climber or bushy shrub. Inducted into the Rose Hall Of Fame by the World Federation of Rose Societies 2009.  Highly recommended!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Wednesday 12 April 2017

NEWT & NUMBAT

The Numbat and the Newt

The numbat knew the newt was rare,
But not as rare as he.
The two were an unlucky pair
Their numbers few to see.

With climate change and warming too,
Their habitats were shrinking;
The blights of foul pollution do
Poison all unblinking.

“Oh Newt, my friend, how shall we live,
Now that the planet’s dying?
The humans I will not forgive,
For they are horrifying.”

“I know, dear Ned, our lot is sad
Our future bleak and sorry;
But humans will have ends so bad
That they should fret and worry.”

“Tis true, we may with whimpers end,
And our kinds slowly vanish;
But they to hell will all descend
A big bang their lives will banish.”

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

Tuesday 11 April 2017

RHODES, GREECE

Rhodes (Greek: Ρόδος, Ródos) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of land area and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the South Aegean administrative region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Rhodes.

The city of Rhodes had 50,636 inhabitants in 2011. It is located northeast of Crete, southeast of Athens and just off the Anatolian coast of Turkey. Rhodes' nickname is The island of the Knights, named after the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, who once conquered the land.

Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes has been declared a World Heritage Site. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

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.

Sunday 9 April 2017

CHAT

Near the entrance of the CUA building in Brisbane's CBD is an interesting sculpture that has been added to Brisbane City's public art portfolio. Commissioned in 2002, 'Chat' by Sebastian Di Mauro features a set of of shiny steel hands rising up from the pavement, evoking a desire to gesticulate or sign, and indeed chat...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

Thursday 6 April 2017

PRICKLY PEAR

Opuntia ficus-indica in the family Cactaceae is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant important in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. It is thought to possibly be native to Mexico.

Some of the common English names for the plant and its fruit are Indian fig, opuntia, barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus, and prickly pear, although this last name has also been applied to other less common Opuntia species. In Mexican Spanish the plant is called nopal, while the fruit is called tuna, which are names also used in American English, especially as culinary terms.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme.




Wednesday 5 April 2017

MANATEES & MERMAIDS

The Manatee

The manatee’s a mammal,
In seas and rivers swimming;
It’s neither cow, nor camel,
The waters, rather, skimming.

The poor old beast is ugly,
Fat, heavy, wrinkled, tubby…
Yet smiles and giggles smugly
As it thinks: “Pretty’s chubby.”

When tars of old espied
Manatees on the shore sunning,
“Mermaids, we see!” they cried,
“Beauties of blue sea! Stunning!”

The manatee’s not fat, nor ugly,
Just Rubenesque, I think.
And mermaids rather fugly
As they swim, dive and sink.

And as for myopic sailors
Who saw in them sirens fair,
Too long were they in whalers,
Too long without women were…

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters 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.

Tuesday 4 April 2017

DARLING HARBOUR, SYDNEY

Darling Harbour is a harbour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is also a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district. The locality extends northwards from Chinatown, along both sides of Cockle Bay to King Street Wharf on the east, and to the suburb of Pyrmont on the west. Cockle Bay is just one of the waterways that makes up Darling Harbour, which opens north into the much larger Port Jackson.The precinct and its immediate surroundings are administered independently of the local government area of the City of Sydney, by a New South Wales state government statutory authority, the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.

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.





Monday 3 April 2017

AUTUMN'S FEAST

Autumn's harvest time brings a bounty of good things to eat at the greengrocer and a feast to get ready...

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.