Wednesday 30 December 2015

DESKTOP 883 - WARRANDYTE, AUSTRALIA

The Yarra River at Warrandyte, about 24 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. This is a great place to visit any time of the year, but in Summer it's lovely by the river and the added bonus is that one can also swim there.

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 Travel Tuesday meme.

Tuesday 29 December 2015

DESKTOP 882 - PERTH, AUSTRALIA

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth-most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of 2.02 million (as of 30 June 2014) living in Greater Perth. Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with the majority of the metropolitan area of Perth located on the Swan Coastal Plain, a narrow strip between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp, a low coastal escarpment.

The first areas settled were on the Swan River, with the city's central business district and port (Fremantle) both located on its shores. Perth is formally divided into a number of local government areas, which themselves consist of a large number of suburbs, extending from Two Rocks in the north to Rockingham in the south, and east inland to The Lakes.

Perth was originally founded by Captain James Stirling in 1829 as the administrative centre of the Swan River Colony. It gained city status (currently vested in the smaller City of Perth) in 1856, and was promoted to the status of a Lord Mayorality in 1929. The city is named after Perth, Scotland, by influence of Sir George Murray, then British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The city's population increased substantially as a result of the Western Australian gold rushes in the late 19th century, largely as a result of emigration from the eastern colonies of Australia.

During Australia's involvement in World War II, Fremantle served as a base for submarines operating in the Pacific Theatre, and a US Navy Catalina flying boat fleet was based at Matilda Bay. An influx of immigrants after the war, predominantly from Britain, Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia, led to rapid population growth. This was followed by a surge in economic activity flowing from several mining booms in the late 20th and early 21st centuries that saw Perth become the regional headquarters for a number of large mining operations located around the state.

As part of Perth's role as the capital of Western Australia, the state's Parliament and Supreme Court are located within the city, as is Government House, the residence of the Governor of Western Australia. Perth became known worldwide as the "City of Light" when city residents lit their house lights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the earth on Friendship 7 in 1962. The city repeated the act as Glenn passed overhead on the Space Shuttle in 1998. Perth came 8th in the Economist Intelligence Unit's August 2015 list of the world's most liveable cities, and was classified by the Globalisation and World Cities Research Network in 2010 as a world city.

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


Friday 25 December 2015

Thursday 24 December 2015

DESKTOP 877 - 'MR LINCOLN' ROSE

Rosa 'Mr Lincoln' was bred by Swim & Weeks, USA, 1964. It is a tall growing rose, up to 1.8 metres and it should be planted at the back of the rose bed where it will shine over and above all the roses and the breath-taking fragrance will still be enjoyed.

Mr. Lincoln has retained its popularity over the years because it is just so reliable a performer with very tough, leathery foliage, especially loving the heat. As with most dark red roses, Mr. Lincoln has very sharp thorns and produces huge, thick watershoots which should be pruned with loppers rather than secateurs.

The dark red blooms are very high-centred and the petals have incredible substance and when fading, take a rather dark purple hue. This rose is ideal for the vase and one bush will produce many magnificent long, strong stems – have the de-thorner handy when working with this rose!

'Mr Lincoln' is the most popular dark red rose/ It has an exquisite fragrance, and it is tough, reliable and very tall bush. It is an Ideal cut rose for flower arrangement.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Wednesday 23 December 2015

DESKTOP 876 - KAVALA, GREECE

Kavala (Greek: Καβάλα) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos. Kavala is located on the Egnatia motorway and is a one and a half-hour drive to Thessaloniki (160 kilometres west) and a forty-minute drive to Drama (37 km north) and Xanthi (56 km east).

The city was founded at about the end of the 7th century BC by settlers from Thassos, who called it Neapolis (Νεάπολις; "new city" in Greek). It was one of the colonies that the Thassians founded along the coastline in order to take advantage of the rich gold and silver mines of the territory, especially those located in the nearby Pangaion mountain (which were eventually exploited by Phillip II of Macedonia).

The worship of "Parthenos", a female deity of Greek–Ionian origin associated with Athena, is archaeologically attested in the archaic period. At the end of the 6th century BC Neapolis claimed its independence from Thassos and cut its own silver coins with the head of Gorgo (γοργὀνειο) on the one side. At the beginning of the 5th century BC a large Ionic temple made from thassian marble replaced the archaic one. Parts of it can now be seen in the archaeological museum of Kavala.

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.

Thursday 17 December 2015

DESKTOP 870 - FEVERFEW

Tanacetum parthenium, the feverfew, is a traditional medicinal herb which is commonly used to prevent migraine headaches, and is also occasionally grown for ornament. It is also commonly seen in the literature by its synonyms, Chrysanthemum parthenium and Pyrethrum parthenium. It is also sometimes referred to as bachelor's buttons or featherfew.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Tuesday 15 December 2015

DESKTOP 869 - WARSAW

Łazienki Park (Polish: Park Łazienkowski or Łazienki Królewskie, literally "Baths Park" or "Royal Baths"; often rendered "Royal Baths Park") is the largest park in Warsaw, Poland, occupying 76 hectares of the city centre. The park-and-palace complex lies in Warsaw's central district (Śródmieście), on Ujazdów Avenue (Aleje Ujazdowskie) on the "Royal Route" linking the Royal Castle with Wilanów palace to the south. North of Łazienki Park, on the other side of Agrykola Street, stands Ujazdów Castle.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also 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.

DESKTOP 868 - STRAWBERRY TIME

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

Sunday 13 December 2015

DESKTOP 866 - TREES

A serene spot in the Yarra Bend Park in Melbourne's inner suburbs.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Shadow Shot Sunday meme.

Tuesday 8 December 2015

DESKTOP 861 - MORA MURAL

The Flinders Street Station Mural, created in 1986 by artist Mirka Mora. The mural is on the inside wall at the Yarra River end of the station next to Clocks Restaurant in Melbourne. For more images, see here.

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 6 December 2015

DESKTOP 859 - BUTTERFLY

The small white (Pieris rapae) is a small- to medium-sized butterfly species of the whites-and-yellows family Pieridae. It is also known as the small cabbage white and in New Zealand, simply as white butterfly. The names "cabbage butterfly" and "cabbage white" can also refer to the large white.

The butterfly can be distinguished by the white colour with small black dots on its wings. They are distinguished from the smaller size and lack of the black band at the tip of their forewings. It is widespread and populations are found across Europe, North Africa, Asia, and Great Britain. It has also been accidentally introduced to North America, Australia and New Zealand.

The caterpillar of this species is seen as a pest for commercial agriculture. Often referred to as the "imported cabbageworm" they are a serious pest to cabbage and other mustard family crops.

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.

Thursday 3 December 2015

DESKTOP 856 - IPOMOEA

Ipomoea is the largest genus in the flowering plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 500 species. It is a large and diverse group with common names including morning glory, sweet potato, bindweed, moonflower, etc. The most widespread common name is morning glories, but there are also species in related genera bearing the same common name.

Those formerly separated in Calonyction (Greek καλός, kalos, good and νύκτα, nycta, night) are called moonflowers. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ιπς (ips) or ιπος (ipos), meaning "worm" or "bindweed," and όμοιος (homoios), meaning "resembling". It refers to their twining habit.

The genus occurs throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and comprises annual and perennial herbaceous plants, lianas, shrubs and small trees; most of the species are twining climbing plants.

Ipomoea tricolor (morning glory) is native to the New World tropics, and widely cultivated and naturalised elsewhere. It is an herbaceous annual or perennial twining liana growing to 2–4 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, 3–7 cm long with a 1.5–6 cm long petiole. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, 4–9 cm in diameter, most commonly blue with a white to golden yellow centre.

In cultivation, the species is very commonly grown misnamed as Ipomoea violacea, actually a different though related species. Numerous cultivars of I. tricolor with different flower colours have been selected for use as ornamental plants; widely grown examples include Blue Star, Flying Saucers, Heavenly Blue, Heavenly Blue Improved, Pearly Gates, Rainbow Flash, Skylark, Summer Skies and Wedding Bells. The cultivar 'Heavenly Blue' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Wednesday 2 December 2015

DESKTOP 855 - ULURU

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock and officially gazetted as Uluru / Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory in central Australia. It lies 335 km south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs, 450 km by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Uluru is sacred to the Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area. The area around the formation is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves, and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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.

Thursday 26 November 2015

DESKTOP 849 - DUSTY MILLER

Centaurea cineraria, the velvet centaurea, is also known as "dusty miller" and "silver dust". It is a small plant in the family Asteraceae and originates from the Island of Capraia in Italy, where it is called fiordaliso delle scogliere. The mature plants will grow from 15 cm to 60 cm. Depending on climate, it can be grown as either an annual or as a perennial.

They prefer full sun, but will tolerate light shade, and also prefers average to rich well-drained soil. Centaurea cineraria will produce small white, yellow flowers in summer, but these are usually trimmed because the plant is normally grown as foliage. The form with the mauve flowers illustrated here, resembles a little the cornflower (Centaurea cyaneus). It is Centaurea cineraria subsp. cineraria.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Tuesday 24 November 2015

DESKTOP 847 - KATHERINE GORGE, AUSTRALIA

Katherine Gorge, a deep gorge carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River, is the central attraction of the Nitmiluk National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 244 km southeast of Darwin. Katherine Gorge is made up of thirteen gorges, with rapids and falls, and follow the Katherine River, which begins in Kakadu.

During the Dry, roughly from April to October, the Katherine Gorge waters are placid in most spots and ideal for swimming and canoeing. There may be freshwater crocodiles in most parts of the river, as they nest along the banks, but they are harmless to humans. Saltwater crocodiles regularly enter the river during the wet season, when the water levels are very high, and are subsequently removed and returned to the lower levels at the onset of the dry season. Thus, swimming in the wet season is prohibited. Cruises of various lengths go as far as the fifth gorge.

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,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme.


Thursday 19 November 2015

DESKTOP 842 - DIANTHUS

Dianthus is a member of the pink (Caryophyllaceae) family, and consists of around 300 species of tufting or spreading perennials that are mainly found in Eurasia. With rather grassy grayish to blue-green foliage and attractive flowers with a signature clove-like fragrance, these plants are popular with gardeners and have been grown for centuries. Numerous cultivars have been raised, and these are separated into two groups: annual bedding dianthus and perennial dianthus, the latter group being further divided into border carnations, perpetual-flowering carnations, and pinks. They are commonly known as pinks, which rather than alluding to the predominant flower color, refers to their zigzag-edged petals, which appear to have been trimmed with pinking shears.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Wednesday 18 November 2015

DESKTOP 841 - SEA IN ALONISSOS, GREECE

Alonnisos (Greek: Αλόννησος), is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. After Skiathos and Skopelos it is the third member of the Northern Sporades. It is 3 km E of the island of Skopelos. Alonnisos is also the name of a village on the island, as well as the municipality that encompasses the island and the village.The village of Alonnisos is located on the southern part of the island. It is locally known as Chora. The main port of the island is located in the southeast and is called Patitiri. There is ferry and hydrofoil service from Patitiri to Volos, Agios Konstantinos, and Thessaloniki on the mainland and to the islands of Skiathos, Skopelos and Skyros. The bay at the southern end of the island is also called Alonnisos.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also 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.

Monday 16 November 2015