DESKTOP 332 - BIRDBATH

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

DESKTOP 331 - CAT IN REPOSE

This post is part of the Camera Critters meme.

DESKTOP 330 - GLASS OF SUNSHINE

This post is part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Shadow Shot Sunday meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

DESKTOP 329 - SUNSET IN SICILY

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

DESKTOP 328 - LEUCADENDRON

Leucadendron is a genus of about 80 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, endemic to South Africa, where they are a prominent part of the fynbos ecoregion and vegetation type.

Species in the genus Leucadendron are evergreen shrubs or small trees. Most species are shrubs that grow up to 1 m tall, some to 2 or 3 m. A few grow into moderate-sized trees up to 16 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, and usually green, often covered with a waxy bloom, and in the case of the Silvertree, with a distinct silvery tone produced by dense, straight, silky hairs. This inspired the generic name Leucadendron, which literally means "white tree".
 
The flowers are produced in dense inflorescences; they are dioecious, with separate male and female plants. The seed heads, or infructescences, of Leucadendron are woody cone-like structures. This gave rise to their generic common name cone-bush. The cones contain numerous seeds.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 327 - THUNDERBIRD VANCOUVER

Aboriginal wood carving in Vancouver, Canada. The Thunderbird is a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture. It is considered a supernatural bird of power and strength. It is especially important, and frequently depicted, in the art, songs and oral histories of many Pacific Northwest Coast cultures, and is found in various forms among the peoples of the American Southwest, Great Lakes, and Great Plains.
 
This sculpture may also be considered as an example of a XOANON: |ˈzəʊənɒn| noun (plural, xoana |-nə| ) - A primitive wooden image of a deity.
ORIGIN early 18th century: from Greek; related to xein ‘carve’.
 
This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

DESKTOP 326 - ANEMONES

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme.

DESKTOP 325 - HEAVENLY

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

DESKTOP 324 - GATE

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

DESKTOP 323 - AUTUMN LEAF

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme.

DESKTOP 322 - SUNRISE ON THE YARRA

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 321 - LAVENDER

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 320 - WATERLILY

This post is 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 319 - VIRGINIA CREEPER

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

DESKTOP 318 - RUSTIC ART

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme.

DESKTOP 317 - CAMELLIA

This post is part of the Pink Saturday meme,

and also part of the I Heart Macros meme.

DESKTOP 316 - MELBOURNE SKYLINE

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

DESKTOP 315 - SUNSET SILHOUETTE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 314 - CAPE DAISIES

Cape Daisies (Osteospermum) are stunning daisies from South Africa, which create a carpet of profuse flowers for weeks and weeks through winter and spring. Osteospermum are evergreen perennials and can be pruned back to life year after year, however in cold climates they are often planted as annuals as they don't handle severe frosts. Sunny gardens and most soil types suit the Osteospermum. They are long-flowering plants, excellent for colour bedding and for pots and planters. 

Plant them in a sunny border, but they also thrive in a pot on a sunny patio. Water regularly to avoid the plants from drying out. Keep well watered, especially the first two weeks after planting. For best results, feed your plants on a weekly basis with a liquid fertiliser, the extra nutrients will encourage more flowers. Remove spent blooms on a regular basis to keep them looking tidy.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 313 - HOBART, TASMANIA

Tasmania is named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who made the first reported European sighting of the island on 24 November 1642. Tasman named the island "Anthony van Diemen's Land" after his sponsor Anthony van Diemen, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies. The name was later shortened to Van Diemen's Land by the British. It was officially renamed Tasmania in honour of its first European discoverer on 1 January 1856.

Hobart is the capital city and was founded in 1804 as a penal colony.  Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney, New South Wales. As of June 2013, the city had a greater area population of approximately 217,973.

This post is 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 312 - BEE ON GAILLARDIA

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

DESKTOP 311 - RENDER

For those wanting an uncluttered, plain but warm and cosy desktop...

This post is part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme.

DESKTOP 310 - PANSIES

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme.

DESKTOP 309 - PUDDLE REFLECTIONS

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme.

DESKTOP 308 - MAGNOLIAS

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 307 - ROSES

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 306 - ULURU, AUSTRALIA

Uluru (English pronunciation: /ˌuːluːˈruː/), 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 a plethora 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.

DESKTOP 305 - AUTUMN LEAVES

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

DESKTOP 304 - PERIWINKLES

Vinca minor, or the Lesser periwinkle, is a plant native to central and southern Europe, from Portugal and France north to the Netherlands and the Baltic States, and east to the Caucasus, and also in southwestern Asia in Turkey. Vinca minor is a trailing, viny subshrub, spreading along the ground and rooting along the stems to form large clonal colonies and occasionally scrambling up to 40 cm high but never twining or climbing.
 
The leaves are evergreen, opposite, 2-4.5 cm long and 1-2.5 cm broad, glossy dark green with a leathery texture and an entire margin.The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils and are produced mainly from early spring to mid summer but with a few flowers still produced into the autumn; they are bluish-violet (pale purple or white in some cultivated selections), 2-3 cm diameter, with a five-lobed corolla. The fruit is a pair of follicles 2.5 cm long, containing numerous seeds.
 
This post is part of the Blue Monday meme.

DESKTOP 303 - KINGLAKE VIEW

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme.