DESKTOP 3297 - FOGGY

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DESKTOP 3241 - IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

DESKTOP 3125 - CANOLA

Canola is an important crop plant cultivated mainly for its oil derived from the mature seeds (for more information see here). The bright yellow of the flowers in the canola fields always attract my camera. Here is a mosaic compounded from multiple shots and locations.

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

DESKTOP 2716 - HAWKWEED

Hieracium known by the common name hawkweed and classically as hierakion (from ancient Greek ιεράξ, hierax 'hawk'), is a genus of the sunflower (Helianthus) family Asteraceae), and closely related to dandelion (Taraxacum), chicory (Cichorium), prickly lettuce (Lactuca) and sow thistle (Sonchus), which are part of the tribe Cichorieae. Hawkweeds, with their 10,000+ recorded species and subspecies, do their part to make Asteraceae the second largest family of flowers.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 2711 - HORSES

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

DESKTOP 2515 - SULKING...

"I won't come home unless you apologise!"

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

DESKTOP 2508 - PASTORAL

I had occasion to travel to the country on a day trip yesterday and fortunately the weather was good - cold but sunny. I went by train and took a few photos of the countryside from the window. These cows look contented, feasting on the lush grass of Gippsland, Victoria.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

DESKTOP 2351 - CORNFLOWER

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme.

DESKTOP 2340 - HORSE

A horse grazing in Canberra, a few kilometres from the city centre. The don't call it "The Bush Capital" for nothing!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

DESKTOP 2339 - SUMMERFIELD

A perfect Summer's day, with a wonderful sky and a green, green field!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 2316 - VALLEY VISTA

The Yarra Valley is the name given to the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately 790 kilometres east of the Melbourne central business district and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay. The name Yarra Valley is used in reference to the upper regions surrounding the Yarra River and generally does not encompass the lower regions including the city and suburban areas, where the topography flattens out, or the upper reaches which are in inaccessible bushland.

Included in the Yarra Valley is the sub-region of lower Yarra (or the lower Yarra Valley) which encompasses the towns of the former Shire of lower Yarra in the catchment area upstream of and including Woori Yallock. The Yarra Valley is a popular day-trip and tourist area, featuring a range of natural features and agricultural produce, as well as the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail.

The Yarra Valley is host to a thriving wine growing industry, with numerous vineyards making excellent wines. The area's relatively cool climate makes it particularly suited to the production of high-quality chardonnay, pinot noir and sparkling wine.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World.

DESKTOP 2294 - SILVAN

Silvan is a town in Victoria, Australia, located 40 km east of Melbourne. Its local government area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges, and the town marks half way between the Belgrave and Lilydale, both large towns. At the 2016 Census, Silvan had a population of 1246. The area's soils, well suited to growing fruits, vegetables and flowers, draw tourists to the various pick-yourself orchards and berry farms in Silvan. A cultivated hybrid variety of blackberry known as the silvanberry is named after the town.

Originally known as Wandin Yallock South, the town was first surveyed in 1868. The town's name was changed to Silvan in 1913, the same year the local primary school changed its name to Silvan Primary School. In 1917, and as a result of a growing population in Melbourne's south east, the Silvan Reservoir was commissioned, with the reservoir completed in 1932. A conduit from the Upper Yarra dam was completed in 1957. In 1954 the first Tulip Festival was held, becoming an annual tradition continuing to this day.

This post is part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 2228 - HORSE

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

DESKTOP 2096 - WINDOW SEAT

When flying, I always like choosing a window seat, as I enjoy the view and it gives me the opportunity to take photos like this one, which I took when flying out of Melbourne.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

DESKTOP 2018 - AT THE PENINSULA

The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion from the mainland in the area between Pearcedale and Frankston. The area was originally home to the Mayone-bulluk and Boonwurrung-Balluk clans and formed part of the Boonwurrung nation's territory prior to European settlement.

Much of the peninsula has been cleared for agriculture and settlements. However, small areas of the native ecology remain in the peninsula's south and west, some of which is protected by the Mornington Peninsula National Park. In 2002, around 180,000 people lived on the peninsula and in nearby areas, most in the small towns on its western shorelines which are sometimes regarded as outlying suburbs of greater Melbourne; there is a seasonal population of around 270,000. One may find quite a few small farms scattered amongst the small towns and nature reserves.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

DESKTOP 1753 - COWS

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

DESKTOP 1718 - KANGAROO

The kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus: The red kangaroo, antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo, and western grey kangaroo. Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia. The Australian government estimates that 34.3 million kangaroos lived within the commercial harvest areas of Australia in 2011, up from 25.1 million one year earlier.

Kangaroos have large, powerful hind legs, large feet adapted for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. Like most marsupials, female kangaroos have a pouch called a marsupium in which joeys complete postnatal development.

The kangaroo is a symbol of Australia and appears on the Australian coat of arms and on some of its currency and is used by some of Australia's well known organisations, including Qantas and the Royal Australian Air Force. The kangaroo is important to both Australian culture and the national image, and consequently there are numerous popular culture references.

Wild kangaroos are shot for meat, leather hides, and to protect grazing land. Although controversial, kangaroo meat has perceived health benefits for human consumption compared with traditional meats due to the low level of fat on kangaroos.

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

DESKTOP 1715 - ASSISI, ITALY

Assisi is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Propertius, born around 50–45 BC. It is the birthplace of St. Francis, who founded the Franciscan religious order in the town in 1208, and St. Clare (Chiara d'Offreducci), the founder of the Poor Sisters, which later became the Order of Poor Clares after her death. The 19th-century Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was also born in Assisi.

The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi (St. Francis). The Franciscan monastery, il Sacro Convento, and the lower and upper church (Italian: Basilica inferiore and Basilica superiore) of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonisation in 1228, and completed in 1253. The lower church has frescoes by the late-medieval artists Cimabue and Giotto; the upper church houses frescoes of scenes in the life of St. Francis previously ascribed to Giotto, but now thought to be by artists of the circle of Pietro Cavallini from Rome. The Basilica was badly damaged by a 5.5 earthquake on 26 September 1997, during which part of the vault collapsed, killing four people inside the church and carrying with it a fresco by Cimabue. The edifice was closed for two years for restoration.

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.

DESKTOP 1610 - IRELAND

Ireland (Irish: Éire; Ulster-Scots: Airlann) is an island in the North Atlantic, often called "The Emerald Isle". It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, in the northeast of the island.

In 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland. The island's geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland.

The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable climate which is free of extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, compared with a European average of 35%. There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland. The Irish climate is very moderate and classified as oceanic. As a result, winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area. However, summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.

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.

DESKTOP 1354 - ORANGE SUNRISE

Sunrise in Tasmania, Australia.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme.