DESKTOP 516 - HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2015!

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

DESKTOP 515 - RED ROSE HEART

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,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

DESKTOP 514 - LOBELIA

This post is part of the Blue Monday meme.

DESKTOP 513 - METEORA, GREECE

The Metéora (Greek: Μετέωρα, lit. "middle of the sky", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above" — etymologically related to "Meteorite") is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This post is part of the Spiritual Sundays meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.

DESKTOP 512 - POND

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

DESKTOP 511 - YARRA RIVER VIEW

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 510 - AGAPANTHUS

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 509 - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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 508 - CHRISTMAS SOON!

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.

DESKTOP 507 - CHRISTMAS BAUBLES 2

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

DESKTOP 506 - SUMMER

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

DESKTOP 505 - CHRISTMAS BAUBLES

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

DESKTOP 504 - MAPLE LEAF SKY

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 503 - IMPATIENTS

New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri) produce much larger flowers than other impatiens. They’re prized by home gardeners for the colours of these blooms, which almost glow with vibrancy. New Guinea impatiens are named after their native island of New Guinea.

Like their more common cousins, New Guinea impatiens provide hard-to-find brilliant colour in shade. And it's not just the flowers. The foliage is often brilliantly, exotically colorful as well. These tropical plants really shine in containers, where they thrive in the perfect soil and drainage, but they also do well in the ground as long as you take the time to improve the soil and work in plenty of compost. Note that they're a bit more sun-tolerant than common impatiens. Plant established plants in spring after all danger of frost has passed. Keep soil moist and fertilize lightly but regularly.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 502 - WARBURTON, AUSTRALIA

Wonderfully wet times in the wickedly cool waters of the Yarra River in Warburton, Victoria.

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 501 - ECHEVERIA

Echeveria is a large genus of flowering plants in the Crassulaceae family, native to semi-desert areas of Central America, from Mexico to northwestern South America. The genus is named after the 18th century Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy.
 
Flowers on short stalks (cymes) arise from compact rosettes of succulent fleshy, often brightly coloured leaves. Species are polycarpic, meaning that they may flower and set seed many times over the course of their lifetimes. Often numerous offsets are produced, and are commonly known as "hen and chicks", which can also refer to other genera, such as Sempervivum, that are significantly different from Echeveria.

Many Echeveria species are popular as ornamental garden plants. They are drought-resistant, although they do better with regular deep watering and fertilising. Most will tolerate shade and some frost, although hybrids tend to be less tolerant.

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 500 - TREE CANOPY

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the I Heart Macros meme.

DESKTOP 499 - BRIGHTON, AUSTRALIA

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

DESKTOP 498 - SUNRISE

Sunrise on the Yarra River, Melbourne, with the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge reflected in the quiet waters.

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

DESKTOP 497 - SEAGULL

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 496 - YELLOW CALLA LILY

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 495 - VIETNAM

In Hanoi, the Huc Bridge (meaning Morning Sunlight Bridge) leads to Jade Island on which the Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) stands. The temple was erected in the 18th century. It honours the 13-century military leader Tran Hung Dao who distinguished himself in the fight against the Yuan Dynasty, Van Xuong, a scholar, and Nguyen Van Sieu, a Confucian master and famous writer in charge of repairs made to the temple in 1864.

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 494 - HO, HO, HO!

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

DESKTOP 493 - CHRISTMAS IS COMING

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

DESKTOP 492 - PLUMS

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme.

DESKTOP 491 - DUCKS

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

DESKTOP 490 - BAY VIEW

View of Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne, Australia.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 489 - BOUGAINVILLEA

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 488 - MERRI CREEK

Merri Creek flows about 60 km from the Great Dividing Range through Melbourne Australia’s northern suburbs to the Yarra River. Merri Creek is an environmental, heritage and recreation corridor that draws its significance from its role as a continuous corridor as it does from the qualities of individual reaches. All areas of the Creek are important because they contribute to the linking of areas of environmental, heritage and recreational value along the Creek. At Coburg, one of Melbourne's northern suburbs, the creek has been dammed to form a lake.

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.

DESKTOP 487 - POINSETTIA

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,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

DESKTOP 486 - JACARANDA

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

DESKTOP 485 - DAISIES

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme,

and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

DESKTOP 484 - YARRA REFLECTIONS

A reflection in the Yarra River, Melbourne, Australia, under a couple of bridges in Southbank.

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

DESKTOP 483 - MELBOURNE'S YARRA RIVER

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 482 - HIBBERTIA

Hibbertia scandens (also known as Snake Vine, Climbing Guinea Flower or Golden Guinea Vine) is an Australian native vine in the Dilleniaceae family. Hibbertia scandens occurs in an area that extends from south-eastern New South Wales upwards to north-east Queensland. This species is commonly cultivated, and adapts to a wide range of growing conditions. Although it readily grows in semi-shaded areas, it flowers best in full sun.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 481 - PUDDLE

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.

DESKTOP 480 - RED GERANIUM

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 479 - RAIN

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

DESKTOP 478 - MYSTRAS, GREECE

Mystras (Greek: Μυστράς, Μυζηθράς, Myzithras in the Chronicle of the Morea) is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Situated on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries, experiencing a period of prosperity and cultural flowering. The site remained inhabited throughout the Ottoman period, when it was mistaken by Western travellers for ancient Sparta.
 
In the 1830s, it was abandoned and the new town of Sparti was built, approximately eight kilometres to the east. In 1989 the ruins, including the fortress, palace, churches, and monasteries, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The photo shows Pantanassa's monastery, (Greek: Μονή Παντανάσσης), which was founded by a chief minister of the late Byzantine Despotate of the Morea, John Frankopoulos, and was dedicated in September 1428. It is the only monastery on the site still permanently inhabited. Today it is inhabited by nuns providing hospitality. Its "beautifully ornate stone-carved façade" is of architectural note.

This post is part of the Spiritual Sundays meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme,

and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

DESKTOP 477 - PINK ROSE

This post is part of the Photo of the Week meme,
and also part of the Pink Saturday meme,
and also part of the I Heart Macros meme.

DESKTOP 476 - CHRISTMAS SKY

Christmas decorations in Melbourne City.

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

DESKTOP 475 - JUBILEE CELEBRATION ROSE

Rosa Jubilee Celebration ('Aushunter') (Pbr) is an exceptionally free-flowering rose named to commemorate the Queen's Golden Jubilee. It produces a mass of golden-flushed, pink blooms through the summer, each held clear of the foliage on stout stems. Their scent is strong and fruity. A vigorous and healthy shrub rose that will provide months of colour in the border.
 
Position: Full sun; Soil: Fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained; Rate of growth: Fast-growing; Flowering period: June to September; Flower colour: Salmon-pink; Other features: Excellent cut-flowers; Hardiness: Fully hardy.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 474 - RAINY GARDEN

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.

DESKTOP 473 - 36 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS!

Done all your shopping yet? :-)

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

DESKTOP 472 - STRAWFLOWERS

Xerochrysum bracteatum, commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Australia. Described first by Étienne Pierre Ventenat in 1803.
 
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.

DESKTOP 471 - LOOK UP

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

DESKTOP 470 - PRIMULA

This post is part of the Pink Saturday meme,
and also part of the I Heart Macros meme.

DESKTOP 469 - CRESCENT MOON

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 468 - DAISIES

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 467 - GREEK ISLAND

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.