DESKTOP 183 - MOON

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 182 - SUNFLOWER

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 181 - CREEK IN DAREBIN PARKLANDS

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 180 - STRAWBERRIES

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

DESKTOP 179 - ANGEL

This angel fresco is from the Bulgarian Rila Monastery, the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of 1,147 m above sea level. The frescoes, finished in 1846, are the work of many masters from Bansko, Samokov and Razlog, including the famous brothers Zahari Zograf and Dimitar Zograf.

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

DESKTOP 178 - AUSTRALIA DAY 2014

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, it marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Sydney Cove, New South Wales, and raising of the Flag of Great Britain at that site by Governor Arthur Phillip. In contemporary Australia, celebrations reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation, and are marked by community and family events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards, and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new immigrants into the Australian community.
 
The meaning and significance of Australia Day have evolved over time. Unofficially, or historically, the date has also been variously named "Anniversary Day", "Invasion Day", "Foundation Day", and "ANA Day". 26 January 1788 marked the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia (then known as New Holland). Although it was not known as Australia Day until over a century later, records of celebrations on 26 January date back to 1808, with the first official celebration of the formation of New South Wales held in 1818.
 
On New Years Day 1901, the British colonies of Australia formed a Federation, marking the birth of modern Australia. A national day of unity and celebration was looked for. It was not until 1935 that all Australian states and territories had adopted use of the term "Australia Day" to mark the date, and not until 1994 that the date was consistently marked by a public holiday on that day by all states and territories.
 
In contemporary Australia, the holiday is marked by the presentation of the Australian of the Year Awards on Australia Day Eve, announcement of the Australia Day Honours list and addresses from the Governor-General and Prime Minister. It is an official public holiday in every state and territory of Australia, unless it falls on a weekend in which case the following Monday is a public holiday instead. With community festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies, the day is celebrated in large and small communities and cities around the nation. Australia Day has become the biggest annual civic event in Australia.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

DESKTOP 177 - FEATHER

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

DESKTOP 176 - ALIEN MOONS

This is an image I created in a program called Mojoworld, where one may create different planets and views of the surface. The planet visualised here has two huge moons and rings like Saturn.
 
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 175 - ECHINACEA

Echinacea is a genus, or group of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. The nine species it contains are commonly called coneflowers. They are endemic to eastern and central North America, where they are found growing in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἐχῖνος (echinos), meaning "sea urchin," due to the spiny central disk. Some species are used in herbal medicines and some are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. A few species are of conservation concern.
 
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 174 - ALIEN BEACH

This is an image I created in a program called Mojoworld, where one may create different planets and views of the surface.
 
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 173 - GUM FLOWERS

Eucalypts or 'gum trees' are characteristic of Australia as native flora. There are about 700 species of Eucalyptus and many of them have beautiful flowers.

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 172 - BRICK WALL

This post is part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme.

DESKTOP 171 - CORRUGATED IRON

This post just is.

DESKTOP 170 - STAMPS

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme.

DESKTOP 169 - 11 KILOMETRES UP

View from an airplane window during a recent air trip.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 168 - BUTTERFLY

The Small White (Pieris rapae) is a small- to medium-sized butterfly species of the Yellows-and-Whites 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. Here it is seen feasting on sage flowers.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Winged meme,
and also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 167 - FOUNTAIN

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 166 - SEA, BOAT AND SKY

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

DESKTOP 165 - IMPACT

This is an image I created in a program called Mojoworld, where one may create different planets and views of the surface.
 
This post is part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

DESKTOP 164 - PEACOCK

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

DESKTOP 163 - BOLTE BRIDGE

View of the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne, spanning the Yarra River and Victoria Harbour in the Docklands precinct to the west of the Melbourne CBD. Construction took three years from 1996 to 1999 and cost $75 million.

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

DESKTOP 162 - FULL MOON

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 161 - SUNFLOWERS

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence (flowering head), and its name is derived from the flower's shape and image, which is often used to capture the sun. The plant has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves, and circular flower heads.
 
The heads consist of many individual flowers which mature into seeds, often in the hundreds, on a receptacle base. From the Americas, sunflower seeds were brought to Europe in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient. Leaves of the sunflower can be used as cattle feed, while the stems contain a fibre which may be used in paper production.
 
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 160 - SAILING

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 159 - RHODODENDRON VIREYA

Rhododendron vireya 'Red Mountain' hails from tropical shrubs that are semi-epiphytic, perching high in tree tops in the forests of South East Asia. They have glossy lush mid-green foliage and a compact and semi-spreading habit. The attraction of this cultivar is rich dark ruby red bell-like flowers. Flowering twice a year, autumn/winter and spring/summer. Prefers a warm semi-shaded site, protected from frost. Removing dead flowers encourages repeat flowering. Great for containers, performs best with restricted root growth.

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 158 - VASES

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 157 - LAWN

This post just is...

DESKTOP 156 - FERN

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme.

DESKTOP 155 - TREE AND SKY

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

DESKTOP 154 - CAPE DAISY

Osteospermum is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the sunflower/daisy family Asteraceae. Osteospermum used to belong to the genus Dimorphotheca, but only the annual species remain in that genus; the perennials belong to Osteospermum. The genus Osteospermum is also closely related to the small genus Chrysanthemoides, such as C. incana and C. monilifera.

This variety is called "Peach Magic" and features flowers that change colour as they mature.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 153 - BLACK SWAN

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 Wild Bird Wednesday meme.