DESKTOP 1128 - GREEK ISLAND

Folegandros (Greek: Φολέγανδρος, also Pholegandros) is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea which, together with Sikinos, Ios, Anafi and Santorini, forms the southern part of the Cyclades. Its surface area is about 32 square kilometres and it has 765 inhabitants. It has three small villages, Chora, Karavostasis, and Ano Meria, which are connected by a paved road. Folegandros is part of the Thira regional unit.

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.

DESKTOP 1127 - SYDNEY HARBOUR

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 1126 - ETHOS STATUE, CANBERRA

Located in Canberra's civic square the statue of "Ethos" guards the entrance to today's ACT Legislative Assembly. Ethos (representing the "spirit of community") is a copper sculpture created by Tom Bass and was commissioned by the National Capital Development Commission in 1959 before being unveiled in 1961.

The winged figure female figure celebrates the civic pride of Canberra and the fabric of her robe is richly embossed with emblems and figures representing the community. Ethos stands in a dish bearing a relief map of the City and holds aloft a bursting sun representing culture and enlightenment.

This post is part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 1125 - GINGER TOM

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

 

DESKTOP 1124 - WINTER SUNSHINE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Our Beautiful World meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme.

DESKTOP 1123 - CALAMONDIN

Calamondin (× Citrofortunella microcarpa or × Citrofortunella mitis) is an intergenetic hybrid between a member of the genus Citrus (in this case probably the mandarin orange) and the kumquat belonging to Fortunella. Calamondins are used mainly as ornamental trees, rather than for food, although the fruit is edible.

The calamondin bears a small citrus fruit that is used to flavour foods and drinks. Despite its outer appearance and its aroma, the taste of the fruit itself is quite sour, although the peel is sweet. Eating a whole fruit has a surprise with the combination of sweet and sour. Calamondin marmalade can be made in the same way as orange marmalade. Like other citrus fruits, the calamondin is high in vitamin C. The fruit can be frozen whole and used as ice cubes in beverages such as tea, soft drinks, water, and cocktails.

The juice can be used in place of that of the common Persian lime (also called Bearss lime). The juice is extracted by crushing the whole fruit, and makes a flavorful drink similar to lemonade. A liqueur can be made from the whole fruits, in combination with vodka and sugar.

In Asian cuisine, the juice is used to season fish, fowl, and pork. It is commonly used as a condiment in Filipino dishes like pancit or lugaw. The fruit is used in local recipes in northern Indonesia, especially around the North Sulawesi region. Fish are spritzed with the juice prior to cooking to eliminate the "fishy" smell. Kuah asang ("sour soup") is a regional clear fish broth made with calamondin juice.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Friday meme.

DESKTOP 1122 - DIOSMA AND VANESSA

One of the old faithful garden shrubs is the diosma, with which seemingly no gardener can go wrong. It grows as a round tidy plant with masses of pink flowers in late winter and spring. It will grow in all but the most tropical and humid parts of Australia. Although its common name is most often diosma it is also known as confetti bush and breath of heaven.
 Its botanic name is Coleonema pulchellum (or Coleonema pulchrum) and the plant is in the Rutaceae family. The genus name Coleonema is taken from a Greek term describing the base of the petals. The species name pulchellum means beautiful and small.

The species has pink flowers and tall growth. It will reach around 2m. The leaves of the plant are fragrant when rubbed and smell a little of sweet pine. There are various cultivars available including:
‘Compactum’ – a dwarf pink flowered form growing to 1m, which is also sold as ‘Nanum’;
‘Rubrum’ – a red flowered diosma (also sold as Red Form);
and ‘Sunset Gold’ – a dwarf golden foliage form growing to 75cm. This form has its best colour in summer and autumn when grown in full sun.
In addition a white flowered diosma, Coleonema album, is also available. This plant grows to about 1.5m tall with a spread of about 1.8m.

Diosma best grows in warm areas but will grow in most parts of Australia except the tropics. In humid summers it can be affected by fungal problems. In very cold areas such as mountain districts this plant will need a warm, sheltered micro-climate for best growth. It is native to the Cape Province of South Africa.

The butterfly is the Australian Painted Lady, Vanessa kershawi, in the Nymphalidae family, which is the largest family of butterflies with about 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium-sized to large butterflies.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1121 - GREECE

Greece (Greek: Ελλάδα), officially the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía) is a country located in southeastern Europe. According to the 2015 census, Greece's population is approximately 10.9 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki. Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the northeast.

Greece consists of nine geographic regions: Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands (including the Dodecanese and Cyclades), Thrace, Crete, and the Ionian Islands. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km in length, featuring a vast number of islands, of which 227 are inhabited. Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres.

Greek history is one of the longest of any country. The country is considered the cradle of Western civilization, having been the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, Western literature, historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, and Western drama, including both tragedy and comedy. The Greeks were first unified under Philip of Macedon in the fourth century BC. His son Alexander the Great rapidly conquered much of the ancient world, spreading Greek culture and science from the eastern Mediterranean to the Indus River.

Annexed by Rome in the second century BC, Greece became an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine Empire. The first century AD saw the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Church, which shaped the modern Greek identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World. Falling under Ottoman dominion in the mid-15th century, the modern nation state of Greece emerged in 1830 following a war of independence. Greece's rich historical legacy is reflected in large part by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most in Europe and the world. Greece is a democratic and developed country with an advanced high-income economy, a high quality of life and a very high standard of living.

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 ABC Wednesday meme.

DESKTOP 1120 - THASSOS, GREECE

Thassos (Greek: Θάσος) is a Greek island, geographically part of the North Aegean Sea, but administratively part of the Kavala regional unit. It is the northernmost Greek island, and 12th largest by area. Thassos is also the name of the largest town of the island (officially known as Limenas Thassou, "Port of Thassos"), situated at the northern side, opposite the mainland and about 10 kilometres from Keramoti.

Thassos island is a known from ancient times for its hot water springs, making it a spa centre resort area. Thassos' economy relies on timber (it is rich in forests), marble extraction, olive oil and honey. Tourism has also become important since the 1960s, although even nowadays, not as much as in other Greek islands. It retains a wonderful character and unspoilt beauty, making it a perfect holiday destination.

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 1119 - WATTLE IN THE SUN

The genus Acacia belongs to the family Mimosaceae. There are some 1350 species of Acacia found throughout the world and close to 1000 of these are to be found in Australia. Commonly known as Wattle, Acacia is the largest genus of vascular plants in Australia. In late Winter, wattles begin to bloom in Australia and they are seen as a harbinger of Spring.

This post is part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
 and also part of Macro Monday meme,
and also part of Through my Lens meme,
and also part of Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 1118 - DROMANA, AUSTRALIA

Dromana is an outer suburb south of Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, Australia, and is located on the Mornington Peninsula. Its local government area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. It is about 70 km from the CBD. The pier and beach are seen here in Summer.

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Our Beautiful World meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

DESKTOP 1117 - AFTERGLOW

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

DESKTOP 1116 - PRISMATIC

A prism breaks up white light into a spectrum of colour.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme.

DESKTOP 1115 - GERALDTON WAX

Chamaelaucium uncinatum, Geraldton wax, is a flowering plant endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub 0.5 to 4m high, bearing white or pink flowers June–November. The name uncinatum means "hooked" in Latin, in reference to the tips of the leaves. The flowers (somewhat resembling those of the tea tree) last a relatively long time after cutting, making the plant popular in horticulture. It is widely cultivated throughout Australia, both in home gardens and in the cut flower industry. Purple-flowering cultivars have been developed.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1114 - FISKARDO, GREECE

Fiskardo (Greek: Φισκάρδο) is a village and a community on the Ionian island of Cephalonia, Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Erisos. It is the northernmost port of Cephalonia, a short distance from Ithaca. Fiskardo has a small and diminishing fishing fleet. The coast around Fiskardo is mainly rocky with numerous pebble-beached coves. The port serves ferry routes to the ports of Frikes (Ithaca) and Lefkada. It is 5 km north of Vasilikades, 24 km north of Sami and 32 km north of Argostoli. Cephalonia International Airport is 61 km to the south, by road (about 1½ hours).

The community of Fiskardo consists of the villages Fiskardo, Evreti, Katsarata, Matsoukata and Tselentata.Fiskardo is also the name of the two kilometre long bay in which the port is located. Fiskardo and the dense forest in the surrounding area have been declared areas of great natural beauty and are protected under Greek law. In recent years a small tourist industry has developed, centred on luxury villas in the area around the village.

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 1113 - SYDNEY HARBOUR BOATING

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 1112 - ACACIA PARADOXA

Acacia paradoxa is a plant in the Fabaceae family. Its common names include kangaroo thorn, prickly wattle, hedge wattle and paradox acacia. This is a large shrub up to 3 metres tall and wide. It is dense with foliage; the leaves are actually enlarged petioles known as phyllodes. They are crinkly and the new ones are covered in hairs. The bush is also full of long spines.

It flowers in small, bright yellow spherical flower heads and the fruits are brown pods 4 to 7 cm long. The spiny stipules that grow at the base of the phyllodes deter livestock from feeding on or too close to the plant. Kangaroo thorn is widely spread across Australia, regenerating from seed after disturbances, such as bush fire. Small birds, including wrens, use this plant as shelter and dwelling, while it is relied upon as a food source for moths, butterflies and other insects, birds also feed on its seeds.

This plant is native to Australia, but has been introduced to other continents. In the United States, kangaroo thorn is a well-known noxious weed in California.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 1111 - ONIONS

This post is part of the Macro Monday meme.

DESKTOP 1110 - DUSKY MOORHENS

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

DESKTOP 1109 - TEMPLE OF FLORA

“The Temple of Flora” is the third and final part of Robert John Thornton’s New illustration of the sexual system of Carolus von Linnaeus, considered by many to be the greatest of all flower books. It consists of a series of sumptuous depictions of flowers notable for their epic and unusual settings. Interwoven amongst the images are various descriptions, histories and poetic odes regarding the flowers featured. The first plates were engraved by Thomas Medland in May 1798 from paintings by Philip Reinagle.

Between 1798 and 1807 they produced a total of thirty-three coloured plates, engraved in aquatint, stipple and line. Others engravers included Joseph Constantine Stadler working from the painting of Peter Charles Henderson. When he planned the project, Thornton had decided to publish seventy folio-size plates. Lack of interest from the general public spelled disaster for the scheme, and the holding of a lottery could not save it from financial ruin, neither did a page in the work dedicated to the spouse of George III, Queen Charlotte, patroness of botany and the fine arts...

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

DESKTOP 1108 - RED KANGAROO PAW

Anigozanthos is a small genus of Australian plants in the Bloodwort family Haemodoraceae. The 11 species and several subspecies are commonly known as kangaroo paw and catspaw depending on the shape of their flowers. A further species, previously identified as Anigozanthos fuliginosus and commonly known as the black kangaroo paw, has been transferred to its own monotypic genus and is now known as Macropidia fuliginosa.

The Anigozanthos genus was first named by Jacques Labillardière in his work, Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse, issued in 1800. The French botanist collected and described the type species, Anigozanthus rufus, during the d'Entrecasteaux expedition's visit to Southwest Australia in 1792. In recent years a number of numerous hybrids and cultivars have been developed. Kangaroo paws are much in demand as house plants and as cut flowers. The red-and-green kangaroo paw is the floral emblem of Western Australia.

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

DESKTOP 1107 - EREIKOUSSA, GREECE

Ereikoussa (Greek: Ερείκουσα , Italian: Merlera) is an island and a former community of the Ionian Islands, Greece. It is one of the Diapontian Islands (an island complex to the northwest of Corfu). Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Corfu, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located off the northwestern coast of the island of Corfu, and is almost equidistant from Corfu to the southeast, Mathraki to the southwest, and Othonoi to the west.

There is only one town on the island, also named Ereikoússa. Its population was 496 at the 2011 census and its land area is 3.7 square kilometres. The island is rich in green forests, filled with cypress, and olive trees. It has two beaches, Porto (Πόρτο) and Braghini (Μπραγκίνι); the names are of Italian origin, and date back to the period of Venetian rule. Braghini is rarely visited because it is further away from the main part of the island.

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 ABC Wednesday meme.

DESKTOP 1106 - CAIRO, EGYPT

Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة‎‎, al-Qāhirah) is the capital and largest city of Egypt. The city's metropolitan area is the largest in the Middle East and the Arab world, and 15th-largest in the world, and is associated with ancient Egypt, as the famous Giza pyramid complex and the ancient city of Memphis are located in its geographical area. Located near the Nile Delta, modern Cairo was founded in 969 CE by Jawhar al-Siqilli ("the Sicilian") of the Fatimid dynasty, but the land composing the present-day city was the site of ancient national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo.

Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life, and is nicknamed "the city of a thousand minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture. Egyptians today often refer to Cairo as Maṣr ([mɑsˤɾ], مصر), the Egyptian Arabic pronunciation of the name for Egypt itself, emphasising the city's continued role in Egyptian influence. Its official name is القاهرة al-Qāhirah , means literally: "the Defeater", in reference to the fact that the planet Mars ("Al Najm Al Tahir") was rising at the time when the city was founded as well as, "the Vanquisher"; "the Conqueror"; Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [elqɑ(ː)ˈheɾɑ], "the Defeater" or, " "the Victorious" (al-Qahira) in reference to the much awaited Caliph al-Mu'izz li Din Allah who arrived from the old Fatimid Ifriqiyan capital of Mahdia in 973 to the city.

Cairo has the oldest and largest film and music industries in the Arab world, as well as the world's second-oldest institution of higher learning, al-Azhar University. Many international media, businesses, and organizations have regional headquarters in the city; the Arab League has had its headquarters in Cairo for most of its existence. With a population of 6.76 million spread over 453 square kilometers, Cairo is by far the largest city in Egypt. An additional 10 million inhabitants live just outside the city. Cairo, like many other mega-cities, suffers from high levels of pollution and traffic. Cairo's metro, one of only two metros on the African continent (the other is in Algiers), ranks among the fifteen busiest in the world, with over 1 billion annual passenger rides. The economy of Cairo was ranked first in the Middle East in 2005, and 43rd globally by Foreign Policy's 2010 Global Cities Index.

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 1105 - TREE

This post is part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 1104 - TIMBER!

This post is part of the Macro Monday meme.

DESKTOP 1103 - SEA DOG

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme, 
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

DESKTOP 1102 - HIGH DENSITY LIVING

Melbourne is being redeveloped and lots of these tall apartment buildings are mushrooming into existence all over the place.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme.

DESKTOP 1101 - JAPONICA

Chaenomeles japonica is a species of Japanese Quince in the Rosaceae family. It is a thorny deciduous shrub that is commonly cultivated. It is shorter than another commonly cultivated species C. speciosa, growing to only about 1 m in height. The fruit is called Kusa-boke (草木瓜) in Japanese.

Chaenomeles japonica is also popularly grown in bonsai. It is best known for its colourful spring flowers of red, white or pink. It produces apple-shaped fruit that are a golden-yellow colour containing red-brown seeds. The fruit is edible, but hard and astringent-tasting, unless bletted. The fruit is occasionally used in jelly and pie making as an inferior substitute for its cousin, the true quince, Cydonia oblonga.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1100 - BRIGHTON, MELBOURNE

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.

DESKTOP 1099 - SICILIAN SEA

Sicily (Italian: Sicilia) is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It constitutes an autonomous Region of Italy, along with surrounding minor islands, officially referred to as Regione Siciliana (in Italian, Sicilian Region). Sicily is located in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula, from which it is separated by the narrow Strait of Messina. Its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently 3,329 m high, and one of the most active in the world. The island has a typical Mediterranean climate. It has coastline 1,000 km long and a land area 25,706 sq km.

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 1098 - OAK LEAVES

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.