DESKTOP 1340 - GULLS

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

DESKTOP 1339 - FOUR O'CLOCKS

Mirabilis jalapa, the marvel of Peru or four o'clock flower, is the most commonly grown ornamental species of Mirabilis plant, and is available in a range of colours. Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is the capital of Veracruz. Mirabilis jalapa was cultivated by the Aztecs for medicinal and ornamental purposes. It is also said to have been exported from the Peruvian Andes in 1540 A.D.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1338 - LIDO, VENICE

The Lido, or Venice Lido (Lido di Venezia), is an 11-kilometre long sandbar in Venice, northern Italy; it is home to about 20,000 residents. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September.

At least half the Adriatic side of the island is a sandy beach, much of it belonging to the various hotels that house the summer tourists. These include the renowned Excelsior and the Des Bains, setting for Thomas Mann's classic novel "Death in Venice", the latter hotel currently undergoing major renovation. These beaches are private, though towards the northern and southern ends of the island there are two enormous public beaches. The Adriatic Sea is fairly clean and warm, ideal for children, with only the occasional jellyfish to disturb swimming.

The term Lido, originally coming from this island, is used to refer to certain types of outdoor swimming pools especially in Great Britain, and the "Lido deck" on a cruise ship. It also forms the first part of many place names in coastal locations throughout Italy, all implying that these places are good for swimming at.

The bleakness of the deserted and cold Lido in Winter has a charm all of its own.

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters 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,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme.

DESKTOP 1337 - PALM COVE

Palm Cove is a beach community in Far North Queensland, Australia located 27 kilometres north of the city of Cairns. It is named after the palm trees that line the beach. At the 2006 census, Palm Cove had a population of 1,215.

Palm Cove is located in Far North Queensland on the Australian coast. Arlington Reef is the closest section of The Great Barrier Reef to Palm Cove being around 30 km offshore. The reef shelters the inshore waters from the Coral Sea swells creating relatively calm waters between the reef and the beach. To the west of Palm Cove is the Macalister Range National Park which is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area.

Since Palm Cove is located in a tropical climate, the average summer temperature is between 24˚C and 33˚C; average winter temperature is between 14˚C and 26˚C. The major industry for Palm Cove is tourism. Palm Cove is also a tourist destination due to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Palm Cove is the location of many world-renowned resorts and hotels such as the Drift Resort, Alamanda, the Mantra Amphora Resort, Peppers Beach Club, and the Reef House.

The pristine beaches and Palm tree lined paths are used by joggers, walkers and cyclists and netted life guard patrol swimming enclosures offer safe access to the sea all year round. The Palm cove jetty is one of the regions most popular fishing spots where anglers regularly catch species such as mackerel, Giant Trevally or "G.T's" and shark.

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 1336 - DECLINE

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

DESKTOP 1335 - FERN

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

DESKTOP 1334 - YARRA BEND PARK

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

DESKTOP 1333 - LEAF

Nascent Autumn...

This post is part of the Weekend Green meme.

DESKTOP 1332 - CALENDULA

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1331 - MELBOURNE SEA

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

DESKTOP 1330 - CHIOS ISLAND

Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island has a port for merchant shipping. The island produces a unique mastic gum, famous since antiquity and now widely used around the world as a culinary and pharmaceutical ingredient. Tourist attractions include its medieval villages, and the 11th century monastery of “Nea Moni”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located on the island.

Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Chios regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Chios (town). Locals refer to Chios town as "Chora" (literally meaning "land" or "country", but usually refers to the capital or a settlement at the highest point of a Greek island).

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 1329 - AUTUMN

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

DESKTOP 1328 - OLD & NEW

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

DESKTOP 1327 - PONDLIFE

Mayflies in the morning at the pond in the Darebin Parklands, Fairfield, Melbourne, Australia.

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

DESKTOP 1326 - SUNSET SILHOUETTES

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

DESKTOP 1325 - MARIGOLDS

Tagetes patula, the French marigold, is a species in the daisy family (Asteraceae). It is native to Mexico and Guatemala with several naturalised populations in many other countries. The flower is an annual, occasionally reaching 0.5 m by 0.3 m. In some climates it flowers from July to October. In its native habitat of the highlands of central Mexico, blooms are produced from September to killing frost.

Achenes ripen and are shed within two weeks of the start of bloom. The heads contain mostly hermaphrodite (having both male and female organs) florets and are pollinated primarily by beetles in the wild, as well as by tachinid flies and other insects. The leaves of all species of marigold include oil glands. The oils are pungent.

Used mainly as an edging plant on herbaceous borders, it is a low-growing plant with flowers of blended red and yellow in most varieties. French marigolds are commonly planted in butterfly gardens as a nectar source. The plant is used in companion planting for many vegetable crops. Its root secretions are believed to kill nematodes in the soil and it is said to repel harmful insects, such as white flies on tomatoes.

Medicinally, many cultures use infusions from dried leaves or florets. Research also suggests that T. patula essential oil has the ability to be used as residual pesticide against bedbugs. The essential oil is being investigated for antifungal activity, including treatment of candidiasis (thrush) and treating fungal infections in plants.

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

DESKTOP 1324 - JERSEY

Jersey (officially the Bailiwick of Jersey), is a Crown dependency of the United Kingdom, ruled by the Crown in right of Jersey, off the coast of Normandy, France. Jersey was part of the Duchy of Normandy, whose dukes went on to become kings of England from 1066. After Normandy was lost by the kings of England in the 13th century, and the ducal title surrendered to France, Jersey and the other Channel Islands remained attached to the English crown. Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems, and the power of self-determination.

The Lieutenant Governor on the island is the personal representative of the Queen. British cultural influence on the island can also be seen with the main language being English, British pound currency, driving on the left, BBC and ITV regions, school curriculum following that of England, and the popularity of British sports, including football, cricket and rugby. The bailiwick consists of the island of Jersey, along with surrounding uninhabited islands and rocks collectively named Les Dirouilles, Les Écréhous, Les Minquiers, Les Pierres de Lecq, and other reefs. The island of Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands.

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,
and also part of the Wednesday Waters meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme.

DESKTOP 1323 - LAKE COMO, ITALY

Lake Como (Lago di Como in Italian, also known as Lario, after the Latin name of the lake: Larius Lacus) is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 square kilometres, making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over 400 metres deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe, and the bottom of the lake is more than 200 metres below sea level.

Lake Como has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, and a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. It has many villas and palaces (such as Villa Olmo, Villa Serbelloni, and Villa Carlotta). Many famous people have or have had homes on the shores of Lake Como, such as Matthew Bellamy, John Kerry, Madonna, George Clooney, Gianni Versace, Ronaldinho, Sylvester Stallone, Julian Lennon, Richard Branson, Ben Spies, and Pierina Legnani.

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 1322 - SUMMER

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.

DESKTOP 1321 - MOSSY ROCKS

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Weekend Green meme.

DESKTOP 1320 - GREEN FOLIAGE

Eucalyptus foliage with the morning sun streaming through it.

This post is part of the Weekend Green meme,
and also part of the Photo Friday meme.

DESKTOP 1319 - MAPLE AUTUMNAL

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

DESKTOP 1318 - GERANIUMS

Geraniums are really in the genus Pelargonium and pelargoniums in the genus Geranium! They both are classified in the family Geraniaceae.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1317 - TREASURE ISLAND

Treasure Island seeming to float on top of crystal clear turquoise water conforms to everyone's idea of a tropical island. It is found in one of the most well-known Island groups in Fiji, the Mamanuca Islands. The resort there has been open since 1972 and is one of the closest tropical getaways to the main island of Fiji. See here for more details.

This post is part of the ABC Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wednesday Waters meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme.

DESKTOP 1316 - ON THE BEACH

In Broome, Western Australia.

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 1315 - FLIGHT

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 1314 - WALKING THE DOG

This post is part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

DESKTOP 1313 - REFLECTING

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

MY DESKTOP 1312 - IT'S A PLANE!

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

MY DESKTOP 1311 - ERIGERON

Erigeron karvinskianus is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Mexican fleabane, Latin American fleabane, Santa Barbara daisy, Spanish daisy, Karwinsky’s fleabane, or bony-tip fleabane. Erigeron karvinskianus is native to much of Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, and is naturalized in many other places, including parts of Africa and Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Chile and the west coast of the United States.

Erigeron karvinskianus is a vigorous, spreading perennial plant growing from woody rhizomes to a maximum height of 15 cm. Its leaves are located along the stem, the basal leaves dying off as the plant bolts. They are sometimes slightly toothed or lobed near the tips. The inflorescences hold one or more flower heads which are each about 1 cm wide. They have golden yellow disc florets in the center surrounded by a fringe of up to 80 white to pinkish ray florets.

It is frequently grown in crevices in walls or paving, where it rapidly spreads to provide a carpet of flowers. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MY DESKTOP 1310 - SUMMER

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