ANGEL

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.

PATIENT DOG

Waiting outside a shop for his owner to come back.

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

FRIDAY GREENS #74 - FERN

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

Please link back to this page if taking part in the meme, and in the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment, which is always appreciated!

CHRYSANTHEMUMS

Although once referred to as Dendranthema, the florists chrysanthemum is now correctly known under its familiar name. There are about 40 species in the genus Chrysanthemum, mainly from East Asia. In China, where they have been cultivated for over 2,500 years, the chrysanthemum was used medicinally and for flavouring, as well as for ornament. The flower is also significant in Japan where it is a symbol of happiness and longevity, and the royal family has ruled for 2,600 years from the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The annual species are referred to Xanthophthalmum and are mainly used for summer bedding or as fillers in borders of perennial flowers. Most chrysanthemums are upright plants with lobed leaves that can be aromatic. The many showy flowerheads, carried at the tips of strong stems, begin to bloom as the days shorten. Florists chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum grandiflorum) are grouped according to form: Irregular incurved, reflexed, regular incurved, intermediate incurved, pompon, single and semi-double, anemone, spoon, quill, spider, brush or thistle, and unclassified, which is a catch-all group for blooms not yet classified or not falling into one of the existing groups.

Florists chrysanthemums prefer a heavier richer soil in a sunny position, though they like a spot that offers some afternoon shade. The plants require training and trimming to produce their best flowers. Pinch back when young and disbud to ensure the best flower show. Propagate by division when dormant or from half-hardened summer cuttings.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

WINING & DINING IN ATHENS

Greeks love their food and furthermore, they love eating out. Whether it's a hasty "koulouri" (bagel with sesame seeds) grabbed from a street vendor in the morning, "souvlaki" (grilled meat pieces with salad wrapped in pita bread) for lunch, or a sit down meal in a taverna with "mezedhes" (hors d'oeuvres), salads, grilled meats, fish and shellfish, the meals are varied, delicious and generally good for you. As far as the sweets are concerned, Greeks have a sweet tooth and a huge selection of traditional "glyka" (sweets) can be found everywhere, as well as an enormous variety of international favourites: Gateaux, tarts, biscuits, waffles, ice cream cakes, muffins, etc.

A variety of fast food outlets, street vendors, cafés, restaurants, tavernas, bars, high class haunts and popular, cheap outlets can be found all over the Greek capital. Dining outside for most of the year is not only possible but desirable given the equable climate. You can choose traditional or modern, regional or Athenian cuisine, seafood, meat fare or vegetarian, as well as a variety of international restaurants, if so inclined.

Here is the Athens Guide to Eating out, which should be helpful if you travel to Athens!

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Trees & Bushes meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

SAN DIEGO SUNSET

A lovely sunset we enjoyed seeing when visiting San Diego in 2001...

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 Scenic Weekends meme.

FRIDAY GREENS #73 - SUBURBAN BUNNY

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

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

Please link back to this page if taking part in the meme, and in the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment, which is always appreciated!

Add your own Friday Greens entries using the Linky tool below:

MYRTLE FLOWER AND BERRIES

Myrtus communis, the common myrtle or true myrtle, in the family Myrtaceae, is native across the northern Mediterranean region (especially in the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, where it is locally known by the name of murta). The plant is an evergreen shrub or small tree, growing to 5 metres tall. The leaf is entire, 3–5 cm long, with a fragrant essential oil. The star-like flower has five petals and sepals, and numerous stamens. Petals usually are white. The flower is pollinated by insects. The fruit is a round berry containing several seeds, most commonly blue-black in colour. A variety with yellow-amber berries also exists and is shown here. The seeds are dispersed by birds that eat the berries.

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

STATION

Southern Cross Station in Melbourne City. A major transportation hub through which thousands of commuters pass each day.

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

ARC DE TRIOMPHE

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (Triumphal Arch of the Star) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle (originally named Place de l'Étoile), at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. It should not be confused with a smaller arch, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which stands west of the Louvre. The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces.

Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. The Arc de Triomphe is the linchpin of the Axe historique (historic axis) – a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route that runs from the courtyard of the Louvre to the Grande Arche de la Défense. The monument was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806 and its iconographic program pits heroically nude French youths against bearded Germanic warriors in chain mail. It set the tone for public monuments with triumphant patriotic messages.

The monument stands 50 metres in height, 45 m wide and 22 m deep. The large vault is 29.19 m high and 14.62 m wide. The small vault is 18.68 m high and 8.44 m wide. Its design was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus. The Arc de Triomphe is built on such a large scale that, three weeks after the Paris victory parade in 1919 (marking the end of hostilities in World War I), Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane through it, with the event captured on newsreel (see below). It was the tallest triumphal arch in existence until the completion of the Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City in 1938, which is 67 metres high. The Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, completed in 1982, is modelled on the Arc de Triomphe and is slightly taller at 60 m.

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.

THISTLE

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Today's Flowers meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the I Heart Macros meme.

SULTRY SUNSET

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

FRIDAY GREENS #72 - FUMITORY

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

Fumaria officinalis (common fumitory, drug fumitory or earth smoke) is a herbaceous annual flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae It is the most common species of the genus Fumaria in Western and Central Europe.

It is an herbaceous annual plant, which grows weakly erect and scrambling, with stalks about 10 to 50 cm long. Its pink 7 to 9 mm flowers appear from April to October in the northern hemisphere. They are two lipped and spurred, with sepals running a quarter the length of the petals. The fruit is an achene. It contains alkaloids, potassium salts, and tannins. It is also a major source of fumaric acid.

Please link back to this page if taking part in the meme, and in the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment, which is always appreciated!

Add your own Friday Greens entries using the Linky tool below:

ORIENTAL LILIES

Oriental Lilies (Lilium hybrids) are ostentatious flowers that command attention. The large flowers have bold open petals in a large range of colours, all with a strong and heady fragrance. The perfume is wonderful, it adds a touch of the exotic as you stroll through the garden, and cut for a vase will perfume your home. Oriental Lilies are easy to grow and care for. Plant in a full sun to part shade position in the garden, keep moist and add some fertiliser in spring. Oriental Lilies are quite heat tolerant so perfect for a summer show.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND

Queenstown (Māori: Tāhuna) is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin Z-shaped lake formed by glacial processes, and has spectacular views of nearby mountains such as The Remarkables, Cecil Peak, Walter Peak and just above the town; Ben Lomond and Queenstown Hill.

Queenstown has an urban population of 13,150 (June 2015 estimate), making it the 29th largest urban area in New Zealand, and the third largest urban area in Otago, behind Dunedin and Oamaru. The Queenstown-Lakes District has a land area of 8,704.97 square kilometres not counting its inland lakes (Lake Hāwea, Lake Wakatipu, and Lake Wanaka). The region has an estimated resident population of 32,400 (June 2015 estimate).

Its neighbouring towns include Arrowtown, Glenorchy, Kingston, Wanaka, Alexandra, and Cromwell. The nearest cities are Dunedin and Invercargill. Queenstown is now known for its commerce-oriented tourism, especially adventure and ski tourism. It is popular with New Zealand, neighbouring Australian and other international travellers alike.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Trees & Bushes meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme

SUNSET SILHOUETTES

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 Scenic Weekends meme.

FRIDAY GREENS #71 - AUTUMN GREENS

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

Please link back to this page if taking part in the meme, and in the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment, which is always appreciated!

Add your own Friday Greens entries using the Linky tool below:

CAPE FUCHSIA

Phygelius, common names Cape fuchsia or Cape figwort, is a genus of flowering plants in the Scrophulariaceae family, native to wet slopes and banks in southern Africa. They are evergreen shrubs often treated as perennials in colder climates. They bear many pendent tubular flowers over a long period in summer, in shades of white, yellow and red. The vague similarity of the blooms to fuchsias has led to the common name Cape fuchsia, though they are not closely related.

Several cultivars are available for gardeners. Some are hybrids between the two known species. Development of the cultivars has taken place primarily in the United Kingdom in order to create varieties better fitted for the colder climate. Illustrated here is Phygelius x rectus 'Raspberry Swirl'.

This has tall stems of raspberry pink flowers. It is a charming semi evergreen that is fast growing, long blooming and really hardy. All these strengths combined make it a valuable garden plant. Phygelius 'Raspberry Swirl' will add a dimension of height to your beds and borders. The flowers open from November right into February.

Phygelius 'Raspberry Swirl' favours a full sun to semi shade position. Protect from severe frosts and if the foliage is damaged simply wait until danger of future frosts has passed and then prune the damaged foliage. It will reshoot in spring. In cold climates it is herbaceous. A good choice for pots or hanging baskets where the blooms can be admired without stooping. Also good at the back of beds and borders or along fence lines.

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

BALLARAT, VICTORIA

Ballarat is a city located on the Yarrowee River and lower western plains of the Great Dividing Range in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately 105 kilometres west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. It is the third most populous urban area in the state, with a population of 96,940 It is the state's most populated inland settlement, and third most populated inland settlement in Australia. People from Ballarat are referred to as Ballaratians.

It was named by Scottish squatter Archibald Yuille who established the first settlement − his sheep run called Ballaarat − in 1837, with the name derived from a local Wathaurong Aboriginal word for the area, balla arat, thought to mean "resting place". The present spelling was officially adopted by the City of Ballarat in 1996. It is one of the most significant Victorian era boomtowns in Australia.

Just months after Victoria was granted separation from New South Wales, the Victorian gold rush transformed Ballarat from a small sheep station to a major settlement. Gold was discovered at Poverty Point on 18 August 1851 and news quickly spread of rich alluvial fields where gold could easily be extracted. Within months, approximately 20,000 migrants had rushed the district. Several Australian mining innovations were made at the Ballarat diggings including the first use of a Chilean mill in 1851 and the first use of a mine cage in 1861. Unlike many other gold rush boom towns, the Ballarat fields experienced sustained high gold yields for decades.

The Eureka Rebellion began in Ballarat, and the only armed rebellion in Australian history, the Battle of Eureka Stockade, took place on 3 December 1854. In response to the event the first male suffrage in Australia was instituted and as such Eureka is interpreted by some as the origin of democracy in Australia. The gold rush and boom gave birth to many other significant cultural legacies. The rebellion's symbol, the Eureka Flag has become a national symbol and is held at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka in Ballarat.

Other nationally significant heritage structures include the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, established 1857, the best example of a regional botanic gardens in Australia with the greatest concentration of public statuary, including the official Prime Ministers Avenue; the longest running lyric theatre building, Her Majesty's, established 1875; the first municipal observatory, established 1886; and the earliest and longest memorial avenue, the Avenue of Honour, established between 1917 and 1919.

Proclaimed a city in 1871, its prosperity continued until late in the 19th century, after which its importance relative to both Melbourne and Geelong rapidly faded with the slowing of gold extraction. It has endured as a major regional centre hosting the rowing and kayaking events from the 1956 Summer Olympics. It is the commercial capital of the Central Highlands and the largest city in the Goldfields region of Victoria—a significant tourist destination. Ballarat is known for its history, culture and its well preserved Victorian era heritage.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Trees & Bushes meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.