HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

AZALEAS

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CIRCUS MOSAIC

The circus mosaic in Melbourne's Victorian Arts Centre commemorates the important association between the site now occupied by the Victorian Arts Centre and the development of circus in Australia., The area referred to as "near Princes Bridge" was favoured as a circus location and "outdoor Playground" from the 1870's. One of the first tenants was the American circus, Cooper and Bailey`s which pitched its tents on the banks of the Yarra in 1877. Wirth Brothers Circus took over the lease in 1907 and demolished the existing temporary building erected earlier by Fitzgerald Brothers Circus. They built their own Olympia on the re-named Wirth Park, complete with a circus hippodrome, roller skating rink, race track, water chute and lake. It remained Wirth's Melbourne headquarters until 1953 when the buildings were destroyed by fire.

Wirth Brothers` Circus was billed as "the greatest show on earth" and became an Australian institution during its long history ( 1858 - 1953). Conveyed by its own special trains and drawing upon the major circuses of the world for its performers, it was a circus in the grand style. May Wirth ( 1895 - 1980 ) first performed with Wirth`s as a child and displayed an outstanding talent for horseback acrobatics. She went on to great international acclaim and was widely acknowledged as the finest circus equestrienne in the world. Unveiled on 7 June 1988 to mark the 150th anniversary of circus in Australia. A joint project between the Circus Fans of Australasia Inc. and the Performing Arts Museum, Victorian Arts Centre. Created by Joe Attard and David Jack of the Melbourne Mural Studio. Supported by the Commonwealth Department of Communications and the Arts.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

BEE

Bee on flowering gum. It's Spring!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

ROCK ROSE

Cistus (from the Greek kistos) is a genus of flowering plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species. They are perennial shrubs found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal through to the Middle East, and also on the Canary Islands.

Cistus, with its many hybrids and cultivars, is commonly encountered as a garden flower. The common name rockrose (rock rose in the UK) is applied to the species, a name also shared by the related genera Halimium, Helianthemum and Tuberaria, all in the family Cistaceae. The common name gum cistus is applied to resin-bearing species, especially C. ladanifer.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

EMPTY

As our lockdown continues, the City remains deserted and a lonely figure on this pedestrian bridge over the Yarra River is testimony to the fact that our lives have been changed quite radically in the last three months or so. Normally, this part of the City would have been crowded and buzzing with life. Despite the Spring sunshine, the newly sprouted vegetation and flowers on the banks of the river are more like a funereal wreath on the expiring body of our once lively metropolis... The new COVID-19 cases are almost down to zero now and we have few deaths lately, but nevertheless our restrictions remain Draconian and millions of Melbournians are suffering as a result.

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.

MOSAIC ART

This is a portion of a mosaic art piece on the sidewalk outside a primary school in our suburb. The children were involved in designing and making it, thus taking a prime role in beautifying their everyday surroundings in their school. A wonderful way to teach art techniques and art appreciation early on in life, as well as fostering creativity and developing talents.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

SPRING YELLOWS

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

COVID CITY

Deserted Melbourne City devoid of traffic during the COVID Lockdown...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of  two million living in the Perth metropolitan area. The metropolitan area is located in the South West Division of Western Australia, between the Indian Ocean and a low coastal escarpment known as the Darling Range. The central business district and suburbs of Perth are situated on the banks of the Swan River.

Shortly after the establishment of the port settlement of Fremantle, Perth was founded on 12 June 1829 by Captain James Stirling as the political centre of the Swan River Colony. As the business and administration centre for the resource-rich state, Perth has grown consistently.  Perth became known worldwide as the “City of Light” when city residents lit their house lights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the earth on Friendship 7 in 1962. The city repeated the act as Glenn passed overhead on the Space Shuttle in 1998. Perth is tied for eighth place in The Economist’s 2011 list of the world's most livable cities.

Perth’s residents have traditionally enjoyed the highest standard of living of any of Australia’s big cities.  Until recently, the reason for this has been that, for most occupations, wages were only a little less than could be found in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne while house prices in Perth were considerably lower than the other cities.

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.

DRY & WET

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

'HOT COCOA' ROSE

'Hot Cocoa' rose was bred by Tom Carruth, USA, in 2001. Don't plant this beautiful rose at the back of your rose garden because you will miss the most unusual array of colours as the blooms start to flourish. Early in the season, the buds can be quite orange on the outer petals, however, the surprise is when the bud opens, the petals are distinctly brown and then as they age, they turn are dusky, muddy mauve. It is quite stunning at all stages and when the bush is in full bloom, the colour range is amazing.

'Hot Cocoa' is outstandingly disease-resistant with glossy, green foliage which adds to its unique beauty. The bush habit is rather upright and if pushed against a wall and wasn’t pruned, this bush would create quite a spectacular pillar rose. There’s no great perfume but Hot Cocoa is a highly recommended rose to plant for its unusual range of colours.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

SPRING MORNING

 In the Darebin Parklands, suburban Melbourne.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

TRIPARTITE

Beauty is to be found all around us, provided we slow down and open our eyes so that we can look for it.

Echium flower cluster, gumnuts (seed pods of eucalyptus) and Ipheion (Star of Spring).

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

WILD LEEK

The three-cornered leek (Allium triquetrum) is an invasive weed that can carpet large areas very quickly because of its rapidly germinating seeds that quickly form a dense clump of leaves and flowers. Pretty though this three-cornered leek's white drooping flowersz may be, don't be tempted to pick it as a cut flower because it does reek strongly of an oniony smell! However, all parts of the plant are edible. The leaves and flowers can be added to salads, and the bulbs can be substituted for garlic.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.