ON THE CUSP

As Winter turns to Spring, many a wonder to be seen...

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

PATH

Spring has arrived and the path by the river is ever so inviting now.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

BUG

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

GARDEN BOUQUET

A bouquet of Spring flowers gathered from our garden. You can find in it the following flowers: Freesias, anemones, bluebells, daisies, marigolds, stocks, ixias, rosemary, bergenias, lilies, sparaxis, canola, red valerian. The fragrance is delicious and it certainly brings Spring very effectively indoors.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

KAYAK

A kayak is a small, narrow boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic Inuktitut language, where it is the word 'qajaq'. The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler. The cockpit is sometimes covered by a spray deck that prevents the entry of water from waves or spray and makes it possible for suitably skilled kayakers to roll the kayak: That is, to capsize and right it without it filling with water or ejecting the paddler. The kayak was first used by the indigenous Aleut, Inuit, Yupik and possibly Ainu hunters in subarctic regions of the world.

Kayaking on the Yarra River in Melbourne is a very popular pastime and there are many clubs catering to this sport. Most of the Yarra is navigable, but this area close to Dights Falls in Collingwood provides a barrier between the upper and lower reaches of the River. The man in the blue kayak had a little mishap here, but the experienced instructor in the red kayak had him right soon again. The trees in yellow bloom are wattles (= mimosas/acacias).

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

DELFT, HOLLAND

Delft is a city and a municipality in the Netherlands. It is located in the province of South Holland, to the north of Rotterdam and south of The Hague. Delft is known for its historic town centre with canals, Delft Blue pottery, the Delft University of Technology, painter Johannes Vermeer and scientist Antony van Leeuwenhoek, and its association with the royal House of Orange-Nassau.

The city of Delft came into being from a canal, the ‘Delf’, which comes from the word delven, meaning delving or digging, and led to the name Delft. It presumably started around the 11th century as a landlord court. From a rural village in the early Middle Ages, Delft developed to a city, that in the 13th century (1246) received its charter.

The town’s association with the House of Orange started when William of Orange (Willem van Oranje), nicknamed William the Silent (Willem de Zwijger), took up residence in 1572. At the time he was the leader of growing national Dutch resistance against Spanish occupation, known as the Eighty Years’ War. By then Delft was one of the leading cities of Holland and it was equipped with the necessary city walls to serve as a headquarters. An attack by Spanish forces in October of that year was repelled.

After the Act of Abjuration was proclaimed in 1581, Delft became the de facto capital of the newly independent Netherlands, as the seat of the Prince of Orange. When William was shot dead in 1584, by Balthazar Gerards in the hall of the Prinsenhof, the family’s traditional burial place in Breda was still in the hands of the Spanish. Therefore, he was buried in the Delft Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), starting a tradition for the House of Orange that has continued to the present day.

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.

RAINY

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

CRESCENT

Crescent moon at sunset in Melbourne, Australia.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

CROW

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

CELOSIA

Celosia cristata is a member of the Amaranthaceae family, and is commonly known as cockscomb, since the flower looks like the head on a rooster (cock). It is called Chi Kuan in China. The plants are hardy and resistant to most diseases, and grow equally well indoors or out, though the perfect place is one with no shade and a well drained soil, as the plant is susceptible to fungal diseases. The plant is used frequently as an ornamental plant indoors. Their leaves and flowers can be used as vegetables. They are often grown as foods in India, Western Africa, and South America.

They are annual plants of tropical origin and are herbaceous meaning they lack a woody stem. They grow well in both humid and arid conditions, and their flowers can last for up to 8 weeks. A high number of seeds can be produced by each flower, up to 1,500 per gram. The plant often grows up to 30 cm in height, though many are smaller. The leaves are either green or bronze/maroon, depending upon the cultivar. The flower can be broken into three parts: Their spikes, plumes and crests vary from one another but have standard commonalities—they are usually brightly coloured, usually red, yellow, pink, or orange, though other colours can be present. In some instances, a variety of colours are present in hybrids.

The plants are hardy and can be grown easily from the seeds. Since the plants are of tropic origin, they thrive in areas with tropical climate. However, they can also be grown in summer months in the colder climate. The plants being annual plants, grow for only about one fourth of a year. A soil temperature of about 16 °C is ideal for growth. The plants are relatively easy to grow and care for, having few insects that feed on them. Mites, though, are known to feed on the plants. The plants are also susceptible to leaf spotting, root rot and root strangulation. However the former two can be prevented by avoiding a damp soil and the latter by frequent weeding. Also wetting the leaf and flowers should be avoided as they can lead to fungal diseases.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.