AT THE MARKET

A bit pricey, but they're organic...
This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

FLOWER SHOPPER

At the Preston Market.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

CREEK IN SUMMER

The Darebin Creek in Preston, at the Darebin Forest Park. Another much needed natural bushland area in the middle of suburbia.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme
and also part of the Nature Notes meme

BEAUTY HIDES DANGER

Walking along the Darebin Creek in Thornbury, an inner suburb, one can enjoy the natural beauty of the bush in the midst of the City. However, in Summer especially, there may be some untoward encounters, such as meeting this Tiger Snake.

The Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus) is a large and highly venomous snake of southern Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. These snakes are often observed and locally well known by their banding, black and yellow like a tiger, although the species can be highly variable in colouration and patterning. All populations are classified within the genus Notechis (Elapidae). Their diverse characteristics have been classified either as distinct species or by subspecies and regional variation. While tiger snakes are usually ground-dwelling, they are able to swim as well as climb into trees and buildings.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme

CHRISTMAS CHEER

A Salvation Army brass ensemble spreading Christmas cheer and collecting some donations for much needed relief this festive season.

Donate here.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

RAIN ON THE WAY

View of the CBD from Preston, about 12 km away.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

MAGNOLIA

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

PRESTON MARKET

At the lively, multicultural and community-minded Preston Market in Preston. Always a pleasure to go there for shopping, eating, having a cup of hot beverage or cold drink, meeting friends and socialising!

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

WINTRY

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

PIGLET

Preston, the piglet, right after his bath!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNDAY BRUNCH

In Preston, on a lovely Autumn day.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Scenic Sunday meme.

"IT'S MY RUG!"

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

NIGHT HERON

The nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) also commonly referred to as the rufous night heron, and in Melanesia as Melabaob, is a medium-sized heron. It is found in Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, and throughout much of Australia except the arid inland. A small colony has also established near Wanganui, New Zealand.

The nankeen night heron stands about 60 cm tall with a stooped appearance. It is a stocky heron with rich cinnamon upperparts, white-buff underparts, a black crown, and yellow legs and feet. The head is large, the neck short (giving a stooped appearance), and the legs relatively short. During breeding the back of the head bears three white nuptial plumes. The bill is dark olive-green, and the eyes are yellow. Young birds are heavily spotted and streaked white, brown and orange-brown. As they mature, the black cap of the adult develops first, with the body plumage remaining streaked for some time. It is not strictly nocturnal. It often feeds during the day, especially during wet weather.

The bird is dependent on a diet of small fish, reptiles, insects and sometimes eggs. It can be seen around freshwater rivers, lakes, bulrushes, estuaries, harbours and in residential fishponds for goldfish. The species breeds in the period from September to April, building a nest platform out of sticks. It nests communally, near water. Two to five light green eggs are laid, with a 22-day incubation followed by a 42- to 49-day fledging period. Widespread throughout its large range, the nankeen night heron is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

I've enhanced this photo in Photoshop as it was taken with the highest zoom on my phone camera and it turned out a little blurry.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

AT PRESTON MARKET

Sunday brunch at Preston Market.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

CHRISTMAS?

With Halloween barely over, the marketing machine of the shopping centres wasted no time and launched into the Christmas narrative. Is it just me or has this year just flown by like a big jet plane?

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

PRESTON

Preston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km  north-east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Darebin local government area. Preston recorded a population of 33,790 at the 2021 census.

As part of the City of Darebin, Preston has an active and eclectic artists and DIY community which is contemporary, experimental, and culturally diverse. Writers, musicians, and visual artists flock to the locality for performance, collaboration, and acceptance. Notable contributors to the Darebin arts community are locals Saint Jude, Downhills Home, The Contrast, The Melbourne Ukulele Kollective, Performing Older Women's Circus (POW Circus), Darebin City Brass, and members of Little John, to name a few.

Darebin celebrates the artistry and diversity of the community with regular festivals and events such as the Darebin Music Feast and the now-defunct High Vibes Festival. The major community Indigenous Radio Station 3KND is located in Mary Street in Preston and is completely Aboriginal managed.

Preston has a wide variety of restaurants, including fine dining and fast food. High Street has been transformed lately, with many new cafes and restaurants opening and becoming popular with the youth in the area. Niche cafés and restaurants have opened in the suburb inviting patrons to dine.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

LUNCHTIME

At the Preston Market.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

AT PRESTON MARKET

Flower shop at Preston Market. Spring has arrived.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

AT THE SHOPPING CENTRE

At the Northland Shopping Centre in Preston, early one morning. Best time to visit and avoid the crowds later on!

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

DAREBIN CREEK

The Darebin Creek at Preston. Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation alliance, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.

The creek rises on the northern urban fringe of Melbourne north of the suburb of Epping, following a general southerly route and meeting the Yarra at Alphington. The creek forms much of the municipal boundary between the City of Darebin and City of Banyule. Formerly an intermittent stream, increased stormwater runoff with urbanisation of the Darebin Creek catchment has resulted in permanent water flow. 

The creek runs through Darebin Parklands, a large nature reserve one or two kilometres northwest of the junction at which the creek meets the Yarra. The Darebin Creek Trail runs along the banks in the lower reaches of the creek.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme