Welcoming Winter

Hi Lily, Hi Lily, Hi-Lo

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Today is the first day of winter here in Australia, so I thought I’d give you an idea of how flowers can be used to brighten our horizons.

Melburnians love their gardens, although the last few years have been tough going, with the prolonged drought and the progressively tougher water restrictions. But this display of flowers, shot outside the GPO in central Melbourne, shows just how important flowers really are to Melburnians.


The first shot was taken as I walked down Bourke Street, then I decided to go a little closer. So I walked up the first couple of stairs to get a good look at the vibrant gerberas, freshly cut and wrapped to carry away.

Next, my eye was drawn to the lily buds and the graceful manner in which they pointed to all quadrants of the compass.

It could be a long, cold season, but I’ll be doing some maintenance and recovery in the garden at Casa Authorblog, to ensure our own tribute to winter colour.


Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.

Post Haste

A Landmark That Rose From The Ashes

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

One of the many landmarks in graceful Melbourne is the GPO, a neo-Renaissance building that is Heritage listed. On 10 September, 2001, a day before the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, a fire ripped through this historic structure.

Although the blaze caused several million dollars' worth of damage, postal operations resumed the next day in an adjacent building. None of the 200,000 mail items was destroyed, although 600 items awaiting collection by visitors to the city were lost in the blaze and some other items sustained water damage.

But the edifice itself survived, despite the rubble and desolation between its walls. Less than three years later, it reopened in August 2004 - as a highly rated precinct devoted to fashion, shopping and cuisine.

These photographs were taken a few weeks ago. We took overseas visitors into the central business district and of course the trip had to include a quick excursion to the revamped GPO. There are many facets of the building that I find amazing, but these views, of soft floodlights accentuating its graceful lines, tell the simple story of a structure that defied the flames.


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Silver Lining

Up There With The Best

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Last week, just a couple of nights before Christmas, we walked into the GPO and were confronted with an unusual sight. There was a two-man team inflating silver balloons of different shapes and sizes. Each multi-balloon shape was distinct from the other, much in the manner of glistening silver snowflakes.

I asked if there was a specific corporate connection to the designs, but the two men just shook their heads and said they will inflating them (with helium, I suspect) to form huge Christmas decorations against the soaring GPO ceiling.

The ceiling of the historic building would probably be the height of a modern five-storey building or higher.

It was dark outside and I took two shots before I noticed this one in the left-hand corner of the GPO, where it had drifted away from the others. In the late-evening setting, it looked for all the world like one of a set of gigantic, regal chandeliers.


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