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.

Winter Colours

From First Light To Last Light, On The Same Day

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Even in winter, with the late sunrise and early sunset, the Australian skies are still a stunning pallete for artists and photographers alike. At the height of summer, there is enough light in the sky at 5.30 in the morning to take a landscape photograph and the sun only sets around 9pm. Things are a bit different now, in our first week of winter. The sun rises at 7.30and sets just after 5pm.

The first photograph in this post was shot while I stood on a platform at Richmond station. Let me put things in perspective here - I don't have to change trains at Richmond, but if there's a great sky, I get off one train, take some quick shots and then get another train.

And here's a confession. About a week ago, I sat in a train, gritting my teeth while the sky produced a wonderful mix of pastels and bright hues. I seriously considered getting off the train at the next station, sprinting down to the end of the platform, taking some quick shots and then getting back into another carriage. I didn't do it, mainly because the train was fairly crowded, but there is a distinct possibility that this could happen in the very near future.


On the day that I took the shots published with this post, I was captivated by the wisps of gold in the clear sky while I waited at Richmond. In case you're wondering, the prominent advertising billboard just left-of-centre is for Pelaco, a clothing business established in 1906. If you look really carefully, you'll even see the small but distinctive silhouette of a hot-air balloon in the bottom right-hand corner.

These early-morning frames were shot in a five-minute span, and you can see the perceptible changes in the light. Later that evening, I had just got off my train when I noticed a sudden burst of colour in the sky.

There was heavy cloud around, but that in itself is often a great boon because the cloud reflects a wide range of colours in the moments immediately after the sun has set.

So there you have it - a wide range of colours and a perfect encapsulation of an Australian winter day - gold and yellow at the start of the morning and azure, pink and purple at the end of it.

For other participants in Dot’s concept, go to Sky Watch Friday.

Ain't That Just Peachy?

A Photo Sequence Bears Fruit

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Five weeks ago, I posted this photograph (above) of the branches of a fruit tree. I pointed out that it was mid-winter here in Australia, it was peak snow season and I had ice on the car most mornings. But I mentioned that in about four weeks or so, the same fruit tree would be covered in pink blossoms. It was such a stark image that it drew an interesting question from my good friend Rene in Canada. She hesitantly asked me if this image had been digitally enhanced in any way and I pointed out - with a grin, because she is a great mentor - that I never enhance any of my shots. One of my mantras is: ``What you see is exactly what I shoot''. No filters. No gimmicks. Nada.


Then I took this shot (above) last weekend. The same tree. Roughly the same time of day. And more or less the same weather conditions - dull and overcast. It had just rained, too, and there were some beads of moisture on the silhouettes of the branches. But more importantly, you can see the buds and a few scattered flowers.


Finally, I took this shot about three hours ago. Again, the same tree. Once again, it was roughly the same time of day (all three shots were taken between 7.30 am and 8.45 am) and once again, the weather was cloudy and grey. But have a look at the number of blossoms. Just shows you the power of Mother Nature, when you think we've still got two weeks to go until spring.

FOOTNOTE: I thought I'd branch out a bit.

Fall Guise

Who Said Red And Green Don’t Mix?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Denbigh Road in Armadale is not a long street, but it is blessed with stunning foliage at this time of the year. In late fall and early winter, the trees are a riot of colour. I took a couple of long shots of the street a few days ago, but as I was walking back to my car, I noticed this sight. These leaves were – unusually – just ankle-high at the base of a tree.

Cold Comfort

The First Dray Of Winter

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Today is the official start of winter, so I headed downstairs at lunchtime to get some shots to give you an idea of what a beautiful day it is. The gale-force winds of the past 48 hours have vanished and we have mainly blue skies and a crisp day. I had shot about a dozen frames and was about to turn back when I heard the distinctive ``clip-clop'' of horseshoes on asphalt. Nothing like a couple of well groomed Clydesdales (and a Melbourne tram) to give you a picture of a sunny winter day here Down Under. To get an idea of just how sunny it's been, check out the shadow of the horses.

A Rose Is A Rose, Cicero's

From Summer To Winter In 18 Hours

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Yesterday, in the post Weird Weather, Heather, I pointed out that the weather was still like midsummer, instead of being on the brink of winter. But Melbourne's climate is capricious. This morning the weather turned full circle. After a warm, almost tropical night, the temperature slid off the scale and we had some very welcome rain as the cold southerly wind swept in. So even though the roses are still blooming in my garden (above) the story today was very different (below). One thing's for sure - you can never get bored with the weather here.

Weird Weather, Heather

Getting Warmer, Getting Warmer ...

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Two weeks away from the start of winter, but ya could have fooled me. Twenty balmy degrees today. We've got all the windows open - and just look at the summery colours in the sky. This was taken a couple of hours ago. Maybe winter's going to bypass Melbourne this year.