Hail Merry

Wasn't It Sunny A Few Minutes Ago?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

On Wednesday evening it was bright and sunny at 4pm - but things had changed drastically in just over an hour, as you can see from this photograph.

They weren't kidding when a wild weather warning was issued for Melbourne that afternoon. I had had just exited off the freeway when the sleet turned to a fierce hailstorm.

This was shot a few seconds after I parked in my driveway, just as dusk turned to night.

Yes, I live in a city with hugely fluctuating weather. On Christmas Day 2006, it was several degrees colder in Melbourne than it was in London or New York - and December is our summer!

And a few years ago, we had snow on Christmas Day, while Victoria was battling bushfires!

Visit TNChick's Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Surprise''.

Hail Merry

Wasn't It Sunny A Few Minutes Ago?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

On Wednesday evening it was bright and sunny at 4pm - but things had changed drastically in just over an hour, as you can see from this photograph.

They weren't kidding when a wild weather warning was issued for Melbourne that afternoon. I had had just exited off the freeway when the sleet turned to a fierce hailstorm.

This was shot a few seconds after I parked in my driveway, just as dusk turned to night.

Yes, I live in a city with hugely fluctuating weather. On Christmas Day 2006, it was several degrees colder in Melbourne than it was in London or New York - and December is our summer!

And a few years ago, we had snow on Christmas Day, while Victoria was battling bushfires!

Visit TNChick's Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Surprise''.

First Of The Winter Buds

Yes, There’s Beauty In Grey Starkness

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot of a weeping cherry branch was taken last weekend, just after we crossed the halfway point of our Australian winter. The isolated leaves, furled tight and crisp, are a stubborn reminder that sometimes not all foliage falls to the ground.

As I lined up the shot and even after I had put the camera away, I resisted the impulse to reach out and touch the leaves, which I imagine would have felt as brittle as centuries-old parchment.

I often get asked just how cold Melbourne gets in winter. It’s colder than Sydney but not as cold as Canberra, where sub-zero nights are par for the course.

But we often get ice on the car and heavy frosts are common as well – which is precisely why I prune my roses later than most people. Why? Because there’s not much sense in subjecting tender new shoots to cruel frost.

But yes, there was a recent snowfall that attracted a lot of attention –because it blanketed Kinglake, one of many areas here that were destroyed by the February bushfires. Maybe it was a special, symbolic reassurance from Nature.

Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

First Of The Winter Buds

Yes, There’s Beauty In Grey Starkness

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot of a weeping cherry branch was taken last weekend, just after we crossed the halfway point of our Australian winter. The isolated leaves, furled tight and crisp, are a stubborn reminder that sometimes not all foliage falls to the ground.

As I lined up the shot and even after I had put the camera away, I resisted the impulse to reach out and touch the leaves, which I imagine would have felt as brittle as centuries-old parchment.

I often get asked just how cold Melbourne gets in winter. It’s colder than Sydney but not as cold as Canberra, where sub-zero nights are par for the course.

But we often get ice on the car and heavy frosts are common as well – which is precisely why I prune my roses later than most people. Why? Because there’s not much sense in subjecting tender new shoots to cruel frost.

But yes, there was a recent snowfall that attracted a lot of attention –because it blanketed Kinglake, one of many areas here that were destroyed by the February bushfires. Maybe it was a special, symbolic reassurance from Nature.

Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.