a sure sign...

...that Mother's Day is just around the corner.
The Chrysanthemum is Australia's Mother's Day flower of choice because they are fabulously blooming around the second Sunday in May (and here was me thinking it as about the 'mum' in the name...duhh!')

Mum's local shopping centre hosts the 'Country Chrysanthemum Championship' each year and this is serious stuff.
Cascades of flowers, individual blooms in a green bottle and judges with clipboard.
And the winner is? (extra)