NO, not a marijuana crop; it’s the innocent, first glimpse of the 25th  Floriade gently nosing its way out of the frozen ground at Commonwealth Park towards the milky, winter sun. Silas Brown stumbled across these first glimpses during his lunch break (you can go home early tonight, snapper).

There’s a lot turning on these little shoots. A check with the Floriade website and we discovered we are to “Be spring inspired” by this year’s rather nebulous theme, “Style and Design”.

Certainly on message, the Floriade ambassador is veteran frock designer and new mum Leona Edmiston, who has 26 boutiques as well as ranges in Myer and stores in LA, London and Shanghai.

Apros of nothing, smh.com.au reported in April that Edmiston and husband (and business partner) Jeremy Ducker, had twins believed to be named Dusty and Dylan, born in the US via a surrogate mother.

Tax (department) dodging

YOUR taxes at work… a deep throat in the Civic Tax Mahal, says there’s a public servant in an IT enclave, in a funk because he was overlooked for promotion four years ago, who hasn’t done a stroke, like absolutely nothing, since. When work is proffered, he simply declines to do it. This tells us two things, not promoting him was the correct decision and his boss should be demoted for doing nothing about it.

Shiny Apple?

IS this the spot at Belconnen Mall where the new company-owned, shiny Apple store is to be located and open by October? That’s what “CC” has been told by someone, wink, wink, with a deep voice, if not a deep throat, who got it from a horse’s mouth. So it must be true! But we definitely know that Apple is directly seeking staff via an employment website to work in a new store. “CC” wonders what this will mean for the ACT’s long-time, principal Apple reseller Mac 1?

AND on all things shopping: the Canberra Centre is busily clearing an area to accommodate a big shop for international fashion retailer Zara. It’s due to be open by October.

No kidding…

WHICH red-faced local radio announcer, talking to a journalist from the “Queanbeyan Age”, was astonished to discover, alas on air, the other day that James Bond actor George Lazenby spent his teenage years in our neighbouring city? Lazenby, as common folk know, famously took the dashing lead after Sean Connery vacated the movie role. And for the corner of the blotter, it’s also good for broadcasters to note other celebrities from Queanbeyan include F1 racing superstar Mark Webber and rugby union legend David Campese.

It’s the election, stupid

HAPPILY, in our business we get people interested in advertising all the time. However, one publication-free, Canberra industry peak organisation was startled to receive a “Dear Editor” request from Chris Doyle, of the ACT Greens, wanting to place “advertising material into its future publication(s) between now and October 2012”. Oh, come on, Chris, if you’re going to write that “we are a political party and understand that some publications may be unable to accommodate this request”, you can tell them it’s election advertising, too.