The triennial billboard exhibition is upon us.
Not that you needed reminding - or an invitation. We have little choice but to view the entries courtesy the local government elections.
The offerings range from the innocence of fresh-faced newbies - to the multi-termers, whose billboards see sunlight only every three years and a shade dimmer at each incarnation.
Despite politics' pensive nature the grinning faces are ubiquitous. These are happy elections.
Candidates' smiles vary in intensity and include the Cheshire cat, the smirkers and the hinters. I've yet to see a stern face. Which begs the question - isn't politics meant to be serious? What's with the collective whimsy?