Delight and impress your guests when you next entertain or for a unique, charming and elegant gift idea. Many different themes to choose from in sets of 6. Australian Botanical series with poetic verse, Murray River series with poetic verse, photograph with personalized verse, just to name a few, or you can choose a subject, design or theme for any occasion or celebration and let "The Poetry Factory" truly personalize your set of poetic placemats. Laminated for protection & mounted onto varnished craft board, beautifully gift boxed & presented. Remember no two sets are ever the same!

 (All photography, exclusively composed verse & original design created by Jemma Lilley © 2007 )

Gnarled gums cling desperately

Lined along her banks 

I am here to witness her proud form

And I give thanks

The Lord, He paints this vision

His Glory right before me

And it fills me now with so much joy

To see now what I see

Turning off the highway just before Yarrawonga

The splendid Murray River steals the scene

Through the eucalypts the breezes whisper secret thoughts

A beauty just thought possible in dreams

Bright sunlight filtered in amongst the gnarled and twisted gums

The fragrance held to ransom all my senses

The exquisite sight before me took my very breath away

A place, which never has possessed pretences

So privileged in the presence of a land so graced by God

This magic place is mine and mine alone

Umbrella'd by the canopy of eucalyptus gums

Now time has come to take the journey home

What words can now describe this scene

A vision of an ancient dream

A mystic presence so it seems

But one can only wonder

A cockatoo averts my eyes

Up into the clear blue skies

Calling to his mate, he cries

And claims the canopies

Al the beauty here before me

The fragrance of the eucalypt trees

Senses filled with sights to please

Emotions now enticed

Beauty to behold I stand beside her sandy shore

Gazing to the distance as she travels ever more

Glistening, jeweled currents swirl and dance their merry way

Skirted by the eucalypts, a breeze through branches sway

I listen very closely to the music all around

Where cockatoos and bird life fill the canopies with sound

The fragrance of the clean fresh air. this view, my senses quiver

The Lord he promised paradise & certainly delivered

I smell the air

I feel her soul

Through breezes on my face

Her subtle

Mystic whispers

As she calls me to this place

Exists, an ancient presence

You can feel it all around

You'll see it in the sky

The water

And the ground

The mighty River Murray

With purpose, never hurries

As she flows along 

Her eucalypt-lined banks

Unique Australian fauna

Ancient wildlife & flora

A precious gift from God

I give my thanks

Personal Testimonial from Toby Fiander

I am writing to thank you for the placemats which you made for
Christmas last year.  As you know, I am a water engineer and I have
worked along the Murray River, something I remember with great
fondness.  The coasters are a beautiful piece of furniture.  They sit
on my table as a reminder of what it means to live in eastern
Australia and to share the national lifeline that is the Murray River.

I can't tell you how much pleasure the placemats bring to me.  Your
photography and poetry is just so evocative.  To sit at my table now
reminds me of the times I have spent along the River in a calm and
transforming way.  They also are a talking point about water and a
great way for me to share something of my life with other people.

I thought I might have to spend more for well-constructed practical
artworks like you create.

Thank you again, Jemma Lilley. 
Toby Fiander
tobyfiander@bigpond.com

 Australian Botanical Themes

Murray River Themes

Australian Nature Themes