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This afternoon, while sitting in a building on Northbourne Avenue, Braddon,
feigning interest in a sales presentation by Ennui & Boredom Inc.
(actually we turned up for the luncheon and the cool baseball caps the
extravagant, corporate twits handed out) I gazed through the window into a
big gum tree and saw a Pied Currawong tearing apart a New Holland
Honeyeater with relish - perhaps it had no tomato sauce.
"Look at that!" I murmured to the lady beside me.
"Oh, yuck!" she exclaimed.
"What's happening outside?" the congenial sales-suit inquired. So everyone
craned their necks and watched.
"What's the big black and white bird?" Ms Oh-yuck asked.
"A Pied Currawong."
"So, it's some kind of crow?" says the congenial Mr Sales-suit, feigning a
sudden interest in things ornithological.
"More closely related to a cormorant, I understand," I replied, marshalling
my most academic tones.
"Oh right! OK!" went the general consensus. Nobody argued, nobody
challenged. (snicker, snicker).
Elder Brat, who'd come along too for a free baseball cap, bit her lip and
looked like she was going to have some kind of a fit.
Then, Mr Sales-suit called our attention back to the greatest product to
hit the market since sliced bread or, perhaps modern field guides.
However, we suspect, the latter was well outside his range of expertise.
(snicker, snicker).
John Layton
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