This morning Liquorice followed me to the clothesline as I had washing to hang out to dry. She lay down next to the cloths-basket while I cleaned the line with a damp floorcloth. As I started to peg the washing on the line I became aware that Liquorice was intently watching something in the distance.
We live on a high ridge so the distance goes on for very many miles across a series of valleys.
I continued with my chore but kept looking to see what had captured my little darling’s imagination. After several minutes I saw a ghost-like apparition appear and fade away again. This is what had caught Liquorice’s eye. It re-appeared several more times in different places but essentially in the same direction. Occasionally it became a brief flash of bright light as it moved about. I would estimate that it was three miles or so away. Now I too became curious. Liquorice must have realized what it was before her not so bright human as she then decided to pull the floorcloth from the handle of the trolley that the washing basket sits in and started to play with it. I looked up from my little darling in time to see another flash of white. It was then that I knew what this “ghost” was. A large flock of white Cockatoos was reeling and turning as one, enjoying the still morning air. As individuals they could not be seen at that distance but a couple of hundred flying in formation created the “ghost” effect. Depending on the angle to me that their flighpath took, they would seem to disappear without trace or, at times, produce a brilliant flash of white as the sun reflected from their wings. Had Liquorice not pointed them out to me it I would have missed that sight completely. But by then she was chewing all the moisture from her “new” toy.
Arthur Witten
Liquorice – Hey Dad! Do floor cloths come in other flavors?