The Magical Things

Mornings mists are magical. They're not to be found in built-up suburbia around houses or on roads, they appearing only on the wilder stretches of bushland and paddock. That’s why they're a magic, a product of the earth yet suspended in the air like a wisp, pure and ethereal. One of the things I enjoy about going flying these cold mornings.

Another is the sunrises, or often, the vivid splashes of colours painted on the clouds before sunrise. These too are ethereal and ephemeral, colours changing as you look at them, so gorgeous and yet intangible. I’ve taken that many photos of the sunrises, yet looking back at them is somehow never boring - the images manage to retain some of the magic.

Of course the kangaroos are another source of enjoyment. Sweet-natured and very shy, they will be observing you with absolute intent long before you can even see them clearly, standing straight up and with the dark shows of their ears perked up and aimed straight at you.

On a few occasions they have been on the sports field when I have arrived, nervously edging along the fence as I walk down. I try not to frighten them, and funnily enough they don’t seem bothered by the planes, only if I approach them too close. In any case, they jump over easily enough - I’ve flown the plane for a short while and then looked around again to see if they were ok to find all four or five of them having silently disappeared...

Then the ducks occupying the duckpond-end which fills up after a few heavy showers. It is amazing how happy these creatures are with a small expanse of water a few inches deep - I find it quite touching. And the herons fly in occasionally as well.

The cattle, large and black moving slowly through the pastures, from the  swampy lowland to the sunny hillock, grazing contentedly. Unlike the shy kangaroos, they are very interested in you - first motionlessly and intently staring, then almost imperceptibly, you realise that one, no that one too, no actually half the herd has started to amble towards you looking expectantly.

Time to get out of there...