a short, stocky man with an anglo concertino. She watched as he made his way to a seat by the window, and quietly took out his concertina. Slowly, methodically, as he warmed up, the talking slowed, crowds gathered, and soon he was warming up the crowd with "the Springtime it Brings on the Shearing".

Meanwhile Hilda Fish was deep in conversation with the Scot - they were debating the indigenous origins of tartan, and its significance in the development of the Napoleonic Empire, among other things.

Magenta was stunned when the man with the concertina stopped playing, and instead of speaking, emitted a number of whistles and twitters. As he warbled and chirruped, a number of birds came and sat around the window sill, chirping, singing and whistling along. He picked up his concertina and played along with them, weaving a song of crimson rosellas, fairy wrens, figbirds and galahs..

Ah, said Jennyo, Jacko's an expert in understanding the bird calls of the bush. And it seems, they're into bush music too..