When the words on my computer screen start to play up and I need a break from writing, I often head down to the River Torrens and walk along Linear Park. Just a boomerang throw from the Adelaide CBD, I am suddenly in the bush, bounded by towering gums and golden wattles. Birdsong fills the air and frogs croak in the reeds and rushes, the mesmerising sounds echoing along the banks. Sometimes I hear a kookaburra laugh or see a cheery flock of rainbow lorikeets; there are ibises, pelicans, wood ducks and all kinds of native waterbirds. Occasionally on my travels I spy a ...