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Our adventurous, much travelled Aeronautical Correspondent, Abra , surprised us recently when she fired in another beaut series of arial shots of the far north .
Browsing through them , it was noticed that there appeared to be writing on water in one estuarine frame , see bottom left in above cropped snap.
Well aware of writings on walls being regarded as a sign , portent or warning of doom or misfortune, we wondered if a message on water should be similarly treated.
The photo was put aside for later close inspection and contact with Abra to try and clarify the unusual photograph.
An upside down word appeared to be CONSPIRACY .
The serious attempt to decipher the writing took place in the LIttle Darwin den and involved a magnifying glass , a shaving mirror, even wearing a pair of freshly cleaned reading glasses .
Luckily, a member of the top secret Humpty Doo Decoding Centre ,strategically located near an op shop , was on the premises and offered her expert services .
She called for a mirror , was supplied with the spotty shaving mirror, and placed it up against the photo on the computer screen . Gradually , she read out --- A Conspiracy ... possibly Zone ? No ! ... A Conspiracy of ...Bones ?
Then the penny dropped . Abra is known to read many detective novels , was she reading one when she took all the arty photos , especially the one in question , a view of Cairns ?
A text message was sent to Abra : Are you reading A Conspiracy of Bones by Kathy Reichs ? .The reply was in the affirmative , so the book title was obviously reflected when she took the photograph in the plane .
Our framed picture of Mona Lisa looked down on the decoding scene in the Little Darwin den and she is reported to have giggled when the shaving mirror was used to solve the puzzle . The Humpty Doo decoding specialist, her identity obscured for obvious security reasons, is shown below hunched over the photo on the computer , holding the shaving mirror with her left hand .
