Marching on ANZAC Day!

Well, after 5 months I have finally decided to just get on with it and do another Blog post!

First of all, I'm sorry that this post is five or six days late (can't remember which) but at least I have a reasonable excuse. On Monday night we had returned home from a grand old time at band practice. After eating a delicious dinner and drinking a lovely cup of hot chocolate it wasn't very long before I wasn't feeling very well.
After unsuccessful attempts at trying to go to sleep I had to get up. I stumbled down the stairs, made my way to the 'plastics cupboard' (where our family keeps all the plastic tubs) and started rummaging through it searching for a decently sized bowl. Minutes after I found one, oh.... well never mind... you probably don't really want to know the rest! Talk about timing.

Nearly all of the next day -when I was supposed to be writing this blog post and doing all my schooly stuff- I spent lying on the couch in my uncomfortable misery. As one might expect, it wasn't very fun.

Anyway, I'm feeling much better now (Thank you for asking) so I had better get on with the actual post.


ANZAC Day! Or to be slightly more specific; The ANZAC Day Parade!

Such beautiful horses!

Now, I know ANZAC Day is all about ANZACs; retired and active servicemen in our military and its heritage and contribution to society, but this blog post is written from my perspective of the  day, and how I participated in it.

After four weeks of marching practice (just the Monday nights, not every single day!) -three of which we marched on the spot in the hall and one of marching around the 'Bunnings Warehouse' parking lot after closing time. The actual day came around. The band assembled in a small car park sometime before 10:30 am (when the actual march started, I think) so we could put together our instruments and wrestle with the pesky lyres (if needed to be put together in the first place that is), don  our awesome fancy formal marching hats (I forget what they are called), collect our music and then 'form up' in the car park for one last quick practice before the march.

'Left. Left. Left, right, left.'

After that, we all headed over to the starting point so that we could line up with the veterans, soldiers and various schools and organizations (such as the Red Cross). A bit later, a minute or so after two late people had to hurriedly line up where ever they could and then we were away!

If I remember correctly, we marched in a straight-ish  (as we had to avoid some horsey contributions) line for a while, then we went around a roundabout,  under a bridge and  counter-marched into the SES drive way/ parking lot. We kept playing while the rest of the parade marched by and then "stepped off" (a fancy way to walk out of our marching lines, I think.)

We then crossed the road to the Civic Center and sat down in the waiting chairs to have a quick drink and then watch the ANZAC Day service, playing a piece of music here and there, including the national anthem.

After that, we packed up our instruments and after catching up some friends, we had to walk all the way back to the car. It was a great day (Not to mention the fact that this was the 100th anniversary!) but to be honest I'm glad its over... No more marching practice until next year!

Baby Call Ducks!

Four months and not counting anymore! Why? Because here is another Blog post! Yay!

Anyway, to the point, I finally got my baby call ducks... introducing... Mocha and Latte!

They super friendly and sweet and love a good cuddle. I can't think of any other way to describe them so:

"I love them, they love me, we're a happy family.
I give them great big hugs and they kiss me on the nose. Don't you dare say I don't love those."

Ahem. Anyway, all this affection from these babies is quite tiring considering most of the chicks, ducklings and baby quail we raise usually don't like me very much. Don't get me wrong, I love them heaps! It's just a bit hard to type, or do my school work for that matter, while both ducklings are having a nap in my hands.

They love bouncing. Last night, whenever I needed to step away from the box they were living in to get them something like food or refresh their water, I would have to exit the room backwards. This was so that if they decided to jump out of their box and on to my desk or the floor I would at least be there to put them back in (So far they have both missed the desk and ended up on the floor, the poor things). After a while of watching the babies trying to jump out I ended up having to station a guard to watch and comfort them in my place. Finally, I came up with the (now) obvious solution of giving them a roof. Doh!

In case you were wondering, Call Ducks are basically like the chihuahua's of the duck world, except without the buggy eyes...
Not to mention that the fact that when they are a bit older, these babies will be able to fly. That's why I am 'working so hard' on this imprinting business... and I'll have to remember to clip their wings (Oh, what fun!).

Manu’s Adventures. (Chapter One, Part 2)

Chapter One - Part 2

Maisy poked her head above the canoe’s wall and frowned. She had asked Abigail earlier if she knew of any bug filled spots and naturally, Abigail had voted The Dam as the number one hotspot for bugs.. Maisy, of course, ran full on to The Dam to see all the bugs for herself (and eat them).

If only Abigail had mentioned that the bugs were water bugs... Maisy thought to herself with a touch of annoyance. She watched the little water bugs darting here and there in the water for a few more seconds and then frowned at them one last time before jumping out of the canoe to head back to the land of Backyard.

She carefully climbed down the steep hill and paused, seeing the entrance to the Backyard was blocked. She went around to the not-so-secret opening that went under the Human coop and through to Backyard.  Half way through, Maisy heard Manu’s (“Food!”) call and groaned. 

She appreciated that Manu was looking out for her and all that but she was quite capable of looking after herself, being a good deal taller and faster. She was way faster than Manu who just seemed to ‘shuffle’ around. A small twinkle of satisfaction appeared in her eyes as she remembered how she had once mentioned that innocent little fact to Manu and how he had gotten into a silly little fit of denial. She looked around expecting Manu to pop up at any minute and start lecturing her about safety and list every single predator that wouldn't mind a chicken for a snack and sighed in relief as he didn't appear.

She sat down, deciding that there was no point in going further (just in case she ran into Manu).

It would be so nice…  She thought to herself If Manu would be so kind to mind his own- Is that an ant nest?!  She stood up and half ran, half walked over to the ant nest covered in nice fat juicy ants, Jackpot!  She smiled happily and flapped her wings in excitement.  Bon appetite!

~~~~ 

Manu looked down thoughtfully at the- What did the humans call it again? He stared at the steep hill trying to remember Oh yes…. The Cliffs of instances- No wait… The Cliffs of Insanity!  They had seemed very proud of the name at the time and laughed at each other, but personally, (having not seen movie- The Princess Bride) Manu didn't get it.  “I mean... Why not just name it “Cliff”?”  He muttered under his breath “Or clouds or grass hills… Why name it ‘Cliffs of Insanity’? That makes no sense at all.” He turned around to face the dam and strutted towards it. He jumped up onto the “Jetty Thing” and looked around.  Maisy isn't here either…. I wonder if she is avoiding me... He sat down on the jetty and sighed tiredly. His little booted legs were not very good at this walking-long-distances thing. 

Ta da! New Blog Style!!

You may have noticed that my blog has changed! Or if you did not, have a good look around...

Yes, Zach did it all! Hehehehehehe... He kept complaining about the other one and how it just looked weird and horrible, so I just decided to let him have a go and needless to say, I wasn't disappointed (not one bit) and now, I'm calling them The Lumpy-Dumpy Clouds (he even added a lumpy-dumpy butterfly!) He also suggested that I should rename my blog to "Thoughts in the Lumpy-Dumpy clouds"... Truth be told, I'm thinking about it!

***UPDATE***
Guess what?!
I've found the blog description editor!!!

Manu’s Adventures

Chapter One

Things were at its peak for Manu, he had a safe place to call home, lots of lady friends, food was in abundance and the grass was green. Manu paused to take a deep breath of fresh air and did the best interpretation of a smile his beak could do… Life was great. 

He hopped down from his perch in the “coop” -as the humans called it- and strutted off in search of food. After a few minutes, Manu spied the garden and quickened his pace to reach it faster. He hopped the last few paces and began to scratch the earth in search of grubs and worms. He kept at it for a minute or two and then clucked victoriously as he discovered a fat juicy grub and a worm. 

“Should I share or keep it for myself?” He thought, “I’ll share…  Maybe if I'm lucky, Maisy will be here before the others!” He sighed dreamily. Manu had been trying to win the young hen’s heart ever since she arrived to Buholga but she had often refused him. “Well... Might as well keep trying.”  He reasoned and then began to cluck loudly, “I found food! I found food!” He called “Come on everyone!” he heard the hens running over to him and turned, his heart slowly sank as he realised Maisy was not with them and quickly had to jump out of the way as the stampede came too close.

 He watched as the hens fought over the yummy grub and decided to back away to find something else to munch on. “Or maybe I should look for Maisy… It’s not like her to miss a chance for some food.”

He frowned slightly and puffed up his chest a little “I should go look for her… What if she is in danger?”  Manu still wouldn't acknowledge the fact that he was, indeed, slightly shorter than Maisy and therefore not really in a good position to go “saving” her. He strutted off in the direction of Duck pen to see if she had decided to visit with Amelia Limpy Duck as they seem to have had formed a bond. He reached Duck pen safely enough a flapped his wings to gain the attention of Albert Drake there. 

“Hullo Manu,” Albert waddled over to the wire mesh that separated himself and Manu “Is there anything I can help you with?” He asked curiously as Manu rarely ever visited him let alone talk to him. “Roosters and their air of importance...”  The drake thought to himself, “Stupid chickens…”

“Hello there Albert, I was just wondering if you have seen Maisy anywhere at all.” Manu asked “I found some food and she didn't come.” He added.

Albert did his best impression of an eye-roll “Oh, yes... So I heard.” He replied. It was hard not to hear Manu announcing that he had found food. “Maybe she just wasn't hungry?” Albert added simply. He turned quickly as he heard a rather loud splash and almost had a heart attack when he saw the little fluffy yellow ducklings in the human-made pond. He sighed in relief as he saw Abigail was there watching over them.

Manu looked a little crestfallen as he hadn't thought of that. “Oh... Do you think I should keep looking for her?” He asked.

 Albert looked back down at him and nodded “Oh yes, do keep looking for her.” He replied “I think I last saw her rushing over to get under the big human coop (House). “I would have liked to see if she was alright but I couldn't find an exit.” Albert added.  

“Then I’ll do just that.” Manu replied and then added; ‘Thank you for your assistance Albert.”  Manu then turned and strutted off towards the Human’s coop.

TO BE CONTINUED 

Another Sunshine Award?!

The Sunshine Award again?! What did I do to deserve this?

Rules
1. Thank the person who nominated you and link to their Sunshine award post.
2. Answer the questions they asked you.
3. Nominate other blogger/bloggers.
4. Give them a list of questions.
5. Let them know that they have been nominated.
6. Make a Sunshine Award picture and put it on your post. If you do not wish to make one then at least go back a few blogs and get one that is a good resolution!

1.Thanks

Thank you Clare.
Thank you Zach.

2.Questions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Clare's Questions.

1. How long is a list?
It can be as long as you want it to be.

2. Do you brush your teeth every night?
Hmm. No, some nights I am just too tired and others I forget. But YES I do brush my teeth when I remember.

3. What sound do you really like?
The constant droning of the fridge...
Nah, I really like it when the budgies are tweeting softly and not fighting and squawking at another.

4. If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?
Hmm tricky...

5. What’s one of the strangest things you've ever done?
I think locking myself in a cupboard would win.

6. What do you like least about yourself?
My abilty to not stay focused on one thing at a time.

7. Oranges or mulberry pie?
Mulberry Pie...No, I have never had it, I just despise Oranges.

8. What would you name the autobiography of your life?
Hmm maybe "My Boring Life with a Twist"

10.Have you ever had to fight for your life?
Ehm... Can't say I have, unless I have amnesia.

11.Drawbridge or moat?
Drawbridge WITH a moat would be wonderful!

12.Would you rather be able to fly or read peoples minds?
Fly! I don't think I would want to be able read peoples mind.


13.What are cats for? (In your opinion)
Cats are for hugs and companionship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zach's Questions

1) You have three dogs, and they are all somehow being opposites of each other. What do you name them?
1, 2 and 3

2) You have three dogs, and they are all somehow being exactly the same. What do you name them?
Huey Juey and Luey.

3) You have a choice between 3rd grade math and 5th grade math. What do you choose?
5th Grade maths I remember being challenging but easier to understand than what I currently have and 3rd grade would be too easy so I'll take the 5th grade please!

4) Google + or Facebook?
Both.

5) Jumping Castle or Water  slide
Depends how big it is..

6) Baby goats or Baby sheep
Baby goats!

7) Which type of question do you prefer? (1-3,4-6)
6 because it was too easy

8) You realize that someone is not listening to you at the moment. Do you speak louder, or wait a bit?
Glare at them but wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. I nominate, waitaminute.. There is nobody left! Ah well....






*long sigh*
Done. Done. Done.

~Sarah

The Lights of Home/Are we there yet

So for English today I received a nice poem and I was told to copy it out then answer the questions below. While reading through the poem I noticed something funny about it and wanted to write something slightly similiar.. But first I'll just give you the poem just so you understand what I'm talking about.

THE LIGHTS OF HOME

Pilot, how far from home-

Not far, not far to night,

A flight of spray, a sea-bird's flight,

A flight of tossing foam,

And then the lights of home!

And, yet again, how far

And seems the way so brief

those lights beyond the roaring reef

Were lights of moon and star,

Far, far, none knows how far!

Pilot, how far from home-

The great stars pass away

Before Him as a flight of spray,

Moons as a flight of foam!

I see the lights of home.

By Alfred Noyes

My version:

ARE WE THERE YET

Mother, are we there yet?

No Micheal, we have many miles to go,

why don't you watch a movie or play with your pet yeti,

Don't you want to see the snow?

Are we there yet?

No, I told you we have miles to go. 

Max, why did you bring the goat? I had told you no!

Jeremy! Do not hit your sister.

You are so grounded mister. 

Mother, are we there-

Yes! Oh thank goodness,

I thought I would die before we arrived.

I am so glad we managed to survive!

Yes my children, we are finally there.

Ta da! If you are wondering why it sounds like a song (Well that's what Zach said..) it is because I had been singing 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman' from Frozen in my head while writing it.

Need to get back to work so that is enough blog for today (and perhaps a month). See ya!