I thought I should mention something I like, and that is writing and reading. I really enjoy reading books, but not over and over again. There are so many out there anyway that there is no need. I can get through them quite fast, as long as I have time to read. Each time I read a book I learn something new, go on a new adventure, struggle or journey.

I like writing poetry, not that it’s particularly wonderful but still, sometimes I just need to write. I have written over 200 poems, but that does include some really bad ones-ones that really annoy me if I am asked to say them, or are just plain bad- and ones I wrote ages ago.

I have written three, or should I say, completed three stories and started many others.  Another one I am in the middle of......well I was about a year ago, at least I think I’m in the middle of it. My younger sister likes them, and when I was writing them they seemed interesting, but now they are well ... not so much.

This year I have started to write, well I haven’t started to write, yet, an adventure novel, using the One Year Adventure Novel curriculum (OYAN). I have been structuring and outlining and other stuff like that. Hopefully by the end of the year or maybe next I will have completed it. The curriculum is really good in other ways too; I now can see and appreciate a well written book better.  But it is really!!!!! Hard work. If you thought writing was easy, forget it, it’s NOT! Another thing about OYAN is I enjoy reading all the quotes about writing, there is one per lesson.

 I do three lessons per week and a quiz. The lessons involve watching a DVD lesson, reading “The Compass” which is mostly the same as the DVD, often there will be an exert out of a book in there or I get to read a chapter of “Prisoner Of Zenda”, then I am meant to answer all the questions in, “The Map”(to outline/structure my story).

I recently made some wallpapers with some of the quotes. One of my favourites would be, “Outside a dog, a book is man’s best friend, inside a dog it’s too dark to read.” Groucho Marx. Or “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” William S Maugham.

 Here are the wallpapers.......

I have made two because ones like this could look really stretched or squished on different desk tops, hopefully one of them looks ok.....

But I had heaps of fun making them, the first bird is a Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, the pink one is a Galah and the one in the tree is a Willie Wagtail, and the ones far away can be any bird you want.

and if you didn't know the purple one is called a Butterfly-dot flutterby......

And instead of doing another post I'll add the one I made today (26/4/2013) as well.

Pied Butcherbirds

According to my Simpson and Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia 8^th edition, Pied Butcherbirds should not live down here in NSW; but it seems to me that they actually do. Why? Because I can SEE them here and have taken photos of them, and I have NEVER been to QLD. Using other sources (the Internet) I can see that other people also say the Pied Butcherbird lives around here.

The Adult birds are black and white, while younger birds are brown and white. They look similar to the Magpie Lark and Grey Butcherbird, but can be told apart. A Magpie Lark has a white band running down the side of its face and neck, not a complete hood like the Pied Butcherbirds do, they are also smaller. And the Grey Butcherbird does not have a black “bib” (throat).

The Pied Butcherbird eats; insects, frogs, small mammals, reptiles and bits of bread and stuff we throw out the window for them and the other birds. Sometimes the family (up to about 10 birds) will hunt together, other times they hunt unaccompanied. I often see them hopping around on the grass occasionally darting their beaks at some unknown creature.

They breed only once a year, somewhere between August and December. The dominant female builds a nest, which she and sometimes the other females lay their eggs in. She sits while the “teenage” birds (last year’s babies) and other family members bring food for her. After hatching, the young birds stay in the nest for about four weeks.

The Pied Butcherbird has a very pretty call, which is also very hard to describe, my field guide says it is a, “Lovely, flute like warbling”.

My sister Alice has just started a blog, it's safe.....Unless you have a dislike for Greek, as she is currently learning it and is enjoying that. So it will probably be lurking around there somewhere.....See there v down v I see some!

Check it out, obviously there wont be much on it yet but there will be more coming.

This is her Blog: AliceTangle

Bees Wax Candle Making 

My family and I went over to a friend’s place the other day, they keep bees and we find wild bee hives that need removing for them. They had lots of wax from those hives, so they invited us over for a candle making afternoon.

You will need; Bees Wax, (obviously), something to melt the wax in (It must not be aluminium though-I think), candle wicks, scissors to trim the wicks with, newspaper to cover the table and floor with, masking tape, something spiky (a pen), candle holders to pour the HOT wax into (meaning they must be heatproof), a jug to scoop and pour the wax with and a knife to scrape off all the wax that will harden on the jug.

First melt the wax this may take a while..... So while waiting cover the table and floors with newspaper. Now get your candle holder and put a cross of masking tape over the top and spike a hole in the centre of it. Then thread the wick up through the hole in the middle.You may need to unstick them to do this. Stick together/screw up the bits of masking tape going towards the centre so the wax can be poured without going all over them.  The metal bit (on the bottom of the wick) should rest on the bottom. If you hold the wick down and pull up the tape slightly when you let go the tape (unless you made a massive hole in it) should hold the wick to the bottom.  You can get any others you are going to do ready too.

When the wax is melted, scoop some out and pour a little into the bottom of the candle holder .......... Wait until firm ........... Then, fill up the rest of the candle holder with wax. Be careful not to splash any onto yourself as it is HOT! (Yes I was silly enough to find this out).  Then you will probably have to scrape all the wax that has hardened onto your jug off. Repeat the process till all you wax is gone.

Next we get to do something really, really fun, guess what it is............wait for it, wait for it................ Exactly Wait!

When you have finished waiting and the candle has hardened a bit, the tape can be taken off. Then you will get to wait another twenty four hours for the wax to finish hardening.  After this joyous waiting time, you can enjoy your nice smelling environmentally friendly Bees Wax Candle.

Also I found that apparently the wicks need to be kept trimmed to about 1 cm but not to short! And candles should never be left unattended. 

I also remembered that a while ago I wrote a poem about Crested Pigeons and I've found it, A while ago meaning September last year (17-9-2012).

A Grey Gowned Princess

Crested pigeons strutting up and down

His tail fanned, hers sweeping the ground

Hopping capering tail out fanned

Strutting around he pigeon grand

She pigeon in a feather dress

She is his grey gowned princess

A Wallpaper I made yesterday, from a photo I took earlier this week, and a verse from the proverb I read yesterday. The Birds are Crested Pigeons, some people call them Topknot Pigeons but a Topknot is an entirely different pigeon, it doesn't have the pretty shiny feathers on its wings and had a fluff "knot" of feathers on top and to the back of its head. Not a pointy "crest" like the Crested Pigeon. The Topknot Pigeon is grey with a whiter neck and underside. It lives only along the coast of Australia, while Crested Pigeons live inland too. 

As you might of guessed I enjoy Bird watching. I try to take photos of them and identify and record what sorts of birds live around my place. I also try to learn their calls so I can know what bird is there even though I may not be able to see it. 

If I put out seed on the bird feeder and around it, the Crested Pigeons prefer to eat off the ground rather than up on the bird feeder. I also often see them sitting on the power lines, the male bird will coo and hop up and down fanning out his tail to show off, trying to attract a mate. Sometimes another male will be swooping him at the same time then go and dance on the other side of the female. Male and female birds look the same but they can be told apart by how they act. It is easy to tell when a Crested Pigeon flies past, because their wings make a very distinctive and fairly loud noise. When flying they flap really fast then glide and flap really fast, glide and so on.

I wasn't planing on going on for so long but it appears that I did! O well....Enjoy.

Some photos I took last week

A Butcher-bird

Door-stopper Chickens

You will need: material, sewing machine, thread, scissors, paper triangle shapes, coloured felt for the comb, wattle and feet (if wanted), buttons for eyes, rice and a funnel or stuffing.

If using rice make sure there are bigger seams, otherwise if someone is too rough with the chook it might pop.

First you must chose your material, any cool patterns will do. Then cut out three full triangles and two half triangles, PAY ATTENTION don’t cut the two half triangles facing the same way or else one will be inside out when sewn together. Cut out a small triangle of felt for the beak. Place the two small triangles’ outside faces on the inside with the beak (folded in half and facing in) between the two smaller triangles. Then sew them together. When unfolded it should be about the same size and shape as the “full” triangles. Next sew a full triangle onto one side and another on to the other. Make sure the inside is outside and the outside is inside. So when turned around the seams will be on the inside.

Next comes the eyes, they can be sewn by hand or machine, whatever way you prefer. Cut out the comb. Then –so the seam when turned, is on the inside- sew up the back of the chicken, don't forget to put the comb in there (facing inwards). If you want feet cut them out, they can be separate pieces (chooks) or both together (little chickens). Now sew the bottom triangle on,  leaving a HOLE so the chicken can be turned the right way around and stuffed.

Once turned the right way around (outsides out and insides in) the chicken can be stuffed. You can use rice if you want it for a door-stopper or just heavy, or stuffing if you want it to be soft and cuddly. You can even do a mixture of both! When stuffed, sew up the hole with Ladder stitch, then it is really hard to see. I would suggest not using a knot to start with as they can come undone. I just sew a few times 4+ in the same spot and that will secure the end of the thread.

You can also give the chickens tails, but these are tricky. They can also be stuffed with bean bag balls (takes soooooooo long to do), pasta (lumpy), sand (messy and comes out of very small holes), nice smelling flower things (some people might think they stink), off cuts of fabric (sort of lumpy), and probably there are other things too, like (kindly suggested by my sisters) dirt, books, bread dough, bird seed, chook food (that's what is normally inside them), feathers, rocks and all number of other strange things.

The chickens can also be given names like, Macaroni, Stuffing, Ricey, Dots, Checky or Cyrano, but no matter what you call them they won’t come, but then again they won’t run away either.

 I have been doing a few Practice Drivers Knowledge Tests and have done two without any mistakes. I passed the last five I attempted, but I won't say much about the ones before that. I have read the entire drivers hand book at least once. Less than a month and I can try the real thing, I'm excited and scared and really hope I pass and don't get too stressed on the day. And apparently my mummy is scared too, or so she says.

Now I just drive around our property and when we go canoeing down at the river. Driving at the river is more fun because I can actually drive and not just back somewhere or just park the car in a different spot.

Edit:And here is a link to the Practice DKT

Lovely Flower

You will need; coloured cardboard, heart shaped paper punch/scissors, button, thread, needle, glue and maybe some sticky tape.

Take five sheets of coloured cardboard and cut out some hearts. Place five of them together with the point inwards and glue them to each other. Next chose a button and thread. Holding the button where you want it, make dints where the holes should be, then remove the button and carefully (don’t put a hole in your finger like I did) make the two or four holes needed. Sew the button on; you can use sticky tape to hold the end in place or just use your fingers.

The flower can now be used to decorate a card, scrapbook or anything else you think of!

Tawny Frogmouth

We have two Tawny Frogmouths that sleep in a big gum tree behind our house.  At one time they were nearly always there on the same branch, then it fell down and they moved away for a while. Now they are back again in the same tree. They can be very hard to spot, as they blend in well with the bark. Sometimes at night we can hear them calling. The sound is deep and rhythmic sort of woooo woooo woooo. 

Link to a recording someone made of their sound.

The first time we heard it we thought it was a frog or an alarm of some electric thing like a phone! Then we went outside and eventually spied him in a tree (at first we were looking on the ground for a frog). We watched it. Then we all glanced away for some reason, when we turned again and he was gone! Not a sound not a stirring! He just disappeared into thin air.

The two Tawny Frogmouths are probably a pair and will stay together till one of them dies. They can live to be 12-14 years old. Unlike owls they catch food using their beaks not talons and wait sitting on a tree branch for their food to appear, instead of flying around looking for it. Considering they haven’t all died that must work, so really they are pretty smart birds. Mostly they eat insects (especially moths) and other crawly things like spiders, centipedes and sometimes frogs.

Cool fact: The tawny frogmouth is not actually an owl but classified with kookaburras and kingfishers.