Stinky The Cow
Stinky the cow was a proffesional farter,
He was also a pro earthquake starter.
His disgusting farts were a mass,
Of stinky, toxic, putrid green gas.
The flowers and trees for all around,
Were a poor, dead-looking, sickly brown.
But "Ah," sighed Stinky, "If only,
'I had a friend, then I wouldn't be so lonely."
A skunk nearby, digging for food,
Looked up and saw Stinky's depressing mood.
The skunk was good at cheering up,
So he went over to try his luck.
"Hi," he said, "The name's Ace.
'And excuse the pun, but you've got a very long face.
'What happened to make you look like your mother died?"
"Well," Stinky sniffed, then almost cried,
"I'm sick of being lonely all day.
'I need a friend, with whom I can play."
Ace rubbed his chin, and thought a bit.
Suddenly he cried, "Yes, I've got it!
'You could get a job that would pay you money.
'You could work in a butcher's store!" Ace found this very funny.
"Anyway, you'd be doing stuff all day.
'Better still, the company can pay!"
So Stinky did what the skunk had said,
And went to a business that had some smart ideas in it's head.
So now, if you hear something flying across the sky,
And smell an awful stench nearby,
You'll know that Stinky is using his mass,
Of toxic, deadly, putrid green gas,
To fly above the clouds a motorless aeroplane.
And, although Stinky's farts do cause pain,
He actually means well.
The company has got a new name at heart,
It's called: Stinky's Smell!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
My Diamante Poems
Seagulls,
Fit, sleek
Screeching, swooping, diving
Into the foamy waves
Catching, eating, circling
Clever, calculating,
Birds.
Ghosts,
Angry, gruesome,
Swooping, chilling, horrifying,
Creeping along at Witches' Hour,
Plotting, scheming, terrifying,
Transparent, creepy,
Souls
Books,
Blessed, brilliant,
Captivating, holding, amazing,
Pulling you into a whole new world.
Eye opening, jaw dropping, amusing.
Emotional, scary
Belief
Snake,
Poisonous, swift,
Frightening, smelling, chasing,
Swallowing the small bundle of fur and bones.
Devouring, repeating, satisfying,
Scaly, mean,
Reptile
Rain,
Misty, peaceful,
Calming, cooling, drizzling,
Falling down lightly and quietly,
Pattering, drinking, cleaning,
Serene, tranquil,
Soft
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
MY HAIKUS
1) Spring
Winter is now gone,
It's time to live, grow and laugh.
Spring is here at last.
2) Somerville
Somerville, a school.
But it really needs a pool.
Otherwise, it's cool.
3) Bird Poo
Walk beneath a tree.
Look up, bird poos in my eye.
Walk away from tree.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
My story that won me the Writer's Cup last year.
A Peaceful World?
Dr Phil put the last finishing touches to robot number 3013 and said, with an exhausted sigh, “All done!” Before him on the desk, stood a little army of Light bulb statues, each one beautifully unique. This one had fuzzy brown hair, that one had ears like wings. You name an accessory, and it was there! The doctor was incredibly proud of his inventions, but had no idea what to do with them. His first thought was to make them slaves, but that would be an awfully clever invention gone to waste. So, on the back of each programming board, he quietly pressed the button labelled ‘Free Will’ under the heading ‘Jobs’ and pressed the button ‘Whenever The World Needs you Most’ under the heading ‘What Time?’ So, now they were set, Dr Phil only used them to show off to guests. A few were so impressed that they even offered to buy them, but Phil said no every time.
The light-bots were popular, however, until the dreaded flu. It all happened about two weeks later, when an anxious mother hurried into the lab, holding a small toddler - both wailing. The toddler, however, looked more like a toad than anything else - he had bulging eyes, a green complexion, and a croaky voice that filled the room. The poor mother pleaded woefully with the doctor, making all sorts of prices, so Phil said that he would keep the toddler overnight, to see if he could discover the cause. That evening, one could hear the most terrible screams coming from the lab and, if you were brave enough, you would see the doctor in a full surgeon’s suit, bending over the boy, and trying to force water into the tortured human being’s mouth.
The next morning, Phil made a sad phone call to the mother, using as much flowery language as he could. Eventually, the mother drew up in her smart limousine, and climbed out wearing black all over. She seemed too choked up to speak as she entered the house, but as soon as she saw the cold, motionless body lying on the table, she let it all out. Screaming hysterically, she fled the house, crying and cursing the doctor for not finding a cure, and leaving Phil coughing on the doorstep. That cough, however, was the start of some thing very serious, very contagious, and very, very deadly.
More and more people came to the doctor with the “Toad Flu” but with him having it himself, could do nothing but try to force water into their mouths. Then, about a week later, the dreaded day came. The doctor, instead of trying to force water into other people, had other people forcing water into him. On his lab bench he struggled, hanging on a thread between life and death. There was no one to give him a kind word, as they were all down with the flu. With a last choke, all his breath left him and his brilliant mind finally stopped, ending the life of a very great person.
Let us now look at the world population. Around the time when the toddler caught the flu (from eating a tadpole), 40% of the world’s living mammals had been wiped out by the flu, (it’s proper name being the Yourius Deadius Influenza). Then, a little while after the doctor had been left coughing on the doorstep, 70% of the animals (this includes fish, mammals and reptiles) had become extinct. And, finally, by the time Dr Phil had uttered his last choke, 98% of all the remaining animals (this includes most humans) were dead and gone. The remaining 2 %, however, was a marvellous species on a remote island that the Yourius Deadius Influenza would never spread to.
So, there the little army stayed, in the old scientist’s lab, gathering dust and waiting for the time when the world needed them most. Then, about 1000 years later, one tiny figure stirred quietly from it’s blanket of dust. It’s partner next to it muttered in a thick voice “What? Is it time yet?” “No.” said the first one. “It’s…………that.” It raised one spindly arm and pointed at some hazy sun shining through a newly broken window. The two scrawny robots were entranced. But suddenly, they were awoken from their daydream as they heard a scratchy voice sounding like nails being dragged down a chalkboard saying “Wake up, you lazy lumps, you half witted piles of junk, you pointless sluggish layabouts, you!” The first two robots clung to each other and shook. When the scary looking light-bot came towards them, they tried to hide behind each other, but only ended up doing a backwards roll. “Oh, you’re already up.” said the horrible voice. When the two had gathered the courage to look up, they found an old granny-bot staring down at them. Now, you might think of grannies as kind and caring, but whoa, you’re way off the mark for this one. Tough arms, tough legs, gosh, even her hair looked strong! And, as for the eyes………well, there was no explaining it. The closest thing that we could relate it to would be a snake about to devour it’s next meal, but this woman’s eyes could out-stare a snake any day.
“Hmmm, I need to name you two.” the woman cackled. “But, since you were the first up, I might give you the pleasure of naming yourselves. That is, if you can actually find a name!” She swaggered off, laughing. “That was freaky.” whispered the first one. “Yeah.” agreed the second. “Is she related to a snake or something?” “No, she isn’t.” said a melodic voice from behind them. Both the robots turned to see a middle aged light-bot walking towards them. “The scientist who created all of us made her. Probably to set a challenge for us.” “But, that’s so unfair!” spluttered the first one. “Life is full of unfair things.” came the reply. “You just have to get used to it. Now, since you two seem too mind-boggled to find yourselves a name, I may as well give you one. You,” she said, pointing to the first robot “can be Light. And you, you can be Bulb.” “Wow!” exclaimed both, delighted with their new names. “But who’s that?” asked Light, pointing at the retreating figure, harassing others as it went. “That’s Granny Flicker.” said the lady. “Does everybody have a name?” asked Bulb. “Yes.” she said. “Well then, what’s yours?” “Hmmmmm…………….” She pondered this for a while. After a couple minute’s silence, she said “Well, since you asked, I may as well be your something.” “Your something?” came the confused echo. “You know, like Bulb’s-well, Bulb’s something.” “I know!” interrupted Light. “You can be Bulb’s MUM!” “Alright.” Bulb’s Mum replied. So, the little robots, happy with their new names, set off to wake the others - but nicely, of course.
Time passed with that bossy know it all (Granny Flicker), and everyone doing what that bossy know it all (Granny Flicker) told them to do, and everybody doing stuff for that bossy know it all (also known as Granny Flicker). At first, nearly everybody saw no harm in it, apart from Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum. But, gradually, the little army began to mutter among them selves. “Gosh, I really need a good oiling.” complained one, a month later. “But no, she needs it for her hair! I never knew that those little strands could be so delicate!” “Ssshhh, she’ll hear you!” hushed the other one. “She’s got spies everywhere!”
So, now we leave them grumbling and go over to that remote island that I mentioned a couple paragraphs back. We journey to the land of the Zebturdiles, where a Mrs Zebster is trying to convince her son, Zebby, to eat his salad. “No!” whined little Zebby, “I want to have meat tonight!” “But,” his exasperated mother began, “you had meat last night, and the night before that!” Just then, Big Daddy Zeb waddled along, swallowed up Zebby’s dinner, and sat (causing big cracks in the earth). “Now, now then, Zebby,” he said heartily, “time for a bedtime story!” “Ooooh, goody!” squealed the baby, scrambling into his father’s lap. “Tell me my favourite one, daddy, tell me!” he demanded happily. The big Zebturdile took a deep breath and started:
“Once upon a time, there was a little human baby, found in a crate, and washed up on the shore of Zebturdile Island. He was found by the great Granddad Zeb Zeb. Zeb Zeb saw brilliance in the tiny infant, so decided to raise it as his own. He named it Valde Rex Rgis, meaning Great King in Latin. Little Valde Rex grew up fast, and cared for his foster father in turn. And, when the Great Zeb-Zeb finally passed away…” “Valde Rex Rgis became king, and still is now!” squeaked the little youngster, unable to contain his excitement. “Yes,” the great Zebturdile said, bowing his head. “And now it’s time for you to go to bed, my little one.”
Fifty billion miles away, the little light-bots were still working for Granny Flicker. Bulb, Light and Bulbs Mum were fed up, right down to their little feet. So, the three of them, just the three of them, decided to go on an adventure. While Granny Flicker was diverted by her oil (it was missing!) they snuck out the window and into the world beyond.
“Wow!” breathed Bulb. They were looking at a world full of junk, old and decaying. What was originally a happy world, full of bright green, ultramarine blue, and soft dappled sunlight was now a dark, polluted country, full of utter boringness. As the three explorers ventured on, they thought they could hear someone ahead, bashing and crashing away. As they stumbled over an old telephone, Bulb suddenly saw who the noise-maker was. A thin, scrawny but beautiful human girl was rooting around in the junk, and muttering to herself angrily. Light wanted to see who this intruder was, and, as he crept forwards, he accidently stood on a thin twig of metal. Crick! The girl whipped around. “Who’s there?” she asked. She had a clear, carrying voice, and the light-bots winced as it washed over them. Light hurriedly backed away again, but this time tripped over his own feet, making an echoing clang as he smashed against an old oven. This time the girl spotted them. She edged warily towards them, holding a rusty saucepan. “Who are you and what are you doing?” she hissed. Bulb replied in a shaky voice “We’re adventurers and we just wanted to see who was making all that noise.” “You don’t mean any harm?” asked the girl. The threesome shook their heads. “Oh, OK then, good.” the girl said happily. “Now, since you’re small, you can help me look through all this junk. She unnecessarily waved an arm to show mountains of it. “I’m looking for a piece like a wheel, with hand grips on it. I think that ages ago, people used it to steer things.” “Is it grey, and soft, with a squishy bit in the middle?” asked Light innocently, who was sitting on the thing he’d just described. “Yes!” the girl exclaimed, and finally spotting the thing, seized it and crashed off into the tin undergrowth, calling behind her “Come on! You guys are going to be the first people to see this!” They scrambled hurriedly after her, and when they got to a small clearing, found her pointing proudly to a broken down little craft on wheels. “I found this little beauty ages ago, half buried in some rubble. Of course, she was in a much worse state than this, so for the past three months I’ve been shaping her up a bit. I still have a whole lot more to do, but you robots seem very nice, so can you please help?” she was saying. They promised, but the Bulb’s Mum accidently mentioned Granny Flicker. Light and Bulb suddenly remembered in a flash what they were doing -sneaking out of work. They quickly told the girl their names, and where and when to meet next time. Then they ran back to camp, before Granny Flicker found out their absence.
It was a hard life, especially now that Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum realised what Granny Flicker was up to. She was making a robot, exactly like the light-bots in every way, apart from the fact that it was 100 times bigger than a normal one. And Bulb’s Mum, who was the clever one, knew what their terrible leader was waiting for. There was a legend, that electricity (the Spark of Life) would generate anything to life. And all that evil villain was waiting for was a stormy forecast, then she would wait for the lightning, then let her monster take over the world. (Not that there was very much to take over).
The only happy thing about this enslavement was they (the whole army), got a lot of free breaks regularly. Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum used this time to go and visit the girl, her proper name being Valde Regina. The ‘plane’ as Regina called it, was almost finished. Bulb was very good at finding things, Bulb’s Mum was really good at finding a use for them, and Light and Regina were excellent at putting them on the plane. There was just one bit missing - the name. Regina desperately needed some paint, but there was none to be found. However, when the robots returned to Granny Flicker’s workshop, they found that she had big tubs of different coloured paints. Bulb stole one pot of blue paint, one pot of red paint and one pot of varnish.
It was time to paint! The Missile was to be painted a light blue, to blend into the sky. Her name, The Missile, was painted in red. And, last of all, the varnish. After it was dry, the plane looked fabulous, despite its drab surroundings. But then, just to make sure that Granny Flicker’s robot didn’t come to life properly, they opened up the body of the robot in the middle of the night, stole a few cogs, then sealed up the panel again.
Finally, they were ready to go. The three little robots climbed into the boot of the cosy plane. Regina, wearing some goggles that she’d found in Mt Rubble, gave them the thumbs up. They, in turn, returned the gesture. And at last, they were off! It was an absolutely exhilarating experience, from what I could gather. When asked to describe it afterwards, Regina only said “After that, even hovering above the ground was dull. My only wish is to go back up there again.”
So, on The Missile flew, dodging grey clouds, it’s passengers looking up at the sun as if they’d not seen it before. At last, after 3 days of flying, Regina finally spotted a patch of green under a thin cloud. They swooped down silently and landed in a small clearing, looking around in amazement. They could see trees, grass and food galore! Regina was gobsmacked. She had a funny little problem - she never needed to eat. But she didn’t get any stronger, nor weaker. She just grew up slowly. But here were all kinds of fruits - pineapples, bananas, and oranges! All of them stood there, gawping.
Suddenly, six extremely odd creatures burst out from the leafy branches of a bush! “Come.” said one with humungous horns. He had a rough, gravelly voice, which sounded a bit like a horse. When his mouth opened, it revealed a gaping jaw of harsh, jagged teeth. :”Come.” the huge thing repeated. Not wanting to upset them, Regina, Light, Bulb, and Bulb’s Mum followed them, leaving The Missile behind. They walked steadily along a dusty track, with the extraordinary beasts walking in front, behind, and to the side of them. They plodded on for about half an hour, passing (what looked like) wooden tents, but each one as large as an elephant. Eventually, they reached the biggest wooden tent of all, decorated with flowers and leaves. The beasts bowed when they walked through the dark entrance, but the prisoners in front of them felt like they had entered a throne room, bedroom and forest rolled into one. Sitting on a handsomely carved chair at the far end of the ‘Hall’ was a figure, supposedly human, dressed entirely in green. He called out in a mellow voice to the lumbering beast in front, “What have you got there, Big Zeb?” Zeb called out in his husky voice, “Prisoners, sir. Found them in Zeb Zeb’s Clearing.” The prisoners were still slowly walking forwards, with Zeb in front. As a shaft of sunlight caught the man in the face, Regina gasped out loud. He was the most stunning, attractive man she had ever seen. (Not that she had seen many stunningly attractive men in her lifetime). As for him, her beauty outshone everything, even the sun. This was love at first sight. Now, I know that Love at First Sight only exists in fairy tales, but this could be a fairytale, apart from the fact that it is true.
The couple stood staring at one another for a while until Light, who was extremely arrogant, decided to poke the man in the ankle. The result was effective - he fell to the ground. At once, four of his guards rushed to help him. The other two stood over Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum, growling. “Stop!” cried out the young man. “Leave us, please.” The huge creatures reluctantly walked to the entrance, with their backs to the people. “Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself.” he apologised. “I am King Valde Rex Rgis, but you can call me Rex. And, just wondering….how in the world did you get here?” “We flew in an aircraft.” said Regina. “We’ve just escaped from an evil robot, so we’re quite pleased to be here.” “Interesting.” said the king. “And who are you?” Regina said “I’m Valde Regina, this is Bulb, that’s Light, and this is Bulb’s Mum.” “Very pleased to meet you.” said the King. “And now, I’ll get my guards to give you a tour of the camp. It’s actually quite impressive, you know.”
In fact, it was impressive. There was plenty of room on the island and a lot of game. The game was amazing, because some how or other, giraffes, sheep, elephants, rabbits, turtles, zebras, crocodiles, horses, and goats had managed to swim across the water to make this place their habitat. There were also a lot of birds; hawks, eagles and peacocks. Next to see was the Nursery. Full of adorable cooing little baby Zebturdiles, it was a very warm, cosy tent. And last of all, the Hospital of Zebture. This too, was a warm place, but the silence was occasionally broken by the screams of patients, making everybody wince.
Then, they returned to the King’s room. There Regina, or Queen Regina as we should now call her, explained that she and Rex were married! The wedding had happened there and then, as Zebturdiles don’t believe in great big ceremonies. Rex invited the robots and Regina to stay on his island and live a life of luxury. But that didn’t last long, and Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum started to get homesick. They persuaded Regina to take all of them, including Rex, to their country, and meet all their robot friends.
In the end they said yes, and everybody started to get the plane ready, like adding an extra seat and building a roof to keep the passengers cool. At last, they were ready to take off. All the Zebturdiles on the island waved and bid them good luck. And so the journey back home began.
It took another three days, and was still very enjoyable. Rex loved it as well, and he never got bored. At last they saw a familiar mountain looming out of the clouds - it was Mt Rubble! But, as they watched, it started collapsing. Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum gasped in horror-they thought they knew what was creating the chaos. And they turned out to be right.
It was the robot that Granny Flicker had created - but, as they zoomed lower down, they saw that Dr Phil’s old lab had been destroyed. No, Granny Flicker wouldn’t destroy that building, it was too special to her. There was something wrong.
The huge robot was crashing around, demolishing everything in its path. Bulbs Mum spotted Granny Flicker and, pointing vigorously, the plane swooped down and picked her up. They pinned her arms to her sides, and Light started questioning her. “Do you know why the robot is doing this?” was his first enquiry. “No,” came the reply. “I programmed it to do whatever I told it to. The only possible thing that could have gone wrong with it is if someone took or changed around the machinery.” Bulb and Light looked at one another in horror. They had stolen those two cogs, and now it was their fault the thing was destroying practically the whole world.
Suddenly, a light-bot yelled “Look!” Everybody followed the direction of the finger and to their shock, found amazing beasts pounding across the junk filled wasteland. It was the Zebturdiles! As soon as The Missile had flown off, the Zebturdiles had used their turtle and crocodile instincts and were off, racing across the water and having a lot of fun.
“Zebturdiles!” yelled Rex. “CHARGE!” All the robots watched as all 100 of the beasts and hurtled straight at its legs.
Everyone watched as the massive light bulb figure halted and switched off where it stood. Then, with a creaking and a cracking, the great robot fell to earth. After that, it was all a little bit hazy. By some power of Rex’s, all the rubbish was lifted up into the sky, and hurtled into space.
The Zebturdiles swam back to their own island and were left in peace forever. Someone however, needed to put Granny Flicker right. Bulb’s Mum took care of that. On Granny Flickers programming board, the doctor had accidently pressed ‘Bad Temper’ under the heading, ‘Personality’. So, now Bulb’s Mum pressed the button ‘Good Temper’ and instantly Granny Flicker was like all grannies should be - kind and caring. But there was nothing for the robots to do now. What would happen to them? Rex gathered them up in his arms, and took them and Regina up into the clouds with him. There they worked as sort of gods, caring for people and helping them to forget their problems. Eventually, animals and plants who had survived the flu came out of hiding. The world started its timelines again, and now the only proof that this ever happened is that lump of rubbish and junk in space.
Tabetha Adams
Dr Phil put the last finishing touches to robot number 3013 and said, with an exhausted sigh, “All done!” Before him on the desk, stood a little army of Light bulb statues, each one beautifully unique. This one had fuzzy brown hair, that one had ears like wings. You name an accessory, and it was there! The doctor was incredibly proud of his inventions, but had no idea what to do with them. His first thought was to make them slaves, but that would be an awfully clever invention gone to waste. So, on the back of each programming board, he quietly pressed the button labelled ‘Free Will’ under the heading ‘Jobs’ and pressed the button ‘Whenever The World Needs you Most’ under the heading ‘What Time?’ So, now they were set, Dr Phil only used them to show off to guests. A few were so impressed that they even offered to buy them, but Phil said no every time.
The light-bots were popular, however, until the dreaded flu. It all happened about two weeks later, when an anxious mother hurried into the lab, holding a small toddler - both wailing. The toddler, however, looked more like a toad than anything else - he had bulging eyes, a green complexion, and a croaky voice that filled the room. The poor mother pleaded woefully with the doctor, making all sorts of prices, so Phil said that he would keep the toddler overnight, to see if he could discover the cause. That evening, one could hear the most terrible screams coming from the lab and, if you were brave enough, you would see the doctor in a full surgeon’s suit, bending over the boy, and trying to force water into the tortured human being’s mouth.
The next morning, Phil made a sad phone call to the mother, using as much flowery language as he could. Eventually, the mother drew up in her smart limousine, and climbed out wearing black all over. She seemed too choked up to speak as she entered the house, but as soon as she saw the cold, motionless body lying on the table, she let it all out. Screaming hysterically, she fled the house, crying and cursing the doctor for not finding a cure, and leaving Phil coughing on the doorstep. That cough, however, was the start of some thing very serious, very contagious, and very, very deadly.
More and more people came to the doctor with the “Toad Flu” but with him having it himself, could do nothing but try to force water into their mouths. Then, about a week later, the dreaded day came. The doctor, instead of trying to force water into other people, had other people forcing water into him. On his lab bench he struggled, hanging on a thread between life and death. There was no one to give him a kind word, as they were all down with the flu. With a last choke, all his breath left him and his brilliant mind finally stopped, ending the life of a very great person.
Let us now look at the world population. Around the time when the toddler caught the flu (from eating a tadpole), 40% of the world’s living mammals had been wiped out by the flu, (it’s proper name being the Yourius Deadius Influenza). Then, a little while after the doctor had been left coughing on the doorstep, 70% of the animals (this includes fish, mammals and reptiles) had become extinct. And, finally, by the time Dr Phil had uttered his last choke, 98% of all the remaining animals (this includes most humans) were dead and gone. The remaining 2 %, however, was a marvellous species on a remote island that the Yourius Deadius Influenza would never spread to.
So, there the little army stayed, in the old scientist’s lab, gathering dust and waiting for the time when the world needed them most. Then, about 1000 years later, one tiny figure stirred quietly from it’s blanket of dust. It’s partner next to it muttered in a thick voice “What? Is it time yet?” “No.” said the first one. “It’s…………that.” It raised one spindly arm and pointed at some hazy sun shining through a newly broken window. The two scrawny robots were entranced. But suddenly, they were awoken from their daydream as they heard a scratchy voice sounding like nails being dragged down a chalkboard saying “Wake up, you lazy lumps, you half witted piles of junk, you pointless sluggish layabouts, you!” The first two robots clung to each other and shook. When the scary looking light-bot came towards them, they tried to hide behind each other, but only ended up doing a backwards roll. “Oh, you’re already up.” said the horrible voice. When the two had gathered the courage to look up, they found an old granny-bot staring down at them. Now, you might think of grannies as kind and caring, but whoa, you’re way off the mark for this one. Tough arms, tough legs, gosh, even her hair looked strong! And, as for the eyes………well, there was no explaining it. The closest thing that we could relate it to would be a snake about to devour it’s next meal, but this woman’s eyes could out-stare a snake any day.
“Hmmm, I need to name you two.” the woman cackled. “But, since you were the first up, I might give you the pleasure of naming yourselves. That is, if you can actually find a name!” She swaggered off, laughing. “That was freaky.” whispered the first one. “Yeah.” agreed the second. “Is she related to a snake or something?” “No, she isn’t.” said a melodic voice from behind them. Both the robots turned to see a middle aged light-bot walking towards them. “The scientist who created all of us made her. Probably to set a challenge for us.” “But, that’s so unfair!” spluttered the first one. “Life is full of unfair things.” came the reply. “You just have to get used to it. Now, since you two seem too mind-boggled to find yourselves a name, I may as well give you one. You,” she said, pointing to the first robot “can be Light. And you, you can be Bulb.” “Wow!” exclaimed both, delighted with their new names. “But who’s that?” asked Light, pointing at the retreating figure, harassing others as it went. “That’s Granny Flicker.” said the lady. “Does everybody have a name?” asked Bulb. “Yes.” she said. “Well then, what’s yours?” “Hmmmmm…………….” She pondered this for a while. After a couple minute’s silence, she said “Well, since you asked, I may as well be your something.” “Your something?” came the confused echo. “You know, like Bulb’s-well, Bulb’s something.” “I know!” interrupted Light. “You can be Bulb’s MUM!” “Alright.” Bulb’s Mum replied. So, the little robots, happy with their new names, set off to wake the others - but nicely, of course.
Time passed with that bossy know it all (Granny Flicker), and everyone doing what that bossy know it all (Granny Flicker) told them to do, and everybody doing stuff for that bossy know it all (also known as Granny Flicker). At first, nearly everybody saw no harm in it, apart from Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum. But, gradually, the little army began to mutter among them selves. “Gosh, I really need a good oiling.” complained one, a month later. “But no, she needs it for her hair! I never knew that those little strands could be so delicate!” “Ssshhh, she’ll hear you!” hushed the other one. “She’s got spies everywhere!”
So, now we leave them grumbling and go over to that remote island that I mentioned a couple paragraphs back. We journey to the land of the Zebturdiles, where a Mrs Zebster is trying to convince her son, Zebby, to eat his salad. “No!” whined little Zebby, “I want to have meat tonight!” “But,” his exasperated mother began, “you had meat last night, and the night before that!” Just then, Big Daddy Zeb waddled along, swallowed up Zebby’s dinner, and sat (causing big cracks in the earth). “Now, now then, Zebby,” he said heartily, “time for a bedtime story!” “Ooooh, goody!” squealed the baby, scrambling into his father’s lap. “Tell me my favourite one, daddy, tell me!” he demanded happily. The big Zebturdile took a deep breath and started:
“Once upon a time, there was a little human baby, found in a crate, and washed up on the shore of Zebturdile Island. He was found by the great Granddad Zeb Zeb. Zeb Zeb saw brilliance in the tiny infant, so decided to raise it as his own. He named it Valde Rex Rgis, meaning Great King in Latin. Little Valde Rex grew up fast, and cared for his foster father in turn. And, when the Great Zeb-Zeb finally passed away…” “Valde Rex Rgis became king, and still is now!” squeaked the little youngster, unable to contain his excitement. “Yes,” the great Zebturdile said, bowing his head. “And now it’s time for you to go to bed, my little one.”
Fifty billion miles away, the little light-bots were still working for Granny Flicker. Bulb, Light and Bulbs Mum were fed up, right down to their little feet. So, the three of them, just the three of them, decided to go on an adventure. While Granny Flicker was diverted by her oil (it was missing!) they snuck out the window and into the world beyond.
“Wow!” breathed Bulb. They were looking at a world full of junk, old and decaying. What was originally a happy world, full of bright green, ultramarine blue, and soft dappled sunlight was now a dark, polluted country, full of utter boringness. As the three explorers ventured on, they thought they could hear someone ahead, bashing and crashing away. As they stumbled over an old telephone, Bulb suddenly saw who the noise-maker was. A thin, scrawny but beautiful human girl was rooting around in the junk, and muttering to herself angrily. Light wanted to see who this intruder was, and, as he crept forwards, he accidently stood on a thin twig of metal. Crick! The girl whipped around. “Who’s there?” she asked. She had a clear, carrying voice, and the light-bots winced as it washed over them. Light hurriedly backed away again, but this time tripped over his own feet, making an echoing clang as he smashed against an old oven. This time the girl spotted them. She edged warily towards them, holding a rusty saucepan. “Who are you and what are you doing?” she hissed. Bulb replied in a shaky voice “We’re adventurers and we just wanted to see who was making all that noise.” “You don’t mean any harm?” asked the girl. The threesome shook their heads. “Oh, OK then, good.” the girl said happily. “Now, since you’re small, you can help me look through all this junk. She unnecessarily waved an arm to show mountains of it. “I’m looking for a piece like a wheel, with hand grips on it. I think that ages ago, people used it to steer things.” “Is it grey, and soft, with a squishy bit in the middle?” asked Light innocently, who was sitting on the thing he’d just described. “Yes!” the girl exclaimed, and finally spotting the thing, seized it and crashed off into the tin undergrowth, calling behind her “Come on! You guys are going to be the first people to see this!” They scrambled hurriedly after her, and when they got to a small clearing, found her pointing proudly to a broken down little craft on wheels. “I found this little beauty ages ago, half buried in some rubble. Of course, she was in a much worse state than this, so for the past three months I’ve been shaping her up a bit. I still have a whole lot more to do, but you robots seem very nice, so can you please help?” she was saying. They promised, but the Bulb’s Mum accidently mentioned Granny Flicker. Light and Bulb suddenly remembered in a flash what they were doing -sneaking out of work. They quickly told the girl their names, and where and when to meet next time. Then they ran back to camp, before Granny Flicker found out their absence.
It was a hard life, especially now that Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum realised what Granny Flicker was up to. She was making a robot, exactly like the light-bots in every way, apart from the fact that it was 100 times bigger than a normal one. And Bulb’s Mum, who was the clever one, knew what their terrible leader was waiting for. There was a legend, that electricity (the Spark of Life) would generate anything to life. And all that evil villain was waiting for was a stormy forecast, then she would wait for the lightning, then let her monster take over the world. (Not that there was very much to take over).
The only happy thing about this enslavement was they (the whole army), got a lot of free breaks regularly. Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum used this time to go and visit the girl, her proper name being Valde Regina. The ‘plane’ as Regina called it, was almost finished. Bulb was very good at finding things, Bulb’s Mum was really good at finding a use for them, and Light and Regina were excellent at putting them on the plane. There was just one bit missing - the name. Regina desperately needed some paint, but there was none to be found. However, when the robots returned to Granny Flicker’s workshop, they found that she had big tubs of different coloured paints. Bulb stole one pot of blue paint, one pot of red paint and one pot of varnish.
It was time to paint! The Missile was to be painted a light blue, to blend into the sky. Her name, The Missile, was painted in red. And, last of all, the varnish. After it was dry, the plane looked fabulous, despite its drab surroundings. But then, just to make sure that Granny Flicker’s robot didn’t come to life properly, they opened up the body of the robot in the middle of the night, stole a few cogs, then sealed up the panel again.
Finally, they were ready to go. The three little robots climbed into the boot of the cosy plane. Regina, wearing some goggles that she’d found in Mt Rubble, gave them the thumbs up. They, in turn, returned the gesture. And at last, they were off! It was an absolutely exhilarating experience, from what I could gather. When asked to describe it afterwards, Regina only said “After that, even hovering above the ground was dull. My only wish is to go back up there again.”
So, on The Missile flew, dodging grey clouds, it’s passengers looking up at the sun as if they’d not seen it before. At last, after 3 days of flying, Regina finally spotted a patch of green under a thin cloud. They swooped down silently and landed in a small clearing, looking around in amazement. They could see trees, grass and food galore! Regina was gobsmacked. She had a funny little problem - she never needed to eat. But she didn’t get any stronger, nor weaker. She just grew up slowly. But here were all kinds of fruits - pineapples, bananas, and oranges! All of them stood there, gawping.
Suddenly, six extremely odd creatures burst out from the leafy branches of a bush! “Come.” said one with humungous horns. He had a rough, gravelly voice, which sounded a bit like a horse. When his mouth opened, it revealed a gaping jaw of harsh, jagged teeth. :”Come.” the huge thing repeated. Not wanting to upset them, Regina, Light, Bulb, and Bulb’s Mum followed them, leaving The Missile behind. They walked steadily along a dusty track, with the extraordinary beasts walking in front, behind, and to the side of them. They plodded on for about half an hour, passing (what looked like) wooden tents, but each one as large as an elephant. Eventually, they reached the biggest wooden tent of all, decorated with flowers and leaves. The beasts bowed when they walked through the dark entrance, but the prisoners in front of them felt like they had entered a throne room, bedroom and forest rolled into one. Sitting on a handsomely carved chair at the far end of the ‘Hall’ was a figure, supposedly human, dressed entirely in green. He called out in a mellow voice to the lumbering beast in front, “What have you got there, Big Zeb?” Zeb called out in his husky voice, “Prisoners, sir. Found them in Zeb Zeb’s Clearing.” The prisoners were still slowly walking forwards, with Zeb in front. As a shaft of sunlight caught the man in the face, Regina gasped out loud. He was the most stunning, attractive man she had ever seen. (Not that she had seen many stunningly attractive men in her lifetime). As for him, her beauty outshone everything, even the sun. This was love at first sight. Now, I know that Love at First Sight only exists in fairy tales, but this could be a fairytale, apart from the fact that it is true.
The couple stood staring at one another for a while until Light, who was extremely arrogant, decided to poke the man in the ankle. The result was effective - he fell to the ground. At once, four of his guards rushed to help him. The other two stood over Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum, growling. “Stop!” cried out the young man. “Leave us, please.” The huge creatures reluctantly walked to the entrance, with their backs to the people. “Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself.” he apologised. “I am King Valde Rex Rgis, but you can call me Rex. And, just wondering….how in the world did you get here?” “We flew in an aircraft.” said Regina. “We’ve just escaped from an evil robot, so we’re quite pleased to be here.” “Interesting.” said the king. “And who are you?” Regina said “I’m Valde Regina, this is Bulb, that’s Light, and this is Bulb’s Mum.” “Very pleased to meet you.” said the King. “And now, I’ll get my guards to give you a tour of the camp. It’s actually quite impressive, you know.”
In fact, it was impressive. There was plenty of room on the island and a lot of game. The game was amazing, because some how or other, giraffes, sheep, elephants, rabbits, turtles, zebras, crocodiles, horses, and goats had managed to swim across the water to make this place their habitat. There were also a lot of birds; hawks, eagles and peacocks. Next to see was the Nursery. Full of adorable cooing little baby Zebturdiles, it was a very warm, cosy tent. And last of all, the Hospital of Zebture. This too, was a warm place, but the silence was occasionally broken by the screams of patients, making everybody wince.
Then, they returned to the King’s room. There Regina, or Queen Regina as we should now call her, explained that she and Rex were married! The wedding had happened there and then, as Zebturdiles don’t believe in great big ceremonies. Rex invited the robots and Regina to stay on his island and live a life of luxury. But that didn’t last long, and Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum started to get homesick. They persuaded Regina to take all of them, including Rex, to their country, and meet all their robot friends.
In the end they said yes, and everybody started to get the plane ready, like adding an extra seat and building a roof to keep the passengers cool. At last, they were ready to take off. All the Zebturdiles on the island waved and bid them good luck. And so the journey back home began.
It took another three days, and was still very enjoyable. Rex loved it as well, and he never got bored. At last they saw a familiar mountain looming out of the clouds - it was Mt Rubble! But, as they watched, it started collapsing. Bulb, Light, and Bulb’s Mum gasped in horror-they thought they knew what was creating the chaos. And they turned out to be right.
It was the robot that Granny Flicker had created - but, as they zoomed lower down, they saw that Dr Phil’s old lab had been destroyed. No, Granny Flicker wouldn’t destroy that building, it was too special to her. There was something wrong.
The huge robot was crashing around, demolishing everything in its path. Bulbs Mum spotted Granny Flicker and, pointing vigorously, the plane swooped down and picked her up. They pinned her arms to her sides, and Light started questioning her. “Do you know why the robot is doing this?” was his first enquiry. “No,” came the reply. “I programmed it to do whatever I told it to. The only possible thing that could have gone wrong with it is if someone took or changed around the machinery.” Bulb and Light looked at one another in horror. They had stolen those two cogs, and now it was their fault the thing was destroying practically the whole world.
Suddenly, a light-bot yelled “Look!” Everybody followed the direction of the finger and to their shock, found amazing beasts pounding across the junk filled wasteland. It was the Zebturdiles! As soon as The Missile had flown off, the Zebturdiles had used their turtle and crocodile instincts and were off, racing across the water and having a lot of fun.
“Zebturdiles!” yelled Rex. “CHARGE!” All the robots watched as all 100 of the beasts and hurtled straight at its legs.
Everyone watched as the massive light bulb figure halted and switched off where it stood. Then, with a creaking and a cracking, the great robot fell to earth. After that, it was all a little bit hazy. By some power of Rex’s, all the rubbish was lifted up into the sky, and hurtled into space.
The Zebturdiles swam back to their own island and were left in peace forever. Someone however, needed to put Granny Flicker right. Bulb’s Mum took care of that. On Granny Flickers programming board, the doctor had accidently pressed ‘Bad Temper’ under the heading, ‘Personality’. So, now Bulb’s Mum pressed the button ‘Good Temper’ and instantly Granny Flicker was like all grannies should be - kind and caring. But there was nothing for the robots to do now. What would happen to them? Rex gathered them up in his arms, and took them and Regina up into the clouds with him. There they worked as sort of gods, caring for people and helping them to forget their problems. Eventually, animals and plants who had survived the flu came out of hiding. The world started its timelines again, and now the only proof that this ever happened is that lump of rubbish and junk in space.
Tabetha Adams
Monday, July 26, 2010
Animals: What Am I?
I live in different habitats around the world,. Some of these include the rainforest, marshland, woodlands, swamps, savannahs, and even mountains and deserts. I am about the size of a wolf, and am known for my vevety fur. I star in The Jungle Book as Bagheera. What am I?
I am the worlds fastest sprinter, and can outrun a car quite easily. I am the only cat that can't retract my claws. I generally live in the southwestern African Nambia Desert. I am complemented on my beautiful skin. What am I?
I am an animal usually used as a pet, but are known as pests in most countries and are a danger to natural and endangered wildlife. I helped to spread the Plague (along with the fleas on my back), and can come in many colours. I am a rodent, and I am a bit bigger than a mouse. What am I?
I am the worlds fastest sprinter, and can outrun a car quite easily. I am the only cat that can't retract my claws. I generally live in the southwestern African Nambia Desert. I am complemented on my beautiful skin. What am I?
I am an animal usually used as a pet, but are known as pests in most countries and are a danger to natural and endangered wildlife. I helped to spread the Plague (along with the fleas on my back), and can come in many colours. I am a rodent, and I am a bit bigger than a mouse. What am I?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
My Gingerbread Recipe
GINGERBREAD
INGREDIENTS UTENSILS
-1 cup brown sugar -Bowl
-90g butter, diced -Oven
-2 cups plain flour -Spoon
-2 tbsp ground ginger -Stove
-1/2 tsp baking powder -Pot
-3 tbsp icing sugar -Gingerbread shapes
-A few drops of lemon juice -Baking sheets
-Lemon zest/rind
METHOD
-Over a low heat, warm the sugar, honey, and lemon rind until all the sugar has dissolved.
-Whilst still over the heat, add the butter and stir until it melts.
-Take the pan off the heat and add sifted flour, baking powder & ground ginger
-Mix to a stiff dough (adding mmore flour if the dough is not sticking together), & roll out thinly on a floured surface.
-Cut into shapes and put onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes at 150 degrees celcius.
ENJOY!!!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
My Camp Recount
On Monday morning, on the 3rd of May, I woke up early, unfortunately, by my mum. My first thought was, “What the heck?” But then I remembered it was the day that we went to Camp Motutapu! It was my class, Room 28, and Sligo that was catching the ferry at 9.00am. I had packed my suitcase and day bag the night before, so I was all set.
My nanny, Tamsyn, drove me to the harbour. When I got there, I was given to job of ticking off everybody who had arrived in Room 28. We had to sit around for 45 minutes anyway, so it was good to have something to do.
When the ferry finally arrived, I was cold, tired and hungry already. The ferry ride was alright, as I sat with Greer, Grace, and Greer’s dad, Mike. When we got off the ferry, we were pretty much abandoned on the island. The teachers gave us a little bit of time to know our groups. I was with Greer, Amber, Abbygail, Fergus, Mitch, Sam and Keanu. Our group parent was Mike.
When we got started, we had a 6.5 km walk to do. It was very tiring, and took 2 hours! Luckily, there was a little grassy area where we could stop and eat our lunch. While we were eating, I realises that we were in Motutapu! Because not 2 metres away from the clearing, there was a 1 metre bridge that connected Rangitoto and Motutapu and apparently was the smallest bridge in the world.
An hour later, as we were walking down a really steep hill, Greer and I saw a gate in the distance. One of the parents told us that it was the half-way mark (as a joke), but it wasn’t. We were finally there!
After a short meeting on the decks, we set off to find our suitcases and get a bed. That was harder than it sounded! Half of Room 28’s suitcases were in another class’ lines, so it was a major struggle. Also, when you got in the dorms, everywhere in the front room was taken. That was a good thing, however, because at the back of the dorm, there were bunk beds in mini rooms. I was in a snug room with Abby, Amber and Greer. We were in Dorm 4.
Once we were all sorted, it was time to go to our first activity. Ours was Orienteering. It was a bit annoying, because we didn’t really know the place, and they were sending us out to go and look for stuff in it. Our second activity was Sailing. The wetsuits were very uncomfortable and sore. In the boat, I went in with Greer. We nose-dived so much that our boat wasn’t a boat as much as a floating swimming pool. So, it had to happen. And it did. I was leaning the wrong way, and we were both screaming as we capsized. It was terribly cold when we were in the water, but now it seems funny. Eventually we were dragged back in, but that didn’t stop us shivering. I helped out in the boat shed, but only because I wanted a shower.
Dinner was nachos, which wasn’t very good as they only gave you little portions. Our night time activity was hall activities. Matt, a cool guy, was taking it. The games were alright, but the last one was the best. It was called clothes line. We were divided into four groups, and troll would call out a number of clothing items. Whichever group brought them to him first were the winners. Our group was the winner in the last round because troll called out a pair of boxers and other stuff. Only Fergus was brave enough to take them off!
We got to bed quite late, and the camp woke us up really early, so we were very tired. Breakfast was OK, and after that it was raft building. Once again, we had to put on those disgusting wetsuits. Us – Group D – was competing against Group C. We lolled around doing nothing for a bit, watching them work, then just copied their tactics. Ours was better than theirs because the ropes were tighter. Theirs literally fell apart in the water. We won!
The second activity was rock climbing. It was quite good to have the idea to find the Magnet Man/Woman. I did the easy one. On the first try, I only got halfway. On the second try, I go three quarters up. On the third try, I got to the top and moved the Magnet Man! I was so proud!
Lunch was garlic bread and other nice stuff. After that was the confidence course. There was one activity that was really easy. It was to lift fellow members through a net. One had to go through the very top, two had to go through the middle hole, and any number could go through the bottom. On activity turned out to be really fun and that was the wooden disk one. We were suppose to be placing them up a hill, but they slid down so well, we abandoned that idea and went sledding instead!
Out last activity for the day was kayaking. Once again, on went the disgusting wetsuits. There weren’t enough kayaks to go around, so Group C went out first, while Group D started playing on the beach. Fergus and Mitch went exploring through the rock pools and thought that they had found a live crab. When I picked it up though, I found out that it was dead.
We had to go back to the kayaks, and when Group C was done, we had our turn. It was OK, apart from the water being really cold.
Dinner was sticky chicken and other vegetables. My team and I were serving. That was fun, but you get really hungry. Desert was ice cream, wafers and banana. I served that as well. Since I was one of the last ones to get my meals, I was a little late to the meeting for the night activities. Tonight we were doing Spotlight. I found some really good hiding spaces, and copied my friend’s hiding places quite a few times. Kyle G found this really good hiding spot beside this house. It took ages for the parents to find us. We got to bed late, but not as late as the night before.
We still woke up at the same time, though. We were woken up by a trumpet and someone calling “DORM INSPECTION!” I was so caught up in tidying up my space that I didn’t realise that it was my birthday. Until breakfast, that is. I was ordered to stand on my chair, while my class and Sligo sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me. Mr. C gave me a card and a block of caramello chocolate.
Once the embarrassment (breakfast) was over, it was time for my group and I to go to the first activity of the day: High Ropes. I was second to do the beam one, and I was absolutely terrified. I took about half and hour to do it. Three thirds of that time was me hanging onto a pole and wishing for my mum. I got down eventually, though, and felt proud of myself even though I knew that I had done the worst. Our second activity was the Gun Walk. It certainly was a walk! The most interesting thing was the cows and the vast amount of bugs that I never know could live in concrete caverns.
Lunch was Hot Dogs. After that, it was archery. Grace in Group C got a bulls eye on her first try. At the end when we had a competition, my group of random people and I tied with the highest score of 14.
Our last activity was survivor. It was probably the most fun I’d ever had. We were the yellow team. The red team was called Whykickamoocow. We weren’t called anything. The hardest activity was probably the one where you had to hook a bucket and lift it over to another tree stump. The easiest was probably climbing over this tyre wall. We won, in the end.
Dinner that night was spag bog. They still gave you tiny portions and that was really annoying. Desert was jelly and fruit salad.
Our night activity was the Burma trail. I got a bit bored and disgusted towards the end. The mustard that they sprayed at us was beginning to smell. I was glad I wasn’t at the front!
The next morning we had another dorm inspection. Annoying~! Today was electives day. I had chosen high ropes, the flying fox and rock climbing.
High ropes also included the flying kiwi. If I could do it again I would. I loved the sensation of flying into the air. There was also a screaming contest. I came first, Greer came second and this girl called Kayla came third. The flying kiwi was a long rope hooked over the top of a wire spreading from one post to another. A person was clipped onto one end of the long rope, and about twenty people pulled the other end. The person clipped on went soaring into the air.
My second activity was the flying fox. It wasn’t very nice, as I hit the freezing water and it was deep! I only had one go. My last activity was rock climbing and abseiling. Abseiling was terrible. I got to the top, took one look at the distance below, and completely chickened out. I went straight back down the ladder again. I got to the top of the rock climbing wall again, though.
After that, we had some time for the contestants to practice for the talent show. I spent it reading. Dinner was toast beef and vegetables.
Instead of the night time activity, we had the talent show. It was awesome! My favourite act was when Mr. Glogoski and Mr. Peat put on a puppet show. I especially liked it when Archie (Mr. Peat) said that the dirty duckpond was full of ****! Third prize went to this couple that danced together, second prize went to a girl singing and first prize went to a play called ‘America’s Next Top Model’’.
As I went to bed, I couldn’t believe that so much had happened in the last few days.
When we woke up in the morning I couldn’t believe that we were leaving already. After we packed, we had a quick breakfast and then we were off! The walk seemed shorter than it had been the first time. This time, on the ferry, Greer and I sat on the top. It was really cool! When we landed, I spotted my Mum and we went home. I couldn’t wait for my presents!
THE END
My nanny, Tamsyn, drove me to the harbour. When I got there, I was given to job of ticking off everybody who had arrived in Room 28. We had to sit around for 45 minutes anyway, so it was good to have something to do.
When the ferry finally arrived, I was cold, tired and hungry already. The ferry ride was alright, as I sat with Greer, Grace, and Greer’s dad, Mike. When we got off the ferry, we were pretty much abandoned on the island. The teachers gave us a little bit of time to know our groups. I was with Greer, Amber, Abbygail, Fergus, Mitch, Sam and Keanu. Our group parent was Mike.
When we got started, we had a 6.5 km walk to do. It was very tiring, and took 2 hours! Luckily, there was a little grassy area where we could stop and eat our lunch. While we were eating, I realises that we were in Motutapu! Because not 2 metres away from the clearing, there was a 1 metre bridge that connected Rangitoto and Motutapu and apparently was the smallest bridge in the world.
An hour later, as we were walking down a really steep hill, Greer and I saw a gate in the distance. One of the parents told us that it was the half-way mark (as a joke), but it wasn’t. We were finally there!
After a short meeting on the decks, we set off to find our suitcases and get a bed. That was harder than it sounded! Half of Room 28’s suitcases were in another class’ lines, so it was a major struggle. Also, when you got in the dorms, everywhere in the front room was taken. That was a good thing, however, because at the back of the dorm, there were bunk beds in mini rooms. I was in a snug room with Abby, Amber and Greer. We were in Dorm 4.
Once we were all sorted, it was time to go to our first activity. Ours was Orienteering. It was a bit annoying, because we didn’t really know the place, and they were sending us out to go and look for stuff in it. Our second activity was Sailing. The wetsuits were very uncomfortable and sore. In the boat, I went in with Greer. We nose-dived so much that our boat wasn’t a boat as much as a floating swimming pool. So, it had to happen. And it did. I was leaning the wrong way, and we were both screaming as we capsized. It was terribly cold when we were in the water, but now it seems funny. Eventually we were dragged back in, but that didn’t stop us shivering. I helped out in the boat shed, but only because I wanted a shower.
Dinner was nachos, which wasn’t very good as they only gave you little portions. Our night time activity was hall activities. Matt, a cool guy, was taking it. The games were alright, but the last one was the best. It was called clothes line. We were divided into four groups, and troll would call out a number of clothing items. Whichever group brought them to him first were the winners. Our group was the winner in the last round because troll called out a pair of boxers and other stuff. Only Fergus was brave enough to take them off!
We got to bed quite late, and the camp woke us up really early, so we were very tired. Breakfast was OK, and after that it was raft building. Once again, we had to put on those disgusting wetsuits. Us – Group D – was competing against Group C. We lolled around doing nothing for a bit, watching them work, then just copied their tactics. Ours was better than theirs because the ropes were tighter. Theirs literally fell apart in the water. We won!
The second activity was rock climbing. It was quite good to have the idea to find the Magnet Man/Woman. I did the easy one. On the first try, I only got halfway. On the second try, I go three quarters up. On the third try, I got to the top and moved the Magnet Man! I was so proud!
Lunch was garlic bread and other nice stuff. After that was the confidence course. There was one activity that was really easy. It was to lift fellow members through a net. One had to go through the very top, two had to go through the middle hole, and any number could go through the bottom. On activity turned out to be really fun and that was the wooden disk one. We were suppose to be placing them up a hill, but they slid down so well, we abandoned that idea and went sledding instead!
Out last activity for the day was kayaking. Once again, on went the disgusting wetsuits. There weren’t enough kayaks to go around, so Group C went out first, while Group D started playing on the beach. Fergus and Mitch went exploring through the rock pools and thought that they had found a live crab. When I picked it up though, I found out that it was dead.
We had to go back to the kayaks, and when Group C was done, we had our turn. It was OK, apart from the water being really cold.
Dinner was sticky chicken and other vegetables. My team and I were serving. That was fun, but you get really hungry. Desert was ice cream, wafers and banana. I served that as well. Since I was one of the last ones to get my meals, I was a little late to the meeting for the night activities. Tonight we were doing Spotlight. I found some really good hiding spaces, and copied my friend’s hiding places quite a few times. Kyle G found this really good hiding spot beside this house. It took ages for the parents to find us. We got to bed late, but not as late as the night before.
We still woke up at the same time, though. We were woken up by a trumpet and someone calling “DORM INSPECTION!” I was so caught up in tidying up my space that I didn’t realise that it was my birthday. Until breakfast, that is. I was ordered to stand on my chair, while my class and Sligo sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me. Mr. C gave me a card and a block of caramello chocolate.
Once the embarrassment (breakfast) was over, it was time for my group and I to go to the first activity of the day: High Ropes. I was second to do the beam one, and I was absolutely terrified. I took about half and hour to do it. Three thirds of that time was me hanging onto a pole and wishing for my mum. I got down eventually, though, and felt proud of myself even though I knew that I had done the worst. Our second activity was the Gun Walk. It certainly was a walk! The most interesting thing was the cows and the vast amount of bugs that I never know could live in concrete caverns.
Lunch was Hot Dogs. After that, it was archery. Grace in Group C got a bulls eye on her first try. At the end when we had a competition, my group of random people and I tied with the highest score of 14.
Our last activity was survivor. It was probably the most fun I’d ever had. We were the yellow team. The red team was called Whykickamoocow. We weren’t called anything. The hardest activity was probably the one where you had to hook a bucket and lift it over to another tree stump. The easiest was probably climbing over this tyre wall. We won, in the end.
Dinner that night was spag bog. They still gave you tiny portions and that was really annoying. Desert was jelly and fruit salad.
Our night activity was the Burma trail. I got a bit bored and disgusted towards the end. The mustard that they sprayed at us was beginning to smell. I was glad I wasn’t at the front!
The next morning we had another dorm inspection. Annoying~! Today was electives day. I had chosen high ropes, the flying fox and rock climbing.
High ropes also included the flying kiwi. If I could do it again I would. I loved the sensation of flying into the air. There was also a screaming contest. I came first, Greer came second and this girl called Kayla came third. The flying kiwi was a long rope hooked over the top of a wire spreading from one post to another. A person was clipped onto one end of the long rope, and about twenty people pulled the other end. The person clipped on went soaring into the air.
My second activity was the flying fox. It wasn’t very nice, as I hit the freezing water and it was deep! I only had one go. My last activity was rock climbing and abseiling. Abseiling was terrible. I got to the top, took one look at the distance below, and completely chickened out. I went straight back down the ladder again. I got to the top of the rock climbing wall again, though.
After that, we had some time for the contestants to practice for the talent show. I spent it reading. Dinner was toast beef and vegetables.
Instead of the night time activity, we had the talent show. It was awesome! My favourite act was when Mr. Glogoski and Mr. Peat put on a puppet show. I especially liked it when Archie (Mr. Peat) said that the dirty duckpond was full of ****! Third prize went to this couple that danced together, second prize went to a girl singing and first prize went to a play called ‘America’s Next Top Model’’.
As I went to bed, I couldn’t believe that so much had happened in the last few days.
When we woke up in the morning I couldn’t believe that we were leaving already. After we packed, we had a quick breakfast and then we were off! The walk seemed shorter than it had been the first time. This time, on the ferry, Greer and I sat on the top. It was really cool! When we landed, I spotted my Mum and we went home. I couldn’t wait for my presents!
THE END
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
My Quizzles from Channel 50
Here I have some 'Quizzles' that I got from Channel 50. Channel 50 is a place for people who have special abilities or have different and interesting ways of thinking. I personally, love giving people these Quizzles:
a) Mula
Mula
Mula
Mula
b) Jointed
Jointed
c) ORGANiiiiiiiii
d) Cycle
e) Fairy
Wolf
Duckling
And, my personal favourite:
f) Secret
(Just imagine that letter f is at the top of a box)
Go to the comments if you want the answers..................
a) Mula
Mula
Mula
Mula
b) Jointed
Jointed
c) ORGANiiiiiiiii
d) Cycle
e) Fairy
Wolf
Duckling
And, my personal favourite:
f) Secret
(Just imagine that letter f is at the top of a box)
Go to the comments if you want the answers..................
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The History of Mobile Phones
Mobile phones were first known as radio devices in a vehicle. They were two-way radios, and users could not dial anything, rather like the speakers that we have in buses today.
In 1910, Magnus Ericsson installed the first telephone in his car. To get it to work, however, Mr Ericsson had to pull over to a place that had accessible telephone wires, which he would clip on. Ericsson’s telephone was first released in Sweden in 1956. The first person to have a mobile phone in the UK was Prince Phillip. He had it installed in the back of his Aston Martin in 1957.
Today our mobile phones are not only used for calling, but for texting, playing games, music and other entertainment. Next time (if) you see an old fashioned mobile phone, think about how much they have changed in the past 100 years!
By Tabetha Adams
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