Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Riding with Thunderbolt
Riding with Thunderbolt
I
was about to ask for a lemonade, when I heard Thommo whistling. He
was galloping flat out through out toward the hotel. “Fred,
troopers” I yelled. Fred glanced out through the door then turned
to the men at the bar. “Seems that you are going to have a treat in
store. C'mon boys!”
As
I ran out after Fred, I saw four distant horsemen galloping behind
Thommo. I fumbled with my stirrup like an old drunk as I mounted
Socks. The drinkers rushed out of the hotel with the glasses in their
hands to watch. Thommo reached us, his face grey with fear. Fred held
up his hand to calm Thommo as he turned in his saddle to me. “Ben I
don't think Socks is fast enough” he was talking very quietly. “you
ride out, right now, flat out! Go!” He turned waving his gun at the
troopers and shouting “We're ready for you!”
I
kicked Socks fiercely into action and raced past the drinkers, past
the pig-pen, past a straggly tree and into the empty plain. Then I
heard a shot. I slowed Socks and nervously looked back. The troopers
and Fred's gang began shooting at each other as they fanned from the
hotel. Fred, Bill and the Bull were faster the troopers but Thommo's
plodders wasn't to fresh after his race across the plain. Two
troopers were galloping after Thommo from different sides, closing in
on him. Thommo was looking desperately from side to side, like a
trapped fox. Fred saw what was happening and rode back. He galloped
his chestnut racehorse between Thommo and the troopers, waving his
gun and drawing heavy fire from all the troopers. He doubled back
many times, making the plain ring with the crackle of firing guns and
the thunder of there horses hoofs. But the trooper closer to Thommo
ignored Fred and fired at Thommo. He swayed in his saddle for a
moment, and then fell to the ground. His horse fled into the long
grass. Fred wheeled his horse and raced towards Thommo but the second
troopers was already galloping down on Thommo. Thommo pulled himself
up from the dust and pointed his gun at the trooper, but the trooper
fired first. Thommo's head jerked as blood flew from it. I watched in
horror as Thommo fell back into the dust.
Survival
The definition of survival is the act or process of surviving or the fact of having survived, according to an online dictionary. This was the most interesting definition I could find.A good quote about survival is "Survivors aren't always the strongest; sometimes they're the smartest, but more often simply the luckiest." -Carrie Ryan, The Dark and Hollow Places.
The best poem I could find is "How We Survive" by Mark Rickerby:
"Somehow, some survive all that and, like a flower opening after a storm, they slowly begin to remember the one they lost in a different way..."
The best book I've read about survival is "Surviving Sydney Cove". It's about a girl convict named Elizabeth who was transported to Australia after being falsely accused of stealing an expensive dress. She swapped two onions for a blank book which she uses as a diary. She helps a lady named Sarah in the kitchen of a rich man. Lizzie works for a while with Sarah, but she soon gets a new job looking after a 5yr old girl named Emily. After a while Lizzie moves to Sydney with Emily and her family, the Surgent and Winston. The crops failed and there wasn't enough food to feed all of Sydney and everyone was very hungry. The little girl, Emily died a year after they moved to Sydney so Lizzie lost her job and had to go back to Parramatta and the Surgent and Winston went back to England. This book shows how a girl had to survive through many hardships such as starvation, sickness, danger, and death.
I found a good verse in 2 Samuel 22:33 "God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect." I believe if you follow this verses it will help you survive through life.
Dear Uncle Phill
Dear Uncle Phill,
You wont believe what has happened to me the last year and it all started when me and my friend Thommo ran away from mean Uncle Pratt and joined up with a bush ranger named Fred. We walked through the bash for a couple of days and found Fred's wife Maryann. Maryann took us to Fred and we decided to join the gang.
At first nothing interesting happened we mostly herded cattle for money but as soon as a passing hawker drove pass they decided to rob it. After that he decided to go back to the bush ranging business.
Fred only carries one bullet in his gun and wont let his gang shoot anyone even the police. Sergent Cleary tracked the camp site down and destroyed everything so we decided to travel around Lake Narran in search of a new camp site. Soon after that Sergent Cleary discovered the new camp site and took Maryann and her two children Marian and Liz.
When Fred heard this he immediately got his gang to pack up and get ready to go find them. On the way we stopped for a drink at a hotel when Thommo came galloping down to warn us that the police were chasing him. Fred got his gang in action and quickly dodged the troopers but Thommo's horse wasn't quiet fast enough and he got shot Fred went to help him but it was to late the troopers had already caught him.
After that Fred told everyone to leave including me but he asked me to give a message to Maryann. I travelled to Wallabadah and found my Aunt she took care of me for a while but them I decided to go and find Maryann. I finally found Maryann then told her where to find Fred then I went back to stay with my Aunt.
Love From Ben Cross
You wont believe what has happened to me the last year and it all started when me and my friend Thommo ran away from mean Uncle Pratt and joined up with a bush ranger named Fred. We walked through the bash for a couple of days and found Fred's wife Maryann. Maryann took us to Fred and we decided to join the gang.
At first nothing interesting happened we mostly herded cattle for money but as soon as a passing hawker drove pass they decided to rob it. After that he decided to go back to the bush ranging business.
Fred only carries one bullet in his gun and wont let his gang shoot anyone even the police. Sergent Cleary tracked the camp site down and destroyed everything so we decided to travel around Lake Narran in search of a new camp site. Soon after that Sergent Cleary discovered the new camp site and took Maryann and her two children Marian and Liz.
When Fred heard this he immediately got his gang to pack up and get ready to go find them. On the way we stopped for a drink at a hotel when Thommo came galloping down to warn us that the police were chasing him. Fred got his gang in action and quickly dodged the troopers but Thommo's horse wasn't quiet fast enough and he got shot Fred went to help him but it was to late the troopers had already caught him.
After that Fred told everyone to leave including me but he asked me to give a message to Maryann. I travelled to Wallabadah and found my Aunt she took care of me for a while but them I decided to go and find Maryann. I finally found Maryann then told her where to find Fred then I went back to stay with my Aunt.
Love From Ben Cross
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Description Of The Daintree Rain Forest
What I can see:
Animals, vines, trees, wildlife, rocks, sand, ocean, palm trees, shells, sticks, roots, fish, rivers, coral, butterflies, birds, lizards, snakes, spiders, cassowaries, creepers, plants, goannas, leaves, moss, fig trees, possums, scrubs, all colours of the rainbow, lots of green, brown, dark and beautiful.
What I can hear:
Footsteps, birds chirping, slithering animals, dripping rain, branches in the wind, flowing rivers, rushing waterfalls, cracking leaves under foot, animals calling, scuttling bugs and all kinds of wildlife.
What I can smell:
Smelly animal poo, rotting leaves, crisp fresh breeze and the dampness in the air.
What I can feel:
Sticky humid whether, cool wet water, rough barky trees, warm whether and cool fresh breeze.
Animals, vines, trees, wildlife, rocks, sand, ocean, palm trees, shells, sticks, roots, fish, rivers, coral, butterflies, birds, lizards, snakes, spiders, cassowaries, creepers, plants, goannas, leaves, moss, fig trees, possums, scrubs, all colours of the rainbow, lots of green, brown, dark and beautiful.
What I can hear:
Footsteps, birds chirping, slithering animals, dripping rain, branches in the wind, flowing rivers, rushing waterfalls, cracking leaves under foot, animals calling, scuttling bugs and all kinds of wildlife.
What I can smell:
Smelly animal poo, rotting leaves, crisp fresh breeze and the dampness in the air.
What I can feel:
Sticky humid whether, cool wet water, rough barky trees, warm whether and cool fresh breeze.
Arnhem Land and Kakadu
Arnhem Land and Kakadu are near Darwin n the Northern Territory.
It rains a lot during the wet season during summer.
There are lots of animals like goanna's crocodiles, file snakes, wild pigs. pig nosed and long necked turtles, crabs, barramundi, catfish, bream, wallaby's and kangaroos, saratogas and dragonflies, magpie geese, cockatoos and fruit bats.
There are plenty of bush tucker which you can eat like yams, green plums and white bush apples, The paperbark trees have bark just like strips of paper that can be peeled off and used instead of plates. There are lots of aboriginal painting's in the caves.
It sounds like a very interesting place to live but I don't want to live there because it sounds very dangerous.
Samuel and Mikaela
Arnhem Land and Kakadu are near Darwin n the Northern Territory.
It rains a lot during the wet season during summer.
There are lots of animals like goanna's crocodiles, file snakes, wild pigs. pig nosed and long necked turtles, crabs, barramundi, catfish, bream, wallaby's and kangaroos, saratogas and dragonflies, magpie geese, cockatoos and fruit bats.
There are plenty of bush tucker which you can eat like yams, green plums and white bush apples, The paperbark trees have bark just like strips of paper that can be peeled off and used instead of plates. There are lots of aboriginal painting's in the caves.
It sounds like a very interesting place to live but I don't want to live there because it sounds very dangerous.
Samuel and Mikaela
Compare and contrast Murrawee and Me
We read the book called 'You and Me Murrawee' comparing the lives of two girls who two hundred years apart.
There was lets of ways in which their lives were the same. They both really loved the river where they swam, drew with sticks in the sand, saw the ducks, were swooped on by Magpies, watched their families fishing in their boats and ate around their campfires and listened to stories while camping.
Murawee father speared the fish and taught her brothers how to do it too. Instead of using a spear My family used a rod and line. Murrawee slept under the stars in between the fires with their smoke to keep away the mosquitos. I slept in a tent inside a sleeping bag with fly screens.
Our lives are very different in some ways but in others we are still very similar.
There was lets of ways in which their lives were the same. They both really loved the river where they swam, drew with sticks in the sand, saw the ducks, were swooped on by Magpies, watched their families fishing in their boats and ate around their campfires and listened to stories while camping.
Murawee father speared the fish and taught her brothers how to do it too. Instead of using a spear My family used a rod and line. Murrawee slept under the stars in between the fires with their smoke to keep away the mosquitos. I slept in a tent inside a sleeping bag with fly screens.
Our lives are very different in some ways but in others we are still very similar.
Horseshoe Bay, Bowen
Home-school Camp
After we arrived, we settled into our two cabins near the beach. We could hear the 'arrrrrrrrrrrrhing' screech of the peacock [which we named Kevin] They might look beautiful with their tails fanned out but sound terrible when they wake you up at six o'clock in the morning, when you are trying to sleep in. Dana actually patted him and the rest of us followed him around and got right up close enough to see the beautiful blue and green colours of his feathers.
We explored the campsite including the beautiful, sheltered beach that had green-blue water and was surrounded by a rocky u-shaped barrier. We found an anemone that was squishy and transparent. It squirted a mucusy 'silly string' at us. We climbed over all the rocks and found a cave. The rocks looked like a herd of giant turtles with creamy-brown shells. It smelt like salty water with the occasional waft of dead fish floating through the air.
On our first night there was ate fish and chips at the park near the pier and then played tiggy and goofy while the parents talked and the little kids played on the swings and climbing frame.
The next morning we went for a walk on the beach to see if we could find the cave but the tide was in and it was covered up. We walked to the end of the rocks and could see the sun shining brightly on the water. Then we swam in the pool and played games and in the afternoon went bogey boarding at the beach then went for a swim at the pool with everyone. After dinner we played spoons and monopoly deal. It was awesome!
After we arrived, we settled into our two cabins near the beach. We could hear the 'arrrrrrrrrrrrhing' screech of the peacock [which we named Kevin] They might look beautiful with their tails fanned out but sound terrible when they wake you up at six o'clock in the morning, when you are trying to sleep in. Dana actually patted him and the rest of us followed him around and got right up close enough to see the beautiful blue and green colours of his feathers.
We explored the campsite including the beautiful, sheltered beach that had green-blue water and was surrounded by a rocky u-shaped barrier. We found an anemone that was squishy and transparent. It squirted a mucusy 'silly string' at us. We climbed over all the rocks and found a cave. The rocks looked like a herd of giant turtles with creamy-brown shells. It smelt like salty water with the occasional waft of dead fish floating through the air.
On our first night there was ate fish and chips at the park near the pier and then played tiggy and goofy while the parents talked and the little kids played on the swings and climbing frame.
The next morning we went for a walk on the beach to see if we could find the cave but the tide was in and it was covered up. We walked to the end of the rocks and could see the sun shining brightly on the water. Then we swam in the pool and played games and in the afternoon went bogey boarding at the beach then went for a swim at the pool with everyone. After dinner we played spoons and monopoly deal. It was awesome!
Monday, November 25, 2013
Description Frangipani tree
Frangipani Tree
The frangipani tree has rough bark that is white with grey stripes. In winter all the flowers fall off and the branches look like deer antlers. It is tall. The flowers smell pretty, they have white petals and the inside of them are yellow. I love to climb it, I pretend to live in the jungle when I climb it with my brother and sisters Gracelyn, Chloe, Samuel and Caitlyn.
The frangipani tree has rough bark that is white with grey stripes. In winter all the flowers fall off and the branches look like deer antlers. It is tall. The flowers smell pretty, they have white petals and the inside of them are yellow. I love to climb it, I pretend to live in the jungle when I climb it with my brother and sisters Gracelyn, Chloe, Samuel and Caitlyn.
Chimney Description
Chimney
It's old and tall, maybe thirty metres tall. The bricks are made of reddish-brown clay. It is part of the very first sugar mill in Mackay. We found some bricks that had the words 'I' 'love' and 'you' on them. We also found some chains and horseshoes that might have been from a blacksmith's shop. There is also a very deep well near it too. There are loads of trees which are filled with birds that chatter all the time. The trees are nice and shady but because lots of them are fruit tress it sometimes stinks because there are lots of rotting fruit on the ground.
It's old and tall, maybe thirty metres tall. The bricks are made of reddish-brown clay. It is part of the very first sugar mill in Mackay. We found some bricks that had the words 'I' 'love' and 'you' on them. We also found some chains and horseshoes that might have been from a blacksmith's shop. There is also a very deep well near it too. There are loads of trees which are filled with birds that chatter all the time. The trees are nice and shady but because lots of them are fruit tress it sometimes stinks because there are lots of rotting fruit on the ground.
Sports Day Recount
Sports Day
Our friends from the Home-school group came to our place for Sports Day. It was raining a little bit but the sun came out for most of the day. We were so excited.
The first event was the cross-country for the big kids that were nine years or older. Some parents ran too. They ran along the road to the estate and back again. Isaac won and Gracelyn and I were the second and third girls.
The second event was a obstacle course for everyone. We had to walk along a zigzag plank and not fall off, hop through tyres, throw bean bags into a container, run around some cones, crawl through a tunnel, bounce a tennis ball ten times, throw a hoop onto a cone and do five star jumps on a trampoline.
Next we played ball games. We played tunnel, ball, leader ball and corner ball.
Each age group had running races. Samuel came fourth and Mikaela came third. Then the Mums had a race, Mummy came third and her shoe fell off because she was running so fast.
Australian Animals
Quolls
Quolls are mammals.
They are nocturnal so they sleep all day and are awake at night-time
Baby Quolls are as big as a grain of rice and live I their mother's pouch
They have spots on their fur which they use as camouflage..
Koalas
Koalas have thick fur on their bottoms so they can sit on the hard branches of trees and be comfortable.
The babies are as big as a jellybean.
They are marsupials and their babies are called joeys.
They rub their scent on trees to mark their territory.
Kangaroos
Kangaroos are marsupials.
Their babies are as big as a jelly bean and live in the mother's pouch.
They are the largest animal to hop.
They use their tails to balance and to steer them.
Emus
Emus are Australia's largest bird.
Males puff up their neck feathers to attract the females.
Females make a deep drum like noise to attract the males.
The males sit on the greeny-blue eggs for up to eight weeks and do not drink, eat, wee or poo for all that time.
Quolls are mammals.
They are nocturnal so they sleep all day and are awake at night-time
Baby Quolls are as big as a grain of rice and live I their mother's pouch
They have spots on their fur which they use as camouflage..
Koalas
Koalas have thick fur on their bottoms so they can sit on the hard branches of trees and be comfortable.
The babies are as big as a jellybean.
They are marsupials and their babies are called joeys.
They rub their scent on trees to mark their territory.
Kangaroos
Kangaroos are marsupials.
Their babies are as big as a jelly bean and live in the mother's pouch.
They are the largest animal to hop.
They use their tails to balance and to steer them.
Emus
Emus are Australia's largest bird.
Males puff up their neck feathers to attract the females.
Females make a deep drum like noise to attract the males.
The males sit on the greeny-blue eggs for up to eight weeks and do not drink, eat, wee or poo for all that time.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
The Snowy Mountain Scheme
Eva Fischer 1948 -1949, had moved to Cabramurra and got a sled for her birthday. She made a friend called Lizzy. They went horse riding and met Luciano who was using dynamite to kill the fish. Her Sydney friend came to stay for the holidays who's name is Val. Dean and Eva become friends. There Dads didn't get along because Eva's Dad wanted to do it safely but Deans dad wanted to do it quickly to get the world record. Lizzies house is going to be flooded because of the Snowy Mountain Scheme which was set up to generate electricity and to irrigate farmland. The government had Lizzies house moved to Adaminaby Eva's dad was badly hurt and Luciano broke his leg and lost his sight in one eye and two men died when dynamite exploded inside the tunnel. Luciano and Francesca have a baby daughter and named her Nina.
Refugee
Ali Ismail is a refugee. After the Taliban killed his father, Ali flees Afghanistan, arriving in Australia on a ramshackle boat. He is looking for freedom, but instead he is taken to detention centre in the South Australian outback.
A Different Sort of Real
A Different Sort of Real
1918
As the First World War is drawing to a close, a new danger has arisen that will kill more people around the world than the Great War itself - an influenza pandemic. Charlotte McKenzie, assisting the doctor next door, finds herself experiencing at close hand the effects of this devastating disease - and when it finally attacks her own family and her sister Lily dies.
1918
As the First World War is drawing to a close, a new danger has arisen that will kill more people around the world than the Great War itself - an influenza pandemic. Charlotte McKenzie, assisting the doctor next door, finds herself experiencing at close hand the effects of this devastating disease - and when it finally attacks her own family and her sister Lily dies.
Cyclone Tracy
Ryan Christmas Eve 1974
For Ryan's holidays, his family went to Ayres Rock then returned back to Darwin where his father was the Principal of his school. When he went back to school he met a new friend called Soo who was a hippy who had no surname and was named after a monsoon. Soo moved into a house because of the rain and their tent was leaking. The cyclone hit Darwin in 1974 on Christmas Eve. Ryan's Dad was hit on the head with a piece of metal because there was so much debris flying through the air. Their house was almost completely destroyed and their roof was lifted off while they were sheltering in the bathroom surrounded by mattresses so they had to move into the laundry. Everyone in Darwin was evacuated.
For Ryan's holidays, his family went to Ayres Rock then returned back to Darwin where his father was the Principal of his school. When he went back to school he met a new friend called Soo who was a hippy who had no surname and was named after a monsoon. Soo moved into a house because of the rain and their tent was leaking. The cyclone hit Darwin in 1974 on Christmas Eve. Ryan's Dad was hit on the head with a piece of metal because there was so much debris flying through the air. Their house was almost completely destroyed and their roof was lifted off while they were sheltering in the bathroom surrounded by mattresses so they had to move into the laundry. Everyone in Darwin was evacuated.
Who am I
Mary 1937
Mary lived in a Children's home along with some of her siblings and cousins because the Government had ordered that they be taken away from their families. She was adopted by the Bourke's, a white family. She met an aboriginal lady called Dot who taught her some of the language and culture of the aboriginal people but Mr Bourke was unhappy and forbade her from seeing Dot any more. All the kids at school teased her and refused to be friends with her and falsely accused of stealing the teacher's purse. Mary came first in a running race and everyone wanted her to join their team.
Mary lived in a Children's home along with some of her siblings and cousins because the Government had ordered that they be taken away from their families. She was adopted by the Bourke's, a white family. She met an aboriginal lady called Dot who taught her some of the language and culture of the aboriginal people but Mr Bourke was unhappy and forbade her from seeing Dot any more. All the kids at school teased her and refused to be friends with her and falsely accused of stealing the teacher's purse. Mary came first in a running race and everyone wanted her to join their team.
A Tale of Two Families
Jan 1975 Women's Liberation and Vietnam War
Jan Packard starts a diary because she is board and suddenly finds there is a lot happening around her. Family and friends around her seem to be changing. Jan and her mum are women liberators. They went on a rally with signs protesting about men getting better jobs and higher pay. In 1974 some of the changes to the law's were made. Their neighbour Graeme has come home from the Vietnam war and doesn't want to do anything apart from smoke marijuana to stop all the nightmares that he had from the war.
Jan Packard starts a diary because she is board and suddenly finds there is a lot happening around her. Family and friends around her seem to be changing. Jan and her mum are women liberators. They went on a rally with signs protesting about men getting better jobs and higher pay. In 1974 some of the changes to the law's were made. Their neighbour Graeme has come home from the Vietnam war and doesn't want to do anything apart from smoke marijuana to stop all the nightmares that he had from the war.
Outback
Outback
1927 - 1928
Jimmy Porter has moved to the middle of nowhere.
His uncle's family live in a wattle-and-daub hut, day's walk away from even the nearest neighbour.
Life in 1927 in the outback is tough-but the people who lived there can cope with just about anything.
1927 - 1928
Jimmy Porter has moved to the middle of nowhere.
His uncle's family live in a wattle-and-daub hut, day's walk away from even the nearest neighbour.
Life in 1927 in the outback is tough-but the people who lived there can cope with just about anything.
The Rum Rebellion
The Rum Rebellion
1807 - 1809
David Bellamy is afraid. He fears the strange new land of New South Wales, its inhabitants and its wild creatures. He fears his relatives who have taken him in, and the Governor Bligh himself: the swearing, cursing Governor Bligh.
And then on Anniversary Day, 26th January, 1808, David and his new friends Kitty and Ralph are on the streets of Sydney Town when the military march on Government House. The soldiers arrest Governor Bligh and his daughter Lady Putland. Major Johnston took over the administration over the colony along with John MacArthur and the Blaxland Brothers. Once news reached London, Governor Lachlan Macquarie was appointed and arrived in Sydney on the 28 of December 1809. In 1811 Johnston and MacArthur were tried and convicted.
1807 - 1809
David Bellamy is afraid. He fears the strange new land of New South Wales, its inhabitants and its wild creatures. He fears his relatives who have taken him in, and the Governor Bligh himself: the swearing, cursing Governor Bligh.
And then on Anniversary Day, 26th January, 1808, David and his new friends Kitty and Ralph are on the streets of Sydney Town when the military march on Government House. The soldiers arrest Governor Bligh and his daughter Lady Putland. Major Johnston took over the administration over the colony along with John MacArthur and the Blaxland Brothers. Once news reached London, Governor Lachlan Macquarie was appointed and arrived in Sydney on the 28 of December 1809. In 1811 Johnston and MacArthur were tried and convicted.
Candles at Dawn
Ellie and her Mum are going to go to Gallipoli to visit the site where the Anzacs fought In Turkey and meet Zeynep and her Mum who own the Boarding House. They become friends and discover that her Great Grandfather and Great Uncle also fought in the war When the Anzac's arrived in Gallipoli they dug trenches and lived there. They were on the beach fighting against the Turks who were on the cliff above them There wasn't much food or water or ammunition. During the whole time they fought, they made almost no progress, any they took, they lost again so eventually they decided to retreat.
Soldier on the Hill
Soldier on the Hill
1942Joey knows there is a Japanese soldier hiding in the hills. It was a Japanese man, a soldier, who hauled him out of a shaft, who lit the fire to bring the searchers, and then disappeared. But nobody believes Joey. After all, it is World War II and children have nightmares ... Joey knows he will have to find the soldier himself and he does. This took place at the same time as a Japanese submarine torpedoed a ferry in Sydney Harbour.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
