flabbergasted

To cause to be overcome with astonishment; astound.

CONTENTS

ARTICLES

A sneak peek at ... rabbits!

Gemstones & Minerals

Crafts

STORIES

The Adventures of Juniper Silverheel - Part 2

A story within a story - Part 1

Recipes

Book Reviews

Music CD & Audio Book Reviews

Movies

Poems     Quotes

Photos

Riddles     Puzzles

Facts

A sneak peek at ... rabbits!

Part 1

Tara Rose

Welcome to the "Animal Corner". In this area you'll find "A sneak peek at ...". I will be writing a continuing article on a respective animal each month, until I have covered as many of the most interesting topics there are about that animal! In these articles I will cover a brief history of the selected animal, a section on their diet, and as much other fascinating information I can discover.

Thanks for reading, and remember ... keep sniffing for more juicy news!

Tara R

Where did rabbits come from?

A brief history of how wild rabbits spread across the world, and made their way into our homes as pets.

Three thousand years ago sea explorers arrived on the coasts of Spain. They soon came across the wild rabbit, Spain being the original home of the wild rabbit. The sea explorers took the rabbits onto their ships as livestock, since during their long sea voyages, they had been deprived of fresh meat. Rabbits were small, and bred fast. So, throughout their voyages and expeditions, rabbits slowly spread to all corners of the earth!

www.thetravelbureau.co.uk 

The Romans were quick in the discovery of rabbits. The Romans too helped introduce the rabbit to other countries, including some of Europe and Britain . In the Middle Ages French monks bred rabbits for food and house pets. They were responsible for many of the different breeds that we have today.

Through history, you can see that the rabbit has been used mainly for its fur and meat, then later, as house pets. Unfortunately, these traditions still live on. In China , Angora rabbits are bred by the thousands in cruel battery farms for their fur. A vast number of rabbits are bred every year for the testing of cosmetics, cleansers and soaps. As you must know, rabbits breed so fast that in some countries, like rural Australia , rabbits are considered pests.

But, of course, many rabbits are loved and well looked after in homes around the world, as they make cute, cuddly pets.

If you care about these poor creatures, only buy cosmetics and cleaning agents that show a label specifying no cruelty or testing on animals. Every person counts!

I hope you enjoyed Part One of my continuing article on Rabbits.

Please stay posted for the next installment of ‘A Sneak Peek at ... Rabbits’!

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Gemstones & Minerals

Tara Rose

ALEXANDRITE

Alexandrite was discovered in Russia in 1842. The gemstone is thought to have been called alexandrite because the day on which it was discovered was the birthday of the Crown Prince Alexander, the heir to the throne of Russia. It has an amazing capacity to change colour, and can be used to filter out ultra violet light and dangerous cosmic rays!

General Info

Alexandrite is a magical gemstone that changes colour from yellowish-green to red in different light. It was once a sought-after gemstone, but due to changing fashions and dwindling deposits, it is now synthetically manufactured at great cost for use in the windows of spacecraft, because it can filter out harmful cosmic rays.

Alexandrite is a very rare variety of the more common chrysoberyl, a green or yellow mineral. There are still some deposits in Russia , but this variety can also be found in small quantities in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Brazil. 

www.gemsociety.org 

Where does it come from?

Alexandrite was discovered in the Ykaterinburg river valley of the Ural Mountains , in deposits of coarse-grained rocks that were at first thought to contain precious emeralds. Most of the alexandrite from the Urals region has now been excavated. Because it is very hard and resistant to wind and water Alexandrite can be found in placer deposits. These are areas where Alexandrite has been carried by rivers and streams, after the rocks in which it was created were broken up by erosion. Small deposits like this have been found in Sri Lanka , Zimbabwe and Brazil.

www.joellessacredgrove.com 

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Crafts

Eva Marlie

The craft for this month is friendship bracelets. An old favourite you don't get bored of.

It's a very popular craft with girls and boys into their teens (and even later). Friendship bracelets are usually left on until they fall off. By that time you should have made your friend a new one!

FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS

You will need:

75cm per colour embroidery floss

(so for a 4 thread bracelet 4 x 75cm)

Scissors

Masking or other sticky tape

Click here for a bigger picture

Picture drawn by Sandy Groper

Method:

1. Pick 4 colours for your bracelet.

2. Cut pieces of floss to the correct length (75cm each).

3. Tie all four pieces with one knot, leaving about 7.5cm above the knot to tie the bracelet later.

4. Anchor the tope of this bundle of floss to the table with tape.

5. Follow the picture instructions provided ... Explaining it in words makes it sound impossible!

6. Bring left most thread (red A) across the one to its right (light blue B), tuck underneath, back to the left and through the hole. Repeat - so make two of these knots onto B.

7. Now use the same thread (red A) and tie it in the same way to the third thread to the left (dark blue C).

8. Continue knotting the same thread to the last thread on the right (green D).

9. Restart the same process, this time using the thread that it now hanging on the left (light blue B) and work you way to the right.

10. Continue doing this until you have made a bracelet long enough to fit around your friend's arm.

11. Knot the threads together in one knot (as you did at the start).

12. Leave at least 7.5cm before cutting the remaining threads.

13. Tie it to your friend's arm, but make sure it is not too tight.

Voila! A lovely bracelet to remind your friend you are with them always!

About a year or so ago I started a craft club called Smart Art & Craft for me to catch up with some friends. After the club closed because there weren't enough people I made a website giving some hints and tips on how to start a craft get together. I just thought I'd mention it and it would be nice if you could go and check it out. Please send an email if you have any questions.

www.smartartcraft.com

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The Adventures of Juniper Silverheel

Part 2

Star (12) & Nova (11)

I went closer to investigate. By the time I was close enough to be sure of its shape and size, I was certain that it was a female fairy of the high council. Her name was “Loom”, meaning “light”, which was the perfect name for an eventide fairy. Why? Because they glow! Even in the sun they stand out from everything else, and heaven knows how they don't appeal to humans! She was sleeping, because it was day. She was curled asleep, amongst baby birds, in the small nest of a sparrow. I crept closer. Maybe Kanoko wasn't needed after all. I whispered softly, "Hello? Could you please help me?"

She opened her eyes and said, "Why, it's a fellow fairy! Yes, of course I will help you! What help do you need?"

"Well, you see, I'm making my winter home for my wife. She'll be home on the new moon, with some of her friends. I was hoping to be able to rest during the night and was looking for an eventide just like you!"

"Oh, you just rest tonight. I will call up some other eventides and we will work all night to make the perfect tree top house. But now it is day; I shall rest and you shall work", she said, yawning and settling back amongst the baby sparrows and going back to sleep. I watched her until I heard a gentle snore coming out of her tiny nose. Then I turned and continued my work.

To be continued…

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A story within a story

Part 1

Tara Rose

Preface

As I lay there, and as the tears started falling down my face, I thought of everything that I stood for; peace, love, and hope. Hope is what the entire world needed. Hope is all that my people needed, and hope is all I needed.

I stared up into the glittering green canopy, and hoped, I prayed that everything would be all right. But as I tasted the grit and blood in my mouth, and felt the sting, the sting of a land that was being murdered, I knew that everything was not alright, that humans had painted a wonderful picture, a wonderful lie, and led ourselves to believe in ... in what? ... Nothing?

There is no way to explain the way the land spoke to me. She sang, she wept, and she pleaded. All to me, I heard her, but I did not know how to act. I did not know what to do with the gift that I had been given.

My tribe, the Kakwa, lives in the heart of the Amazon forest. We live off the land, we are the land, and she is us. We have lived harmoniously for thousands of years, never knowing that man was developing into a monster, which would destroy us all. The first time we had contact with the outside world was when the ‘workmen’ came to build the road. That day was the day that I realized ... I was chosen to save her. 

To be continued ...

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Recipes

Vegetarian Tacos

Tara Rose

Ingredients:

SAUCE

Olive oil

1 clove of garlic

1 onion

A few teaspoons of Cumin

x2 can (250g) of kidney beans

x2 can of chopped tomatoes

2 or 3 slabs of tempeh, grated

SALAD

1 box of Tacos (unless you want more!)

lettuce

carrot

cheese

shallots

sour cream

www.thecapcrew.ca 

Method:

Chop the onion and garlic finely. Heat a large pan with a good dollop of olive oil in it, on a medium heat. When the oil is warm (you don’t want the onion to fry and burn) add the onion and garlic. At this point y ou can add the cumin. Stir for a minute or two or until the onion turns translucent. Tip the kidney beans into a colander, and then add to the pan. After a short time, add the canned tomato. Keep the pan on a medium heat for about five minutes, then add the grated tempeh. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, making sure that the beans are not sticking to the bottom.

Now you can heat the tacos in the oven. Grate the carrot and cheese, and slice lettuce. When the tacos are ready bring everything to the table, and you can start assembling your taco. This dish is a fun and easy meal that gets salad into you while still being delicious!

Serves 4 adults (depending on how hungry you are!)

Enjoy!

Click here for a print out.

Vegan Brownies

Compiled/edited by Tara Rose

Ingredients:

1 cup organic sugar

1 cup organic flour

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup water (or applesauce)

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or carob powder)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

www.thevegweb.com 

Method:

Preheat the oven to about 180ºC. In a large mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients. T hen add all the dry ingredients.

Make sure that you don’t over-mix. If you want, you can add your favourite vegan chocolate chips, coconut, or nuts, for the extra flavour!

Bake at 180c for about 20-25 minutes. I suggest checking after ten minutes to make sure they’re not burning on the top. Make sure you don’t overcook, they are supposed to have a gooey texture ...

Thanks to chocolatelvr at www.vegweb.com.

Click here for a print out.

Quotes

Compiled by Tara Rose

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.

- Anne Bradstreet

The Truth is more important than the facts.

- Frank Lloyd Wright

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Movies

Eva Marlie

The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Spiderwick Chronicles starts with a family turning over a new leaf and moving to an old house in the middle of nowhere which had belonged to the children’s great grandfather. When they move in, twins Jared and Simon, and their older sister, Mallory, aren’t very enthusiastic, but things start to change after Jared finds a brownie named Thimbletack in the attic guarding a cursed book.

www.collider.com 

I wasn’t expecting too much from this movie but once it started I knew it wasn’t going to be boring. Goblins, fairies, sprites, Hobsqueal the hobgoblin, and an evil shape-shifting ogre make the story interesting and fun for younger ages, while the background story keeps the adults interested too.

Rated PG

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Poems

Compiled by Tara Rose

The April Rain Song
Langston Hughes

Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops

Let the rain sing you a lullaby

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk

The rain makes running pools in the gutter

The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night

And I love the rain

 Dreams

Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow

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Book Reviews

Leatherwood Books

www.leatherwoodbooks.com.au  

The Orchard Book of Viking Stories

Robert Swindells

9781843624356

$28.99

This lovely book makes Norse mythology even more fun. It includes ten mysterious and adventurous tales, and along with Peter Hutton's beautiful illustrations, it makes a lovely book anyone will want to pick up, unless you don't enjoy some gore! Yes, these stories have been re-written for young readers, but there still are a few gory bits here and there. I'm sure it's okay, seeing as the kids who love the mythic tales expect some of that violence!

Age 7+

(Review LR)

To see another review click on the cover.

Bravo, Mr William Shakespeare!

Marcia Williams

9780744582376

$16.95

This book, beautifully presented and illustrated by Marcia Williams, is a very good way to get the kids to enjoy Shakespeare, as the pictures help enormously in understanding the plot.

On each page there are three parts. The body of the play is a cartoon (like on the front cover) with the actors speaking the phrases from the play. Then the plot is told in story form under those pictures, and the audience watching the play are making comments from the stalls, galleries, and the pit.

This lovely book includes the plays As You Like It, Richard III, Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, and Much Ado About Nothing.

Age 12+

(Review LR)

For another review click on the cover.

Grim Crims & Convicts

Jackie French

9781865048710

$15.99

Similar to the Horrible Histories series (but I think much more enjoyable), this well written guide tells the story of the convicts brought over from Britain to Botany Bay and the surrounding areas because of limited space in the British prisons. Even stealing a loaf of bread meant they were called criminals and were transported across the ocean on a ship for 2 years, then expected to support themselves in an unknown land with poor soil.

With the help of Peter Sheehan's fabulous and humorous drawings, Jackie made this book entertaining for all ages. It tells the main story, but she put in little bits and pieces of the convicts and the aborigines' everyday life in Australia, sometimes just facts, and sometimes in the format of drawings and hilarious puns.

This is the first book in a series of 6 Fair Dinkum Histories by Jackie French, and is probably the only non-fiction book I can remember where I actually want to pick it up and read it, as it's such a pleasure turning the pages; you never know what surprise is waiting for you on the other side!

Highly recommended.

Age 8+

(Review LR)

For another review click on the cover.

Music CD & Audio Book Reviews

Leatherwood Books

www.leatherwoodbooks.com.au  

African Playground

Putumayo

$24.95

The music collections of Putumayo music publishers are unlike any other children's music you'll hear today. Adults will not only be able to tolerate the tracks, but will enjoy them. Sound clips and song lyrics for African Playground and other albums are provided o the Putumayo website.

African Playground includes entertaining and informative multi-lingual liner notes, song lyrics, cultural information, a music glossary, and colour illustrations available from the CD website. A whole stack of music, dancing, art and craft, society, environment and LOTE lessons rolled into one!

So far we have added Dreamland: World Lullabies and Soothing Songs, Celtic Dreamland and World Playground to the Leatherwood Books site. These are perfect gifts for all ages. We have only a small selection of the albums at the moment, but can get hold of most of them. So just send an email if you want to order others of this series.

Click on the cover for more info.

www.christmas.fr

Great Inventors and Inventions

Naxos - David Angus

Read by Benjamin Soames

$31.95

Audio book are a great timesaver for homeschooling families. While doing an art or other project, one can get in the day's history lesson. Or the drive to some activity on the other side of town can be turned into a literature lesson. Naxos offer some wonderful audio books that Leatherwood Books added to their site lately.

Great Inventors and Inventions is just one of the titles available. Inventions by nine very different men all made an enormous difference to the world we live in. We can hardly imagine life without the printing press, the telephone, powered flight and recording. Hear the fascinating stories of how these and other inventions came about and learn more about the people behind them.

Click on the cover for more info.

Lullaby Piano

Lori Henriques

$20

This lovely CD with its beautifully soothing music can be played while doing bookwork, in Music Appreciation classes or when winding down. It also works a treat to put tired adults to sleep! This album includes songs by

Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Edvard Grieg, Erik Satie, Igor Stravinsky, and Aram Khachaturian.

This CD comes highly recommended.

Lori's talented brother is responsible for the striking artwork.

Click on the cover for more info.

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Photos

These are Tara's two dogs, Ruby and Max. They are charming, are they not?

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Puzzles

Click here to see the answers to the puzzles. 

Sudoku

The aim is for there to be all the numbers from 1 - 9 in every 9 box square, every column, and every row.

Click here for a print out.

Word Search

Tara Rose

The aim is to find all the words listed, hidden in the box.

Click here for a print out.

Nine Letter Word

Sandy Groper

 The aim is to construct a word with nine letters from each of the boxes below. 

Good Luck!

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3 Brain Busting Riddles

Compiled by Tara Rose

1. You must keep this thing; it's loss will affect your brothers. For once yours is lost, it will soon be lost by others. What is it?

2. I am used to bat with, yet I never get a hit. I am near a ball, though it is never thrown. What am I?

3. I come out of the earth; I am sold in the market. He who buys me cuts my tail, takes off my suit of silk, and weeps beside me when I am dead ...

What am I?

Thanks to www.riddles.com 

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5 Facts 4 Fun

Compiled by Tara Rose & Eva Marlie

1. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.

2. It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and the 46th word from the last word is spear.

3. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

4. The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69. From 1725-1765, a Russian peasant woman gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets.

5. In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.

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And remember, keep your nose open and sniffing for more juicy news!

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