Cuboree 2011

                                                Home tired and dirty after a great weekend!

Euphemisms and their overuse

Another visitor with wings

This parrot visited our yard today. It was very friendly with our love bird and not overly nervous around humans.

We wondered if it had escaped from an aviary nearby.


 But as it seemed to be managing quite well on its own we decided to leave it free rather than attempt to catch it.

Tchaikovsky and other Russians

My second cousin Kora always spoke well of Danny Kaye when she met him in conjunction with her UNICEFF work. I remember listening to a record of his songs at home. And of course watching him on tv. Wow I must be old!
Anyway just in case you want to practice singing this. According to the Word Spy, 54 Russian composers are mentioned in the space of 38 seconds! Impressive!

Onomatopoeia

Trolley Song lyrics

With my high starched collar and my high top shoes
And my hair piled high upon my head,
I went to lose a jolly hour on the trolley,
And lost my heart instead.
With his light brown derby and his bright green tie,
He was quite the handsomest of men.
I started to yen, so I counted to ten,
Then I counted to ten again.
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley,
Ding, ding, ding went the bell.
Zing, zing, zing went my heart strings,
From the moment I saw him I fell.
Chug, chug, chug went the motor,
Bump, bump bump went the brake,
Thump, thump, thump went my heart strings,
When he smiled, I could feel the car shake.
He tipped his hat and took a seat.
He said he hoped he hadn't stepped upon my feet.
He asked my name; I held my breath;
I couldn't speak because he scared me half to death.
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer,
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels,

Stop, stop, stop went my heart strings.
As he started to go, then I started to know
How it feels when the universe reels.
The day was bright, the air was sweet.
The smell of honeysuckle charmed you off your feet.
You tried to sing, but couldn't squeak.
In fact you loved him so you couldn't even speak.
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer,
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels.
Stop, stop, stop went my heart strings.
As he started to leave I took hold of his sleeve
With my hand, and as if it were planned,
He stayed on with me,
And it was grand just to stand
With his hand holding mine
To the end of the line.

Food webs and other curiosities at the zoo

At the zoo: we looked at Food Webs - learned about the relationships between plants and animals of the South East Asian Rainforest

 and the outcomes of changing just one small factor....using string!!!



And no trip to the zoo would be complete for ds without a quick viewing of the reptile house .

At the Food Forest

We had a great time at our local organic farm. Because the farm is "on the plains" it was a rather warm afternoon! Amazing though to still see everything green and lush.

The boys enjoyed a chance to sample some dried fruits and crack a few nuts!

 Viewing some of the more unusual plants was next on the list, including a palm that looks like a banana palm but grows potato like tubers underneath the ground that would make a good source of carbohydrates according to the owner. They have yet to be harvested!

As the farm is situated by the Gawler River, a walk to view it was organised.

The farmer commented how unusual it was to see it still flowing at this time of year. Native plants were in flower.

We spotted geese and gosslings, but this time no bettongs!

It was delightfully cool inside the straw bale constructed buildings(query: is this a cheap form of construction compared with regular forms?)

Finally the house was home to an assortment of large spiders and I couldn't resist taking this photo of wasp nests!

Pig Latin

"Fun fact about this scene; in Ginger Roger's autobiography she talks about how she had been rehearsing this song for a very long time and started singing it in pig latin because she was so bored. Well Darryl Zanuck, Warner's production chief came in and Ginger thought that she was going to be fired for fooling around in rehearsal, but he had her sing it in pig latin again and decided to put it in the number. So Ginger Rogers is to thank for the pig latin part of the song."