Imagine, it is the 19th century and you are from the middle classes. You sometimes think it could be nice to be a little poorer, then perhaps you wouldn't have to use toothpaste. It's not that you don't like your teeth to be clean, but your teeth aren't exactly in great condition. Indeed, nobody's really are and rubbing the powder which comes in that dreaded little ceramic pot into them is just plain painful! You have a new type which is supposed to numb the pain a bit, but you don't hold out too much hope.
When Roy and I were deciding where to visit today, we thought we should look to see if there were any important events which happened this past or coming week - there were. This coming Wednesday, the 30th of June is the anniversary of an event known as the Lambing Flat Riots where Chinese gold miners were forced off the gold field at Burrangong, not far from Young, NSW. Although I have been to Lambing Flat Roy has yet to visit, but we thought that as a commemoration of the troubles which arose between the various nationalities on the gold fields, we would visit one of the richest and most multicultural goldfields in NSW - Hill End.
Last week, when I was working with the children, we made cup cakes. Although the cup cakes are always very popular, we make them at work from a packet mix. When I first started working there, I had no idea how to make a cake from a cake mix, but I have noticed that there are children who seem not realise that there is an alternative. When I told Roy that some children didn't know how to make cup cakes 'from scratch' he thought that was very sad and immediately decided we should share our recipe. It is known as 'three minute cup cakes' and is a very old recipe but very easy and quick to make - and all you need is a bowl and wooden spoon. The cakes are delicious too!
Imagine, you are a traveller, a gypsy. You are constantly on the move, taking your family and all of your belongings with you. Your trusty horse is almost your best friend, moving you, your family and all your possessions to each new 'home'. You can't risk anything unfortunate happening, and your kind aren't always well loved or accepted. So, you have various talismans which you use to try to ward against bad luck and the evil eye. One of these is the amulet which you use on the horse's bridle, a type of horsebrass. You're not entirely convinced they work to ward off bad luck, but they sure do look pretty!
This week, Roy and I decided that we should visit somewhere which would commemorate a very important event whose anniversary fell in the last week. Last Tuesday, the 15th of June was the anniversary of the signing of a letter called the Magna Carta, a letter which is the basis of much of our law and government. To commemorate this occasion, Roy and I decided to visit the Magna Carta Place and the Magna Carta Monument in Canberra, just outside the Old Government House Rose Gardens.
A couple of weeks ago, Roy created some apple heads by carving apples and leaving them to dry. Now, the heads have dried, and they are ready for bodies and to dress up. There are many ways to make bodies for apple people, but Roy thinks this one is the most effective. It makes strong, rigid bodies which stand up on their own so that you can display your apple dolls.
Imagine, you are a woman living in Victorian times. You have many responsibilities as a woman of means but the one which you find most difficult is looking after your husbands invalid mother. It's expected of a woman of your status to look after a sick relative, but she's so difficult! She wants to eat the rich foods which are served to the household, and can't stand the invalid foods which the doctor has advised are better for her. Thank goodness for the invalid feeding cup you picked up at the chemist - it makes feeding her so much easier, when she cooperates anyway!
Each week, Roy and I travel around the country side, looking for somewhere interesting to visit and introduce our online friends to. We travel to all sorts of places and all sorts of areas, and most of this travel is done by road. Australia is a big country and being able to move between interesting places is very important, but how often do we actually think about the roads which we use, or where they began. Well, Roy and I wanted to find out, and this week we want to get you thinking about it too, so we are going to visit Macquarie Place and show you the Macquarie Obelisk.
At the school, where I work, there are currently two pass-times which particularly draw in the kids, skipping and finger-knitting. The school has a skipping team and both the girls and the boys are really enthusiastic about it. The kids have also been doing a lot of finger-knitting lately and we are beginning to have very long, thin chains of knitting hanging around the place. The question is, what to do with it? I was chatting to Roy about this, and he remembered that I had mentioned the kids love of skipping and asked if I thought you could finger-knit a skipping rope. I wasn't sure if you could make a piece thick and strong enough for the punishment the kids put their ropes through but after a bit of trial and error, Roy and I think we have perfected it. Now we are ready to teach you!
Imagine, it's your birthday. You had to get through the whole day, and dinner before you were allowed to open a single present, but it was worth it. You got lots of practical things like books and clothes, but your Mum and Dad knew that you were really interested in magic and illusion and managed to find a special sort of a box, a revelation box. You've not seen one before, but you look forward to amazing your friends as you make their coins appear and disappear!
