Look who I found in Australia!

Do you know this lady?  Of course you do.  And while you were on vacation she found her way to Australia, and visited my family in Toowoomba.  I will let her tell you about the pictures in this blog, and many other exciting stories too, I'm sure.

The photograph below was taken by Mercedes, and is of my daughter with El Gato Bob.  My daughter is a school teacher too, and likes Bob very very much.

I hope that you had a very happy vacation, and that you are now ready for an exciting year of learning.  Study hard my friends, and one day you too may get to visit Australia.

See you later,

Alan

Blue Mountain Parrots/Lorikeets

The Blue Mountain Lorikeet or Parrot has many names as it is found all around Aurstralia, not just in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney. In Toowoomba they are called Rainbow Lorikeets, probably because they have as many colours as a rainbow. They are very pretty!

These birds can become very friendly, especially if people put seed or acacia flowers out for them to feed on. Some Australians keep them as pets, and they can be trained to talk and do tricks.

If you would like to know more about this bird, go to this link and play the video too. http://www.australianwildlife.com.au/rainbow.htm

They are very noisy, aren't they?

Famous Limestone Caves

Hola!
When I finished my last post to the blog I remembered that I know someone from Valladolid who may come to Australia, and that I suggested that this person should visit some famous Australian caves, not far from Sydney.

In Spain you have limestone caves too, and I think they are a little like the Jenolan Caves which were discovered back in about 1860. Do you know the names of any Spanish Caves and where they are located?

Some photos of the Jenolan Caves, located in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, are below.

"Three Sisters" in Blue Mountains where Jenolan Caves are locate

Entry to Jenolan Caves

Broken Column - maybe from earthquake?

A large white Stalagmite - it rises from the cave floor

Stalagmites and Stalagtites everywhere

A lot more photos may be found on this link - watch the slide show:

http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/towns/jenolan-caves/ 

Now, do you happen to know which tiny flying animal is often found in caves?  The one I am thinking of is not a bird and is blind...wow, do you know what it is?

Australian Butterflies

Wow! Spain has many beautiful butterflies.  I did not know this until today...we are never too old to learn!

Australia has about 400 different butterfly species, and like Spain, many are very pretty too.

Two well known Australian butterflies are the Ulysses (the blue one above), which can be quite large, and the Cairns Birdwing (the bottom photo).  Both are found in the tropical north of my country.

How many Spanish Butterflies can you name?

Until next time, study hard and be good.

Alan

A famous Spanish Knight!

Sorry for not writing for so long, my friends.  My wife Coral and I have been very busy fixing a few medical problems. Coral had a little operation on her right knee, and I had a new lens put in my right eye. We are well now!
Do you know where you might find the statue in the photo?  Which city?
I found it interesting that you have a blog posting on Robin Hood...and that you went to the theatre to see a drama about Robin.
When I was in primary school, a long time ago, two famous actors appeared in a film titled El Cid, and the whole school was taken to the movie theatre to see the film.  I have had an interest in Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid Campeador) ever since. Do you know his legend?
I find it amazing that some 50 years after I first saw the story in film that I came to visit that part of Spain, Castilla y Leon, where history was created. Unfortunately, I did not get to visit Burgos....we will do that next time we visit Spain.


Have any of you seen the movie that I saw a long time ago?  Ask your teachers if they know the movie and the actors?  The male actor played Ben Hur, in the movie of the same name.


Coral and I hope that you had a pleasant Easter, and that you had an interesting school vacation. 

A Birthday Vacation

Last year I had a wonderful 60th birthday at your school...do you remember?  Many of you made great birthday cards, which I brought home to Australia, to show my friends and family.

This year, for my 61st birthday last week, I again did something different.  My wife Coral and I went on a short 2 day journey, from Brisbane to Sydney, on a very big cruise ship (over 80,000 tonnes).  The ship's name is Arcadia, and a picture of her bow (the front) is below.

Do any of you recognise the building on the right side of Arcadia's bow...and where might Arcadia be berthed (a nautical term for "tied up")?

On the morning of my birthday the Arcadia berthed very early and I was able to take this photo of a very famous structure...do you know what it is, and where?  Finally, can you remind me of what day my birthday was on?  There is a clue in the picture!

Now for your final challenge, can you find Brisbane and Sydney on a map of Australia and see how far it is between the two cities?

Hasta la proxima!

Alan has a cat...his name is Bob

Do you have a pet?  What is it...a dog, a cat, a bird...or maybe even fish?  My wife and I have always had pet cats..well, since we bought our first house...our first cat came with our first house, and his name was Moey.  Moey lived a very long time. We had him for 23 years.

My son Andrew missed Moey so much that we had to replace him with a similar looking cat...his name is Bob.  Bob is now 17 years old, and we have had him since he was a kitten.

Bob likes to help with chores around the house...he just loves to watch Coral do the ironing.  Here are some photos of Bob:

In the photo above, Bob is lying on my wife's sewing table, watching her do the ironing...he has a clothes hanger on his paw.

Do you remember Nemo?

Do you remember Nemo, what he is, where he lives, and what he eats?

Well, first of all, Nemo is a star of a Disney movie....did you see it?  He is a member of a family of fish commonly called Clown Fish.  Clown Fish usually look like the one above, but they are not always orange with white and black stripes.  A different one is shown below:

Isn't this one pretty?  Yellow with blue stripes.  Do you see more colours?

Clown Fish live in tropical Coral Reefs, one of which is a very big reef off the east coast of Australia...the Great Barrier Reef, which is so big it can be seen from space by astronauts.  Other tropical reefs are found in the Indian Ocean and in the Red Sea....do you know of other such reefs?

Clown Fish live among, and sometimes within, sea anemones which have poisonous tentacles.  The Clown Fish is not hurt by the tentacles, and actually helps keep this sea creature clean by eating food scraps it has not consumed.  The Clown Fish also eats algae and plankton...very very small plants and animals that live in the sea.



The following is a picture of  a Clown Fish living inside an anemone:

Can you see the fish?  Look at the tentacles he is hiding behind...they are colourful too!

And here is a picture of Nemo's home...the Great Barrier Reef, from Space...the Reef is the white bits inside the blue ocean...the brown and green is Australia.  How about that?







DAMPER - Australian Recipe for your Restaurant

Australian DAMPER

"Damper" is a simple bread originally made by Australian Stockmen (cowboys) when camping out away from the Cattle Stations. Traditionally it is made in a cast-iron pot with a lid, called a "camp oven". The entire pot was either covered in hot wood coals or the camp oven was placed in a hole in the ground and surrounded with hot wood coals. It was usually spread with Butter and Syrup or Treacle and served with tea made in a billy over the camp fire.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 450g (3 cups) self-raising flour
• Pinch of salt
• 80g butter, chilled, cubed
• 185ml (3/4 cup) water (or half milk/half water)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add the water to the flour mixture and use a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until the mixture just comes together, adding 1-2 tbs extra water if the mixture is a little dry. Use your hands to bring the mixture together.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Shape into an 18cm disc and place on tray. Use a sharp knife that has been dipped in flour to mark 8 wedges on top. Dust the damper with a little extra flour and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the damper is cooked through and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Transfer to a wire rack for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature. It is best eaten warm on the day it is made.



Damper in a Camp Oven - see the hole in ground with hot wood coals on the lid

Another famous Australian animal!

Welcome back to school.  I hope you had a happy vacation over Christmas and that you are now ready for more interesting studies. We had a quiet Christmas in Toowoomba, and it was not too hot.

More on Australian animals!  Do you know this one?  It is on Australia's two cent coin, which is no longer used.  Japanese people love this animal, probably because they like dragons.  This animal is a Lizard, and it is sometimes called a "Bearded Dragon" or "Frilled Lizard". There are many different types of this lizard in Australia, and they can be found even in my garden...or out in the desert.  When they want to defend themselves they puff out the the big collar of skin around their head.  Just like in the pictures below.

Some children keep them as pets.  They can bite, but are not poisonous.

Until next time, study hard and practice English every day.

Alan