Ups and Downs of Exciting Events.

So it's Halloween this weekend and I thought I'd tell you my experience with events like this.

We're getting ready to celebrate Halloween. My cousin and aunty are coming out! BUT.....

The decorations aren't finished. The food hasn't been made. I feel like I can't hear with all these thoughts going through my head. It's like trying to see through a whole herd of bumble bees. And even though there are only a few decorations to put up and one tray of muffins to make, to me it seems like a lot to do.

I feel like when I finally finish one thing, I need to do another thing. Even if there's nothing else to do, I'll make up something new that needs to be done.

I feel my energy go up and down all day long. And I get so worked up that I feel like post-Christmas blues, before we've even started to celebrate.

While I'm putting the decorations up I'm trying to remember all the things I want to tell my cousin when she gets here, because I know from a lot of her past visits that many of my thoughts will fly out the window like disturbed bats, by the time she gets here. And no, writing a list doesn't help because you have to remember to write on that list. It's like you have to make a thousand other lists just to remember that one list.

Anyway, I finish putting up the decorations, when I hear my aunty's car coming up the driveway. All of a sudden my heart skips a beat. Thoughts rush through my head like those crazy dogs that chase their own tails (no offense to anyone who has one of those, I'm sure they're just fine.) Then I run out to greet my aunt and cousin.

Once I get to their car, as usual, most of the things I wanted to say are lost somewhere in the wilderness, which is frustrating because I feel like I can't enjoy them being here without saying what I wanted to say. Well, actually, I will enjoy them being here because it's nice to see them, but for those first few seconds I feel like all is lost and I am doomed.

The creepy part of Halloween is very disturbing to me and I'm not going to talk about that now, because then I'll start thinking about it, and I don't want that.

I love celebrating and love seeing my relatives and friends. Even with some hurdles, I still have a good time in the end.

So, Happy Halloween peoples!

AUSTRALIA

So I heard that some of you guys over on the other side of the world were wondering what it's like in Australia. Now, you've probably all heard of the Aussie Kangaroo and that they live in our backyards and stuff, but actually they don't. Well they do for me, but not for everyone.

It's not red deserty everywhere you go either. And the one thing irritates me the most is that we don't get snow for Christmas. I know, sooo terrible, isn't it?

Now, I think that's enough negative stuff. You know there's a lot of good stuff as well.... like baking cookies, and driving on the wrong side of the road (well, for you). And we get six weeks of no school at Christmas time. But mum just told me now that you guys get three months holidays in summer!!!!!!!!! Man, you guys are spoilt with holidays. We only get six weeks!

Bye.

A Kookaburra's Laugh

I sit on my bed on a misty morning. Crisp, fresh air, seeping through the open window. Everything is quiet. Then in the distance I hear the faint sound of a Kookaburra's laugh. What a beautiful laughing sound.

This is a link to a video of  Kookaburra laughing :
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3808304573841392701

A Broken Toe

There I was .... dragging a bucket of water .... in the middle of a drought. Thirsty as ever. Saliva evaporating more with every step I took. Then ....

There it was. A beautiful house with a lovely knee-high rock wall. I'm getting closer and closer. I can almost taste the water in my mouth, but then ....

I trip over. The weight of the water in the bucket drags me to one side and I fall to the ground. The water spills. I lay there. In agony as I watch the water get soaked up by the dry ground.

Suddenly all the pain seems to be going to one place. My toe. Fourth one along to be exact.

So here I am now, two days later, with a broken toe.

On One Quiet and Still Afternoon.

On one quiet and still afternoon,
A Kookaburra calls from a distance,
Through the cool, chilly air.

On one quiet and still afternoon,
There is a far away crunch of an Anticliner,
Dashing through the leaves.

On one quiet and still afternoon,
A clan of crickets,
Chat amongst themselves.

On one quiet and still afternoon,
A cosy candle glow,
Flows throughout a cottage window.

Bug-eyed-osauras facts

106,000,000 years BC, there was a certain type of omnivorous dinosaur that had evolved to be able to survive in the very cold climate of Antarctica. They were called Leaellynasaura and were only two metres long. Being small made it easier to survive because there was less body weight to carry around meaning they needed less energy and therefore less food. They lived in small clans dominated by one leading pair.

In Antarctica, there was no light for two months during the winter and then during summer, the sun never set for five months. Leaellynasaura's eyes adapted, by growing bigger so they could see during the two months of darkness.

During breeding time, the Leaellynasaura's would collect dried leaves, ferns and twigs to build a nest for the eggs. Once the eggs were laid in the nest, the mother would check the temperature of the nest to make sure it is the right temperature for the eggs to develop correctly. After some time in the eggs, the unhatched dinosaurs could be heard responding to their mother's vocal clickings.

Something I found funny, is that when an egg thief comes to steal eggs, they way the Leaellynasaura's defend their eggs is by facing their rear to the egg theif and flicking dried leaves and ferns through their back legs, towards the egg thief. (the same way that a dog will do with dirt when they're digging). 

Facts About Horses, That You Never Knew ... Probably

Having a horse, inspired me to tell you about them.

Horses are mammals. They are social animals that usually live in herds of twenty or more, in the wild. They usually give birth to one foal but can sometimes give birth to two foals. Dams (the mother horses) wean their foals anywhere between 4-12mths of age.

Horses are herbivores. They eat mainly grass and hay. Their favourite hay is lucerne because it is sweet tasting. There are some weeds, though, that will make them sick. So when you own a horse you need to make sure that those weeds do not grow in the paddock.

There are all sorts of different breeds of horses: arabians, stock horses, quarter horses, welsh mountain ponies, shetland ponies, thoroughbred horses, standardbred horses, clydesdales, appaloosa and Australia's wild horse, the brumby.

The stock horse, quarter horse and clydesdales are all working horses, used to work on farms for rounding up cattle (q/h and s/h) or pulling carts and logs around (clydesdales.)

Then their are the sporting horses: the arabians excel in dressage and the standardbreds and thoroughbreds are used for racing, but the standardbreds pull a cart instead of having a rider on their back.

There are all different coloured horses: black, brown, chestnut, bay, paint, white, grey, buckskin, palomino and others.

Australian brumbies are in danger because people are culling them rather than taking them in and training them to be beautiful riding and cutting horses.

My horse is a brumby and she is the best horse I've ever ridden. Under saddle it feels like she's flying. She glides gracefully as if there's nothing beneath us. And on the ground she's polite, welcoming, gentle and is always trying to make things easy for me.

Who Needs a Walking Stick?

Yesterday at the shopping centre, I saw an old man with a trolley and a walking stick. Now, he wasn't actually using that walking stick, in fact, he had put his stick in the trolley and was running along pushing the trolley with utmost ability!

Well, I think that the man looked like he was having the time of his life speeding around the shopping centre. It reminds me of those people in the little old person buggies, that hoon around the streets. It makes me laugh every time I see them hahahahahahahahaha!

Gotta go. Bye!

Lion Tiger Cubs and Their Foster Mum!

On the news I heard something about lion cross tiger cubs that were abandoned by their mother, then united  with a dog that had just had a litter of pups herself. The cubs went straight to the milk. There is a page of information and a video clip here......
http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/05/24/liger-cubs-nursed-by-dog/

Fireboy and Watergirl

When my cousin told me about this game, I thought she was crazy to think that I might like it. But now here I am telling you guys all about it. So here it is.....

It's a computer game where the character Watergirl can only touch water and the character Fireboy can only touch fire. Oh, and there's also a little bit of mud that they both can't touch.

It's like an obstacle course with puddles of water, fire and mud that you have to jump over.

If you'd like to have a go then here's a link to it.....

http://www.gamenode.com/adventure-games/fireboy-watergirl-the-forest-temple/

Gyuto Monks from Tibet

Yesterday I went to Crystal Castle and there were Gyuto Monks and they helped me to make a happy flag. They said that "when the breeze blows the flag, it will spread happiness around the world".

I enjoyed the making of the flag because it was calming to paint on the material and the Monks were so calm that they made me feel the same way.

Male Seahorses Giving Birth.

Today I found out that male seahorses can actually give birth to their young! That must come in handy for all those guys that want a kid of their own. That's pretty amazing.

If you want to see it happening, go to this link....

http://youtu.be/iaoLxR9FTwk

Bye.

Moths or Butterflies? The differences that I've noticed...

1) Moths fold their wings over their body, whereas butterflies do not.

2) Butterflies fly by flapping their wings up and down, but moths sort of vibrate their wings back and forth.

3) Butterflies are most active by day whereas moths are more so at night.

That's all, so good day.

A Farrier Comes to Put Amber's Shoes On!

Yesterday Amber got her shoes put on and I was there to experience it all. Now I'm here to tell you all about it.

Brumbies usually have tough hooves but because of all the rain (and there was lots of it) Amber's hooves went soft on the inside.

When horses need their feet done, a special person, called a farrier, comes to do the job for you. This process will be hard to explain so I've got some photos to go along with it.

When the farrier did the back legs, he stretched Amber's leg around the outside of himself, and he himself was right under Amber! ....

Here's a photo of me riding Amber! ....

Now that I think about it, it's much easier for us to get new shoes than it is for horses to.

Bye.

The Baby Poo Extreme Experiment.

Okay, we ... no, MUM, got this lime wash paint and put, let's say ..... WAY TOO MUCH colour tint in it and painted it on the inside wall in the house. Now? It looks like someone's collected baby poop and has smeared it on the wall!!!!

YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Gum. A Very Bad Man!

Look out for Mr. Gu.....[BANG!!!!] "Ouch!" Said Mr. Gum. That was a mean fairy, hitting Mr. [BANG!!!] Gum with a [BANG!!!] frying pan! She hits him a lot.

I'm talking about a book called You're a Bad Man Mr. Gum. There is a whole series of Mr. Gum books and I think they're really funny.

There is also a little girl called Polly and a man with the name of the last day of the week ..... Friday!

If you want to find out more, then there is only one thing left to do ..... READ!!!

[BBBBBAAAAAANNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!]

A Trapeze in My Bedroom

This may seem a little......... let's say, strange, but I have a trapeze in my bedroom.

If you don't have a clue of what a trapeze is then read on, but if you do then I suggest not. You can if you want to ( but it would be pretty boring if you ask me.)

Well a trapeze is a wooden bar connected to two ropes (strong) at the ends, and the ropes are connected to the ceiling parallel to each other.

Now some of you may be wondering why I have a trapeze in my room so here it is: I do aerial circus, which is swinging off a trapeze and sheets of material, so it's pretty important that I can practise,

What I like about having a trapeze in my room is that if its raining I can hang on it and not get wet. Some people have theirs outside and if it's raining then it's a wasted day.

I have to go, so good bye for now.

More Freaky Facts.

Fact 1) A few species of frogs living in South America and West Africa give birth to live young!

Fact 2) The Striped Skunk is the smelliest mammal.

Fact 3) Bats are the only flying mammal.

Fact 4) The closest living relatives of pinnipeds are bears.

I hope you liked the facts I shared, bye.

Unlikely Friends.

Differences don't matter when it comes to this. I read this article about two orphaned tigers who came together with two orphaned orangutans and shared toys, wrestled together and slept together. This is pretty amazing!

Well, I suppose this is an example that shows how when it comes down to friendship it really doesn't matter what you look or sound like. You can still have a friend.

Here's a link to the website...

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/animalsnature/tigers-cuddle-with-orangutans/

A Dog Like Charlie.

She is black.
She is bouncy.
She is my labradoodle Charlie.

Tricks she knows:
Drop.
Shake.
Sit.
Come.
Play dead (almost).

She's a puppy and may be hard to control at times, but she is my dog and I love her for who she is. Here are some photos of Charlie:

When she was a puppy.....

Fully grown....

And this one is Charlie and I at the beach....

Why My Complicated Mind? The Reason I Came Here.

Well, the reason I came here is so I could show the people who don't have the differences I have, what it's like to have them. And for the people who do have the same differences as me, I would like to show them that there are others out there who have exactly the same thing. Here's an example of me....

Yesterday, me and my sister had a fight because I wanted to play being dinosaurs but she wanted to be a human. I tried to convince her that dinosaurs are way more fun to be than it is to be a human but she just said no. She said no, no, no, over and over again. I ended up exploding and yelled at her. Then she walked away and I felt terrible.

That's all I have to say today. See you later.

Easter Bilbies on the Loose in Australia!

Come Easter time, it is said to be true, that a rabbit will come and give you a chocolate egg . . . . . . .

WELL, I have to say, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Because I mean, like, rabbits are mammals, so they don't lay eggs.

In Australia, some of us buy chocolate mummy and baby bilbies.

But then again, I guess it is much more fun to hunt for Easter eggs than it is to hunt for Easter bilbies.

Goodbye.

More About My AlphaSmart!

Well, where should I begin? It's kind of like the keyboard of a normal computer but at the top it has a little screen that shows you the writing. But that's all you can do on it. No Google, no email and no Youtube.

Pretty cool, hey? Just for writing!

TYPING WITHOUT A COMPUTER

OK, I'm going to announce it ... the one and only Alpha Smart 3000!!! It's my new typing keyboard. And it's so easy to type on that, believe it or not, I actually typed all this up on it beforehand.

Watching Sparks Fly.

I have an activity that's based on electricity. I can make lights turn on by connecting wires together. I find it stimulating.

Here's a link to something I found interesting...

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_christian_big_history.html

Riding Amber!!!!

3 days ago I rode Amber! She was so soft it felt like I was riding a marshmallow horse. Here's a picture of me and Amber....

And guess what this means? My trainer's daughter will probably RIDE Amber in the upcoming show! This makes me feel really warm and happy inside.

Stuck in a Mini Train.

You know those little kid, toy vehicle things at the shopping centre, for 4 year olds? Well, I tried one and it was really fun ...... until mum called me and I got stuck. Well, I'm just glad we didn't need the old soap bar trick, to get me out!

Easter. And Spiders.

Easter's coming up and I'm really excited because mum says we can have chocolate this year, with just no dairy. Mmmm! I hope my cousin, Ella, comes out for Easter, too.

Oh, I almost forgot, I found out another fact: Some female spiders eat the male spider after mating. I had always wanted to be a boy, but now -- not so much.

Read This Or Die. Maybe.

I found out some freaky facts and thought they might be useful for anyone who is going to the northern USA, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia or South Africa:
The polar bear (northern USA, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia), is the only animal that actively hunts humans. Nice. And the longest earthworm ever found (South Africa), was 6.8 metres long. NEVER going to Africa.

Is Ridiculous the Normal State of Mind?

Yesterday my mum said I was being ridiculous. But I thought: is ridiculous just the normal state of mind? I'm going to think more about this.

Amber's First Show.

I have a pony. She's a Brumby and her name is Amber. She was part of a family of Brumbies that were rescued from a national park and saved from culling. Amber hasn't finished her training yet, but I'm really excited because my trainer is entering Amber in the Bonalbo show! I won't be able to ride her so she will be led. It's her first show and I hope she does well.

Here is a photo of me leading Amber...

My sister and I are entering into the cooking competition at the Bonalbo show as well.

Here is a video I liked.

I think it's amazing how gentle the dolphin is being.

Hello.

Hi, my name is Emelia, and this is my first time blogging. I live on a farm in NSW, in Australia.