“I have reached the heavens!” came a whispering voice from a shadow in the alleyway. The mysterious silhouette with his secret treasure grasped firmly in his hands briskly disappeared off into the darkness.

*****

Rummaging through his timber drawers, Charles frantically threw papers around. He thought to himself, “Where the devil is my manuscript?” The rather cramped room which he called his study was a flooded city with files and papers, literally overflowing the entire room. 58, 59 and 60; an entire hour of fumbling and shouting was to no avail. The near future of his life wasn’t shaping up well, however quite the opposite. Coincidently, tomorrow was the day when he would finalise the publishing deal of his manuscript with the publisher company, Chapman and Hall. Without half-a penny in his pocket, he was well and truly broke.

After another useless bunch of papers engulfed him he collapsed into his chair; as they say, the last straw broke the camel’s back. All the drawers and cabinets were unearthed; lost papers and folders were found, however none was the manuscript he was looking for. With frustration and depression written all over his face, he came to a conclusion. Considering the fact that there were hungry scavengers and jealous authors; the manuscript could only have been….. stolen!

*****

As he entered the desolate hut which he called home, the shadowy figure inspected the product of his cunning and slyness; the manuscript. The front page read “A Christmas Carol, A ghost story of Christmas by Charles Dickens”. Crackling laughter echoed throughout the room. However he knew that his job was not over; he had to finalise the deal under the disguise of Dickens. He was filled with ecstasy; the manuscript was in his grasp without any suspicions whatsoever from Dickens. Little did he know that back at Dickens’ place, the search had begun!

*****

On his desk with his trusty pen, Charles began his detective work; his occupation as an author had given him no detective training at all. Nonetheless, he had to find the thief, and the stakes were high. The task was straight-forward the execution completely opposite.

Firstly he recollected where he saw his manuscript last, which happened to be yesterday around 6 pm  in his house. After tracing back his steps, Charles realised that the manuscript, which was locked safely in his secret cabinet, could have been vulnerable when he went to buy his groceries, when guests arrived and when he slept. After a long delay Charles made up a list of suspicious characters that could be named as suspects. There were only a few guests or arrivals, so this made the list of suspects difficult, as he could easily miss the real culprit. Altogether he had 4 suspects:

a)     Noremac Shillington- Suspicious neighbour acting mysteriously for the past few days.

b)    Justin Bottleworth- Charles’ competitor in writing. Situated at an isolated house down the hill.

c)     Kevin Dandledoff- The town burglar, expert in opening lockers and cabinets. Very capable and leaves no clues behind.

d)    Joel Husslebuff- The last person to visit his house. Closely examined Charles’ furniture when he was there. Very nice personality, however.

With a boost of self-confidence, Charles began searching for clues and then secretly investigated the remaining suspects.

*****

As he calmly prepared to don Dickens’ disguise, the man reached in his pocket and fished around for his handkerchief. He found it empty which was quite strange as he always had a handkerchief in that pocket. Feeling around in his breech pockets was no good. Then the shock came to realisation, he had dropped his handkerchief at Dickens’ place! Thoughts raced through his mind, could he risk going for the handkerchief? Should he go earlier than planned to the publishers? Ironically his forehead leaked sweat and he didn’t have the handkerchief; however this was the least of his worries. The faint noise of far away bells tinkled in the background as he resumed work.

*****

The church bells rang ear-splittingly loud; it was noon. For Charles it was a race against time. With haste and no time to lose; Charles quickly but carefully searched for clues. Not a minute passed and already Charles found something. A red object jutted out beneath the drawers, where he kept the manuscript. Pulling the end, Charles discovered that the object was a red handkerchief. Tossing it away like a used tissue, he moved on in search of other clues. After half an hour of tedious, futile searching, the idea hit Charles. Trudging through the mountain of mess, he sought out the handkerchief. He had not the slightest memory of himself or any of his guests dropping a red handkerchief. This could only mean that it was the property of the thief himself! Although it was just one clue, Charles knew that this combined with research, would be more than enough to catch the culprit.

Back at his table, Charles went back to his suspect list and his lunch; a measly bowl of porridge. Already 2pm, he knew how fast he had to work. He worked down his list hoping to eliminate useless suspects before he physically set out to further research. First on the list was Noremac Shillington, his mysterious neighbour. Charles had found out that Noremac’s sister had just passed away and he had been feeling guilty that he wasn’t able to help her; and so was acting mysteriously and rather psychotically. He obviously wouldn’t be in the mood to steal his neighbour’s manuscript for no apparent reason. With a straight dark line through his name, Noremac was eliminated. One down, three to go.

The second suspect, Justin Bottleworth however was definitely in Charles’ mind as being the culprit. A mysterious house, a jealous writer; the evidence was against him therefore Charles kept him on the list. Third down the list was the town burglar, Kevin Dandledoff. Although his occupation as thief was a major setback, Kevin was a professional so he would take great care not to leave behind clues, especially a handkerchief. Besides, he kept a yellow handkerchief tied over his face. Last, but not least he wouldn’t find anything interesting in a manuscript as he was interested and renowned for robberies of pounds and gold. After a long delay Charles put the straight, dark line through his name; he was eliminated.

The fourth and final suspect was Joel Husslebuff, the last person to visit Charles’ house. Although he had a nice personality, Charles knew because he wrote novels, that the nice personality could be just a farce. Another clue was the fact that he was looking at and examining the furniture closely. This was a sign that he was trying to plan his way and considering the equipment he would need to break into the locked cabinet to steal the manuscript. Therefore, he was still on the list.

This close examination resulted in a 50-50 possibility; the culprit had to be Justin Bottleworth or Joel Husslebuff. After gulping down his porridge, Charles picked up his jacket (his third layer of clothing) and set out to investigate the two remaining suspects. It was already 4pm and the sun would set about an hour or so. However, the London air was quite refreshing after working hard and niggling at his brains. He ventured down the snow-infested, crowded streets to reach 48 Mortimer Street, Joel Husslebuff’s house.

Gasping for air, Charles went straight to Joel’s neighbours and asked them questions about any odd behaviour from Joel. However, they all said the same thing; that Joel was normal and jovial as usual. After long deliberation Charles decided to question Joel without letting him know that he was a suspect. He was welcomed in the house graciously by Joel and his family. Charles said, “Joel, you seemed particularly interested in my cabinets and drawers.”

“Well yes, you see I make my living as a carpenter and so I particularly liked the designs embedded on your furniture,” replied Joel.

Charles thought to himself, “Joel is not sweating or showing any obvious sign of worry and the fact that he is a carpenter has completely taken him off my list.”

After a short and terse conversation, Charles thanked Joel for his kind reception and courteously left the house. Back on the streets, Charles bubbled with excitement as he knew that Justin Bottleworth was the culprit. However taking no chances, he decided to investigate first before accusing anyone. To be on the safe side Charles rushed into the shabby, old police station which was conveniently on the opposite lane. After reporting the culprit’s crime, he and a couple of armed police officers rode to their destination in the police carriage. Coming down the hill they could faintly see their destination, a far off desolate place. Soon they reached Mr. Bottleworth’s place. There was nothing secret about this raid. Barging in the through the door, the three men surrounded Justin Bottleworth. The officers shouted and waved their revolvers, “Put your hands in the air and don’t move!” Dickens took out the red handkerchief that may have belonged to Justin and gave it to the policemen. After vigorous questioning, Justin could do nothing but accept his crime. He was in a sorry state. Handcuffed and tied up he retold his story of how he secretly entered Dickens’ home at night wearing a hooded jacket; he stole the key, opened the drawer and took away the manuscript.

Out of curiosity, Dickens asked, “But why did you steal my manuscript?”

Justin replied, “My books weren’t selling at all and I was literally bankrupt, with no money for my rent and barely any for my food. This was a desperate circumstance and so I had to resort to this evil, cunning plan. I am truly sorry, Mr. Dickens.”

Dickens could relate to poor Justin’s story, so he decided not to take the case any further. All his life he had written books about poverty, and today he saw the best example of it. He sent the policemen away and set Justin free on the condition that he gave up the manuscript and stopped stealing. After a lengthy discussion with Justin, Charles concluded that he would give him a partial amount of the royalty he received from the manuscript of the novel, The Christmas Carol.

It was 7pm and Charles truly felt like it was the longest day of his life. If only he had known that he would become a part-time detective, like some of the characters in his own stories!

This story was written by Dharma Gohel, studying in year 7 at James Ruse Agricultural High School, as a narrative task within his school curriculum in English.  He got full marks for this project.

DID YOU KNOW…
Adults consume nearly one-half of all ice cream novelties.
The top 10 ice cream consuming countries in the world are: United States, New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, Belgium / Luxembourg, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Ireland, Switzerland
Children age 2 through 12 and adults over 45 eat the most ice cream
July is celebrated as National Ice Cream Month in the USA, with the third Sunday in July known as National Ice Cream Day.
In Lexington, Kentucky (USA), it is illegal to carry an ice-cream cone in your pocket. (Wonder if the police going to go around checking people’s pockets for ice-cream…)
ML

***

PEARL OF WISDOM: Ice cream is happiness condensed.  Jessi Lane Adams

PEARL OF WISDOM:Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone  Jim Fiebig

PEARL OF WISDOM: I will not scream for ice cream Bart Simpson

 ***

LAUGH OUT LOUD

The young man entered the ice cream shop and asked, “What kinds of ice cream do you have?”
“Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry,” the girl wheezed as she spoke, patted her chest and seemed unable to continue.
“Do you have laryngitis?” the young man asked sympathetically.
“Nope,” she whispered, “just vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.”

Knock, Knock!
Who’s there?
Ice cream!
Ice cream who?
Ice cream if you don’t let me in!

Who serves ice cream faster than a speeding bullet?
Scooperman!

Teacher: What is Neoplatonism?
Student: That’s easy – it’s when you have Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla ice cream in layers.

What do ghosts like as dessert topping?
Whipped scream

ML

***

BIZZARRE!!

Ice cream flavours|
My favourite ice-cream flavour is cookies and cream. But there are others I would like to try, like chocolate chip cookie dough, rocky road and strawberry cheesecake. Some are weird, like rice krispies and coca cola flavour, but might be worth a try, even grape flavour, or tomato, or kiwi fruit. I might even have a lick of peanut butter flavour, or black licorice, or green tea, or ginger ice cream. But please don’t give me vegetable flavours like sweet potato, pumpkin, corn, avocado, eggplant, spinach, potato, mushroom, carrot (or yuck!) garlic or wasabi ice cream, or other bizarre ones like oatmeal and tulip. I won’t even LOOK at sweet red bean ice cream, or chilli flavour, or bacon, or red wine ice cream. And beware, I will DEFINITELY throw up at fish, octopus, squid, crab and eel-flavoured ice creams!!
All flavours mentioned here are real, many of them coming from Korea, Japan and Taiwan
DL

***

I’M A SMUG SHOW-OFF

A Gelato is Italian-style ice cream. It means “frozen”. It is different from ice cream because it’s made with milk and only a little cream, whereas ice cream generally contains more cream than milk. Also unlike ice-cream, it has no air whipped into it, so it is more dense and flavoursome.
A Sorbet is a frozen dessert made from fruit purée or fruit juice and no milk or cream.
A Sundae is a dessert which uses ice-cream as a base and adds a sauce on top, along with nuts, fruit, sprinkles, cookies, even cake.
DL

As I pulled into the Bus Bay of Ryde Public School, I was met with 120 eager faces watching me. The first bus was already there waiting. I stopped and the driver got out, and opened the bottom of me, so the kids could put in their luggage. Let me tell you, it is a weird sensation, having 60 children putting their luggage on me, climbing on to me, sitting on me, watching movies and talking and laughing, oblivious of whatever pain I was feeling!

They chatted and laughed, and overall, seemed excited about their camp. The camp they were going to was 3 days and two nights, to Canberra and the Snowy Mountains. There were 2 other buses accompanying me. Our first destination was McDonalds, where the children went to the toilet and had morning tea. After that, we were to go to The Australian War Memorial. The trip was quite long, silently going through an endless highway, but finally we reached Canberra. I listened with pleasure as they made excited comments about Canberra, and pressed their faces against my windows, and took endless pictures. I drove to the War Memorial and all the children got out. I drove off with the driver for a little break.

After an hour or so I started to feel a little stuffy and that effect became worse, when once again, I heard the chatter of the children and the teachers trying to keep them quiet. Once again, all the children climbed aboard me and it was so hot. It was a long drive but we finally reached the accommodation. My driver lived nearby the accommodation, so the driver and I were to stay at his place for the night. I hoped he had a big driveway with spacious lawns, and plenty of place for me to rest. The children all got out, and took their luggage off me, to put into their rooms.  I heard the teachers giving instructions to which rooms the children will be in – I heard some children groaning and I heard the other children laughing with joy. After they got out, they were to do activities such as ropes course, archery, rock climbing and more, and then it was dinner and karaoke. But I would have to miss out on all that fun, though looking on the bright side, tomorrow I would get to sleep in, before that trip to the snow!

*

Going around and around the winding road, searching for some hints of gleaming white snow was what I and the children were trying to do. There was no snow so far, I was feeling pretty sorry for the children. I hoped there would be some snow for them to play in. This morning the children had done archery and team maneuvers, then had gotten on me to ride to the snow. After we reached, they were to have lunch and play in the snow, while I just stood in the sunny parking lot.

There it was! On the very tops of a few mountains, gleaming white snow – the children were all excited and within minutes we were there. They all got out and had a quick lunch. I had heard that they were going to do Bobsled, then chairlift, then a walk, and then play. I was pretty excited for them, as I watched the last child disappear from view.

And when they got back, sixty children, all wearing wet beanies, gloves and scarves clambered aboard me, excitedly chatting about the snow. Everything had gone according to plan, and it had been so much fun. They had found a big, nice, soft patch of snow to play with, and they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I heard snippets of each and everyone’s conversation. One child with black hair (apparently her name is Sunaina) was relating to everyone that she had eaten some of the snow! I felt my seats become cold and wet from the snow, but within an hour, we got to the accommodation and everyone got out. From now until six o‘clock the children could swim, play table tennis or pool, or just relax, and then after dinner there was going to be a disco! I thought of all the fun they would have dancing and playing, but there was only one more day of the camp left!

*

We had finished Regatta Point and done one other educational thing, and now it was time for the Parliament House. Today (the third and final day) the main highlights were the Parliament House and Questacon.  We were driving along, the children happily playing on their electronic gadgets. I wondered what kind of things they would learn at the Parliament House. It would be pretty exciting, learning about government in school, then actually seeing the real thing. Before I knew it, we had reached Parliament House and the kids got off. My driver went off to get some coffee, and I sat all alone in the basement carpark.

The tour took one and a half hours, and now all the children were really excited as we were on our way to Questacon! Everyone was so excited to do all the interesting things, but sadly after Questacon, the camp would come to an end… and we would all be on our way to Sydney. We reached Questacon, and all the children ran out of the bus, such was their excitement. I was parked across the street from Questacon, and watched as a staff member spoke to them, and then gave them all stamps. After that, all the children rushed into Questacon. And I stood there thinking of all the fun they were going to have, in that science museum.

It was four o’clock when the children came back. Apparently they had had a lot of fun, and in their hands were bags full of souvenirs.  They had enjoyed themselves doing many interactive activities, including a giant slide, a rollercoaster stimulator and an earthquake house. The next stop was McDonalds, where the children would buy and eat dinner and after that, it was straight back to Ryde Public School. It was slowly getting dark, and by the time we reached McDonalds it was 6.45. At 7.00, the children started to come back, but a few children still carried their food with them. The Bus driver was so strict about no eating on me, that a few children stood outside and finished eating. I felt a little guilty! Once again, we started driving along the road and it was almost dark and the teacher put a movie on. The children were silently watching the movie, as it got later and later into the night. The trip was long, but soon enough a “Welcome to Sydney” board came into view and it was only 45 more minutes. Finally we reached Top Ryde Shopping Centre which was all lit up, and by now all the children were waiting to go home.

When I reached the Bus Bay at Ryde Public School, I remembered the first time I came here to see 120 eager faces staring at me. Now, one bus had already arrived and a Bus full of tired children and happy parents watched as I pulled in. I stopped and the luggage was unloaded off me. After checking and cleaning the Bus, all the children got out, took their luggage and went to their parents. It had been a fun camp, I thought, as I left the school, hearing only the distant radio in me and no laughing kids, a very fun camp!

By Devna and Manan Luthra…

DOGGY FACTS

1. Did you know that the Chinchilla dog takes baths in dust?
2. The Dingo and Basenji are the only two breeds of dogs that do not bark.
3. All dogs are descended from the wolf.
4. The Chow Chow and Shar-pei are the only dogs known that do not have a pink tongue – their tongues are blue!5. At the end of the Beatles song A Day in the Life, Sir Paul McCartney recorded an ultrasonic whistle that only dogs are capable of hearing, for his Shetland sheepdog.
6. When a dog bays at the moon, it is following a basic urge to call the pack together.
7. The burying of bones is part of a dog’s instinctive feeding ritual; shaking things viciously is part of the hunting ritual.
8. Dogs turn in circles before lying down because in the wild this instinctive action turns long grass into a bed.
9. There are 701 types of pure breed dogs, but they fit into seven basic categories: Toy dogs, Hound dogs, Herding dogs, Sporting dogs, Non-Sporting dogs, Terriers, Working dogs. 
10. Dogs can be right-handed or left-handed like humans.
 ML

LAUGH OUT LOUD
 

Why did the poor dog chase his own tail?
He was trying to make both ends meet!

What kind of dog does a vampire prefer?
Any kind of bloodhound!        

What is the only kind of dog you can eat?
A hot dog!

What did the hungry Dalmatian say when he had a meal?
That hit the spots!

What dog wears contact lenses?
A cock-eyed spaniel!

What do you get if you cross a cocker spaniel, a poodle and a rooster?
Cockerpoodledoo!

Woman: “We’ve got such a clever dog. He brings in the daily newspapers every morning.”
Husband: “Well, lots of dogs can do that.”
Woman: “But we’ve never subscribed to any!”
ML

DOGGY MOVIES
For you and your pet to watch together

Lassie Come Home (1943)
Old Yeller (1957)
Benji (1974)
Turner and Hooch (1989)
Beethoven (1992)
Homeward Bound (1993)
My Dog Skip (2000)
Scooby Doo (2002)
Because of Winnh-Dixie (2005)
Eight Below (2006)
The Shaggy Dog (2006)
Marley & Me (2008)
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009)
Hotel for Dogs (2009)
DL

PEARLS OF WISDOM

A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down.  ~Robert Benchley

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.  ~ Ben Williams

To err is human; to forgive, canine.  ~Anonymous

Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one.  ~Anonymous

Be the person your dog thinks you are. ~Anonymous

POEM
Harry Potter , the seriesHarry Potter 1,             
Was loads of fun.
Had a nice long run,
And was very well done!

Harry   Potter   2,
Got a great review.
Too long was the queue
But all made it through!

Harry Potter 3,             
It was great,  said she
(my sister,  who likes  tea).
It was fabulous, said me!

Harry Potter 4,
I truly did adore
It was great for sure,
And I really wanted more!

Harry Potter 5,
Pleasure did derive
Characters came alive,
And the series was in thrive!

Harry Potter 6,
Got plenty of ticks.
Clever magic tricks,
Made it best of the flicks!

Harry Potter 7,
I’m in heaven!
I’m seeing it with Bevan,         
My sister’s going with Helen!

Manan

HARRY POTTER TRIVIA

Philosopher’s Stone

1. What colour is unicorn blood?
2. What magical device are first years not allowed to use at Hogwarts?
3. What are the two black balls in Quidditch called? 

Chamber of Secrets

1. Where are underage Wizards not allowed to use magic?
2. Whose nose swelled to the size of a melon during Prof. Snape’s potions class?
3. A person who can speak to snakes is called what? 

Prisoner of Azkaban

1. What magazine carries reviews and tests of different broomsticks?
2. Which exam is held at midnight?
3. Which one of Harry’s friends had to write an essay called “Explain why Muggles need electricity”? 

The Goblet of Fire

1. What is the name of a rival wizarding school beginning with B?
2. Which teacher can see through Harry’s Invisibility Cloak?
3. Who repairs Harry’s injured leg with tears? 

Answers
1. Silver  2. Broomsticks 3. Bludgers 4. Outside school 5. Draco Malfoy’s 6. Parselmouth 7. Which Broomstick?
8. Astronomy 9. Hermione 10. Beauxbatons 11. Prof. Moody 12. Fawkes

LAUGH OUT LOUD
Harry Potter Jokes
 
Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
You Know
You Know Who?
Yep! Avada Kedrava

What kind of cereal do they have at Hogwarts?
Hufflepuffs.

How many Voldemorts does it take to light up a wand?
Now you see that’s why he’s called the DARK lord.

What does Snape see in the Mirror of Erised?
Shampoo

Did you hear about the witch who won the lottery? 
Yeah, she went completely Knuts!

What does a death eater eat for breakfast? 
Cruci-O’s!

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN
A Harry Potter Recipe: Butterbeer
(For your next Harry Potter-themed party)

2 ½ cups of milk
½ cup of butterscotch chips

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Add the butterscotch chips. If you have a hand-mixer, use it to make the mixture frothy.
Bring it to almost boiling, but not quite.
Pour into mugs and serve!

CHOCOLATE HISTORY

Chocolate has been around for thousands of years. The Aztec Indians of South America dried and roasted the seeds of the cocoa plant, and then fermented it to make a drink. They believed that it cured tiredness, gave them strength for battle, and even led to long life. All of these facts are now known to be true. In fact, the Latin name of the chocolate bean means, “the food of the gods”. They got it right there!

The adventurer Christopher Columbus first brought the chocolate bean to Spain. It quickly became the favored drink of the aristocracy. It was very expensive, and very bitter. In England, someone added milk to it to weaken it a bit, and someone else added sugar. By the 1890s, someone found a way to harden it to a solid form, and the chocolate industry as we know it today, was born.

In 1897, a man by the funny name of Cadbury, was wrapping chocolate in shiny paper, and selling it.
Today chocolate comes in various types, and everyday different flavors are added to it. Green tea chocolate is the latest, but have you heard of the chilli chocolate? How about garlic chocolate?!
Of course, there are some negative effects: chocolates sometimes cause obesity, and a few problems with dental health, but nothing major to worry about! The benefits of chocolate far outweigh these trivial issues. Do you know, most supercentenarians (i.e., people who live for more than 100 years), all had one thing in common: they ate chocolate everyday, to the very last days of their lives. Life-extensionists recommend the consumption of dark chocolate, particularly, for long life.
So, hurrah for chocolate!

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN
Chocolate  Crackles
400g milk chocolate, chopped
60g copha, chopped
250g packet Scotch Finger biscuits, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
80g Crunchie bar, finely chopped

Line an oven tray with small paper cupcake cases.
Boil a pan of water. Cover with a plate and place a heatproof bowl on the top. Put the copha and chocolate in the bowl. Heat, stirring constantly with a metal spoon, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Mix biscuits, marshmallows and Crunchie bar in a large bowl. Pour over chocolate mixture. Stir until well combined.
Put tablespoonfuls of mixture into paper cases. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.
DL

ORIGINS

Chocolate comes from the Cacao tree (pronounced ka-kaow). When it is processed it makes Cocoa (pronounced koh-koh). The largest producer of Cacao is the West African country of Cote d’Ivorie, followed by Ghana, followed by Brazil, Ecuador, Togo, Mexico, Indonesia and PNG.
The scientific name of the cacao tree, Theobroma, means “food of the gods.”

The TRUTH about Humpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again!

Obviously Humpty was not really an egg. Well, what was he then?
Apparently, Humpty might refer to King Richard III of England, the hunchbacked monarch, whose horse was named “Wall”. During the battle of Bosworth Field, he fell off of his steed and was said to have been “hacked into pieces”.
But then again, Humpty Dumpty might have been a giant gun, a cannon, placed on a giant wall in the English city of Colchester. During the English Civil War (1642 – 1649), a shot was fired at the church that damaged the wall on which the cannon was positioned. The wall was damaged, causing the cannon to fall and break into pieces, which the King’s army could not reassemble, even though they tried.                           …..DL 

DID YOU KNOW?
EGGS-cyclopedia

1. A large egg has less than five grams of fat, and less than 2 grams of saturated fat.
2. Eating 2 eggs per day will not increase bad cholesterol for people with a normal blood cholesterol level.
3. Eggs have 11 vitamins and minerals.
4. One ostrich egg is about the same weight as twelve chicken eggs.
5. A fresh egg will sink in water, a stale one will float.
6. The colour of the egg shell is not related to quality, nutrients or flavour. White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes.
7. Yolk colour depends on the plant pigments in the hens’ feed. Natural yellow-orange substances, such as marigold petals, may be added to light-coloured feed to enhance color. Artificial colours are not permitted.
8. A hen takes 24-26 hours to produce an egg.
9. An egg shell has 7,000-17,000 pores on its surface through which moisture and air go in and out.  Store eggs in the fridge in their container, or else the fridge smells will get in to the egg.    …..ML

LAUGH OUT LOUD

Did you hear the one about the egg?
It’s not all it’s “cracked” up to be!

What do you call an egg that goes on a safari?
An eggs-plorer.

What do you call a city with 20 million eggs?
New Yolk City.

Why is the chef so mean?
She beats the eggs.

What does mummy hen call her baby?
Eggs-tra special.

What do chickens call a school exam?
Answer: Eggs-animation!                                                                                                                        ….. ML

 KIDS IN THE KITCHEN

Green eggs and ham
I would not eat them with a fox.
I would not eat them in a box.
I would not eat them here or there.
I would not eat them anywhere.
I would not eat green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Dr Suess
How would you cook green eggs and ham, Cat-in-the Hat? Green food colouring, maybe? Colour some water green and dip the ham in it for a while. Put some dye in the eggs while beating them.
Better still, use herbs to make your eggs green. Chop up your preferred herbs and put them in the blender with your eggs, some salt and pepper and a little milk, and cook as usual – omelette or scrambled!              …..DL

PEARLS OF WISDOM

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked. Bernard Meltzer

The present is an egg laid by the past, that has the future inside its shell. Zora Neale

FOTO CORNER

This egg-shaped office building will soon be finished in Mumbai, India.

DID YOU KNOW…
The earliest coin-operated game was probably the pinball machine which came out in the 1930s, but it was not electronic and it did not have fancy lights or screens.
The first coin-operated video game was made in 1971 by Stanford University students in the US – it was called Glaxay Game. The next year, the game was mass-manufactured by a company called Atari, and this started the video game industry.
In the 1990s, the two-player games were invented, and by 1996, the home versions of the games were invented, which were played on consoles and computers.                                                 ….DL

I won 2 iPods on Stacker!!!
At the TimeZone arcade in Hornsby near the cinemas, there are some Stacker machines that like me very much. However, their manager doesn’t. Why is this? Because I have won iPods, on TWO different days, at this place! It’s true…
The first time, I won an iPod (5^th gen 8GB), after spending $10 on it.  I was thrilled. Funnily enough, on that very day, my dad had told me he would buy me an Ipod Touch. When I got home with my iPod from the Stacker win, Dad showed me the iPod he had bought me. I told him I didn’t need it, so he gave it to my sister.
Then four months later, on the same machine, I won another iPod, same kind, after spending $8. This time I was ecstatic. My family couldn’t believe it – and neither could I!
Apparently ther is one in 8000 chance of winning this prize on Satcker, and I won it twice!!
Now I play Stacker a lot, and always get up to the top, but one level off. (One friend Sarina, actually pays me to play for her, but don’t tell anyone).                                                                           ….ML

I LEARNT A NEW WORD
Manual dexterity                   Skill in using the hands                                                ……ML

Coordinated                            Working together harmoniously, such as in “eye-hand coordination”; or, to form a pleasing combination, such as in “shoes coordinated with the outfit”.                                …….DL

My Favourite Arcade Games

Claw Machine
Pacman
Donkey Kong
Mario
Space Invaders                             …….ML

Pinball machine
Dunking machine
Air hockey
Skeeball                  ……DL

DID YOU KNOW…
The first FIFA World Cup was held in 1930.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy is made of real gold and weighs 6.2 kgs. It was made in 1970 by an Italian designer. Winners have to return it at every tournament, but they get a gold-plated replica to keep.
Before 1970, there used to be another trophy, but it was stolen. It has never been found – it is believed the thieves melted it down for its gold. FIFA also organises the FIFA Futsal World Championship and the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
The average age of the FIFA 2010 players is 27 years.                                                                                …Manan

VUVUZELA
The “vuvuzela” is a South African instrument with roots in traditional music. It means “vuvu-ing”, or, making the “vuvu” noise. It could also be related to the word “shower” because it showers the spectators with noise, or maybe simply because it looks like a showerhead.

I LEARNT A NEW WORD

Clean Sheet: When a goalkeeper doesn’t concede a single goal … Manan

Dead Ball: When the ball is ‘dead’ it is temporarily not playable, and neither team may attempt to advance it and or take possession … Devna

LAUGH OUT LOUD

Football jokes
By Julian Moshegov

The Laws of Football
During a football match the coach said to one of his young players, “Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?”
The little boy nodded.
“Do you understand that what matters is how we play together as a team?”
The little boy nodded again.
“So”, the coach continued, “When offside is given, or a foul is not seen, you don’t argue or swear or attack the referee. Do you understand that?”
Again the little boy nodded.
“Good,” said the coach, “Now go over there and explain it to your mother”.

Life Saver
A goalkeeper was walking along the street one day when he heard screams from a nearby building. He looked up to see smoke billowing from the top and a woman leaning out holding a baby.
“Help! Help!” screamed the woman, “I need someone to catch my baby!”
A crowd of onlookers had gathered, but none was confident about catching a baby dropped from such a great height. Then the goalkeeper stepped forward. “I’m a professional goalkeeper,” he called to the woman. “I’m renowned for my safe hands. Drop the baby and I will catch it. For me, it will be just like catching a ball.”
The woman agreed. “Ok, then. When I drop my baby, treat it as if you were catching a ball.”
On a count of three, the woman dropped the baby. Everyone held their breath as the goalkeeper lined himself up to catch it. There was a huge sigh of relief, followed by wild cheering as the goalkeeper caught the baby safely in his arms.
Then he bounced it twice on the ground and kicked it 50 yards down the street.