Favicons and Ranger's Apprentice/Brotherband

   Has anyone noticed my new favicon? Clare designed it and I told her what I liked. It is a bit hard to see because it is so small, so I thought I would do a blog post on it.

This is my favicon...

   How do you like it? I have been doing a bit of experimenting with colours lately on my blog, just to annoy you Zach, you had just made your blog radar and my blog was blue at that stage, I just had to change it...

'Temptation got too strong, I decided to join you'~John Flanagan, Ranger's Apprentice 10, The Emperor of Nihnon-Ja 

  I have been wondering; does anyone know what Sarah's favicon is supposed to be? I have no idea what it is. I was thinking of changing my blog's background to look more misty-like. What do you think?

   Now off the topic of favicons...and into one of my favourite subjects...I really like John Flanagan's two series, Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband. I have lately taken to 'liberating' (and returning) Daddy's iPhone from his pocket, without him noticing,  and  sneaking around, like Jesper in Brotherband. It is very fun... Tonight Clare told me that if she doesn't know where I am she expects that I am up every tree, or following her, or just watching her from somewhere... it sounds sneaky...but the thing is that I am sometimes watching her, from up a tree or round a corner...or somewhere else. But I'm not so sure about me being up every tree and if not there everywhere else, sadly I haven't mastered the art of being in more than one place at a time yet. If you haven't read the  Ranger's Apprentice or Brotherband series, I really recommend them. They are the sort of book that, after you pick it up you can't put it down until you are finished, and they are packed full of humour in the most unlikely places. They are also very quotable, my sister Alice and I quote them multiple times a day, a quote for every conversation...I have the books and I've read each one about...hmm let's see...about 10 times, at least...Ok maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration...but only a little bit.J

~ Jane, Misty Maiden

Leeches and Driving Tests

   Leeches are gross. I am not absolutely terrified of them but I don't like them at all. Well, to start from the beginning... Daddy, Clare, Alice and I went on a bush walk the other day. If you want to know more about it, Clare did a blog post on it too. We were walking through  a lot of stinging nettles and I got stung on my elbow, while walking backwards so it was mainly my fault, and I also got stung a little bit on my left leg. But since it was through my trousers it didn't hurt much. A bit later I thought I had been got on my right leg, but I paid no attention because I figured it would be like the one on my other leg...it wasn't, but I didn't realize that until later.
   We finished the walk and drove back home, it was dark by the time we got back. I went inside and was sitting on the lounge when I happened to see something, out of the corner of my eye, on my trouser leg. I looked more closely, it was a few big spots of something sort of reddish-brown. I had no idea what it was. Mummy said,'What is that on your trousers?' I shrugged, as I said earlier, I had no idea,  'Do you have blood running down your leg, or something?' Mummy asked. I pushed up my trousers so I could see...'Ummm, yes, I do.' Blood was literally running down my leg. I couldn't remember anything hurting that much. 
    We had to use a bandage to hold a folded-up tissue on my leg to stop the blood. So my first-aid course actually came in handy... on myself...

    The next day, just before we went to church, I said that we should check in the car for a leech, because we didn't know where it had dropped off....and when Daddy looked, there was a leech! So he got rid of it. I had only been joking...

   Mummy thinks that the amazing this was how well the leech's anti-clotting-blood thingy was, to keep it bleeding for so long. One of the creepy things is that I didn't even notice...well, actually I'm glad I didn't because, we had no way of getting it off , although Alice reckoned that we could have eaten all the chips and then used the salt at the bottom of the packet. I don't know what I would do if I knew there was a leech on me.

   Now, to the driving tests. No, I am not doing a driving test, but my sister Clare is. In fact we just got a text from her saying that she passed, and now she has her P's! Congratulations Clare! at least I know that this P plate driver wont be crazy...just sophisticated, as usual ... J

~ Jane, Misty Maiden

My Life Right Now

   I've been trying to think of another blog post that I could do, when I saw that Clare had done a 'Life Right Now' post, I thought that maybe I should try do one as well, so here goes.

Seeing... the laptop screen, the trees outside the window, the birds in the trees... and that's about it.

Hearing..the annoying humming/groaning noise that the laptop makes, the washing-machine, birds and my brothers.

Smelling... the fresh air wafting in the window.

Tasting...ummm, not much really...

Wanting...to be able to get up to the first branch of a really, Really tall tree, (and really wide as well) so I can climb it.

Feeling...the cool breeze, and the inclination to go outside and climb trees.

Wishing... that it was lunchtime.

Thinking...What?! Thinking? I never do that, much too dangerous a pastime.

Laughing...at myself, I don't know why though...

Dreaming... nothing, well I appear to be awake, if I was asleep I wouldn't be typing this now.

Reading... Brotherband book four, Slaves of Socorro. Well actually I can't read it because Daddy is reading it to my sisters and me as a read aloud...oh, what a let-down.

Recovering...from not being allowed to read Brotherband, but it might take a while to fully recover.

Singing... well, I'm not singing anything, until Clare comes along and starts singing the dreaded song that is probably still stuck in her head. I can hear my 4 month old sister 'singing' though. It sounds so cute.

Wearing...as Clare said, I'm wearing clothes... a dark red velvet skirt and a pink shirt, and no I do not like the colour pink.

Preparing...for being starved, or famished, or something of the sort
   
   Horace said, 'Let's get on with it, Halt, I'm famished.' 
   'Are you ever not famished?; Halt asked, but Horace was already heading for the inn.
~ John Flanagan, Ranger's Apprentice 8, The Kings of Clonmel
   
   'Let's get something to eat. I'm starved,' Ulf said. 'You're always starved,' Wulf replied. 'That's because I'm older than you. I've been waiting longer for my dinner.'
~ John Flanagan, Brotherband 3, The Hunters 

Remembering...that I had forgotten something.

Trying...to work out what I had forgotten.

Questioning...Why, in the name Thomas, the TH isn't pronounced.

Fearing...that Clare will try and get 'Let it Go' stuck in my head.

Watching on YouTube... an El Cid video for school.

Hurting... does that mean am I hurting, or am I hurting something? Either way, no I'm not hurting, myself or anything else.

Calling...no one, I'm hopeless at phone calls, I can never think of things to say.

Working...on finishing my school work, except that I already have, so I can't really...

Emailing... my sister Alice. Usually I don't email, but she sent me a random one so I sent her a random one...it included a funny Olaf video.

Gluing...nothing

Cracking...my big chocolate Easter egg that I haven't eaten yet because I don't like chocolate.

Thanking...God for lovely sunny days, a wonderful family and good books.

Turning...my head,  my eyes, myself...

Realizing...that it is nearly 1 o'clock and I haven't had lunch yet...

Checking...that I saw the time right.

Organizing...myself to go get lunch.

Moving...myself.

Reckoning...that I am really starved now.

Needing...to eat lunch.

Anticipating...lunch...and reading more Slaves of Socorro. 

Regretting...that I didn't eat lunch before.

Loving...the look on your face as you read this.

Googling...the Random House Australia site so I can link to it and 
you can read the beginning of Slaves of Socorro if you want to.

Choosing...to write this.

Smiling...I am, because you are, and smiling is contagious.

~ Jane, Misty Maiden

Silly Poems

   My sister Alice has been reading a book of poems for Sonlight, that she is doing in school. As she read it through she found a lot of really, really silly poems... for example... 

It would melt,

in my hand-

the autumn frost

~By Basho Matsuo

The old pond-

a frog jumps in,

plop!

~By Basho Matsuo

A tethered horse,

snow

in both stirrups.

~Yosa Buson

I go,

you stay;

 two autumns.

~Yosa Buson

The snail-

one long horn,one short,

what's on his mind?

~Yosa Buson

I May, I Might, I Must

If you will tell me why the fen

appears impassable, I then

will tell you why I think that I

can get across it if I try.

~Marianne Moore

Don't worry, spiders,

I keep house

casually

~Kobayashi Issa

Don't kill that fly!
Look-it's wringing its hands,
wringing its feet.
~Kobayashi Issa

See what I mean? They're crazy! Now, there are more, but the poems are too long so I'll just put the titles.

The Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

How to Eat a Poem

I'm nobody! Who are you?

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Pachycephalosaurus

Ode on a Grecian Urn

Maggie and milly and molly and may

Ok, these ones are too silly to only hear the titles!

Silly Song

Mama,
I wish I were silver.

Son,
You'd be very cold.

Mama,
I wish I were water.

Son,
You'd be very cold

Mama,
Embroider me on your pillow.

That,yes!
Right away!
~Federico Garcia Lorca


Mr Lizard is Crying

Mr lizard is crying.
Mrs lizard is crying.

Mr and Mrs lizard
with little white bibs.

They have carelessly 
lost their wedding ring.

Oh, their little ring of lead,
oh, their little leaden ring!

A big sky with nobody in it
rides the birds on its balloon.

The sun, that rounded captain,
wears a vest of satin.

See how old they are!
How old the lizards are!

Oh, how they cry and cry,
oh, oh, how they are crying!
~Federico Garcia Lorca

   With some of those poems I wonder how in the world the authors ever got them published!That is only a few...but now, on the subject of silly poems... my sister Clare has written some silly ones that she wishes that she didn't write, this is how they go...Ok I'm not actually going to say what they are...she might, actually would, murder me if I did. But I will show you one of my not so silly poems that I wrote for school:

His Memory Lives On

Ned Kelly was a bush ranger

He was the talk of town

But Ned was not so murderous

As some o’ the men put down

He lived his life a fleein’

 From those who tracked his trail

 Until that day they caught him

Dressed in handmade mail

They took him to the jail

And he stood before the judge

To some he was a hero

To others a dirty smudge

Although he died that very day

His memory will live on

Throughout Australian history

He will never ever be gone.

   Now, verging off topic, I have this favourite random quote that is really useful, I can say it in response for nearly every thing! It is, 'What a let down.' But the thing about it is that it comes from a Colin Buchanan DVD that the boys sometimes watch, and it is Nudge who says it... so you have to say it in a Nudge sort of voice, which makes it even better...And to add to the bargain, Clare doesn't go crazy, like she does when Alice and I see how long we can have a conversation only using quotes.

   Have you read any silly poems you'd like to share? Please feel free to comment any time...

~ Jane, Misty Maiden

Autumn Colours

   Now for my first blog about nature. Yesterday Clare showed me how to work her old camera. It works perfectly fine but now that Clare has a big, fancy, professional camera, her little one doesn't get used very much. Although they are no where near as good as Clare's, I took a few interesting photos today and yesterday, so I thought I'd share them with you. 

 

What a beautiful day

To celebrate and say,

That the Lord is good

And that we should

Praise Him in every way. ~Misty Maiden

'Let us Fear the Lord our God,who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.' ~Jeremiah 5:24 ESV

Oh the sun, and the breeze,

Singing, all through the trees,

A song from of lore

Like a wave on the shore

Of the wild, free seas. ~Misty Maiden

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. ~Psalm 1:3 ESV

There are always flowers for those that want to see them. ~Henri Matisse

In the photos above, I spent more time fixing up petals that were blown away by the wind than taking photos! So I hope you like them...

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

I found a nice autumn-like leaf and a yellow and red nasturtium flower and I thought that it would make a good autumn photo; so I found a red-brown rock and put them all together.... and I think it looks quite good.

No, this is not a photo, it is a drawing of the autumn leaf I found.

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? ~Job 12:7-9 ESV

Keep your face to the Son, and you cannot live in shadow...

God has made many beautiful things. As you look around today praise God for the blessings he has given to us.

~ Jane, Misty Maiden