Diddily Dee Dot's Dreamland for Children Everywhere JamieJunglbox
diddilydeedotsdreamland .
DIDDILY DEE DOT'S DREAM LAND
JAMIE JUNGLE-BOX PRESENTS
FREDERIC OGDEN NASH
Was an American poet well known for his light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his "droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry".
I love Ogden Nash, and the wonderful Eugene Field. The Tale of the Custard Dragon obviously appeals to me more than most, due to my own books which are all about Dragons and Yourds, and strange beasties. I hope to have the third book finished before the summer of 2010.
The Tale of the Custard Dragon
Belinda lived in a little white house, With a little black kitten and a little grey mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little grey mouse, she called her Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose, And realio, trulio, daggers on his toes.
Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.
Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Week!, which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.
Belinda paled, and she cried, Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp, Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household. And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.
But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.
The pirate gaped at Belinda's dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets but they didn't hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pyrate.
Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little grey mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.
Amazing, there is no doubt about it, I shall have to pop this poem on my American page for truly American Legends. And Frederic Ogden Nash will always be a remembered for his humour, his wit, some very funny verse and a true legend of your country
AND HERE ESPECIALLY FOR YOU IS THE FABULOUS "THE YARN OF THE NANCY BELL" WRITTEN BY THE VERY BRITISH MR GILBERT OF THE FAMOUS DUO "GILBERT AND SULLIVAN," WHO STILL ENTERTAIN US TODAY WITH THEIR WONDERFUL. DOYLE CARTE OPERA'S
BY THE WAY THE STORY OF JELLYFISH AND MONKEY IS ON AYLIYAH'S LEGEND, PAGE 21 OR EVEN 22. XXX
diddilydeedotsdreamworld .
JAIMIE'S JUNGLE-BOX
A Cat to Remember By Violet Wilkins This story had been slightly abridged by omitting a few paragraphs Illustrations are by by Chin Oi Tow
Yusuf was too upset to say anything. His teacher
waited till he had stopped crying and then patted him on the shoulder
and said she hoped everything would turn out all right...
"Meow,
meow." The weak cry came from a drain at the side of the street just as
Yusuf was passing by. He stopped and listened. The cry came again:
"Meow, meow."
Yusuf looked into the drain. A kitten, thin,
gray with dirt, and very wet, looked up beseechingly at him. Yusuf
reached down into the deep drain, picked the kitten up, and set it on
the boards that covered half the drain. It just stood there, looking
very forlorn. "Poor little Puss," said Yusuf, "come, I'll take you home
with me."
Yusuf's mother was not happy about the kitten. "You
know, Yusuf, we've applied for a flat. You know that the regulations
there forbid pets and that we can't take the cats with us. Already we
have three of them to worry about when we move. How can we find four
people to give them homes? It won't be easy, let me tell you."
But Yusuf begged so hard to keep the kitten that his mother finally
gave in, with the warning: "But it won't be for always. Do you
understand that?"
Yusuf promised that he himself would find a
home for the stray when the time came. He fed it and then cleaned it.
They were all surprised when they found that the kitten-Puss they
called it-was snow white. Her eyes were a beautiful blue.
As
the months passed, Yusuf grew fonder and fonder of Puss and pushed out
of his mind the thought of moving to a flat. Perhaps they'd never get a
flat, and he would be able to keep his pet.
Puss grew into a
handsome creature with long silky hair and a fine straight bushy tail.
She was not at all like their other three cats, which were short-haired
and had kinks in their tails. Yusuf loved hr more than he had ever
loved any of the others.
There was great excitement when the
family found that Puss was going to be a mother. They fussed over her
and talked often of Puss and the kittens she was going to have.
It was quite a shock to Yusuf one day when he returned from school to
find that they would soon be given a flat. What would become of Puss?
What about her kittens?
His parents had to speak firmly. Puss
definitely had to go. They'd take her to the RSPCA, where they'd look
after her and find homes for her and the kittens when they were born.
Yusuf listened but couldn't say a word. He felt like crying. He wanted
to scream out that they couldn't take Puss away from him.
That
night he tossed and turned in bed. When he finally fell asleep, he
dreamed that Puss was in a cage meowing to be let out. She cried so
sadly that he put his hand out to pet her and felt something soft. . .
. He awoke. Puss was in bed with him, meowing quietly. Yusuf thought
she knew about having to go and was trying to say that she wanted to
stay with him.
Puss had never got into his bed before. She had
always stayed in her straw bed in the toolshed when she was not
prowling around. His mother would be annoyed if she knew, for she did
not like the cats sleeping on the beds.
Snores were coming
from the other rooms. Quietly Yusuf got out of bed, picked Puss up, and
tiptoed to the front door. He opened it slowly, not making any noise,
and put Puss out, whispering: "You be good now, Puss, and go to your
shed."
Puss looked at him, hesitated, and then walked toward the toolshed.
On the way back to his room Yusuf glanced at the clock. It was a little
past five. His mother would be up soon to cook breakfast. It was almost
time for him to be up too, as he had to leave early for school. The
school bus picked up him and his sister at seven.
He lay in
bed thinking of his pet and wondering what he could do. Perhaps someone
in his class at school would take Puss. All the children who had seen
Push had wanted her. But would they still feel the same when they knew
she was going to have kittens? Well, he'd ask them, and if they said
no, he'd have to think of something else. Puss must not be taken away
to some place where he'd never see her again.
His eyelids
began to droop. Just as he was dropping off to sleep the idea came to
him. Of course, his grandmother's old house! It had been vacant for
more than two years. If nobody wanted Puss, that was where he would
hide her. No one would ever think of going there.
Yusuf slept
through the alarm that woke the finally. His sister, Tina, shook him
till he got up. He was still drowsy, and she said: "Hurry, it's nearly
half past six. You'll make us late for the bus." Tina kept on
complaining that they would be late, but Yusuf was finally ready to
minutes before the bus arrived.
It was a long and noisy trip
to school. Yusuf sat quietly in the back of the bus, unaware of the
noises around him. He was thinking that he'd have to work fast. It was
the last week of school, and he had to find out before the holidays
began if anyone would take his pet.
Soon it was the last day
of school. No one would take Puss, not even for a short while. Yusuf
could not blame his classmates. Their problem was much the same as his.
Many of them were moving into flats too and looking for homes for their
own pets. The others had been warned not to bring home strays, as they
might have to move shortly. The talk at school was mainly about pets
and what to do with them when the move to a housing estate began.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
So it had to be his grandmother's old house, and Yusuf put his plan
into action. He went several times to the vacant house. It was a small
wooden building fallen into disrepair. Boards were missing from it here
and there. Attached to the house was a low lean-to with a dirt floor.
His grandmother had stored firewood here. It had a single door, opening
onto the garden, and one small window to let in light.
Yusuf
thought the lean-to would be a good place for Puss. He cleaned it out
and then rummaged around in the old house for anything he could find to
mark Puss comfortable. He got a box to hold the food he planned to
store there, and in one corner he made a bed of straw and rags.
When he first started his preparations, Yusuf felt a little guilty, especially as the family had begun to notice his absences.
"Where do you go, Yusuf?" his sister asked one day. And his mother, who
was nearby, spoke up too: "Yes where do you go? You're always out of
the house when I want you to do something."
After that, Yusuf
was a little more careful. It was beginning to be fun preparing a home
for his cat, and he made sure there was nothing for him to do around
the house before he slipped away. By now, taking a few
spoonfuls at a time, he had collected more than half a can of powdered
milk. He had not thought of it as stealing. He also made up his mind to
use his own pocket money. If he could do without the sweets he was so
fond of, he would save enough to buy two small cans of sardines a week.
And he began thinking of ways of getting more powdered milk. He counted
the money in his coin box. There was just enough to buy one large can.
How long would that last? He wondered.
The time for moving to
the flat was drawing near. In every room there were boxes and boxes
tied firmly with rope. Mother had been working hard, and father had
been busy too, seeing to alterations in the flat.
Yusuf tried
to get Puss used to her new home. He took her there several times, but
she would not stay. One day he tried locking the door and leaving as
quickly as he could, but when he arrived home by a roundabout route,
Puss was already there waiting for him. He would have to shut the
window as well when it was time for her to live in the storeroom. That
was the only way Puss could have got out.
One Saturday, Mother
announced they would be moving the following week. She had everything
ready. Homes had been found for the three older cats, the flat had been
scrubbed clean, the curtains sewn, and the lampshades fixed. "Father
will be on a long vacation from work and will see to things. He'll be
taking Puss on Tuesday afternoon, Yusuf, so see that she's ready, will
you?"
Yusuf didn't answer. He was wondering if he ought to take Puss to her
new home on Monday night or Tuesday morning. Everyone would be too
occupied, he hoped, to miss her.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Monday was a busy day. Yusuf
spent the whole morning seeing to his personal belongings. After lunch
his mother wanted him to help her in the new flat. He became restless
when, from the flat's eighth-floor windows. He saw the sun setting and
dusk falling.
It was dark when they reached home. Puss was
there roaming from room to room, meowing sadly. Yusuf gave her a saucer
of milk. When she had lapped it up and licked herself clean, she went
up to him and licked his hands. He didn't like the roughness of her
tongue, but he did not draw his hands away. For the rest of the evening
he stayed close to his pet, waiting for a chance to take hr away, but
it didn't come to him.
Tuesday morning was unusually cool, a
fine day for getting work done. Yusuf's parents went early to the flat,
and this gave him the chance he needed. He slipped out of the house
carrying Puss, avoiding the road in case his parents should come back
unexpectedly. Once inside the lean-to, he shut the window and the door
before he let Puss go.
"There you are, Puss," he said,
pointing to the corner, "a nice bed for you. Come on, this is your new
home now. I'll have to leave you spoon."
"Meow, meow." Puss robbed herself against Yusuf's legs. He bent down and stroked her.
"Lie down, don't worry, you'll be all right. I'll come to see you whenever I can."
Puss curled up on her bed, watching him. When Yusuf moved to the door, she didn't stir. She seemed to know she had to stay.
Yusuf arrived back home in good time and was busy working when his
parents returned with box lunches. No one said anything about Puss, and
Yusuf wondered when they would notice she was missing.
"Well,
Yusuf, as soon as the washing up is done, we'll take Puss to the RSPCA.
You'd better bring the cloth she sleeps on. She'll be less likely to
give trouble about settling down in her new home if she has it."
Yusuf was drying the last plate when he heard his father calling "Puss,
Puss," and Tina's voice joining in. Yusuf was glad no one asked him to
join in the hunt for Puss.
At a quarter past two, Father
called off the search. "It's no use. We'd never be on time even if we
found her now. I'll phone and explain."
Tina was upset. "What'll we do if we don't find her before we move? She doesn't know our new home."
"Don't worry. She's bound to come back here. I'll come every day to see
if she's returned. All this noise and moving around may have upset her."
By that evening the family was in the new flat. Mother had insisted
that they leave their old home spotlessly clean. There was so much to
do that for the time being Yusuf didn't think about Puss.
The
flat was well planned. There were three bedrooms, and Yusuf was
delighted with his. It was small but cozy. By dinner time all the
furniture was in place. There was not time for cooking, so the family
went down to one of the eating stalls in the neighborhood.
Father taught them how to use the lift. He warned them about littering.
The life served a number of flats and had to be kept clean and in good
order. He told them what to do if the lift should get stuck, as
sometimes happened.
While they were eating, Yusuf remembered
Puss. There was some fish left over from their meal, and he thought of
taking it for his pet, but then he decided against it: his father might
become suspicious and start asking questions.
Back at the
flat, Father switched on the television set. Yusuf sat with the others
to watch a Western. Though he liked such programs, he kept falling
asleep till Father sent him to bed.
After breakfast the next
morning, Yusuf said he was going for a walk to explore the neighborhood
and hurried off to play Puss a visit. There were many blocks of flats,
and he hoped he wouldn't lose his way. It wasn't so far to his
grandmother's old house.
When he arrived, Puss was meowing and
scratching at the door. As soon as he entered, Puss sprang on him and
began to lick him to show how pleased she was. He let her out, and they
went for a short walk together, boy and cat. Then, be cause Puss was
starting toward their old home, Yusuf picked her up and carried her
back to the storeroom, where he gave her a saucer of milk and some
sardines. Puss ate greedily and then, as always, cleaned herself
carefully. Yusuf turned the straw and tidied her bed. When all was
done, he looked in the box that held the provisions. He counted the
cans to make sure there would be enough to last till he was back in
school, when his father would give him extra pocket money and he could
buy more provisions. So it went on during school vacation. Yusuf visited Puss often and fed
her well. The one thing that made him unhappy was his father's daily
trip to their old home to see if Puss had returned there.
At
breakfast the morning before school reopened, Father said that Puss
would be having her babies soon. He hoped that she had found a good
place and perhaps someone to care for her, since she would be needing
extra milk. Yusuf hadn't thought about the extra milk. Perhaps
now was the time to tell Father where the cat was. He almost did, but
was afraid his parents would be angry with him.
* * * * * * * * * *
One day, soon after the new school term began, Mother had to take Tina
to the dentist after school. Yusuf hurried to see Puss. When he opened
the door of the storeroom, he had a great surprise.
Puss was
lying in her corner licking her kittens one at a time. There were three
of them-while, thin, and not at all beautiful. They were unsteady and
kept falling about as Yusuf watched them. He was disappointed in their
appearance, but Puss purred happily. She lapped up every drop of the
extra milk he gave her. The milk powder was almost finished, and Yusuf
wondered what he would do if he couldn't save enough money for another
can.
In school the next day Yusuf got into trouble several
times with his teacher. He couldn't pay attention. How glad he was when
the dismissal bell rang! He was ready to rush out of class when he
heard the teacher calling him. "Yusuf, will you stay behind, please?"
When all the other children had gone, she said: "Come here, Yusuf. Now,
tell me what is wrong. You didn't seem to be paying attention at all
today. Do you miss your old home? Don't you like living in a flat?" "It's all right." "Well, then, are you worried about something? You seem very unhappy. Tell me." Yusuf had expected the teacher to be cross with him, but when she wasn't, he hung his head and tears rolled down his cheeks. "It's my cat." "You miss your pet, is that it?"
Yusuf was too upset to say anything. His teacher waited till e had
stopped crying and then patted him on the shoulder and said she hoped
everything would turn out all right. "You're my best pupil, Yusuf, and
you worried me a bit this morning."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Tina had been waiting for her brother outside; so they were both late in returning home, and their mother wanted to know why. "I had to wait for Yusuf," said Tina. "He had to stay in after school." "What's that?" Their father had come into the room just in time to hear Tina's remark. "What have you been doing, Yusuf?" "Nothing, Dad." "It can't be nothing if your teacher kept you in." "She didn't really keep me in. she just wanted to talk to me." "Oh, what about?" "About . . . about . . ." "Come on, out with it. What did your teacher want to talk to you about?" Yusuf tried to think what to say. He could see from the look on his father's face that he'd batter tell the truth.
"Teacher wanted to know what I was worried about. I hadn't been able to answer any questions in class."
"And why not? What's wrong with you, anyway? Don't you like living in a flat?"
Frightened as Yusuf was, he could not help being surprised that both
his father and his teacher should think it was the flat that was the
cause of the trouble. And in a way it was. If not for the flat, there'd
be no problem about Puss. And yet he knew that the family was much
better off living in the fine new flat than in their old, rundown house.
"What did you tell your teacher? What excuse did you make?" Father
didn't give him a chance to answer. "What did you say was worrying you?" "Puss." "What?" "Puss." "You can't work in school because you're worried about Puss? But you
know I'm doing everything I can to find her. She must be getting food
from somewhere; otherwise she did come home." "Dad, Puss is at Grandmother's old house." "How do you know?" "I put her there. I've been looking after her there." "You-" Father looked very angry, but Yusuf was no longer afraid. Now
that he'd told them his secret, he felt better. And father too clamed
down. "We must take arrangements tomorrow," he said. "Puss has kittens-three of them." Before father could say anything, Tina rushed up to him and tugged at his arm. "Please, Dad, let's go and see them, please."
Mother went quietly to the kitchen to get some milk. In a short time
all four of them were at Grandfather's old house. Puss purred happily
when she saw them. Both children and parents made a great fuss over
Puss and her kittens.
Yusuf kept waiting for the scolding, but
it did not come. On the way home, Father was quiet. It was only when
they were back in the flat that he said: "Now we have four homes to
took for." "Dad, can't we keep just one of the kittens?" "No, Tina, you know the rules. But we'll go every day to feed them."
Father kept his word. The nicest time very day was when the family
visited Puss and kittens. Yusuf dreaded the time when homes would be
found for them, but he knew it had to be soon. The kittens were growing
up fast-already they were as beautiful as their mother-and the
storeroom was too small for them.
The day father told them he had found homes for all the cats, Tina cried. Yusuf felt like crying too.
"Would you like to come along when I take Puss and the kittens to their new homes?" "Tina can go. I don't want to."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
On the Sunday when Puss and her kittens were taken away, Yusuf stayed
out of the flat. He roamed around the housing estate, not wanting to
know where Puss was going, not wanting to hear Tina crying. He felt sad
to think that he might never again see his pet. Yet he was glad that
people living in flats could not keep pets. This meant they could never
have another: no animal could ever take Pussy's place.
Toward
evening Yusuf thought he'd better go home. His parents would be worried
if he stayed out too late. He went up to their floor in the lift and
then walked along the passage to their flat. The others were at home.
He could hear them talking as he reached the door. They turned toward
him when he walked in. nobody spoke, but Yusuf knew they were feeling
sorry for him. He walked to his room. he stood still in the doorway and stared. Then he gave a shout of joy. "Puss! How lovely!" There, on the wall, hung a framed life-size colored photograph of Push
and her three fluffy kittens that his father had had taken. And, when
he looked on the back, there were the four addresses of the cats' new
homes. He could go to visit them whenever he wanted, and in the
meantime there was always the lovely, lovely picture to remind him of
Puss and her kittens. He'd have it for always and always.
JAIMIE'S JUNGLE-BOX THE MOUNTAIN AND THE SQUIRREL
The mountain and the squirrel Had a quarrel, And the former called the latter "Little prig"; Bun replied,
"You are doubtless very big; But all sorts of things and weather Must be taken in together To make up a year And a sphere. And I think it no disgrace To occupy my place, If I'm not so large as you You are not so small as I, And not half as spry;"
"I'll not deny you make A very pretty squirrel track. Talents differ; all is well and wisely put; If I cannot carry forests on my back Neither can you crack a nut."
DIDDILYDEEDOT HAS BEEN LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WORMERY'S ON GOOGLE. MY GOODNESS! HERE I HAVE SHOWN YOU HOW TO MAKE A VERY EASY ONE... SOME OF THEM COST MANY, MANY POUND COINS. PHEW. The Worm that Turned
There was once a worm that turned.... into an explorer! His lifelong home, which was a field by a brook, had once been perfect. The soil had been full of little holes which allowed air and moisture to come through, without making the soil too wet. It had been warm, and there had been plenty of vegetable mould, which is good worm food. Then the owner o the land had moved away. The ditches filled with rainwater, the land became flooded and many worms were drowned. In winter the whole field was frozen into a solid block of ice; only a few worms lived through this terrible time. But one of the worms that did live was a pioneer. he left his birth-place and moved to higher ground. Since he didn't want to be eaten for breakfast by an early bird, he had to burrow down and be well out of sight before dawn. The top of his new home was a mixture of sand, clay and fine gravel. Nothing had grown there for years. The earth had been soaked by the rain in winter and baked by the sun in summere and it was nearly as hard as concrete, but the worm had to get in or die. So he pushed out his nose until its needle like point found an entrance between the hard packed grains of sand. He kept on pushing till he had gone down half an inch. Still the ground was so hard that he had to eat his way down. Soil and sand went down his throat to an enlarged part of his gullet that he called a crop. This was lined with a skin like hard leather that contained some grit. This grit began too act like a tiny grinding mill that crushed the sand to a paste. At the same time special juices he was making in his crop were helping by turning bits of vegetable mould into food for the worm. Then to finish it all off the sandy paste that passed through his body were forming "worm casts" on the ground. (I'm sure you must have seen them lying on the lawn in dad's garden. These are very good for the grass as they help to fertilize the soil of the lawn. But our explorer worm didn't stop there, he went on all through the night, mind you he was very lucky for with five inches of his body in full view of the birds, dawn broke and he only just made it to safety down the side of an old dandelion root that was rotting away. The rest was easy, but only for a worm. He was stronger for his size than ny creature that walks, swims or flies. In place of ribs he has 200 rings circling his strong little frame; their lower edges acted as feet. Shrinking his front rings, he swelled out those at the back, till they had a firm grip on the sides of the tunnel he was digging. Then he pushed, and he kept on pushing, shrinking and swelling his rings, that his tunnel became wider and larger at each move forward. As he went, he polished the sides of the tunnel with juices from his skin. The worm has no sight, but his skin was sentitive to light and he knew when it was day and night and when it was safe to go to the surface. He would then leave his new home and search for different food and drink and bathe in the dew. With his keen nose point he found tiny pieces of decayed leaves and dead roots which he turned into good food. Just before dawn he was alarmed by a shrew - a fierce little animal, smaller than a mouse. The worm however could sence any movement in the soil, even the tread of the shrew's tiny feet. He backed away quickly into his burrow, tail first, only stopping to grasp some dead grass to cover the mouth of his hole. He had plenty to do, even though there was food all about him, he always kept a storehouse full of sraps of dead leaves and roots which he had collected. Each piece was carefully coated with juices from his gullet, then packed neatly away.
“It may be doubted whether there are many other
animals which have played so important a part in the history of the
world, as have these lowly organised creatures”
Charles Darwin.
That first tunnel into the earth had been only the beginning of the worm's mining. He needed tunnels in every direction. Each one led to fresh supplies of food, and let air into the soil. The tunnels also made escape routes from the centipedes and slugs that would follow him into the earth. By now the explorer was no longer alone. The flooding that had driven him to higher ground soon brought other worms along. So it wasn't long until the worms formed little groups and by the end of the first year in their new habitat there numbered easily a few hundred worms per acre of ground , each with their own tunnels to maintain and relocate. More and more the soil was sent to the durfae, helping what was once a barren piece oof land to become fertile. Plants began to grow in the rich soil thus producing more food for the hard working worms.
Build a Simple Wormery
You
will need: a 2 litre plastic lemonade bottle, a plant pot filled with
damp soil, crushed chalk (school chalk will do), black paper or foil,
damp sand, damp soil, dead leaves, a marker pen,
Cut the top and bottom off the plastic bottle leaving a tall cylinder
Put
about 10 earthworms into the damp soil in the plant pot. Stand the
cylinder on top of the soil and fill it with alternate layers of damp
soil, damp sand and very thin layers of crushed chalk.
Mark the levels of the layers of sand, soil and chalk on the cylinder with a marker pen.
Place
some crushed dead leaves on top. Cover the bottle with black paper or
silver foil to make the worms think they are underground!
Keep
everything damp (not wet) and leave for several days. After a few days
remove the outer covering and see what effects the worms have had on
your layers.
You could also put in green leaves, grass cuttings, kitchen peelings and other organicmaterial - check which the worms like best?
You can compost your kitchen waste using a worm bin.
This uses a species of worm called the tiger worm, because it has red
and brown stripes. The worms eat the waste, producing a compost high in
nutrients.
Worldwide there are about
3,000 species of earthworm. Of these 28 are found in the UK. The
largest British species grows up to 35cm, but the largest tropical
species reach over 1m!
Earthworms are
eaten by many other animals. Foxes and badgers eat large quantities of
worms. On a wet night worms come to the surface, and in these
conditions a badger will feast on worms all night, sucking them up like
spaghetti. Worms are also preyed on by moles, shrews, hedgehogs and
birds such as blackbirds, thrushes and robins. Very small worms are
taken by ground beetles, centipedes, frogs and toads.
The
name worm comes from the Anglo-Saxon “Wyrm”, which meant any long thin
animal that wriggled – it was also used for snakes and even dragons!
How to tell which end is the Head
Earthworms have no visible head. You can tell which end is the front by
running you finger down its underside, feeling for the bristles (they
are so small you cannot see them easily). If it feels smooth all the
way, you are running your finger from head to tail. If you can feel a
roughness, you are moving towards the head.
"JAIMIE'S Jungle-Box." The Little Grey Squirrel
Little grey squirrel that lives in a tree, You have no cause to be frightened by me. All through the winter you've been fast asleep Now from your cosy nest gaily you'll creep. When you awoke did hear the bird's sing, telling you of the arrival of Spring? Winter has gone with the ice and the snow Come down from your tree to the acorns below.
From to branch to branch as so lightly you bound, Few are the nuts up there now to be found, But where the snow has quite melted away You'll find provisions for many a day On the green turf at the foot of your home, If such a distance you'll venture to roam; Come then, be brave and come into the sun Gather your nuts and back home you can run.
Little grey squirrel, though you cannot fly, Up in the trees you live ever so high; Though I can climb just a little, it's true, I'd like to be a real climber like you. One afternoon then on you I would call, Though I don't think it would please you at all; But if my home you come one day to see, You shall have plenty of nuts for your tea.
No Author I'm afraid, but very good don't you think.
JAIMIE'S JUNGLE-BOX
A's for the Antelope always on view which Algernon saw when he went to the zoo.
B was the Bear that came up at a run when Benjamin threw him a very nice bun.
C's for the Camel; "poor thing what a lump!" was what Caroline said when she looked at his hump.
D's for the Deer with the soft pretty eyes; Dodie found them so tame she had quite a surprise.
E was the Elephant: sixpence a ride, but Eric soon found that you can't sit astride.
F was the Fox, very crafty and sly. watching Frank from his den with a cunning old eye.
G's the Giraffe which made Geraldine smile: she was sure with his neck he could see quite a mile.
H was the Hippo asleep in his pool. Harry thought it an excellent way to keep cool.
I was the Ibex, a kind of wild goat Ida though his horns nasty, but liked his fine coat.
J was a Jaguar, like a big cat. But Jane didn't think she would like him to pat!
K was the Kangaroo off with a bound; A fine way thought Ken to get over the ground.
L's for the Lions; they made such a fierce noise Laura wished she were safely at home with the boys.
M's for the Monkeys, all patter and chatter, But Michael couldn't tell what on earth was the matter.
N's for a Nilgai which jumped off a rock: He took such a leap that Nell had quite a shock.
O's for the Ostrich a wise-looking bird but Ophelia remembered the tales she had heard.
P's for the Parrots that had lots to say and tried to peck Paul as he passed by their way.
Q's for the Quagga which Quentin found tame; he is quite like a Zebra with stripes and a mane.
R is the Rhino, a fierce looking beast; Rosie watched him with awe in the midst of a feast.
S is the snake which Suzanne found asleep; He was shiny and slimy and made her flesh creep.
T's for the tigers that gave Tim a fright; He was horribly scared lest they got out at night.
for U (that's the Unicorn) nobody looks; As Una can tell you, he's only in books.
V's for the Vulture, a big bird of prey. Victoria she saw him - and soon ran away.
W's for the Wolf lying flat on the ground, Though when William can near he was up with a bound.
X just looks on and has nothing to do: There's no creature that claims him throughout the whole zoo.
Y is the Yak; he's worthy of note; Yvonne was amazed at his long shaggy coat.
Z's fot the Zebra that kept Zoe so busy She counted his stripes till she felt she was dizzy.
JAIMIE'S JUNGLE-BOX Dreams
An owl had its home in a tree under which an elephant used to come to
spend the night. In course of time the two became good friends.
One evening, the elephant while looking for food, blundered into a gathering of demons.
On seeing the elephant, the demon-king began to shout: "It's him, it's him!"
"Who is he, O king?" asked his attendants.
"Last night, I dreamt I ate an elephant," said the demon. "It looked
remarkably like this one here. Catch him and let me eat him so that my
dream may come true."
The demons caught the elephant who was so terrified that he put up no
resistance whatsoever. His knees began to buckle as the king,
accompanied by his queen, began to advance on him, teeth bared.
Suddenly his friend, the owl, came swooping down, shrieking: "It's her! It's her!" and settled on the elephant's head.
The king stopped dead in his tracks.
"Who are you referring to, bird?" he growled.
"The queen," said the owl. "Last night I dream't I married her. Please marry us so that my dream may come true."
"I will never marry an owl!" declared the demoness.
"And nobody is asking you to, my dear," said the king who was mightily
afraid of her. "Dreams are not to be taken seriously. See, here is the
elephant I ate in my dream but I'm letting him go."
The elephant lumbered away, muttering thanks to his friend.
The Monkeys go Fasting
A group of monkeys decide to go on a fast one day.
“Before we begin, I think we should keep the food with which we’ll break the fast ready,” counselled the old monkey chief.
The monkeys nodded their heads in agreement. The youngsters were sent
in search of food. They returned with huge hands of delicious-looking
bananas.
“I think each of us should keep our share of bananas with us before we
begin our fast, so that we don’t spend time distributing them after we
break our fast. You can imagine how hungry we all will be by then!”
said the chief’s wife.
The monkeys liked the idea and they collected their share of the bananas.
“Why don’t we peel one banana and keep it ready to eat? ” said one of the youngsters.
“Yes, let’s do that,” shouted a fat monkey in agreement. Just looking at the bananas was making him hungry.
“All right,” said the monkey chief. “We shall peel the bananas but under no condition should we eat them.”
So the monkeys peeled their bananas and carefully kept them ready for eating in the evening.
“Can I keep the banana in my mouth? I promise not to eat it till evening. Please!” a little monkey asked his father.
“Why don’t we all put a banana in our mouth? That way we can chew it
immediately when we break the fast,” said his father, who had agreed to
go on the fast only because his wife had not given him a choice. “As
long as we don’t eat it, it should be fine,” he added.
So, the monkeys put the bananas in their mouths. One by one they eyed
each other uncomfortably as they began their fast — and as you can
imagine, within no time at all, the bananas disappeared down their
gullets. And that was the end of their fast!
— A folktale from Karnataka, retold by Meera Nair
THE WILD PONY Tom who's a pony, was born on the moors. He doesn't like bolts, and he doesn't like doors. He has a small collar that hangs on the wall; He doesn't like collars nor harness, at all.
One day when he hears the wild ponies go by, I know he will break through the stable and fly. Which way he has gon tho' it's not I would tell, I'' love to be wild, too, and live in a dell. written by ML
JAIMIE'S JUNGLE-BOX
The Little Red Hen
Once upon a time there was a little red hen. She lived with a pig, a duck and a cat. They all lived in a pretty little house which the little red hen liked
to keep clean and tidy. The little red hen worked hard at her jobs all
day. The others never helped, they said they meant to,they
were all far too lazy. The pig liked to grunt in the mud outside,
the duck used to swim in the pond all day, and the cat enjoyed lying in the
sun. One day the little red hen was working in the garden when she found a grain of corn. "Who will plant this grain of corn?" she asked.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden. "Not I," quacked the duck from her pond "Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
So the little red hen went to look for a nice bit of earth scratched it with her feet and planted the grain of corn. During
the summer the grain of corn grew.
First it grew into a tall green
stalk, then it ripened in the sun until it had turned a lovely golden
colour. The little red hen saw that the corn was ready for cutting. "Who will help me cut the corn?" asked the little red hen.
Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden. "Not I," quacked the duck from her pond. "Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
"Very
well then, I will cut it myself," said the little red hen. Carefully
she cut the stalk and took out all the grains of corn from the husks.
"Who will take the corn to the mill, so that it can be round into flour?" asked the little red hen."
Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden. "Not I," quacked the duck from her pond. "Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
So the little red hen took the corn to the mill herself, and asked the miller if he would be so kind as to grind it into flour.
In
time the miller sent a little bag of flour down to the house where the
little red hen lived with the pig and the duck and the cat. "Who will help me to make the flour into bread?" asked the little red hen.
" Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden. "Not I," quacked the duck from her pond. "Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
"Very well," said the little red hen. "I shall make
the bread myself." She went into her neat little kitchen. She mixed the
flour into dough. She kneaded the dough and put it into the oven to
bake. Soon there was a lovely smell
of hot fresh bread. It filled all the corners of the house and wafted
out into the garden.
The pig came into the kitchen from his muddy patch
in the garden, The duck came in from the pond and the cat left his
place in the sun.
When the little red hen opened the oven door the
dough had risen up and had turned into the nicest, most delicious looking loaf of bread any of them had seen.
Who is going to eat this bread?" asked the little red hen.
"I will," grunted the pig. "I will," quacked the duck. "I will," purred the cat.
"Oh
no, you won't," said the little red hen. "I planted the seed, I cut the
corn, I took it to the mill to be made into flour,and I made the
bread, all by myself. I shall now eat the loaf all by myself."
The
pig, the duck and the cat all stood and watched as the little red hen
ate the loaf all by herself. It was delicious and she enjoyed it, right
to the very last crumb.
Once upon a summer morning Master Jacko roamed around, And, when no one else was looking, Ventured on forbidden ground.
Said young Jacko, full of mischief, "On Professor Jones I'll call; If he's out it doesn't matter, 'Twill not trouble me at all. 'I have heard that in his study, There are quaint and curious things.' Swiftly through the open window Naughty Master Jacko springs.
Looks around with eyes of wonder, Peers at this and peers at that; Suddenly he sees a figure, And his heart goes pit-a-pat!
'If' quoth he, 'I'm not mistaken' (Awed and frightened were his tones), 'Here is what was once a monkey, Now a fearsome frame of bones.'
(Grew his eyes quite melancholic, Gazing at the figure grim,) 'In the years to come I wonder, Shall I ever look like him?
'Truly 'tis a room of marvels. Would I care to stay? Oh, I have seen enough this morning; It is time for me to go.'
Yet another revival of a poem written by Marian Isabel Hurrell
JAIMIE'S JUNGLE-BOX
DONALD DUCK, IRRITABLE AS HE IS, ALWAYS MAKES US SMILE. A SLOPPY WALK AND SHRILL SPEECH ARE HIS LOVED TRAITS. BUT ASK 'ELMER FUDD' WHO WILL SAY THAT HE IS BUGGED BY THAT ' WASCALLY WABBIT'. BUGS MAY BE WICKED FOR ELMER BUT ISN'T HE WONDERFUL FOR US?
PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS
(???) FOR THE ANSWER TO EACH QUESTION! ANSWER
WINDOW WILL OPEN. JUST CLICK OK TO MAKE THE ANSWER GO AWAY AND GO ON TO THE NEXT
QUESTION!
1.Who directed Bugs in the cartoon film 'A Wild Hare' his first film appearance?
6. In his screen debut, Bugs
rose casually from his rabbit hole, chewing on a carrot, peering down
the barrel of a gun, and cracked a cool Eh-h-h-h___________ ?' What
were the famous first words?
Alligators walk on stilts, Bear and Bats both drink milk.
Chimps and Cotton Fairies dance, Dogs and Cats jump and prance.
Elephants flying in the sky, flicking clouds as they pass by.
Finches, Flies, Duck and Drake, have to learn to bake a cake.
Goose, Gander, Hippo's and Hare, all just stand about and stare
Ivor the Engine just dropped by, so he could see the Kestrels fly.
Jungle Jaguars, the Lion that roars, Dormouse sleeping how he snores.
Monkeys swing, the Nerka swims, many fishes all with fins.
The Orangutang began to sing while Penguins sang "Gimmi that thing."
Quail and Hens lay some eggs, Rabbits standing on two legs.
Squirrels trying to find their nuts, Tortoise sleeping in garden huts.
Unicorn hiding from you and me, Voles so secretive you can't see.
Walrus and Seals, Dolphins, Whales, Wasp and Bees, Slugs and Snails.
Xema birds that dive like gulls, Yak's so strong just like the bulls.
Zebra striped, Zati a monkey, she wears a bonnet and looks quite funky.
Diddily Dee Dot, 2008
Jungle Drums
Monkey swinging in the tree, Now he's drinking lemon tea. Lemurs hanging from the branches, Sometimes they stand in long, still trances.
Frogs and toads jumping lizards, This jungle doesn't have no blizzards. Anaconda, tiger, flying squirrels and birds, Elephants that hang around in herds.
On the next page we have a wonderful collection of songs from the jungle books. This is what they are:-
The hypnotic snake, Kaa, finds that his entrancing personality fails to charm the villainous Shere Khan during an interrogation regarding the whereabouts of the man-cub. The Jungle Book's original fab four - a humorous quartet of friendly vultures - returns to the delight of Mowgli and the annoyance of Shere Khan. Baloo tries to conceal Mowgli's presence from the disapproving Bagheera in this scene from Walt Disney Pictures' swingin' new animated adventure, “The Jungle Book 2." Mowgli and Baloo take a moment to remenise about old times as they relax on the river.
Mowgli convinces the village children - including his best pals, Shanti and Ranjan - of the jungle's virtues in the rousing song, “Jungle Rhythm”.
Man-cub Mowgli goes on an all-new animated adventure with old pal Baloo the bear and new friends Shanti and Ranjan. The boys are back … in the jungle! Baloo and Mowgli get back in the swing of things as the pals reunite for a rousing version of the Oscar-nominated song “Bare Neccessities" Shanti gets a taste of Baloo's playfulness when she ventures into the jungle in search of Mowgli. Baloo lives up to his reputation as a party animal in this show-stopping musical number, “W-I-L-D” .
JUST CLICK ^ ONTHE DVD SLOT NEXT TO START ON VIDEO BOX IF THE "ERROR" SLOGAN SHOWS, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH VIDEO
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth, 
Yusuf didn't answer. He was wondering if he ought to take Puss to her
new home on Monday night or Tuesday morning. Everyone would be too
occupied, he hoped, to miss her.
* * * * * * * * * * 
Father kept his word. The nicest time very day was when the family
visited Puss and kittens. Yusuf dreaded the time when homes would be
found for them, but he knew it had to be soon. The kittens were growing
up fast-already they were as beautiful as their mother-and the
storeroom was too small for them.
.
venture to roam;
B was the Bear that came up at a run
C's for the Camel; "poor thing what a lump!"
D's for the Deer with the soft pretty eyes;
E was the Elephant: sixpence a ride, 
F was the Fox, very crafty and sly.
G's the Giraffe which made Geraldine smile:
H was the Hippo asleep in his pool.
I was the Ibex, a kind of wild goat
J was a Jaguar, like a big cat.
K was the Kangaroo off with a bound;
L's for the Lions; they made such a fierce noise
M's for the Monkeys, all patter and chatter,
N's for a Nilgai which jumped off a rock:
O's for the Ostrich a wise-looking bird
P's for the Parrots that had lots to say
Q's for the Quagga which Quentin found tame;
R is the Rhino, a fierce looking beast;
S is the snake which Suzanne found asleep;
T's for the tigers that gave Tim a fright;
for U (that's the Unicorn) nobody looks;
V's for the Vulture, a big bird of prey.
W's for the Wolf lying flat on the ground,
X just looks on and has nothing to do:
Y is the Yak; he's worthy of note;
Z's fot the Zebra that kept Zoe so busy
An owl had its home in a tree under which an elephant used to come to
spend the night. In course of time the two became good friends.
Bear and Bats both drink milk.
have to learn to bake a cake.
Monkeys swing, the Nerka swims, 
Jungle Drums
On the next page we have a wonderful collection of songs 
during an interrogation regarding the whereabouts of the man-cub.
Mowgli and Baloo take a moment to remenise about old times as they relax on the river.
things as the pals reunite for a rousing version of the Oscar-nominated song “Bare Neccessities"
Shanti gets a taste of Baloo's playfulness when she ventures into the jungle in search of Mowgli.
baby Bat 
pup 
kit/cub cat
kitten Deer 
fawn 
calf Dolphin
calf Dog
Hatchling Eel 
elver Frog
tadpole 
fry/ Goose 
gosling Gorilla 
Infant
leveret Hamster
pup Hedgehog 
Piglet 
Joey Kangaroo 
Joey Llama 
cria 
owlet
peachick Rabbit 
kitten Sheep 
lamb
spiderling Swan 
cygnet
snakelet/newly born. Turkey 
poult 
JAIMIE'S JUNGLE-BOX