Introducing Blog Dog

Hi there. My name is Bob. BD to my friends.  I live with Mrs Riding and I spend a lot of time watching her blog and read. Mostly it’s a lot of fun. When she’s not on the computer blogging we spend a lot of time snuggled up somewhere comfy and we read, we get out in the garden and we read, and sometimes we even go to the beach and… you guessed it, we read. Lately though, I’ve been longing for a bit of adventure. I’d love to meet some new friends and see a bit more of the world, so I was thinking… why not ask the kids at Tenambit to take me home on the weekend. I’m sure Mrs Riding could do without me for that long. Maybe you could take me to the movies, dance practice, karate or soccer? I could jump on your trampoline, you could take me to the park, and it would great to have someone else read me a story.

What do you think? Would you like to take me home? There’s just one catch. Mrs Riding will want a full report. You’ll have to tell her what I’ve been up to by writing in my diary. A photo of us together would be great too. Wait! Maybe I could start my own blog. You could call me Blog Dog. I like the sound of that. Bob, the Blog Dog.

A typical weekend looks like this…
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Post a comment below if you’d like to take me home. dog-paw-print-clip-art-free-download-mkcn7m9tq

Friday Flashback!

“I can feel all eyes looking at me. The pressure is on. It all comes down to this.”

My body tenses as the opposition races towards me. The ball is passed. The shooter steadies, focuses. For a brief second our eyes  meet. I stretch, extending my arms til I think they will break. I must block this shot.  She releases the ball and…

“The ball goes up and… and…. IT GOES IN! The crowd stands up and gives a massive applaud that almost knocks me over.”

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Thank you Madi for your wonderful post yesterday. It left me feeling very nostalgic. It had a sizzling start that put me right in the action. You built the tension with your short, sharp sentences and dynamic dialogue reminding me of exactly how I felt about 40 something(not giving away the exact number) years ago. I too played netball when I was at Wyong High school and I absolutely loved it. Good writing produces an emotional response in the reader and you have done this. Well done!

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Please check out the Tenambit student blogs and leave a comment or two or three… They are doing a great job!

http://tenambit15.edublogs.org/

 

Holiday Reading

Did you read any great books during the holidays? I certainly did. Before leaving for the holiday break, I trawled the library shelves looking for books with tempting titles, beguiling blurbs, sizzling starts and  captivating covers. I chose some that were brand new, other popular titles that I hadn’t read, as well as a few that I had read years ago that I just wanted to revisit like one would an old friend.

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I was a little ambitious and didn’t get through all of them but I had a wonderful time trying. I travelled back to Australia’s colonial past in three books. Surviving Sydney Cove: The Diary of Elizabeth Harvey by Goldie Alexander and Convict Girl by Chrissie Michaels, both deal with the harsh realities of life in the early years of the colony. Elizabeth Harvey was convicted and transported to Australia on board the First Fleet. Her diary covers a two month period during the worst of the ‘starving years.’ She recounts the terrible conditions in 18th century English gaols and prison hulks, life on board the Lady Penryn, and in the new colony.

In Convict Girl, we follow the life of another convict, Mary Beckwith during the years 1801 and 1803. As well as describing her day to day life she also provides us with details of events such as the Irish uprising and tensions with France. A twist of fate leads her to be assigned to the French discovery ship the Geographe under the command of Nicholas Baudin. Both these historical accounts are based on fact.

The third book that took me back in time was an old favourite, Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park. In this timeslip novel we travel with Abigail a disgruntled teenager living with her mother in the Rocks area of Sydney in the present day, back to the same location in 1870. This book is a mix of historical fiction, fantasy and romance. I’d recommend all three of these titles.

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Another old friend revisited was My sister Sif, also by Ruth Park. In this futuristic fantasy novel I travelled to a Pacific Island with Riko and her older sister Sif and was thrust into the problems faced by merpeople due to the ecological havoc caused by man’s careless neglect of the environment.

Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar also deals with an impending ecological disaster. This is a thrilling adventure story set in a private school and has Tamaya as the heroine who stands up to the school bully with dire consequences for them both. A great read!

These were but a few of the amazing literary journeys I went on during the holidays. I could go on and on. Why don’t you visit the library and ask me about my other adventures?

I’d love to hear what you have been reading?