Pip and Meg's 3D drawings.

On the 11th of September I (Pip) did a 3D drawing of a horse pulling a carriage.

On the 12th of September I (Meg) did a 3D house.

These are them,

Wharenui at Te Awhina

Wharenui,

  ancestors, backbone,
sleeping, snoring, singing
pou, tukutuku, food, showers,
eating, playing, running
amplified, fun,
Wharekai.

Warm Wharenui

Mattresses sandwiched together

Bodies twisting and turning

Sleeping bags rustling

Mr Neal snoring

Kids whispering

Giggles echoing

Bright stars shining in the black sky

Cosy and safe with the whanau

Reflections from the Marae

I saw:

...the church that was 100 years old

...the black, sooty sky

...my friends and I playing caterpillars in sleeping bags

and people playing tag.

I heard:

...sleeping bags crackling like a fire,

...year 8s giggling

...people getting up and going to the toilet

...Whaea Sue telling us about art

and Mr Neal snoring like an angry warthog.

I could feel:

...the softness of the carvings,

..the soft, warm sleeping bag

and the warm air of the wharenui carving around us.

Meg's Poem/ Marae

Mattresses on the ground.

All snuggled up as a warm whanau.

Red-hot cheeks in the cosy atmosphere.

Aroha fills the room as we settle into our sleeping bags.

Everyone seems to be giggling, sleeping or whispering.

BY Meg Coakley.

Our New Bunnies!

Meg and I got some new bunnies on Saturday.

Their names are Bananas and Pyjamas!

Here are some pictures.

Raptor Neighbours

Jimmy is our neighbour for summer, he is a master falconer. He sleeps in a caravan with 2 dogs called Sam and Heather. He has 6 birds of prey, their names are Wally, Pella, Cactus Jack, Corky and Suguaro, he also has 1 more but it doesn’t have a name, Me and Heidi are helping Jimmy try to think of a name!

 Jimmy was 17 when he was interested in falcons and hawks so he got out some library books about them, then he found an injured falcon which he nursed to health. He got lots more and trained them in bird abatement, this means he flies them around the farm to keep robins, starlings and finches away from the raspberries and blueberries.  Jimmy is very helpful to farmers.

 He is from California and spends 10 out of 12 months traveling around the western states, to different crops as they ripen – cherries, grapes, berries, and also at rubbish tips and airfields to scare birds.  Jimmy only gets about 5 hours sleep each night, he takes his birds out at dusk and dawn – these are the critical times for bird scaring.

He has brown skin, his caravan has an American flag on it, it also has a grey flag that has a falcon on it.

His birds are harris hawks, peregrine falcons and saker falcons. They wear special hoods on their heads and have bells on their feet. They are trained to come to him when he whistles.

They do not hunt and eat the small birds, only scare them away from the orchards and farms. This is a very environmental way to keep pests away from the crops.

By Ella.