Sunday, May 16, 2010

History Waves #3 ~ First Lady of the Waves


Pic by G.W. aka P.A. ~ A still from the TV coverage of Jessica Watson's entry into Sydney Harbour ~ Saturday 15.05.10~
History Waves #3 ~ First Lady of the Waves
~
Just a week before docking in Sydney Harbour, intrepid 16 year old round the world voyager, Jessica Watson, wrote these words on her blog:
I've had lots of that lovely sunshine stuff lately and today I'm over the moon to see the cabin temperature sitting on 20 degrees! It's been a while since it's been that warm.

But not everything's going as well as the weather.

The fuel system on the engine is still giving me grief, so I can't get the engine to start. This isn't the end of the world, it just means that I've got to be extra careful with power usage. If I can't get it going again, then Jesse and Mike will just have to row Ella's Pink Lady up to the dock after the finish line. No, only kidding, we'll work something out. I would be very nice to motor in under our own steam, so I'll keep trying.

Since I gave up on the food bag system and went for all my favorites a while ago, I'm starting to run out of good food. I've had to start eating the stuff I'd normally leave (I know it serves me right!), but on the up side, I've got so much spare fresh water, that I've been able to use it for washing. Other than that, the dunny has also decided not to play nicely, which is also ore annoying than anything. I mean couldn't it wait just one more week before refusing to work?

Last night the AIS also picked up the first ship I've seen since under Africa, but it didn't come close and I'm pretty surprised that it's the only one I've seen.
~
Sunshine, a Ship and Engine Problems - Saturday May 8, 2010
~

Pic by G.W. aka P.A.
~
1. Read the full post on Jessica's blog.
Tuning in to your own personality, write a diary entry about how you would cope in this situation.
AND
2. Send Jessica a creative "welcome home" message. Go to her blog
HERE and on the left sidebar you can fill in a message.
Maybe identify you are from Casey Grammar in Victoria + your first name and last name initial ONLY. (No more detail than that for security reasons!)
~
3. Read some of her posts on her blog and make a comment there!
Maybe identify you are from Casey Grammar in Victoria + your first name and last name initial ONLY. (No more detail than that for security reasons!)
~
P.S. I wrote a poem called It's been a long walk on the beach celebrating Jessica's journey and homecoming.
It may be found on my blog
HERE!
~

Pic by G.W. aka P.A.
~

Friday, May 14, 2010

Beyond the Box #2 ~ Secrets of the Kimberley


Pic by G.W. aka P.A. ~ Unusual shapes and designs in the rocks at Somers beach, Mornington Peninsula.
Somehow, designs like these always stir the imagination.
What secrets do the rocks of Earth hold?
~
Beyond the Box #2 ~ Secrets of the Kimberley
~
Archaeology Daily News reports in the article Scientists document painted portals to a vanished past in Kimberley:Across the Kimberley, hundreds of thousands of paintings lie in rock overhangs and caves, often behind curtains of tropical vines. Dappled light plays over the surface of hauntingly beautiful images that have made the region famous: Gwion Gwion or Bradshaw paintings depicting slender dancing figures in mulberry coloured ochre or younger images of Wandjina spirits, wide-eyed and startlingly white despite the passage of years.

But who were these prodigious artists, when did they come and what other traces did they leave of their presence? Such questions are among the most crucial in Australian archeology, according to Morwood and Ross. Like Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, they say, the Kimberley may hold vital clues to understanding the origins of the first Australians.
~ Read more of the article HERE
~
NOTE: The Bradshaws - The Australian Kimberley is home to a mysterious form of rock art known as the Bradshaws. The art is dispersed in around 100 000 sites spread over 50 000 sq. km. Although the art's pigment can't be dated, a fossilised wasp nest covering one of the paintings has been dated at 17,000 + years old. This makes the art at least four times older than the pyramids.

The Bradshaws depict people with straight hair and poney tails. One painting even depicts a boat, with a rudder, and 29 people on board. Unlike other Aboriginal art, it is not known what purpose the Bradshaw paintings served. Graham Walsh, the foremost expert on them, has suggested that they might be a form of iconography (picture writing) painted by a now extinct Asiastic race.
SOURCE: Unusual Australian facts - Mysteries
1. Research the rock art in the Kimberley.
2. Write a feature article in a newspaper OR an article in a select magazine on the true meaning of the rock art in the Kimberley.
Include who created this art and why.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Beyond the Box #1 ~ Mummies


Pic by G.W. aka P.A. ~ My Egyptian cat ornament
~
Beyond the Box #1 ~ Mummies~
Archaeology Daily News has reported that:
Mummifying animals was a common practice among ancient Egyptians, who embalmed thousands of crocodiles and buried them in mass graves as offerings to the crocodile god Sobek, according to the museum.~
Imagine that you are to choose a particular animal for mummification.
1. What animal would it be?
2. Why would you choose it?

Write your response as a
short story OR
poem OR
feature article for a newspaper
~

Jessica Watson

Official Jessica Watson Blog

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