Green Thumbed in the Garden –
Thinking of our poets in Victoria.
Keep Safe.
It’s only been a week,
Second time around,
Thought it might be easier,
But it wasn’t found.
Adrenaline has gone,
We’ve just settled in,
Now resigned to it,
And the discipline.
Life is so restricted,
Activities are few,
Going for a walk,
A little shopping too.
The rest of the time,
A prisoner at home,
But it’s not that bad,
If you are not alone.
No visitors allowed,
That is the decree,
And that’s okay,
If you’re with family.
It’s very hard for those,
Who do it on their own,
No one around them,
Sitting at home alone.
They too need support,
A little company,
And in these current times,
A little sympathy.
For those less fortunate,
Being on their own,
Let’s help them to survive,
And be there on the phone.
The Willie Wagtail is Australia’s best-loved and best-known fantail. And that tail wags constantly — side to side — as its owner scurries across the lawn seeking insects for a snack. Wagtails don’t mind us humans, but aggressively defend their own territories against feathered interlopers. You can tell the wagtail by its call that’s heard night and day; it sounds like “sweet-pretty-creature”.
Willie Wagtail
Sweet pretty creature,
sweet pretty creature,
that’s the sound of your call.
Sweet pretty creature,
sweet pretty creature,
the sweetest call of all.
Sweet pretty creature,
sweet pretty feature,
we love your wagging walk.
Sweet pretty creature,
sweet pretty creature,
if only you could talk.
Seasons?
Winter’s here,
Autumn’s gone,
Next we know,
Spring’s along.
Time just flies,
It’s hard to say,
Which season,
We’re in today.
Winter’s cold,
Frost or not,
Spring is wet
Summer’s hot.
It used to be,
Seasons defined,
But not today,
They seem entwined.
Ice Floats by Celia Berrell
(the three states of water)
Water is exceptional.
It disobeys a rule.
Its solid form is lighter
than its liquid, which is cool!
Most elements and compounds will
behave with much more sense.
Compared with their own liquid form
their solid form’s more dense.
But put an ice-cube in a drink.
You’ll notice that it floats.
One-tenth above; nine-tenths below.
Like ice-bergs you will note.
These ice-sheets form a blanket
so the water underneath
remaining as a liquid
doesn’t freeze the fish to death.
Imagine how our world would be
if solid water sank.
The Sun could hardly melt it
which would be a deadly prank.
As years went by the ice would fill
the oceans to the top
and life as we all know it
would eventually stop.
Ice-cubes in a drink would sink
and only cool the bottom.
Snowflakes might not form at all!
A thought that’s really rotten.
We owe our life in part to
water’s scientific token,
that rare occasions will exist
where rules are better broken!
Winter
Whirling, waltzing, spinning,
Ice-skates grating frozen lakes,
Northern hemisphere wintery fun,
Twirling, gliding, pirouetting,
Elegantly dancing then –
Roasted chestnuts and hot chocolate.
Splat!
I madly shoo it with my hands.
It still won’t go away.
I’m not sure that it understands
the price it has to pay.
Intent upon its futile quest,
it zooms towards my face.
I’m tired of this invasive pest
inhabiting my space.
It’s had its chance to leave in peace,
but now it’s open war.
This constant bombing has to cease,
I can’t take any more.
It homes in on my slice of meat,
secures a landing spot.
It thinks it’s in for such a treat…
I squash it with the swat!
Birdsong sounds
We can:
cackle like a Kookaburra,
hoot like an owl,
coo like a dove
or cluck like a fowl.
But some bird sounds
need whistling skills,
to copy Willie Wagtails
or Fairy-Wren trills.
While other birdsongs
are too hard to do –
screeching like Galahs
hurts my voice box too!
inspired by the Birds In Backyards website, where you can listen to 40 different Australian backyard birdsongs:
Goodbye Teddies
Now life’s almost normal,
And time has moved along,
As I look at windows now,
The teddy bears have gone.
It was so great to see them,
Sitting on the window sill,
Or on the fence or in a tree,
Or wherever was the will.
During this terrible time,
It made us feel as one,
All sharing fear and concern,
The teddy bears were fun.
Thanks to those who took the time,
To share their teddy bear,
It displayed unity and kindness,
And showed all you did care.
Australian Children’s Poetry 