Jo's Old Site

Mum told me this morning that dad went to church last night so he left the front gate open. And when he returned home mum had her two dogs name Dita and Ruebens inside. Anyway Dita started growling and mum said to dad “what can that be?” And dad suggested “a frog” then this morning when mum got up she saw a brown horse in our yard. It came from down the street, and she then realised what Dita was growling at. Mum also said she wondered why she could smell something horsey last night. I think she also told me that she got dad to hunt it away so it is back where it belongs now.

As Nola the hairdresser was cutting my hair mum and I discovered that she is spending three weeks touring Germany as she sings in a choir. She told mum and me that they will be singing one day then have the next day off then they sing again the next day and have the next day off. So the choir will have plenty of time for sightseeing as well as singing. Nola also told us that one of the places they will be going to is Munich and they’ll be returning home on Boxing Day. I also got Nola to give me a new hairstyle yesterday.

Dragon Moon is the third book in the Dragonkeeper series that Carole Wilkinson wrote and is published by Black Dog Books. Also this book’s ISBN is 9781742030616 and the Dragon Moon book starts off with Lui Che’s soldiers attacking the Beibai Palace. This is because he has discovered from his spies that there is a dragon at the Beibai Palace and Lui Che wants the dragon back but the attack was unsuccessful. And then another thing we learn is that Ping stays at the Beibai Palace longer then she originally planned (well over a year) but her reading has improved and she can also identify quite a few herbal plants.

The Duke of Yan isn’t pleased that Ping and Kai are going and he calls for his seer to make a reading from sticks. The seer also finds out that the best time for them to go is the next day so they leave Beibai Palace in a carriage. We also discover that the reading that the seer did was looking into the future as things that was mentioned did happen like when Kai runs out to a wounded man in a field they then discovered that it was Lui Che and he was close to death. But because of Ping’s knowledge of herbs he survives and gets sent to Beibai Palace. He also tells Ping that he has given up on his obsession on trying to discover ways that he can live forever and will do what he can to protect dragons.

This award winning children’s novel is the second book in Carole Wilkinson’s Dragon Keeper series, and it is published by Black Dog Books. Also the book’s ISBN is 9781742030609 and Carole’s setting for this story is in Ancient China in the Han Dynasty. The story is also about a slave girl called Ping who had been appointed as the Imperial Dragon Keeper by the Imperial Emperor Liu Che but as she helped the old dragon called Long Danzi to escape Ping knows that the penalty for doing so is death.

So she tries to avoid being captured but she didn’t just help Danzi to escape so that he could go to the Isle of the Blest as she also had a dragon stone which is now hatched. And the young dragon is called Long Kai Duan or the short version of his name is Kai and he is in her care. She also learnt things about dragons from Danzi. But what he tells her isn’t always clear at the time and I guess that she sometimes feels like she is an inadequate dragon keeper. But she still has a lot to learn and perhaps Danzi didn’t tell her everything as she needs to find them out herself in her own time and in her own way.

It has been a while since I first thought of this meal that I made up in my head. And when I first told mum about it she suggested getting fish nuggets or fish cakes. I also told my sister Liss about it too, and said that I would put the chinese noodles that look like spaghetti with it, then thinking of another thing that I would add is frozen chinese vegetables.

Liss told me that my recipe sounded like it will be good to eat. So on Monday when mum and I went to Riverlink in Ipswich I got a packet of Sealord Fish Nuggets. Then that night while I was eating dinner with my parents I told mum that I got the fish to make sweet and sour with it. She then told me that she isn’t a fish eater but she got the noodles and the sweet and sour and dad and I had the meal last night and I thought it was a pleasant change as we usually have sweet and sour with chicken.

Mum didn’t get the frozen chinese vegetables, but they added some vegetables like carrots with the sweet and sour. And I just thought that this meal would also be nice with water chestnuts added too.

The Kings of Clonmel has recently been published and is the eighth book in the popular Ranger’s Apprentice series that John Flanagan wrote. It is published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd like the other Ranger’s Apprentice books are in the series. And the ISBN for The Kings of Clomel is 978 174166 301 3.

And to begin this new story Will meets up with his friend Gilan on his way to the gathering. But there is no Halt. And Will and Gilan his former apprentices are both wondering why he hasn’t turned up. They then find out from Crowley who is the ranger commandant that Halt told him three days ago that he couldn’t make the gathering as he was chasing down rumours of a religous cult that is in a country called Hibernia which is near the West Coast of Araluen.

Will is then instructed to oversee three first year apprentices doing target practice with the bow, and their names are Stuart, Liam, and Nick while Gilan is asked to give two final year apprentices some of his advice on how to move without being seen. The two final year apprentices then become King’s Rangers and their names are Clarke, and Skinner. And one of them gets posted at a fief while the other gets told that there is no more vacancies at the moment but he is then told that he can help Crowley out with the paperwork.

Also there’s good news for Gilan as he finds out that he is being sent to a new fief at Whitby, and Will is briefly disappointed but is pleased for Gilan. But Crowley has other ideas for Will and after everyone had gone he tells Will about it. And we also find out that there is another reason for Halt not coming to the ranger’s gathering.

The Siege of Macindaw is book number six in the Ranger’s Aprentice series that John Flanagan an Australian author wrote. This book is also published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd and the book’s ISBN is 978 1 74166 134 7.

Will Treaty is planning to break his friend Alyss out of the Macindaw Castle, as she is being held as some sort of prisoner or hostage there. But he needs help to get her out and in come the same Skandians he had met at Seacliff. And they agree to help him. Will also learns that John Buttle who was the wounded dog that he found owner had also escaped them and Will discovers that he had joined up with Keren. 

Will then discovers the plot that Keren had planned with the Scotti, but with the help of Malcom they begin to sabotage their plans. Horace is also there to help, and Will comes up with an idea to build a contraption that reminded me of the wooden horse of Troy. As although he didn’t plan to build a replica of the wooden horse his idea had a similar effect that the wooden horse had.

The Sorcerer in the North is book five in the Ranger’s Apprentice series that an Australian author named John Flanagan wrote. This book is also published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd and its ISBN is 978 1 74166 128 6 and 1 74166 128 5.

And this is the first book that Will who is now known as Will Treaty is now a fully pledged King’s Ranger with his own fief that is on a small island called Seacliff. John Flanagan also starts this story off by telling us how he traveled there, and even then Will was using his learnt ranger skills as sensing that there was something nearby he finds a wounded border collie type dog.

He then takes this dog with him, and shortly after arriving at his destination he finds out the name of the dog’s owner. But Will doesn’t hunt him down as while Alyss and he are talking, the dog’s owner tries to get in and this was probably to take the dog back? But I don’t really think that was this nasty guy’s reason as if it was he would have simply knocked on the door. And so I think the real reason for him appearing at Will’s cabin was to finish the job on the dog off.

Will has also stopped some marauding Skandians from raiding Seacliff by negotiating with them, and as they recognize him they change their minds about raiding the area and are given a feast at Seacliff Castle instead. Also the possible raid by the Skandians have made the people at Seacliff Castle realise that they needed to put more work into their training as they could see that they have become sloppy.

And then soon after Will has to leave his fief as he is sent on a mission up north, to investigate the real reason as mysterious happenings is reported to be going on up there. But is it real sorcery?

Mum has just finished training my miniature schnauzer named Ilse. And Ilse was heeling along nicely off lead. I also know that Ilse isn’t a one person dog and I’m not bothered by this at all as I think this is more an advantage rather than something to feel annoyed about.

As my mother can do things with Ilse that I find hard to do, like stepping over her and this is done to dogs to make them more steady on the stays. Also because I have never objected to Ilse interacting with others I find when I go out now she accepts it a lot quicker. Mum and I have also been told by people that Ilse is quiet for a miniature schnauzer. And people have also made this remark about our shelties which we no longer have.

Yesterday mum told me that Ruebens her Irish Terrier has an upset stomach. As living next door to us is a flock of chooks, and some of their food like bread gets taken by wild birds. The wild birds then leave what they don’t want in our yard and so by the time Ruebens finds the food its a bit mouldy.

Also dogs are allergic to mould. So it isn’t advisable to give them things that are mouldy. As if it is really bad dogs can die from it. Mum has told me this morning that Ruebens is still feeling off colour.