Wangaratta, Australia; Coventry, England; Newfoundland, Canada; Ottawa, Canada; New Caledonia

 From Flat Mason and Maree in Wangaratta, Australia

Flat Mason has been busy today. checking sheep and cattle.

Here are some photos of Flat Mason's job  on the farm:
image one - sheep check: During our lambing and calving seasons we check our mobs at least twice a day. This is done to see who is about to lamb/calve and to make sure there are no birthing issues and both mum and bub are safe during labour. We check for signs that labour is coming like an animal being off on their own, swollen udders, maybe some discharge. The signs are many and varied and a lot is learnt from experience and time. you get to know what to expect and if anything is out of the ordinary.

Image two - fresh out of the oven. This little girl is only minutes old and we just missed her birth by about 2 minutes. I noticed this cow showing all the signs of being in labour early this morning and regularly checked on her as the day progressed. I came into the paddock mid afternoon to check her again to find this. a very healthy, if not slimy calf. from here we weigh, tag and note all details about this calf for stud registration. Then we generally leave them be unless there are any issues. you normally don't have to interfere too much with cattle. 

image three - Oreo the foster kid. One of our neighbours breeds goats and this cute little girl was a triplet. One of her siblings died soon after birth and the mother for whatever reason abandoned Oreo. this is quite common with multiple births and usually means that there is something wrong with the lamb/calf/kid etc that if in the wild it would not survive or keep up with the herd/mob. Seeing as my neighbour is also a truck driver and away a fair bit we are feeding her until she is weaned. usually around 12 weeks.

image 4 - working dogs - This is tarj, one of my working Kelpies. She is an integral member of my workforce. Working dogs are very important to livestock farmers, they are used for mustering sheep and cattle in the paddock as well as used for pushing them up in the yards. They are highly valued workers and looked after very well. They are also muched loved companions who have a special place in our hearts and families.


From Maria and Flat Miss Cairns [made by Bryce], in Coventry, England

Hello Bryce, I hope you are doing just fine in those strange Covid times. I would like to write a bit more about Britain and a City I live in : Coventry.
I think Great Britain is very well known around the world and famous from many things like monarchy, London, red double decker buses and famous people like David Bekham, Wiliam Shakespeare or Queen Elizabeth II, The Beatles.
In these photos you can see Big Ben, red bus and red phone box and Bridge Tower.
Britain is also known for its Afternoon  Tea, it has become a wonderful excuse to meet people for some food from 2 until 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
It's a selection of teas, petit sandwiches, cakes and pastries: yummy.
and there is a very special way of preparing a good cup of tea where adding milk is a must for a good brew. 
British people are also known for their politeness, and pub culture. Pub is a place in the neighbourhood where people gather for drinks, food and discussions after work.  

We live about two hours drive from London in Coventry in the county called Midlands located in the middle of England 15 miles from Birmingham.
City of Coventry is known from its car industry where a lot of cars is produced also famous black cabs. You could visit transport museum where there are many old and historic cars.

in these photos you can see ruins of a Coventry cathedral bombed during the Second World War

.
The Last photos are with Miss Cairns . We were showing her the area we live in. 
I will write about Christmas later on today, so wait for one more email from me please.
have a lovely day
Maria xxx



 


From Marilyn in Paradise, Newfoundland, Canada.
Hi Ms. Moore's students, this is my final email from Paradise, Newfoundland, Canada. 
I just received the original copy of Ms. Moore, sent by Harriett in the mail just two days ago! That's how long it took to get all the way from you to me. I didn't get to take Ms. Moore on as many adventures as I hoped I would. Firstly, I had to cancel my three week trip to Europe which included a Mediterranean cruise because of COVID-19 and then I had to cancel a shorter trip around Newfoundland when my husband and I decided very suddenly to buy a cabin in the woods. I did manage to take Ms. Moore to my hometown of Gambo when I was there and I met my friend at our favourite little café. She took our picture of me and Flat Ms. Moore out front. I also took Ms. Moore to school with me to show you how we are handling going back to the classroom wearing masks. This picture was taken on the second day of school which was last Thursday. Tomorrow we start our first full week back in the classroom.
Take care, 
Marilyn

Flat Mrs Cornwall and Bianca, from Ottawa, Canada to Ria:

Hi Ria,
I’m doing this all backwards. It’s Mrs. Cornwall’s last week in Ottawa and only now have I taken her on a tour of the city! I had an appointment downtown this week so during lunch, Mrs. Cornwall and I did a little loop of the most famous attractions of Ottawa. Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and has a very rich history. The city is home to many heritage-listed sites and many of the key attractions can be found along Confederation Boulevard (a collection of streets that loop around the city). We visited 10 sites on this list on our 45 min jog around the city!


The ice and snow will be here again soon (just 2 months away) and we’ll be ice skating down the Canal in no time! It looks very different at all times of the year as you can see in the picture below. In summer, the water level is high, and everything is lush and green. In autumn (we call it ‘fall’ here) the leaves start to change colour the canal is lit up by hundreds of colourful maple leaves. In winter, the surface of the canal is completely frozen. You can walk and skate along it for 7.8 km (cool, huh)! It’s the worlds longest skating rink! In spring, the snow and ice slowly melt and the trees start to grow back their leaves. Once they are sure there will be no more snow and below-zero temperatures, they raise the water level again.


The Rideau canal is about 200 km long and is made up of 24 dams and 46 locks many of which are still opened and closed by hand. Below is a picture of the Ottawa River-Rideau Canal locks and the Bytown Museum. In Summer, the locks are full of water like in these pictures and they provide a way for boats to get on and off the canal from the Ottawa River.
In the background of the locks is the Fairmont Chateâu Laurier, a very luxurious hotel. It is built from granite, white Italian marble, Indiana limestone and copper for the roof. It is furnished with antiques, a marble staircase, Czechoslovakian crystal and Sevres vases. Unfortunately, the owner of the hotel never had the chance to see his dream come true. Days before the hotel was supposed to open, he was returning from England on the Titanic and died when it sunk!

Travelling down the street from the statue and Chateâu, you will find Canada’s Parliament buildings. The buildings that make up Parliament have been under construction for many years now (this is why it is being blocked by a wall). Usually, you can climb the peace tower where you are greeted by beautiful views of the capital region. In the front of Parliament stands the Centennial Flame. This was lit by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson in 1967 to celebrate Canada’s 100th anniversary. The flame, the water and the shields of the provinces and territories join to symbolise Canada’s unity from sea to sea. Every morning (before Covid-19) in the summer, you could watch the changing of the guards in front of Parliament.



Here is Mrs. Cornwall with her maple syrup treat and in front of the Beavertail hut. Beavertails are not actually made of beavers. They are flat pastries (shaped like a beavertail) that have been deep-fried and covered in your choice of topping. My favourite is the Nutella and banana one (pictured below). They are a very popular and very Canadian treat. The beavertail hut in the Byward Market (below) is the original location!



From Flat Elaina and Aurelie in New Caledonia

New Caledonia is a french territory, the archipelago includes the main island of Grande Terre, The Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield islands, the Belep archipelago, the isles of pines and a few more.

French people and especially the locals refer to the Grande Terre as " Le caillou" ( pebble).

The climate is tropical with hot and humid seasons. We do not have a really cold winter so we can enjoy the beach most part of the year.

The environnement is very diversified New Caledonia has many unique birds and plants 

The totem of New caledonia is the KAGU ( Cagou) a bird who can fly and has a weird sing ( Audio  : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmpbBc4pQWw)

The flora is unique as well especially when you are going in the South of the Grande Terre it's like going back in time and exploring the Jurassic.

We have different endemique animals as : giant gecko / crow (knew for his intelligence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcN3WzeKDlE) / Noto (giant wood pigeons: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpophage_g%C3%A9ant) and if you are diving is not rare to meet a snake call a Tricot Rayé (venom four time as potent as rattlesnake venom) It is an iconic animal so much that it has its own range of clothing and shop (link :https://shop.nc/tricot-raye/ )

What about people ?

We are talking about 3 types of inhabitants in Caledonia : 
  • Native called the Kanak  : most of them lived in a social organisation traditionally based on clans, if you are visiting the loyalty island you can hear he is from the sea clan.. 
  • Caldoche is the name given to those who are born in New Caledonia but consider as European.
  • Zoreille, Métros are french born migrants who come to New Caledonia.

What about lifestyle ?

Lifestyle here is very different from what you can know outside the island.
The rhythm of life is cooler than city life. Everything is a kind of slower hahahahah. We have an expression : " kass pas la tête" it's like go with the flow.Its has become so popular that the slang has its own range of clothing  (https://fr-fr.facebook.com/kasspaslatete.nc/).

After work it is not rare that people go to the beach, watch the sunset or even eat at the beach ( you can see families in picnic mode with their rice pot, the stew, the bbq meat.)

On the week-end you can go at the beach, diving, for a walk in the mountain a lot of caledonian go out with their own boat is like how can i say that cultural to get a boat you are not a real Caledonian if you haven't a boat because as an islander you are suppose to fish...
You can also pack your stuff and go camping because it's an island. It's easy to reach a good spot for a week-end ( better to drive a 4x4) and every place in New Caledonia is different and possesses its own beauty.

Important date ?
Because is a french territory we have the same important dates :
- historic :bastille day ( 14/07) - War I and II days 
- social : mother day ( 7/06/2020) father day (21/06/2020)
- religious feast: France is therefore the new caledonia is Christian 
But since a few years now we have a new date unique to the New Caledonia history the 24th of September to commemorate France’s takeover of New Caledonia on September 24, 1853.

I put below some link of good video :) and one to reach more than 7000 photos ;) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umAYVWcMs4s - Video of what you can do in New Caledonia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RumIIVpSSC8 - Video of New Caledonia land of contrast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meW1QyQ1o6c - I think its a good representation of New caledonia


have a lovely day

Aurélie