Jacobean lily in flower

The Jacobean lily is out in flower, - the first one of the season.

I saw a fox

Dear Aisha, Brioni and Calista,   

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. I hope you liked my last letter about catching the mice living in my home. I've had no more problem with mice in the house since then; my sacks of rice and my potatoes are quite safe.

I've been trying to get a good photograph of some wild ducks swimming on the water down at the dam, but it's not easy to get close enough to take a photo which shows them clearly because these ducks are wild ducks and they don't realise I only want to look at them and I don't wish them any harm. But I did take some pictures of the ducks which I've sent with this letter and you can see them in the distance. I hope you like them.

One morning when I was out on my walk, I saw a fox. He saw me and stopped for a moment and then he ran away quickly. Foxes are also wild creatures and usually we cannot get close enough to take a good photograph, but I have sent some pictures of foxes just like the one I saw on my walk. Foxes are like small dogs, but not quite the same; they live in the bush and go hunting and at night sometimes I  hear a fox barking; this is the voice of the fox as they tell the other foxes where they are. I hope you like my pictures of foxes.

I've also sent you 2 pictures of my Jacobean Lily which is starting to flower. When they come out fully they are very beautiful so I'll take some photos of them when they are looking their best.  The broad beans are growing nicely, you will see they have grown since the last photo I took of them. The mornings have been very bright and sunny lately, not cold at all, so I have not been able to get a good photo of a cold frosty morning for you to see yet.

On Wednesdays I usually go to the College in town to use the computers and the printer so I can print out my letters and documents; I have sent you a photo of me at the College. After I've finished at the College, I go to do my shopping and collect my mail at the Post Office before returning home. Next time I go to town I have to get some new batteries for my digital camera because the old ones need replacing before I can take any more pictures.

I've been enjoying my fresh spinach, as you can see in the photo it's growing nicely again; I haven't found any more caterpillars and it has recovered well. I have a favourite recipe which I use to cook the spinach. I'll tell you about my favourite recipe for cooking spinach some other time.

This is the end of my letter now, but I will write to you all again sometime.

Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Uncle Roger

Catching mice

Dear Aisha, Brioni and Calista,                                                          

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. I hope you liked my last letter about getting the firewood in to keep the fire burning in my home. Just lately, it has not been very cold; we have had showers of rain for a few days. I have been doing some gardening; I'm growing some little cabbage plants and broad beans.

I've sent you some photos for you to see; - Do you like my big plant-pots?

They are just right for growing my plants in; I had to go to Griffith to buy them.

When I was finished shopping, I called in to see a friend of mine living near Griffith who has an orange orchard and he gave me all the oranges which you can see in the pictures.

- When I got home from Griffith I had a big surprise!

I saw a mouse running across my kitchen table! - I didn't know I had some mice living in the house with me, but I noticed that mice have been trying to get into my bags of rice and even trying to eat my potatoes! - I was a bit worried because mice can be very destructive and make a lot of mess in the house. So, I decided to set some traps to catch the mice. I've sent you some pictures of the traps which I set near my bags of rice, and also, on the kitchen table. 

During the night I heard a sound- SNAP! - I had caught a mouse in one of my traps. In the morning I found another mouse caught in a trap, so I caught 2 mice during the night. I've sent you some pictures to show you. - Now, I have no more problem with mice. I haven't seen any signs of mice in the house since then and my rice is quite safe.

My garden is still growing nicely and the recent rain has made everything fresh.

I've been eating my spinach which is very delicious to eat when it's picked fresh. I have not found anymore caterpillars on the leaves. 

When I went for a walk down to my dam I saw some wild ducks swimming on the water. I've been trying to get close enough to take a photo to show you, but they fly away before I can get a good photograph, but I will keep trying until I get the picture I want to show you.

The mornings have not been very cold lately, so I have not yet been able to get a good photo of a cold frosty morning, but when it's a very cold day with frost, I'll take a photo to show you.

This is the end of my letter now, but I will write to you all again sometime.

Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Uncle Roger

 

Cutting firewood

Dear Aisha, Brioni and Calista,                                                        

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. I hope you liked my last letter about butterflies and caterpillars. This time I want to tell you about getting the firewood to keep the fire burning in my home to keep it nice and warm. I usually bring the firewood in every second day because it's very cold now and I need to keep the fire going all the time. As you can see from the photos I have sent you, I use my wheelbarrow to carry the firewood home. But first I must split the large pieces of wood with the axe to make them the right size to fit into the stove. A load of firewood on the wheelbarrow lasts about 2 days. 

Also, if you look carefully at the pictures you will see that I am getting some little sticks ready which I split with a little axe called a – TOMAHAWK. - This is a smaller sized axe and very useful for splitting sticks which we call – KINDLING.

The word – KINDLING – just means little sticks suitable for starting a fire.

This time of the year is Winter, which starts at the beginning of June and it can be very cold and frosty here in New South Wales, so I'm glad I prepared for the cold weather and got a good supply of firewood ready.

My garden is still growing nicely and my fresh spinach has recovered and I have not found anymore caterpillars on the leaves.  I've sent you a photo to show you.

If you look in the background of that photo, you will see  little seedlings coming up of my Silver Beet. This is a green vegetable like spinach but not quite the same. In the foreground you will see my garlic shooting up, coming along nicely. 

Most mornings after I've had my breakfast, I go for a walk out in the bush for about an hour. As I go, I listen to the music on the Shaker MP3 player which your Daddy and Mummy sent to me in the big parcel. Would you tell them that Uncle Roger is very pleased with the Shaker, and tell them I use it every day.

What have you been doing lately? – Are you still reading books and learning new words? – Brioni, are you still practising your writing? - I’m very pleased to hear that you can write your name now. 

This is the end of my letter now, but I will write to you all again sometime.

Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Uncle Roger

About caterpillars

Dear Aisha, Brioni and Calista,      

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. I hope you liked my last two letters. Do you remember me saying that I found some caterpillars eating my fresh spinach? Well, I have been thinking about caterpillars lately and I want to write my letter to you this time about caterpillars. They are interesting little creatures and there is a wonderful mystery about caterpillars; - when they are ready, at the right time, they turn into butterflies! - Perhaps you know this already, but when you see a pretty butterfly in the garden, you can be quite certain that it started out its life as a caterpillar.

Caterpillars are always hungry! - Every day, all day long they eat and eat; they never seem to be satisfied, they just keep eating. They start out very small and tiny when they hatch out from a little egg that was laid by the butterfly. The butterfly always finds the right kind of leaves which the caterpillars like to eat best, and as soon as the caterpillar hatches out from its egg, it starts eating and eating. Some people think that caterpillars are a pest, because they eat the leaves of the plants growing in the garden; but they are part of the creation which God has made and they have their purpose in life which God intended. Lots of birds like to eat caterpillars, so they provide food for the birds.

Now as the caterpillar grows bigger and bigger, and keeps eating more and more, at the right time the caterpillar stops eating and starts to rest, and this is when the great mystery starts; this is when the caterpillar starts to turn into a butterfly. First, after the caterpillar stops eating it finds a quiet safe place to wait while the change takes place.

It's like a miracle; how can a caterpillar change into a butterfly? - Well, it's quite true.

It takes quite a long time, but the caterpillar has nothing else to do but wait. It's finished eating now and it goes to sleep and forms a - CHRYSALIS. - I've sent you a photo of a chrysalis which shows the caterpillar sleeping and starting to change into a butterfly. When it wakes up in several weeks time, it comes out of its sleep and the change has happened; - the caterpillar is a butterfly! - Soon it starts to fly and goes looking for flowers. Most butterflies are very pretty and have different colours, so I've sent you some pictures of different kinds of butterflies, and also, some of caterpillars. It's a wonderful story, and a true story too.

Now I have a question for you: - Why does the caterpillar stop eating?

Since the caterpillar first hatched from its egg, it has been eating and eating, but at the right time, the caterpillar stops eating. - Why do you think the caterpillar stops eating?

You may say, - well, the caterpillar is full and doesn't feel hungry any more.

That sounds like a good answer to my question, but it's not quite the right answer.

The answer to the question: - Why does the caterpillar stop eating? - is that God has told the first caterpillar how to behave correctly as a caterpillar; what to eat and when to stop eating and although all caterpillars have forgotten what God first told them, a distant memory from long, long ago still remains in the caterpillar.

The caterpillar does everything which God first told them without thinking about it or trying to remember, we call this distant memory from long, long ago: -- INSTINCT –- it means the caterpillar does what God intended without thinking about it. The caterpillar doesn't have to remember because it does what God intended caterpillars to do without remembering what God has said.

So at the right time; at the time God intended, - the caterpillar just stops eating.

It doesn't have to think about it; it doesn't even have to remember what God told the first caterpillar long, long ago; - it just stops eating at the right time by – INSTINCT.

Do you like my story about caterpillars?

I hope you like the pictures I sent of butterflies and caterpillars and one of a chrysalis.

Every time you see a butterfly in the garden, you can remember the way it started life as a caterpillar. - Why do you think God created caterpillars and butterflies?

Well, they help to make the world beautiful and interesting. I'm quite sure that God knew little boys and girls would find caterpillars very interesting.

This is the end of my letter now, but I will write to you all again sometime.

Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Uncle Roger