Letters from Uncle Roger

Springtime

2010-09-03T13:41:00.011+10:00

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. My letter is about Spring-time.

You have seen the photos I sent of the wattle in bloom. - Well, many other flowers are out now and the weather is getting warmer. I've sent you some photos of the flowers growing around here in the bush at this time of the year.

And also, two photos of my first Gazania growing in the garden, very pretty.

Springtime starts on September 1^st, and lasts for about 3 months until December when the Summertime begins. Springtime is when all the birds have their nests and lay eggs and raise their family of baby birds, and down at the dam I have seen a family of little baby wild ducks following their mother. They are very cute, but as soon as they see me, they run away and hide in the grass.

I will be going away soon for a while and not sure when I'll be back, but when I get home again, I'll write you a little letter and send you some pictures.

Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Sheep in the paddocks

2010-08-19T10:17:00.000+10:00

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. I hope you liked my last letter about the carpet snake I found in the firewood heap. The snake is still hiding in the wood-heap waiting for warmer weather in the Spring-time. Did you like the photos I sent of the wattle out in bloom? - When we see the wattle flowering, we know that Spring-time is not far away and soon the weather will be warmer.

I've sent you some photos of the sheep here in the paddock close to the house and the sheds; they are getting woolly and soon it will be time for the shearing. We shear the sheep once a year in the Spring-time. I have a friend called Laurie who owns these sheep, so when he wants to shear them, I'll take some photos for you to see the shearing.

Early in the morning, sometimes we see the dawn just before the sun rises, very pretty in the sky, I've sent you 2 photos of the dawn here taken about 6:15am in the morning.

Also, 2 photos of me sitting on a log out in the bush.

My letter this time is a bit short, but I have not forgotten you and I hope you like my little letter. Maybe I'll try to write a bit more next time. Remember - I love you all very, very much.

A snake from the past

2010-08-16T10:09:00.001+10:00

These pictures are from a long time ago.

Wattle in bloom

2010-08-06T08:38:00.000+10:00

2010-07-27T21:00:00.011+10:00

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. I hope you liked my last letter about cooking spinach. This time my letter is about the snake I found in the firewood heap. I suppose this snake thought my wood-heap would be a nice place to hide and spend the Winter. Snakes are not very active during the winter-time and so they usually find a quiet place to hide until the warmer spring weather. This snake didn't know that during the Winter I would be using all my firewood and his hiding-place in the wood-heap would be discovered.

I've sent you some photos of this snake for you to see. This is a carpet snake very much like the one we saw in the back garden of your home in Brisbane when I came to visit. Do you remember? - Your Mummy took some photos of it.

Carpet snakes are not poisonous; - they can bite, and they will bite if we don't handle them gently, but if we pick the snake up carefully and hold it by the neck it is quite safe and there is no need to be afraid of them. Carpet snakes go hunting for mice and so they are useful creatures which are good to have around. Sometimes I find a carpet snake in the shed here on the farm looking for mice and so I just let them stay and find somewhere to hide amongst all the things in the shed. They are called – CARPET – snakes because they have a pretty pattern on their skin like the pattern on a carpet; so they are called carpet snakes.

Carpet snakes also catch small birds, but they have to be quick and so they just keep very still, waiting and hoping that some little bird or animal doesn't see them and gets close enough to catch them. Carpet snakes are included in the kind of snakes called – PYTHON.

Pythons often grow very large, and there are many different kinds; they live in tropical jungles of Africa and Asia and in Borneo in South-east Asia. Some pythons grow to a great size, sometimes as much as 30 feet long. There is another very large snake which we call a BOA - these snakes are found in South America and they grow very big. Here in Australia snakes of the python family grow to about 6 or 8 feet long.

I heard you have been helping Daddy and Mummy repairing the roof of your house; and Aisha, I saw the photos of you doing some painting; - and Brioni, I saw some photos of you learning to measure with the tape-measure. I'm very pleased to see that you are learning new things.

I've also sent some pictures of my broad beans and cabbages growing in plant pots; see how much they have grown since the last time you saw them.

This is the end of my letter now. Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Uncle Roger

Cooking spinach

2010-07-17T20:50:00.000+10:00

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. I hope you liked my last letter about crickets; this time, my letter is about cooking spinach. You know I like spinach and I have a little garden of spinach plants growing in the old bath-tub. Well, this letter is about my favourite recipe for cooking spinach and I've sent you some photos to show you.

The first thing is to gather the spinach from the garden and give it a good wash. It needs washing because we like to eat our food from the garden nice and clean.

You can see in the the photos my 2 large bowls of washed spinach ready for cooking. The next thing is to prepare an onion; and you can see the pictures showing me chopping the onion ready for cooking.

Into the cooking pot I put the chopped onion and some crushed garlic with a small amount of olive oil, a very small amount of water and a little bit of salt, and I fry the onion and garlic in the cooking pot to get a nice tasty flavour. Then I add the washed spinach; you can see a photo with all the spinach in the pot.

It looks like a lot of spinach, but when it cooks it reduces down to a smaller amount. I try to use as little water as possible without risk of it burning on the bottom. When the spinach is cooked I sometimes add a can of red beans to go with the spinach and then I add the 2 eggs and stir them in. I put the eggs in last because they don't need very much cooking, so when the eggs are cooked it's all finished and ready to eat.

In this meal, I'm also having boiled brown rice which you can see in the photo.
It was a very nice meal and I enjoyed it very much so I have sent you this letter to tell you all about it.

It's still very cold here, and I'm looking forward to the Springtime when the weather is a bit warmer, but I'm OK here and I have my nice warm fire. I've been inside most of the time lately, reading and doing my bible study.

I heard about the time you have been making submarines from drink bottles; and Aisha, - I heard you have been learning to sew. I'm very pleased to hear about your sewing.

This is the end of my letter now. Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Uncle Roger

Crickets

2010-07-07T08:41:00.000+10:00

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. I hope you liked my last letter about foxes; I haven't seen any more foxes since then, but sometimes at night I can hear a fox barking. This is the Winter-time now and the weather is very cold. But I have plenty of wood to keep the fire going and it's nice and warm at home.

I've been in communication with Uncle Ben who is living in China, and he caught an insect which is called a cricket and asked if anyone had seen one like it. I've sent you the photo which Uncle Ben sent me for you to see the cricket he caught.

Although I have often seen different kinds of cricket here in Australia, they are not quite the same as the one Uncle Ben found in China. I sent Uncle Ben some pictures of crickets here in Australia, and pictures of some very big crickets which are found in New Zealand called – WETA crickets. I thought you would like to see these pictures too.

You will see from the pictures how large they are. Of course, crickets are quite harmless creatures and it is quite safe to pick them up, but if you see one in the garden it's best to ask your Daddy or your Mummy if it OK to touch it. I hope you like my pictures of different kinds of crickets.

Did you like the photos I sent of my beautiful Jacobean Lily which is flowering?

On Tuesday I had to go to town to do my shopping and collect my mail at the Post Office, and I bought some new batteries for my digital camera so I'll take some more pictures for you when I see anything interesting which you would like to see. It has been very cold, wet weather and not very good for taking photos, but when the weather clears up and we have sunny days again I'll take some photos for you. - Is the weather cold in Brisbane?

I've been inside most of the time lately, reading and doing my study, so I don't have very much to tell you about the things I have been doing around the farm.

This is the end of my letter now, but I will write to you all again sometime, and I will try to take some nice photographs for you.

Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Uncle Roger

Jacobean lily in flower

2010-06-26T20:57:00.001+10:00

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

I saw a fox

2010-06-25T09:23:00.000+10:00

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

2010-06-19T03:00:00.001+10:00

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

2010-06-11T10:00:00.011+10:00

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

2010-06-01T14:06:00.020+10:00

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

2010-05-24T15:01:00.014+10:00

Dear Aisha, Brioni and Calista,

This is another letter from your Uncle Roger. I hope you liked my last letter. This time I want to tell you about my work here on the farm. I have been cutting firewood and getting ready for the cold winter which will be coming soon. It can be very cold and frosty here in New South Wales, and so I must prepare for the cold weather and get a good supply of firewood ready.

First, I must sharpen my chainsaw and put some petrol and oil in the tank. Next, I have to go out to the bush with my car and trailer and cut some wood with the chainsaw. When I have cut enough wood, I must load it onto the trailer and bring it home. Then the next thing to do is to cut the wood up into short firewood blocks with my circular saw which can be used in my stove to keep the house nice and warm during the winter. I have included some pictures of me cutting firewood so you will see how I cut the firewood for the winter.

My garden is still growing nicely but I found some caterpillars eating my fresh spinach. So every morning I must check my spinach garden and pick the caterpillars off the leaves. My tomato plant is still growing but it is now as high as my verandah roof and cannot grow any higher, but the tomatoes are growing nicely and some are starting to turn red and nearly ready to eat. Do you like tomatoes? – They are very good to eat.

What have you been doing lately? – Are you still reading your books and learning new words? – When I write my letters to you, sometimes you may find a new word which you don’t understand. If you find a new word which you do not understand, it is best to ask your Mummy or Daddy to explain the new word to you. When you learn the meaning of a new word you can understand the message in the letter, and increase your – VOCABULARY. - Vocabulary is a big word for little girls to understand. Let me explain the meaning of the word – VOCABULARY.

It means all the words which we can understand. It is like a list of the words we know.

If we have a large vocabulary, it means that we understand a lot of words. So every time we read a book, or receive a letter from someone who writes, we must look for the new words which we do not yet understand, and learn the meaning of the new word. You ask your Mummy to explain the word – VOCABULARY – and how to say the word correctly. The best way to learn how to say a new word is to break up the word into little pieces which are easy to say. Vocabulary seems to be a big word, - but if we break it up into little pieces it is easy to say. – VO – CAB – U – LARY – Can you see that a big word is just little pieces all put together?

Brioni – I heard you can write your name now! - I’m very pleased to hear that.

This is the end of my letter now, but I will write to you all again and let you know about my life here on the farm. Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Uncle Roger

First photos

2010-05-05T16:28:00.000+10:00

Remembering his visit

2010-04-16T14:58:00.002+10:00

Dear Aisha, Brioni and Calista,

(Little baby Del is too young to receive letters yet)

This is a letter from your Uncle Roger. You will remember the happy time we had together at your home in Brisbane, and we have the photos to look at so we cannot forget. Do you remember us going on the Ferris wheel? – And swimming at the City Beach? – We had a very happy time. -

Brioni, - I think you are a very brave little girl

to come with us into the dark, dark tunnel and with all the bats flying around. But of course, you were quite safe with Daddy and Uncle Roger to take care of you, and nothing to be afraid of.

We went to look at the horses; - Do you remember? - Then we had another happy day when we went swimming at the Gold Coast; do you remember watching the little trains going around and around on the little railway track?

We must remember these happy times together until we have the chance to meet again. I think you understand that I live far away; a long way away in New South Wales.

When I returned home again to the house where I live I had a very great surprise! – My tomato plant had grown so much it was nearly as high as my roof! – And so, just to show you how tall my tomato plant has grown, I’ve taken some photos to show you which I will send just as soon as I can.

While I was away in Brisbane to visit you, my neighbour very kindly came every day to water my garden and all my plants are looking lovely. I have a little garden of spinach. – Do you like spinach? - It’s very good to eat, and if it is gathered fresh it is the best it can be. Some people don’t like spinach, usually because if it is not fresh it can get a bitter taste, but I have a favourite recipe for cooking spinach which is delicious!

This is the end of my letter now, but I will write to you all again and let you know about my life here on the farm. Remember - I love you all very, very much.

Uncle Roger