2000 School Magazine

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LOUISA^S MEMORIES OF WRITER'S CAMP

A DISAPPOINTMENT

Breakfast is now over. As I sit here, all I notice is the sound of the wind moving through the trees and the chirping of birds. It is morning. It is quiet at the moment. The vehicles have gone. There are no lawns to be cut this morning or any weeds to be killed before the tree planting

They said they had something to tell us. My sister came up to get me and her face was very sombre. I thought she was faking it. I thought she was hiding a surprise. I remember running down the steps so excited because they didn't often do this - make important announcements. it must be something really special. I was bursting to find out. Maybe we were going on another holiday ... I loved holidays, with Mum and Dad and the rest of us. In a strange country with strange sounds but it didn't matter because we were all together I was only five on our last one, and years had past since then. So I concluded that it was very possible that another was on the way. I skipped into the house and saw my family sitting around the dinner table. My mother looked worried, and my father - thoughtful. I risked a glance at my brother. By raising my eyebrow I signalled and asked him what was going on. He smiled nervously back at me - he didn't know. When everything was still, my father spoke. "We have something to tell you{ "Here it comes!I thought. We're going to America, we're getting a new car, we re going somewhere. ..

ceremony.

Just before nine, Jacqui and Ellie show me a herb. It was furry and had a smell somewhere between that of a geranium and fresh silverbeet. The veins on the back of the leaf were generally oval-shaped and increased in size towards the base of the leaf. One main set of veins was shaped in a triangle. The hairs on the back were slightly stickier and rougher than those on the front. The leaves seemed to be the types that would absorb water well. Beside me I have an unopened wild cotton seed that Sophie gave to me, it is slightly smaller than a hen's egg with smaller hair-like projections coming out of it. Most of these feel like little bits of grass but towards the tip, they become slightly softer and longer. The centre of the seed is filled with air and when the seed is squeezed, you can feel pressure against your hands. It is easy to see where the seed will first split because there is an area along one length of it which is totally smooth and bare of any projections There are stark contrasts between the closed cotton boll and an open boll. The shell of the open boll is rough and hard. Inside the shell you can feel the soft silky fibres of cotton. In the afternoon, we go canoeing at a nearby dam. It was very calm and peaceful on the water Everyone was interested in seeing the kingfishers. I don't know much about them except that they make a noise a bit similar to the noise a chicken makes. Paddling was really interesting, feeling the pressure of water against the paddle. We visited a small cove which was very"echoey" since the banks were fairly close together. The sound of insects could be heard mingled with the chirping of birds. As the journey went on, the temperature became cooler. By this time it was late afternoon and the sun had probably set. Soon the day will be over and all the crickets will be the main sound.

Louiso Young 12 Liney The Dons WorekerTownsendMemorio! Writers Coinp 2000

... "We're getting a divorce. "

Carome Hendry I I Beanlond The Dons WarokerlbwnsendMemono! Writers Camp 2000

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Lauren MCIvor I I Gibson Sculpture