The Emperor's Rhyme

The King of Peru
Who was Emperor too
had a sort of rhyme
which was useful to know
if he felt very shy
when a stranger came by
or they asked him the time
when his watch didn’t go.
Or supposing he fell,
by mistake, down a well
or tumbled when skating
and sat on his hat.
Or perhaps wasn’t told
Till his porridge was cold
That his breakfast was waiting
Or something like that.

So whenever the Emperor
got into a temper or
felt himself sulky or sad,
he would murmur and murmur
until he felt firmer
this curious rhyme that he had.

“Eight eights are sixty-four
Multiply by seven.
When it’s done,
carry one
and take away eleven.
Nine nines are eighty one
Multiply by three
If it’s more
carry four
And then it’s time for tea.”

So whenever the Queen
took his armour to clean
and didn’t remember
to use any starch.
Or his birthday, in May,
was a Horrible day,
being wet as November
and windy as March.
Or when sitting in state
with the wise and the great
he happened to hiccup
when signing his name.
Or The Queen gave a cough
when his crown tumbled off
as he bent down to pick up
a pen for the same.

So whenever the Emperor
got into a temper or
felt himself awkward or shy,
he would whisper and whisper
until he felt crisper
this odd little rhyme to the sky.

“Eight eights are eighty one
Multiply by seven.
If it’s more
carry four
and take away eleven.
Nine nines are sixty-four
Multiply by three
When it’s done
carry one
and then it’s time for tea.”


A. A. Milne Now we are Six Metheum and Co, UK, 1927

Fun with Friends

This weekend we had some friends from Sydney come and stay with us with their new little baby. (We hadn't met him before)

We had a lovely time doing all the things one does with friends - chatting, drinking tea, eating too much food, and playing - and also enjoying some of the activities in Canberra (despite the rather wintery weather).

We went to the Gallery of Australian Design which is new and small and interesting if you like architecture-type things (which my friend does) and also to the National Portrait Gallery. which is not so new or small and has a slightly broader appeal.

My friend and I went to a ladies afternoon tea at our church (the men looked after the sleeping toddler).

The men went to the movies and we crafted while the little ones slept.

Alex was fascinated by Max - he kept bringing him toys, bouncing him in the bouncer, and trailed whoever had Max in their arms. By the end he actually wanted to cuddle Max and is trying desperately to cuddle him while he is on my knee. Since they left he has been very attentive to his teddy bears!

Five things in May

This is what I did in May (not the extraordinary things, just the normal everyday things):

Listened to Classic FM. My radio was retuned to fuzz one day so I tuned it to Classic FM instead of the news in the morning.
Read Mao's last dancer. I won't talk about this too much because I want to save it for a book meeting but if you get the chance to read this do. (Although parents might want to read first to work out what age/if their child should read it). It is the autobiography of Li Cunxian who was plucked out of his commune in China in the late '60s to study ballet. In the early '80s he defected to the US. He now lives in Melbourne with his Australian wife. It really made be realise how blessed we are to live in the time and place that we do.
Made the invitations to a birthday party and crochet squares for a quilt.

Drank tea. My sister gave us a box of T2 sampler teas which we are working our way through. I am particularly fond of the spiced black teas - one or two cups of creme brulee is a good substitute for dessert!
Watched Yes Prime Minister. This is one of my all time favourite british comedies and we have been watching part of an episode before we go to sleep (we can't quite stay awake for the full half hour).

What everyday things have you been up to this month?

Catch Up

Went away to Farm. Visited friends on way. Got sick. Came home 4 days later. Washed. Cleaned. Worked. Packed. Went away to Sydney. Shopped. Caught a cold. Visited Friends. Went to 90th Birthday Party. Came home; still sick. Worked. Clean house. Cooked. Worked. Washed mountain of clothes. Still sick. Packed (again). Went to Mum and Dad't for Mother's Day. Got sicker. Toddler now sick and grumpy. Came home. sick. Worked. Cleaned. Washed. Gost hair cut. Locked self and child out of house. Worked. Cleaned. Cooked. Went to charity dinner. Slept in. Toddler learnt how to climb out of cot. Worked. Cleaned. Worked. Spent afternoon "sleep time" putting jack-in-the-box toddler back to bed.

Whew.

That has been our May so far. (I think I just wrote about 4 blog posts worth of stuff). It has been so frenetic that I haven't really had time to think because we have been so busy doing. (That's not quite true - I have thought quite hard at work but not on matters of my choosing). This is the first week where we haven't been away for the previous weekend - and for the first time this month I am not behind in the housework.

The rest of May is looking better - we have three (that's right three) weekends where we are home (not free but home) before we possibly go away again. This cold/sore throat should go. Maybe then I will be able to post some photos of what we have been doing ;-)

Hope to catch up with you more often!

Weekends Away

We seem to be in the midst of a mad set of busy weekends at the moment combined with cleaning for the biannual dreaded tenancy inspection.

We were in Adelaide at Easter, and have just been away to the farm. [The one in between we were supposed to have visitors but they cancelled, so we went to a birthday party and had friends over instead!] In the next fortnight we head to Sydney for my Grandmother's 90th Birthday and then to my parents for Mother's Day weekend. Somewhere in all that April came and went and it now feels like the middle of winter!

I hope that you enjoyed the flashback series I set up while I had no time to blog, and I shall hopefully have some photos of our recent activity soon.

Flashback Friday

The love of reading starts early.


This must have been taken some time in 1984 as well (it was in that section of my mother's photo album...) when some friend's of my parents came to visit. I think it may have been more posed than "snapped" though

Flashback Friday

Two little girls in Pink


This is my little sister (there are only the two of us) one hot riverina summer (~1984?) at the back of my parents house.