Verona Strauss.comjust because life is fun! …

Ashleworth Ham

On Saturday I went to Ashleworth Ham to go bird spotting. A ham is an area of low lying water. Ashleworth ham is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because it is one of three sites in the area where waterfowl birds come for the winter.

We waited in a hide with our binoculars to look at the birds. We saw Canada Geese, Widgeons, pintail, mallards and shovelers.

We went to an outside hide as well and went behind a wooden wall with gaps in it. I saw a robin just 5 yards away which I fed some seeds to. He nearly hopped up onto one of our hands.

One of our teachers bought a telescope which we could look through to get a close look at the birds.

We also raised some money for the Wildlife Trust to sponsor a bird in the Gloucestershire bird atlas.

I enjoyed going and learning about pintails because I had never seen one before.

A pintail, like the ones we saw

Verona and Robin at Hopewell Colliery

Today with the wildlife trust group I went down in a mine with an expert called Robin who has worked in the mines since he was 14 as a Freeminer.

We had to put on hard hats with lights on them so we could see where we were going because it was pitch black down there.

There was an underground stream which we had to go through where 3 horse shoes have been found, and a big cave with four tunnels leading out of it but only 2 were used because the other tunnels were still full of coal.

Some places were really steep and there were hand rails going down.

The underground stream led to the door to get out of the mines. It was at a metal gate which Robin had to unlock. He got out the keys and tried one into the lock; unfortunately it would not turn. I suggested he tried the other keys but he said he knew it was that one key, so he tried a few more times.

He thought that someone must have put glue in the keyhole! Then he saw another padlock and he put the key in and it worked! It was so spooky when he couldn’t unlock the gate and I was so relieved when we got out.

It wasn’t nice in the mines - it was musty, wet on the floor, pitch black, and smelled of coal dust; so I’m glad I’m glad I’m not a Victorian child working in the mines wearing scratchy woolen clothes.

Robin still mines for coal and the mine was opened in 1823. Ponies had to pull the carts of coal; my guess is the ponies didn’t like to work in the mines.

Riding my new horse

I’ve wanted a rocking horse for a long time but now I’m too big for one. I used to have one when I was younger and it’s in the attic for my own children.

This week, I decided to make my own horse. it’s not standing up yet, it’s leaning against my trampoline and a step ladder.

I found a piece of wood the right size and asked Daddy to drill a hole in the wood the right size for my hobby horse sticks to go through.

if it dries up, Daddy is going to begin on my horse legs. I’ve made stirrups out of old baling twine and am using a pillow case as a blacnket so my horse doesn’t get a sore back! Daddy is also going to put some wood stain on the horse so it’s dark brown.