Mary Celeste

Today I am going to write about the Mary Celeste as I really love learning about mysteries and some of the theory's people have come up with.



The Mary Celeste was first built on the 18th May 1861 with  the original name, Amazon. The first captain to sail aboard the Amazon was called Robert McLellan. For her maiden voyage in June 1861 Amazon went to Five islands to collect cargo that was going to London. On the way the Captain got sick, as he got worse Amazon had to sail back home to get the captain to a doctor. Sadly they were to late and McLellan died on the 19th June. Due to the death of the previous captain John Nutting Parker became the new captain and took Amazon to London like she was supposed to have the first time. You may think that this trip was successful but sadly it wasn't. There were two incidents number one on the way there and number two on the way back, Number one was that She collided with fishing equipment and number two was that she ran into and sank a brig. Parker remained captain for two years working mostly with west indies trade until 1863 when William Thompson took over as captain. Thompson continued as captain for four years with no unusual events until October 1867 when she was driven ashore in a storm left badly damaged and named a wreck. On October 15th Amazon was bought as a wreck by Alexander McBean. Within a month McBean sold the wreck to a local businessman who by November 1868 had sold it to Richard W. Haines who fixed her up, gave her a new name of Mary Celeste, made himself her captain and registered her as an American Vessel all by December 1868. In October 1869 The Mary Celeste was taken away from Haines by his creditors (people who Haines owed money to). It was then sold to a New York Consortium bay that was owned by James H. Winchester. Over the next three years the Mary Celeste's trading activities are anonymous. Early in 1872 Winchester gave her a large extension and rebuild. During this rebuild the Mary Celeste was made deeper, longer, wider and had a second deck added meaning much more space for cargo and slightly larger living quarters. *1

 In October 29th 1872 there was a new captain for the consortium bay, Benjamin Spooner Briggs. Captain Briggs was born on the 24th April 1835 And was one of the five sons of captain Nathan Briggs. Briggs was a observant christian who in 1862 married his cousin Sarah Elizabeth Cobb. Over the course of their marriage Benjamin and Sarah had two children, son Arthur who was born in September 1865 and daughter Sophia Matilda who was born in October 1870. By Sophia's birth Briggs was a high standing man in his profession and was considering retiring and working will his brother Olive who had got bored off drifting about the sea. Unluckily he did not retire but invested money on shares of ships, Oliver invested on the Julia A. Hallock while Benjamin invested on the Mary Celeste.  *1

In October 1872 as her first voyage with a new captain Briggs was supposed to take the Mary Celeste to New York to collect cargo and take the cargo to Genoa, Italy. Briggs invited his wife, daughter and small crew on the voyage leaving their school aged son with his grandma. The ship arrived at pier 50 East river on the 20th October 1872. On the third of November Briggs wrote a letter to his mother saying that they intended to leave on Tuesday adding "our vessel is in beautiful trim and I hope we shall have a fine passage" on Tuesday the 5th November Briggs moved the Mary Celeste to New York harbour but couldn't stay there so anchored the ship by Staten island. but didn't leave due to the weather During this stop Sarah took advantage of being able to post letters and wrote one to her mother-in-law that said "Tell Arthur I make great dependence on the letters I get from him, And will try to remember anything that happens on the voyage which he would be pleased to hear." While the Mary celeste got ready to set sail nearby was another ship called Dei Gratia awaiting cargo that was also headed to Genoa Italy. The captain of Dei Gratia was called David Morehouse and was at the same level as Briggs meaning that they could have been friends. On the 7th November the weather cleared up and the Mary Celeste finaly set sail. *1

It was December the 5th when Morehouse spotted a large ship about six miles away in the choppy seas. It was not until they got closer that Morehouse realised that the ship was the Mary Celeste and that it was swaying about with no-one aboard to steer. Once they got close enough More house sent a search party to the ship to see if anyone was aboard. Sadly there was nobody on the ship and only a few malfunctions with it. These malfunctions were, no lifeboat, a small amount of water at the bottom deck but all the crews belongings were safe and exactly as they should be. The last entry to the ships daily log was made at 8.00 AM on the 25th December nine days before the Dei Gratia would find them. *1 and *2

There are several theory's to what happened but here are five:

1. Crazed Mutiny, Initial checks showed strange scrape marks on the walls that looked like they were made by axes with blood like liquid on them. The head of the search party believed that The crew had got dangerously drunk on the cargo of alcohol, killed the crew and left the boat. This was not true as the marks were natural tears and the alcohol was poisonous and not fit for drinking.
2. Criminal Conspiracy, Could the ship have been invaded by pirates? of course not, the ship was't looted. Could it have been the Dei Gratia robbing the ship and killing the crew to get the salvage money? Even Briggs and the crew faking their death to collect the money through the Dei Gratia?
3. Alien Abduction, Many people think that aliens are the case. Reports said that the last entry in the log was shortly before it was found and that there was half eaten food on the table. This is a myth of course! The last entry in the log was nine days before it was found, there was no food on the table, water at the bottom and no lifeboat.
4. Natural Disaster, Some people think that it could have been a waterspout or seaquake damaging the ship letting water in making the captain think the ship was sinking and abandon ship.
5. Alcohol Explosion, The most realistic theory to most people is linked to the cargo of alcohol. whether alcohol fumes leaked out causing an explosion or making it seem like there was going to be an explosion maybe made the captain put everyone on the lifeboat tied to the ship until it was safe again in the ship but have the rope come undone leaving everyone on the lifeboat in the sea in bad weather. *3

Here are the links I used.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste
2. http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/what-happened-to-the-mary-celeste
3. https://yesterday.uktv.co.uk/blogs/article/5-theories-what-happened-mary-celeste/

Berlin wall

Today I a going to write about the Berlin wall as it is a very large part of the history of Germany.

After the second world war Germany was split into four parts each run by a different country, France, England, America and Russia. France, England and America were allies at that time and together created West Germany while Russia created east Germany. Although Berlin was inside of east Germany it being the capital was split up between France, England, America and Russia. Up until 1961 East german citizens were allowed to enter west Germany. It became much more difficult in in 1952 when the inner German border was created to stop people from leaving east Germany as the conditions there where not very good. The Berlin wall was created in 1961 because nearly 3 million people had migrated from east Germany to west Germany from 1949 up until 1961! *1, *6 and *7

Construction on the Berlin wall started on the 13th August 1961. It was built by the German Democratic Republic (East German government.) *2

In case anyone tried to pass or climb the wall there would be armed guards at the top ready to shoot. If you tried to pass the wall you would be shot immediately and killed.  Over 80 people were killed while trying to escape! *3

Finally in 1989 on the 9th November after weeks of civil unrest the East German government granted permission for all GDR citizens to enter west Berlin and Germany. As soon as the news got out hundreds and hundreds of people from west Germany and east Germany all crowded round and climbed on the wall and celebrated. The demolition of the wall officially began on the 13th June 1990 and finished sometime in 1992. *2

One of the most famous checkpoints is checkpoint Charlie. Checkpoint Charlie was the only checkpoint where there would be queues of people waiting to cross. *5

The East side gallery is a 1316 metre long section of the Berlin wall that is still standing covered in over 100 paintings from artists all over the world! *4

This is one of my favourite parts of the Berlin wall

Here are some of the links I used:

*1     http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/history/why-the-berlinwall-was-built.htm

*2     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall

*3    http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/east-germans-kill-man-trying-to-cross-berlin-wall

*4    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Gallery

*5    https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Checkpoint_Charlie

*6    http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/wjec/history/pdf/berlin_blockade.pdf 

*7   http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/berlin-wall-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-barrier-that-divided-east-and-west-9847347.html

Berlin

Today as my first blog for my new topic, Germany, I am going to write about Berlin.

Berlin was made the capital of Germany in 1990 although the government headquarters were moved from Bonn to Berlin in 1991. *4

The population of Berlin (in 2017) is 3,593,000 people! That means the population has increased by 30,000 people since 2015!

The city's name comes comes from a West Slavic word meaning 'river rake,' a scaffold of beams built over a river to prevent logs from jamming. *3

Berlin is probably most well known for the Berlin wall. The Berlin wall was built on the 13th of August 1961 to separate the east of Berlin from the west of Berlin because people where trying to leave east Berlin because the conditions where bad. After weeks of civil unrest on the 19th November, 1989 the east German government granted permission for all GDR (the German democratic republic) citizens to enter west Germany and Berlin. Crowds of Germans from each side came and climbed on the wall and explored each side. Later on in the night the wall was knocked down. (I will learn some more about the Berlin wall later this month as it is a big part of German history.) *2

The Berlin wall

Here are some facts about Berlin that you may have not known:

1. It has over 1,700 bridges (that's even more bridges than Venice!) and more than 180 kilometres of navigable water.
2. It has the longest open air gallery ever! The gallery is actually a 1.3 kilometre part of the Berlin wall called the East Side Gallery that has 101 paintings by artists from 21 countries.
3. It is home to one of the tallest pieces of architecture in Europe, the Berliner Fernsehturm (the Berlin TV tower) is 368 metres high with a 207 metres high viewing floor. 
4. Berlin is the greenest city in Germany! About 44% of Berlin is made up of parks, recreational areas, woods, and rivers.  
5. Berlin is the only city in the world to have three active opera houses! *1

Here are some links to the pages used,

*1  http://www.globalblue.com/destinations/germany/berlin/top-10-facts-on-berlin/#slide7

*2  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall

*3  https://www.ancestry.co.uk/name-origin?surname=berlin

*4  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_on_the_Capital_of_Germany

*5  https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Berlin

The history of the Euro

Today I am going to write about the history of the Euro and how it has changed along the way.

The euro was first introduced in 1999 but was only actually used for electronic payments until 2002 when 12 countries in the EU abandoned their currencies and all started using euros.

Imagine well over three million people from various countries all trying to change there money to one currency? This was ranked the worlds largest civilian project in the history of the world!

At one point there was an era called the transition period were you were able to spend your own currency and the euro at the same time. This came to an end in 2002 when the euro was officially entered into circulation.

Since then many different countries have joined the eurozone including Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

There are seven different euro notes each one a different size, colour, and face value: €5 (grey), €10 (red), €20 (blue), €50 (orange), €100 (green), €200 (yellow), and €500 (purple).

There are also eight different coins: €0.01, €0.02, €0.05, €0.10, €0.20, €0.50, €1, and €2.
Each countries euro has the same thing on one side but on the other side is usually some kind of mint to match the country and/or the countries history.

The Euro sign is € most people describe it as a capitol C with an = in the middle of it.

The Euro sign in its original colours

    

The battle of the Beanfield

Today I visited Stonehenge for the second time and although I have already written a blog about it (which you can find here) I am now going to write about the Battle of the Beanfield.

The battle of Beanfield occurred on the 1st June, 1985.

It all started when about 600 new age travellers and their families were heading towards Stonehenge for the annual free festival when they came across a roadblock. Due to the damage to the stones at the previous year's free festival the police decided that the festival should be cancelled and that the people attending should have no permitted access to the stones from then on.

When everybody saw the police they all moved into a neighbouring beanfield. People expected that the police would leave them alone now but all the police got in the vehicles and drove into the field and surrounded all of the people.

There were about 600 travellers all in their homes with their pets and family and everything they owned. There were also about 1,300 police officers, all covered in armour and armed with truncheons, so that's two armed police men or more to each individual person!

The chief police officer eventually came over in a helicopter and ordered for everyone to be arrested.
Afterwards the police claimed that most of the travellers chucked rocks and threw sticks when only ten or so actually did so.

What happened next is horrible. The police came round smashed the windows of the travellers' homes and dragged out any people inside and arrested them, if anybody resisted (which most did) they would get hurt.

Here are some quotes from the people who where there,

'But it wasn't a battle, we offered no resistance.' - Rose Brash (above, with her baby).

'Police rushed out on foot, from behind their barricades. Clutching drawn truncheons and riot shields, they ran round to the driver's door of each vehicle, slamming their truncheons into the bodywork to make a deafening noise, and shouting at every driver, 'get out, get out, hand over your keys, get out!' - The Earl of Cardigan.

'I was trying to give first aid to people who'd been injured. An observation I made was the number of people who'd been clouted around the back of the head. They must have been running away.' - Alan Lodge, former paramedic

About 80% of the travellers were arrested! The people who weren't arrested were let go but without their vans or anything of theirs that they owned. It was the biggest arrest in British history. Once everyone was arrested the Battle of Beanfield was over and no one else was hurt.

Several years later about twenty people were awarded money for damage to their vehicles and wrongful arrest.
S

Today you aren't allowed to get near the stones and touch them except on the solstice and as long as you don't climb on the stones or bring in alcohol.

How to make slime

Today I made slime and I was soooooooo happy with how it came out and how satisfying it was to play with! I had so much fun making it and its really easy!

You will need:

PVA glue
Contact lens solution
Shaving foam
Food colouring or paint (optional)
A large bowl
A sealable contianer (like a jam jar or Tupperware)
A spoon
A large plate

To start you want to put about 125ml of PVA glue into your bowl and add and add about half  cup of shaving foam and mix!

Next add the contact lens solution to the mixture until it isn't sticking to the bowl.

If it is still sticking to the bowl keep adding bits of shaving foam and tiny splashes of contact lens solution till it is doesn't anymore.

At this point it should still stick to your finger a bit but to stop it from sticking to your skin you need to put al the slime on your plate (it shouldn't stick to the plate) and stretch it and play with it until it isn't sticking to your hands (you may need to add some shaving foam along the way.)

This is my absolute favourite step, Playing with it! It is so satisfying playing with the slime, mixing in paints or food colouring, mixing in beads and bits of styrofoam, mixing in glitter, Kneading in lip balms and lipsticks, blowing bubbles with the slime with a straw, cutting the slime with scissors or a knife, stretching it, and much, much, much more!!

The Hercules garden

Today I visited the grounds of Blair castle in Scotland near Pitlochry, Cairngorms national park and it was amazing! One of the most amazing parts was one of the gardens called the Hercules garden!

My guess for the reason of its name is probably because of the large statue of Hercules overlooking the garden!
I was so amazed by all the fruit trees and the big pond! It was all so beautiful!
It was quite big and i wanted to find out exactly how big it is and it turned out to be about nine acres! (If you don't know how big an acre is its about 4000 m² which is roughly 200 x 200m) There is a very high wall built around the garden and two large gates the enter and exit. One of my favourite parts of the garden is the Chinese bridge! (shown below)

Chinese bridge

Its not just the garden that is named after Hercules, the long path (which is a beautiful walk filled with lovely trees) that leads to the garden is also named after Hercules.

The most incredible part of Blair castle (to me at least) is Diana's grove. It has so many trees and how beautiful the scenery was is beyond words! The biggest tree in Diana's grove is a giant redwood planted from one of the seeds from one of the biggest trees in the world the Grizzly giant. the mount it is planted on (mount strange) was recreated in 1884 to show the volume of the Grizzly giant. This amazing tree is about 1900 to 2400 years old and is 64 metres high and 34,005 cubic feet!

We didn't do the tour but did pop our heads into the entrance hall and there were quite a couple of stuffed stags and we decided to just stay outside.

If you happen to be near and have some time on your hands definitely have a look because it is so amazing!

Loch Ness

Today as my blog I am going to write about the Loch Ness Which is probably most well known for the Loch ness monster (most commonly known as Nessie.) heres a link to a blog I wrote about Nessie.

What does Loch Ness mean?

The word Loch means lake but the word Ness is simply just  a name.

Is it fresh water or salt water?

The Loch Ness is actually fresh water and has more fresh water in it than all the lakes in Wales and England combined!

How deep is it?

The Loch Ness is 23 miles long, 1 mile wide, and 227 metres deep! Thats the height of nearly 57 double decker busses!

What gives it its colour?

The pitch black loch is actually given its colour by small bits of peat floating on the surface.

Does it ever flood?

Luckily no it doesn't flood but if it does look like it is going to flood the local power company can adjust it by several feet by pumping out as much water as possible.

Does it freeze in the winter?

No sadly it doesn't ever freeze over so put away your ice skates but when you go to the Loch Ness always bring a camera! You never know you may spot Nessie on your trip.

Fun facts!

1. Nessie is the most famous lake monster in the world and she even has her own roller coaster in Virginia!
2. At least 40 small rivers and streams run into the Loch Ness.
3. Some people think that Nessie is either a giant slug or fish or a family of monsters that got trapped there after the end of the last ice age!

William Wallace

Today as my blog I am going to write about William Wallace.


Who is he?

William Wallace is a very famous Scotsman who lived in the late 1200's.

What was he known for?

William Wallace is Known for starting a revolt against Edward 1 of England Who at the time was controlling Scotland thinking it was his to rule...... But it wasn't! After Edward took it too far by bossing loads of people about telling them what to do William thought that he should stop Edward and started by killing an english sheriff. After Killing him a massive rebellion started!

When did he live?

William was born on the 3rd April 1270 and died on the 23rd August 1305 at the tower of London where he was half hanged, gutted, chopped up and had his head put on a spike on London bridge and his limbs put in four different places Scotland.

Where did he live?

William Wallace lived in Elderslie.

When was he knighted?

William Wallace was Knighted in the early December of 1297.

Haggis

Today as my blog I am going to write about Haggis, a national Scottish dish.


What is Haggis?

Haggis is a native Scottish savoury pudding traditionally served with mashed neeps and mashed tatties (mashed turnips and mashed potatoes) in a burns supper (but not always). If you were wondering what a burns supper is its a traditional Scottish supper held to celebrate the poet, Robert Burns' life, usually held near the poets birthday.

What is it made out of?

Haggis is made of sheep pluck (Heart, Liver, and lungs), stock, salt, suet, onion, oatmeal, and spices wrapped in artificial sausage casing but in the old days it would have been an animals stomach.

When was it invented?

The first known haggis recipe was first found in a cook book dating back to 1615.

Who invented it?

Believe it or not haggis was actually invented by the English but some was eaten also in Scotland. As it faded out in England it also grew in Scotland at the same time so its is a bit of a misconception of who invented it but it is still a traditional Scottish food.

What is the wild haggis?

 The Wild Haggis is a non-real Scottish animal (like the loch ness monster) smaller than a rabbit that is in a lot of Scottish folklore.

viking runes

Today I am going to write about viking runes.

What are runes?

runes are very old letters that where used by vikings and saxons.

What is the futhark?

The Futhark is the rune alphabet named after its first six letters. The original futhark was 16 runes long but near the end of the viking era it was updated to 24 runes.

Where where runes used?

Runes where mainly used on stone, wood, and bone. Runes where also used on everyday items like combs to note who they belonged to and gravestones to help the dead get to Valhalla easily and peacefully.

How long where runes used?

Runes where used from the 2nd century until thee middle ages when they where replaced by latin.

The Loch Ness monster

Today as my blog I am going to write about the Loch Ness monster.

What is the Loch Ness monster?

The loch ness monster is a mythical creature that lives in the Loch Ness and it is always a continuous hunt to find it. if you ask ten people who the Loch Ness monster is at least half of them of them or more will know about it at least a little bit.

Has it ever been spotted?

There have been loads of sightings of the Loch Ness monster but loads have also been proved fakes so who knows if the loch ness monster is real or not its a very hard thing to know, its like believing in Bigfoot people believe in  him and people don't and people have faked seeing him but people have also claimed seeing him but no one knows if there lying or not?

When did the story first appear?

The loch ness monster was first spotted in the sixth century by saint Columba when his friend was killed by it so to prove to his other friends that the monster was safe (and real) he told one of his friends to swim to the other side of the loch, and he did and about halfway across the river the monster appeared and as it did saint Columba told the monster, 'Go no further. Do not touch the man. Go back at once.' and as he spoke the monster backed away and swam off!

Edinburgh

Today as my blog I am going to write about Edinburgh the capital of Scotland.

When was it made the capital?

Edinburgh was made capital in 1437 after the murder of king James 1 at Perth.

What is its population?

The population of Edinburgh is 495, 360.

Edinburgh castle?

The castle was built in the 12th century on top of a 700 million year old extinct volcano called castle rock that stands in the middle of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh festival?

The Edinburgh festival was created in 1947 to 'provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit' but as it started eight theatrical performing companies 'gatecrashed' the festival this eventually started a movement and it became 'the Edinburgh festival fringe' or just 'the fringe.' Edinburgh festival is a world known festival and is bigger than any other similar event or festival in the world!

Famous people/films from Edinburgh?

There are loads of different famous people from Edinburgh but here are some names with links:
Robert Burns, Sir Alexander Fleming,  David Hume,  David Livingstone,  Flora Macdonald, John Muir,  Sir Walter Scott, Adam Smith,  Muriel Spark, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Here are some films made in Edinburgh:  Trainspotting,  Chariots of fire,  Regeneration,  Hallam Foe,  Shallow Grave, The Illusionist,  Festival,  Burke and Hare, and One day.       

The History of Scotch Whiskey

Today as my blog I am going to write about the history of scotch whiskey.

What is whiskey?

Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage made out of distilled grains barley, rye, corn, or wheat but usually barley or rye.

How is scotch whiskey different to any other whiskey?

For scotch to be scotch it has to be one hundred percent made in Scotland, contain a particular amount of barley, be aged for at least three years or more and have an ABV lower than 94.8%.

How is it made?

Whiskey is made by collecting the grain and letting it soak in water and germinate. It is then left on the floor of a level of the distillery called the malting floor and to help the grain to germinate. It is then rotated by a rake to spread the heat evenly. The grain (now called green malt) is evenly spread on a mesh and completely killed by the fire and heat below, it if you add peat to the fire it will change the flavour of the whiskey. It is then ground up to a fine flour were it is put in the mash tun with hot water. It is then drained and added to hotter water, drained, and added to hot water again. It is then put in what is called a washback and yeast is added and turns the substance into alcohol. It then starts bubbling which is helped by spinning blades above. This process takes about 48 to 60 hours. The distilling progress can now start and as it does the alcohol is poured into  copper container like thing called the wash still were it is heated. As alcoholic vapours rise they go through different copper tubing were they cool and turn back to liquid again. This process is then repeated in a different copper pot called the spirit still where the distilling separates the alcohol from the majority of the flavoured water substances and concentrates them.  The whiskey is now pumped into to spirit receiver then the spirit vat. Water can now be added into the whiskey as it it is added into the barrels before being stored. As it distills it gives the whiskey about 80% of its flavour and the longer it distills the better.    

What is the difference between a single malt and a blended whiskey?

A lot of people think that a single malt is the product of one cask of whiskey this is not true most single malts you see are a blend but the whiskeys they put into it are always from the same distillery whereas a blended whiskey is made up of whiskeys from different distilleries.

What effects the flavour of the whiskey?

The thing that always affects the flavour of the whiskey is the type of wood the cask holding the whiskey is made out of. W§ether its oak or birch or lime each one will make the whiskey taste different.

What is the angels share?

The angels share is the part of the whiskey that evaporates through the cask when it is being distilled it then goes to 'the heavens' and that's why its the angels share.

how much was the most expensive bottle of whiskey sold for?

The most expensive scotch ever sold was sold for $631,850 for a single bottle of Macallan M that was 70 years old.
 

The history of the Kilt

Today as my second blog for my topic, Scotland, I am going to write about kilts.

When did people start wearing kilts?

Kilts have been around since the early 16th century according to newspapers from around that time.

What is a kilt?

Kilts are usually made of a soft woollen cloth woven to look like the clan tartan. Each clan would have a different tartan, a bit like a family crest. About nine yards of cloth can go into a kilt sometimes! What we now think of as a kilt is really only the bottom half of the 'great kilt' which had an extra cloak on it which could be pulled up over your head to protect you from the rain or go over your shoulders to keep you warm.

When did people used to wear kilts?

Soldiers used to wear kilts for marching because the were very practical, warm and easy to move about in but they never wore them while fighting.

A description from 1746 states:

"The garb is certainly very loose, and fits men inured to it to go through great fatigues, to make very quick marches, to bear out against the inclemency of the weather, to wade through rivers, and shelter in huts, woods, and rocks upon occasion; which men dressed in the low country garb could not possibly endure."

They would take off their kilt for battle and fight in their war shirt, call a léine. This was before wearing them was banned by the English. After that they were only worn on special occasions.

Why and when were kilts banned?

Kilts were banned in 1746 by the English because they thought that they had complete power over the Scottish if they took away their right to wear kilts because wearing them was such a large part in their national pride. The English were afraid of the Scottish wearing tartan because it was such a large part of their loyalty to their Highland clan and their freedom as a country. The only time they would be allowed to wear kilts would be in the army. The penalties for breaking this law were very high. The penalty for the first time spotted wearing a kilt was six months in prison and the second was seven years shipped out to Australia (note: you probably wouldn’t be taken back after the sentence but just left in Australia.)

What is a sporran?

A sporran is a little bumbag-like pouch usually made out of leather or fur, which would be used like a wallet or pocket, since the kilt doesn't have pockets. A day sporran might be a simple pouch made of leather and a dress sporran might be much more decorated with silver trimming and fur or tassels. When the person wearing a sporran wants to play sports or drive or anything like that the sporran can just be slid around the waist into a more comfortable position

What are the accessories of a kilt?

Some of the main kilt accessories are the pin which is used to hold the kilt together and stop it from blowing up and the sgain dubh which is a single side blade kept in the sock while wearing a kilt.

The golden eagle

Today as my first blog of my new topic, Scotland, I am going to write about the golden eagle which is pretty much only found in Scotland in the UK.



Habitat?

These birds are found in Mexico, western North America, Asia, northern Africa, and Scotland. Usually in quite deserted and untouched wildlife spots.

Wingspan?

The golden Eagle has an amazing wingspan of 2.34 metres! This means it can be spotted very easily from quite far away.

Diet?

Golden eagles feed on marmots, ground squirrels, birds, fish, rabbits, large insects, carrion (rotting animal carcases), reptiles and have been known to attack fully grown deer.

How old do they live?

Golden eagles in the wild can live up to about 25 years if they reach adulthood but if they don't they will only live to about five years old, but on the other hand a golden eagle in captivity will live for about 40 to 50 years because it will have much more food and will be cared for and treated very well.

What age do they mate?

Golden eagles usually mate at about three to four years old. They will use the same nest every year in and around march to lay their couple of eggs. they can take 40 to 45 days to hatch and the second ones to hatch probably won't last the first 20 days but the first will have a much larger chance. a baby golden eagle is called an eaglet.

Are they endangered?

Golden Eagles are very least concerned on the endangered list. Their are over 500 breeding pairs in Scotland.

How do they hunt?

These massive birds have to hide in trees and search for their prey and the aim at it like you aim a gun and dive down at it with tremendous speed and grab it with its claws.

10 viking wedding traditions

1.

Viking weddings were always held on a Friday which in Norse religion is a sacred day for Frigga the goddess of marriage. The wedding would probably start on the Friday and last about a week.

2.

Before the wedding the groom would have to enter a grave. He would have to dig up and enter the grave of one of his ancestors and retrieve his ancestor's sword.

3.

The Viking bride would not wear any special dress or gown but would focus mainly on her hair and would wear a crown made out of silver covered in valuable crystals.

4.

Like the bride, the groom would not wear any special clothes but would carry a very special weapon (probably given to him by his father.)

5.

The bride and groom wouldn't just exchange rings but would also exchange their ancestors swords.

6.

At the wedding the bride and groom would sacrifice an animal for the gods: a goat for Thor, a sow for Freyja, and a boar or a horse for Freyr. The blood of the animal would be put in a bowl and a bundle of fir-twigs would be dropped in and would be used to sprinkle the blood on the couple.

7.

At the wedding feast a replica of Thor's hammer would be placed on the brides lap while she said her prayers to him.

8.

It was a tradition that the bride and groom would get drunk on bridal ale during the feast. Bridal ale is a special beer brewed especially for the bride and groom.

9.

At least six witnesses would walk the bride and groom to their bed by torchlight after partying.

10.

It was tradition for the bridal party and the groom party to race to the feast and the team that lost would have to serve the ale and beer for the rest of the evening.

viking foods

Today as my blog I am going to write about viking foods.

What did they eat?

The vikings ate pretty much anything they could get their hands on but their main specielty was farming. Vikings were very good farmers they would make flour out of dried corn which they would then make into bread to eat with the cheese they made out of their cows milk. Vikings would usually send their kids out to find nuts and berries in the woods and if they were lucky they would find some geese or chickens wandering around the farm to collect eggs from. While the girls were at home making flour, collecting nuts and berries and doing house chores the boys would go out and hunt for meat or go and do some fishing.

Did they have feasts and celebrations?

Vikings had many many feasts to celebrate. Some of the main reasons where for weddings, solstices, and festivals. Depending on how wealthy the host was a major feast would usually last 12 days! at feasts vikings would usually eat meat, bread, nuts, berries, fish, and cheese and drink mead, beer, weak ale and if they were at a major feast strong fruit wines.

How did they cook their food?

Their were three ways the vikings used to cook their food:

1. boiling, method 1: Vikings usually boiled their meat which they would do by digging a pit and lining it with wood which they would then put water and meat in and drop in hot stones to boil the water and add any herbs or spices they had to flavour the meat.

2. boiling, method 2: the other way vikings would boil their meat (and veggies) is by digging a hole making a fire in it and dangling a metal pot over it with water and either meat or veggies and a bit of seasoning.

3. over the fire: to cook fish or meat the vikings would make a fire and roast meat or fish over it on a spit.

viking games and entertainment

Today I am going to be writing about what the vikings would do for entertainment and whether or not they had any board games.

 Did they have any board games?

The answer is yes. they did have many board games but the most popular one was Hnefatafl, no one actually knows the rules to this game but we know that there would be two players one much stronger than the other who would have many more tokens than the weaker person and would have to get to the opponents king that wasn't guarded very well. this game was very popular until 12th century when it was replaced with chess.

What indoor games did they play?

The vikings had many indoor games but my personal favourite is one that the vikings would usually play after a feast or a meal. this is how the game goes, there would be two teams men in one team women in the other and they would throw a dice to see what team goes first. The team that throws the bigger number goes first and will drink as much as possible and try to insult the other team then the other team would try to out-drink and out-insult the other team the winning team is the team stays the wittiest and drinks the most.

What outdoor games did they play?

The vikings played lots of outdoor games including archery, stone throwing, wrestling, a type of tug of war called toga-hönk, and a ball game using a stick and ball. it wasn't uncommon for someone to get hurt or killed in some of these games. The women would not compete in these games but would sometimes gather round to watch. Family games were usually stuff like swimming and ice skating. did you know that the vikings invented ice skating? of course the vikings didn't have nice shiny ice skating shoes on a nice indoor skating rink but they did have a bit of horse or cow bone attached to their shoes with leather straps on a frozen lake or river.

Did they have any competitions?

Vikings did have lots of competitions they would have swimming races, archery competitions, wrestling competitions and toga-hönk (tug of war).

What toys did kids and babies have?

Viking children would usually play with wooden toys there parents carved for them or play ball and child size games of the ones there father would play.

Did they have any stories?

The vikings had two different types of stories fairy tales and sagas. sagas were like poems a viking would recite a saga to his or her children talking about their time in the war or one of their voyages. sagas where very, very, very long. Prepare yourself because viking fairy tales aren't a single bit like what your used to. viking fairy tales are very gruesome the person to live happily ever after  and be the hero was always the meanest tricksiest person in the story. one of the stories are about where the first man and woman came from and guess where they came from? the armpit sweat of a giant! If the giants used deodorant none of us would be here.
 

Viking names and what they mean

Today as my first blog for my new topic, vikings, I am going to write about viking names and what they mean.


Girls names:

Name                       Meaning

Astrid                      ás - Word for god in old norse / frid - beautiful (woman.)

Brynhild                Bryn - chain mail / Hild - fighter.

Freydis                  Freyr - fertility goddess /  Dis - low rank goddess.

Gudrun                  Gud - god / run - secret knowledge.

Gunnhild               Gunnr - fight / Hild - fighter.

Gunnvor                Gunnr - fight / Vor - defend.

Hilde                     Hild - fighter.

Ingrid                    Ing - viking god / Frid - beautiful (woman.)

Ragnhild              Regin - council / Hild - fighter.

Ranveig               Rann - house / Veig - Unknown, Perhaps Víg - fight.

Sigrid                  Sigr - victory / Frid - beautiful (woman.)

Sigrunn               Sigr - victory / Secret - Knowledge.

Siv                      Sif - a relation or an inlaw.

Solveig               Sól - house, hall / Veig - Unknown perhaps Víg - fight.

Svanhild             Svan - swan / Hild fighter.

Torhild               Tor - The mighty thor / Hild - fighter.

Torunn               Tor - the mighty thor / Unn - love.

Turid                  Tor - the mighty thor / frid - beautiful (woman.)

Vigdis                Vig - fight / Dis - low rank goddess.

Yngvild             Yng - viking god / Hild - fight.



Boys names:

Names               Meaning

Arne                  Orn - Eagle.

Bjørn                 Bjørn - bear.

Eirik                  Ei - the unique one / Rik - prince.

Geir                   Geirr - javlin.

Gisle                 Gísl - Hostage, the handle of the javlin.

Gunnar             Gunnr - fight / ar - warrior.

Harald             Har - army / Vald - Prince.

Hákon             Hár - A prominent person/ Konr - family.

Inge                Inge - The viking god Yngve.

Ivar                yr - A coniferous tree / Ar - worrier.

Knut              Knutr - A knot

Leif               Leif -  Property, inheritence.

Magnus        Magnus - Mighty, big.

Olav             Anu - ancestor / LaibaR - inheritence.

Rolf             Rod - Honour / Ulfr - wolf.

Sigurd         Sigr - victory / Vard - guardian.

Snorre         Snurre - The unruly one.

Steinar        Stienn - stone / Ar - worrier.

Torstein      Tor - The mighty thor / Steinn - stone.

Trygve       Tryggr - the trustworthy one.

Ulf            Ulfr - wolf.

Valdemar  Valr - Might / Mar - famous.

Vidar        The viking god Vidar.

Yngve      The viking god yngve.

The anatomy of a dog

Today I am going to draw the anatomy of a dog and learn about what each part of its body does.

Here is my image:

Larynx

A dogs Larynx is its voice box which allows it to speak. When a dog becomes quite old there is a chance it mite get Laryngeal Paralysis a disease that some older dogs get when their larynx does not open and close when the dog breathes like it should normally do this makes the dog stressed when its hot because it breaths more rapidly but it can't.

Esophagus

The esophagus is a tube that connects the stomach to the mouth. The esophagus is located right in the chest and throat. The walls of the esophagus are made of muscles that move in wave like movements to push food into the stomach. When the dog has finished eating and there is no food in the esophagus the walls of the esophagus will collapse on each other to close it.

Stomach

The stomach is basically a little sack inside the dog that gets passed food by the esophagus. Inside the dogs stomach is many folds these folds are called gastric folds. The gastric folds help the stomach grind and digest food. once the food is eaten most of it leaves within 12 hours.

Small intestine

The small intestine is a tube like tunnel that connects the stomach to the large intestine. Despite its name the small intestine is actually bigger than than the large intestine. The small intestine is about two and a half times the size of your dog, For example if you have a dog that is about 24 centimetres its small intestine will be about 60 cm.

Large intestine

The large intestine basically just connects the small intestine to the anus. In a 40 pound dog the large intestine would be about 15 cm long. even though the large intestine is smaller than the small intestine it is actually thicker in diameter.

Trachea

The trachea (windpipe) is a big hollow tube that helps to let the air flow to and from the lungs. The trachea is located in the throat it joins the lungs and larynx together.


Kidney

The kidneys in a dog do exactly the same work as a humans kidneys by filtering the blood and collecting the body waste which will then be passed down to the bladder which when full will send note to the brain telling the dog that it needs a wee.

Spleen

The spleen helps by fighting of infections and removing aged and non working red blood cells from circulation.

Rectum

The rectum is a place to store the feces (poo) before it leaves the body.

Liver

The liver is an important organ for your dog it helps with digestion and blood clotting, it also removes toxins from the system.

Lungs

when a dog breathes in its lungs will collect all the air but will only breath out the part it doesn't need. The part the dog doesn't need is called carbon dioxide, the dog will breathe out the carbon dioxide and keep the part it needs, oxygen.

Heart

The heart has to sides one that collects blood from circulation and pumps it to the lungs while the other side does the opposite by collecting blood from the lungs and pumping it around the dogs body.

Spinal column

A dog's spinal column is their backbone. A dog's spinal column is a large group of bones that protects the spinal cord which houses all of the important nerves in a dogs back.

Lyerbird facts

Today I am going to write about superb Lyrebirds that can mimic other noises like human voices, mechanical noises and pretty much anything.



Habitat?

 Both species of the lyrebird are native to the south east of Australia and are usually found in moist forests.

Diet?

Lyrebirds mainly eat insects, spiders, little frogs and other little invertebrates it finds on the leaves.

How big are they?

You would probably think that these are small animals wouldn't you? Well no! These birds can grow to be a whole metre!

How long can they live?

These amazing animals can live for up to 30 years!

Interesting facts


1. Like peacocks only the males have the beautifully feathered tails.
2. The superb Lyrebirds have been rated the most amazing mimic birds in the world being able to copy nearly anything!
3. They once became very rare but are know very common in the forests of Australia!

mimic octopus

Today I am going to learn about the amazing shapeshifting animal the mimic octopus!


This is an animal you have probably never heard of which is amazing. The mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus Mimicus) is an octopus with real superpowers! It has the ability to shape-shift! ok maybe it cant totally shape-shift but it can kind of morph itself and change colour to mimic other animals. Here are some animals that it can mimic, sea snakes, lionfish, eels, stingrays, Jellyfish and much, much, more!

Here is an amazing video of a mimic octopus.



 In this video it shows how the mimic octopus changes shape and mimics other animals.            

How big are they?

Mimic octopus' are quite small in size only about 2 feet                                                                                                                                                     
When was it discovered?

The mimic octopus was discovered in 1998 by a fisherman.




Habitat?

This particular type of octopus tends to live in Sulawesi, Indonesia and is mainly found at the bottom of river mouths it tends to like muddy places.

How long does it life?

The estimated lifespan of a mimic octopus is around two years.

Diet?

Because of the scenery that the mimic octopus lives in it is suspected to mainly eat little fish like shrimps and quite often crabs.

What does it look like?

The mimic octopus in its own form is brown and white with stripes and spots.

Are they poisonous?

No one really knows wether or not mimic octopus' are poisonous but nobody really believes they are because they already have a defence against predators so why would they need another?

Interesting fact.

female mimic octopus' die the second there eggs hatch which means the babies have to fend for themselves from the second they hatch.

Rating?

Out of 5 stars:

Skill: 5 stars

Coolness: 4 1/2 stars 

Survival: 4 1/2 stars

     

                    

Tufted Deer facts

This month I am going to write about amazing animals that you've probably never heard of before but today I am going to write about Tufted Deers.

Habitat?

The Tufted deer lives in central China.

Diet?

The Tufted deer is a vegetarian which means it mainly eats leaves, sticks, grass ect.

What does it look like?

The tufted deer has a white belly and undertail and is grey on its back with a big black tuft on its head which gives it its name.......One more thing that you probably didn't think about these animals, the males have vampire fang looking teeth.

Why do the males have their fang like teeth?

The males have their fang like teeth to impress the females during mating season when they fight each other.

How do the males fight?

The males fight by battling each other with their mini antlers hidden under their tufts until one of them loose balance and the other one holds them down with his teeth.

The Theory of Evolution

Today as part of my topic on amazing animals, I'm going to be learning about the theory of evolution.

Evolution is a theory that explains the way living things (for example: animals, humans, insects) have changed over millions of years. For example over millions of years apes have evolved to walk on two legs and gradually become modern day humans.

The person who came up with the theory of evolution is Charles Darwin. As a young man Darwin was studying and training to be a doctor but he gradually lost interest and found surgery upsetting. He neglected his studies instead spent hours learning taxidermy. At university he became involved with natural history societies and debating clubs and began to question and challenge the accepted explanations for how the world was created. This was a radical thing to be interested in at the time.

Darwin's father was annoyed at his disinterest in medicine so he sent him to Christ's College, Cambrdge to study to become a vicar. Again, Darwin lost interest in becoming a vicar, and instead took interest in beetle collecting which was the popular craze of the time. During his time at Cambridge Darwin read many books exploring 'natural theology', the idea that the beauty of nature must have been created by God, as it couldn't be an accident. He became obsessed with the idea of travel and research, and won a place on the HMS Beagle for a planned expedition around the coast of South America.

The voyage on the HMS Beagle was a massive turning point for Darwin. On his voyage Darwin did lots and lots of research and collected many specimens such as animals, insects and sea creatures along the way. Darwin's specimens are probably scattered in museums all around the world now. The trip created many questions in Darwin's mind which he was eager to answer and fed his hunger for questioning what everyone else accepted. 

You might not know there was another person doing very similar work to Darwin at the same time who didn't get as much credit for his work. His name was Alfred Russel Wallace. He came up with his own theory of evolution around the same time as Darwin, and in fact they were very supportive of one another's work, but Wallace had financial problems which made it much harder for him to fund his research trips, and looking back now we can see that most of the credit goes to Darwin.

Many people laughed at Darwin when he released his book, On the Origin of Species, in 1859. Darwins book also annoyed a lot of Christians including the pope because it challenged their belief that the world was created by God.  

There is plenty of evidence to support Darwin's theory of evolution, such as fossils that show how animals have changed over millions of years. However, there are some people who still don't believe that evolution is real, mostly for religious reasons. Although scientists are 100% sure Darwins theory of evolution is true there is a link in history where there are no fossils or skeletons to prove evolution in that particular era. this is where everyone starts arguing.

Hatshepsut facts

Today I am going to write about Hatshepsut, an amazing Egyptian pharaoh who broke the rules that say only a man can become pharaoh.



When was she born?

Hatshepsut was born in 1508 BC.

Who was she?

Hatshepsut was the first ever female pharaoh to rule Egypt. Yes there was another female pharaoh before Cleopatra!

How did she become pharaoh of Egypt?

When Hatshepsut's father, Thutmose I, died she married her half brother, Thutmose II, at the age of twelve and became queen. Suddenly when Hatshepsut's half brother/husband died the heir to the throne wasn't left to Hatshepsut but to her young nephew, Thutmose III, yes another Thutmose! Hatshepsut didn't think that the throne should be left to her nephew and decided to co-rule with him. Through time Hatshepsut put her name on all the statues as well as her nephews but smaller but after a while her name was the same size then suddenly her nephews name wasn't there at all and she ruled on her own as pharaoh.

Why was she such a good pharaoh?

Hatshepsut was such a good pharaoh because she didn't go to war with people but negotiated trade with them and made Egypt such a luxurious and rich country while living in peace with other country's. One of the other reasons she was such a good pharaoh was the architecture, she built some of the most amazing temples and buildings in Egypt!

Why did she die?

Recent explanations show that Hatshepsut died at age fifty after 22 years of ruling Egypt at some point in 1458 BC due to bone cancer and diabetes.

Why isn't she very well known?

The reason Hatshepsut isn't very well known is because 20 years after she died somebody tried to erase her from history and smashed down most of her statues. People believe that the person who did this was her nephew Thutmose III. Another reason she isn't very well known is because somebody
(possibly Thutmose III) removed her mummy from her tomb and hid it, it has lately been found and the cool bit is how they identified it, it was thought that it was her maid Sitre but they found out it was her because they identified a gap in the mummy's jaw that matched a molar that they found in her possessions.

Temple Grandin facts

Today I am going to write about Temple Grandin who changed farming forever.



When was she born?

Temple Grandin was born on the 29th August, 1947, Boston, US.

Who is she?

Temple Grandin is a girl who was diagnosed with Autism when she was three. Her autism meant that she could think like the cow because she was such a visual thinker. Temple has also changed the way of farming so that it is more pleasant for the cattle. Temple believed that if we where going to slaughter the cattle anyway we should at least owe them something like giving them a nice life before they are slaughtered for meat.

What did she do to change the history of farming?

Temple invented a completely different way to farm so that the cattle don't get paranoid by shiny and reflective objects and sharp turns and corners. She created it so that there was loads of rounded turns instead of sharp corners so that the cattle thought they were going back to where they started, but they weren't! click here to watch and listen to Temple explaining how it works.

What did she invent to help calm autistic children?

When Temple was in collage she invented the 'hug machine' which is like a cattle chute which is used to calm a cow but for autistic children who don't like being touched by people but need a hug to calm them when their sad, worried, angry or scared. It works so well because it is surfaces hugging the child not a person.

If you want to find out more about Temple there is an amazing movie about her called Temple Grandin. You can watch the trailer here.

Malala Yousafzai facts

Today I am going to be writing about Malala Yousafzai who at the age of 11 stood up to the Taliban when they banned girls from going to school in Pakistan.

Malala was born on the 12th July, 1997, Pakistan.

Malala Yousafzai was only 11 when the Taliban banned Girls from going to school. She got very annoyed with them and protested, she loved school so much and just wanted an education whatever she had to do.

Malala was on the way to school on the 9th October, 2012 when suddenly Taliban men stopped the bus and one of them asked
  "Who is Malala?" when all of Malala's friends looked at her the Taliban men knew that it was her and they started shooting at her. The bullet hit Malala on the top left bit of her temple above her eyebrow them skimmed down her head and hit her back. Many people would think that she would die but she didn't and she recovered very quickly. Over the next few weeks Malala was moved from her hospital in Pakistan to a hospital in Birmingham, UK.

In 2014 on October 10th Malala was awarded the Nobel peace prize for standing up for young girls education all around the world. Malala is the youngest ever person to receive a Nobel prize!

Here is a list of images with some of Malala's quotes on: