Jul 24, 2009
Beginners.
What sort of things do you like to do during the Summer. Are there any activities that you are particularly fond of? What about when you were a child? If I could sit down and chat with all of you, I would probably be able to write a long list of things that people like to do in the Summer months. Here, our time is mainly spent around water. It's really too hot to do anything else. It's too hot even to go for a walk. Yesterday I took my kids and my brother to a nearby riverbank. The beach area was just the right size for us. It was sandy, but had enough rocks and tree debris to keep the young ones entertained. We took the dogs; it would be a treat for them to be next to the river. Buckets and spades were an essential part of the trip. I remember when I was little, we always had buckets and spades around. They are so very useful. Castles and forts can be built by using them, but then, of course, they can carry water, pretty stones, and even slimey creatures. They can be used for standing on to help you get something that is out of reach. They can even be used as hats, if your head is small enough. Well, when I was little, I used buckets for just about everything, and my kids do the same. Our trip down to the riverbank became very creative and fun because of those simple, plastic tools.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: riverbank, out of reach, debris, to chat.
Exs:
The fishermen fished quietly from the riverbank, and eventually caught a trout.
My two year old got into the flour bag and made a terrible mess; thankfully, the medicines are out of reach!
After the bombing, it took hours to clear the debris.
I was on the phone with my sister for two hours; we chatted about all sorts of nonsense.
Advanced.
Thankfully, the weather turned out to be a bit overcast, and therefore cooler than normal. It was perfect weather for sitting on the beach. In between overseeing the dogs, making sure that they didn't run off, and watching a group of fish jump for flies, I observed my children constructing all sorts of sandy projects using their buckets and spades. Whenever they would get too hot, they would fill up their buckets with water and dump it on eachother. At times this was good, but at other times a fight would ensue, and I would have to quickly step in as referee to keep the peace. Then everyone would settle down and get on with their projects. Nobody wanted to build sandcastles, so they carved long channels that forked towards the river instead. When these were ready, they would fill up their buckets with river water, run up to the top of the channel, and start the waterfall. They did this countless times, and didn't grow tired. Only occasionally would the work stop to the sound of," Hey, where's my bucket?" Everyone would look around, and invariably it would be found floating down the river. There would be a huge splash of bodies, and the thing would be retrieved. It would be handy to train the dogs to go after those floating buckets; mind you, it would be handy to have the dogs trained in any way at all! One of our dogs, Foxy, loves to swim and retrieve sticks from the water. Rosie, on the other hand, prefers to sniff around in the debris for mice and rabbits, one of which she almost caught. It was a great day! It was full of activity. By the time we came home, hosed everyone and everything down, and vacuumed out the car, I was exhausted. It was time to put my feet up and have a very needed cup of tea.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to retrieve, overcast, to oversee, to ensure, to sniff.
Exs:
I dropped my book in the river, but, thankfully, a nearby dog retrieved it.
Yesterday was sunny until the clouds moved in and it became quite overcast.
The teacher had to oversee the science project for safety reasons.
Please ensure that you shut the gates; I don't want the goats escaping again.
The bear sniffed the air; he could smell the dinner that the hunters were preparing.