Questions, questions!

[vilakins]

10. It’s International Bagpipe Day! Are you a fan of bagpipe music?
Luckily I enjoy it, because this part of the country was settled by Scots, and there are at least two pipe bands at every occasion. Twice a band turned up at a restaurant during our meal, which was deafening; al fresco bagpipes are definitely better. Soon we'll have the Good Friday sunset bagpipes on Lookout Point, which is a lovely occasion, there above the sea. They finish with Amazing Grace as the sun goes down behind the mountains.

11. Have you ever won a prize for something?
Several at high school, all academic and mostly in the form of books, plus second prize in a piano competition. Since then, I can't think of much.

12. Do you save all the spare buttons that you often find on shirts and other garments?
I do, in a small box. I've almost never had to use a spare, but I've raided the collection for new knits.

14. International Day of Action for Rivers – a day to ensure rivers are clean and available to all. Are there any rivers or streams near where you live?
Yes, one that runs through the gardens below us, through the town, and out to sea. This day is defo not celebrated in this country under our right-wing government who only care about the rich and the (also rich) polluting dairy farmers. >:(

22. Today is Gryffindor Pride Day – are you familiar with the Hogwarts houses? Did you have 'houses' when you were at school?
Yes, I'm Ravenclaw. At primary school I was in Blue house, and at two different high schools in Wilson (not named after the same person as they were in different towns, so very weird), and in the last high school, Stanford. As they only competed in sport, I had no input to house marks. Feh.

25. When you were at school, what games did you play during break/recess with your friends?
You might not know them, but hopscotch, French skipping, four-square, and padder-tennis. None at high school.

28. In 1944, the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren sprained her ankle and began writing down the stories she had made up for her daughter. These turned into the novel "Pippi Longstocking". Have you read it?
Two or three times - love them and the eccentric Pippi. Greg's red electric car is called Pippi Longrange. :D (My white one is Liberator or Libby; see icon.)

Comments

[jaxomsride2]

Amazing Grace was made to be played on Bagpipes!
I've won a few raffle prizes but that's about it.
There is a beck near us but as it passes a housing estate it's not exactly clean and green.Since they privatised the Water Companies the drive for clean water that I remember from childhood has mostly been reversed.
Not only the spare but when the garment wears out the other buttons join the collection.
I was in St Patrick's and our colour was green.
erm long time ago we had various clapping games and I remember playing British Bulldogs in Primary School but by the time I hit High School it had been banned from schools altogether.
I liked Pippi Longstocking.

[vilakins]

Our little river is OK, but larger ones have a real problem with dairy run-off. It's disgusting and makes me so angry. BTW I buy my milk from a small responsible dairy farm just out of town where they keep the calves with the cows and don't pollute any rivers.

Of course it was green! I don't think the Wilson Houses had colours, but Stanford had a tartan.

We never had British Bulldogs, but I gather from a novel that it was pretty violent.

[gwendraith]

I love Bagpipes, I could hear them every day when I lived in Edinburgh.
Nope, never won anything.
I don't knit or sew but I have a box of odd buttons!
Our rivers have been in a terrible state for years and there's plenty of campaigning about it. There is only just a start to dealing with the causes, run off from fields and sewage overflow.
Gryffindor for me in Harry Potter. I was in Buckingham house at school the others being Windsor, Balmoral and Sandringham (all royal houses).
Hopscoch, two-ball, skipping (Dutch double, Simon says),
Never heard of Pippi Longstocking.

[vilakins]

Pippi Longstocking is an eccentric and very strong girl who lives alone in a house with a horse on the veranda. She has red plaits and stripy stocking; you've probably seen pictures of her about. She delights children by living by herself (her father is overseas) and doing exactly what she feels like, which is often extremely strange and entertaining. She's wonderful!

[gwendraith]

Thanks for explaining about her, I can see why children would love the stories :)

[imhilien]

I like bagpipe music.
I won a poetry contest once. I belong to an organisation that has raffles and sometimes I've won one.
No streams etc near me, but I remember an aunt who once lived in Kerikeri. She had a spring behind her house, that ran down beside her house and became an actual stream (full of eels) at the bottom of her property.
I'm a Ravenclaw. There were no houses at my school.
I played hopscotch and 4-square at school, none at high school.
I loved Pippi Longstocking as a kid. :D

[vilakins]

There were no houses at my Kawhia primary school; Blue was in Stratford. There was a river with eels though, and once it flooded the playing fields and kids were catching eels to present to the headmaster who liked eating them (not sure how cooked or if they were jellied). Not keen. Mind you, there were also kids who ate huhu grubs.

[zoefruitcake]

I loved French Skipping

[vilakins]

Me too - and you know what it is!