Well, heighdy-ho, everybody and get ready to start hop … hop … hopping because Easter is just around the corner.  Actually, in our neck of the woods, the hot cross buns have been around since early January and the eggs not too far behind them.   I don’t like my holidays being pushed down my throat months in advance – takes the edge out of a forgotten surprise, but I took advantage of the earliness this year and can guarantee my Star Wars egg and things.   However there could be one little problem – I know the tin box and china cup are safe as houses, but I do worry the egg itself could be just a tad squiggy following the heat wave we are going through at the moment.

I well remember once – upon – a – time selecting a Winnie the Pooh plastic box set as a collector’s gift for myself, but I hadn’t counted on shrinkage and while my ten inch collector’s box remained the same size, the Winnie-the-Pooh chocolate replica inside, which originally was roughly the same size as the box, had been reduced to a two inch (mini) 3d version of itself.   Oh well, at least it didn’t leak chocolate everywhere and I still have it in its new form.   Actually it will have reached adulthood by Easter as it will turn 18 this Easter Sunday.  I assume Easter children (and eggs) have their birthday on the same day each year: eg: Easter Sunday, and not on the actual date because Easter changes every year based on cosmic events.

I see where the hard (sugar candy) Easter eggs are back in vogue and its the younger ones that are leading the charge.  45s should be available in the Record Shops by Christmas and cassettes and v.c.r.s by Easter next year.    And now for the number one it this week … We’re gonna rock around the clock, tonight, were gonna rock, rock till the broad daylight, we’re gonna rock, gonna rock, around the clock tonight.   Put your glad rags on … Wonder how many kids know what a 45 is, never mind glad rags … and what will they think when I tell them Rock around the clock, the song that introduced rock and roll and juvenile delinquents to the commercial world, was a foxtrot.  They probably think I’m taking about the George Clooney movie, The Fantastic Mister Fox.   Or a fox with pig’s feet.

Speaking of cosmic events and science, I got the chance to watch segments of Catalyst today (A.B.C. CHANNEL 21) and they were covering the environmental input by Lyre-birds and I was surprised to find the way the birds forage in the bush actually creates fire breaks, a discovery made following the Black Friday bush-fires in Victoria a couple of years ago.   What wildlife researchers found after the fire was that where Lyre-birds were predominant the fire had by-passed them in every case and subsequent investigations proved it to be an ongoing thing.

The program also showed the effect that preventing one species from entering into an area (in this case small birds) without any foresight and planning can have.  The birds in the story were banned for some reason (I missed the intro to the story), but the result was that the birds were no longer eating a particular species of grubs who multiplied in such numbers that a huge area of trees were destroyed and the area was left barren.

What the show actually left me wondering was whether schools now took the opportunity, with all the media appliances at their disposal, to explain the environment as an entertaining daily/weekly lesson.   What we need to think about when constructing buildings or digging mines now goes a lot deeper than just simply looking at global warming possibilities; we have learned, too often, too late, the mistakes that can be made.   And I hope we have learnt, by now, that experience is not the end of the learning process.  It needs to be re-learnt and re-learnt by each generation to avoid constantly going  one step forward and two steps back because certain information was not passed on.

Environmental issues, and they are so complicated, and so many, need to be accurately recorded and explained to the point they are as easy to understand and remember as counting is once you repeat the formulas over and over enough days.  That’s what we did in the old cave school days and although I am terrible in maths overall I can still count and multiply in my head.           Goooooooooooo, Stone age man … you still rock after all these years.

I am certain that any lessons that were presented in the right format would help the next generation of adults have a real understanding of how to approach things with auto planning requirements for environmental safety already inserted in their minds when they reached adulthood.  They would know instinctively how to look after the environment and be aware of the effect that any changes they were planning would have.  The lessons, again taught in the right format, would also, hopefully, encourage more of the children to eventually make science, and its offshoots, their preferred place of employment.

The style of lesson I am envisaging would be similar in style to a cross between ‘Horrible Histories’ a series of sketches explaining British history in a humorous fashion and Q.I. which virtually explains everything in the world in a humorous way.   I am not proposing a television series, but rather making good use of visual aids to create a physical impression on the child and a decent, yet lighthearted, narrative for the teacher.  And,if scripted, could be used by teachers in every city, in every state

And, talking about children, don’t let the children know this, but not only are bees doing naughty things with flowers, it has been revealed (on Q.I.) that they do it because flowers can’t and they become natures go-bee-tweeners.  But the relationships never last, or so I have heard.

Did you know that due to atmospheric conditions there is no ulrta-violet light on the moon and, therefore, the flags left behind by tourists (astronauts) had no colour – everything is black and white (or perhaps that should be several shades of grey, but I doubt it would have been 50 shades).

Also heard a good story about a parrot who used to imitate the bird’s owner (an older lady) and call the dog – then laugh when the dog arrived and couldn’t find his mistress  anywhere.

I will repeat this shortly in a separate blog, but as my web-site should be open within a week, I feel I should dedicate a bit more space and time to promote it.

Therefore I will, in the future, be bringing out three separate blogs.

One for the website which will indicate in its heading that it has been created for short fat stubby finger publications,

One for the serialised novel (The Night of the Darkness) which will advise the episode number (and possibly the date) in the heading,

And finally the normal raving and ranting blog will have headers and stories similar to the one you are reading now.

Also I assume the CONTACT on this blog does work , but due to the fact that both my Blog and its DRAFT(ee) BROTHER (the editing version)are located side-by-side in the clouds, I am never certain that my tests really work.   If you do need to contact me you can also do so on shortfatstubbyfingers@yahoo.com.au.  Although not operationally opened yet, the website SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION also carries the email address.  tonystewart3.com/shortfatstubbyfingerpublications.  PLEASE NOTE: The website should also work as tonystewart3.com/ and you should see short fat stubby finger publications in the response to the request.

Well, I have one more poem for you then its back to the books for me

So I’ll say goodbye now and see you all later,

Tony

Daddy’s Gone Away
(Baby’s Gone Away Too)

By Tony Stewart
Seems so hard to go on
Daddy’s been gone such a long time
Now Baby’s gone and left me too
They snuck off like criminals running from the scene of a crime

Needed Daddy when I was young
Needed him to hold my hand
To travel to the beach
To walk upon the sand

Needed Baby when I hurt bad
Needed her to hold my hand
To travel to the beach
To walk upon the sand

But Daddy’s gone away
Baby’s gone away too
I keep feeling lonely
But what can a poor boy do

I tried so hard to gain support
My aim to please never fired
He put me down so many times
Then he left me when I was ten and he was feeling tired

She should have been with me
Always by my side
But after 25 years she had lost her love
Now we are both single – I don’t have a bride

I needed him to give me strength
To support me in the face of life
To encourage and show me love
To show some pride in me – to keep me out of strife

I needed her to be so tender
So gentle in her love for me
So many things in life I needed her help to learn
I needed her for eternity

But Daddy’s gone away
Baby’s gone away too
And I must face life alone
I am feeling so hurt and lost – whatever can I do

They never had the right
To hurt me like they did
They should have shared their love
Instead it was something that they hid

So Now I am on my own
searching for what I’ve lost
perhaps someday I’ll find it
No matter what the cost

It seems so wrong to me
To pay the price I do
When I’m the one who’s been hurt
By the ones who’s actions should have been more true

Yes Daddy’s gone away
Baby’s gone away too
And if you are feeling left alone
let me share some of all I’ve got- let me share some time with you