Learning with Granny!
Grandpa's Treat
This month Granny tells Margie, Terry and the rest
about an interesting, modern day bird, the ostrich.
It's not fair' said Margie, digging her fingers
into a mixing bowl. 'What?' asked Granny, giving her a tap on her sticky
fingers.
'Terry has her birthday at the seaside every year and I have to go to school
when its mine'
Granny winked at Grandpa and said "Grandpa has a treat for you all
today."
The five children were up at once. "What is it - please tell us....?"
'Well' said Grandpa, 'If you boys will give the combi a
quick wash down, I'll go and fill it with petrol and we can go and have a look
at some ostrich.
'Come on let's get ready' said Terry taking the two younger girl's hands. 'Come
on Granny, take your apron off, we're going soon' said Margie. 'No I'm staying
at home today, I have lots to do' replied Granny as she put two pans of the
'sticky mixture' into the oven. (Click the image to see what Granny
was staying home to make!)
They drove for what seemed like ages then Grandpa
stopped to buy cold drinks for everyone.
'Is it still far to go?' asked Margie 'Not far' said Grandpa 'does anyone want
to get out and stretch their legs?' They all climbed out for a break.
Once back on the road and refreshed by the stop, it hardly seemed long before
they were driving in the gates of a lovely farm.
A lady came out of the building and urged them to hurry along as a guided tour
was just about to begin. 'You timed that very well' she said 'do come and have a
look at the museum when you have seen all around the farm'.
The guide wore a fine tan leather hat with tiny little
dots all over it. He had a beautiful long white feather stuck in the leather
hat-band. 'That's an ostrich-leather hat and the feather is from an ostrich'
said Vinny looking to see if the guide's 'veldskoen' shoes were made of ostrich
leather too.
There were about ten other people in the group, but as
their party had the only children, Terry, Lee, Vinny, Ann and Margie were urged
by the others to stand in front so they could see. 'Thank you, thank you' they
said politely - Margie almost standing on the guide's toes in her eagerness to
be near him.
 Vinny had brought along his camera and was taking
pictures of everything he saw of interest. (Click on the image to the right to
see some of Vinny's pictures.)
The guide's name was Cliff
and he took them to see the nesting huts first. They were strange A-shaped
structures made from bamboo and then thatched with grass. Cliff told the girls
to take off their shoes and stand on the huge eggs that lay in a sandy hole
under the shelter. Ann and Margie stood on the eggs, but Terry was scared she
would break them.
'A grown man can stand on them' Cliff assured her. He went on to tell them some
interesting facts about the eggs. One egg was equal to 24 chickens eggs and an
ostrich egg stays fresh for a long time. Bushmen use the empty shells for water
and they last for years.
'Come over here please' Cliff called the people to an
ostrich with a cloth bag over its head. 'These birds are easier to handle if you
cover their heads - I can play with their wings and pluck out their feathers
without frightening them'.
He looked up at Terry, who had a shiny pendant on a
chain around her neck. 'Please will you put your necklace down the front of your
dress, ostrich love shiny things and it might try and swallow it if it sees it'.
Terry didn't have to be asked twice. Cliff took the bag off the huge bird's head
and immediately a change was seen in its behaviour. It tossed its head about and
opened its beak and made hissing sounds and flapped its wings about. 'Come here
young man' Cliff looked at Vinny. The ostrich had calmed down a bit. 'Would you
like to sit on him? - I give you my word he won't hurt you now.' Vinny just
nodded in agreement, feeling a bit unsure, but not wanting to show it in front
of all the people. Once on, he smiled and waved and looked quite confident and
Cliff led the ostrich around the enclosure a couple of times before helping him
down. The others all had a turn too.
'Right, lets go and see what's happening at the race
track' said Cliff and everyone followed with interest. Four young boys, dressed
in blue overalls and different coloured peak caps, sat astride four large
ostriches and held on tightly to the reins. Their backs were arched and as Cliff
blew a whistle they flew into action - taking off down the open stretch of sand
road. The children agreed to shout for 'Red' - who was the younger of Cliff's
two brothers, but cheered loudly when 'Blue' came in first.
Sixpence was the young jockey's name and everyone gave
him his or her 'silver' for winning. 'That was exciting' said Ann.
Cliff invited everyone to join him under the trees for tea and ostrich biltong
sandwiches. 'Now that sounds exciting!' said Lee.
After tea, they went inside the building that was an ostrich souvenir shop and
museum. The walls were lined with all sorts of things made from ostrich feathers
and skin. Beautiful feather fans, wonderful hats, brooches, feather dusters,
place mats, leather handbags, boots, caps and slippers. There were huge glass
bottles filled with old pennies, shiny silver coins, screws, nuts and bolts and
various other pieces of metal. 'All these', Cliff told them 'were found in the
stomachs of ostrich after they died.' 'Look - there's even razor blades' said
Terry pointing to the center of one bottle.
 Grandpa said they could each buy a small memento of
their visit to take home.
(Click on the image to see some of the things they had to choose from)
Lee spotted an ostrich toe that had been beautifully
preserved. The huge toenail shone shiny black and was very sharp. 'I'd hate to
be kicked with the point of this' he said as Cliff's mother popped it into a
paper packet for him. Vinny wanted an ostrich egg mounted on a little wooden
stand with a nice painting of an ostrich on it. 'I'm going to give this to my
Mom for a present' he said. Terry chose a small brooch made from a piece of
eggshell - also hand-painted. Ann and Margie both wanted some pretty little
feathers that had been dyed pastel shades and were held together by a tiny
ostrich brooch pin. Grandpa bought some of the ostrich biltong to take back
home. He pointed out some pictures on the wall that showed the history of the
ostrich feathers and how they were highly fashionable and much sought after in
the 19th and early 20th century.
It was starting to get dark as they said good-bye to
everyone and climbed into the combi. 'Thank you for taking us to the ostrich
farm Grandpa - that was a lovely birthday treat' said Terry.
'Well I thought you'd be interested to see the descendants of some of the
pre-historic creatures you have been learning about' said Grandpa. 'Now who's
going to sing a song for me?' 'Me, me, me me and me'  they all
answered together
- 'what shall we sing?' 'How about Old McDonald had a Farm?' They sang songs all
the way home.
It was midnight when they arrived back home.
'Happy birthday Terry!' they all shouted as Grandpa
switched off the ignition.
In no time at all everyone was in bed and fast asleep - dreaming about Terry's
birthday and 'Grandpa's Treat'
Poem
The Ostrich
The caring father watches the eggs
So mother can go off and stretch her legs
When the chicks hatch out - there is such a noise
But no one can tell the girls from the boys
-------
When the males grow up their feathers are black
With snowy white ones showing through a crack
The female's are a dull grey brown
All ostrich feathers feel like silky down.
-------
The largest bird in the world so wide.
With very strong legs and a leather hide
Although he can't fly - he runs with much power
Yet can gently shelter his young from a shower.
He digs a hole with his toe like a hoof
With his feathered wings he makes them a roof
-------
If there is something he want's to avoid
Rather than letting himself get annoyed
What does he do - this very strange bird?
He buries his head in a hole - how absurd!
Or is it?
-----------------
Jennifer Leigh Marais July 2002
Over the next few months look forward to meeting
Mrs Ples, Taung's 'baby' and find out about Toumaļ, a recent discovery in Chad.
If you would like to e-mail Granny
your questions and ideas please do so at granny@scienceinafrica.co.za
Until Next Month, Happy Reading!
Granny Jenny
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