What I like doing Best

Southland Times, Issue 22140, 7 October 1933, Page 18

What I like doing Best

—Prize— Of the various household tasks in which I assist, I prefer that of baking. This work I enjoy immensely and consider very useful because of the preparation it gives for efficient housekeeping in later life. Most girls now-a-days have the privilege of attending Manual Training Schools where they are taught to bake and cook correctly. In later years they may realize how much correct cooking can do towards the happiness of the home. Often we can save mother some work by cooking the breakfast, dinner or tea, and we should endeavour to help her frequently. Perhaps some of us may prefer other household occupations, but I think cooking and baking are the most important. Early on Saturday morning I have the tiresome, yet short task of making the beds. After a short time I am told that I can bake scones and cakes and assist in cooking the dinner if I wish. I always fall in eagerly with the plan, and secure the necessary wood and coal to commence my work. While the oven is heating, I get the ingredients for the scones. Perhaps, when I am patting them out, I become untidy, and on my mother appearing, I am generally reminded about the mess which I have made. Eventually the task is completed, and the scones are put in the oven. After ten minutes have elapsed, I open the oven door, taking out fifteen delicious scones. Occasionally I am taken aback when I taste some very unwholesome scones, but fortunately this rarely happens. Generally, however, I am able to cook correctlp if the oven is suitable. Sometimes when the things are not so enjoyable as usual, these remarks are heard: — “Not so good as usual!” “Too doughy!” “Don’t care much for that!” However, when the cooking is successful I am delighted when I hear these words:— “Very nice!” “Best you’ve made yet!” “Better than last week!” As soon as the baking is finished I assist in preparing the lunch. When the food is nearly cooked I commence setting the table because I do not wish to be late with' any thing. Having finished lunch, mother kindly helps me with the dishes, and so it does not take very long to complete washing and drying them. Shortly afterwards, I begin to secure the ingredients for some small cakes. Mother tells me what she thinks I shall require while I am baking, as she does not wish me to be going around with floury hands. I commence by sifting the flour and baking powder. After other ingredients have been added I shape them into the way they are required. Hearing my mother telling me to hurry because the fire will soon go down, I quickly place them on the oven tray. Occasionally I open the oven door so as to be positive that the cakes are not burning. At last I take them out, and removing them from the tray, place them in the pantry. My work for the day being completed, I then go out and enjoy a game with racquet and ball. I feel happy to think that once again I have been able to accomplish successfully “What I like doing best.” —4 marks and 3/- to Cousin Kathleen Mary Morrin (10), Limehills. —Prize— WHAT I LIKE DOING BEST. I like playing with my doll’s house best. It is a cream house with a red roof, and has four rooms in it. One room is the kitchen, another the bedroom, another the sittingroom, another the spare room. I have two kewpies and a china doll who has curly fair hair. Arter school, my friends come over and we have a doll each and we play happily together till tea time. We are each a mother and have a baby. The house has got linoleum and wallpaper in the inside, and I have three beds and two couches, a chest of drawers, and about eight chairs besides mats and mirrors and other things. The furniture in the sitting room is red, in the spare bedroom it is white, and the other bedroom has blue furniture and bedspread. Won’t it be lovely if Santa Claus brings me some furniture for it? But I like playing with it just as it is better than any other game. —4 marks and 2/- to Cousin Helen Cameron (6), Bluff.

WHAT I LIKE DOING BEST. Highly Commended. I cannot say just one thing that I like doing best, but I can say three or four of my pastimes which I like better than others. I have many books, which I often read, and among them there are a few favourites. Some of them are “The Faery Queen,” “Ungava,” “The Swiss Family Robinson,” and “Oliver Twist.” Also, I like rambling along the seashore, picking shells or seaweed as I go on, or swimming and diving among the breakers. In the bush, too, I like to wend my way. The tall trees are intermixed by the graceful drooping fronds of the ferns and green creepers hoop from tree to tree. On rainy days I often have my attention on my stamps. I have a good few stamps and I often get new ones, by swopping or buying. Fine days, I often spend tending my flowers or trees. I have a few strawberry plants, and I hope to do what I like doing best with them soon—eating them! '

To the pictures, too, I like going either to a Wild West picture or a very funny one —both of which give endless enjoyment.

The baths are also a place to which I often go. I go there, of course to practise swimming—at which I am not very good, although I am steadily improving.

Of course I like playing all the boys’ games like cricket, football, boxing and tennis. And last but not least, I like going for a picnic. If it is near some trees I can climb them and perhaps get a good view of the surrounding country. On the other hand if the party is near or on the beach I can either wander around, looking for shells and seaweed or go in swimming, and as soon as the lunch is ready, eat it as though I hadn’t had anything for a day.

—3 marks to Cousin Graeme Anderson (9) 78 Don street, Invercargill. WHAT I LIKE DOING BEST. Highly Commended. What I like doing best is gardening, because I love the flowers. When the autumn comes—the time when all the plants fall into their winter sleep—l like to weed and cultivate the ground in which I am going to plant my flowers for the coming spring and summer. Also I attend to the violets and chrysanthemums, weeding them all and putting in stakes to train the chrysanthemums to grow straight so that when winter comes, there shall be some flowers to occupy the vases in the dining-room. As soon as the warm days of spring replace the cold days of winter, mother and I work in the garden together, weeding the daffodils, primroses, and wallflowers, and planting the seeds of flowers which are expected to bloom in the summer and autumn. The gooseberrys, strawberries, and raspberries also require attention. The strawberries need weeding, and the ground dug around the gooseberries and raspberries to let the sun and air into their roots in order that they will bear more and better fruit. During the spring, the thistles wake up from their winter sleep too, not only spoiling the flower garden but also the vegetable garden.

Outside our back door there is a beautiful fragrant bed of wallflowers, which I weed regularly every week, taking care not to miss a week in case the ground becomes hard and clammy. It is impossible for plants to live if they have not plenty of food and air. The rootlets suck up the foodwhichis composed mostly of air, water, sunshine, and tiny particles of rich soil, to the root-mothers, who feed the leafbuds with it. Gardening is a very useful and interesting hobby, if one likes to take it up properly, and learn all about flowers. • —3 marks to Cousin Ngaire Head (9) Wireless Station, Awarua. WHAT I LIKE DOING BEST. Highly Commended. The thing I like doing best is “Gardening.” First of all, I fetch my spade and dig the garden. I then put the plants in. Gradually the weeds appear and the thing is to pull them out. The next thing I do is to water them every night because they get so thirsty. Then slowly, a green shoot appears above the earth. Day by day it grows larger till one day there stands before me a

' beautiful golden bunch of daffodils which everyone admires as they pass. Then the Crocus and other spring flowers appear which make me feel quite happy and I think Cousin Betty and her Little Southlanders too, don’t you? —3 marks to Cousin Betty Holmes (9) Dunedin. WHAT I LIKE DOING BEST. Highly Commended. SPRING. In the spring, the thing I like doing best is to tend to my garden, and watch the different flowers awaking from their sleep. It is a joy to see the dainty little snowdrops, shyly opening their petals to the sun. Also, the daffodils and jonquils look gay and cheerful, with their lovely lemon faces. What is a better thing to do, than keeping a garden in perfect order? Beautiful flowers are a joy to everybody. SUMMER. Swimming in the summertime is the thing I like doing best. How delightful it is to dive into the glistening sea, and sometimes peer beneath the surface. Practically everyone can swim, and I am sure they thoroughly enjoy it. It is really an ideal summer sport. AUTUMN. In the autumn, the thing I like doing best, is to walk through a park where the leaves are coloured in autumn tints. It is so wonderful to think that ordinary leaves change to these lovely colours every year. Autumn is really the most romantic season. WINTER. Snowballing, in the winter is what I like doing best. The fun and joy of playing in the snow, and building snowmen, makes one feel very happy. Indeed, what could be better, in such a cold season, than snowballing? It makes one feel warm, and glowing with health. In my estimation winter is the jolliest season of all. —3 marks to Cousin June Black (12) 138 Esk street, Invercargill.

WHAT I LIKE DOING BEST. Highly Commended. Going for a walk through the bush is what I like doing best. When you enter the bush you have a feeling of tranquillity until suddenly the silence is broken by the bell-like peal of the Tuis, the sharp notes of the Mockers, the deep Coe! Coe! Coe! of the wild Pigeons and the shrill screech of the Kakas. Then you hear a “Tweet! Tweet” just at your elbow and looking round, you see a small black and white bird called a Tom-Tit. He does not seem to be afraid as he follows you along the track hopping from branch to branch. There are different kinds of ferns in the bush, from the large tree ferns to the maiden hair fern which is one of the smallest to be found in the bush. The trees in the bush are very nice especially when the Rata is in bloom. The tall pines seem to look down on the smaller trees. The white Clematis when out is a picture among the greenery of the trees. All these things make a ramble through the bush the best and most likeable thing to do. —3 marks to Cousin Molly Doyle (10) Foyle street, Bluff. WHAT I LIKE DOING BEST. Highly Commended. I like cooking best because I like to see the table set with an appetising odour rising from the food, so as father can satisfy his hunger when he comes in from work. I also enjoy it because I like to know I did my part in cooking dinner. If I had my way I’d be cooking all day but then I suppose I’d get tired of it and wouldn’t like it, so I’ll be content with just doing a bit now and again. —3 marks to Cousin Eugenie McKenzie (11) Marine Parade, Bluff. Commended. One day, as I was playing in the orchard which is my favourite place, I heard voices say “I wish we could see a human being!” I looked in the big peach tree and saw a group of fairies all gathered round a big peach. I said “Your wish is granted fairies dear, for there’s a mortal very near,”;

and suddenly they all shouted, “Oh, Oh” and skipped on to my shoulders. I went in to mother and said, “Look at me, twhit-twhee!” and when mother looked she said, “Goodness gracious child,” and all the fairies said together, “We will sit in the biggest peach tree of the orchard and sing to you every day.” I thanked them very much. Next day I went out and sure enough here-they were mobbed round the same peach, and from now on that is what I like doing best. —2 marks to Cousin Iris Winsloe (8) Merrivale, Otautau.