Saturday Surprise — Bang

Posted on by under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, Global Issues, Humour

Hello friends!  Whew … been a heck of a week, hasn’t it?  Yeah, me too … and that’s why I figured we ought to start the weekend with a bang …bangThere now … wasn’t that fun?  Oh, okay fine … let’s see if I can do better.

Ducks in their finery …

Normally I am against dressing critters in clothes, but I have to admit that these ducks all decked out in their Easter finery are pretty darn cool.duck-1It’s called the Pied Piper Duck Show and it’s an annual event in Sydney, Australia.  Behatted ducks in pink, green and yellow outfits waddle down the catwalk in the Pied Piper Duck Show at one of Australia’s most famous annual country festivals. The show is a part of the 14-day Sydney Royal Easter Show which is the largest annual event staged in Australia, attracting an average of 900,000 visitors.duck-2Brian Harrington, who runs the duck show, believes his feathered models are just as talented as their human counterparts, and completely under-appreciated. The 60-year old Harrington has run the show for some 30 years and dresses his ducks according to the latest fashion trends for each event. A farmer from New South Wales, Brian Harrington also trains pigs which, this year, reportedly played a chaotic version of musical chairs.duck-3Aside from fashion parades, the Pied Piper Duck Show also showcase Racing Ducks, which have the crowds roaring in laughter as they cheer on their favorite duck. And of course, there are food stalls that offer everything from steak sandwiches, souvlakis, baked potatoes, strawberries, ice-cream, milkshakes, and duck roast too.duck-4duck-5duck-6

Eggs artistry?

In teaching my granddaughter to cook, I have always stressed that cooking is an art, not a science.  These creations are far beyond my food-art ability, though …

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The woman who created these edible arts is known as Etoni Mama. She is raising three girls—ages 7, 9, and 11—who are lucky enough to eat colorful, cartoon character-inspired meals almost every day. The talented mother who has no prior training in making food is definitely a master of kyaraben, also known as character bento. Kyaraben is a Japanese lunchbox food style that features numerous meals decorated to look like people and various pop culture characters, including plants and animals. While making character bento is not easy, Etoni does it so well that you can’t help but love her meals.

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This next one is courtesy of Scott Lawlor who send it to me a few days ago …

Sleeping it off …

It is said that the village of  Xishuangbana in Yunnan Province in China was deserted of humans who were largely staying in their homes, when a herd of 14 elephants came into the village looking for food & drink.  Well, the local pubs and saki bars were closed, so the elephants helped themselves to some corn in a field, and to wash it down, they found 30kg of corn whiskey that the farmers must have left out.  Well, here is the end result of that … they fell asleep in a tea garden!

elephants

I am told that the story was mostly made up to fit the picture, but … it’s a fun story anyway.

SaturdayThat’s all I’ve got for today, folks … sorry for such a short one, but I’m all out tonight.  Now go try to have a fun weekend … go for a nice walk in the woods or along the lake, depending where you live, or just around the local high school track!  Take a picnic lunch with you and make a day of it! Those activities are not forbidden … not yet, anyway.  Either way, have a great weekend.

 

44 thoughts on “Saturday Surprise — Bang”

  2. I grew up being told not to play with my food, as I busily separated the desirable things from the detestable ones. I was a very fussy eater and often slipped the undesirable foods to the St. Bernard, that unsurprisingly, sat under the table in front of my chair. My Father, seated at the head of the table and I to his right, often said that Bongare was sitting at his master’s feet…though I do believe he knew otherwise. I doubt that it ever occurred to my Mother to play with the food prior to serving it. Etoni Mama makes fine art with food, a nice medium that can be consumed instead of sitting around collecting dust. I cannot quite understand the thrill of watching elaborately dressed ducks parading around, cheering for racing ducks and then sitting down to eat a roasted one…to each his own, I guess! The elephant story is amusing and the photo suits the tale. Thank-you!

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    • Ha ha … we had a dog, an Airedale, that stayed under my feet at the supper table, as well. I was often told not to play with my food, but also not to wear it! Glad you found something to bring a smile here! I’m thinking you could practice, and next time there’s a Gem sleepover, you could maybe make the Pooh or Pikachu eggs for Benjamin!!! 😉

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    • Oooohhhh … that’s a great idea! Let me know what he says when you suggest it! He’s not working? Don’t people still need dentistry? What if someone gets a terrible toothache? You keep well too, dear Emily!

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      • He’s actually an optometrist, but the dentists offices have been closed for longer because, guess what? Dentists from around Canada were at a conference in Vancouver, I think, a couple of weeks ago, and one of the delegates has since tested positive – so all the dentists were exposed!

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        • 🤦‍♀️ How could I have forgotten that? Sigh … blame old age. That’s nuts about the dentists!!! So many stories coming out of this crisis … if we live to, we should write a book!

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  8. Wow, Etoni Mama is quite the artist.Her creations must have kids other than her own gasping in surprise. Puts a lot of pressure on the other Mums. I also don’t like animals in costume but in this case it;s better than them being on a plate wearing gravy. Oh I wish I could believe elephants are social drinkers though it’s rude to fall asleep in the pub. Quite a smile the one on the left has. Must be sweet dreams.
    Cwtch

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    • I thought so too … imagine how many failed attempts there probably were before she got them just the way she wanted them. I haven’t either the talent or the patience to do that, but they are fantastic! Yes, I’d rather see the ducks (or are they actually geese?) in their finery than on my plate!
      Cwtch

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  10. Pingback: Saturday Surprise courtesy of Jill Denison – Frank Parker's author site

  12. Jill, those are some elite looking geese! The faces in the food dishes would give me the willies when I cut into it. I do like the slumbering elephants doing the lower cheek to cheek cuddle. Have a great Saturday. Keith

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed it! I don’t think it would bother me a bit to eat those yummy egg creations … though I might be sad to see them destroyed. You have a great Saturday, a great weekend, too!

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  17. Methought you were starting a post about duck pimps with that first picture. Guess they were just being poshes.
    But really, I prefer all animals “au naturel.”
    And no way would I eat “les objets d’artes.” But soft poached eggs are the only way to go.

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    • Ha ha … duck pimps! Yeah, I prefer them in their natural finery, but this still made me smile for some reason. I could happily eat the eggs, and the fried rice that’s under most of them!

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