February 19th, 2016

Salty Sam’s Fun Blog for Children

Post Number 53

Storms

 

Hello Everyone

 

 

 And welcome to my 53^rd blog and its first anniversary!   

 

The topic for my blog post this week is very close to my heart because when you are a sailor or live near the sea, storms have a huge effect on you.

 

When you are on a ship, not only is everything around you blowing about, but everything under you is moving as well!

 

And wherever you live in Britain you have probably been hit by storms this winter, haven’t you!

 

And in the summer when you go on holiday or you want to go to the beach and the weather is bad, you think that it is quite bad luck.

 

But sometimes the weather can be so bad that it can cause terrible damage and that really is much worse.

 

When people in Asia have strong winds the wind is called a typhoon. ln the Caribbean the wind is called a hurricane.

 

ln Britain there is usually a really, really bad storm about once every three hundred years.

 

There was one great storm on Friday 16^th October 1987. lt raged all through the night. About 15 million trees were uprooted or damaged, a pier blew away on the lsle of Wight and some people had the roofs of their houses completely blown off! The wind was gusting up to 122 mph when it hit the south coast. People named it ‘The Hurricane’ and everyone who lived through it will never forget it.

 

There was another terrible storm, this time in the day time, in January 1990. This was named ‘The Burn’s Night Storm’. lt also caused a lot of damage.

 

Long before that there was a great storm in 1703. lt began on Friday 26^th November. The wind reached 110 mph.

 

Hundreds of ships were blown onto rocks or out to sea. The Eddystone Lighthouse was washed away with all the men inside (yerk)!

 

There was a storm surge up the rivers and huge waves flooded towns and countryside. Many buildings and farms were destroyed. People called it The Great Storm.

 

The worst storm of the 19^th century was the Royal Charter Storm that hit the lrish Sea on 25^th October 1859 when over 800 lives were lost. lt was named after a ship called the Royal Charter which was driven onto the coast of Wales with the loss of over 450 lives.

 

You may remember the wild winter of 2013-2014, when we had many storms with winds of over 100 mph and the heaviest rain since 1766. During this winter there has been a lot of flooding too.

 

Just about the strongest storm ever recorded was Typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines on 8^th November 2013. The wind reached 200 miles an hour!

 

 

Each strength of wind has a number and name. Would you like to learn what they are? l have written them here for you…

 

Force       Name        Speed

 

0               Calm         less than 1 mph           

 

Smoke rises vertically. The sea is completely flat. 

 

 

 1               Light Air         1-3 mph

 

Smoke drifts to show the direction of the wind but weather vanes won’t move. 

 

2               Light Breeze        4-7 mph

 

Leaves rustle and weather vanes move. 

 

 

 3               Gentle Breeze        8-12 mph

 

Leaves are constantly moving and little flags lift. 

 

 

 4               Moderate Breeze         13-17 mph

 

Small branches move. 

 

 

 5               Fresh Breeze         18-24 mph                    

 

Large branches move. 

 

 

 6               Strong Breeze        25-30 mph

 

Large branches move, there is whistling in wires, empty dustbins blow over. 

 

 

 7                High Wind         31-38 mph

 

Whole trees move. 

 

 

 8               Gale         39-46 mph

 

Hard to walk and drive, branches break. 

 

 

 9               Strong Gale        47-54 mph

 

Roof tiles blow off, signs get bent. 

 

 

10               Whole Gale         55-63

 

Buildings get damaged. 

 

 

 11               Storm         64-72

 

There is much destruction. 

 

 

12               Hurricane        73+ mph

 

Havoc  

 

lf you like making weather charts or records (Blog Posts 16/17), now you have some more information to add to them. 

 

 

Bye bye everyone – don’t forget to subscribe to my blog!

 

Love and kisses

 

Salty Sam

www.christina-sinclair.com

 

 

 

 

 

Bill and Bob’s Joke of the Week

 

Bill: What do you call a little whale?

 

Bob: l don’t know. What do you call a little whale?

 

Bill: A little squirt!

 

 

Salty Sam © Christina Sinclair 2015

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material from this blog without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited.

Links may be used to www.christina-sinclair.com

 

 

Picture Gallery

 

A typhoon as seen from space – the black hole in the middle is called the ‘eye of the storm’

and when this passes over you the wind is quite calm 

 

The Royal Charter driven aground in the storm of 1859 

 

The storm of 1987 washed large ships onto the coast 

 

The Eddystone Lighthouse that was washed away in 1703 

 

Wind chill factor chart – the temperature drops as the wind picks up 

 

Storms can snap large branches… 

 

Or pull trees off their roots

  

 
 

      THE SALTY SAM NEWS DESK

 

One of the things that Auntie Alice does when she is not knitting and making jam, is volunteering her time at the Rocky Bay Wildlife Hospital.

All manner of wildlife can be brought in at any time after it has had an accident. Sometimes storms can cause casualties when birds are blown against things like power lines. Storms can even affect animals as big as dolphins and whales.

 

 Rescued seal pups have to be fed by bottle

 

Next to the hospital is an animal rescue centre and it is from here Auntie Alice gets the dogs and cats that are lucky enough to come and live with her.

Not all the animals there are cats and dogs though. There are animals like rabbits and guinea pigs as well.

They each have their own sad story as to why they are there. Luckily, there are lots of good people around to help them in Rocky Bay – and give them a good home.

Some of the animals aren’t babies, they are full grown and Auntie Alice is happy to take home these animals because sometimes puppies and kittens can be very destructive.

Puppies chew everything and kittens scratch everything and you must be prepared to have your home damaged if you take home a new puppy or kitten.

 

 

Once, a long time ago there was an oil spillage near here and some oil covered sea birds were brought into the wildlife hospital.

Auntie Alice was knitting woollen jumpers for the injured birds. It was a vital part of their recovery as the jumpers kept them warm.

Each kind of bird had a different jumper pattern for it because all the birds were different shapes and sizes.

Honesty – I kid you not! 

Auntie Alice

 
If you live in New Zealand and would like to help homeless cats, please contact http://redzonecats.org.nz/ via the mail box on their website.  They would like toy mice knitted.

If you like knitting blankets and would like to knit some for homeless animals, check out the Snuggles Project website at www.snugglesproject.org.

And for more information check out http://www.snugglesproject.org/about/the-project/.

There is also a Hugs for Homeless Animals’ website www.h4ha.org with information about the organization or to the Worldwide Shelter Directory at http://h4ha.org/directory/animal-shelters.html where you can find shelters to donate to locally. There are shelters in many countries listed there. You could telephone and ask them if they would like any knitted donations.

 

 

If you are in Ireland, look up the DSPCA website at http://www.dspca.ie/, they need blankets and toys for homeless animals. You can contact them at info@dspca.ie to ask for more details.

Or maybe you would like to knit a coat for a little dog that feels too cold.

If you would like to help rescued dogs check out:

http://www.westwalespoundies.org.uk/ in Wales

or in England you can contact: 

http://erinhounds.co.uk/ or http://www.alldogsrescue.com/ and ask them how you can help.

Otherwise, wherever you live, there is probably an animal rescue centre near to you that may like knitted blankets for their cats and dogs. Contact them and see how they would like your help.

Animals aren’t bothered about whether your knitting is perfect or whether the things they have are made of odds and ends, but they really appreciate things that are soft and warm to make them feel cosy!

 

If the animals are lucky enough to find a new home, they will take their blanket with them and it will help them settle in more quickly because they have taken something that is familiar with them.

For more tips on knitting blankets look at Blog Post 32. 

 

 

If you are very good at knitting and can knit clothes, you might like to knit for sailors , check out the http://www.missiontoseafarers.org/ website for more information. They especially need knitted hats.

 

 

If you are really keen on the idea of knitting for charity, you can find even more charities that would like your help on the UK Hand Knitting Association website. There are hand knitting associations in lots of other countries as well – just google the one for you.  

http://www.ukhandknitting.com/knitting-for-charity/charity-list

 
 

NEWSDESK MINIMAKE

A KNITTED DOLL HAT AND SCARF

 

And now here is some more knitting for you.

Learning to knit can be a good way to spend a cold winter’s evening, and when you have learnt to do the knit stitch and the purl stitch, these doll knitting patterns are really easy for a knitting newbie to tackle.

 

 

Blog posts 21 and 22 featured a knitted doll. Here is a pattern to make her some cosy pyjamas for a chilly night.

 
PYJAMA BOTTOMS (KNIT TWO)

Using 3½mm knitting needles and yellow dk yarn cast on 26 stitches

Knit 4 rows of (knit 1, purl 1) ribbing

 

Change to 4mm knitting needles

Knit 12 rows of stocking stitch

 

Cast on 2 stitches in the next 2 rows (30 sts)

 

Knit 20 rows of stocking stitch

 

Change to mauve dk yarn

Knit 2 rows garter stitch

Cast off

 

TO MAKE UP

Using over-sew stitching sew up front and back seams then inside leg seams.

 

PYJAMA TOP FRONTS (KNIT TWO)

Using 4mm knitting needles and mauve dk yarn cast on 24 stitches

Knit 26 rows of garter stitch

Cast off

 

PYJAMA TOP BACK (KNIT ONE)

Using 4mm knitting needles and mauve dk yarn cast on 24 stitches

Knit 46 rows of garter stitch

Cast off

 

PYJAMA TOP SLEEVES (KNIT TWO)

Using 4mm knitting needles and yellow dk yarn cast on 24 stitches

Knit 2 rows of garter stitch

Knit 12 rows of stocking stitch

Cast off

 

TO MAKE UP

Use over-sew stitching

 

With the knitting used sideways sew up 2cm shoulder seams.

Attach the tops of the sleeves to the shoulders.

Sew the under arm and side seams.

 

Sew three snap fasteners down the front and sew a yellow button on top of each one.

 

 

 

 
If you are a bit fed up with winter weather and have got a touch of the ‘Februaries’, then check out my Spring Pinterest Board to see some lovely pictures of Spring – I hope they help to cheer you up!

https://www.pinterest.com/TheSaltySamBlog/spring/

 

 
*********************

TO ADVERTISE ON THIS BLOG

PLEASE CONTACT:

 

                                               christina.sinclair.ads@aol.co.uk

 *********************

 

 

Quick Quiz

 

 
What do these phrases mean?

 

1. raining cats and dogs
2. the cat’s whiskers
3. like a cat on hot bricks
4. to put the cat amongst the pigeons
5. to bell the cat
6. to sell someone a pup
7. to let sleeping dogs lie
8. to be in the dog house
9. a dogsbody
10. a dog’s breakfast/dinner

 

 

 

BLOW MY FOGHORN!!!

 

 

PLUS

Salty Sam fans can join in with their comments and share them with children all over the world. You will need permission if you are not an adult.

Enter your e-mail address to subscribe to my blog and receive new Salty Sam Blog Posts for free by e-mail every week. Your address will be kept private and will not be shared with any third party.

 Sign me up at the side bar

 

 
 

 

lt’s the Weekend! 

 

 
HOW TO MAKE APPLE SNOW

 
This is one of Bill and Bob’s favourite puddings.

Auntie Alice makes it a lot because she collects so many apples from her garden. Some of them she puts in her apple store – which is a shed in the garden, and some of them she stews and then she puts the mixture in the freezer.

The apples in the store last about half way through the winter but the apple purée in the freezer lasts for many months.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

500G Bramley apples

3 tablespoons caster sugar

1 table spoon of water

2 egg whites

120ml/4 fl oz double cream

Few drops of green food colouring

 

METHOD

 

1. Peel and core the apples then cut them into small chunks
2. Cook them in a saucepan over a low heat with the sugar and water until they are frothy
3. Whip the egg whites into soft peaks
4. Whip the cream until stiff
5. Let the apples cool and mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl
6. Spoon your pale green mixture into serving glasses and put into the fridge for at least 30 minutes
7. You could sprinkle a little cinnamon on the top if you like 

 

 

Please note that the material on this blog is for personal use or for use in classrooms only.

It is a copyright infringement and, therefore, illegal under international law to sell items made with these patterns.

Use of the toys and projects on all of these blogs is at your own risk.

©Christina Sinclair Designs 2015

 

 

Quick Quiz Answers 

 

1. raining cats and dogs – raining heavily
2. the cat’s whiskers – anything really good
3. like a cat on hot bricks – to be nervous and jumpy
4. to put the cat amongst the pigeons – to cause a disturbance/ to stir up trouble
5. to bell the cat – to take the lead in a dangerous plan of action
6. to sell someone a pup – to cheat
7. to let sleeping dogs lie – don’t try to change a situation because you could make it worse
8. to be in the dog house – to be in disgrace after upsetting someone
9. a dogsbody – someone given varied and unpleasant things to do
10. a dog’s breakfast/dinner – to look and untidy mess

 

Belling the cat – no mouse was brave enough to do it in Aesop’s Fable

(Pronounced Eesop)

 

 

 

 
If you would prefer to crochet your blankets rather than knit them, here is a link to a lesson on how to make crochet squares.  They will use up more yarn than knitted squares but they are thicker and more sturdy.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npIsh-o9AM0