AUTUMN TALES

 

THE DRAGONS

Dragons are romantic and affectionate with their family.

Mothers give bottles to their babies with a lot of love.

Lovers give flowers to their dragons and like to laugh until tears come out of their eyes and fire comes out of their mouths.

Dragons love to play pranks with the gnomes, but the gnomes don't like to play as toys so much.

So sometimes, tired of being mobile kites, they defend themselves with their shield and spear and their judo skills.

When a dragon sees a lady in danger, he rescues her without hesitation and flies her through the sky to safety.

And if the wicked invaders attack them with their fearsome thunderbolts, they drive them off with their catapults into the clouds.

They will do anything to annoy the trolls:

------------------------------------------ they like to attack their unicorns.

------------------------------------------provoke great fires in the forests that some dragon blows out with his wind.

-----------------------------------------destroy walls that are hard for men to build.

Dragons keep large chests of gold coins in a cave under a large volcano.

The snakes help them keep watch in case the ogres come to steal, and when they find out, the ogres run away scared and empty-handed.

 Dragon Mummy is very flirtatious: she uses perfume, creams and nail polish.

 Dragon Dad flies to work, and when he comes home he sits by the fireplace reading the newspaper with his son, who reads storybooks.

And dragons also like to play sports, such as playing football with a fireball or swimming under the sea to watch the fish and look for oysters with pearls inside.

They like to play the guitar when they feel happy.

                               

THE FOREST

Squirrels love to jump from tree to tree. We have a tail that we bend over our heads. Our front paws have toes that we use to pick up nuts, acorns and other fruits and put them in our mouths. We live in tree trunks and are very playful and light.

The head of an owl is shaped like a heart. Our eyes are big, but I can't move them from side to side like you can. I sleep during the day and go hunting at night.

I can stay on a tree branch for a very long time. I eat mice, frogs, lizards....

I am a brown bear and I have a sweet tooth. I like honey so much that I don't mind the painful stings of bees when I break a hive with my claws.  When the first snow falls, I go into a cave and sleep on a bed of leaves for six months.

I am a deer and when I grow up like my dad I will have long horns and strong hooves. We deer live in herds and eat stalks, grasses, leaves... We live in the forest and thanks to our long, strong legs we can run away from hunters.

The wolves are the best mothers in the animal kingdom because we don't separate from our cubs for several weeks. When they grow up, I will continue to take good care of them, bring them food and protect them from hunters. The wolves have a strong jaw, with very sharp fangs.

Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world. We have beautiful, brightly colored feathers. We move our wings at high speed. Our beak is thin and we can suck the nectar from flowers with ease.

I am the fox and I am known to be cunning. I live in the forest and sleep on a fallen log. I eat rabbits and from time to time I go to a hen house and take a chicken with me, so the shepherds can't even see me. I am very fast and thanks to that I can escape from my biggest enemy, the dog. 

THE WITCHES

When night falls and we all sleep, the hour of the dreaded witches begins. When they wake up, to see if they are uglier, they look in the mirror and then they fly away on their brooms, not forgetting to take their pet snake with them. On full moon nights they usually travel on their brooms. There are many different types: the most modern ones use hoovers and others use a hang glider. Some witches drive like real monsters, poor bats.

They wear a different dress every night, choose a pair of shoes, and a witch's hat. They decorate their skin with cactus fruits, as if they were polka dots. To finish, they put a little rat in their pocket and go out.

The witches come out of their castles to chase the dragons on stormy nights. They defend themselves by flapping their wings and spitting fire.  Their most faithful allies are the inseparable gnomes, who accompany them in the fight.

The witches' favourite food is live worms with rotten tomato sauce, mouse bones and toad's eyes, all with a lot of salt. They organize big parties and toast with spider juice when they are very young and tender.

 

Little witches love to draw monsters and scare each other.  They feed on scorpions because their witch mums are afraid of being poisoned by the ice-cream makers.  When they go to sleep, they tell them sweet bedtime stories that scare them to death. It's great!

But what they enjoy the most is making their potions. They hide from the sun and weave their plans. Their favourite spells are turning kings into frogs and princesses into spiders.  Sometimes the gnomes put a mirror on them and return the charm.

The incredible Unicorns.

Unicorns are amazing animals. They look like horses but have a beautiful twisted horn on their forehead. They are as beautiful as mermaids and as magical as fairies. Some of them can even fly, but not like birds, because they don't have wings!

Unicorns are all over the world. Most live in forests, but they can also live on the top of a mountain or in the desert.

Some even live under the sea, but if you want to see one of these unicorns, you'll have to travel by submarine...

Unicorns that live in the forest like to eat grass. Some of them decorate their manes with pretty flowers, because they love nature. When it is sunny and warm, they bathe in the cool water of the rivers; other animals like deer also go there to drink.

In the mountains, unicorns are friends with eagles and mountain goats. They go to bed late at night to look at the stars and the moon. They don't like rain at all, so if it rains they take shelter in a cave because they are very afraid of lightning and black clouds.

At the poles, unicorns are very friendly with polar bears. Some unicorns there are as white as milk. If a lot of snow falls, they huddle on the icy ground until it passes. They like to be by the sea, because they can watch the seals and penguins swim, which they find very amusing.

Desert unicorns live surrounded by cacti.  Their best friends are dromedaries and camels. Although it is very hot, they always know where there is an oasis. There they have water to drink and can lie in the shade of a palm tree.  And they are safe from scorpion stings.

In the sea there are also unicorns. They are very similar to seahorses but with a horn. They live among seaweed and have a great time playing hide and seek with fish, crabs and jellyfish. Sometimes they find incredible treasures that were sunk by a pirate ship.

When unicorns do magic, they close their eyes, bow their heads, concentrate hard and their horn starts to light up like a light bulb. There is the sound of bells and the smell of strawberries. Then everyone nearby feels happy. It is a very special moment.

THE AGES OF HISTORY

 

Prehistory began with the appearance of human beings and is the longest period in the past. It is divided into three periods: Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Metal Age.

The first humans were nomadic, and they hunted, fished and gathered plants to survive.

Over the years they discovered agriculture and animal husbandry became sedentary and built houses and villages to live in.

They began to make tools from stones and animal bones.

They also created pottery and learned to work metals.

                                                                       

The Ancient Age began about 5000 years ago, when writing was invented.

The first civilizations emerged: Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.

The Romans conquered the Iberian Peninsula between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC, 

and called it Hispania.

The Romans organized Hispania into provinces. They imposed their customs,

 Roman laws, and the use of Latin, founded cities, and introduced Christianity.

The Middle Ages began with the end of the Roman Empire, in AD 476. C.
The Visigoths, one of the Germanic peoples from northern Europe, invaded Hispania and 
founded a kingdom on the Peninsula.
In the year 711 the Muslims conquered the Visigothic kingdom and created al-Andalus. 
The Christian kingdoms organized to expel them and expand their borders. 
This period was called La Reconquista. 
This period of the Middle Ages ended when the Catholic Monarchs conquered the kingdom of Granada.
During this stage the cities grew and castles and monasteries were built. 
Two artistic styles stood out: Romanesque and Gothic.




The Modern Age began in 1492 with the discovery of
America. This period saw important discoveries and inventions, 
such as the  printing press.



In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain was ruled by the
Habsburg dynasty. The first kings, Charles I and Philip II, 
created a great empire, which weakened in the 17th century. 


In the 18th century a new dynasty, THE BORBONS, began
to reign.


During this period two artistic styles developed:
RENAISSANCE and BAROQUE.


In Spain it was called the GOLDEN CENTURY because of
its cultural and artistic splendor.


In the 18th century, the ideas of the Enlightenment
arrived in Spain.

HALLOWEEN 21

 

Although nowadays it is a costume party, where children and adults collect and eat large quantities of candy, the origins of Halloween, which takes place on the last day of October, are not so joyful and its roots go back to an ancient Celtic festival more than 3,000 years ago.

The holiday arrived as such in the United States and Canada in 1840, via Irish immigrants, but did not begin to be celebrated on a mass scale until 1921, when the first Halloween parade was held in Minnesota.

Today, the only spooky spirits you'll see this October 31 will be the witch and ghost costumes worn by our friends and family.

Little stories for the summer

 

THE LITTLE SEAL

Foca lives on a small island in the middle of the blue sea.

Isn't it the most beautiful place in the world? he asks his mother every day.

Of course it is, sweetheart. ---- She always replies.

Foca is still small, but she is growing very fast and getting chubbier every day. Although her fins are short, she can swim fast and jump over the waves. Her eyes are like two shiny black stones, always looking for something to play with.

On his island there is a cave to sleep in at night. There is also a white sandy beach.  The sea water is so clean that seal can see the fish swimming underneath every morning.

Foca wants to know everything and asks: "Where do the fish go, mummy? Can I go with them?

They go to school---- his mother explains to him.

You are going to school this year too.

Foca is sunbathing. He likes to close his eyes and feel the warmth.  She likes it so much that sometimes she falls asleep.  Mummy is in the water and sticks her head out from time to time to see her.  She is the best swimmer in the world.

The little seal swims almost as well as she does. She used to feed on her mother's milk, but now she can eat fish.  She loves sardines. 

But what she likes most is to accompany her mother when she goes fishing.

Foca looks for octopus on the rocks and chases squid.

Once a crab pinched his nose and pulled two hairs out of his moustache.  That's why he always sticks his fin into the holes before sticking his nose out.

What do we do when we've finished eating --- asks mummy seal.

We have to take a nap---- answers the little seal.

That too,--- laughs her mother.    But first we have to brush our teeth.

One afternoon, seal saw a very big animal in the sea. He wanted to go swimming with it, but his mother said: --- That's not an animal, it's a boat.  And you can't play with boats.

Why can't I swim with it? ---- asked the seal.

Boats are very dangerous. They don't have flippers like fish. They don't swim like us. 

Boats have propellers that they use to move and that can hurt you a lot.

There are people on the boats, they don't fish as well as we do, but they eat fish. And if you get too close, they can catch you without wanting to----. Her mother explained.

The little seal vowed never to go near the boats.

After a day of fishing, they lie on the sand and dry off in the sun.  Mum fixes and cleans their hair.  Then she does the same with the seal's hair.

Ouch, you bit me, mum! ---- complains jokingly.

Well, now it's going to be worse... Now I'm going to tickle you!

At night, seal looks at the stars. He always looks for the one that shines the brightest.

How many stars are there, mummy? I can already count to ten.

Well, there are many more than you can count.

It's time to go to sleep---- announces mummy seal.

Inside the cave, the stars are no longer visible. The little seal closes his eyes and dreams of his beach full of sardines and shells.

FOCA  ... The little seal

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A packaged mystery.

 

Do you know what a magnifying glass is? It's a lens that magnifies things and we see them better. I am a detective; I am dedicated to investigating and discovering the truth. I always carry my magnifying glasses with me, in my trench coat. That's why everyone calls me Lupas, the wolf detective.

I investigate mysteries; I use my magnifying glasses to find out what has happened.

I have a friend. Her name is Nanai.

She is very tall. She is a giraffe. She loves to read and solve mysteries. She gives me wise advice to help me solve the mysteries.

My front door is a normal door with a sign "Lobo Lupas Detective". When someone comes, they can ring the doorbell or knock on the door.

It was Nando, the postman, and he had a very serious look on his face. Nando is a panda bear, black and white.

What is it, Nando?

I have a parcel but I don't know who it's for. It doesn't say all the details. I've been a postman for many years and I've never made a mistake when I've delivered a letter or a parcel. Please Lupas, help me, where do I have to take this parcel?

There are three buildings on Three Houses Street: a jewellery shop, a museum and a bank.

And in these three buildings they have valuable things.

I know! We can open the package!

No," said my friend Nanai, who was there with me, "You can't open other people's packages.

Nanai is right," confirmed Nanado. You can't open other people's letters or parcels.

So I had to think some more.

OK, I'll use my X-ray magnifying glass.

It's for looking inside things. If we see that it has money it will be for the bank, if it has jewellery it will be for the jewellery shop and if it has something old it will be for the museum.

I took my X-ray magnifying glass and put it on top of the package and what did I see?

Nothing, the package is empty!

And why would anyone send an empty package?

That's strange, said Nanai. And how can the package be valuable if it's empty?

The postman Nando did not know where to take his parcel. It was a valuable parcel but it was empty.

I used my magnifying glass to look at the outside of the parcel. With that magnifying glass small things look bigger. I checked the paper of the parcel first. Then I checked the lettering but saw nothing new. Last I checked the stamps. And then .... One of the three stamps on the package was different from the other two.

It is not a normal stamp, it looks quite old.

Exactly, it is a very valuable stamp. Something like that has to be in a museum.

Nando, you have to take it to the museum.

The panda bear wiggled its black ears, smiled with its black mouth and winked one of its black eyes at me. Then he stretched out one of his black paws in which he held a white envelope.

-I have a letter for you too.

I opened the envelope, it was not empty. Inside was a magnifying glass. A red magnifying glass. I was glad I didn't have a red magnifying glass.

SPECTACULAR ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA OF THE SUMMER

 

The June solstice is the astronomical phenomenon that marks the arrival of summer in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere. This year, it will occur on Sunday, 20 June at 22:32.

This will be the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, with 13 hours and 25 minutes of sunlight, a pattern that will diminish as the year progresses, until it reaches its antithesis, the shortest day on the winter solstice.

Summer will also mark the farewell of the biggest and brightest moons of the year.

The last supermoon of 2021 will take place on 24 June.

The Perseids are one of the most eagerly awaited astronomical phenomena of every summer in the northern hemisphere. This shower of stars originates from comet Swift-Tuttle, a distant visitor to Earth that completes an orbit around the Sun every 133 years.

When the debris of dust, ice and cosmic rocks that it left behind during its last passage hurtles towards our planet, it causes meteors to streak across the celestial vault in a matter of tenths of a second.

Also known as the Tears of St. Lawrence, the Perseids are the third most intense meteor shower of the year.

 

The gas giant of the Solar System will reach its closest point to Earth and the best time to observe it on 19 August, just two weeks after Saturn's opposition.

Jupiter will appear brighter than normal once night falls in the east.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

 

Mother's Day is a day dedicated, in many countries around the world, to paying tribute to our mothers.

We have many reasons to be grateful for their infinite love, devotion and generosity since we were born; therefore, on this day we make them the absolute protagonists and we try to ensure that they enjoy a few unforgettable hours, if possible in our company.

It seems that in Ancient Greece, celebrations were held in honour of Rhea, the mythological goddess daughter of Uranus and Gaea. Rhea was the goddess of female fertility and motherhood.

In classical Rome, Cybele, the Magna Mater associated with the fertility of the earth and nature, was venerated.

After the emergence of the Christian religion, believers gradually transformed this pagan celebration into a feast in honour of the Virgin Mary, mother of their only god, Jesus of Nazareth.

In contemporary times, Pope Pius IX established 8 December as the official date for celebrating the Immaculate Conception. It was in 1854 and, since then, some countries have kept that date to celebrate Mother's Day.

It is important to note that the current holiday has a lot to do with two social activists in the United States: Julia Ward Howe and Anna Reeves Jarvis. In the early 20th century, these women succeeded in establishing a day to honour mothers.  Thanks to their efforts, in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made the second Sunday in May officially Mother's Day.

The second Sunday in May, a date established more than a century ago in the United States, was adopted by many countries around the world, but not in all cases.

In Spain it is celebrated on the first Sunday in May.

Mother's Day is emotional for everyone, but undoubtedly those who experience it most intensely are the children because it gives them the opportunity to prepare a beautiful gift made with their own little hands.

The schools know how important this is for the little ones and they tend to get involved in this task by coming up with cool presents and providing the material to make them. Others make them at home, with the help of their parents, siblings or grandparents.

If children want to create something at home, they don't need to make elaborate or expensive crafts. Mothers will love any detail that their son or daughter has put a lot of love into.

A classic that can't be missed is a card written by the children themselves. All it takes is a piece of cardboard folded in half and a few crayons/coloured pens to express how much they love their mum.

HAPPY EASTER

 

Most children have holidays at school coinciding with Easter, a time to enjoy a few days of rest without classes or homework, to travel with the family and to taste and eat all kinds of recipes related to Easter. However, we cannot forget its meaning and why Easter is celebrated all over the world.

During Holy Week, the Passion, death and resurrection of Christ are remembered. On Holy Thursday, the day on which the Last Supper is commemorated, the religious liturgy takes on its greatest importance, as Christ's suffering on his march to Calvary and his subsequent crucifixion is remembered.

Holy Week concludes on Sunday, with Easter, recalling and celebrating the passage from death to life of Christ, the Son of God. It is precisely at Easter that the whole life of Christianity is based on and revolves around. Its tradition is ancient and it is a feast that is celebrated by more than one billion faithful around the world.