What To Do This Week-end January 17, 2007

If you’re feeling energetic, why not go on a walk:Sand Spruit walk

Try a different walk this weekend – along the Sand Spruit on Sunday, 21 January, for two hours, taking in the birdlife along the way. You’ll walk from Kelvin Drive southwards via Gary Avenue to Ernest Ullmann Park, along the Sands Spruit to South Road, possibly continuing as far as Katherine Street, and returning via the same route – around 4-6 kilometres. Bring plenty of water, and if you fancy, well-behaved dogs on leads, and garbage bags to pick up litter. Booking is essential – phone Judith or Rick on 011 802 2685. Meet at 126 Kelvin Drive at 8am.

Fruits, tea and goggas at Kloofendal

You have a choice of two walks at the Kloofendal Nature Reserve this weekend, on Saturday, 20 January, and on Sunday, 21 January. On Saturday you’ll be shown which fruits in the reserve are edible and which can be used to make tea. On Sunday you’ll find all sorts of wonderful goggas. Cost is R30, time is 9am, and booking is essential – phone Karin on 011 674 2980. You may be lucky and spot one of the small animals that live in the reserve: black-backed jackal, porcupines, mountain reedbuck and duiker. The reserve is in Galena Street in Kloofendal.

For more information on what’s on this week:

http://www.joburg.org.za/thisweek/index.stm

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Running from Camera January 17, 2007

Update – check out Worth Mentioning

Salt Ceramic Dough January 17, 2007

Here’s a simple recipe for making “durable” dough. This dough hardens when it dries so you can make more interesting things for keeping. It’s also a useful way of getting rid of that ancient corn flour that’s been lurking in the back of the grocery cupboard.

1 cup salt

1/2 cup corn flour

3/4 cup water

Mix everything together in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens and forms a “ball” (you’ll know when this happens…have you ever seen what happens with this amount of corn flour and water anyway).

Allow to cool slightly and knead thoroughly. Place in an airthight container until ready to use and knead again to soften.

Any objects made with this dough can be placed in the sun to dry (about 3-5 days, what kid’s got the patience for this?) or baked in the oven at a low heat for 2 hours. We baked it at 100 ºC for about 2.5 hours.

Beware that this dough is very sticky so have a baking tray ready – I “spray-and-cooked” mine just in case.

We made candle holders because it’s easy for your child to press things into it and easy for

you to keep around afterwards ( no ball and snake combo’s).

We achieved this look by limiting the colours available, otherwise it just becomes a brown mess, and by painting specific things. In Bigboy’s case, it was the sky and stars – can’t you tell?