MR CORLETT'S HOLIDAY

CHARLIE'S HOLIDAY ADVENTURES.

Where's Charlie?

Holiday game - Get a map of NZ and track Charlie's travels.  If you can identify all the places Charlie visits over the break, you can be in to win a prize from Mr Corlett! 

 Map - Location 1) Mr & Mrs Corlett had an early start  - 6 a.m. Off to the Wellington Airport for a flight to the ice and snow, to a place where we will have a family gathering.

We got to the airport and found our flight had been delayed.  So I went to get out my computer but discovered a stowaway - Charlie the bear!   Who's Charlie?  Well in our class we have two extra class members - two bears, Henry and Charlie.  Charlie was going to house sit for us while we were away. He said it was too quiet without us there and so had slipped quietly into my bag!

Both bears have wonderful adventures with children in our class - such as to Australia and other places around NZ.   Meanwhile Henry is currently holidaying with Hannah, while Charlie is now winging his way to the snow and ice.  Check back here during the break to follow his adventures!

Charlie has been discovered hiding in my bag - too late to drive back home with him so this mischievous bear has now joined us.  Rather naughty of him - but we can't leave him at the airport.

We had a quick drink of coffee while we waited for our plane.  Charlie made the most of the opportunity and had a hot chocolate - and a biscuit.

Check back tomorrow and see if there is a further episode of what Charlie has been up to!

Here is what Charlie saw out the aeroplane window.

 Check out all the photos and see if you can spot the clue and figure out where the plane went to.  

Location 2) Southern Man   See if you can spot Charlie in the photo.

In his book “The Year of the Horse” the artist Sam Mahon describes the physical and artistic struggles involved in realising this massive bronze statue which is certainly the largest equestrian monument in New Zealand and possibly the largest single cast bronze statue ever made in this country.  . It shows a high country musterer on horseback. It is an impressive work, rich in surface texture.. Hat down over his eyes, his horse steady beneath him, the reins held with one hand, the musterer is slightly twisted to his left, looking behind him. He is, it seems, immersed in his work and at ease with himself and his place in the world.

Mahon’s account of the practical problems of bringing this huge project to fruition are enthralling. The first of these difficulties arose when he showed an early wax model based on measurements of a real horse to an equestrian friend who complained that a horse standing in the pose he had modelled would be diagnosed as suffering from bladder infection.

After this design was modified, and approved by Speight’s, the next stage was to make a full-size model. This was built on an armature of steel and covered with cloth, chicken wire, and about a tonne of plaster. The rough outline was finished in a couple of weeks and then carved. The idea was that the horse and man should seem inextricably linked without too much distracting detail. When the client saw the finished model the one change they required was that the saddle bags should be more clearly carved. This was where the company logo was to be displayed.

From this finished model moulds were made. And it was from these that the horse and rider were cast. The final sculpture weighs about 1200 kilos, with the tail alone weighing about seventy kilos. It was made in about fifty different sections and then welded together. This sound very simple. However, Mahon and his collaborators were constantly required to adapt their techniques and build specialised equipment to solve the many technical problems they encountered. For example, a machine for turning bricks into dust for the moulds was driven by the drive wheels of the family Morris car.

The invention and ingenuity shown by Mahon remind us of the heroic struggles of his great predecessors in bronze sculpture. In fact, on one occasion he turned to the workshop manual of the great baroque sculptor Benvenuto Cellini for a recipe for the inside of the mould-making kiln which had burnt out. The ingredients were sand, clay and fresh cow manure, mixed together by treading them with bare feet. Mahon and his partner, Alison, tossed a coin and he lost. She went to make a cup of tea while Sam took off his boots and got treading. Cellini also provided a recipe for giving a final patina to the bronze. This required the urine of young boys but was not adopted by the modern sculptor who preferred copper nitrate to provide the surface finish. The statue was unveiled in September 2000, having taken a little over a year to complete.

Track Charlie's travels on a map of NZ. Draw a map of NZ or copy a blank one.  There is a prize for the best map showing where Charlie goes.  

Location 3) 

Saturday 11th

That's not snow, it's frost.  The temperature is below 0!

Henry is in a place that  is closely associated with the mysterious ailment chronic fatigue syndrome, which –  The doctor who first documented the rise of the condition in New Zealand, Dr Peter Snow, was based in the town.

But look below - real snow!

Charlie discovered some snow - but discovered it is REALLY cold to sit in!

Charlie is thinking about making a snowman.   Watch out Charlie - it's a snowball!