Spice Up Your Life At Ironbark Gully

When the whole class went to Iron Bark Gully, a picnic and bush walking park on Samford Road, it was a really sunny day. There were lots of trees, Barbecues and picnic tables all around. There were people old and young having a good time and birds and animals flying and hopping around. It was a grand thing.

Colouring pencil drawing of a frog jumping off a lily pad into a pond.
 
And at one of the barbecues we saw someone cooking. Would you believe it? It was a Giant Frog sizzling sausages. He had on a black coat, blue shorts, a chefs hat and sunnies. We thought it was cool and wondered if he might give us a sausage to eat.

Suddenly someone said, "Look at that." A long snake with sharp fangs came slithering out of the bushes. It wrapped itself around a possum, and started squeezing the life out of it. The possum tried to fight back but the snake squeezed tighter and tighter and dragged the possum across the grass, between the picnic tables and towards the barbecue. He went past an old man in a black suit. He was trying to light something with his cigarette lighter.

While this was happening, the frog, who hadn't noticed the drama, turned on his radio. When the frog heard his favourite song, he put his sunnies on and danced about singing, "Spice up your life. Yeah, yeah, yeah."

The snake dragged the possum across the frog's webbed feet, as he climbed up a gum tree and said, "Hey frog will you cook thisssss possssssum for me? Sssssssss."

Colouring pencil drawing of a frog and snake.
 
"Ok," said the frog, "Do you want some chilli sauce on it?".

"Yesssss," said the snake and dropped the possum on the barbecue plate.

The snake slid further and further out along the branch of the gum tree trying to get closer to the wonderful smell of barbequed possum. He went too far. The branch broke and the snake fell, "Eeeeeeeeehhh," kaplump, right onto the barbecue.

As quick as a speeding lorikeet, the frog picked up the chilli sauce and sprinkled some on the snake as well and lifted the snake and possum onto his plate.

"Ohhhh yum, yum - barbequed sausages, possum patties and snake spare ribssssss," said the frog.

Before he could eat anything the possum called out, "Please don't eat me," and the snake said, "Ssssssave my ssssssoul!"

Just when we were wondering what the frog was going to do a kookaburra flew down from a gum tree, snatched a sputtering stick of gelignite from the old man and dropped it right on the frog's dinner plate.

Bang!
Colouring pencil drawing of a possum flying through the air watched by bandicoots.
 
The whole three of them exploded into the air and were never seen again.
 
However after we finished our excursion and got back to Ferny Hills State School we were surprised to see a pair of sunnies, a chef's hat, a snake skin and some possum fur down by the old shed at the back of the school. That's why nobody, and I mean nobody, goes near that old shed in case that frog still likes to barbeque and sing 'Spice Up Your Life.'

(This story was created during a special creativity session with Year 3.3 at Ferny Hills State Primary School. I've edited and blended three different written versions from Jessica, Hannah and Tim to make up this Web version. Illustrations used here have been provided by Joe and Jessica. Thanks to all the students in yr 3.3 and their teacher, Jan Burgess, for your creativity.)

All contents copyright (C) 1998, Daryll Bellingham. All rights reserved.
These stories are available for downloading for the purpose of reading and telling to friends and family. If you do so, please acknowledge the creators and this Web site.

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Storytelling in Australia

Daryll Bellingham, Storyteller
P.O. Box 5300, West End, Q4101, 
Brisbane, Australia
Tel. 61 (0)7 3846 3135
Mob. 0417 478408
Email. mail@storytell.com.au 
 
All contents copyright (C) 2001, Daryll Bellingham. All rights reserved.
Last update: 26th August, 2003.
URL of this page: www.storytell.com.au/stories/spice.html