My Diary place
Not sure who will read it or if anyone wants to, so I guess it is for me. I can put things here when I need to and if you are reading this remember it is just the ramblings of me. So I will put things here and it will not get in anyone elses way.
I know that recently many people have really suffered because of the Covid virus and in many different ways but hey… this is my diary so it has to be about me, sorry! I hate that I cannot do things, normal things, even to be scared of things that are kind of ‘lessons’ in life. Like finding me a handsome boy to kiss, and yes, that makes my face go a little bit red with embarrassment. Still, one can dream of things and perhaps I am not quite ready just yet. I am almost an adult, which is very scary and I have no idea how to do things, with no confidence in me, to commit to being one… yet! Perhaps I will never be able to live alone or drive a car but who cares, if I added up all the things, I cannot do then I would be forgetting the things I can. If I could be bold to suggest that everyone reaches my age and feels the same, they just fail to share that it felt pretty scary at the time to them as well. So, recently things have been scary, strange, weird and the rest and that is not how I want things to be. Perhaps most people did not at my age have a pandemic going on but hey to hell with it, this Ame needs to dream. I want to be thrown out of a casino for counting cards, to be so drunk I sing songs which strangers, to trespass in Area 51, to tell really rude jokes not just because they are things that will get me in trouble but because they would be fun. Plus, I want to see them aliens! So, if you will excuse me, I have to take all this heavy crappy nasty stuff off me and kick it in the bottom. Sod off… see my inner Lincolnshire girl is alongside my Catalonian need to kick things. Sometimes you need to say the F word and have a good shake. Let me dream…
So, Listen Up we are going to do some history right now. Sit down unless you are already sitting down in which case, stand up! Why you ask? Because I am currently The Boss Lady so if you mess with me, then you will regret it. [I have the feeling I am being too confident but I am hoping to make it work somehow.] People think we discover history but that is simply not true, we create it but not like that. This is the very short tale of Easter [egg] Island and I have heard a whole lot of nonsense so you better listen up and get it right…
Easter Island: No Nonsense Edition
It is NOT a mystery; we know what happened so stop making stuff up and before you ask no it has nothing to do with aliens. Again, STOP MAKING STUFF UP. The Egyptians built the pyramids so you are being so silly by suggesting anything else. When I was little, I thought that if you went north through the arctic you would appear in Antarctica but I happened to be little at the time. And to be honest that works on the East-West axis so perhaps it was not too silly to think it works in the north-south axis. Ok… that is out now. I feel much better. Moving on, Easter [egg] Island is located somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, in fact it was rather a miracle that the first Polynesians found it and then called it home. In 1722 on Easter Sunday the explorer Roggeveen was called to the main deck because the crew had spotted what was until then, in Europe, a mystical place. From the histories of Easter Island, Clive Ponting wrote that around 3000 people living in hunts and caves, engaged in warfare and then finally cannibalism which ended their own civilisation. Not only did they built strange heads made of stone but they pushed themselves to destruction by doing so. It was believed that since the 10th Century a small group had somehow found the island, built a society albeit a rudimentary one, that cut down all the trees which resulted in a lack of food and warmth. By the time Roggeveen in 1722 only a few thousand inhabitants remained and they were eating each other. This is a typical 18th century picture that any European would hold, to fail to see a rich culture but it is not actually true.
One of the most bizarre cultural examples is the islander’s language, the direction of writing is from left to right, the same as in English. However, when you finish the line you had to turned the thing you are reading it from upside-down, then read left to right, then at the end again turn it upside-down to continue and so on… This is called ‘Reverse Boustrophedon’ and you can read the Rongo-rongo by visiting Rome (when things get back to normal). The Dutch, Spanish and British from Captain James Cook, never reported encountering the Rongo-rongo or written Rapanui, the language of the Easter Islanders. Then again, European explorers had the very bad habit of not paying much attention and assuming that our, certainly my, culture was just superior despite evidence against this notion. So, let’s return to Easter Sunday in 1722, on approaching the Island one of the Easter Islanders got into a canoe and set off to inspect the funny looking Europeans. Once aboard, Bolton Corney said, the Islander was amazed at the great high masks, went around exploring this strange ship and then poured brandy into his eyes. I am not sure if this one individual represented all of the Islanders. Roggeveen and his crew did, however, get into their rowboats to return interest.
The crew saw a crowd gathering on the beach as they approached the island. Still, something was weird the Moai or stone heads could not really be understood. Actually, in Roggeveen’s logbook1 he wrote “we could not understand”. See I told you! Further adding “how it was [it] possible… [that] without construction gear, had [they] been able to erect them”. Kind of sounds like the same approach people have to the great pyramids of Egypt. By the time Katherine Routledge came to Easter Island in 1914 not a single Moai, stone head, remained standing complete or undamaged. So, what happened on Easter Island? It is thought that Polynesians did find the island sixteen hundred miles away from South America, in canoes around the 10th century. This is where it becomes again a very European story. When Roggeveen and 134 of his men landed on Easter Island, some got into a battle formation and without warning fired five or so musket shots, after some panic thirty more before they accepted the order to stop. As the islanders fled further inland ten people were dead, including the man who poured brandy into his eyes. Roggeveen was really mad but none of his men suffered any punishment, though later he and the other funny looking Europeans had a party with the islanders. It is not known if the brandy helped the situation or not, though I am guessing it might have been.
Spanish Galleons visited and claimed Easter Island for the king of Spain, later they dropped that claim as more pressing stuff was going on back home. Four years later an English expedition once again discovered the island, led by one Captain James Cook despite the whole expedition being based on the assumption Easter Island was just a myth. Cook did report that the Moai, the stone heads, had left to weather with many of the foundations were in decay2. A Russian sailor’s account in 1804 reported that most of the Moai had fallen over or perhaps been knocked over on purpose. Later several researchers wrote in the Journal of World Archaeology cited the idea of ‘cargo cults’ as perhaps what happened3. The name comes from mainly the USA setting up in areas and regions around the world during the Second World War, this altered the culture and beliefs of those that had lived there. Although this happened with other World War Two powers, the locals had no context and saw the army as ‘god-like’. In short, they dropped their customs and imitated the newcomers. This is what is believed to happen to the Easter Islanders, the Europeans successfully undermined local beliefs and changed long held behaviours. It was around the same time the island’s inhabitants started building European style houses.
But that is not the sad part; one day in 1862 the first slave ship arrived at the island, Peruvian slave merchants with 16 ships took 1407 of the islanders. Many of these kidnapped people died in either mines or through diseases that they had not been exposed to before. Half a world away the ideals of morality had been changing and, in the end, this paved the way for the end of slavery as it had been known for centuries and the deadliest revolution in France. By 1863 the Peruvian government after receiving pressure both internally and from the rest of the world agreed to return the islanders. The remaining 470 islanders were gathered in the port of Callao and then bored an American whaling ship. Unfortunately, one of the crew had small pox and by the time the former slaves got home, only 15 of the 470 had survived small pox and the lack of food. These 15 people who by now had been exposed to small pox sealed the fate for everyone living on Easter Island, by 1877 the pox killed all but 100 or so of the Easter Islanders. This marked the end of their culture and Easter Island became a mythical place that once existed4. A culture had been destroyed not by themselves but ‘us’ Europeans.
No aliens, no starving from cutting all the trees down, no cannibalism just plain and simple destruction. As for the Aztecs they definitely had alien help!
1. https://www.easterisland.travel/easter-island-facts-and-info/history/ship-logs-and-journals/jacob-roggeveen-1722/
2. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Voyage_Towards_the_South_pole_and_Around_the_World/Volume_II/Chapter_VIII
3. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00438243.2010.517670
4. https://www.archaeology.org/news/1649-131216-easter-island-never-collapsed
@Avaray
Hello Avaray,
I can share chocolate begrudgingly however; I can of course make toast with marmite on it although we only have fruit teas or English Breakfast (we have coffee as well). I have never had a job but if you do not like it then I am happy that you did quit it. To be honest a good thing about the pandemic for me is that mommy is here which I kind of like, you would have to ask mommy if she likes it or not. So, it is a good thing for you perhaps to have a new job that means you can stay at home some of the time. At least you will travel less which of course reduces the risk of encountering a mischievous monkey with naughtiness in mind. Hopefully if you need some medicine then it will help you as well. I still do not know what kind of fieldwork, so I am guessing some sort of excavation of some tomb from a lost civilisation. Yes, that is correct, me thinks.
I am doing well, yesterday I had my Dutch speaking exam which went well, I think. I still have to catch up with spelling but I get extra time to do that. Having dyslexia sometimes is a good thing, the number if J’s in Dutch sometimes is an annoying thing. School is still weird because only half the class can be there at a time and my school is not that big to start with. I officially start normal school on Monday but I kind of like it 
My family is well, when granddad stops telling bad jokes I know things are going wrong. So far, the granddad jokes are still very bad! Just my bestest friend (she is family) might be going away to school in the autumn so blah. We will see, *hugs* Be good and be on the look out for monkeys. Plus yes you can have some chocolate, I am not that mean.
Ame
@AmalieAnne
@Avaray
@Avaray@Avaray
*pets Benji* why doggies always find really strange ways of sleeping, I think that is why I like them
@Avaray Hello,
Three doggies are quite a lot but then you have other pets as well! The ridgeback is called Cupcake and the third one I would need to see a picture but I am thinking maybe Fluffy if it fits. I am not sure why I am naming your pets despite them most likely already having names. In one country, forgot which one, it is illegal to have just one guinea pig, because they need a friend. I think that works for the humans as well
We are doing alright in the northern part, still a ‘European trapped in Canada’ but hopefully soon we can go see everyone. I am looking after my God Sister on Saturday night, my kind of, first official duty. Mommy is here umm… as a consultant… kind of! I have three exams in a couple of weeks which I am not worried about, well apart Dutch exam because spelling is difficult. Hopefully my brain will behave himself. How are you doing down in the South?
**huggles**
@AmalieAnne
still have to extend the lower level into a play area and put up cage doors etc, so still work in progress.
@Avaray
Good Morning Lady Avaray,
It is so HOT here that now I know why Molly just jumps into the water, she can swim very well for a doggy. We have been going for walkies later on, when it is not so hot but I always have the Mommybeast attack me with sun block and I wear a hat of course. The thing I do not like about summer are bugs, if they could leave me alone that would be lovely 
My babysitting went ok, Button has just turned 1 years old a couple of weeks ago and she has a lot of energy. In the end she slept in my bed and that made her sleep. I did enjoy reading a bedtime story to her though, its ok to get a little mixed up, she does not mind and I do not get nervous.
When you said fox terroir, I was not thinking of him like that, perhaps more fox like. If I can find it, I will put the video of foxes laughing because it is so cute. But he is allowed to be grumpy, you said that he never learned to play so I am thinking you adopting him. Which is lovely and now he has two other friends to play with when he is not grumpy of course. He is very handsome as well. I really love the guinea pig cage, if you go buy one it costs money and is kind of boring but making your own. So, they have each other and lots of things to do in their cage. Once you get the mesh thing they can move in . I knew someone when we lived in the UK, their guinea pigs, rabbit and cat at night would all share the sleeping area of the cage. They got along, the cat I think played during the start of the night and then got tired so he went to see his friends for a little sleep.
You have gone back into lock down, which is pants. Here, I want people to be safe but I also need to eat fish and chips with granddad. So, I am hoping that soon we can travel without having to isolate for a month. I am even missing my annoying sister. We talk and write of course, also the whatsapp on mommy’s phone or computer. It is just not the same. My exams will be fine, I am just worried by the Dutch written exam. The Dutch put a j in everywhere because of sneakiness. Any who *hugs*. Best regard,
Emperor Ame 
@AmalieAnne
Oooh thanks Ames, I think they heard your warning, things seem to be a lot quieter... Thank you 😁💕
It was a very bad time with so much destruction, I'm still kindof numb and tired.
But on a positive....
we found our latest family members. Layla and Chloe.
We will collect them on Saturday.
My daughter is so excited as it's an early birthday present.
see picture attached. Also sent picture of our cockatiels, Charlie and Annie.
Hugs my friend xx 
@Avaray God they are behaving themselves, it was either me or the threat of Mama. Hopefully, things will be back to kind of normal now and then you will not be worrying, so you will start to feel better. I am going camping tomorrow just to let you know. I love the names of your birds and new family members Hopefully they both house that you made for them. Any who, *hugs* if I do not return assume I have been eaten by a bear 
@Avaray
That is it *kicks it* owwwwwwwwwwwWW I normally write things in Word and then cut and paste just in case it does that to me. Plus it kind of helps with the spelling