SHOW NOTES: Chapter 2: Matthew Cuthbert is Surprised was read by: Emma Watkins (The Wiggles) from the lands of the Wallumedegal people/Darug nation in NSW, Australia. Thank you Emma!
Did you know that Emma had taught on online ballet class this morning already! She’s up early!
Our question for you today is: What local landmark would you rename to make it give you a thrill, the way Anne renames everything? Like Barry’s Pond/The Lake of Shining Waters.
Fun Facts:
How could we have missed this first off? WHAT IS A GABLE? It’s the bit underneath where the two slope-y bits of the roof meet.
Emma’s little goats are miniature goats - she’s not completely sure of their background. Dolce (brown one) is a Nigerian cashmere pygmy goat and the other little dear is a boy Gigi (not sure exactly what kind of goat though)
Her little dog is called Dali, like, Salvador Dali.
Can goats drink tea? Turns out they can!
Matthew Cuthbert knows you should nod to everyone you meet on PEI. Other acceptable greetings include: ‘What are you saying?’ or ‘G’day b’ys’.
Is Prince Island the ‘bloomiest place’? Yes it is.
What were those screaming birds? White cockatoos for sure, maybe a butcher bird. But yes, mostly white cockatoos. Loads of them.
There were also a few examples of a unique Australian species: ‘the bogan’ in the background.
What makes the PEI red roads red? A high iron-oxide (rust) content. This is not the answer that romantic Anne would need, we know.
Where’s that from?
There’s a quote in the first paragraph: "the little birds sang as if it were the one day of summer in all the year.” It’s from The Vision of Sir Launfal by James Russell Lowell and refers to a day in June, which is when this chapter takes place. (Very happy for any community help about what the rest of Mr Lowell’s poem actually means)
Corrections/Fixer-Uppers:
Translations: ‘Hethanish’ (pron) = ‘Heathen-ish’. It means: a person who does not belong to a widely held religion (big news back in the day). Matthew reckons Diana’s name is ‘dreadful heathenish’. But that’s Avonlea for you.
“Alabraster Brow” = ‘Alabaster brow’ - thanks to Google we’re all over this! It means you’re super pale in the old ‘bodice ripper’ style romances. And probably ‘tragical’.
We want to clarify at the end that where Matthew is worried that he’s going to be assisting in murdering ‘something’ - it’s simile.
Wintergreen lyric check for Emma and Dali beautifully singing us out: Let it breathe, if it doesn't breathe, it's gonna die, Let us see, if you let it be, is it gonna fly?, Set it free, And if it leaves we say goodbye, Web we weave, And then we grieve, And then we cry, I want to tell you before I forget, You're doing well, You know you're living it, You're gonna make it no matter how hard it gets, Despite the darkness, Some of these days. (How appropriate. But you ARE gonna make it.)
What Is?:
*A sorrel mare? *again!: A horse where the mane and tail can be the same color as the body, or blonde. You’re still welcome.
**‘Bearding the lion in his den?’ To confront risk or danger head on, especially for the sake of possible personal gain. Refers to a proverb based on a Bible story from I Samuel, in which David hunts goes after a lion that stole a lamb, grabs it by the beard, and kills it. Come on David. Lions gonna Lion. (This is used when describing how Matthew feels having to go talk to Anne for the first time)
***Wincey (the fabric of Anne’s dress: A plain or twilled fabric with wool weft and cotton or linen warp that is used especially for warm shirts, skirts, and pajama.
****A carpet bag: Carpetbags were the first suitcases made in large numbers, called so because the makers would buy old carpets and make the bags from the pieces of carpet that were not completely worn out. Imagine if carpeting bags had come into fashion after the great era of 80s nightclub carpets.
*****An alabaster brow - see above!
******Crocus: a beautiful, strong little flower that’s one of the first ones to pop up in Spring in PEI.
Today’s crew:
Goats: Dolce and Gigi
Doggeroo: Dali
Tech Support: The Big O (who was wearing a yellow tee shirt in solidarity but you never got to see it)
Background Support: Team TEP across the borders and oceans