Durrow Scarecrow(稻草人) Festival 2022 will take place from July 24th to August 1st! The whole city is running a scarecrow competition and all the works will be shown during the festival. That will be nine full days of family friendly fun, along with other activities , including traditional games, and charitable activities!

Humans have used scarecrows around the world for over 3,000 years. The first recorded use of scarecrows was by the Egyptians to protect their wheat fields along the Nile River. Scarecrows were mainly used to scare away hungry birds. Nowadays, numerous exciting and enjoyable scarecrow festivals are born for all the citizens to attend.

The England scarecrow festival started in 1994. A man held a charitable activity by encouraging villagers to make scarecrows depicting (描绘) their jobs. The idea of homemade scarecrows arose people’s interest. Later, the festival grew into England’s village tradition. Every year it attracts countless visitors from all over the world to join in the fun.

Scarecrow festivals help people let their creativity out by experiencing DIY with straw. They also become a talking point for neighbors who have never met each other before. Citizens join in the fun and show off their creative flair(才华) to each other. Besides, through the competition, the team spirit will be displayed.

Thanksgiving is a day for family members and friends. When I lived in France, my friends and I decided to have a “friendsgiving” in November because we were so far away from our homes. We decided to have the dinner at my friend Grace’s apartment in Paris. But it was difficult to get a turkey because French people don’t have Thanksgiving. The day before our “friendsgiving” dinner, Grace and I went to different markets to look for a turkey. It took us hours, but we finally found one.

The next day, everyone brought different foods to share. While we waited for the turkey to cook, we played cards and told stories. Suddenly we heard a loud sound BANG! We all ran to the kitchen. The water pipes (水管) under Grace’s kitchen sink (水槽) were broken. The kitchen was filling with water very fast.

“Everyone, take the food up to the roof (屋顶) at once!” Grace shouted. We ran to the roof with all the food. Grace ran outside to turn off the water. That’s when we realized the turkey was still in the oven. We ran back to the kitchen, found some gloves, and pulled the turkey out of the oven.

In the end, we had an amazing “friendsgiving” dinner on the roof of the house with all of our good friends. The turkey was a little darker but still delicious.

Life is full of the unexpected. Sometimes small problems can become sweet memories. I will never forget this “friendsgiving” dinner.

Last week Grandpa called me. He asked me to spend my vacation with him. He lives in a mountain village. It’s small but it’s very cool in summer. It’s very hot in our city. So I often feel bored here. I was very happy and thanked him. I said, “I’m going to visit you when our summer vacation begins.”

It was July 5th last Tuesday. Parents took me to the supermarket and we bought some delicious food. They told me to take it to my grandpa. The next morning Daddy took me to the train station. It was the first time for me to have a trip by myself. But I felt relaxed. I was fourteen and I learned a lot in geography classes. The train left at six o’clock. I looked out of the windows in the train. I found the scenery (景色) was beautiful. I wasn’t tired at all.

At four in the afternoon my train arrived at a station. I saw my grandpa standing outside. I got off the train and ran to him. He was happy when he saw me. I looked at him up and down. He was old but strong.

His village is about three kilometers from the station. We walked there. I looked around. The mountains are high and green. I thought I could have a good time there.