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Post by questa on Oct 7, 2022 23:29:33 GMT
Totally inefficacious.
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Post by questa on Oct 7, 2022 23:17:20 GMT
The 5th La Nina in 18 months is affecting the whole east coast of Oz. The ground is waterlogged and floodwaters are well over record heights. Idiots with testosterone overload are trying to water ski under and over bridges, drive through rushing creeks or surf the dam spillways. The dams are releasing water and are in a precarious state. It is hard to remember the years of drought when you see all this.
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Post by questa on Oct 7, 2022 9:41:07 GMT
It has become extraneous.
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Post by questa on Oct 7, 2022 9:32:46 GMT
Tod, I have vague memories of a neighbour's kid being given cotton-wool sandwiches after swallowing some sharp screws.
The reason that fish was always served with lemon juice and bread was the thought that the bread would wrap around the swallowed bones and the juice would dissolve the sharper ones.
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Post by questa on Oct 6, 2022 22:45:40 GMT
I was in Iran a few years ago and had the luck to share a picnic with some students...young women. They don't want to give up the veil as they said that in class and practice the teachers and male students took them more seriously and treated them as equals, whereas by slipping it back over the crown of the head (risky in public) that showed they were immature and flighty.
I wonder what they think now?
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Post by questa on Oct 6, 2022 0:46:02 GMT
I am lucky in that I can observe the illness objectively and subjectively ...'this illness causes loss of balance' or 'I lose my balance and fall down'. By shifting my thinking to the objective more I seem to manage things better and feel more in control. I really had a bad time when my driver's licence was recalled. Living in this hilly country, 4km from nearest shops and all my contacts living 20km or so away left me bereft. Fortunately the Govt has just started a program whereby I can have a car and driver on 24 hours notice, free. I am still missing the actual feel of driving...it was my sport and hobby, motor sport, rallying and long solo excursions camping in the desert. I'll get over it! s20.postimg.cc/ga8dp0nl9/wink.png
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Post by questa on Oct 4, 2022 12:25:58 GMT
Thank you for your kind words, Mick,
Bjd. You are right in thinking my nursing background helps. I understand the processes that are taking place in my brain and body, what is "normal" and what I must report to my GP. Only the frequent falls earlier this year scared me...about 3 a week resulting in broken hands, fingers and 3 whacks to head (on concrete) causing mild concussion. I Google everything then hit my Doctor for back-up.
My best learning is the 4 afternoons in Sept and Oct at the major hospital where the neurologists are teaching junior doctors about Parkinson's. They observe my tremor, gait, manner of movement etc. They ask intelligent questions and I get to learn new information. I don't want to join the club that is for Parkies. It would scare me to see the endgame people.
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Post by questa on Oct 4, 2022 7:59:50 GMT
It is the anyport mob that keep me on top of things. Without your interest in how I am doing and your l-o-o-ong distance caring I would not be so chipper. You have heard about having "support circles" for the bad days...well, you are mine with all your ups and downs and caring for each other, you remind me that I am not the only pebble on the beach, so suck it up, Girl, and get on with it.
Yesterday I planted 16 assorted shrubs...rosemary, lavender + Ozzy ones. Today gale force winds have flattened the lot!
C'est la vie
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Post by questa on Oct 4, 2022 4:59:47 GMT
Dependence is not as threatening as I thought it would be. As you know I moved to a retirees village when my sons realised I was too far from them to come and pick me up when I fell (often). I have help from the staff for housework, gardening, shopping and socialising. Last July I had to surrender my driver's licence which is a terrible shock as I used it a lot. Now I am also getting help in dispensing my medications. a fairly tedious process x5 times /day. I am so glad a trained person is on the dot with them ready when due. I still oversee it all just to make sure, if I get it wrong my Parkies plays up on me.
I am on a new-ish med called Madopor...the Memory pill. I can feel the improvement as I don't have to grope in my memory for simple words anymore, remember what I had for dinner etc. It has a slew of side effects which I am sorting out.
Living quietly with my little ball of white fluff. Pixie. She is the perfect dog for me...well trained and affectionate. She has become a favourite with the other people in the village. I will try to post a pic but she looks like Mick's Barney.
I have had all the tests for dementia and just squeeze into the "normal" group...so far! However I am misplacing things, forgetting and misunderstanding more than I did a few months ago. The horrible pain I had in my scalp, shoulders and neck has responded well to botox.
I have also been de-cluttering and find I am not so attached to my mementoes as I was a year ago. I was holding a travel souvenir recently deciding it's fate, when the words jumped into my mind..."That was then, this is Now" and I felt like it didn't matter if it went.
However, I still remember I have Parkinsons and will probably develop Dementia. I have placed a DNR authority in my medical notes and plan to get it tattooed on my chest...to match the pink lotus on my ankle. My specialist said I have to officially ask for the assisted program, they are not allowed to raise it as an option. Anything rather than like my friend who turned into a monster!
mean while...press on regardless, chaps!
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Post by questa on Oct 3, 2022 22:27:22 GMT
Hang in there, Huckle, We are thinking of you!
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Post by questa on Oct 3, 2022 3:23:11 GMT
How about we play a game "If I were Truss I'd give main attention too... (or leader of whatever country you choose)
If I were Truss I'd resign now, before they realise I haven't a clue about anything.
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Post by questa on Oct 3, 2022 2:02:52 GMT
Maybe the Russians know they are going down the hatch and are trying to offload materiel from the quartermaster's store to other flag-wavers...who cares what flag it is? s20.postimg.cc/t5bry1dgt/cheesy.png
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Post by questa on Oct 3, 2022 1:44:26 GMT
My condolences to you and your friends, cheery. Gill was probably correct in her thinking that the vaccines were not sufficiently tested at the time, but time and the 2 years of usual complete testing were a luxury that the world could not afford. People were dying in their thousands and the price to stop this was paid by Gill, those who loved her and maybe hundreds more similar incidents. Further tests will make the vaccines safer and Gill's death will not be in vain.
Over the years I have been vaccinated for the usual child/adult series plus smallpox, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, pneumonia, TB, meningitis and others. Each time I have worried about the side effects, then decided the risk was better than the illness. Only the typhoid (the old infamous TAB formula) gave me any trouble.
Doctors and nurses got most of the public's praise and gratitude at the height of the pandemic, however up there with the champions are the scientists and laboratory technicians who saved millions of lives...Just like Gill and you.
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Post by questa on Oct 2, 2022 8:59:53 GMT
Excellent choice...he looks like a Barney which I associate with a goofy sense of humour...I think you will get a lot of laughs with him.
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Post by questa on Oct 1, 2022 22:27:31 GMT
She looks exactly like my rescue girl, Pixie who is a Maltese cross Shih=Tzu according to the staff. A few people have thought she was Bichon Frise and I think she looks like Barry's stunt double.
He is gorgeous and will give you lots of laughs with his innocent little face saying "Who? Me??" when caught in the act. A long and happy life to you all.
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Post by questa on Oct 1, 2022 11:15:39 GMT
Do you have a new dog? or are you pleased with a new trail for dogs? If the former...congratulations and introduce us to him/her, please
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Post by questa on Sept 29, 2022 23:17:56 GMT
I accept that we are keeping the monarchy albeit in a slimmed down form...but the House of Lords needs to be replaced. We do need a second house, but members should be elected and a government shouldn't be able to just appoint lots of their supporters. Being a member of the 2nd house shouldn't be for life either. Proportional representation is a much healthier (and fairer) electoral system than the one we have now (first past the post...whatever that means). Also, if a Prime Minister is dethroned by his or her party then we should return to the ballot box. I'm fed up of the way a few hundred people can decide who leads the country. Cheery, this hits the nail on the head! Cut out all the dead wood and start again. Proportional Rep. is the only way to go in this modern multi faceted democracy. NZ has its own problems but governance is not one of them. Compulsive voting should be introduced, maybe starting with the younger age groups first. Wouldn't it be great to see UK politics dragged whining all the way into the 21st century.
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Post by questa on Sept 29, 2022 3:20:38 GMT
THINK POSITIVE, PEOPLE ! Your tiny little island has weathered greater storms than this. It is part of the heritage of the past 1000 years that you "Keep calm and carry on" while other nations, with greater assets and opportunities fall in a heap. It is the bull-dog tenacity that we inherited from the settlers and convicts that keeps our country going in fires, floods, famines and fools for governments.
The pandemic woke everyone to the prospect of "failed states" where everyone was in defeatist mode. This is not the British way that I learned as a child of the Empire and later Commonwealth. Heroes and heroines leapt out of our history books and inspired even more. Now it's time for more to emerge no matter what colour, gender, creed or ancestral class. Start by saying "My country is as good as any and better than most."
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Post by questa on Sept 28, 2022 11:28:54 GMT
Don't fret, Mossie, give it 50 years and all today's forbidden words will be spoken with pride and the future maiden aunts will use the language of the streets with ne'er a blush.
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Post by questa on Sept 28, 2022 3:55:00 GMT
It happens in every organisation. Nurses who are great at touchy-feely and loved by their patients get posted in theatre where they are terrified they will make a mistake and freeze up, becoming not very useful, and stressed out..
Meanwhile the other nurse is trying to find something to challenge her skills that doesn't involve listening to the long rambling story of someone's varicose veins. She goes and cleans out the ward's medication fridge for the third time that week.
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Post by questa on Sept 28, 2022 0:52:47 GMT
DVTs are an ever-present risk for anyone flying...that is why the airlines have a list of exercises you are encouraged to do every half hour in the seat pocket (that could be better expressed !) s20.postimg.cc/9or2biict/embarassed.pngI ask for an aisle seat and get up and wander down to where there is a bit of room and do some exercises rotating legs, ankle circling, squats if possible. I keep away from the attendants and just smile at any passengers nearby...you meet the nicest people down the back! As well I do the sitting routine every 1/2 hour and drink water +++. You can buy pressure stockings to wear which helps the circulation, just check the tops are not rolling over and constricting circulation. Remember I have a 4 hour flight just to get out of Australian air-space...7 to Bali and 9+ to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok...my usual jumping off bases. There are excellent articles if you just Google 'DVT flying' Remember it is 'possible but not probable'. Have a great time!
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Post by questa on Sept 26, 2022 23:35:13 GMT
I hope all of you who are anywhere near areas that are or may become dangerous have already got your "escape bags" by the front door. I know we have some writers in our midst...check the safety of your manuscripts and notes. A friend of my son's put a copy of his 9 years of research at his home and another at his parent's home 15 km away, both got destroyed by bushfires. Son now has copies of his thesis in 3 STATES.
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Post by questa on Sept 26, 2022 1:47:51 GMT
Come on,,,you love a pooch with get up and go spirit. I would not like a dog that lay around posing his/her beautiful coat all day and didn't like getting her feet wet. (see Afghan hound, Weimaraner etc)
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Post by questa on Sept 24, 2022 21:35:09 GMT
When a writer finishes another's work, do they follow the style and idiosyncrasies of the first, or use his/her own style? How much new plot or characters is allowed?
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Post by questa on Sept 20, 2022 21:58:26 GMT
I had a friend who was as bald as an egg by 30 years. He used to say ,"Us blokes have the same hormones, if you want to waste yours on growing hair...well, up to you!" and gives a knowing shrug.
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Post by questa on Sept 20, 2022 2:16:58 GMT
In Oz we say Morl. The word was not known before shopping malls. After it became a "thing" the usual in-fighting between states decided on call it a morl so it reminded them of "Ball", only word in some Oz lexicons
Re HRH Anne She may not have seen military action like her brothers but she is
'"In New Zealand Princess Anne is Colonel in Chief of The Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals and The Royal New Zealand Army Nursing Corps. 25) In Australia The Princess Royal is Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Australian Corps of Signals and The Royal Australian Corps of Transport.
She knows the who. when and where etc of her troops and has a record for "not suffering fools gladly"
Surely her Olympic medals should count for military action...landing on her face in a pool of mud sounds about right.
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Post by questa on Sept 18, 2022 13:53:56 GMT
Rev Spooner came upon a young couple having a cuddle in the pub "Oh I see you have found a cosy little nook" he said But that was not what came out....
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Post by questa on Sept 17, 2022 23:33:09 GMT
The old guy looks pretty interesting too.
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Post by questa on Sept 17, 2022 13:11:01 GMT
More factoids...there is (was?)a beefeater doing the guard/tour guide bit. He was at least a handspan taller than the others and had a parade ground gravelly voice and an incredible accent. He also had a line of jokes and funny stories that kept his group in stitches the whole time.
Now-a-days the Tower is converted into 40 family homes for the people who have family connections with the Tower. The younger ones don't like having to sign in and out. Pizza and other deliveries gave troubles until they declared Front gate only. They have a few ghosts but say "it is only to be expected, given the history" (don't you just love the Brits!)
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Post by questa on Sept 16, 2022 22:11:35 GMT
In a similar vein, I was wondering whether all those embroidered outfits worn during the parades and ceremonies have been made recently or whether they are old clothes only brought out for special occasions. I mean that, from what I have seen, the average Briton is much heavier than people were even a few decades ago, so are these costumes adjusted? Made new just in case? I don't know for certain about the heralds, but there are specialist tailors making the uniforms, presumably they can turn out the fancy stuff. Somebody must be making the Beefeater uniforms and the clergy wear some ornate outfits. Other countries have fancy uniforms/ceremonial dress too. The style may not change but the materials pobably do. I watched an excellent doco bout the Tower of London. An older married couple live there and are in charge of the domestic aspect. He is a Beefeater and she still makes the costumes and does the repairs and alterations to all the uniforms. The 8 yo grand-daughter is staying with them and this gives the excuse for teaching us all the "behind the scenes" information. Amongst his duties he is the keeper of the Royal Ravens and has bred a good strong flock of (to me) horrible black birds. There are many uniforms coming in for repair...big event coming up and the troops must look immaculate. No loose buttons or stains "You've put on a bit of weight, Sir, I'll let it out a little." Phones fabric supplier for needed braid...out of stock...phones France... We are shown how the various troops have subtle differences in uniforms and how the current troops have light weight fabric to remain cool. The great furry head gear is not made from bear skin any more, it is made from [shudder] acrylic.
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