A bit more about dinosaurs

 

Today I’m sharing a little more about dinosaurs, such as the word dinosaur means “terrible lizard.” It comes from two ancient Greek words: deinos, meaning “terrible” or “fearfully great,” and sauros, meaning “lizard.” The name was created in 1842 by the British scientist Sir Richard Owen to describe a group of large, extinct reptiles whose fossils had been discovered. Although the name includes the word “lizard,” dinosaurs were a distinct group of reptiles rather than ordinary lizards.

One of the earliest known dinosaurs was Eoraptor. It lived about 230 million years ago during the Late Triassic Period in what is now Argentina. Eoraptor was a small dinosaur that walked on two legs and was about the size of a large dog. Its name means “dawn thief.”

Dinosaurs were traditionally divided into two main classifications based on the shape of their hip bones:

Saurischia — “lizard-hipped” dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex, long-necked sauropods, and birds.

Ornithischia — “bird-hipped” dinosaurs, including Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and duck-billed dinosaurs.

Each classification contained many smaller groups and thousands of species. Interestingly, birds evolved from the lizard-hipped group, not the bird-hipped group.

Scientists know of more than 1,000 species of non-bird dinosaurs from fossils. The exact number keeps changing because about 50 new dinosaurs are named each year, while scientists sometimes decide that two named fossils belonged to the same species. Many more dinosaur species probably remain undiscovered.

How to Make a Safe U-Turn While Driving in Australia

 

I think anyone who drives has at some point made a U-turn, it may be a handy way to change direction, but if not done safely it may result in an accident or a fine it done somewhere it’s not legal to do.

So you should only make the turn where it is legal, and you have a clear view, also it should only be done when you can complete it without forcing anyone else to slow down or change course.

In Australia the road rules are broadly similar, but important details vary between states and territories. Always obey signs, traffic lights, lane arrows and line markings. Do not make a U-turn where a “No U-turn” sign applies, and do not cross dividing lines that prohibit it. At traffic lights, a U-turn may be permitted in some jurisdictions only when a sign allows it, while other jurisdictions apply different rules. Check the current road rules for the state or territory in which you are driving.

Make sure your car is position correctly. Move into the appropriate lane or as close as practicable to the centre of the road, subject to local rules, lane markings and traffic conditions.

Signal clearly indicate right for long enough to give other road users reasonable notice. Keep checking your mirrors and blind spots.

Remember you have to give way to everyone as you generally have to give way to other vehicles and road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. Wait for a genuinely safe gap.

My research says that you can only make a U-turn at a roundabout if there are signs and lane markings permit a U-turn at the roundabout. However, I have never seen any of that and have often made a U-turn at a roundabout.

Also, even if a U-turn appears legal, it may not be sensible. Use some common sense and don’t do it near blind bends or hill crests, in heavy or fast-moving traffic, near busy pedestrian areas, or whenever your vehicle cannot complete the turn comfortably.

A U-turn should be one smooth turn and not a three-point turn.

In NSW, making a U-turn at an intersection without traffic lights contrary to a “No U-turn” sign carries a current penalty-notice fine of $339 and 2 demerit points.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid

Assuming the same rule applies in every state or territory.

Starting the turn before checking for motorcycles, bicycles or pedestrians.

Relying on another driver to stop or wave you through.

Turning across prohibited line markings.

Making the manoeuvre when visibility or road width is inadequate.

 

Our Lungs

 This week we are looking at our lungs which are two spongy organs in the chest that help us breathe. When we inhale, air travels through the nose or mouth, down the windpipe and into branching tubes inside the lungs. Tiny air sacs called alveoli move oxygen into the bloodstream, while carbon dioxide—a waste gas—moves out of the blood to be exhaled. The diaphragm, a strong muscle beneath the lungs, contracts and relaxes to draw air in and push it out. Healthy lungs support every part of the body, so regular exercise, avoiding smoke and breathing clean air can help protect them.

They are protective by the rib cage which is a protective framework of bones around the chest. It is made up of the ribs, the breastbone and part of the spine. The ribs help shield the lungs and heart from injury, while the muscles between them assist breathing by allowing the chest to expand when we inhale and become smaller when we exhale.

Inside the lungs, the windpipe divides into two main tubes called bronchi, one leading to each lung. These branch again and again into smaller tubes called bronchioles, like the branches of an upside-down tree. At their ends are millions of tiny air sacs called alveoli, surrounded by very small blood vessels called capillaries. Their thin walls allow oxygen to pass into the blood and carbon dioxide to pass out. Soft, stretchy tissue helps the lungs expand and spring back with every breath.

The two lungs are not exactly the same. The right lung is larger and has three sections, called lobes. The left lung is smaller and has two lobes because it shares space with the heart. It also has a small, curved area called the cardiac notch, where the heart sits.

 

 

Week 39 of 2026

 

I slept till the alarm went off again, it is a hot day, Tim left for work before I got up and will be home sometime this afternoon.

It reached 30c today and I turned the A/C on around 2.30pm not long before Tim got home, after about an hour I realised it wasn’t cooling the house down so went and checked it was on fan not cool, fixed that and all was good.

Steps: 6,799

I slept well woke up at 4.30am it was a good night. It is going to be another hot day, I will turn the A/C on if needed.

At 7.30 I start to feel really tired and at 9.30 I went and had a 20-minute nap.

The temp reached 30c around 11am which is when I turned the A/C on.

Tim will be home later than normal arriving home around 7.10pm

Steps: 8,630

OUR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY 42YRS TODAY

Another good night woke once around 1am then again at 4.30am, I was up at 4.50am. It is a cool wet morning and only expecting a top temp of only 18c, at 6am it was only 14c.

I am not feeling well this morning, and I don’t feel like doing anything.

This morning both Woolies and Coles arrived around the same time in fact the trucks would have passed each other at the top of the driveway.

Steps: 4,664

Had a pretty good night, woke only once too pee then I was up again at 4.30am and thankfully I am feeling better then yesterday. I even walked down and posted some letters off.

Not a warm day, nor a cold day, even though I don’t feel unwell I have little motivation to do anything.

I started putting my recliner back turn on the massage and close my eyes, the massage runs for 20 minutes and so I spend between 20 & 30 minutes having a nap.

Tim has booked our next holiday this will be the last major holiday we will go on in Tims’ mind. We are going to Perth on the Indian Pacific train, and we will spend 3 days in Perth, and we will be flying back to Sydney, we could fly straight back to Newcastle but that would cost twice as much as flying to Sydney. We will get a train from Sydney to Newcastle.

Steps:4,677

Had a good night waking with the alarm we are in for another warm day.

After I hung the washing up to dry, I felt really tired so had a 30-minute nap.

I needed two naps this afternoon and still by 5pm I was feeling tired and not with it again but by 6pm I was feeling more with it.

Steps: 6,777

Good night sleep woke with the alarm, I have a doctor’s appointment just need scripts, so I was in and out in only a couple of minutes.

Natasha also had a doctor’s appointment after me, but I didn’t get Tasha to take me as after the appointment Sue and I went to the shops, I explained to Tasha that I didn’t think she would want to take me shopping and she agreed. She had stuff to do after her appointment as well.

It is a hot day I had to turn the A/C on for a while the temp was 28c.

Steps: 9,827

Another good night up at 4.30am and had a shower I’m wearing a pair of shorts that as shorter in the legs which I generally don’t do but it is supposed to be 30c

I was sitting using the vibration board when I notice I was bleeding from a small cut on my finger; I have no idea how I cut it.

Tim went down to get a loaf of bread, and I asked for a cheese & pineapple roll, they gave him a cheesymite scroll two very different things.

It was a hot day, and I had the A/C on from around 11am, till 5pm.

Steps: 5, 966

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bit about Parkinson's part two

Now or part two of my bit about Parkinson's post 

Many of us become experts at hiding our struggles. We smile. We make conversation. We show up. We push through.

But behind that smile may be fatigue, pain, anxiety, brain fog, poor sleep, and a dozen other symptoms that nobody else can see.

That can be lonely.

It can be frustrating.

It can make you feel misunderstood.

The truth is that Parkinson’s is much more than a tremor.

It affects movement, thinking, emotions, sleep, energy levels, balance, speech, and so much more.

And every person experiences it differently.

So if you know someone with Parkinson’s, remember that there may be far more happening than what you can see.

And if you live with Parkinson’s yourself, remember this:

You are fighting battles every day that most people will never fully understand.

You keep getting up.

You keep adapting.

You keep moving forward.

That doesn’t make you weak.

It makes you stronger than they know.

The Origins of Dinosaurs

So, I was thinking about what to write about and while flipping through my Great Book of Predatory Animals and decided to write something about the origins of dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs originated during the Triassic Period, more than 230 million years ago, in a world very different from our own. Most of Earth’s land was joined into the supercontinent Pangaea, and the climate was generally warm and seasonally dry. The largest land animals belonged to a broad reptile group called the archosaurs, which also gave rise to crocodilians and pterosaurs.

Within the archosaurs, a lineage of lightly built, two-legged animals evolved longer hind limbs and an upright posture, placing the legs beneath the body rather than sprawling to the sides. These changes made movement more efficient and helped distinguish the earliest dinosaurs and their closest relatives from many other Triassic reptiles.

Some of the oldest widely accepted dinosaur fossils come from Late Triassic rocks in South America. Early forms such as Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus were relatively small compared with the giants that appeared later. They walked mainly on two legs, had grasping hands, and possessed teeth suited to varied diets, ranging from meat-eating to more general feeding.

Dinosaurs did not immediately dominate the land. For millions of years they lived alongside numerous other reptiles, including large predators and heavily armoured herbivores. Their early history was therefore one of gradual diversification rather than sudden conquest.

By the end of the Triassic, major environmental disruptions and extinction events eliminated many competing groups. Dinosaurs survived and expanded into newly available ecological roles. During the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, their descendants evolved into an extraordinary range of animals, from enormous, long-necked sauropods to horned herbivores, swift predators, and feathered forms.

The story of dinosaur origins is still being refined as new fossils are discovered. What is clear is that dinosaurs began as modest members of diverse Triassic ecosystems, then flourished for more than 160 million years. One branch of small, feathered theropod dinosaurs eventually gave rise to birds, meaning dinosaurs remain part of the living world today.

 

Emphysema: Causes and Treatment

Today I am looking at Emphysema which is a long-term lung condition and a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It damages the tiny air sacs in the lungs, reducing the surface area available for oxygen exchange and making it difficult to breathe out fully. The damage cannot be reversed, but treatment can relieve symptoms, slow further decline and improve quality of life.

What causes it are things like

Smoking: Cigarette smoking is the leading cause. Cigars, pipes and repeated exposure to second-hand smoke can also contribute.

Airborne irritants: Long-term exposure to dust, chemical fumes, smoke or air pollution—especially in some workplaces—may damage the lungs.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency: This uncommon inherited condition can cause emphysema, sometimes at a younger age or in people who have never smoked.

Age and susceptibility: Risk rises with age and may be influenced by genetics, childhood lung development, recurrent respiratory illness and other individual factors.

Most people with emphysema are diagnosed after age 40, commonly in their 50s, 60s or later, because lung damage usually develops slowly and symptoms may be present for years before diagnosis. People with inherited alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency can develop emphysema earlier, sometimes in their 30s or 40s, especially if they smoke or are exposed to lung irritants. Age alone does not confirm emphysema; diagnosis usually involves breathing tests such as spirometry and sometimes chest imaging.

Symptoms often develop gradually and may include shortness of breath, reduced exercise tolerance, persistent cough, wheezing, chest tightness, tiredness and unintended weight loss in advanced disease. A clinician may use a medical history, examination, breathing tests such as spirometry, oxygen measurements and chest imaging. Blood testing may be recommended when alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is suspected.

How does someone treat this condition well here is what I found.

Stop smoking: Quitting is the most important step for people who smoke. A GP or pharmacist can discuss counselling, nicotine replacement therapy and prescription medicines.

Inhaled medicines: Bronchodilators relax the airway muscles; some people may also benefit from inhaled corticosteroids, particularly when exacerbations are frequent or asthma features are present.

Pulmonary rehabilitation: Supervised exercise, breathing techniques, education and nutritional support can improve stamina and confidence.

Vaccination and infection management: Recommended influenza, COVID-19 and pneumococcal vaccination may reduce complications. Respiratory infections should be assessed promptly.

Oxygen therapy: Long-term oxygen may help selected people with persistently low blood oxygen levels, but it must be prescribed after proper testing.

Specialist procedures: For severe disease, selected patients may be considered for lung-volume-reduction surgery, bronchoscopy valve procedures or lung transplantation.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency care: Management includes avoiding smoke, specialist monitoring and, in some settings, disease-specific augmentation therapy.