Creature Wednesday/Giant Tortoise

Good afternoon I just got up from my afternoon nap where I dreamt about my late Nan who I miss so much and my grandsons Blain & Leo as well as Kathy-Lee and my dad looking young and healthy.

Anyway it is still Wednesday so it is creature day and today's creature is the Giant Tortoise.

The Galapagos Giant Tortoise has the biggest, thickest shells of all, it's shell can be 1.5 metres (5ft) long and 5cm (2in)thick in places.

The tortoise can never leave its shell which is part of its skeleton and is fussed to its backbone and ribs. We all know it can shrink to fit inside its shell to stay safe from pretty much any predator.

Scientists have found that they aren't just slow movers but slow thinkers too, they have tiny brains and can even live without a brain for a while.

I think most people know they can live for a 100 years,they are herbivores which means they do not eat meat, only vegetables. Their diet consists mostly of cactus, fruits, vines, grasses and other vegetation.

Gross Facts No 8

Good afternoon all, this morning I had the falls program today they talked about how to pick yourself up if you happen to fall. I said you couldn't have told me this last week before I fell on Friday morning.

Anyway it is Tuesday, so it is gross facts day, again I am spliting it into two posts......

Every time you flush the loo, you can send an invisiblie plume of bacteria into the air that lands on exposed surfaces, so close the lid before you flush.

The toilet is not the dirtiest place in the bathroom, the sink is. The sink has like 20,000 germs per square centimetre but the toilet has only 20 germs per square centimetre.

Locals in Florida, USA found that Cuban tree frogs had swum up the pipes into toilets.

A kitchen chopping board has 200 per cent more bacteria than the average toilet seat.

Mice can squeeze through cracks as small as 6mm to get into your house and nest under the floor on in the ceiling.

Did you know No 8

Good morning world, yes it is still in the AM here in Newie but not for long. Well it's Monday so it is did you know day.

There are nearly half a million sauna baths in Finland

It take 60 seconds for blood to make a complete circuit of the human body.

To play Mickey Mouse at on of the Disney theme parks you must be under 5feet 6 inches tall

Acient Native American tribes used an ingenious method to measure the height of a tree or other tall objects. They would walk away from the tree, stopping every few steps to look back at th e tree by putting your head between your legs. When you are at a distance that you can just barely see the top of the tree make a mark on the ground. Measure the distance from the mark to the bottom of the tree and you will have suprisingly accurate measurement of the tree's height.

Houswarming parties have their origin in Scotland, where embers from the f ireplace of an old home were carried to start the f irst fire in a new home.

The week that was No 8

Let's us start another week that was post.

Sunday Kathy-Lee and her girls came over so they could play with Leo they stayed a couple of hours, Jessica arrived half an hour after Kathy-Lee and left at the same time. It was a busy day for me, so busy I didn't have time for my nap which meant at 6.30pm I was feeling sick in the tummy and had a headache. So I was in bed by 645pm.

Monday morning saw me up at 5.50am ready for Leo to arrive who got here at 6.30am when it was time to go to school he realised he had forgotten his phone, so I sent his mum a text to find it and take it to the school.

Because Natasha agreed to drive my mum to her doctor's appointment I had to skip my aqua class.

Leo was sent home early he wasn't well.

Tuesday saw me go to the falls program and I had a headache the whole time I was there but I pushed on regardless. After returning home and eating I ended up going for a lay down then I took a couple of asprin because I still had a headache.

Leo didn't want to go to school this morning because of how he felt yesterday but he did in fact go and had a good day.

On Wednesday I went to my aqua class, then Jessica & I went to the school to discuss Leo going to high school next year. We want him to attend the high school down the road from me, the school need to do paper work about his funding for support in class and see if they can get him into the autism class, although he hasn't been officially diagnosed with autism. Before we went to the school we had to go to the chemist to pick up Leo's Webster pack of medication for the school.

Thursday I had an appointment at the doctors surgery for my yearly care plan, well when we arrived the surgery was closed so Natasha rang them and they had moved to their new building, granted it was only 200 metres from the old building but when you can't walk a dozen steps without having to stop and rest it is a bloody long way. I walked about 25metres to the car and Natasha drove and parked in front of the surgery.

By the time I got home I felt like shit and ended up going to bed after I ate, I slept for an hour but was only out of bed for an hour before I had to go back to bed for another hour and a half. I still don't feel good.

Leo came home from school in a mood, he stormed into the house, ignored me when I said hi, I heard him shut his bedroom door, so I said ok go to your room and calm down. He came back after a minute or so and said sorry and that he had a bad day and he didn't want to discuss it. I didn't press the matter.

Went to Charlie shopping all went well till it was time to leave, I was at the car and was getting off the scooter and my right knee gave out on me and I went down as I did I for some unknown reason I squeezed the throttled and the scooter went forward at the same time. I usually the scooter off but for some reason today I didn't. I am ok just stiiff and sore on my right side. Jessica came to my aid as well as some strangers and one man helped Jessica pick me up off the ground.

Moving on to Saturday, Natasha picked up groceries from Woolworths for me and I was missing my butter but had someone elses eggs and she didn't want to go back so will have to get butter during the week if I run out.

Speaking of groceries last night when he got home from work Tim was in a right mood complaining that when I do the weekly shopping I never buy food for him, I told him that all he has to do is tell me what he wants or write what he wants on the shopping list on the fridge, I order what's on the list.

We have Leo tonight while his mum is working driving people to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concernt

Tim got a bloke came and spray to get rid of the German cockroaches he chaged $130 to treat the house, I hope it helps get rid of them.

For some unknown reason I am super tired today I will be in bed early tonight, earier then normal.

Creature Wednesday/Thorny Devil

Here I am late on Wednesday afternoon finely getting around to writing a post, been a fullish day, I attended my aqua class then an hour after I get home I leave again to go with Jessica to the school to talk about Leo going to high school next year.

Anyway Wednesday is creature day and today's creature is the Thorny Devil, heard of it, nope, me neither.

It is a small type of lizard found in hot Australian desert, it is covered in very sharp spines between the devils thorns are tiny grooves leading towards its head. This means that when dew collects on the lizard it can suck the water from all over its body into its mouth. So if it can't find a lake to drink from no problem.

It's sharp spines make it hard for animals hunting it to hold it in their mouths and it's colouring means it camouflaged against the sand and rocks of the desert.

If that's not enough behind its head is a fake head, a knobbly lump with two horns on it, when in danger the lizard turns its real head down, leaving the fake head sticking up. So if a predator tries t o attack its real eyes and brain stay safe.

Because of its multiple survival methods it can live up to 20 years

Gross Facts No7 Sewage pt2

Here we are at another Tuesday, and looks like it is going to be another hot day, Leo didn't want to go to school, all he would say was he had a bad day yesterday and he felt emotional. I didn't pry much he will tell me when he is ready.

Anyway here is part 2 of gross sewers, because we all like gross facts, don't we.............

Before toilet paper was widely available, rich people used wool, lace or hemp to wipe their bottoms, while the poor used rags, leaves, sand or just their hands. Gross indeed

If you use a composting toilet, micro-organisms break down the sewage into compost......

The average person will go to the toilet about 2,500 times a year and spend

3yrs on the loo in their lifetime.

The toilet nearest the entrance in a public toilet is likely to be the cleanest because it is used least often.

Rats are good underwater swimmers and can swim up pipes and into toilets

In New South Wales, Australia so many frogs invade the public toilets that the toilets once stopped working

Did you know No 7

Well here we are at the start of another week, no aqua today as Natasha I driving my mum to her doctor's appointment, going to be another hot day. Anyway here is this weeks did you know facts.

The longest trip in a pedal boat was made in 1988 by Kenichi Horie, he went from Hawaii to Japan, a trip of 4,660 miles and stopped only for more candy floss and ice cream.

Zorro means “fox” in Spanish

A fully grown bear can run as fast as a horse

In the marriage ceremony of the ancient Incas of Peru, the couple was considered officially married when they took off their sandals and handed them to each other, how do they know this.......

In the memoirs of Catherine II of Russia it is recorded that any Russian aristoccrat who displeased the queen was forced to squat in the great hall of the palace and remain in that position for several days, mewing like a cat, clucking like a hen and pecking food from the floor.

The week that was No 6

Here we are at another Sunday, this morning I found Leo asleep on the lounge room floor, last night he went to sleep on the floor in Papa's office but moved to his own bed and then at some point moved to the lounge room. Jessica didn't get home from work till 3am and so she didn't wake up till I rang her at 11.55am to see when she would be here to get Leo. She arrived here around 12.15pm and they left around 1pm. Leo was quiet until Blain got home from his fathers.

Monday saw me up at 5.50am and Leo arrived at 6.10am I thought that my aqua class was starting earlier due to a school carnival being held at the pool but while looking for something I found the note about the early start and it isn't today it is Wednesday. So I attended as per usual.

Got a message from mum, dad is really sick again the nurse wanted to ring the ambos but instead she rang her doctor who rang Andrew (GP) who said he would visit him and write a script for more antibiotics. My girls are really worried about him.

On Tuesday I went to my falls program it went well and was oh so painful after the class was over the occupational therapist drove me home, so she could do a home visit. She is going to arrange for hand rails to be installed in the bathroom and a step and hand rail at the front door to make it easier for me to get in and out of the house.

Wednesday I skipped my aqua class as the class started early and by the time I would get there the class would be half over so couldn't see the point.

Dad had a fall in the lounge room Wednesday evening took the skin off his arm again.

Thursday was a nice cool day, had front and back sliding doors open. Although I was super tired and had to go back to bed for a 2hr sleep.

Blain & Leo got into it after school, I let them go at one point Leo had Blains phone so Blain put his hands around Leo's neck so Leo dropped the phone on the floor. Blain then went and told his mum that Leo dropped his phone, leaving out that he had Leo by the throat. She was not happy when she heard the whole story, which I told her when she came to go off at Leo.

Also on Thursday afternoon Leo found a small lizard he likes finding lizards but this one doesn't look well and we expect it to die soonish.

Because he was upset and because he will be here Saturday night his mum took him home with her for the night.

Moving onto Friday I went to Charlestown Square shopping, Natasha drove me there and Jessica came up and hung out with me and drove me home.

The lizard was dead this morning.

Mum had an appointment to have her eyes checked but had to cancel as she had no one to take her. When I spoke to her she was in tears. Natasha said she would take her Saturday morning.

Here we are at Saturday I woke up with a headache and have had it on and off all day. Jessica & Leo arrived around 11.30am she had to leave by 12.30 for work.

While Kathy was here she changed the sheets on my bed and unpacked the dishwasher and got the clothes off the clothes hoists for me.

Poem Thursday No 6

Another year has passed
A birthday for you is in store
May you find this coming year
Be one with lots of open doors.

Follow your dreams
Remember you can achieve
All that you dream
Whatever your mind can conceive

So this poems brings
wishes for you
in hopes that the coming year
is filled with things you love to do.

BY: Catherine Pulsifer

No post yesterday and today an update about dad

Hello everyone, no post yesterday after the falls program the occupational theapist drove me home so she could check over the house in order to put in a request for some hand rails in the bathroom and at the front door for me.

After she left I had lunch followed by a lay down then Leo arrived home from school. It was a stinking hot day with a temp of 36°c. The falls program is good but my knees really sting afterwards.

Monday afternoon I received a text from mum telling me that dad was really sick again, the nurse wanted to ring the ambos but both mum & dad said no. So she rang and spoke to their doctor who rang and spoke to dad's GP who said he would prescribe more antibiotics for him and go out to the house and check on him.

Mum said she became upset when the nurses started saying to her that dad would likely die over night, he didn't........

When I spoke to mum last night she said that dad had improved a tad over the day and that Monday night he had a great nights sleep.

Did you know No 6

Good morning all it is a lovely day here in Newie not hot just warm. Well since it is Monday it is did you know day.

If you ask someone to think of a card the most common answer is the four of spades.

In 1963 a baseball picher Gaylord Perry said publicly “They'll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run”. On the 20^th July 1969 four hours after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon Gaylord Perry hit his first and only home run.

The crowd at the Wimbledon Tennis championships eat 27,000 kilograms of English strawberrie in a fortnight.

Stone Age life wasn't all fun and games, our ancient ancestors wore the skulls of their dead as mementos and ate elephants raw. In the coldest winters they would smear their bodies with grease to keep warm. Really how does anyone know this.........

Dick Whittington was a real person. He made a fortune selling cloth, becoming rich enough to lend money to the King of England. He was a Member of Parliament and became Lord Mayor of London three times. He also left the city of London a school and a hospital in his will.

The week that was No 6

Well here I am starting another week that was post, Tim lost his expensive pair of prescription sunglasses, he isn't happy and said he isn't going to replace them, well not at the moment.

Monday saw me wake up feeling not the best so I skipped my aqua class around 10.30 I started to feel a bit better. Parts of the country are flooded not good at all other parts are still drought affected.

Tuesday I went to the falls program at Rankin Park that went well the best bit was that I was able to pick up a taxi subsidy application form at the after exercise talk. My dad was doing better today the doctor even said if he continues like he is he may be able to go home.

Wednesday on the Sunrise program they talked about how Aussie kids are speaking like Americans due to the influence of American TV shows and movies.

A couple of weeks back we bought Natasha a work desk online from Officeworks and when she got it today and put it together it was way too small. She knew it was a student desk but it is more like a small child's desk. She is going to return it.

Friday saw me not going to Charlie shopping because I had no way to get home so I stayed home.

Also Friday morning I was called into the kitchen by Leo to go and see a crime scene where the lollypop killed the bbq sauce bottle, by stabbing it with a straw, Leo has a good imagination.

For the first time on Friday Leo walked home from school with a friend who is in high school, it went well and his mum has agreed to let him walk home from school on the days he doesn't come here. This came about because Natasha attended the funeral of her neighbour who passed away last month.

Let's finish this week off with Saturday's news, Tasha at last returned the desk and got our money back now for her dad to get it from her.......lol

Tim did manage to a free desk for her from Facebook buy, sell & swap which she is really happy with.

Saturday afternoon saw Tim busy working out the back yard, he bought a new shed so he spent some time working on the ground to get it ready to put the new shed up. He is laying pine logs at the moment. Leo has spent some time helping him.

Yes Leo was here all day and also tonight while his mum is working.

Poem Thursday No 5

Never lose an opportunity

of seeing anything that is beautiful

for beauty is God's handwriting

Welcome it in every fair face

in every fair sky, in every

fair flower and t hank God for it

By: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Creature Day/ Saltwater Croc

Well here we are at another Wednesday, and it's another stinking hot day at that. Being Wednesday means it is creature day and today's creature is the saltwater crocodile.

The saltwater crocodile is the world's largest reptiles with some growing up to 7 metres or 23ft long, we usually call them “salties”.

Like other crocs, salties are covered in hard bony plates called scutes. On their tails and backs the scutes form big spikes or knobs similar to the bony armour found on some dinosaurs.

Salties are merciless predators that can take on pretty much any prey they like. Powered by their huge tails they zoom through the water and leap out t o grab prey on the bank.

The eyes and nostrils are on top of their head, allowing it to remain mostly hidden beneath the surface of the water, yet and still able to see, hear, smell, and of course, breath.

They'll catch things like pigs, wallabies, cattle,crabs and turtles.

Humans are not a regular part of a large crocodile’s diet but a person at the water’s edge washing dishes or having a drink looks very similar in a crocodile’s eyes to any other mammal and is thus treated as a potential food item. Crocodile attacks only take place because people disregard the dangers associated with our northern waterways, a little common sense will ensure such incidents do not occur.

Gross Facts No 5/ Sewers pt 1

Another hot day here in Newie, I went to the falls program this morning that was good, I am enjoying it.

Here are this weeks gross facts this week I am writing about sewers which I am splitting in two.

In Victorian London human sewage drained into the river Thames turning the drinking water brown

In Mexico City in 2000 heavy rain broke down the wall of sewage canal, thousands of homes were flooded with 1 metre high sewage

In 1848 a law was passed in the UK stating that all houses should have an ash pit, where poo and wee fell into a pile of ash ready for collection

London built a modern sewage system after the great stink of 1858 when a smell of poo hung over the city

Toilet paper was first used in China more than 1500 years ago

Did you know No 5

Good morning everyone it is another hot day in Newie I thought Leo was going to have the day off school as it is the swimming carnival and he doesn't want to go to it but when I said this morning that he could have the day off he said no he wanted to go to school so he is at school.

Yesterday Tim realised he lost his prescription sunnies that is $550 gone, he is not happy.

Well h ere are this weeks did you know facts.

Once composer and pianist Frederic Chopin had a beard on only one side of his face, his explained that as he sat sideways the audience saw only one side of his face.........

Half the peanuts grown in America are used in peanut butter

The phrase “hat trick” comes from an old cricket tradition where at one time if a bowler to three consecutive wickets he was presented with a hat.

Iceland consumes more Coca Cola per head than any other nation

In 1935 Jesse Owens set six track and field world records in less than one hour

The week that was No 5

Here we are at the start of another week that was...............

Sunday was another stinking hot day when I got up I found Leo asleep on the lounge room floor so I didn't turn anything on so he could sleep and he was still asleep when his mum arrived at 11am.

Monday was cooler so the air con had a little break but it ended up muggy, I slept in till 8.15am so I didn't have a nap during the day but that turned out to be a bad idea as by 6.30pm I was feeling pretty sick and by 7.30 I really felt horrible.

Tuesday morning I went over to the falls program at the Rankin Park Day Hospital it was ok, worth going this was week one of a 6 week program. They arranged for a taxi to pick me up and drive me over and bring me home.

Wednesday I had to go and have the MRI done it went well no problem, I get the results in March but expect it to be normal after that on the way home we went and had my Cpap machine looked at they changed the filter which cost $10 but said it was working normal this made Tim happy.

Thursday morning saw me tired as, I was falling asleep while reading blogs before taking Blain & Leo to school then going to the GP for a script, while there I fell asleep in the waiting room, yes I was that tired.

On the way home we stopped at Coles for Natasha to get a few things while I was waiting in the car Sandy rang to let me know she had to ring the ambos for dad, he is in a bad way mum had given him around 7mils of the liquid morphine the name of which I can't remember. Usually ½ to 1 mill works but what he had did nothing.

Natasha drove me to Charlie this morning and Jessica meet me there and hung out with me and drove me home. She has asked if Leo can stay the night I said he could, although he isn't happy about staying. Jessica borrowed our car to drive Blain to his dads place, Tim of course complained that I didn't tell him she wanted the car, I am pretty sure I did tell him.

Saturday now and a much cooler day at last we have Leo all day and he has been no problem, Tim took him to his dentist appointment and he wasn't good, he played up and threatened to bite the dentists fingers and wouldn't open his mouth. In the afternoon he found a shopping trolley in the park and spent hours playing with it, he was still playing with it when his mum picked him up at 6.30pm.

When Jessica arrived to get Le, Tim started going on about her leaving the windows down in the car yesterday and taking the car keys home with her and he had to get his car keys to wind them up she didn't understand what he was on about and said something before walking away to see to Leo. Well didn't that set Tim off he went on and on about it yelling at me this caused Jessica to come and see what the problem was and ended up telling him it was over and done with and to move on.

He then started on about how I don't exercise enough and I should get up and go for a walk but I wouldn't I would sit and watch TV, I said he was right I was just going to stay sitting and watching TV because I am fat and lazy. This I said because I was pissed off with him, he then went to have a bitch to Tasha about me but that didn't go well she sided with me.

Dad is still in hospital and is still having problems with his breathing but he is improving a tad.