Jo-Anne's Ramblings

Thursday, 25 June 2026

Louis Braille

Since last we looked at blindness, I thought this week I will write a little about Louis Braille.

He was born on 4 January 1809 in the village of Coupvray, near Paris, France. He was an educator and inventor who created the Braille writing system, a tactile code that enables blind and low-vision people to read and write by touch.

He lost his sight as a child after an accident in his father’s workshop. As a student at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, he became interested in improving the limited reading methods available to blind students. Inspired by a military “night writing” system made of raised dots, Braille developed a simpler and more flexible six-dot cell system when he was still a teenager.

Braille’s system could represent letters, numbers, punctuation, music notation, and later many specialised symbols. Although it was not widely adopted during his lifetime, it eventually became the standard reading and writing system for blind people around the world.

His achievement is important because Braille gave blind people much greater access to education, literacy, independence, and employment. Today, his name is remembered not only as an inventor but as someone who transformed accessibility and communication.

He never married and his life involved a demanding teaching schedule at the Royal Institute for the blind. As well as developing and promoting the braille system. He also suffered from tuberculosis from his mid 20’s.

By his 30s, his health had declined significantly, and he spent long periods unable to teach. He died at just 43, on 6 January 1852 in Paris, France.

Wednesday, 24 June 2026

This week's links

My post with links to other posts and a few photos as well

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2026/06/friday-fill-in-on-sunday.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2026/06/sharing-my-world_01900738764.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2026/06/another-hodgepodge.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2026/06/sunday-stealing.html

https://jo-annemotherandnanna.blogspot.com/2026/06/caturday-with-luca_0684926719.html

Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Funnel Web Spider

Here in Australia, we are home to some of the world's most deadly spiders here is some information about three of them which I will share over the next three weeks starting with the Sydney Funnel-Web Spider.

The Sydney funnel‑web isn’t just dangerous because of its venom but because of the combination of venom, behaviour, and anatomy.

Its venom is uniquely potent to humans as it targets the nervous system, causing nerves to fire uncontrollably. However, dogs, cats, and most mammals are barely affected.

They deliver a lot of venom, this may have something to do with the fact that they bit repeatedly injecting large amounts of venom while they hang on.

They have huge fangs up to 6 mm long and strong enough to pierce fingernails, leather shoes, and thick clothing.

They’re aggressive when threatened, they will rear up, show their fangs, and will lunge if provoked. This is defensive, not “attacking,” but it makes encounters more dangerous.

They love humidity and after rain males wander looking for mates. They can be found in pools, shoes, garages and laundries, they also enter houses often.

Most bites happen in summer after rain, especially between January and March.

Symptoms can begin within 10 minutes, they include the following:

Tingling around the mouth
Sweating (especially on the face)
Drooling
Muscle twitching
Difficulty breathing
Rapid heart rate
Confusion or agitation

Without antivenom, severe cases can progress to respiratory failure.

In 1981 the antivenom was created by the legendary Australian venom researcher Struan Sutherland and changed everything as since then there have been zero deaths as the antivenom is extremely effective with most patients recover fully within 24–48 hours.

Now where do they live they can found in:

Sydney
Central Coast
Newcastle
Lake Macquarie
Hunter Valley
Blue Mountains

They prefer to hang out in the following conditions

moist soil
leaf litter
rock walls
garden beds
under logs
swimming pool filters

The male is far more dangerous they wander at night looking for females.

Females stay in burrows and rarely bite humans.

Their burrows are a silk‑lined tunnel, with “trip lines” radiating out like spokes and are in moist, dark areas such as under rocks or logs.

They don’t make the classic “funnel” shape people imagine — it’s more like a silk‑reinforced hole.

Sunday, 21 June 2026

Week 25 of 2026

I had a good night slept till the alarm went off at 5am, thankfully it was a nice dry day, and I was able to go for my walk and sweep up out the front.

It is 15c or 59f this morning, I slept for 6&1/2 hours and woke feeling good and with it.

Tim got up at 8am he will be spending most of the day working on the trailer.

I didn’t do much today, just couldn’t get motivated.

Steps: 9,063 = 4.5k’s

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Had a good night woke at 4am and got up at 4.20am, washed and dressed for the day and of course I have swept out the kitchen, hall and lounge-room.

The temp this morning is 15c or 59f and I had around 5hr’s of sleep.

Sue picked me up at 9.15am as she had a doctor’s appointment after that we called in at Warner’s Bay Plaza so I could pick up my scrips.

It was lightly raining when I left home but didn’t last long and it has been fined the rest of the day.

Steps: 7,764 = 3.9k’s or 2.4miles

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Had a really good night, slept for around 9hrs and woke with the alarm this morning, it is currently 5.40am and the temp is 10c or 50f and Tim left the heater going when he left for work.

I went for my morning walk, walking down to post a couple of letters.

I went with Sue to have her hearing aids checked, that is all I did today.

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I slept through again, waking only when the alarm went off, it is only 11c or 52f this morning. I had just over 8hrs of sleep.

I just remembered that I woke up when Tim was getting ready for work, he was in state. It was 3.40am and he had confused his sign on time with his pick up time. He was thinking he signed on at 4.50 but no that was his pick-up time he had to sign on at 4.15am. It will be a long day for him.

I went for a walk, but I wasn’t all with it, I felt tired and not right after a bit I realised I should eat something, so I came home and had 2 scones with jam and cream and after that I was ok.

I keep forgetting what day it is.

Steps: 7,342 = 3.7k’s or 2.2miles

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I slept pretty well woke up twice during the night to pee and ended up getting up for the day at 4.50am

It is 11c or 52f this morning. I had just under 8hrs of sleep.

Jess & Sam arrived so Sam could see me and give me a nice hug, it was wonderful seeing her.

I was sitting in my chair when Sue arrived, she was going to pick up her new glasses and wanted to make sure I didn’t need anything at the shops.

Steps:7,663=3.9k’s or 2.2 miles

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I slept ok till 3am after which I only dosed on and off till I got up at 4.30am. I also woke up with not just a headache but a face ache meaning my whole face aches. It was like that last night just before I went to bed. I have already cleaned the kitchen and swept the kitchen and loungeroom’s floors.

It is 15c or 59f at 5am.

I decided to clean out the laundry cupboard took me two hours, and it isn’t finished, I was so worn out and exhausted and in pain, so I decided to finish it off tomorrow.

Steps:5,827 = 3k’s or 1.7 miles

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I had a good 10hrs of sleep waking 5 minutes before the alarm was due to go off, it is 11c or 52f this morning.

At 5.15am Tim got up as he woke to pee and couldn’t settle again so decided to just get up.

I am still working on the kitchen and laundry, it is exhausting and it is causing me a lot of lower back pain.

Tim did the platform extension out the front and he also finished the work he was doing on the trailer.

This afternoon he started a fire in his fire pit out the back so he could burn some old paperwork.

I still have a little more work to do in the kitchen and laundry cupboards hopefully that will be done tomorrow.

Steps: 9,609 = 4.9k’s or 3 miles