Creature Wednesday/Icefish

Here we are at another Wednesday and that means it is creature Wednesday and this weeks creature is the Antarctic Icefish, heard of it, nope, me neither...................

When scientists exploring the Antarctic first pulled an icefish out of the water in 1927, they named it the “white-blooded crocodile fish” because even though most fish have red blood like us the icefish blood is cloudy white like milk.

Red blood like ours is full of red blood cells that carry oxygen but in freezing temperatures it gets thick and gloopy. An icefish has no red on blood cells making its blood white and very runny, so it can flow easily, helping the fish to cope with the cold. However, this blood can't carry much oxygen so icefish don't have much energy and they move slowly.

Icefish aren't just cool the are actually super-cooled, meaning below freezing point. The water they swim in is often below zero degrees but it doesn't freeze because it's salty. The icefish are just as cold but chemicals in their blood lower their freezing point, so they don't turn into blocks of ice.

The icefish has transparent skin and its white blood give it a spooky ghostly appearance.

Gross Facts No 3/ surgery

Well here we are at another hot Tuesday, Jessica & Leo arrived just after I got home, she borrowed my car to go to an appointment while I watch Leo.

Today's gross facts are about surgery.

Ancient Romans practised plastic surgery to repair noses, eyes, lips and teeth

One procedure in ancient Rome was the removal of scar tissue from the back because it implied that a man had turned his back in battle and was a coward.

Most surgeries in Renaissance times (between 14-17^th centuries) were performed in barber shops

Many of the patients seen by 16^th century Italian surgeon Gaspare Tagliacozzi were treated for wounds by duels or street fights.

Tagliacozzi created new noses using arm tissue, however, the new nose could fall off if blown too hard, damn that would be embarrassing

Australian artist Stelios Arcadious had an ear grown from cells in a laboratory implanted in his arm to make himself a living art exhibit. Not art just stupid.................

In the middle ages surgeons used herbs and alcohol as simple anaesthetics

About 17 million plastic surgery operations are carried out worldwide each year

More take place in Switzerland than any other country with about 216 procedures per 100,000 people each year.

The earliest form of surgery was trepanning which involved cutting a small hole in the head, but why...........................

Some fashion conscious women have been known to have a toe removed so they can wear a slim fitting shoe, not me, that's for sure.

Did you know No 2

Hello Monday what a nice Monday although I woke up feeling not so good it is a warm day but at the moment no need for the air con at this stage. Anyway let's move on to this weeks did you know facts.

The estimated weight of the Great Pyramid of Egypt is 6,648,000 tons, how the hell do they work that out.

There are 31,557,600 seconds in a year

During WW11 Hitler commissioned Ferdinand Porsche designer of the VW Beetle and many other cars to design the biggest, heaviest tank possible. The tank was completely watertight and it could cross a river not by floating but by driving across the floor of the river under the water. The problem with the design was that it was so heavy it literally demolished the streets and foundations of nearby buildings as it passed, due to its weight and vibration.

The female cod can lay up to ten million eggs in one birth, bloody hell

During Abraham Lincoln's campaign for the U S presidency, a democrat named Valentine Tapley from Pike County Missouri, swore that he would never shave again in Lincoln were to be elected. He kept his word and didn't shave after the November 1860 election when he died in 1910 his beard was 12ft 6” long.

The week that was No 2

Well here I am at the end of another stinking bloody hot day, had temps as high as 40°c today but finally this evening a cool southerly has arrived dropping the temp down to around 35°c so still bloody hot, hopefully tomorrow will be cooler.

I really need to have a nap during the day because when I don't I end up feeling unwell around 6pm and when I do go to bed it is difficult to settle down.

Yes Sunday turned out to be much cooler, I was up at 6am and found Leo asleep on my arm chair so I didn't turn on the TV or any lights, he slept till 9.30am.

Sunday night saw me in a right state, I was not just shaking but somewhat confused, I couldn't make up my mind what to do. Natasha walked in to see me sitting on the lounge crying, she gave me something sugary to eat and made me other food after eating I was fine.

.

Monday morning is cool and wet but of course it didn't stay that cool nor did it get hot, so all in all a good day. Took Leo to see his paediatrician that went well he was mostly well behaved, no change to his medication.

Tuesday was Leo's birthday and watching him open his presents is such a joy he shows such excitement. Also on Tuesday Papa & Leo left for a two night camping holiday, this of course excited Leo.

Wednesday morning I started back at my aqua class, also that morning Natasha said she was concerned about our neighbour in unit 8 she hadn't seen or heard her since Sunday so she contacted the woman's son who also hadn't heard from her. So Natasha rang the cops who took over an hour & a half to turn up, when they did they had to break into the unit as no one had a key. The neighbour was found deceased in her bed it looks like she has died in her sleep.

Tim and Leo returned from their camping trip Thursday morning, Leo had a wonderful time he did get a little sunburnt on the back of his neck and the back of his legs, Tim said he did apply sunscreen but still sunburnt happened. I gave Jessica Aloe Vera to rub into his sunburn.

Friday Tim took a heap of stuff up for our curbside rubbish collection, we have two such collections a year.

Now we are at Saturday again and it is still hot but Australia is hot

Poem Thursday No 2

Sometimes it is a slender thread,

Sometimes a strong, stout rope;

She clings to one end,

I the other;

She calls it friendship; I call it hope

BY” Lois Wyse

Creature Wednesday/ whale Shark

Hello Wednesday, well my aqua class started back this week , but I was unable to attend on Monday as Leo had his appointment with his paediatrician but I went this morning.

Anyway it is creature day and today's creature is the whale shark, this mighty monster is the biggest fish in the world. It grows up to 12 metres about 40 feet in length, they also have the thickest, toughest skin in the world. It can be 14cm or 5.5in thick in places and like other sharks its skin is covered in tiny, hard, sharp denticles which means little teeth.

However, these huge creatures do not chase or bite humans they just cruise around using their wide mouths to filter tiny animals out of the seawater. Due to their size no other creature can scare them, the only real threat to them are humans in fishing boats.

Thankfully many countries have laws banning whale shark hunting, whale sharks are so gentle and friendly that they have been known to allow divers to stroke them.

Gross Facts No 2/ Inventions

Hello everyone here we are at another Tuesday and it is pretty bloody warm bordering on hot may have to turn the air con later,at the moment it is only 27°c.

Today it is also Leo's birthday he is 11 today, he is the type of person it is a pleasure too give gifts to he shows joy and excitement at every gift, he uses words like awesome & amazing to describe gifts he also likes to say “mine now” after opening a gift.

Anyway let's move onto some gross facts about inventions.

In 1867 William Bullock developed gangrene and died after crushing his foot with his own invention the rotary printing press.

The toilet snorkel was invented in 1982 to provide clean air via the toilet bowl,in case of fire

In 1995 the babyvac was invented to clean snot out of babies noses so that the could breathe more easily

In 2006 scientists in Singapore created a battery powered by urine, why, just why

In 1908 George Hogan designed an alarm clock that tipped water on a sleeping person to wake them up, what the hell who would like that.

The Aspire Assist Aspiration Therapy System was invented in 2013, what is it you wonder well it is a weight loss device that pumps food out of your body before your body can digest it.

Scientists in Japan invented a fart recorder that analyses a fart's smell and then recreates it using a mixture of chemicals, again why..........