Did you know No: 14

Good morning world, or good evening, depending on where in the world you are. This morning I overslept , I don't remember the alarm going off at all, Jessica dropped Leo of at around 8.45am she had an appointment at the Royal Newcastle Medical Centre at 9.30am she had to have an MRI done.

It is a cold wet day and Tim wanted to take the car to work so she is going to take me to my appointment at 12.30pm I am having an ultrasound done of my left ankle which is much better and really I think it is a waste of time.

Anyway here is today's did you know facts:

The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is roughly the same size as San Francisco

There is a chemical called “Scrooge” which is specially designed to smell bad, much like a skunk's smell but worse. A typical use of Scrooge is to spray it in doorways to unguarded inner city buildings to keep tramps away.

The oldest city in Britain is Ripon, which received its original charter in AD 886

A balloon released into the jet stream would take two weeks to travel completely around the globe

A baby Blue Whale gains 200 pounds per day while drinking 50 gallons of milk

Have you heard of.......Leonardo da Vinci

Ok here we are at another Thursday, and another have you heard of.................

This week it's Leonardo da Vinci, heard of him, unless you live under a rock in a cave I am sure you have indeed heard of him.

He was born on the 15^th April 1452, in Tuscany Italy, he is famous for painting the Mona Lisa one of the world's most famous and valuable paintings.

He also designed canals, cathedrals and castles with central heating, yeah central heating what the hell..............

He made drawings of what we know as a helicopter, hovercraft, tank, machine guns, cranes, parachute and a submarine. Drawings of things that will not be invented for hundreds of years to come. What a man................

He was largely self-educated and filled dozens of notebooks with drawings of his inventions, observations and theories but much of his writings and drawings were difficult to interpret and he was generally considered ahead of his time and many feel he was not fully appreciated as the genius he was.

He was the only child his parents had together, they never married each other and they had other children with different people, he had around 16 half siblings.

He died on the 2^nd May 1519 at Cloux he was buried nearby in the palace church of Saint-Florentin, during the French Revolution the church was nearly obliterated and its remains were completely demolished in the early 1800's making it impossible to identify his exact gravesite.

Lest we forget

Good morning world, a late start for me today as I had a horrible nights sleep, with some strange dreams anyway here it is ANZAC Day a special day for us Aussies.

The 25th of April was officially named Anzac Day in 1916. 'ANZAC' stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. On the 25th of April 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula.

The legend of Anzac was born on 25 April 1915, and was reaffirmed in eight months' fighting on Gallipoli. Although there was no military victory, the Australians displayed great courage, endurance, initiative, discipline, and mateship. Such qualities came to be seen as the Anzac spirit.

The Anzac legend is also important because it encourages Australians to remember the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country. The legend has made such an impression on Australians that we continue to commemorate the landing of the ANZAC soldiers on the shores of Gallipoli on 25 April each year.

Indestructible Creatures/Immortal Jellyfish

Good morning Tuesday, it is a lovely Tuesday here, not hot nor cold just nice, I had a sleep in till 7am because I could and because I have nothing to do today, I plan to stay of my feet as much as possible, so my ankle can heal a bit.

As you know Tuesday is indestructible creature day and today's creature is the Immortal Jellyfish, with a name like Immortal I guess it must be somewhat indestructible.

This mysterious jellyfish is a tiny blob no bigger than a fingernail and can do something incredible, instead of growing old it turns back time and grows young again as weird as that sounds.

Like other animals it reproduces normally and have larvae/ babies, which turn into a tree-like polyp on a seabed and the newborn jellyfish break off from it. However, when it gets old or ill, it can shrink itself into a blob, which turns into a new jellyfish tree and from that a new jellyfish is born. So one jellyfish can instead of dying keep turning back into a polyp and be reborn, now that is weird.

Scientists studying the jellyfish have seen them turn back into polyps again and again in their labs but out at sea there are a lot of predators that feed on the adult jellies, so it is unlikely that any one jellyfish really would live forever at some point it would be eaten.

Did you know No: 13

Hello Monday, what a weekend I have had some family drama, if you are my friend on Facebook you may have seen the drama. I am not going into it again, if you wish to read about it you can do so here: https://jamsthoughts.livejournal.com/

Anyway here are this weeks did you know facts.

Whales have been known to carry around up to one thousand pounds (450kg) of barnacles attached to their skin

The shortest advert ever on TV was for Frango Sweets: it was less than a quarter of a second long

The word Hamster comes from a German word that means “to hoard”

Napoleon was terrified of cats

The skin of a hippopotamus is one and a half inches thick and nearly bulletproof

Five things Friday No:6

Here I am this Friday afternoon doing a quick five things Friday.............

Pain

Pain relief

Awesome family members

Being told I look nice

The end of a long ass day

Sleep

Well hello everyone, how is everyone on this Thursday morning or whatever day or time it is as you read this. I had a sleep in this morning didn't get up and dressed till 7am.

So let's talk about sleep, do you have trouble sleeping, when you go to bed do you fall asleep fast or do you toss and turn. Do you need a lot of sleep or not so much, I am one of those people who need around 10 hours a night, Tim however needs only around 6-7 hours of sleep a night.

I sleep on my side usually my left side but there are times when I wake up on my back but when I sleep on my back I end up with a backache which is not good.

Tim has to take phenergan each night to help him get to sleep, this he has been doing for 15yrs. I generally have no trouble getting to sleep at night and don't need to take anything to help me get to sleep.

Have you heard of: Nicolas Alkemade

Here we are at Wednesday and Wednesday means it is aqua class and have you heard of day, this week I am asking have you heard of: Nicholas Alkemade? No me either.

During World War11 Nicolas was a pilot who's plane was shot down in an air raid over Germany, forcing him to bail out from more than three miles up, without a parachute...........

As he fell his speed accelerated to an estimated 120 miles per hour, he landed in a snow covered pine forest and was completely injured. Bloody hell............

He was born on the 10^th December 1922 and died on the 22^nd June 1987 , his rank was Flight Sergeant , he was a rear gunner in the Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster heavy bombers.

On the night of 24 March 1944, 21-year-old Nicolas was one of seven crew members in Avro Lancaster he was returning from a 300 bomber raid on Berlin, when attacked by a German night fighter.

Because his parachute had gone up in flames and thus was unserviceable, he jumped from the aircraft without one, preferring to die by impact rather than burn to death.

His fall was broken by pine trees and a soft snow over the ground. He was able to move his arms and legs and suffered only a sprained leg. The Lancaster crashed in flames, killing pilot Jack Newman and three other members of the crew. They are buried in the CWGC'S Hanover War Cemetery.

He was subsequently captured and interviewed by the Gestapo, who were initially suspicious of his claim to have fallen without a parachute until the wreckage of the aircraft was examined. (Reportedly, the Germans gave him a certificate testifying to the fact.).

He was a celebrated prisoner of War, before being repatriated in May 1945.

Indestructible Creatures/ Giant Squid

Good morning and hello Tuesday, this morning when my alarm went off I got up and went to the toilet but I was still feeling tired so laid back down for only 20 minutes as my brain was awake so I got up and dressed. I am one of those people who generally like to get dressed as soon as I get up, it helps me feel ready for the day.

Being Tuesday means it is Indestructible Creatures day so today I am talking about the Giant Squid, throughout history sailors have told tales of huge sea monsters with many tentacles big enough to wrap themselves around a ship and guess what they exist.

In the last few decades people have caught on camera the real live giant squid, it's long arms and tentacles are lined with hundreds of suckers, each surrounded by razor sharp teeth. They grab and lock onto the squid's prey, such as a fish or smaller squids, which is then hauled towards the squid's terrifying beak which slices it up and gobbles it down.

How giant is a giant squid well its arms and tentacles can measure as much a 12 metres or 40 feet long which his the length of an average bus. In 2004 scientists used a bait on a long line to study a giant squid, the squid got entangled and left behind a tentacle before it was able to escape. On deck the tentacle continued to move around and suckered itself to one of the scientists. How weird......

These giant squids have an even bigger enemy, the sperm whale, these fierce whales attack and eat the giant squid but the squid do fight back and sperm whales are often found with scares and bites on their bodies left by the giant squid suckers and beaks.

Did you know No: 12

Hello Monday, no school today but I was still awake at 5.50am as per usual so I am up and writing a post, still in my nightie as I won't get my swimmers on till it is time to leave and go to my aqua class this morning.

Anyway being Monday means it is Did you know day, so here are this weeks useless facts.

The loudest sound ever recorded from an animal was produced by a Blue Whale, it is thought that whales can hear each other as far as a hundred miles apart.

If you could stack up all the copies of the Guinness Book of World Records made just in the year 1985, your pile would reach into outer space, it would be 1,006 miles high, what the hell............

If we add up all the time we spend blinking, we spend about half an hour a day or around five years of life with our eyes shut while awake.

Americans use enough toilet paper in one day to wrap around the world nine times, if it were on a giant roll they would be unrolling it at the rate of 7,600 miles per hour, roughly mach 10 or ten times the speed of sound.

A supernova is the most energetic single event know in the universe, material is exploded into space at a speed of about 10,000 kilometres per second.

Have you heard of:Thomas Edison

Ok today is Thursday for some reason I thought yesterday was, thought that all day and into the evening but I was wrong.

Today is the first posting of a new series called “have you heard of” in this series I will talk briefly of different well known or famous people.

We will kick it off with Thomas Alva Edison, heard of him, I an sure you have. He was born 11^th February 1847 in Ohio, USA, he died on the 18^th October 1931.

He was an inventor an in total held patents for 1093 different inventions, including the microphone, the film projector and the light bulb. He developed some of the first working batteries and power stations and he worked on the telephone with Alexander Graham Bell. He also made the first film with sound and invented the record player, who knew, not me.

Some of his inventions changed the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera and of course the electric light bulb.

He set up his first lab in his parent's basement at the age of 10.

He was partially deaf and his first invention was an electric vote recorder.

A Thursday post

Good morning everyone, been up since 6.30am but awake since 5.30am when Tim went to work, Leo, however, has been awake and up since 5.30am. He heard the motorbike this morning and rushed out to say goodbye to Papa and decided he was awake and so not going back to bed.

Why oh why do I have to ask Leo over and over to get dressed for school been asking for the last hour for him to get dressed for school, his lunch is packed and his communication is written in and in his bag. I write in the book each morning the teacher writes in it when he thinks about it which is somewhat annoying. This communication book was the school's idea.

At the end of the school term the school has what is called “soaring high day” which an award for students who have been well behaved at school all term. Well Leo didn't qualify and was told to write an letter to appeal but he said he didn't care and wasn't interested in going to soaring high day, this term it was a trip into King Edward Park which is a big park in town (Newcastle) and a trip to Newcastle beach.

My sister Sandra has been having car trouble as in her car will not start, she was jump starting it for a few days but even that stopped working so she has had to borrow her step-son's car to get her girls to school and I picked Denni yesterday and I will get her today as well and if needed tomorrow and Friday afternoons.

Indestructible Creatures/Peacock Shrimp

Good morning Tuesday, suppose to be a lovely Tuesday as well not as hot today with a temp of only 27°c much cooler then the last few days.

This morning on waking my first thought was “what a stupid dream” if only I could remember what was so stupid.

Anyway being Tuesday means it is Indestructible Creature day, today’s creature is the Peacock Mantis Shrimp, it's technical name is Odontodactylus scyllarus, now us Aussies say prawn not shrimp but anyway let's move on.

This little creature is a colourful creature and if you came across it while diving you might think “how pretty” but then it might whack you with its mindbogglingly fast punching fists, yeah you read that right, it punches.

It has two incredibly hard, tough, club like weapons which it keeps tucked up under its body, when it needs to smash through the shell of a snail, crab or clam to eat the soft body inside it flicks them forward with the force of a bullet.

What's most amazing is that the prawn can use its clubs thousands of times without damaging them, it leaves a trail of smashed up lobsters and seashells but its clubs stay strong and undamaged. Scientists have studied them and found that the clubs are made up of layers of minerals, some hard and some more flexible.

It ranges in size from 3 to 18cm in length, they are primarily green in colour with orange legs and leopard like spots.

Did you know No:11

Good morning Monday, I have given myself a shake (easy when you have a tremor) and a mental slap and told myself that in order to not get too busy and forget to do a post, I have to do a post before I read other blogs, so that is the plan from this day forward. Forward not back because I cannot go backwards, trust me if you saw me trying to walk backwards you would crack up, just saying.

Anyway since it is Monday that means it is Did you know day, so here are today's useless facts.

Joseph Haydn's Toy Symphony contains parts for actual toys to play, how they play I do not know

The first living creature to orbit the Earth was a Husky named Laika, she was sent into space by Russia in 1957 aboard Sputnik 11

You can't buy chewing gum at Disney World

In one morning back in 1996, Bill Gates mad

e 2 billion dollars, what the hell......................

In 1997 he made around $12 every second of the day..........(bastard)

Since 1984 I have made $0 each and every day, although till around 2009 I was working long days into the night, taking care of my husband and children and grandsons, since 2009 I have slowed down but I still do all the housework, shopping and still take Leo to and from school more or less like when I say all I mean 99% of the time, Tim does do things at times but I do not expect him to do stuff that is my job.

Pissed Off

Well here I am on this lovely, soon to be hot Sunday morning writing a post, the last few days have seen me up and down health wise but I think I have at last turned the corner and will soon be back to my normal self, which is good as I am over not feeling that good.

We had Leo here yesterday and last night while his mum was working, she was doing a wine tour and asked if she could have the night without him so she could have a sleep in this morning and of course I said that would be ok.

Anyway yesterday saw me have a blow up at Tim, I asked him if while he was out could he pick up some toilet paper, I showed him what I wanted in the catalogue and told him which one it was also and still he bought the wrong stuff which annoyed me.

I was speaking to him about getting the wrong stuff and his attitude just made me more pissed off and when he told me to just get over it, I lost it and yelled NO I will stay as mad and pissed off for as long as I feel like.

Then he had to go over to Jessica's place to check on something for her and snapped at me something about me going to Jessica's and I just looked at him and turned to get my thongs on and he snapped he would go.

By the time he got home I was in a better mood and attempted to apologise for my blow up but he was still pissed off and didn't want to listen and I ended up telling him to do what he told me to do and just build a bridge and get over it. After a while he did get over it.

I do not like to be told at times to get over it, it makes me feel like I am being treated like a child and not allowed to be mad or in a mood, damn I am 55 years old and can be in a bad mood if I want too.

Oh my head

Hello everyone, how is everyone?

I am so so, yesterday after going to the doctor I became unwell with a migraine so unwell that I had Natasha pick Leo up from school while I went to bed for a bit.

Before that we had a man come to replace the rollers on the sliding door, while doing that he had to use a drill and hit the glass and it shattered so had to have someone come out to replace the glass in the door.

I was really unwell, my head hurt a lot and I had a fever and all in all felt like shit, than at 1pm Natasha gets a phone call from the high school Blain was sick and they wanted her to go get him. So she had to get Leo out early as she didn't know how sick Blain was and thought she might have to take him home and put him to bed.

I slept for two & half hours before getting up and having a bath at 7pm I was back in bed again, I used Kool & Soothe to help with the headache and this morning I was feeling better, not great but better not so much like death warmed up.

Leo was great very concerned with nanna's health, told me not to do anything to call him and he would do things for me.

I didn't go to my aqua class as I just didn't feel up to it this morning.

Hopefully tomorrow I will feel more like myself.

My Easter

Well hello everyone, this Easter Monday with one thing after another I have hardly sat at my computer so no blogging for a week but things should now return to normal. Last week saw me going to Kmart on Wednesday to get Easter Eggs for the grandchildren but not for my daughters which somewhat annoyed Jessica but told her she is too old for Easter Eggs from mummy & daddy so to suck it up and deal.

Now on Good Friday we do not eat meat here in this house same goes for my parents house but this was a shock for my grandchildren they acted like they would starve but I said there is many other things one can eat that isn't meat. I don't eat seafood so I had chips and eggs for lunch and banana bread for breakfast, fruit for tea.

Saturday saw two out of three daughters turn up for a baked lunch, Jessica wasn't able to come as she had to work so we had Leo from 7am till when she arrived to get him around 4.30pm. Although for a change Michael came as well for lunch. We did all the baked veggies in the air fryer and for a change Tim did all the cooking and did an ok job but the spuds were undercooked.

3am yesterday morning saw our clocks go back an hour marking the end of daylight savings for a few months, of course we turned the clocks back before we went to bed and had Jessica turn the clocks in the lounge room back before she left. Why Jessica well she is the tallest in the family and thus she is better able to reach the clocks, yes she is a tad taller then her dad.

I did mange to write 7 letters to different pen pals yesterday still have two to do but I am happy that I got so many done.

School resumes tomorrow for two weeks then they break up for two weeks holidays before starting term 2 which is 10 weeks long, term 1 will be 11 weeks by the time school breaks up. 10 weeks is the normal length of a school term here this year.

Now we are in Autumn here but the last few days have been pretty bloody warm with temps in the low to mid 30's again.

Ok that is all my news so I will post this now............................