Bulgaria

 

Good morning, time to visit another country this week we are visiting the Balkan region in Southeastern Europe which takes its name from the Balkan Mountains which run from Bulgaria into eastern Serbia.

So, the country will be Bulgaria a country with diverse terrain encompassing Black Sea coastline, a mountainous interior and rivers, including the Danube. A cultural melting pot with Greek, Slavic, Ottoman, and Persian influences, it has a rich heritage of traditional dance, music, costumes, and crafts.

At the foot of domed Vitosha mountain is its capital city, Sofia, dating to the 5th century B.C

The population is around 6.5 million and the language spoken is Bulgarian.

The lev is the currency of Bulgaria. Although Bulgaria is part of the EU, it is not part of the Eurozone. Eurozone is the group of counties that use the euro as their currency. Some prices are often published in euro, but this is simply to make things easier for visiting foreigners. Transactions are always done in Leva/BGN.

The national flag of Bulgaria is a tricolour consisting of three equal-sized horizontal bands of white, green, and red. The flag was first adopted after the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War, when Bulgaria gained de facto independence. After the downfall of the communist government, the old plain tricolour was reestablished on November 27, 1990. The white of the flag is said to stand for peace, love, and freedom, while green emphasizes the agricultural wealth of Bulgaria. Red is for the independence struggle and military courage.

Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic and conforms with the Constitution of the Republic passed by the Grand National Assembly in July 1991. The Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria is the supreme law of the country and may not be contravened by any other law. All international treaties, which are ratified pursuant to the constitutional procedure, are considered part of domestic legislation.

The National Assembly is a unicameral parliament. It consists of 240 Members of Parliament, who are directly elected every four years. The National Assembly is a permanent acting body, directed by a board of Chairpersons, including the Speaker of the National Assembly. The Speaker of the National Assembly represents the National Assembly externally.

The head of the state is the President, who embodies the unity of the nation and represents the Republic of Bulgaria in international relations.

The Council of Ministers represents the executive branch and decides on the domestic and foreign policy of the country. The government manages the implementation of the state budget, governs state property and approves or rescinds certain categories of international treaties as postulated by the Constitution.

Some say Bulgaria is not dangerous for tourists if you stick to the rules and respect the culture. Crime is very low in Bulgaria; however, pickpocketing and petty theft have been recorded in the more touristy areas and main cities.

With the same colours as the flag, Shopska Salad is often proclaimed as Bulgaria's national dish. It is often said to have been invented in the 1960s by the socialist party to showcase local ingredients to tourists and promote the theory that Bulgarian vegetables were among the tastiest in Europe.

 

 

 

Week 39 of 2024

 

TIM AND I HAVE BEEN MARRIED 40 YEARS TODAY.

It is a low temperature morning but not cold, the laptop is telling me it is only 7 degrees, but the phone says 12 degrees.

It reached 25 degrees, but it doesn’t feel hot.

Tim offered to take me out for lunch, but I am a cheapskate I don’t like the idea of paying $11.50 more because it is Sunday compared to Saturday’s price.

Tim spent a couple of hours sorting out all the paperwork relating to his accident.

Steps:4,410

Had a good night it is a chilly start to the day with a temp of 9 degrees, my BGL is 4.1 this morning.

Tim cut my fringe last night before I went to bed, and it feels so much better.

It has been another really warm day, I changed into shorts around 11am. But didn’t need to turn the air con on just had the doors open and the ceiling fan on.

I have a lot of pain in my left knee and applied deep heat before going to bed.

Steps:5,735

I counted up how many steps I did during the week it was 24,119.

Had another good night, up with the alarm, it is a pleasant start to the day with a temp of 15 degrees and my BGL being 4.8.

I tried to have a nap, but it didn’t work out well, sitting in my armchair I felt uncomfortable and when I went and laid on my bed, I still felt uncomfortable.

It warmed up to 23 degrees but not hot enough for shorts.

It is 10.40pm and I am out of bed due to feeling restless, I will use the powerfit and see if it helps.

It is now 11.45pm and I am going back to bed used the powerfit for 30 minutes and I am feeling less restless.

Steps: 9,067

Had a rotten night it was after 12.30am before I fell asleep, even though I wasn’t feeling restless anymore I just couldn’t seem to go to sleep.

Sue is driving Tasha to and from Tafe today and tomorrow.

It was supposed to be a hot day but even with a temp of 27 degrees it didn’t feel that hot.

I didn’t have a nap just didn’t feel like it, so I will be having an earlier night.

Steps: 4,856

I slept straight through the night didn’t wake at all. I woke up feeling heavy and slow to get moving but that has passed, and I am doing ok.

I also woke to the sound of rain; it is supposed to rain on and off all day. This morning’s temp is 16 degrees and my BGL was 4.9.

At 6.50am I suddenly found myself struggling to stay awake.

No blogging for me this morning, having internet issues.

As the rain was only light, instead of waking Jess I decided that I would walk up with Sam to wait for the driver and after half an hour and the transport hadn’t arrived, I suggested that we check with Jess to see if she had a message as to why.

Well, she did have one saying the driver had a tyre issue and would be 90 minutes late, which meant closer to 9.30 not 8am. So, Jess got up and drove Sam to school.

I managed to close my eyes for an hour, it has rained all day.

I went to bed at 9pm but got up at 10.30pm unable to settle, used the powerfit and went back to bed but still unable to settle I am tossing and turning and ended up getting up to pee so decided to update this before going back to bed.  

Steps: 5,775

LAST DAY OF TERM THREE

I had a terrible night, I got about 2.5hrs sleep. When I got up at 5am I had a hot shower to help wake me up.

We are in for another cold and wet day, the temp is 12 degrees, my BGL was 5.0

Thankfully it isn’t as cold as yesterday nor is it raining.

Sandy told me that she has enrolled Denni at Biddabah School. She starts there next term, I hope it all goes well.

I thought I would have a nap today but nope didn’t happen.

I am off to bed at 8.15pm

Steps:3,899

I slept straight through the night again, at 5am when the alarm went off, I got up took my meds and went back to bed for an hour.

It is 13 degrees and my BGL was 4.9, Tim is working again today.

I changed into long pants, but it is not that cold.

Spoke to Kathy for a bit.

Tim didn’t get home till 6.50pm an hour later then he expected.

I found myself awake at 11pm unable to go back to sleep, so I got up and used the powerfit did a few things on the laptop and went back to bed.

Steps:6,189

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bit about asthma

Hello everyone, today we are looking at a serious medical condition called Asthma, a conditioned I am sure most people have heard of. I have a sister, Jeannie who has had bad asthma since she was very young.

Asthma is a serious and long-term condition that affects 1 in 9 Australians. Sadly, more than 400 Australians die of asthma each year.  

There is currently no cure, but in most cases, asthma can be well managed and people with asthma can live a full life. 

Having asthma means you have sensitive airways. Your airways can become inflamed or swollen when you are exposed to certain things referred to as your triggers.  

There are 3 changes that can happen in your airways when you are triggered. These are your airway walls become thicker from swelling, while filling up with mucous, this causes your airways to feel tight from the mucous on the outside of the airways squeezing.

These changes in your airways make it hard to breathe. You may feel like you are breathing through a very thin tube.  

Asthma affects people of all ages and is common in both kids and adults.  

It’s not something you can grow out of, and just because you don’t currently have any symptoms doesn’t mean that it’s gone. You can be diagnosed with asthma for the first time at any age or stage of life. 

Not all asthma is the same. Through more research we are learning that asthma can mean different things to different people. This means you will need different treatments or medicine to suit your type of asthma. 

The type of asthma you have depends on how your asthma presents and what triggers your symptoms. It can be helpful to describe your asthma by type, also known as phenotype. Your asthma might fall under one or several types and fall across the range from mild to severe.  

There is a dozen different types of asthma they are as follows: 

1. Allergic asthma – caused by allergens such as pollen, dust, mould and some food items.

2. Non-allergic asthma – the cause of your asthma symptoms is not from an allergy trigger like dust mites or pollen. Also called non-atopic asthma.  

3. Thunderstorm asthma – mainly caused by allergies to rye grass pollen, during thunderstorms in certain areas. 

4. Seasonal asthma – asthma that appears at certain times, such aa during Autumn when there is a change in the weather temperatures, or Spring when there is more pollen around and of course Winter due to the cold air, wood smoke and some viral illnesses.

5. Occupational asthma – caused by workplace triggers such as chemicals, animal proteins, fumes, air quality, dust etc. 

6. Aspirin–exacerbated asthma – caused as a reaction to taking aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine, such as ibuprofen. 

7. Exercise-induced (bronchoconstriction)– usually caused by physical activities this, however, can also affect people who do not have asthma. 

8. Childhood asthma – sometimes asthma only happens as a child and then seems to disappear. It can, however, come back later in life. 

9. Adult or late onset asthma – You may have had symptoms previously as a child. Or you may start having symptoms for the first time as an adult when a diagnosis is made. 

10. Nocturnal asthma – symptoms that worsen at night. Possible causes include change in temperature, dust mites, heartburn or sleep cycle. 

11. Mild asthma – very few symptoms, no night-time waking and no flare-ups in the past year. 

12. Severe asthma – also known as brittle, steroid resistant or difficult-to-treat asthma. Describes asthma that is managed with highest maximum inhaled asthma medicines, but asthma symptoms stay uncontrolled. This is despite treating all other factors that could affect asthma control. It can take the form of allergic, eosinophilic asthma or non-eosinophilic asthma.

I can remember when Jeanie was in high school, she was told to run around the sports field during a P E lesson, she told the teacher that she suffered from severe asthma and wasn’t sure if she could do it. He snapped at her to just do it and that she would be fine, she nearly collapsed and was in a right state by the time she was done. She had to go to sick bay and the school rang mum who took one look at Jeannie and went off her head demanding to see the teacher who she tore strips off. I don’t remember if Jeannie ended up in hospital that night, but she may have as she did have to go to hospital a number of times, due to an asthma attack.

I can remember one night during a bad thunderstorm mum had to ring the ambos as Jeannie was in a really made way, mum told me years later that she was worried if they would make it ok as the ambulance shook due to the strong wind and the rain was extremely heavy. Jeannie was placed in an oxygen tent, she was that bad, it wasn’t the only time she was placed in an oxygen tent due to an asthma attack.

Jeannie never goes anywhere without an inhaler, she would have one in her handbag, in the car, in the bedroom, in the kitchen and if possible in a pocket.

 

 

  

Young Mariners Pool

 

Ok I came across this book that belonged to my dad and decided to use it for a couple of posts, it is called Newcastle the missing Years by Greg & Syliva Ray.

Back in 1937 opened what was called the Young Mariners Pool what made this pool unique was on the bottom of it was a map of the world.

The pool is said to have been the idea of city engineer L J Price, who was inspired by watching a young boy truing to sail a model boat in the ocean.

With the aid of a geography master from Newcastle Boys High School and a Mr Johnson if the city’s architect department the pool became a personal hobby. They hoped that when completed it would be a big attraction of the beach.

The pool was to be about 20 metres wide, egg shaped, and its continents and islands jutted about 20cm’s above the water. The second stage was the canoe pool which was created by the construction of a large arc-shaped seawall that extended the wading pool into a great circle atop the rocky platform with the depth of the wading pool being controlled by sluice gates.

The canoe pool was completed in 1941, with much debate over whether it was worth building at all.

Both pools suffered from filling with sand causing the council a right headache and costing the council more money to remove. That was until they discovered it was a handy source for covering garbage dumps and filling parks and being used as to dressing on lawns and gardens.

The map of the world was damaged by storms in the 1960’s with parts ending up off Nobby’s breakwater they could be seen for a long time but eventually faded.

This pool is part of The Newcastle Ocean Baths which are a sea bath in Newcastle, New South Wales. The site includes pavilions, pools and promenades. The baths are known for architectural features such as the Striped Classical / Art Deco facade and bleacher seating.

A new post over at Random Stuff

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2024/09/a-bit-about-name-jeannie.html

Jaguar

 

This week’s big cat is often confused with leopards both have similar brown/yellow base fur, with dark rosette markings. It is the Jaguar; however, they have small dots or irregular shapes within the larger rosette markings. They are also stockier and more muscular and have a shorter tail.

They are around 1.5 to 2.5 metres in length (5-8 feet), they are between 70-120 kilos (154-265 pounds. Their life span is 12-16yrs and a litter usually contains up to 4 cubs.

It is thew largest of the big cats to be found in the Americas, they once inhabited between the southern states of the USA to the tip of South America. However, now they are limited to the north and central parts of South America.

The number of Jaguars took a big dive in the 60’s and 70’s with as many as 18,000 killer each year for their coats. Thankfully Jaguar fur is no longer fashionable and there are many organisations trying to protect wild animals.

They prefer to live in forest areas, but they have been spotted around dry woodland and grasslands. Where they live affects their bodies, as in those living in the forest areas are smaller than those living in open areas. The forest dwellers also have a darker colour to them.

Where they live also effects how they hunt, those close to humans’ hunt at night, those more in the wild hunt during the day. They hunt cattle, horses, deer, reptiles, monkeys and fish. They can climb trees but not as good as Leopards can.

They were revered in ancient cultures, the Mayans believed they were the God of the underworld and helped the sun travel under the earth at night.

Hungary

This week we are in Central Europe and the country of Hungary, which is a landlocked country, the capital is Budapest with the Danube River running through it almost cutting the country in half.

It is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, and Austria to the west.

It is believed the Hungarians migrated from Asia over a thousand years ago, how they know this is something I don’t understand.

Its cityscape is studded with architectural landmarks from Buda’s medieval Castle Hill and grand neoclassical buildings along Pest’s Andrássy Avenue to the 19th-century Chain Bridge. Turkish and Roman influence on Hungarian culture includes the popularity of mineral spas, including at thermal Lake Hévíz.

The population is around 10 million, it is an area of around 93,340sq/km, and the official language is Hungarian.

The national flag of Hungary is a horizontal tricolour of red, white and green. In this exact form, it has been the official flag of Hungary since 23 May 1957. The flag's form originates from national republican movements of the 18th and 19th centuries, while its colours are from the Middle Ages. 

The coat of arms of Hungary was adopted on 11 July 1990, after the end of communist rule. The arms have been used before, both with and without the Holy Crown of Hungary, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and its elements date back to the Middle Ages.

The forint is the currency of Hungary. It was formerly divided into 100 fillér, but fillér coins are no longer in circulation. The introduction of the forint on 1 August 1946 was a crucial step in the post-World War II stabilisation of the Hungarian economy, and the currency remained relatively stable until the 1980s.

The politics of Hungary takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic. The prime minister is the head of government of a pluriform multi-party system, while the president is the head of state and holds a largely ceremonial position.

Hungary's national symbol appears to be an eagle or falcon of some kind, but it's actually an entirely fictional mythical bird known as a “Turul”. The Turul comes from an ancient Hungarian legend.

The national flower is the Tulip, but they are the largest producer of the tulip in the world. 

 

Week 38 of 2024

 

DENNI’S BIRTHDAY SHE IS 12 TODAY

Had a rough night very restless and cold I got up at 4.53am I was just too cold. It is 8 degrees and my BGL was 4.0

I am so tired that I am going to close my eyes before I do the online shopping.

Sandy and Denni came over so I could give Denni her birthday present.

I also closed my eyes for another hour between 2 & 3pm.

It has been a cold day.

Tim paid his tax bill but didn’t wait for me to help and didn’t put in the new reference number so he will have to ring the ATO tomorrow about that.

Steps: 2,103

Had a good night, woke once to pee then again at 5am just before the alarm went off. It is a cold morning with the temp being 6 degrees, my BGL is 4.5.

I have a lot of pain in my upper back and my chest. When Sandy called in to drop off my meds, she picked up from the chemist for me I had her rub Vicks into my upper back, and it has helped.

I mostly cold day, managed a 1hr nap, having even just a one-hour nap helps me.                           

Steps:2,365

Had a good night, didn’t wake once, slept through to the alarm went off at 5am.

It doesn’t feel as cold this morning, the temp is 8 degrees and my BGL was 4.8

It is a warm day; I am feeling shaky today. I managed a 1.5hr nap in my armchair.

Spoke to Sam about not taking meds of a morning she said she didn’t forget but didn’t want to take it to see how she did at school. I said ok she could have told me that.

Steps: 2,698

Had a rough night took me a while to settle down but once I did, I slept ok.

It is a cold start to the day at 7 degrees my BGL was 4.8

I had to change into my warm PJ bottoms for a while due to the cold. By 11am I was back in the 3/4 light weight pants.

Jess bought me Macca’s for lunch.

I tried to have a nap but only managed 20-minutes, I just started to feel restless.

Still managed to stay up till 9pm.

Steps: 3,060

Had a better night, woke twice I think, I also woke with a headache this morning. It is 11 degrees and my BGL was 4.8.

At 6am the power went out I checked the circuit breakers flicked a couple of switches, and some power returned but no lights. After messing around with things for a little while I rang Tasha and discovered she had the same issue, so it is just waiting for it to come good now.

We didn’t lose power in the kitchen but when I made my milkshake the blender was only operating at half speed. It was good enough to make the milkshake though.

By 11am I had to change into shorts.

By midday I had a lot of pain in my left shoulder.

Steps:3,414

Had a so-so night was restless between 11.40 and 12.40 so got up and used the powerfit and watched something on You Tube before going back to bed and sleeping till the alarm went off at 5am. It is 10 degrees and my BGL was 5.0.

Sue drove me to Aldi and Millers this morning it was a nice outing. I love how much we laugh when we are together. I wore a skirt over my shorts along with matching earrings and necklace.

It is a really warm day the temp is 24 degrees.

Tim won’t be home till around 11.30pm then he has to get up at 7am as he is working tomorrow.

Steps: 4,183

SKYLAR’S BIRTHDAY SHE IS 4 TODAY

Had a good night, slept well but when I got up at 5am I found myself just standing there, not with it so I went back to bed for an hour. When I got up at 6am I felt awake and with it.

I sent a birthday message to Skylar via Sandy’s phone, at 11.30am Sandy called in to see if I had a cake tin, I don’t she didn’t look or sound good and told me to spray with Glen 20 which is a disinfectant spray, so I did.

Tim arrived home around 6.30pm.

Steps: 3,989

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gateshead New South Wales Australia

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Growing up I lived in the suburb of Lake Macquarie called Gateshead we moved to Gateshead before I started school and when I did go to school, I sent to Gateshead public school starting in Kindergarten and ending with year ten, for me going through to year twelve wasn’t possible I simply didn’t have the smarts to do so.

Gateshead is a suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie, Greater Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, 12 kilometres from Newcastle's central business district on the eastern side of Lake Macquarie. It is part of the City of Lake Macquarie East ward and is home to a number of primary and high schools and a private hospital. 

It is possible that Mr W.T. Verge, the first surveyor of the area, named the suburb in 1876. The name would have been taken from the town of Gateshead in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It's on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne.

                                    What Gateshead High School looked liked when I was there

The first streets were Goundry, Jamieson, O'Brien, Sydney,    Casey, Oxford, Heshbon and Church Streets. The first street we lived in was Schroder Avenue this was a two-bedroom house and when I was about nine or ten, we moved to Flame Street a three-bedroom house and when I was seventeen, we moved to Bean Steet which was a four-bedroom house. All the properties were subsidised government rentals, my parents stayed at Bean Street till their deaths.  

In 1877 Mr. W.T. Verge produced a design for the town. Little development occurred during the nineteenth century. By 1910 there were only three houses. Drinking water from Merewether was brought by Mr. Jennings. John Young - the slaughter man delivered meat and bread. Groceries were delivered by Sheedy's of Adamstown in a horse and cart. Papers, mail and food could also be obtained from Charlestown.

By 1929 there were seven houses at Gateshead. During the 1930's Gateshead was mainly a collection of two to three acre farms. Water was used from tanks or taken from springs which were once located at Bulls Garden Road, Running Creek and old Belmont Road. These springs now form part of the creek. Although the Pacific Highway was completed during the early 1930's most Gateshead roads remained unpaved. A small shop began selling produce from Milroy's farm.

                                This building was still there when I was in primary school

In 1934 the Emergency Relief Scheme constructed drains and cleared streets to provide work during the Depression. During the war there was an army camp on the site of the present Gateshead High School.

In 1945 the Housing Commission took possession of some houses (located on Schroder Avenue and the Crescent) which had been used by the Army during the war. Seventy more houses were completed and occupied between 1948 and 1950.

By 1945 one hundred and thirty adults were residing in the town.

By 1961 the town had a sewage system.

 

El Alamein Pt 2

 

Time to go back to El Alamein were in the middle of 1942 there was great Axis pressure on the desert fighters. It was in June 1942 that Rommel was finally able to capture Tobruk with 35,000 prisoners of war.

At the end of June, the Australian 9^th division was ordered back to Egypt, arriving in July. The following battles prevented Rommel from advancing further into Egypt also even though he gained ground this took him further away from his supply lines in Libya. The Allies bombing of the German supply ships caused him stress, he was worried about the lack of petrol. In October he was planning a 12-day battle but only had enough fuel for 11 days.

It was under a full moon on 23 October the Allies let lose a massive bombardment against Rommel’s lines, at 9pm fire from 900 medium and field guns lit up the night sky. The front extended about 60 kilometres running North to South.

There were three phases of the battle with the first two days being devoted to preparing the way for the Eighth Army to break through the enemy line. The next seven days and nights saw crumbling operations, with the final phase saw the Allies break through and Rommel retreating.

Although there was only around 14,000 Aussies involved out of the 220,000 strong Allies their contribution was considered a crucial one.

The main task of the Aussies was to form a strong flank in the northern sector they were required to draw Axis fire on the northern flank while other divisions broke through on the south. The fighting was fierce and at times hand to hand with many amazing, courageous acts as soldiers stormed the enemy post dying will doing so.

The 2/48^th battalion received four posthumous Victoria Crosses during the war.

Rommel wrote that the British resisted desperately, with rivers of blood being poured over miserable stirps of land.  

Another miserable but important strip of land was near the railway and was known as the “saucer”. This position was under attack for several days and was defended by the 2/24^th & 2/28^th and reinforced by a British tank regiment and a Rhodesian battery of anti-tank guns.

The climax of the battle of El Alamein came at the start of November with the start of operation Supercharge which succeeded in storming through enemy lines.

By the end of 1942 even though Aussie’s were still under fire the prospects were much improved compared with the start of the year. The Japanese had withdrawn from Papua and the Yanks were fighting back on Guadalcanal. Northern Australia was now a secure military base for the Aussies and the Yanks.

Winston Churchill said after the battle od El Alamein “his is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps the end of the beginning”.

 

Cheetah

 

This week’s big cat is the fastest animal on Earth, the cheetah is unique in many ways, it kinda looks like a large muscular greyhound with its sleek body and long thin, powerful legs.  An adult can run up to 113km/h or 70 mph.  They have large nasal passages allowing them to breathe easy while running.

They like to live in dry areas like the bush lands of Savanah and the semi-deserts, they feed on gazelles, impala, wildebeests and zebras. They like to hunt during the day, following a herd from a distance then selecting and old, an injured or a young victim, it will chase its victim and usually catches it on its first attempt. Its powerful jaw muscles enable it to tightly hold and suffocate its prey.

Most males prefer to live alone and will claim and make an area as their own.  Their paws are more like dogs then a cats being narrow and hard padded and non-retractable like a cats which allows for better grip while running.

They can be as long as 1.5 metres or 3.5 feet, as tall a 1 metre or 3 feet they weigh about 45-65 kilos or 99-143 pounds, they have a life span of 12-14 years, females usually have between 2 and 4 cubs at a time.

Unlike other big cats they don’t roar but purr, they also make high pitched yelps and barks as well as moan and bleat. They have a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, with a short snout and black tear-like facial streaks. 

Cheetahs are in the “vulnerable” category and are at risk of extinction in the wild. They face a number of threats, including losing their prey and habitat to human activity, human-animal conflict, and illegal animal trade. Less than 100 animals live in East Africa, less than 2,000 in Sudan, and fewer than 500 live in Northeast Africa. The total number of cheetahs in the world is estimated to be approximately 6,517 mature individuals.

 

Czech Republic

 

This week we are in Central Europe which is the region lying between the defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. It includes the countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary.

So, this week we will start with the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. 

The country was once known as Czechoslovakia but in November 1989, the Velvet Revolution ended communist rule in the country and restored democracy. On 31 December 1992, Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved, with its constituent states becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

It has a population of around 10.7million, the capital is Prague, and the official language is Czech.

The koruna, or crown, has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's eight currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to adopt the euro in the future. The official name in Czech is koruna česká.

The Czech National Bank, is the central bank and financial market supervisor in the Czech Republic, headquartered in Prague. It is a member of the European System of Central Banks.

The flag of the Czech Republic is the same as the flag of the former Czechoslovakia. Upon the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in December 1992, the Czech Republic kept the Czechoslovak flag while Slovakia adopted its own flag. The first flag of Czechoslovakia was based on the flag of Bohemia and was white over red. It was created in 1920, shortly after the founding of the first independent Czechoslovak state. The white, red, and blue colors are both symbolic and historic.

The coat of arms of the Czech Republic is divided into two principal variants. Greater coat of arms displays the three historical regions—the Czech lands—which make up the nation. Lesser coat of arms displays lone silver double-tailed lion in red shield. The Czech coat of arms dates back to the 13^th century. It consists of a shield divided into four squares. The top left and bottom right squares are red, with a white, double-tailed crowned lion. The lion is the symbol of Bohemia and signifies power and sovereignty.

Its national bird is I think the female eagle, and its national flower is the rose and the lion is the national animal.

It is considered a relative safe country with violent crime low but petty crime exists as it does in all countries.

Many Czech’s speak English, German and Russian.

 

 

Week 37 of 2024

 

I had a mostly good night, had to get up at 11pm to use the powerfit due to how much my legs were moving, after that I went back to bed and straight off back to sleep.

This morning, I took my meds at 5am and went back to bed till 6am. It is 16 degrees and my BGL was 6.1

I made a couple of slices of toast for breakie but only managed to eat one and I had my morning egg flip.

Tim and I went shopping and by the time I got home I was exhausted.

Steps: 4,225

I had a mostly good night, had to get up at 11pm to use the powerfit due to how much my legs were moving, after that I went back to bed and straight off back to sleep.

This morning, I took my meds at 5am and went back to bed till 6am. It is 16 degrees and my BGL was 6.1

I made a couple of slices of toast for breakie but only managed to eat one and I had my morning egg flip.

Tim and I went shopping and by the time I got home I was exhausted.

Steps: 4,225

I had a mostly good night, had to get up at 11pm to use the powerfit due to how much my legs were moving, after that I went back to bed and straight off back to sleep.

It is only 8 degrees and my BGL was 4.4.

It warmed up, got to 23 degrees.

I managed to close my eyes for an hour before I had to pee. I should have closed them again after I went to the loo.

I have managed to stay awake till 7pm but found myself extremely tired so I am off to bed.

Steps: 4,586

KATHY’S BIRTHDAY SHE IS 39 TODAY

I had a good night slept straight through till 5am. It is only 9 degrees and my BGL was 5.0

By 9am it was a nice 15 degrees, and it reached a top of 20 degrees.

I had a 1hr nap, but I am going to try and increase it to 1.5hrs tomorrow, I am feeling exhausted and tired at 7pm but will manage to stay up till 7.30pm.

Steps: 4,109

Another good night woke twice to pee and straight back to sleep. It’s 8 degrees and my BGL was 5.1

I had to change into shorts as it is warm.

I had my knee braces on but after 4 hours they started to annoy me, so I took them off.

It’s 11.30pm and I am up using the powerfit due to restlessness.

Steps:3,345

Had a so-so night after using the powerfit I went back to bed at midnight and straight back to sleep till the alarm went off.

It is only 7 degrees and my BGL was 4.9, the day warmed up a bit got to a top of 16 degrees.

It started to rain this afternoon after Sam got home from school.

I am managing to stay up a bit longer at night, it is 8.15pm and I am off to bed.

Steps:2,989

Had another so-so night, I kept waking up for a few minutes and this is why I suspect I woke up tired. The temp is 12 degrees my BGL was 4.5 and I am in winter clothes.

Damn it felt cold when Sam and I went to wait for Joel (transport driver)

Tasha drove me to Miller’s bakery so I could get a couple of things.

A cold day but no rain which is something.

Steps: 2,861

Had a good night went to bed around 8.15pm slept till 3am after going to the loo I went back to bed and slept till 5am when the alarm went off.

A somewhat cold start to the day with the temp being only 6 degrees and my BGL was 5.5

Tim is working today all day he expects to be home around 6pm. He arrived home at 6.30pm.

Tasha, Jessica and I walked down to vote, I took the walker and felt exhausted by the time I got home.

Steps: 3,106