A new post can be found here: https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2024/07/cauliflower-trauma.html

Hello all on this cold morning here in Newie, New South Wales, it is Friday at last and time to share a bit more about living with Parkinson’s.

One thing that someone with Parkinson’s may find is their family wanting to step in and make things easier for them taking over jobs like vacuuming, rinsing dishes, tossing clothes into the washing machine or dryer but often these are the type of jobs a person with Parkinson’s can still do. So they should be doing them when possible.

Also, they need to stimulate their minds, which is why I do puzzles on my tablet and write my blog posts. Sitting and watching TV all day is not good for anyone, I watch far less TV now days then I ever did. I prefer to do the puzzles on my tablet.

It is easy for someone with PD to feel excluded from things as if like me they have lost their license due to being declared medically unfit to drive. We need to rely on family or friends to take us somewhere, as often we feel we cannot afford to take a taxi.

Some people may say take a bus but that isn’t always practical, as if I will be walking a distance I will prefer to use my walker over my cane. The walker has a seat so if I need to stop for a few minutes, I can, but getting a walker on and off a bus would not be easy. Some may think get the bus driver to help you, however, they can be told by management they are not to get out of their seat to help someone on or off the bus.

Another thing, many people hold events in the evening and someone like me may find that difficult, I become extremely tired, worn out and just not with it the later in the day it becomes. So going to an evening or nighttime event feels so damn difficult to do, thus we don’t do it. I turned down an invite to my niece’s 21^st because of that reason it is not only at night, but it is during winter another thing this year I am struggling with. This has made me feel left out and it isn’t anyone’s fault I feel this way, it just is how it is.

I will leave this here and there may be another post about Parkinson’s next week to wrap it up.

This week I am wrapping up at least for now my posts on borderline personality disorder or BPD, I will end this by sharing a few other physical symptoms someone with BPD may experience, may not will or do just may.

Digestive or stomach issues, this is because stress can affect a body’s digestive functioning as the gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness or elation can all trigger physical symptoms in the gut.

Muscle aches and pains, this is a common physical symptom of stress and anxiety as many with BPD experience high emotional stress due to rapid cycling moods.

They can also experience a psychogenic fever or high temperature due to chronic stress.

Lastly, we have chest pain and up to 25 percent of BPD sufferers will experience chest pain often so bad they feel like they are having a heart attack. It is often linked to panic attacks.

Ok it is time to step back to 1942 and Australia’s involvement in the long battle for the Kokoda Trail this battle started on the 21 July when the Japanese landed in Papua.

It took till November for there to even be a partial resolution and it was in January 1943 that the Japanese were driven out.

There was around 1.5 million indigenous people and around 6,000 European residents. After the attack on Pearl Harbour the European women and children were encouraged to return to Australia.  

By mid-February in 1942 the territories were under military control.

In mid-July General MacArthur ordered a force of Australian infantry and American engineers should move across the Kokoda track to Buna to construct and airfield at Dobodura.

The Kokoda track became known as the Kokoda trail sometime in 1942 mainly due to American influence.

By mid-1942 there was great pressure on troop numbers, experienced soldiers of the AIF were fighting in the Middle East and North Africa.

This meant it was left up to three militia units of the Australian Military Forces AMF the 39^th, 49^th & 53^rd along with a Papuan Infantry Battalion, which was manned by Papuans under Australian Officers.

The AMF was formed by volunteer, part time soldiers but at the outbreak of war this force was augmented by the call-up of conscripts for home defence.

New Guinea was declared the 8Australian Military District to enable the use of the conscripts in a war zone.

The 39 Australian Infantry Battalion a CMF unit (citizens military force). It was raised in October 1941 by volunteers in Victoria and arrived in Port Moresby in January 1942. Out of the 1,500 men that arrived in Port Moresby only 185 remained when they were relieved in September 1942.

That will do for now, more to come next week.

Who wants to know a bit more about the cat family? Cats in the wild are classified as small, medium and large depending on size. They are also divided into three groups based on their traits.

Domestic cats and their wild relatives share many characteristics, they all have short strong jaws and sharp teeth. All cats are good hunters, small cats eat while standing and the big cats prefer to eat lying down.

Domestic cats can hold their tails low and swing them to show if they are playful or nervous and an upright tail is a sign of alertness. A wild cat’s tail will be upright when on alert as well.    

It is believed that us humans have had cats as pets for around 8,000 years. This may have had a lot to do with the fact they are such good hunters, thus keeping down the number of mice, rats and snakes.

I think most know that the Egyptians worshiped cats and believed them to be the Goddess Bast, this is why it waw illegal to kill or trade in them.

Cats living in forests such as the jaguar or cloudy leopard, have short stocky limbs. This is why they are better at climbing trees to ambush their prey.

It is believed by some that the domestic cat can make something like 60 different sounds which may have different meanings. A meow can mean a friendly greeting, or it can just as likely be an expression of curiosity, hunger or maybe it is just lonely.

Purring as most of us know is assign of contentment it is also a sound they make when sick.

Hissing and growling and screaming means they are angry and frightened.

Good morning, another cold morning here in Newie and it is Monday and still no school for another week, anyway, here is this week’s country.

We are in the area known as the Northern Andean which includes countries such as Peru, Colombia and Ecuador as well as couple of others.

Peru is the third largest country in South America, with Brazil being the largest. It is considered unique for having three different landscapes the rocky Andes, the Atacama Desert and the Amazonian Forest.

                    A photo of the capital

The capital is Lima, the currency is the Sol, it had a population of around 34 million and there is three official languages, Spanish, Aymara and Quechuan.

                         Rainbow Mountain

It is known for its iconic landmarks which include Machu Picchu, Colca Canyon, Rainbow mountains and Nazca lines. It also has some wonderful food dishes such as ceviche, pisco sour, quinoa and potatoes and apparently chocolate.

                                Flag

Their flag was adopted by the government in 1825 and modified in 1950. It is a vertical triband with red outer bands and single white middle band which has the National Coast of Arms in the center.

Their first constitution of 1823 gave political rights to adult males who had property or a profession but excluded so many others including those who could not read or write although that was suspended until 1840.

The current constitution came into force on the 31 December 1993. This is the fifth version in the 20 century and replaced all that came before it.

                        Legislative Palace

The Republic of Peru is a unitary state with a multi-party semi-presidential system. The current government was established by the 1993 Constitution of Peru.

The government is composed of three branches, being executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

The government of Peru takes place in a framework of a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Peru is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the President and the Government.

                            Some kind of church

The predominant religion is Roman Catholic, but there is a scattering of other Christian faiths. Indigenous Peruvians, however, have blended Catholicism and their traditional beliefs. An example is the near synonymous association of Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) and the Virgin Mary.

A new post can be found here :https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2024/07/boredom.html

So, it’s Sunday and I had a mostly good night, I was restless around 1.30am but got up took something for it and when I went back to bed, I settled no problem.

The temp is 8 degrees and my BGL is 5.2

Tim thought he was working tonight but when he got into work, he realised he isn’t working tonight, as it turned out the part about tonight was because last night’s job didn’t finish until 1am.

I washed the sheets and tossed them in the dryer, it has been a cold day but cold enough for the heater.

Steps 2,397

Had a rough night up and down every 45 minutes to the toilet, very frustrating, I ended up getting out of bed by 4.50am.

It is a pleasant 13 degrees my BGL is 5.8. this morning, I am going with Sam and Jess to the doctors, Sam has an appointment, I’m so pleased Jess asked me to go with them.

Sam’s Dr’s appointment went well he saw the same Dr Tim and I see. Sam must have blood tests done.

Jess bought me a new cardigan purple in colour, and I like, it will replace my old pick cardigan.

I had my left knee give way on me and the knee has been hurting since.

Tim had an appointment at the hospital he is now on the waiting list for two procedures which will be done under a general. 

Tim at last fitted and set up the doorbell camera for out the back and he also set up Jessica’s doorbell camera at her front door. 

Steps, 2,499

Had a good night, woke with the alarm was going to have a shower but the floor towels were wet so I think I will have it this arvo or tomorrow morning. My BGL is 4.4

I have both girls for the day and again tomorrow, I made them toasted cheese sanga each for lunch.

Summer helped me mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors and Sydney cleaned the sliding doors and the mirror in the bathroom. She also vacuumed the kitchen floor before Summer washed it.

I have felt drained all day but still managed to do 2,691 steps.

Slept al night, I woke to pee and discovered it was 4.40am so I stayed up. It is 7 degrees this morning my BGL is 5.5.

I have an appointment with the Dr’s tomorrow I thought Tasha was taking me, but she can’t, so Tim said he would drop me off and Tasha said she would pick me up.

Jessica discovered how to get my phone to play YouTube on my TV this is great.

Tim just discovered he must start earlier than originally told, so now he can’t take me. I have sent Sue a text but no reply, I have also sent a text to Sandy to see if she can help. Sandy said she will take me to the doctors and Sue should be picking me up.

Steps 2,399

Sandra forgot about me this morning till I sent her a message about forgetting me, thankfully she only lives 5 minutes away.

My diabetes is well control and no changes needed; he is also pleased by how many steps I am doing a day.

Sue came out and picked me up and we went to the post office before coming home. I helped Sue post off a package to Kirsty, by pointing out that if she a pre-paid bag it might cost less, I went and asked the lady behind the counter and I was right it was cheaper. I also found a book I will put with Tasha’s Christmas present that I think she will like.

It is 5 degrees and my BGL is 5.0

Tim got home at 1.15pm          

Steps 2,305

Had a good night, woke three times to pee but settled again ok. It is 6 degrees and my BGL is 5.2.

Tim is working today he is also working tomorrow. So I asked Tasha if she would be able to take me to the shops, she said she would.

It warmed up today so much that I had to change my clothes.

I cleaned out under the kitchen sink took a while and left me exhausted.

I also managed to go check the letter box.

I asked Sue if she would be able to take me to the podiatrist on Wednesday as I don’t know if Tim will be off or at work.

Steps 2,808

Had a rough spot last night around 8.30pm I had been asleep woke for whatever reason and the top half of my body started moving, however after I took my 9pm tablet and sat and a chat to Tim for a bit I settled ok when I returned to bed, sleeping well waking to pee twice and straight back to sleep.

It was 12 degrees when I got up, my BGL was 5.2 and life is good.

Tasha took me shopping and I asked her to drop some letters into the post box for me, she said she would.

I was surprised when Tim walked in the door at 4.50pm. He had a long break before picking up and dropping off people again, he did a charter. So, he decided to come home and have something to eat.

Steps 2,106

Well, it seems I didn’t do a post yesterday, I forgot about it. Anyway, here we are at Friday and that of course means a bit more about Parkinson’s Disease.

As the disease progresses those of us with it must learn how to adapt and adjust to the new challenges in our everyday life.

If one finds themselves shuffling and not lifting their feet when walking, they need to think about not having small rugs which could cause them to trip and fall. If you have bare floorboards and like to wear socks around the house without shoes you need to really be wearing grip socks, so you don’t slip over.

At some point one may find buttons hard to manage thus needing to change to something that doesn’t involve buttons unless there is someone to help with the buttons. I do not wear anything that needs to be buttoned up.

Shoelaces can be a real challenge and one may find at some point they will need to change to either slip on shoes or ones with Velcro. The shoes I wear have Velcro.

Getting up from a low chair is next to impossible this I discovered after the tree came through the roof and I had to go to Jessica’s house, her lounge was too low, and I had a lot of trouble getting up from it, I solved the problem by using my wheelchair.

These are photos of my armchair including the remote and in a raised position.

My armchair is a lift chair although I don’t need the lift option at this stage I may do in the future, I find that not having to use my legs to lower the footrest and kick it into place better, the lift chair has a button that raises and lowers the footrest.

Yes these are photos of my bathroom, you will notice the towels over the handrails, these we need to mop up the floor as the drain is only so so. The pink towel is mine and it is over my shower chair which is a chair with handrails and a back. 

Another problem is many toilets are too low and both sitting on and getting up from it is a real struggle, this I had to deal with our first few days in emergency accommodation. The toilet we have here is a disabled toilet which means it is higher and I have handrails to hold onto when sitting and standing.

Many people have a problem getting out of bed or turning over in bed, thankfully I do not have this problem and I will worry about that when or if it happens. I have read that some think using slippery nylon sheets helps and maybe they do but at this stage such sheets would just annoy the hell out of me.

More about the daily struggles next week.

Ok time to wrap up the battle of the Coral Sea in June 1942 a much more crucial sea battle was to take place this was the battle of Midway. By mid-May Allied Intelligence had discovered that the Japanese intended to attack the U S territories of Midway Island in the Central Pacific and the Aleutians in the North Pacific.

This would give the Japanese a strategic superiority in the Pacific, and that wasn’t something the Allies wanted so the Americans sent the carriers USS Enterprise, USS Hornet and USS Yorktown to an are north of Midway.

                        A Japanese Carrier

The Japanese commander, Yamamoto ordered his four large carries, Kaga, Akagi, Hiryu and Soryu south from Japan to attack Midway Islan.

On the 3 June both sides saw each other, and the next day U S aircraft sunk all four Japanese carriers, the main lose for America was the Yorktown.

So, the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway put an end to Japan’s naval superiority.

Of course, these things didn’t stop the Japanese war machine from attacking the east coast of Australia. On the night of the 31 May-1 June Japanese midget submarines entered Sydney Harbour, two of the subs were sunk but not before they managed to hit the depot ship Kuttabul, killing 19. Townsville which had an important airfield was also attacked on the 26 July.

                       Troops at Guadalcanal 

The battle of the Solomons inn August 1942 was significant among the many sea battles in the Southwest Pacific Area. It was fought mainly by the US Naval forces as they attempted to land troops and supplies on Guadalcanal. Three Australian ships were part of the force supporting the US supply ships. It was during this operation that the HMAS Canberra was sunk, north of Guadalcanal.

The Battle of the Coral Sea prevented a seaborne invasion of Port Moresby and is thought by many that it also saved Australia.  

From 1946 to I don’t know when there was something called Coral Sea Week Celebrations with marches by servicemen from both countries and social functions to express our thanks to the USA for its part in the battles and support given to us from the Americans in World War 11.

Next week we move on to the Kokoda Trail.