Ok it is time for some more about Australia under fire in 1942 starting off this week with Port Moresby, which is in the PNG or Papua New Guinea, back during the wall it was seen as a strategic goal for the Japanese. It was an important port and the largest town in the PNG.
During WW11 there was several battles in Papua New Guinea including Milne Bay and Kokoda. Between August and September in Milne Bay the invading Japanese were driven off after a ten-day battle involving land, sea, and air forces.
Us Aussies had participated in the first defeat of seemingly invincible Japanese force. In early November after 5 exhausting months in hideous conditions on the Kokoda Trail us Aussie’s managed to drive the Japanese back from this vital route to Port Moresby.
Meanwhile during October and November outside the Southwest Pacific theatre of war Australian troops were distinguishing themselves during the battle of El Alamein in Egypt’s Western Desert. The 9th division of the AIF fought side by side with British, Indian, New Zealand and South African forces against German and Italian troops under Field Marshal Rommel.
The fall of Singapore consigned thousands of Aussies to horrible and brutal conditions in Japanese prison camps. On the 20 and 21 February Timor fell to the Japanese resulting in many Aussies being taken prisoner.
However, one of the independent companies of the AIF the 2/2nd remained in the jungle for over a year as a guerilla unit inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese.
Good morning, everyone, it is Tuesday here in my part of the world and so it is time for the creature of the week and this week it is the Pink Fairy Armadillo.
The pink fairy armadillo is the smallest species of armadillo, first described by Richard Harlan in 1825. This solitary, desert-adapted animal is endemic to the deserts and scrub lands of central Argentina. The pink fairy armadillo is closely related to the only other fairy armadillo, the greater fairy armadillo.
While this little fairy doesn’t have wings it’s enchanting it is only 15cm long, has a fluffy white belly and a coat od pink scales. The scales are so thin they are almost translucent, and it’s the blood vessels underneath that give it a rosy glow.
It lives in the sandy plans and grasslands of Argentina, it uses its oversized claws to dig burrows and find food such as ant larvae, worms, and other insects.
According to the Pink Fairy Armadillo resource, the total population size of the species is around 100 individuals left.
Want to know a little bit about the climate, climate is of course the weather.
Mountain climates drop as the altitude increases, that’s of course the height above sea level, this affects the type of vegetation that can grow in the area.
Polar climates are extremely cold and change very little throughout the year. There is hardly any rain or snowfall and very few plants can grow. The animals have thick fur or fat to keep them warm.
Desert climates are as we all know very dry with very little rain. The days are extremely warm, and the nights can be bloody cold. Generally, the plants and animals in the desert can store water.
The mediterranean regions are warm all year round with wet winters and dry summer. Citrus fruit grows well in such areas as their thick skins prevent them drying out.
The area around the equator is known as the equatorial regions and are permanently hot and wet ideal for rainforests.
City climates are usually warmer than less built-up areas as concrete absorbs heat for longer than vegetation does.
There is also coastal or maritime climates which are mild and wet due to the air above the land and sea constantly circulating, gaining and losing heat throughout the day and night.
Another day has arrived, I am feeling much better this morning even if it is only 12 degrees.
By midday it reached 23 degrees.
I plugged my tablet in to charge but for some reason it is charging really slow, I may need a new charger cord.
Answered one letter and started work on one to a new pen pal, those letters take longer to write.
Another good night, it may only be 12 degrees here, but I am drenched in sweat.
I feel good this morning not sick like yesterday. Last day of the school holidays, which should make Sam happy.
I went down the road with Tim wanted to get a few things from Coles but I ended up out of breathe and unable to control my body, so didn’t do as much as I wanted. This really annoyed me.
Had a pretty good night, it is 14 degrees, and I am sweating of course.
School goes back today. Sam turned up at 6.50am all dressed for school, that will not happen often.
While trying to unpack the groceries this morning I found my legs moving uncontrollably and had to do it in small bouts but got it done and after 45 minutes my legs settled.
It started raining around 1pm and hasn’t stopped.
At 5pm my legs started moving uncontrollably again.
Woke to rain, found a note from Tim telling me that if it is raining this morning, I am to get Jess to go up with Sam of course I will I do not have to be told that. It has been raining on and off since I got up.
The temp at 5am was 13 degrees by 9am it was 15 degrees. It got to a top of 17 degree by midday.
Had another episode with my legs moving uncontrollably again around 8.30am, then again around 5pm.
It has been raining on and off all day and not cold but pretty cool for me, Tim of course is cold.
I have had a couple of moments when I felt so tired moving was an effort and my body has felt stiff. So, I did some exercises then I rested after which I felt a bit better but not great.
I slept well, Tim slept in the loungeroom till around 4.45am coming to bed just before I got up. It was 13 degrees at 5am and 15 degrees at 7am.
Around 6.30am I heard what sounded like a scream and moments later Sam came running in to make sure I was ok, she also heard the scream and wanted to check on nana.
By 11.30am it was 18 degrees, I went from hot to cold and back to hot. Also had to get Jess to go up with Sam due to it raining.
Another cold morning temp of 12 degrees. Had a voice text from Jess at 1.15am asking not to wake her to take Sam up if it is raining as she isn’t well and has a migraine. So hopefully I will be able to go up with Sam this morning.
When I rang Sam, it went straight to voicemail and I didn’t want to disturb Jess, so I text Tasha, no reply so I ended up walking to Sam’s house, found the door locked so had to yell to be heard. It all worked out and Sam came down took medication and we both went to wait for the transport driver. Thankfully no rain.
Tasha came down to use the dryer and when Tim asked her if she had checked out the prices at some stores so she can get her own, she gave him a look. Why because only last week she spoke to us about that and showed photos, but he didn’t remember and got pissy and because I agreed with her, he got pissed at me.
Tim went and posted my letters off and bought me more stamps.
Had a rough night, took a bloody long time to settle down and even then, I woke 3 times to pee. It was 12 degrees at 5am.
Last night Tim took a 5 second of me shaking, and this morning I sent it to my siblings and shared it on Facebook.
Sue came over to check on me and drove me to the bakery to get a cream lamington and a small caramel tart.
We got pizza for lunch, and I barely managed one slice, I will have pizza for breakfast tomorrow.
Ok it is Friday, so it is time for another post about Parkinson’s Disease.
When you think about Parkinson’s do you connect it with constipation? I never did, although I have now learnt that it is extremely common for PD suffers to have to deal with it. This is because the normal muscular activity of the bowel is reduced.
Thankfully I do not have an issue with this, but because I know it can be a problem I make a note of each time I go just so when I am asked about the problem, I have an idea how often I go. Some may think that is a bit odd but what do I care.
It is a condition that can be made worse by anticholinergic drugs as well as reduced physical exercise and activity.
That said it rarely causes major problems.
Moving on from that to skin problems this book I am using says that it those with PD can have greasy, scaly skin, what the hell, no just no, I do not want that. Ok I don’t want any of it but still.
The condition is called seborrhoea and results in greasy hair and eyebrows with irritation and dandruff and a rather greasy shiny complexion. I do not want to go back to my teenage years.
Ok to help keep this under control one should wash their hair regularly, which I do and wash their skin daily with normal soap which I do. So maybe I will not end up with these problems because I do not want them.
So here I am on a wet Thursday morning tyring to write a post about BPD but mostly just looking at the computer screen or the rain outside.
This week we are talking about intense interpersonal relationships. It isn’t uncommon for people to feel like they are walking on eggshells when involved with someone who has BPD as it can be like riding a roller coaster.
In fact, it doesn’t matter if the person is your partner, a friend, relative or just someone you work with, you will find the emotions intense with the highs being high and the lows super low. It will often feel anything may trigger an outburst; this is why people feel exhausted having someone with BPD in their life.
It is not unusual for relationships with a BPD suffer to start very passionately and you may even feel like soulmates. It may feel the BPD suffer wants to spend all their time with you, but this will not last and can fade fast.
In fact, the moment you do something wrong even if you have no idea what you did, you may feel attacked or punished. Which is why such relationships tend to leave you feeling drained.
People need to understand that because the BPD suffer is afraid you will leave them, they reject your efforts to put things right. In fact, they are more likely to put you through several tests in order for you to prove your loyalty. They may even shut down hoping you will apologise and beg forgiveness.
People with BPD may have a challenging time respecting your boundaries. Boundaries can feel like rejection, and rejection often feels synonymous with abandonment. They may be jealous of other people in your life and constantly put them down, hoping that you will also turn against them.
Unfortunately, even though the person with BPD fears abandonment, their actions ultimately can motivate people to abandon them. After all, it can feel hopeless and futile trying to comfort someone who doesn’t believe in your motives.
Well, hello everyone, it is slightly cold and wet day here in Newie.
Here is a little more the introduction in the book Australians Under Fire 1942.
During the 1930s and early 1940s Australia watch Japan invade Manchuria and China, march through Indo-China (now Vietnam), Cambodia and Laos. Then, came Malaya followed by the attack on Pearl Harbour.
In January 1942 Japan seized Rabual on the island of New Britian to Australia’s north this saw British, Dutch and American colonies in the region fall quick smart.
Singapore fell on the 15 February; Singapore had been considered a British bastion for the defence of region.
These actions made Australia aware of how vulnerable this island continent was. This was brought home with the bombing of Darwin on the 19 February, more about that in a later post.
Even the arrival of General Douglas MacArthur (who my uncle was named after) on 17 March was tinged with a sense of defeat, as he had been forced to flee from the Philippines.
The United States High Command chose Australia as a base from where the war against Japan could be planned.
For a while there seemed no stopping Japan but then came the battled of the Coral Sea in May 1942 which was a win for the Allies. It was this battle that prevented Japan taking Port Morseby and invading Northern Australia.
What as morning, I was debating with myself if I would do a post due to how I have been feeling but here I am doing one. It is Tuesday so it is creature day and this week wed are looking at the Brown-Throated Sloth, there is a bloody lot that is unusual about this mammal.
Such as its thick brown fur regularly looks green-blue because of the algae growing on it. The colour helps it stay well, hidden in its rainforest home. Next instead of toes it has three long claws on both front and back feet, which help it hang upside down from branches. It can also swivel its head almost 90 degrees and its mouth are shaped in a permanent smile.
It is the size of a cat, weighs around 4kg and rarely walks, it stays in trees except when it needs to poo, which it does once a week.
They eat leaves, twigs, and fruit, because they move so little and use hardly any energy a single meal can take up to a month to pass through its body.
It is a species of three-toed sloth found in the Neotropical realm of Central and South America. It is the most common of the four species of three-toed sloth and is found in the forests of South and Central America.
Although they can walk along the ground, and even swim, they spend most of their lives in the high branches of trees, descending once every eight days or so to defecate in the soil. It has no preference for sleeping say or night.
It is Monday and the last day of the school holidays.
It is also time for this week’s facts, this week we are looking at weather.
The word weather is used to describe the conditions in the atmosphere close to the Earth’s surface.
The Sun plays a crucial part in determining the weather. Its rays have the strongest effect where they hit the ground around the planet’s surface or the equator. So, the further away from the equator the colder it is.
Regions along the equator receive the same strength of sunlight all year round, these places only have two distinguishable seasons, wet and dry.
Heat from the sun causes water from the seas to evaporate, as the water vapour rises and cools it condenses, forming tiny water droplets which group together to form clouds.
Weather conditions change throughout the year because the Earth is tilted on its axis. As the Earth orbits the Sun, the Suns rays fall on different areas causing the seasons.
A decent enough night, it is another wet morning with the temp being 16 degrees. I had to turn the heater on for a bit.
By midday it was 20 degrees.
The spat between Jess, Sam & Tim has gotten worse that is till Tasha got involved giving Jess & Sam a lecture then Tim about respect, acceptance and not acting like children. She also had a go at Tim about his refusal to see someone about his depression and his refusal to try medication for it.
It has felt like a long sad day.
A new day, the start of the last week of school holidays. A cold start to the day with a temp of 14 degrees. I am feeling drained this morning, shaking and sweating and feeling sad.
Summer is here today.
Sandy came over to us her new car, it is a white 2013 Holden Captiva, runs on diesel.
Tim & Summer went to Kmart so Tim could buy a couple of heaters. He also stopped and bought Hungry Jacks for lunch I just had a small chips.
This afternoon Tim told me he will endeavour to call Sam she or her, but it doesn’t change his believes or opinions that is fine now one expected it to.
I have no idea why he changed his mind because yesterday he was adamant he would not do so.
I could tell when he told Jess that she was happy.
I had a better night last night it is only 13 degrees this morning. Also, this morning I found a bunch of my medication laying lose on my desk, Tim obviously spilt them which is annoying but what can you do.
Summer is here today, and she has been a big help dividing fruit, unpacking groceries as well as other stuff.
Tim had a job interview, he said it went well. However, they want to wait till after he has seen his hand specialist again about removing a plate in his wrist, before offering him a job.
The temperature got to 25 degrees around midday.
Had a rough start to last night, I was tossing and turning and moving so much I felt seasick. Tim said it took my 5 hours to settle.
Once I settled, I slept well.
This morning’s temp at 5am was 13 degrees.
Tim has gone to a doctor’s appointment then he is going to cash in some bottles.
By midday it was 26 degrees.
ANZAC DAY
Had a much better night settled quickly and slept pretty much through the night.
The temp at 5am was 13 degrees but doesn’t feel that cold. It got to a top of 23 degrees by 11am.
I washed the kitchen and bathroom floors using the steam mop then Tim went over it using a normal mop and plain water. Tim also cleaned the exhaust fan in the bathroom.
Had a good night’s sleep, woke with the alarm, discovered Tim had done a load of washing and tossed it in the dryer, it is folded and waiting for me to put it away.
It is 12 degrees at 5am.
Tried on the new grey pants I bought. They are a size too big, but I can’t return them as they were on the clearance rank. I also will need them hemmed but they felt good on, I was going to wear them to the doctors but changed my mind as a piece of thread got caught in my toes.
By midday the temp was 21 degrees.
Had a doctor’s appointment all went well just needed forms filled in, also had a flu shot.
I feel terrible this afternoon like I have the flu, damn flu shot.
Had another good night, did take me a while to settle fully but once I did, I slept through the night. It is 11 degrees at 5am. By midday it was 21degrees.
I haven’t felt well all day just like I have the damn flu, but I don’t have to do anything but rest.
I did manage to answer 4 letters which is something and blog of course.
Jo-AnneRamplings 