Since last we looked at blindness, I thought this week I will write a little about Louis Braille.
He was born on 4 January 1809 in the village of Coupvray, near Paris, France. He was an educator and inventor who created the Braille writing system, a tactile code that enables blind and low-vision people to read and write by touch.
He lost his sight as a child after an accident in his father’s workshop. As a student at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, he became interested in improving the limited reading methods available to blind students. Inspired by a military “night writing” system made of raised dots, Braille developed a simpler and more flexible six-dot cell system when he was still a teenager.
Braille’s system could represent letters, numbers, punctuation, music notation, and later many specialised symbols. Although it was not widely adopted during his lifetime, it eventually became the standard reading and writing system for blind people around the world.
His achievement is important because Braille gave blind people much greater access to education, literacy, independence, and employment. Today, his name is remembered not only as an inventor but as someone who transformed accessibility and communication.
He never married and his life involved a demanding teaching schedule at the Royal Institute for the blind. As well as developing and promoting the braille system. He also suffered from tuberculosis from his mid 20’s.
By his 30s, his health had declined significantly, and he spent long periods unable to teach. He died at just 43, on 6 January 1852 in Paris, France.
Here in Australia, we are home to some of the world’s most deadly spiders here is some information about three of them which I will share over the next three weeks starting with the Sydney Funnel-Web Spider.
The Sydney funnel‑web isn’t just dangerous because of its venom but because of the combination of venom, behaviour, and anatomy.
Its venom is uniquely potent to humans as it targets the nervous system, causing nerves to fire uncontrollably. However, dogs, cats, and most mammals are barely affected.
They deliver a lot of venom, this may have something to do with the fact that they bit repeatedly injecting large amounts of venom while they hang on.
They have huge fangs up to 6 mm long and strong enough to pierce fingernails, leather shoes, and thick clothing.
They’re aggressive when threatened, they will rear up, show their fangs, and will lunge if provoked. This is defensive, not “attacking,” but it makes encounters more dangerous.
They love humidity and after rain males wander looking for mates. They can be found in pools, shoes, garages and laundries, they also enter houses often.
Most bites happen in summer after rain, especially between January and March.
Symptoms can begin within 10 minutes, they include the following:
Tingling around the mouth
Sweating (especially on the face)
Drooling
Muscle twitching
Difficulty breathing
Rapid heart rate
Confusion or agitation
Without antivenom, severe cases can progress to respiratory failure.
In 1981 the antivenom was created by the legendary Australian venom researcher Struan Sutherland and changed everything as since then there have been zero deaths as the antivenom is extremely effective with most patients recover fully within 24–48 hours.
Now where do they live they can found in:
Sydney
Central Coast
Newcastle
Lake Macquarie
Hunter Valley
Blue Mountains
They prefer to hang out in the following conditions
moist soil
leaf litter
rock walls
garden beds
under logs
swimming pool filters
The male is far more dangerous they wander at night looking for females.
Females stay in burrows and rarely bite humans.
Their burrows are a silk‑lined tunnel, with “trip lines” radiating out like spokes and are in moist, dark areas such as under rocks or logs.
They don’t make the classic “funnel” shape people imagine — it’s more like a silk‑reinforced hole.
I had a good night slept till the alarm went off at 5am, thankfully it was a nice dry day, and I was able to go for my walk and sweep up out the front.
It is 15c or 59f this morning, I slept for 6&1/2 hours and woke feeling good and with it.
Tim got up at 8am he will be spending most of the day working on the trailer.
I didn’t do much today, just couldn’t get motivated.
Steps: 9,063 = 4.5k’s
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Had a good night woke at 4am and got up at 4.20am, washed and dressed for the day and of course I have swept out the kitchen, hall and lounge-room.
The temp this morning is 15c or 59f and I had around 5hr’s of sleep.
Sue picked me up at 9.15am as she had a doctor’s appointment after that we called in at Warner’s Bay Plaza so I could pick up my scrips.
It was lightly raining when I left home but didn’t last long and it has been fined the rest of the day.
Had a really good night, slept for around 9hrs and woke with the alarm this morning, it is currently 5.40am and the temp is 10c or 50f and Tim left the heater going when he left for work.
I went for my morning walk, walking down to post a couple of letters.
I went with Sue to have her hearing aids checked, that is all I did today.
I slept through again, waking only when the alarm went off, it is only 11c or 52f this morning. I had just over 8hrs of sleep.
I just remembered that I woke up when Tim was getting ready for work, he was in state. It was 3.40am and he had confused his sign on time with his pick up time. He was thinking he signed on at 4.50 but no that was his pick-up time he had to sign on at 4.15am. It will be a long day for him.
I went for a walk, but I wasn’t all with it, I felt tired and not right after a bit I realised I should eat something, so I came home and had 2 scones with jam and cream and after that I was ok.
I slept ok till 3am after which I only dosed on and off till I got up at 4.30am. I also woke up with not just a headache but a face ache meaning my whole face aches. It was like that last night just before I went to bed. I have already cleaned the kitchen and swept the kitchen and loungeroom’s floors.
It is 15c or 59f at 5am.
I decided to clean out the laundry cupboard took me two hours, and it isn’t finished, I was so worn out and exhausted and in pain, so I decided to finish it off tomorrow.
Today’s topic is blindness, did you know that the main cause of blindness is cataracts, generally affecting older adults and those living in areas where surgery isn’t easily available.
Other important causes include diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. The exact leading cause can vary by age and country, but globally cataract is the biggest single cause of blindness because it is common, strongly linked to ageing, and often left untreated where access to eye care is limited.
Worldwide, about 0.5% of the population is blind, which is something like 43 million people, based on major global estimates for distance-vision blindness this works out to be around one in 200 people.
Some people are born blind, but this is very rare with only between 0.03% to 0.05% of children born being blind, this is roughly 3 to 5 in every 10,000 births.
Blind people do not all see the same thing. Some see nothing at all, while many others still have some vision. They may be able to see light and dark, shapes or shadows, movement, blurred colours, or only small areas of vision. Very few blind people see complete blackness all the time. For many people, blindness means partial vision loss rather than total loss of sight, and what they can see depends on how much vision they have left and what caused the blindness.
Blindness is generally considered a disability because it can significantly affect everyday activities such as reading, recognising faces, travelling safely, and completing daily tasks, although the exact legal definition can vary depending on the country and the level of vision loss.
🐝 Today we are looking at another creature of the dangerous animal list, and it is the Honeybee, not really that dangerous but still they are on the list, so here is some information about them.
Surprisingly, bees send more Australians to hospital than any other venomous creature on average around 1,000 cases annually due to allergic reactions. Thankfully on average only 3 people may die each year from a bee or wasp sting.
A common reaction to a bee sting is usually local, mild, and short‑lived. Most people experience only normal, non‑dangerous symptoms, even though they can be uncomfortable. If anything, ever feels severe, persistent, or unusual, it’s important to speak with a qualified healthcare professional.
Honeybees are not native to Australia they were introduced from Europe in the 1800’s, they live in large colonies and are honey producers.
Honeybees are one of the most fascinating and important insects on the planet and in Australia, they’re both incredibly useful and the most common cause of insect‑sting reactions.
They build hives in:
wooden boxes (managed hives)
tree hollows
wall cavities
roofs
rock crevices
A strong hive can contain 20,000–60,000 bees.
They only sting to defend the hive and do not sting when foraging unless:
they’re stepped on
they’re trapped in clothing
they feel threatened
This is why most stings happen on feet, hands, or arms.
In Australia there are mostly European honeybees, but we also have Asian honeybees which can be found in far north QLD. They are vital for agriculture but can compete with native bees for food. Of course, there are other types of bees such as the Native stingless bees, Native solitary bees (blue-banded bees, teddy bear bees, leafcutter bees, carpenter bees) and then we have wasps yeah, they are not bees but often confused with them.
Most native bees do not make honey and do not live in big hives.
Had a good sleep, slept for a bit over 8hrs, had a nice shower when I got up, I don’t shower every day because I don’t go out a lot, nor do I get dirty or even hot and sweaty so don’t see the point in a daily shower. If I don’t shower, I do have a good wash first thing in the morning.
Tim got a phone call asking if he could work today, he started at 11.30am and will finish at midnight.
It is now 9pm and I have had 3hrs of sleep, around 5.30pm I started to feel not with it as in extremely tired and unwell. So, I had Tasha come and help me get ready for bed and while I was getting changed, I decided to just go to bed. I must have fallen asleep very fast as the next thing I knew I had to pee and realised it was 8.55pm. I will stay up for an hour or so before going back to bed.
After I went back to bed I slept well till 4.40am when I got up and I feel good this morning. It is a cold 10c or 50f and I have the heater on but will turn it off soonish.
I have had a good morning, went for a walk and did the housework.
Tim didn’t get up till around 9am, thankfully it is a public holiday here so no work for Tim.
Dave has finally had his surgery so now he just needs to recover.
I slept well and got up at 4.40am, I had around 7hrs of sleep, it is 10c or 50f at 5.30am.
I was late going for a walk so only walked around the driveway as I don’t like walking on the road after 8am due to the amount of traffic. I also don’t like using the walker on wet grass.
Dave has at long last had his surgery and all went well, Sue and I may go and see him on Friday.
I stripped the bed and remade it with warmer sheets. I managed it but it wasn’t easy and left me exhausted.
Had a good night, I was up at 4.20am and had a shower straight after getting up. The temp this morning was 14c according to my phone, or 13c according to my watch and the laptop said 10c, this is normal and when I write the temp each morning, I pick a number like today I would normally say 12c.
It is a warmish day, I had two naps during the day, I did the usual housework as well as mopping the kitchen floor.
After that I sat in a darkish room and closed my eyes for 25 minutes.
Dave is doing ok, but not up for visitors yet which I get I have long thought when someone is in hospital really unwell people coming to see them may feel draining, especially if all one wants to do is sleep.
After lunch I decided I needed another nap this time I slept for 55 minutes and felt good afterwards.
I had a so-so sleep got around 6 & ½ hours, woke at 4.20am and got up at 5am the temp is 14c or 57f, it is wet outside but not raining.
I had trouble trying to dress ready to go shopping, I couldn’t put my pants on and just sat on the side on the bed staring at nothing till I thought to put my Beechband on.
After I did that, my mind became focus enough to ring Tasha for help, she came and helped.
Sue and I went shopping, no issues but as we were leaving the centre my feet started to feel heavy and I was glad to get home and take my shoes off.
Had a decent night, up at 4.20am washed and dressed, the temp at 5am is 14c or 57f, I managed to get 6 & ½ hours of sleep.
Sue and I have Dr appointments for our care plan reviews this morning. All went well spoke to the doc about the popping sensation and pain on the left side of my neck at the base of the skull.
Dave is being discharged today.
By 4pm I was so tired I had to close my eyes for 30 minutes.
I told Tasha not bother coming down tonight as I am fine and it’s cold and wet outside.
I slept well but was awake and up at 4am after having nearly 8hrs of sleep. It is 12c or 53f at 5am, one thing I like about getting up that early is having how quiet and still the morning feels.
Sue locked herself out of her flat this morning and had to ring Sandy who was still asleep and get her to take the spare key over and let Sue into the flat, it was 9.30am.
Sue and I went to Kmart so she could get a new lighter vacuum then we went to see Dave. He doesn’t look good, he was sleeping on the lounge, and I thought he looks old and sick. Both Sue and I thought the same thing.
Tim is at work today and won’t be home till around 1am.
Jo-AnneRamplings 