Time to take a step back in time to 1942, as I continue my series about Australia Under Fire in 1942.

Many Aussies came under fire in 1942 while at sea, cruisers, destroyers, and corvettes of the RAN played vital roles. Such as supply and rescue and relief roles as well participated in battles in the Mediterrian and the waters to the north of Australia, far too many to mention them all here.

                  THE HMAS PERTH

Allied ships delayed the Japanese landing on Java on 27 February, then on the 1 March in the battle of Sunda Strait the cruiser HMAS Perth was sunk. Costing the lives of 352 men and another 320 taken prisoner.

In November the newly commissioned corvette Armidale came under fire off Timor while trying to recuse refuges, it was sunk taking the life of 87 men.

                       A WW11 CORVETTE 

For those like me who don’t know what a corvette was or is, it’s described as easily built escort vessel with a shallow draft and three masts with full rigging which made them fast and allowed them to enter shallow coastal waters.

There was room for up to 130 men but usually had a grew of around 120. It was much in demand as a courier and scouting ship but was also suitable for small-scale naval actions.

Australia’s largest fighting force during World War 11 was the Army, Australian forces were known as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).

In 1939 the first division of the re-formed AIF was the 6^th division with a strength of 14,500 men. The 6^th and 7^th divisions served initially in the Middle East and North Africa, then later in Papua New Guinea.

Each infantry division was divided into three infantry brigades which was then further divided into three infantry battalions. A battalion was 800 men.

Next week we will look at the bombing of Darwin.

Hi everyone, my freaky creature book is up to South America and the first creature it shows is the Kinkajou, have you heard of it, the name is familiar to me but that’s all.

The kinkajou is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos and is also known as the “honey bear”. Kinkajous are arboreal, they are not closely related to any other tree-dwelling mammal group.

They like sweet treats and us their long sticky tongues to raid bee hives, and termite nests. Although kinkajous are classified as carnivores (they have canine teeth), most of their diet is fruit and nectar. On rare occasions they eat eggs, hatchlings, insects, and small vertebrates. Their 5-inch-long (13 centimeters) tongue can reach inside flowers or beehives for tasty honey or nectar.

Their main predators in the wild include the tayra, fox, jaguarundi, jaguar, ocelot and humans. They are often hunted for their meat and fur.

Kinkajou is not currently on the endangered species list, however their status in the wild is threatened.

Their rotating ankles let them run up trees without turning their body. They have a long gripping tail which is as long as their body which allows them to hang upside down from branches.

They are sometimes confused with monkeys, but they are not monkeys.

Ok I have sat here flipping through my Great Book Of Knowledge which I have been using for Monday’s posts trying to decided what to write about. A lot of the book covers different animals but that is more of a Tuesday post. So, after much though I decided on countries. The first country in the book is Cananda.

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world’s second-largest country by total area, with the world’s longest coastline.

It is the second largest country in the world and shares borders with the United States to the south and the northwest, as well as Greenland.

Canada has a varied landscape, with majestic mountains, rolling plains, forested valleys, and beautiful blue rivers and lakes.

The name “Canada” most likely comes from the Huron-Iroguois word “Kanata” which means village or settlement.

In Canada, the term Indigenous peoples (or Aboriginal peoples) refers to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. These are the original inhabitants of the land that is now Canada.

There are two official languages English and French with most of the population speaking English.

The National Flag of Canada, often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the maple leaf flag or l’Unifolié, consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of 1∶2∶1, in which is featured a stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre.

The capital of Canada is Ottawa it is located in southeastern Ontario. In the eastern extreme of the province, Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River across from Gatineau, Quebec, at the confluence of the Ottawa (Outaouais), Gatineau, and Rideau rivers.

Had a better night, not great but better, it is 13 degrees at 5.30am.

It got to 16 degrees, and it’s rained all day, more or less.

I have done bugga all today other than running the vacuum over the floor.

Tim this afternoon changed the position our Foxtel box is it that is the box we us for satellite TV.

Another good night woke with the alarm to the sound of rain, looks like we may be in for another wet day. At 5am it was 14 degrees.

At around 7am Tim came out had a drink, rolled a smoke, and said he has been awake since 5am. I was expecting him to stay up, but no he went back to bed. He was up at 7.30 as he couldn’t settle.

Had to ring Jess to make sure Sam was up as she wasn’t answering the phone.

Sam also spoke to Tim, saying he apologised and loved his Papa, they hugged. I hope things are better from now on.

Had a really good night’s sleep, as I was opening the front door, I saw Tasha driving Jess to work. When Tasha got back, she wasn’t happy as Jess was supposed to ask Tim to pick her up this afternoon and didn’t. She did send a text this morning but still she was supposed to ask days ago.

I emailed off my application for NDIS.

Forgot to mention yesterday that Dawson came over for a visit, he brought over some printer paper for me.

Tasha’s cut broke her TV and she went out and bought a new one, of course Tim said what about the dryer but I get it you can live without a dryer but we need our TV for entertainment.

Another wet morning hope it doesn’t last, I have an appointment with the podiatrist at 10am, also hope Sue hasn’t forgotten she is taking me.

The temp at 5am was 13 degrees, by 9am it was 16 degrees, no rain but the ground is very wet so I will need to wear shoes when I go out.

Had to ring Jess to get her to wake Sam as someone wasn’t answering their damn phone.

The temp reached 19 degrees.

The house inspection went well, no issues. Although while Tim was talking to the lady Tasha approached and said something and Tim replied she could wait so something like that and of course Tasha didn’t like his tone and that pissed her off.

A new day is here, after a decent night, temp of 12 degrees at 5.30am.

I am having a shocking day with walking like a spastic (not meant as an insult) just how it is. As a result, I’m exhausted.

Temp got to 21 degrees.

It’s Friday, I am not as bad as yesterday but not as good as Wednesday. It was 12 degrees at 5.30am.

After taking Sam up I found my body was settling down and typing is much easier.

I stripped the bed and remade it with Tim’s help.

Sandy come over and picked up the touch lamp and bra.

Reached a top of 21 degrees.

The weekend is here, and it is wet outside, not raining at this stage but it has been overnight. The temp is 16 degrees so not cold.

I have had a good morning my hands are steady, and I got things done faster than when not steady.

Temp got to a top of 20 degrees.

Didn’t do much other than the usual, emails, blogs, vacuum, tidy kitchen, put the clean clothes away, just the usual stuff a body does during a day.

Wrote a letter and started another.

New post here: https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2024/05/my-thoughts.html

Good morning, it is Friday morning as I sit and write this post about Parkinson’s and eyesight, how many of us thought PD would have anything to do with our eyesight, not me that’s for sure.

It seems it is not uncommon for those of us with PD to have difficulty in focusing on nearby objects, this is because we lose the ability to converge with the eyes in order to focus.

This leads to blurred vision, often with double vision when reading.  This book says that relief can sometimes be found with a slight prismatic correction in prescription reading glasses, whatever, that means.

Focusing movement of the eyes may be slowed which is a problem with driving, as the PD suffer may not be able to shift gaze fast enough.

Then there is the reduction in blinking which may lead to dry eyes and a tendency for crusting on the eyelids and of course soreness. If one has dry eyes artificial tear eye drops should be used for relief.

Sometimes the drugs used to treat the disease may affect focusing, thankfully this usually only happens when starting a medication and after a bit things improve. Although in some rare cases the drug may increase the fluid pressure in the eye and provoke glaucoma which isn’t good. As this can cause pain, vomiting and deterioration of vision.

More to come next week.

So here we at Thursday so it is time for a post about Borderline Personality Disorder. This week we are looking at identity disturbance. This isn’t just something that effects those with BPD.

Identity disturbance in borderline personality disorder is characterized by a painful sense of incoherence, objective inconsistencies in beliefs and behaviours, overidentification with groups or roles, and, to a lesser extent, difficulties with commitment to jobs, values, and goals.

Our core sense of self refers to our personality, preferences, self-image, and belief system. Ideally, this sense of self guides our morals and helps us live a meaningful life. 

But people with BPD lack a core sense of self. Instead, they often feel plagued by the existential question, who am I? This question can disrupt their emotions, relationships, and self-esteem.

As a result, people with BPD may seemingly change their identity on a whim. For example, they might dye their hair a different colour each week or spontaneously get tattoos without considering the permanence.

Their personalities may shift as seamlessly as the weather, and these changes can be confusing for the people around them. 

They can also be highly impressionable. For example, after spending time with a new friend, they might go out and buy an entire wardrobe that replicates that person. They may embrace all their hobbies and preferences- as if they were their original interests, too.

In a more extreme form, this identity disturbance may resemble symptoms of dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder). It can seem as if they slip in and out of entirely different personalities, embracing different personas depending on the circumstances.

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 9^th 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 2/2^nd remained in the jungle for over a year as a guerilla unit inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese.

More to come next week.

                        Port Moresby in 1942

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.