Hello everyone, didn’t get around to doing a post yesterday as I went with mum to Kmart and by the time I got home and checked my emails and read some blogs before I knew it, it was time to go and get the boys from school after that Blain was here and of course he walks in the door and sits at the computer.

This morning I had to go and see my nanna at the nursing home, then mum had to go to the brew shop for Dave and then we came home here and picked up Sydney-May, yes she is with nanna for the day as she is sick and couldn’t go to school.

Nanna was good we hadn’t seen her for two weeks as last week the nursing home was in lock down and the week before we had other stuff to do so couldn’t get there. Anyway nanna was good, pretty much the same as always, but we do feel better when we get over there to see her.

Blain has decided he doesn’t want to stay with Aunty Jess at all during the week so he is here although he did stay with her on Tuesday night but after they have tea Jessica takes the boys to Natasha’s house and after Natasha gets home from work Jessica goes back to her own house and leaves the boys with Natasha.

My dad has been really sick the last week or so, mum made him go to the doctors yesterday and he is on antibiotics and prednisone again and the doctor told mum if dad isn’t sounding any better in 48 hours he is to go back as he might have to go back into hospital, dad said he isn’t going back and he isn’t going into hospital end of story. Mum says what would you prefer hospital or grave.

On Saturday it is my Aunty Pat’s birthday she will be 75, and her daughter has arranged to take Aunty Pat out for dinner that night and of course they invited mum and dad, dad wanted to go as Pat is his sister but mum said he is not well enough to go out at night. It would had been better if they did something at lunch, I always do something for lunch when I arrange something for my parents.

Welcome to history Tuesday today I am going to touch on the history of the internet and internet banking, can you remember what it was like before we had the internet and when it was first available in homes, remember that it was for a long time only available in business and academic institutions.

Do you remember the old dial up, and not being able to use the phone while you were online unless you had two different phone lines in the home on for the internet and one for phone calls, I do but it seems like it was so long ago now.

We had dial up for many years as for a long time after broadband came in now company would touch us as they said that it would drop out too much, in the end Telstra connected up to broadband and we are still with Telstra and for the most part we are happy with the connection although it does drop out at times for now reason.

How about internet banking this is something we think of as a newish thing but in fact it has been around since the early 80’s what the hell is with that didn’t realise it was around way back then. From its humble start online banking has morphed into a sophisticated and convenient way of accessing finances that many us now simply couldn’t live without.

Did you know in the 80’s & 90’s banks would actually mail us a flobby disk with software that we could install onto our computer that allowed us to check our balances and make transfers but usually it cost us to do so, unlike now days when online banking is free of transaction fees as such.

Meanwhile, in other parts of our lives, the internet has been racing ahead. The way we date, shop, contact friends, rent houses and look for jobs has all changed forever. In general, our banks’ websites have not been a patch on Facebook, Youtube, or even Ebay. But all this seems to be changing. It is safe to say the way we interact with our bank on the web is going to be very different in only a few years time.

Now days most of us can’t imagine not having the internet, it is everywhere, schools have it students are expected to know how to use the internet and a computer in fact many children learn how to us a computer and surf the net from a very young age.

Both Blain and Leo are great at finding stuff online sometimes they ask for help but Leo once I have found the right page will tell me that’s ok nanna I have it from here and shoos me away while he does what he wants, plays the games he likes and watches the videos on Youtube he loves to watch.

Now today I will tell you about the Queens Personal Flag for Australia, yeah I know you didn’t know she had a personal flag for Australia, well join the club I also didn’t know about it either.

Since the 1963 Royal Visit the Queen has used this flag when she is in Australia as a distinctive personal flag, rather than the Royal Standard used when she is in the United Kingdom.

The flag is a banner of the Australian Coat of Arms with a badge consisting of the Commonwealth Star upon which is the Queens Royal badge showing her initial surmounted by a crown and surrounded by a garland of roses and wattles. The Western Australian swan faces away from the hoist, the same as in the Coat of Arms.

Well well well it’s Friday yet again and this week I think I will go with something people who read my blogs and know me and my family will get.

Jo-Anne

Jeannie

Susan

Sandra

David

Do you know what the theme is?

Hello all, how is everyone this lovely not so cold but not really warm Thursday or should that read Wednesday depends on where you are.

All you have today is some random thoughts.

How many people have dirty, yucky looking oven trays that they cover in them in foil and continue to use them, or is that just me.

How often do you have a pair of pants that are covered in pill (white bits of stuff stuck to the clothes) that you keep saying you are going to get rid of because no matter how often you depill it they never look good…………or is that just me

Do you wear socks with slippers so the slippers don’t end up smelling……………or is that just me

How about getting easily distracted and end up starting a few different things during the day and not completing one task before starting another………………or is that just me

How many of you have a computer hog for a grandson……………..or is that just me

How about a daughter who is not stepping up and being connected more with the education of their child……………or is that just me

Ok that is all for now I will post this while the computer hog is in the bath……………

Welcome to history Tuesday and this week I am going to talk a little about the history of the toothbrush. The earliest identified use of the word toothbrush in English was in the autobiography of Anthony Wood (whoever he was) who wrote that in 1690 he bought a toothbrush for J Barret.

Apparently way back in 3500 BC the Babylonians and Egyptians are supposed to have made a form of toothbrush by fraying the end of a twig and in tombs these toothsticks have been found alongside the dead.

Around 1600BC, the Chinese developed “chewing sticks” which were made from aromatic tree twigs to freshen breath.

The Greeks and Romans used toothpicks to clean their teeth and toothpick-like twigs have been excavated in Quin Dynasty tombs. The chew sticks remain common in Africa and the rural Southern United States- and in the Islamic world the use of chewing stick Miswak is considered a pious action, and has been prescribed to be used before every prayer five times a day Miswak has been used by Muslims since 7th Century AD.

The Chinese are believed to have invented the first natural bristle toothbrush made from the bristles from pigs’ necks in the 15th century, with the bristles attached to a bone or bamboo handle. Although when it was brought from China to Europe, this design was adapted and often used softer horsehairs which many Europeans preferred. It is also believed that feathers were used in early Europe

The first bristle toothbrush, resembling the modern toothbrush, was found in China during the Tang Dynasty(619–907) and used hog bristle. The bristles were sourced from hogs living in Siberia and northern China because the colder temperatures provided firmer bristles. They were then attached to a handle manufactured from bamboo or bone, forming a toothbrush. The bristle toothbrush spread to Europe, brought back from China to Europe by travellers. It was adopted in Europe during the 17th century

The first toothbrush of a more modern design was made by William Addis in England around 1780 – the handle was carved from cattle bone and the brush portion was still made from swine bristles. In 1844, the first 3-row bristle brush was designed. It was while he was in gaol for causing a riot that he decided that the method used for cleaning ones teeth was ineffective at the time it was common to just rub a rag with soot and salt over the teeth.

So he saved a small animal bone left over from the meal he had eaten the previous night, into which he drilled small holes. He then obtained some bristles from one of his guards, which he tied in tufts that he then passed through the holes in the bone, and which he finally sealed with glue. After his release, he started a business that would manufacture the toothbrushes he had built, and he soon became very rich. He died in 1808, and left the business to his eldest son, also called William, and it stayed in family ownership until 1996.

Under the name Wisdom Toothbrushes the company now manufactures 70 million toothbrushes per year in the UK. By1840 toothbrushes were being mass-produced in England, France, Germany, and Japan. Pig bristle was used for cheaper toothbrushes, and badger hair for the more expensive ones.

Natural bristles were the only source of bristles until someone named Du Pont invented nylon. The invention of nylon started the development of the truly modern toothbrush in 1938, and by the 1950s softer nylon bristles were being made, as people preferred these. The first electric toothbrush was made in 1939 and the first electric toothbrush in the US was the Broxodent in 1960.

Today, both manual and electric toothbrushes come in many shapes and sizes and are typically made of plastic moulded handles and nylon bristles. The most recent toothbrush models include handles that are straight, angled, curved, and contoured with grips and soft rubber areas to make them easier to hold and use. Toothbrush bristles are usually synthetic and range from very soft to soft in texture, although harder bristle versions are available. Toothbrush heads range from very small for young children to larger sizes for older children and adults and come in a variety of shapes such as rectangular, oblong, oval and almost round.

The basic fundamentals have not changed since the times of the Egyptians and Babylonians – a handle to grip, and a bristle-like feature with which to clean the teeth. Over its long history, the toothbrush has evolved to become a scientifically designed tool using modern ergonomic designs and safe and hygienic materials that benefit us all.

This Monday I will tell you a little about the Aboriginal flag this one should be pretty well known but for those who don’t know what it looks like here it is.

Now this flag has been around since 12^th July 1971, it was designed by Harold Thomas and was first flown in Adelaide on the 12^th July 1971 before then there was no Australian Aboriginal Flag.

The red stripe represents the land and the black symbolises the Aboriginal people, the yellow circle represents the Sun, the giver of life.

The flag was originally designed for the land rights movement, but has since became a symbol of the Aboriginal people of Australia, is is one of the official flags of Australia.

In 1994 at the Commonwealth Games Cathy Freeman caused a stir when she carried both the Aboriginal Flag and the Australian Flag during her victory lap after winning the 200 metres sprint as only the national flag was meant to be displayed. Despite strong criticism from both Games officials and the Australian team president Cathy again carried both flags after winning the 400 metres.

In 1995 Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating decided that both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags should be given national flag status despite opposition by the Liberal party. Nonetheless nothing has changed and both flags still have national flag status.

Many building in Australia fly the Aboriginal flag as well as the Australian flag, the first city council to fly the Aboriginal flag was Newcastle City Council in 1977.

Well Thursday is here and this Thursday is going to a bit of this and a bit of that post, we will kick it off with some school dramas.

The school Leo goes to has a system that sends parent an automatic text via sms when their child is absent from school, so yesterday Jessica gets this text saying Leo was absent she rings her sister Natasha (who takes the boys to school) and asks did you take Leo to school, she says of course I did and Jessica broke down and said she had a text about Leo not being there. Natasha jumps in her car and rushes around to Jessica’s place takes about 3 minutes to get there, and they both try ringing the school but it isn’t getting through. So Natasha drives Jessica to the school who I might add is in a right state, they get there and YES Leo is AT SCHOOL there was a computer stuff up with Leo’s name. Jessica was so upset that they took her over to his class room so she could see him and give him a hug, have to add Natasha although not crying was extremely upset herself.

Drama number two concerns both boys, when I went to get Blain from school this afternoon I am sitting in the car waiting the bell rang children exit the school and no Blain this is not unusual he is often pretty much the last child out. However, at 3.15 he still wasn’t out this is 20 minutes after the bell went I go searching for him and he is off playing handball yet again. I have told him a number of times not to do that as I have to get Leo after I get him.

So we are very late to get Leo as the time we where just leaving Blain’s school is usually the time we get to Leo’s school, when we get to Leo’s school Blain says I’ll go in and get him but when he goes to enter the school the gate is locked, this caused Blain to get a little worried and I said we will have to enter via the staff car-park. Blain says you wait here nanna and I will go and runs off as fast as he could to find Leo, when he got Leo, Leo is upset as well he was worried we had forgotten about him.

I am hoping this teachers Blain a bit of a lesson as to why he has to come straight out to the car after the bell rings in the afternoon.

So this morning I had a doctors appointment about what is called a care plan this is plan they do for people with a chronic disease such as Diabetes which I have, the appointment was for 10.30am but he was running close to an hour late and then he was with me for a bloody long time.

I now have to see the podiatrist on the 3^rd and exercise physiologist on the 4^th of next month, have to say this new doctor is pretty good, I do like him he is very thorough and explained to me what a fatty liver is, I knew it was fat around the liver but didn’t know what if anything could be done about it. The answer is no there is nothing that can be done other then having my diabetes well controlled and losing a bit of wait.

I now have time to eat before leaving to get the boys from school, I hope Blain isn’t late getting out today. Speaking of Leo I drove him to school this morning and guess what he wouldn’t let me go and a staff member had to pry him off me yet again. I rarely take him to school because of this behaviour.

I am not going to bother reading and blog posts today, I really just don’t feel like it as I am very stuffed up in the head and taking cold tablets make me tired and oh yeah they tell you when you get cold tablets not to take paracetamol as there is some in the tablets but if you read the label you will notice that each table contains about 250mg of paracetamol when a normal paracetamol table has 500mg of paracetamol in them and you normal take 2 paracetamol tablets at a time so to me it makes sense if you take 2 cold tablets with paracetamol in them you should also take 1 paracetamol tablet. I, however, took 2 cold tablets and 2 paracetamol tablets.