Diary > Summary - Week ending 18th July 2021

[Viktoria]

Thanks everyone, had a long chat with daughter this evening as every Monday ,she has researched her brother’s condition and it is absolutely like a condition called GERDS,
Gastric upsets ,acid reflux etc from Scoliosis of the spine causing shortening of the oesophagus, can be sideways or forward as in “ Dowager’s Hump “.
Terrific pain central chest .
A scoliosis can  return as muscles have “ memories” it seems and whilst the curvature may have not much influence on how the spine  behaves ,altered posture can cause pressure on the oesophagus and gastric muscles will be affected.
A distinct possibility.
I have a Dowager’s hump, if you can have one without the inheritance!

Hope those not very well make good improvements .
Lovely to hear about your gardens, my Perennial sweet pea us taking over but it needs a good talking to  doesn’t seem to know it should climb ,is sprawling all over the patio!

The chap who wanted to do the pointing passed yesterday, he said “ Hello”
and was very civil ,I did put the onus on wrong info from Wickes ,not true but
it means he is not too embarrassed and we can pass the time of day.
Don’t like avoiding people.

Good to get dog’s teeth seen to ,the tartar/plaque  can over time affect their kidneys ,their breath gets smelly too.

103 ,gosh, how wonderful ,sad he did not get the full funeral but better than a short time ago.
I may have mentioned this already but vitamins  C and D are good tonics after an illness and C can improve appetite.
Take care everyone , cheerio for now,
Viktoria.

[Roobarb]

Ruskie, good to hear from you, I have read about the situation in Sydney but must say I didn't read any mocking comments. That sort of thing really annoys me, my response to the critics would be Could you have done better ?
Hope your daughters' holidays can go ahead.

Pleased to hear that some light has been shed on your son's condition Viktoria, hope that leads to some treatment for him.

[Viktoria]

Thanks Roobarb ,yes, it has been hard to witness a very patient ,calm person become  irritable ,snappy and generally not  himself.

Had a laught tonight, don’t ask me how I did it but got myself on Facebook to my daughter, the thing is,I had cleaned my teeth - which I must do after every meal, my front gums at the top were sore so as I was on my own I left  out my little plate with a couple of teeth on it so there I am with a gap in my teeth on Facebook!
Flash Harry has his school report, he is up to the expected level ,does not play too happily in a big group ( which surprises me) but is very kind and caring with the other children.

Must email my grand daughter, she made a wonderful cake for her step Dad’s 60 th Birthday .
He is to have the Spitfire flight ,well the cake was a mile high!
From a sky blue to white it soared, topped with clouds of white candy floss and a little Spitfire on a fine wire above it all.
Next month is Battle of Britain anniversary.

Well goodnight everyone ,sleep well and for those with immediate problems
, I hope you can sleep and things are better in the morning.
Viktoria.

[radstockjeff]

Oh, dear, I said "gotten".  Well, there's my Elizabethan colonial English  .

Looking in to the use of words, I frequently dip into Fowler's Modern English Usage. It is interesting to note that gotten only "got" its own separate entry in the 1996 Third Edition (Burchfield) and its use as AmEnglish, with reference also to its seemingly increasingly popular use in Australia and New Zealand.
I also have an occasional dip into Bill Bryson's "Mother Tongue", which I find is a fascinating, and easy to read exposition of the English Language and its uses in the broadest sense. A good dipper and quite enlightening.

[DianaCanada]

Oh, dear, I said "gotten".  Well, there's my Elizabethan colonial English  .

Looking in to the use of words, I frequently dip into Fowler's Modern English Usage. It is interesting to note that gotten only "got" its own separate entry in the 1996 Third Edition (Burchfield) and its use as AmEnglish, with reference also to its seemingly increasingly popular use in Australia and New Zealand.
I also have an occasional dip into Bill Bryson's "Mother Tongue", which I find is a fascinating, and easy to read exposition of the English Language and its uses in the broadest sense. A good dipper and quite enlightening.

Gotten was used in the Middle Ages and survived in NA after early settlement.  Funny, to my ears “got” used in the same sense sounds odd 😁.
Please don’t forget there is such a thing as Canadian English.  Gotten probably arrived here with the early Newfoundland fishermen, who came over centuries ago.
I love Bill Bryson. Have several of his books, including The Mother Tongue, and have read all of his books except the science one.

[Viktoria]

Yes it is strange, we say “ I bit “ but” I have bitten “ Wonder then why we don’t say , sat - satten
                hit - hitten— etc.?
Bill Bryson is lovely on Classic FM .BUT, am I mistaken in assuming he and the author are one and the same?
Thanks for that info.
Viktoria.

[Mowsehowse]

Viktoria: "Bill Bryson is lovely on Classic FM. BUT, am I mistaken in assuming he and the author are one and the same?"
 I believe it is the same clever chap V.  I do hope your laceration is healing well..... this morning my son posted a report on Facebook for his 43rd year + 1 day..... Moron attempted to jump his laptop on his skateboard. Result? One smashed laptop and massive grazes along his arm. Bonkers or what???

Great job Roobarb, and it is lovely so many "lurkers" are now writing more often.

RUSKIE.... I have not heard ANY media reports mocking OZ for slow vaccine roll out. Why would you rush when you have such a low incidence of the virus.
On 13th July, Uk admitted to 50 more deaths in the last 24 hours, and 36,660 new cases.
I really can't imagine that Uk, particularly England would have a leg to stand on given our woeful record in every respect, other than exhorting the entire adult population to take the vaccine, which, might be admirable, but HAS brought its own problems.
At a time when Uk is still having more daily deaths than NZ has had since the start, (more or less,) how in hell could we mock!!
And now ALL restrictions are lifted, despite the Government admit we are looking at another Covid wave which is expected to peak in mid August. What a marvellous time to say we don't need to wear masks or distance any longer.
As top of the global mortality rates list, I am mocking England's Covid record.... I wouldn't dream of mocking any other part of the globe. 
p.s. The baby we visited last week is utterly delightful.

[Ruskie]

This is the article I referred to, though in the last couple of weeks I’ve read a number of similar articles and “opinion pieces” on online news sites:
https://www.ft.com/content/1466396e-2959-4a46-a449-2e1654b40c36 (sorry link doesn’t work) This FT article was cited in another article and the word ‘mocking’ was used in the headline.

I think the mentions of Americans and those in the UK laughing at Australia are largely through (un)social media channels, which of course are all rubbish. Politically motivated, media beat ups, point scoring, people with agendas of some sort etc etc. I didn’t believe for one second that any real or normal people living in the UK would be laughing at us. 

I did smile at your son’s antics MH. Boys will be boys, even big ones who should know better. 

I really need to get my dog’s teeth cleaned too. She is almost four and hasn’t had a clean yet.  A while ago we started giving her Ascophyllum nodosum, which I think might have made a bit of difference. It’s a dried seaweed harvested in CANADA Diana!  I don’t think it is a miracle product but when we first gave it to her I thought it made a difference. (Wishful thinking. Perhaps. But we are continuing with it.) I wish I’d taken ‘before’ photos. It could be something you could try on your little lad after his teeth are cleaned - it might delay having to get the teeth cleaned so often. 

[Viktoria]

Well I am waiting ,hoping I am overly pessimistic ,for repercussions from the social non distancing of all the travellers and massed shouting yelling crowds packed together at the football!
Not to mention any who travelled from Italy and back !

Restricted funerals and yet thousands and thousands all together just for a game of football.
It could have been viewed on TV.,but no, the great namby pamby fans  have  to be together!

Sorry folks but I find it all very childish and selfish and those who have stuck to rules and considered the greater good are the ones who will again do that
whilst the rest will please themselves .
I watched the match as you know ,from my settee , and was really puzzled it could happen ,all those people ,yelling and shouting when it was stated on the info bulletins that to do that would spread the virus ,not specifically at the match but in general.

I felt proud we had got  going with the vaccine so quickly .

I listened to Scotland’s First Minister  a day or so ago and talk about confusing!
It has been the same  with bulletins here .
So itty bitty , some seemed to contradict others ,but it could be me, hard to
assimilate so much in a little time.

Hope everyone is well, and feeling in good spirits generally .

My wounds on my arm are now dry and let it dry after bath this morning so some fresh air now ,no dressing.
Might do for bed tonight in case it gets rubbed as I turn over.


I think we will still need the diary for a good while yet, I know for many there is little to report, but the contact is always there ,we can have themes apropos of nothing at all except to raise a smile and stir memories.
Can’t be bad.
Thanks everyone .
Viktoria.