Cross posting from the covid megathread. This seems promising regarding protection against the delta strain. Not sure which vaccine but would have had the Pfizer or AZ depending on age and when they had it. 'The highly contagious Delta strain of COVID-19 infected everyone who attended a Sydney birthday party except for the six people who were vaccinated, the NSW Government said.' https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-28/vaccinated-attendees-west-hoxton-birthday-party-avoid-covid-19/100249612

There is no report on which vaccine they had, but this seems like really good news re vaccine efficacy and the delta strain: 'The highly contagious Delta strain of COVID-19 infected everyone who attended a Sydney birthday party except for the six people who were vaccinated, the NSW Government said.' https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-28/vaccinated-attendees-west-hoxton-birthday-party-avoid-covid-19/100249612

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone participating in this thread, my views on all of this are still evolving so it has been really interesting to read.

1 new case in WA today (caught from the case returned from NSW). I am surprised we are not going straight into a short lock down given previous responses and the proximity to school holidays. People are reporting 6 hour plus wait times for testing in the area the cases are from. Positive - people are getting tests, negative - a couple of the exposure sites were schools and I know I wouldn't wait in line for 6 hours with young kids. We have 177 close contacts from the mine camp, most have returned negatives already, some results still pending so that's looking good.

Of the latest 5 cases one has been mentioned as being in intensive care and one in a stable condition in hospital. The lack of medical status of the other 3 would imply they are doing okay. A Melissa said it is certainly increasing vaccine hesitancy but I feel like most of it is confined to that particular vaccine. Most people I know would be more than happy to get the Pfizer but we have a very limited supply of that so it is only going to high priority under 50s at the moment.

I picked up a couple of games outside our normal interests to play with the extended family group. Telestrations was a big hit, a lot of fun and if you are terrible at it it just makes it funnier. Concept is interesting but we only last a few rounds before we are ready for something else. For the little kids (4 & 6) I got My First Castle Panic which they enjoy. I also got Rhino Hero but they don't have the dexterity for it yet, they knock the tower over too early to find it fun. My husband and I got Pandemic, only played once so far and we weren't that taken with it. Found it a bit boring but will try with more players when we get a chance. I also got a backgammon board, I haven't played since I was a kid and am enjoying that. @happypamamais Space Escape the Peaceable Kingdom one? I've been trying to find it but no one in Australia seems to stock it!

I had a friend who moved countries to work for them (in software dev), he enjoyed it at first but after he had kids found the hours expected were not conducive to a happy home/family life.

I loved the squirrels when I visited friends in Seattle! We don't have any small cute animals that you can actually see easily (they all like to hide) so it is quite novel.

Best wishes for his appointment. My mother was diagnosed about 2 years ago and she has not needed any of the more aggressive treatments, just low dose aspirin and regular check-ups. She does still suffer from increased fatigue but has no other symptoms or side effects.

I just had a look at various sauce bottles in my cupboard and most just list ‘spices’, one listed the actual spices after but it was definitely not the norm. I’m in Western Australia.

I'm surprised you didn't get made painfully aware at the time that you were kidnapping, magpie parents are scary!

I don't have adult children, but my parents are by their first name so will continue to be so when kids are grown. I don't call my in-laws mum and dad so they will continue to be referenced as Nanna and Grandpa

My daughter had mesenteric adenitis after a virus, inflamed lymph nodes in the abdomen. I can't remember what the initial virus was but I don't think it was stomach related. It was extremely painful at first, she could barely walk for a couple of days, after that it was a lot better but she would often seemly randomly complain of stomach pain. Thankfully it only lasted a a few weeks but our GP said it could last a lot longer and it could flare up on occasion. She did get stomach aches more often than typical in the months after but not severe ones.

Yes, these threads have exposed me to a viewpoint I'd never heard before and it has made me rethink how I view some of the issues surrounding transitioning.

Why does it matter if someone wears the same thing every day? Most employees should only be expected to be clean, tidy, and fit the expected dress code. I work in an office 4 days a week, I wear the same pants (slacks) every day unless they get visibly dirty and I have 4 shirts I mostly wear. Plus spare pants and another few shirts I wear occasionally. Sometimes I don't even wash my shirts after every wear, I work in an air conditioned office so I don't get sweaty and if I don't spill anything on them they stay clean.