Thinking of you all and sending best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

This would be me. It would be an incentive to come and stay 😊 I hope it all goes well 🌻

As a recipient of one of these bookmarks, I can say that they are truly beautiful. I absolutely treasure mine. Thank you so much @Kareni 🥰

@SHP This thread is fabulous. I'm so glad you're finding humour in your situation. Any hints on what the ugly wheeled brown thing is?

@Indigo Blue Is this the sort of thing you mean? https://www.caremax.com.au/personal-care/foot-care/toe-spacers

Ooh, I haven't tried that. I'll have a look for some. Do you just get them from a chemist, or do you need to get them from a podiatrist? Thanks heaps for the tip.

I think that I have the deformity/dislocation of the bone at the base of my big toe, and then bursitis flares up every now and then. No idea about high arches. I'm assuming not, because the podiatrist didn't mention that. I thought the MTP was the joint at the site of the bunion? If so, yes, it gets inflamed, but I'm not sure if it is actually swollen. I do sometimes get pain that radiates from the bunion spot down the inner curve of the side of my foot. Thanks so much for your help 🌻

I've had bunions my whole adult life. One foot in particular can cause considerable pain. I can go literally years and not think about it at all, but then for some reason the joint seems to get inflamed, and I'll have weeks of pain. It's a mix of throbbing and like a burn on the inside. Not pleasant. I went to a podiatrist years ago and was told that surgery was an option, but it's a last resort and doesn't even guarantee relief, so I haven't even considered that. And I don't want to be off my feet for 6-8 weeks. I'm balancing my time between caring for elderly parents and caring for my grandbaby, plus the rest of all the things. I go barefoot about 95% of the time, and when I do wear shoes, they are flat and wide. Any ideas for home remedies to help? I use a wheat hot pack occasionally, and that feels nice at the time but doesn't actually do anything beyond that. This isn't a huge deal, and I know it will pass, because it always does, but I'm open to hearing any ideas. Thank you 🌻

Nm Worked it out 🙂

cheese, cheese and more cheese please

No, the standard size blocks are about 160-190g, depending on the flavour. The single-serve bars (eg Mars bar) are about 40-60g and are usually about $2.20 each.

A Cadbury block in Brisbane is $6 from either Coles or Woolies. They were on sale today at Coles, two for $9, and that still just feels too much.

I'd feel the same as you @regentrude BUT I know that I've sent super-short, super-curt texts which did not convey my true intent. These were moments when I needed to drop a child at the bus stop, the plumber has just arrived, and the cat just spewed on the rug. But I'd already read the text and knew the sender would see it as 'read', so I wanted to reply asap. Not ideal at all. So, I think in your situation, I'd feel a bit of a sting, but also try not to assume anything too negative.

In our extended family, we all have odd nicknames, and the majority date back to when an older sibling couldn't pronounce the new baby's name. Our nicknames are so set in stone that calling each other by our real names would seem formal. Probably the oddest is what my sister and her family call me: Men. This dates back to when she was little and couldn't pronounce my name and called me Menna. This shortened to Men and I've been Men for 50 years. It must sound really weird to everyone else, but to our family, that's my name. My mum is Megsy, and that is nothing like her real name. It dates back 80+ years to when she was a young child with red hair, and her family called her Ginger Megs. My aunty, uncle and cousins (in their 50s-80s now) all call her Megsy or Aunty Meg. My 17yr old has a nickname that dates back to how her sister pronounced the word 'baby'. We all call her this word, and it is nothing like her real name.

I'm so sorry. Deciding when it's time is so so hard. I agree with everyone else that sooner is better than later. I had a vet tell me once that drawing out my cat's life would be for me and not for her. He wasn't being judgemental; just very matter of fact. And it really helped with the decision to euthanise. It was 100% the right decision, even though it broke my heart. Is there a home visit vet that could come and euthanise peacefully at your home? thinking of you 🌻

Oh wow. Thank you @Dmmetler for posting this! What a trip down memory lane. As a child, I had albums for my sticker collection. I remember taking great joy in sorting them into different categories eg animals, hearts, glittery, food, flowers, scratch 'n' sniff, puffy etc. But what to do with the glittery heart or the scratch 'n' sniff flower or the puffy puppy?? Oh the dilemmas that came with being 8yr old *sigh*

I don't think I'm particularly memorable or interesting or anything, but I've realised that I'm likely pretty predictable.

@Melissa in Australia I have absolutely no idea what the etiquette is in your situation. I would just ask your host what they prefer.

Another thread got me thinking. When board members change their username, sometimes it's still really obvious who they are. Other times, not so much. So, I'm wondering what our identifiable characteristics would be? I think it would be a mix of writing style and also topics discussed. I think that no matter what my username is, I'd still be somewhat recognisable as me because I always: - join topics about Australia - post photos of my wildlife - join topics about accelerated education and early uni pros and cons - use dot points - use my favourite emoji 🌻

I certainly will.

I can't remember Donna's username here, but she posted a lot on the accelerated board maybe 10 years ago or so.

Is this Donna's daughter?

@Scarlett Can you please add me to the Elder board? I can't access that board, but I hope all is okay.

StellaM changed her username, and now is taking a board break. I'm in semi-regular contact with her, and last I heard she is doing fine.

There was an American best-selling author here many years ago. We chatted via PM a bit at the time in relation to my daughter's writing. I don't know if she's still here, and from memory, she wasn't public about her real identity, so I won't out her.