I would also suggest you ask locally (if you're on local fb groups for example) if there are any really good podiatrists. Because getting a more recent opinion from a very good podiatrist may be helpful.

Just awful. We're headed to Sydney tomorrow for the school hols. I think the city will be in shock.

ebooks on Kobo. I would buy one a week, I think. I always need something to read.

I read a book for bookclub called The Frozen River, which was an ok read. A few silly moments but readable. I am also re-reading David Copperfield which has made me laugh and cry. Such a good book.

Oh, that's terrible news! I really hope they're able to reach those trapped asap.

Another call for improved indoor air quality. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/31/measles-alert-for-sydney-as-experts-call-for-improvement-in-indoor-air-quality The article is mostly focused on measles cases, definitely a lot more than there used to be (28 cases this year so far - as far as I'm aware they've all originated from overseas). I wish there was a way to stop the importation of all these viruses from overseas. It's such a long plane ride from anywhere to Australia, hours and hours of breathing in other people's germs.

Wow, that thread was fascinating! It's also incredibly heartwarming to read about the excitement and love of books people have.

You've reminded me of two I didn't mention - Dr Who and Sherlock. One of the writers of both Dr Who and Sherlock cut his teeth on a great children's show in the early 90s which I loved - Press Gang. This starred the wonderful Julia Sawalha who was in Absolutely Fabulous (also a great show), and Pride & Prejudice, among other things. If we're going to include short series then I've enjoyed a lot of the short marvel shows such as WandaVision, Moon Knight, Ms Marvel etc. We are so lucky nowadays in regards to diverse representation. I'm trying to remember any diversity on Australian TV when I was a kid. I do remember a great mini-series from 1994 called Heartland which starred Cate Blanchett and Ernie Dingo which was all about Indigenous issues, like racism, the stolen generation and the vital importance of family and culture. That was ground-breaking (and before Cate Blanchett got famous - but you could tell she was something amazing).

This looks interesting, thanks. I read a wonderful book called Super-Infinite. It's a biography of John Donne by the award-winning children's author Katherine Rundell (highly recommend her book The Explorer, among others). It's so well-written and really flung me back into poetry.

Farscape Stargate Xena Once Upon a Time Agents of Shield The Good Place Northern Exposure Bit of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy theme going, no surprise there

I googled this, definitely no one anywhere near where I live, it will be interesting if it ends up like pilates (which has even reached our backwoods). It looks great though. I started doing proper stretching before bed which has definitely helped with the sore and stiff thing. Got to keep it up. Apart from that, daily walking as usual, went swimming with my boy yesterday. I've eaten out a few times over the last week so no luck shifting the scales, but will continue to keep at it.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-21/shingles-cases-increasing-nsw-covid-rise/103600746 I have seen this personally. They actually rolled out the new Shingles vaccine at the end of last year I think (in Australia) free for anyone over 65. I think they should roll it out younger, but at least you can choose to pay and get vaccinated (unlike Covid!) https://www.croakey.org/long-covid-headlines-raise-questions-for-the-media-and-medical-conference-promoters-amongst-others/ Good article analysing the recent 'study' about long covid.

Excellent article, congratulations.

Thank you for this, I've got one coming up and wanted to research, I remember being so hungry beforehand.

There's also this: https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/resources/supply-line#:~:text=A supply line (also called,your neck and fine tubing.

I just read this article, which was very sad: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/mar/17/earl-charles-spencer-a-very-private-school-interview I remember C .S. Lewis writing about his experiences too. I think the only problem is that people think it is something to do with the past, but it is certainly still going on - there is a scandal going on right now about a school in Sydney, and there was certainly an abuser at another top boarding school in Sydney in 2012 who was imprisoned.

Yes. And when I was working with babies with Down syndrome, it was recommended to use an open cup from an early age to develop mouth muscle strength and coordination. They used medicine cups.

Same in NSW. The only thing that seems different is the 'best interests of the child' thing and that is pretty vague - how would they define it? But none of the other stuff is onerous at all in practice, there are still plenty of people unschooling in NSW, and I know people whose kids basically did no written work all year and the only comment they got from the dept was "you need to do some writing - here's some ideas". There are just so many homeschoolers and so few visitors that they can't put a lot of effort into it, I find. And in terms of 'you can't pull them out before they're assessed', well again that's the rule in NSW and I did and plenty of other people do. I remember years ago Victoria moved from basically no regulation to regulation - it would be interesting hearing from people there as to how it went.

You can use an open cup with a baby - they actually recommend that in poor countries as it's easier to wash an open cup properly than a bottle and teat. My baby would go for hours in between feeds, and then cluster feed like crazy.

Saw an interesting article about how NZ and Australia were the only places not to have a fall in life expectancy due to Covid, and how it vindicated their lockdowns: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/how-australia-bucked-a-global-covid-19-life-expectancy-trend/thpl96aw4?utm_campaign=CDAqEAgAKgcICjDNi4ELMMz8-wIwrdf1AQ&utm_content=rundown&utm_medium=gnews&utm_source=newsshowcase

I think it depends on the school. My daughter goes to a tiny private school (art focused) and they have always had a strict no-phone rule. They're able to enforce it because the school is small and the parents agree to it before joining. They do not take the phones away from the kids, but they'd get in trouble if they were using it. However, the huge public school nearby has a new no-phone rule (new state rule) and some parents are really concerned as it is understaffed, there's a huge amount of bullying and vandalism and it's not easy for a kid to get help if they need to. The other day a kid I know rang his mum from the toilets in order to get help. On the other hand, a kid was beaten unconscious and all the kids filmed it, rather than helping . . . I don't know what the answer is.

Well after reading most of Ilona Andrews' other works, I finally managed to get into the Kate Daniels series by reading the newest 'series' (Wilmington series). It's similar to her (actually their) other books, magic, violence, romance, tough woman etc. In other words a fun easy urban fantasy - knowing there are a dozen books left to read is very reassuring.

possible cause for long covid? https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240304/Iron-dysregulation-identified-as-potential-trigger-for-long-COVID.aspx It makes sense on a lot of levels, eg why women are more likely to be affected.

Just saw a headline (couldn't read the article) in Australian Doctor that ATAGI is no longer recommending covid vaccines for children. They're allowed to get two shots, but it sounds like they're telling GPs not to advise them to get it. It is simply mind-blowing, considering there is no harm to the vaccine, and there is harm from getting covid. I wish someone would investigate ATAGI - I just don't understand, except for saving $$. This is an old article (2022) about ATAGIs attitude towards vaccinating kids. In Australia, they hold all the power around vaccines. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/10/atagis-strict-covid-restrictions-preventing-desperate-parents-from-vaccinating-their-children-expert-says

So the main issue I'm having is always feeling stiff and sore (I'm near to 50). I was thinking of looking into yoga to help. It's not just waking up in the morning, but anytime I sit for a short while.