In Australia it is different - we had to pick 5 courses from any universities in a ranked list. Then once you do your end of year 12 exam, the mark for that is compared with the mark needed for each course (the mark is a percentile rank). You then get accepted to the course based on your mark, but you had about a week to change your mind if you wanted. I have no idea if it's changed much nowadays although I've heard there are some universities making offers before the exams are even held, based on what I'm not sure. I do remember putting in the end of year "yearbook' type thing that I wanted to work for World Vision, lol! Well, I didn't and I'm no longer Christian, however I did work in Aid & Development in a number of different countries so same thing I guess.

I've been able to read a fair bit lately which has been nice. I read Saevus Corvus Deals with the Dead by K Parker/Tom Holt. His stuff is always a risk, but I very much enjoyed this dark fantasy, an anti-war story really. I read Rebecca Ross' sequel, Ruthless Vows, which tied everything up all right but wasn't super amazing as a stand-alone. I read 2 non-fiction by Katherine May, Enchantment and Wintering. I like nature writing so that was good, but her bits and pieces style kind of put me off a bit; it is good to have a female nature writer though. I read Starter Villain by John Scalzi which is a fast-paced clever and silly action story - I liked it. I read Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous which started off well but just rolled on sadder and more traumatic until I was desperate for the end. I've started A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes and already feel like it will be a bit of a slog. Oh well! I have a pile more to read so that's good.

I posted in December I think about my friend who had Covid for the 4th time. Her whole family now has Covid for the 5th time. So many people locally have had Covid over the Christmas/NY period. They aren't really encouraging boosters for anyone under 65 any more, so very few people have had them.

Actually in most states Preschool is free (in Victoria, this began in 2023; in NSW, it depends where you live). The only problem is that the hours for preschool tend to be the same as school, so it doesn't suit people who need childcare (long daycare). Daycare is subsidised but it is so complicated I have no idea how it works.

The only place where dingos seem to be dangerous is on K'gari island where tourist interaction has stopped them being scared of humans. I haven't heard of any other issues (except Azaria Chamberlain of course, but that was a unique situation quite a long time ago now). There are definitely dingos where we live, but I've never heard of them attacking bushwalkers, or even approaching them.

And bears. Bears are way scarier than snakes or spiders. Plus you have mountain lions. We can walk through the bush knowing there's no predator that will leap out of the bushes at you, let alone try to eat you. I think the scariest animal in Australia is the crocodile. But you can avoid them by not hanging around waterways in the northern areas of Australia. It's too hot up that way anyway lol. Stay south and you'll be right, esp in winter, because the snakes are too lethargic to bother you.

My parents are in their late 70s and still work all day on the farm. They don't do all the actual activities they used to, though - they have outsourced some of the more physically taxing activities. But they are still out doing weeding, picking, spraying and sorting and packing for market. I cannot imagine that will ever stop - they'll die on the place one day or at least get so unwell that they head straight for the old people's home. The job I'm doing now I inherited from an 85 yr old, who spends her time now with various grandchildren and quilting. She's still pretty fit. I could easily stay in it till I drop, too - at least part-time.

Oh and apparently covid is showing a preference for the wetter time of the year, which for the last few years has been summer in Australia. We've had flood after flood since December.

We seem to be getting a summer wave and a winter wave since December 2021, when all the protections were removed. I think it's because we get the new variants from Europe and America as there's a lot of travel happening at that time, and of course because Christmas/New Year involves a lot of parties.

Just being reported now that the current covid wave in Australia is higher than during the height of winter. I assume it's the new variant. My son's going to a sports day camp next week . . .

Thought this was interesting: RSV shown to infect nerve cells, cause inflammation and damage | ScienceDaily I feel like the research into Covid has made scientists and the public look more at the way viruses affect us.

Have you watched his video about his background? I believe he studied science communication, and he goes into the problem of simplifying things to be inaccurate, too. The video about how Kurzgesagt is funded is another useful one. I think the book Immune is brilliant too, my 10 yr old son loves it and explains all sorts of stuff to me. I hope they do another one! Edited to add - I did a quick google and apparently immunologists think it's accurate, so all good!

This is so common and so frustrating. My other half is the same - is supposed to be liaising with a specialist over his kidneys. Cancelled one appt (actually was a no-show!) with a really good Dr. He's feeling fine at the moment, so thinks all is well, but of course it's not that simple. I've been hassling him to get a tetanus shot too. For the most part at this point I try to let it go - it's his life, his health - but it is annoying when it leads to emergency visits and a lot of hassle on my part (and perhaps down the track turning me into a carer when it could be preventable).

Yep. We get about 1 snow day a year where we live, as in one day where it is actually cold enough to settle on the ground. This year (2023), nope. Not a single day of snow. I wonder if it will ever really snow up here again.

Interesting. Apparently the current levels of Covid in the community in NSW are at one of its highest as well. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-09/nsw-sydney-covid-variant-virus-pandemic-hospitalisations/103298610

In our high school (year 7-12, so from 11.5yrs to 17.5yrs), we had a half hour recess and an hour's lunch each day. This was partly so groups like choir and so forth could meet during the lunch break. NB in Australia.

I'm glad. I love downtime. I definitely spent whole days reading when it was school holidays.

So I've heard that with a chronic cough you are supposed to get a chest xray to make sure it isn't lung cancer. I don't know if that's the case in the USA.

Had to walk half a km to the bus stop and back. Then running about at school, games and sport etc. We had a farm so lots of walking about there, we used to bushwalk by ourselves a bit which involved a bit of clambering over rocks. We rode our bikes around the place. We did not do any out of school games or sports or anything. We did have swimming lessons during summer, maybe a week's intensive, and we swam when we went to the beach. I was always last in the school races for everything as I was the smallest, but it did not bother me. My kids don't do much either really, just lots of walking and playing and riding bikes. We do try to go swimming once a week (heated pool) and do one other activity such as indoor rock climbing which they like, and they also have Scouts which involves lots of movement games, hiking or biking.

All the fast food places didn't reach our way till I was in my teens. Reading @Ausmumof3 meals sounds familiar. I went crazy when I left home and went to university and had access to all the junk!

I was 11 in the mid 80s in Australia Breakfast - toast (white bread) with margarine and vegemite. I drank water, didn't like juice. Recess - likely fruit (apple) and perhaps a homemade piece of cake or similar. My mother was at home with the younger kids (big family) and did bake. Lunch - likely to be a vegemite sandwich or a chicken sandwich using leftover chicken. Afternoon tea - might be pikelets or similar if Mum had baked. Dinner - Tended to be meat and veg, so chops and boiled veg such as peas, zucchini. Ugh. Before bed if we were hungry - apples.

Wonderful author; I found him via his mentor Roger Deakin whose book Waterlog I picked up one day. I highly recommend his work alongside McFarlane's books. You can listen to a lot of the Lost Words songs on youtube and I highly recommend the picture book which is enormous and beautiful.

I've just discovered that free (government funded) walk-in mental health clinics have opened up in Australia. One has opened up locally. You can literally just walk in with no appointment and get free mental health support. They also have a free hotline. I'm kind of flabbergasted that something so useful exists!

So I got a personal air filter for overseas travel (Respiray I think?) and it felt too weak and useless, and just awkward to wear. The only use really was when we were waiting at the airport and it was incredibly hot, as a little fan!

Hearing more and more stories locally about Christmas being derailed by Covid. One guy who isn't elderly (prob in 50s) was saying he caught it on the 22nd and is still only able to get up, cut up some fruit for breakfast, go back to bed, get up, do one thing, go back to bed. Sheer exhaustion (and nasty cough). Another lady, elderly, today was coughing and told me she's still positive (was wearing a mask at least, but I told her she should head home until she's negative).