The lovely Mere Lake, less than half a kilometre from here on the Subiaco Common, might just as well have been on the other side of the moon. Bursitis of the hip has kept me home for many weeks, or at best walking only short essential distances. Swimming, even many laps, on the other hand, […]
Category Archives: Health
COVID-19 complacency – Is it time to regroup?
COVID-19 complacency has overtaken some of Western Australia. How could we so quickly forget our lessons learnt about hygiene and social distancing? I’m disappointed and edgy because I think we’ve become soft inside our hard borders. I’ve turned into a grumpy old woman, anxious for my own and other people’s safety.
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Jargon and slang – COVID-19 changed our language
Jargon and slang related to COVID-19 changed the language of Australia. It happened almost as fast as the novel coronovirus which causes the disease that devastated populations spread across the world. Everyone learnt and began to use the formal and informal languages quickly.
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Scarlatina – my brush with a once deadly disease
Scarlatina (the Latin name for scarlet fever) is not the romantic disease some novelists would like us to think. It caused the death of children in some fiction in classic children’s literature. But this deadly disease occurred in epidemics as a world-wide scourge. You can read about scarlatina in children’s literature here.
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Scarlet fever, Beth March and others
Scarlet fever, according to Lizzie Enfield, is ‘the red rash of romantics’. The once-deadly disease causes a high fever, red rash, red lumps on the tongue, flushed cheeks and red creases under the arms, in the elbows and groins. As well, it causes the death or severe disability of several children in literature. They include […]
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COVID-19 and social isolation
We need to have a conversation about COVID-19 and social isolation. People talk more about COVID-19 than they do about any other topic these days except, perhaps, toilet paper, which may be even worse. That’s why you may well say, ‘Oh, no! Not another article about the virus!’ But stay with me.
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To be in charge or in control – decide now
Do I want to be in charge or to be in control? Such an important question, one I asked myself often this week. The answer may be subtle but essential for personal peace and happiness. Last week I wrote a blog about the things we can control in our lives. If you missed it, you […]
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Self-care – my word for 2020. It could be yours, too
Self-care seems like an odd word to choose as one’s catchword for a year, but the concept deserves consideration for many reasons. Catch-words help to focus our minds on important aspects of life, the areas we want to improve. A word of the year can develop into a powerful tool for change, without the bother […]
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Vaccinate against shingles, especially for over 50s
I urge everyone over 50 to vaccinate against shingles. Zostavax vaccine, which helps to prevent the viral illness known as shingles, has been available since 2016. In Australia, it is offered free to people between the ages of 70 and 79. Others can be vaccinated by their general practitioner at their own expense.
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Walk on the beach – saying ‘yes’ more often
Walk on the beach. What a good idea. But not today, thank you. That’s been my standard response to invitations to walk on the beach for the past few years.
