Thursday 28 March 2024

Working Life in the 1890's Australia



Ok this week we are looking at farming in the 1890’s Australia with the invention of milking machines dairy farmers were encouraged to use these machines although common sense tells me that not all would have been keen on trusting some machine to milk their beloved cows. Wheat farmers had the new McKay Sunshine Harvesters.

Also, by this time an export trade in meat was developing, this resulted in both New South Wales & Queensland increasing acreages being devoted to cattle and sheep grazing for meat production. The great pastoral companies which were big business knew that their fat lambs and prime beef would be frozen and exported in the new refrigerated ships that ran between Australia and the British Isles.



However, there were still many farmers on small selections that still struggled with fighting the land and seasons. Most were lucky to own more then one horse and most of the work was done by the family members. It wasn’t uncommon for these settlers to find once they cleared the land it wasn’t any good for agriculture.

There were many years of drought which didn’t help and from 1880 to 1886 many areas suffered from drought, in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Then again between 1895 and 1903 most of Australia experienced drought it was the worst drought in recorded history at that time.



This saw the sheep population cut in half and cattle numbers down around 40 per cent. Of course, wheat yields were also affected dropping from around 8 bushels per acre to only 2.4 bushels per acre in 1902. 

Wednesday 27 March 2024

New Post at Random Things

 New Post over at Radom Things.

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2024/03/i-love-you.html 

Australian Deputy Prime Ministers

 


Hi everyone, last week I wrote about our Prime Ministers which made me realise I have no idea who our Deputy Prime Minister is, I had to Google it and it is some guy named Richard Marles I know nothing about him. He is pictured above.

Our only female Deputy Prime Minister was Julia Gillard. Since 1968 only three Deputy Prime Ministers have gone on to be Prime Minister, Paul Keating, Julia Gillard and Anthony Albansese.

The office of Deputy Prime Minister was officially created in 1968 although the term was used unofficially for years before that. The Deputy Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General on advice from the Prime Minister.

If the Labor Party is in office, then the deputy will be a member of that party but if the Coalition is in office, then the leader of the Liberal Party is Prime Minister and the leader of the National Party is deputy.

During 20172018 there was a parliamentary eligibility crisis when the position was made vacant for the first time since its official creation. This was because Barnaby Joyce was ruled ineligible to be a member of parliament by the High Court of Australia as he held New Zealand citizenship at the time of his election which went against section 44 of the Constitution of Australia.

However, he regained the position on the 6 December 2017 after he won the by-election for the seat of New England.

Tuesday 26 March 2024

Creature Day/ Narwhal

 


Here we are at another Tuesday and of course that means it is creature day and this week’s creature is the Narwhal, heard of it, me neither.

They are the unicorns of the sea according to the book I am using; they have a sword-like spiral protruding from their head.

This ivory tusk is a long tooth which grows much longer in males then females up to 3 meters long about half their body length. Scientists believed it is used in mating rituals to impress females and to fight their rivals.

Others say the tusk is used as a tool for sensing changes in the environment, like differences in the water temperature or salt level. They also use it to rub against each other for cleaning.

It is related to bottlenose dolphins, beluga whales and orcas, they travel in pods of up to 20, but have been seen in groups of thousands in the Artic waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia.

Narwhal comes from the old Norse word Nar meaning corpse, they are thought to have been named this because the resemble the bodies of dead sailors.

They have been eaten by people in Artic villages in both Canada and Greenland for thousands of years. In Greenland most of it is eaten including the meat, the blubber, the skin and organs.

 

Monday 25 March 2024

Earth Fact-Water

 


Hello Monday, hello fact day, hello whoever is reading this this week’s Earth facts concern water.

Around 71% of the Earth is covered in water, I am sure many of you would know this fact, I did. This water makes up five oceans and many smaller seas.

The worlds oceans not only important for the vast numbers of creatures that live in them, but they also influence our weather and climate conditions.

Around 70% of the oxygen we breath is produced by the oceans.

The water absorbs heat from the Sun particularly in tropical regions and carries it over the Earth is surface currents which affect the top 350 metres of the ocean.

Very cold water from the North and South Poles sinks beneath the warmer surface currents and drifts towards the equator, where it is warmed by the Sun, and becomes a surface current itself. It then changes direction drifting back towards the poles where it becomes a colder deep current again.

 

 

Sunday 24 March 2024

Week 12 of 2024

 


A bit of an early start today as I woke at 4.45am really needing to pee. I also woke to the sound of rain. It was 21 degrees when I got up and 19 degrees an hour later. I am feeling so very tired this morning.

 

The temp got as high as 23 degrees also raining on and off all day.

 

I have started to set up the laptop Tim bought a few months back, so I can use it. Spent a few hours doing so.

 

What a morning, I have been trying to connect the printer to this laptop, but it keeps telling me it doesn't recognise the USB device and yes, I have plugged it straight into the laptop.

Tim has gone to Sydney for the appointment with the specialist arranged by his solicitor he caught the train down, Tasha drove him to the station.

It is another hot day but no air con just the fan with doors opens including the screen.

Sandy brought over another cable to connect the computer to the printer but still isn't working I will work on it more tomorrow.

 

Well, this morning I got the printer installed and it still isn’t working also having trouble with my word program, it isn’t always saving so I am going to try using Microsoft word and see how that goes.

 

Tim took some cans over to earn & return and cashed them on for Natasha.

 

It is a warm sticky day, and I am frustrated that I cannot get the printer to word.

 

Dawson turned up and attempted to get the printer to work without any luck and in the end him & Tim went and bought me a similar printer and Dawson is setting that up. Dawson was here over 3hrs working on it.

 

I am feeling much less stressed this morning, I am wearing long pants the temp is 19 degrees and Sam has today off school again he was off sick yesterday as well. Turns out Jessica thought I was going with Tim to his afternoon appointment. I had thought about going but don’t think I will.

 

I change from long pant into shorts only to feel cold, so I changed into longer shorts and found myself cold again so back into long pants.

 

Tim was at the appointment longer than he thought would be, when I asked how it went as per usual, I got little information other than it went well they liked how prepared he was. He also said it was a good thing I didn’t go with him as the stairs to the office were steep and he didn’t think I would be able to manage them.

 

Another cool morning here both doors are open, and I am wearing longish pants, and it is raining. It was 17 degrees when I got up.

I walked Sam up the front using the walker due to light rain by the time I got back I was exhausted.

 

I did, however, manage to get most of my computer stuff done by 7.45am having a faster computer helps.

 

It is a sticky day and I do not like it. The temp is only 21 degrees.

 

By 4pm I was so tired, but I stuck it out till 5pm.

 

Had a good night woke at 4am to pee and straight back to sleep till the alarm went at 5am, it was only 16 degrees when I got up.

Had a message from Tasha asking me to make sure she is awake by 9am, which I will do.

 

By 7am the temp had dropped to 15 degrees, and by 7.30am all emails had been checked and blogs read damn it feels good to have things going well. I am even not shaking that much that typing has been easier.

 

Tim is changing the oil in the car; Tasha is using the dryer which has pissed Tim off, but she needs her work clothes dried before she goes to work this afternoon.

 

 

 

Friday 22 March 2024

Parkinson's Disease Pt 10

 


Here we are at another Friday so that means it is time for some Parkinson’s Disease information. This week we are looking at sleep, we all need a good night’s sleep but when someone has Parkinson’s it is considered very important to get a good eight-hour sleep.

It isn’t uncommon for someone with Parkinson’s to need an after-lunch nap, there are those who say the suffer shouldn’t nod off in their chair during the day but there are others who recommend just closing your eyes for 10-20 minutes if feeling very tired during the day. I prefer to do that close my eyes for up to 20 minutes when the tiredness gets too much.

There are several things that can cause someone with Parkinson’s to not sleep well, such as involuntary movements, pain, needing to pee, vivid dreams or hallucinations. I have nights when my legs move so much it feels like I am trying to swim in bed. I have that some suffers even scream while sleeping.

 


Some people have so much trouble sleeping they are prescribed sleeping pills which may help but are not good long term in my opinion.

I have read that sometimes the suffers other half who shares their bed may want to have single beds as they find the tossing and thrashing about makes it hard for them too.

 That’s all for this week.

                                      

Working Life in the 1890's Australia

Ok this week we are looking at farming in the 1890’s Australia with the invention of milking machines dairy farmers were encouraged to use t...