Our late son, Nicholas and Helvi.
Today there are 900 cases of confirmed corona infections in Australia, which are said to double every three days. This means that by the time my cataract operation is due on the 9th of April there will be 57.600 cases with a possible 1340 people having died. These are grim figures.
Of course, we all know that life has mainly zero survival and most of us will sooner or later have to accept the icy embrace of the hundreds of millions who went astral travelling before us. Now, the good news is that the survival rate of the corona virus is 96 %, which I suppose is better that the rate of survival by rock fishing or sky diving aficionados, let alone drinkers, smokers etc.
I do my best to stay isolated but will cancel my private cataract operation which might be cancelled anyway by doctors having more urgent work to perform than non essential operations such as mine. By the end of April, unless the peak infections are halted by a complete lock-down, Australia will have over 3.500.000 million victims.!
I went shopping this morning and had a coffee at the Bradman cricket café. There was a nice breeze blowing and Milo got his usual share of treats as well as Tess, a female Jack Russell, hopelessly in love with Milo.
I went to Aldi afterwards, and bought eggs, truss tomatoes, a loaf of Multi-grain bread, two bananas, a bunch of fresh broccolini, and a bag of nice looking mandarins. A woman who had bought four huge cartons of vile looking dried Pizza crackers jabbered on how she read in the Telegraph how the Chinese are emptying the Australian supermarkets and posting it back to China to sell for profits. I told her off and so did another lady in front of me. Of course , the Murdoch paper is only good for toilet paper as a last resort or perhaps it should be first
Stay well, dear readers.
Tags: Bradman, China, Corona, cricket, Multigrain, Murdoch, paper, Telegraph, Toilet
Oosterman Treats Blog 
March 21, 2020 at 2:55 am |
Lucky you to find the broccolini and mandarins. Those are on my list for tomorrow — couldn’t find them today. Of course, I went looking at about 6 p.m., after a full day’s shopping had occurred.
The good news is that putting off your cataract surgery isn’t life-threatening. In a few months, it can be rescheduled — along with everything else that’s getting postponed now. I suppose thinking that we’ll be past all this in a few months might be overly optimistic, but it is possible to get past these epidemics, if only people will stop with the selfishness and do what needs to be done. I wish no ill on anyone, but it wouldn’t hurt for our President to be required to go into quarantine for a couple of weeks. We might be able to calm things down a bit, then. There might even be mandarins in the market!
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March 21, 2020 at 7:18 am |
Yes, I had no trouble and I now avoid going to the opening at 9.30 of Aldi when yesterday there was a large queue. I also don’t touch trolleys and keep away from customers and pay by card.
So annoyed that people ignored forming large crowds on our most popular beach in Sydney, ‘Bondi Beach’. It was packed with people sitting on sand browning themselves and risk spreading the virus. The government has now closed the beach.
I am fairly sure that the doctor by the 9th of April will not be doing cataracts and that all will be needed testing and treating corona victims.
These are anxious times, Linda
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March 21, 2020 at 8:02 am
To be honest, when both the Police Minister and the Commissioner hold press conferences to express their disappointment in their fellow man for going to the beach on a hot day and disregarding the ‘rules’ yet, during these conferences are surrounded by lackies/ sycophants/ etc, all less than 30 cm apart, it sounds like one rule for thee and whatever I like for me.
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March 21, 2020 at 3:47 am |
Glad you told her off. Stay safe and sane.
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March 21, 2020 at 7:24 am |
Yes, that woman was so wrong but from experience you can give all the facts and science to show truth of the matter, they will not believe it. They are hard-core readers and listeners to a few so called media stars who delight in fanning untrue controversies in the hope of attracting enough people and sell advertising. Murdoch has always been a master of spreading nonsense. But he is waning and he too will face his last few days and his maker. Will he look back and face the horror of his wasted life?
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March 21, 2020 at 4:08 am |
Down the Aisles
Your shopping correspondent’s report.
On a different theme today, not withstanding the news from the packaged cake mix shelf that “The Little Brownie Co.” has nudged “Messy Jessie” off the main shelf over to the ancillary shelf ..sad, really, to see that delightful young cook “remainded”..though I do notice that “White Wings” has maintained complete domination of the shelf space!..Isn’t it always the same : Corporations rule!
But that’s not what I wanted to report today from the shopping. The most amazing thing happened..You know how difficult those unwieldy shopping trolleys can be with a full load?..well, I came swishing around the corner of aisle 6, cut close to the rack of “Sienna chopped tomatoes” and lined myself up on “the right line” with a drift-slide maneuver to cut into the rice rack for a quick pick-up of “Doongari Clever Rice”…and there, right in front was another laden trolley navigated by this slip of a girl !..evasive action was applied by both of us to avoid a collision..and I do not think I need to describe the consequences of such a disaster of two fully laden shopping-trolleys colliding at full-pitch…ISIS. would have claimed responsibility for the resulting mayhem!
But just as it seemed inevitable, the strangest thing happened ; We both put in place, with synchronistic timing our “ collision prevention plan”..With my left hand in a firm grip on the trolley handle, and my right on the basket corner of the trolley, I pulled off the most amazing 90 deg. Spin around..and the lady did EXACTLY the same maneuver in opposition!…both trolleys performing the perfect pas de deux whilst the owners exchanged places and then continuing the movement, like two rock’n’rollers performing a jitterbug routine, we spun and double switched back so avoiding an earthquake of a collision and continued on our way with a passing “Air” high-five (obeying the distance isolation rule) as salute.
An amazing maneuver that has to go down as an essential in the “Shopping-trolley collision prevention handbook”…But in my book , I will always refer to it as : “The dance of the seventh aisle”.
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March 22, 2020 at 1:54 am |
Yes, Jo. Adventures with shopping trolleys has always fascinated me. I have seen them everywhere, even around traffic posts. They are lifted up and somehow manoeuvred from the hole on top of the trolley down towards the pavement.
And also in our local creek, ducks are perched on top of the dumped trolley and look pleased with themselves.
On my own I don’t need a trolley and know before what I will buy. No impulsive buying from Gerard.
Glad you avoided a collision, Jo. I am not sure I still have your level of dexterity in steering the trolley. Often trolleys have a will of their own and go opposite of where one wishes to go.
This morning Aldi had 24 roll packs of toilet paper. I am not sure at my age I still have enough time ahead to use 24 rolls. I don’t want my estate to be burdened by excess rolls.
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March 21, 2020 at 4:17 am |
Good for you telling that woman off, Gerard. This racist tale has been doing the rounds, but today, in the Guardian, there’s an article refuting it. Sensible reporters took the time to contact the supermarkets and find out the truth. Sadly the people who need to read the article won’t: there’s only so much that can be done to stem the tide of racism. I would hate to be a Chinese person in this country right now.
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March 22, 2020 at 2:02 am |
Yes, Jane. She was really surprised with not just getting a rebuke from the woman in front of me but also from me. One of these times I might resort to giving a smack.
Decades ago, it were the Italians and Greeks that wore the brunt of racism, followed some time later by the Lebanese, the Vietnamese followed hot on the heels by Iranians, Iraqis, Nigerians and now the latest, the Chinese are copping it.
It is best to call it out each time when it rears its ugly head.
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March 21, 2020 at 5:31 am |
Sorry to hear of your impending operation being cancelled. I guess the greater risk is to you placing yourself at risk by being in the hospital. A mate of mine still went ahead with semi-urgent surgery this week, but was home within a few hours. Him and his wife went into home quarantine because his wife ended up having a throat swab which was lost, then reswabbing took a couple of days to get organised. Bloody frustrating.
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March 22, 2020 at 2:10 am |
Yes, Big M. I bet emergencies are being swamped with people worried they have the virus. Most of them don’t, but they are clogging the system. One gets confusing messages though.
It must be terrible when in Italy and Spain doctors are concentrating on saving those that are young and forced to abandon those with limited life ahead, the elderly and frail.
Not sure if I don’t belong to the frail! Anyway,I feel great lately and won’t worry about delaying my cataract. I might even donate and forego my allocated Viagra in favour of those with greater need to adequate tumescence than me. I am into having apples instead.
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March 22, 2020 at 3:28 am
I very much doubt that the private hospitals will do anything for the Covid victims, but they will probably close for fear of spreading the virus.
Every year paediatric hospitals face respiratory syncitial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis, which is also highly virulent, causing mild. cold like symptoms in adults, but can be fatal to children under one year. It used to have a high fatality rate, requiring ventilation, etc, but the early application of any sort of respiratory support has seen the fatality rate drop to almost zero. I can’t help but wonder if the adult intensivists could learn something from their paediatric colleagues.
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March 21, 2020 at 7:26 am |
bkpyett commented on The corona virus victims will get priority over the Cataract.
Good to hear you’re taking things in your stride, Gerard. I read an article that sounded really sensible about the virus, saying if you keep drinking water or warm drinks often, the virus doesn’t like that. It likes a dry throat. It doesn’t like heat, so don’t add ice. I can send you the article if you give me your email address. Sounds very helpful, so stay well! Best wishes as always. Shall I put my email and you delete it when you’ve read it?
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March 21, 2020 at 7:36 am |
I have deleted it, Barbara, but so did your original response. I am sorry.
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March 21, 2020 at 9:21 am |
Glad you told her off!
I have Asian relatives (by marriage and adoption) who have had white people in public say “Go back to China” to them…and my relatives are from Korea.
😦
Please stay safe and well, Gerard! I’m glad you will postpone your surgery for now.
(((HUGS)))
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March 22, 2020 at 2:13 am |
Yes, and you know Carolyn. A lot of this is fostered by the media under the ‘freedom of speech law’. They ramp it up without fear of punishment.
You stay well too, and an internet hug from me and Milo.
Gerard
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March 21, 2020 at 11:15 am |
Someone at work tried to make the same claim amd two of us told her off. I’ve seen the videos. It wasn’t the Chinese. It was selfish inner city Melbournites.
Glad to hear you and Milo are still getting out and about a bit.
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March 22, 2020 at 2:18 am |
It is terrible and the best is to call racism out each time. I stopped going to my bowling as some of the members were forever slinging off at Chinese, Lebanese, Romanians and you name it.
My dad was told he was a reffo, and to stop talking to his wife in Dutch on the bus. And that was in 1956. It is still hanging around now!
Yes, Milo drags me out each day to the local Café where we sit in very spacious surrounding underneath giant oak trees.
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March 21, 2020 at 1:45 pm |
But better to be safe Gerard. One of my Korean friends was at the news agency buying a lotto ticket. A woman (no lady) pointed a finger at him yelling go home go home and wash wash. Poor guy was mortified. The sad thing was that no one stood up to tell the ignorant person to smarten up and shut up. Too bad I wasn’t there. Did not realise that sort of behaviour happened around here. But ignorance appears to be winning out all over the world. Toilet paper is such a joke. This situation is similar to a sci fi book about a major disease happening but no author that I have ever read ever dreamed that people would fight tooth and nail over toilet paper.
Stay safe dear friend
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March 22, 2020 at 2:26 am |
Yes, this morning Aldi was selling huge packs of 24 rolls and people with red faces were groaning under the weight and size of the packets. Oddly enough, there were plenty of bananas and they were being ignored.
I suppose if we had a rumour doing the rounds that wiping your bum with a banana skin prevents Corona, and they would fly out of Aldi. Come to think of it, I almost feel like giving the banana skin a go without any rumours. It could feel rather soothing.
Nice to have you on board, Sandie.
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March 21, 2020 at 5:44 pm |
So sorry about your son, I personally know how you feel.
Stay safe, my friend.
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March 22, 2020 at 2:28 am |
Thank you, GP Cox. Much appreciated.!
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March 22, 2020 at 2:59 pm |
I am glad you are well and still able to get outside for walks and supplies. I learned last week, just as the virus was taking my state over and one day before my hair appt., that my hairdresser is in the hospital with the OTHER C. I can’t even imagine being hospitalized with cancer at a time like this. I worry about him. Meanwhile, I’ve been wacking off my own hair a little each day, which is easy in front and on top, but today I need to tackle the back. I may end up bald.
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March 24, 2020 at 1:45 am |
Yes, the reason for self isolation is to spread the number of corona infections over a longer period. It is not meant to present or stop the numbers, although many hope that will happen too.
At the moment they fear an unsustainable spike in numbers whereby the hospitals and health-care worker in a too short a time-frame will be so overwhelmed they have to choose between those that can be helped to recover and those that are old and feeble and likely to not survive. They do not have the number of doctors nor enough emergency beds and equipment to help all!
A depressing assumption that many experts are now predicting.
The good thing is that at the moment only 7 have died and yet the numbers of infections are sky rocketing.
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March 31, 2020 at 7:34 pm |
Stay well, Gerard 💙
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