Blog day 5: Saturday 28 March 20120

Now a little about my daily routine.  I have introduced an exercise regime which involves me pumping iron.  I have bought some 5kg dumbells and each morning I do a series of self designed exercises using said dumbells.  It must be doing some good as yesterday I ripped the top off a vacuum sealed pickle jar as if it wasn't there.  I will let you all in on a secret, I do said exercises wearing only my Jockey brand Y fronts, what's that I hear? Ladies swooning all over the country maybe!  Requests for photos will not be entertained, unless asked nicely.

I am also catching up on my reading, I have just finished two books that I have been working my way through for a little while.  I have just finished "Ring of Steel - Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914-1918" by Alexander Watson.  Watson is a British academic and historian and this book presents TGW (The Great War) from the point of view of the Central Powers, primarily Germany and Austria-Hungary.  This is an unusual aspect and not one that we usually consider from this part of the world (Gallipoli hardly gets a mention or maybe no mention at all).  Just a point to consider in our times of hardship here, at the end of the war the citizens of Vienna were living on about 800 calories a day (it is estimated today that an adult male needs about 2,500 calories to survive).

The other book I have finished is "Armenia, Australia & the Great War" by Vicken Babkenian and Peter Stanley.  Vicken Babkenian is an Australian of Armenian heritage and Peter Stanley is an Australian military historian and academic.  (I include academic in my description of the likes of Stanley to separate them from self claimed historians such as Peter Fitzsimons).  There are two aspects to this book; the first being the atrocious treatment of the Armenian people by the Ottomans (Turks) when between 1 million and 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Turks during the TGW and its immediate aftermath in an attempt at genocide of the Armenian people.   It is of interest to note that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who some Australians seem to have place on some sort of pedestal was heavily involved in the attempted destruction of the Armenian people and the atrocities involved.  The second point of interest is the massive support provided by the Australian people for the Armenians in both TGW and after.

After continued requests for food photos I have decided to bow to reader pressure; food photo follows;

The Woolies corned beef is manufactured in Brazil and has a best before date of 21/11/2014, lets hope this is over by then.  The Spam doesn't have a best before date but has a packaged date of 14/05/2019.  The Plumrose skinless hot dogs has neither a use by date or packaged date but does have a delicious recipe on the can for Dijon & Red Wine Sausages with Mash, Yummy!

As Woody Woodpecker said "that's all folks".

Current virus stats Day 82

Vic: 685 infected (+111 from previous day) - 3 deaths

Aus: 3,362 infected (+303) - 13 deaths

World: 595,800