Wednesday 19 March 2008

Norovirus and snowboarding

The Easter holidays have started, but I've been trying to keep working because otherwise I have the capacity to waste the whole day on fiddling about doing not very much.

On Monday I created my informative leaflet on norovirus, aimed at passengers on cruise ships. Norovirus, or Winter Vomiting Disease, is "a contagious disease that is spread by contact with an infected person, by touching contaminated surfaces, or by consuming contaminated food or water." It causes diarrhoea and vomiting, so you can see how it ties in with our Wednesday morning lecture ordeals. Confined living environments like hospitals, schools and cruise ships are vulnerable because it's so hard to clean up.

I had thought of giving the leaflet a background image that gave the impression of speckled vomit, but when I Googled 'vomit' I changed my mind. Instead, it's got a background image of a ship and a picture of the norovirus itself. I was just working out how to save it as an image to upload for your viewing pleasure when Lola II phoned and said I should wait until the handing-in deadline. So you'll have to hang on until mid-April.

Foot in plasterWe've booked ourselves a week of snowboarding at the beginning of April - Yippee! I've never tried snowboarding, but Mr A had a go for a day at the end of our last skiing holiday, when I was laid up with the broken leg. [No, I didn't break my leg skiing, but when we went out for a walk in icy conditions towards the end of the day.] He found the snowboard boots much more comfortable than ski boots on his mangled legs, even the ski boots that he had moulded to the shape of his shins. So we'll try learning to snowboard together, and I can go back to skiing if I don't get on with it.

Andy skiingMr A's currently pretty moody about the state of the economy and the prospect of a recession, in case the bank won't lend him money. It does seem like there hasn't been much good news for a while. He went out on his bike, the water meadows were flooded so he got wet feet very early on, then managed to puncture both tyres and had to walk most of the way home through the water, plus he put his back out. On the bright side, we've been able to drown his sorrows at the Cricketers - in under two weeks it's been transformed into a friendly welcoming place, buzzing with customers, and a pleasure to visit.

6 comments:

The Woman who Can said...

Snowboarding? Crikey! Can't you just watch it on the telly?

aims said...

Hey! Tina's out and about!! (waves at her!)

When I moved to Alberta I thought I would be skiing all the time - but then I found out I couldn't afford the lift tickets and the cost of a day in the mountains..I use to be a skiing fanatic - racing - all the good stuff...

I haven't forgot about the gluten-free bread recipe..I'll email it to you when I get a spare minute..

Anonymous said...

My husband is a fan of snowboarding - falling repeatedly on my rear-end has never appealed to me, though I have been told a number of times that once you make it through the first day and get over the soreness it really does become fun. Enjoy!

Jane Hards Photography said...

What is snow? It's bbe so long i've forgotten what the white stuff feels like on your face.

Thanks for linking. Yours has been on for a while.

Here's a sensible foodie question( me sensible), why is maize used in so many food stuffs. My partner is allergic, and it's a real pain, the allergy not him.

Lola said...

Yay, snowboarding everyone!

You probably know the answer to the maize question: it's going to be price, combined with the useful properties of maize starch, for thickening for example. If the cost of maize were to go up then I'm sure you'll find it in fewer foods; the food companies will switch to a cheaper source of starch.

Moley-Bloke said...

Norovirus... Sounds like the horrid thing Sally had at the start of the week.. Does it also make you crotchety?