Just For Fun

Nurse Nicole’s Most Dreaded Specimen

Friday, May 28th, 2010 by niknak30

After reading many a comment on the forums I have come to realise that I am definitely not the only person with such a dislike for anything related to sputum.

dreaded specimen in nursing

dreaded specimen in nursing

My aversion to it began some 17 odd years ago when I was a new graduate in an adult facility working on a medical ward. I had never seen so much sputum, let alone all of those older men and women spitting it up and keeping it in a cup beside their bed. I was horrified.

Even more horrifying to me was the fact that when the ward supply of polystyrene cups ran out, the nurses had no hesitation in using the polystyrene cups that had SPUTUM written across them in bold red writing. I just couldn’t do it. I know, they were brand new clean cups and probably no different to the plain white ones that come from the same factory but there is no way I could drink my morning coffee out of it.

Since moving to paeds I am mildly less grossed out by sputum but I still find it pretty yuk. Poo, spew and a gross wound are far less awful than any amount of sputum.

What  is it that you find disgusting?????

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CONTEST: Refer-a-Friend to Nurse Uncut, Win a Holiday!

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 by NU_Editor

UPDATE: This competition is open until 31 March 2010. You have time to refer your friends and colleagues to Nurse Uncut!

Well, hello and welcome to a brand new competition here at Nurse Uncut! This time, we’re encouraging you all to help to spread the word about Nurse Uncut – and asking your friends, colleagues, family, and everyone else you might know to become a NU member. For every person you refer to NU, you get a point towards our fabulous prizes. Read on to find out more…

Read the rest of this entry »

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100 Things I Love: Nurse Nic’s List

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 by niknak30

purple_hearts-rknds-sxcIn this very red and festive month of February, I was inspired to write and list of 100 things I love. So whilst I am sure I will struggle with such a huge number, I am going to give it a try and I am going to go with actual things otherwise I will fill the list with wonderful people in my life. By the way, they are in no particular order…

1. the smell of freshly cut grass

2. the sound of thunder

3. driving at night and seeing lightening in the sky

4. shooting stars

5. dew drops on plants

6. my camera – Olympus E300 –  it is always charged and ready to go

7. taking pictures of people, places and things

8. my Iphone

9. Facebook

10. Mars Bar slice

11. my Grandma’s cream cheese and passionfruit slice

12. dvd’s – my collection could be considered an addiction

13. seeing a movie the day it is released

14. pink roses from our garden

15. scrapbooking

16. baking – cakes are my speciality but I love baking anything

17. trying new recipes – I am a firm believer in the theory that if you can read you can cook

18. stationary

19. writing real letters – it is so much better than getting bills in the mail and it is great to let someone know you took the time to care

20. my job – caring for sick children and there families impacts on me more than those children or families realise

21. the feeling of sand between your toes

22. theme parks

23. anything Disney

24.romantic comedies – I will always love them

25. television

26. holidays

27. airports – the happiest and saddest place

28. people watching – I would fit in well in Paris

29. teen angst television or movies

30. dates with my man

31. dark chocolate

32. singing loudly in the car

33. nanna naps

34. playing trivia each week with the girls

35. hugs

36. back rubs

37. neat handwriting

38. organising – doesn’t matter what it is, given the opportunity I will try and organise it

39. my diary – all my friends teased me about it – wherever I go, it goes and I refuse to convert to a computer version

40. sharp lead pencils

41. cinnamon – love the smell and the taste

42. Christmas decorations

43. the act of giving

44. wrapping presents

45. matching picture frames

46. short stories

47. Pink – the colour

48. concerts

49. the smell of Christmas – its a combination of rosehip and cinnamon

50. coke

Phew …. ha;f way, this is harder than I thought

51. khalua ( always with milk, never with coke)

52. Toblerone – preferably in a fondue with strawberries

53. the smell of fresh bread

54. postcards

55. a good coffee – preferably with a friend

56. 1000 thread count sheets

57. lots of pillows

58. remembering the fun times in my life

59. the innocence and honesty of children

60. the smell of a newborn baby

61. Australia Day – it comes with its own traditions

62. technology

63. McDonalds apple pies

64. dance movies

65. cookbooks

66. fridge magnets – always great souveniers of places I have seen

67. my spotted dress from 1990, can;t fit into it, but can’t part with it either

68. school newsletters

69. Willow Tree figurines

70. a well chosen card

71. Christmas newsletters and photos from people who matter

72. watching the news at night

73. Jurlique citrus hand cream

74. my Tiffant and Co bracelet

75. lip gloss

76. matching luggage

77. Guess handbags and wallets

78. sanitising hand rub

79. mashed pumpkin and potato

80. sharp scissors

81. whales

82. family photo shoots

83. being a friend

84. dark chocolate

85. the drive thru carwash

86. driving – inner city or country, I don’t mind

87. the smell of a new car

88. my croc slippers – so comfortable

89. denim jeans

90. sudoku puzzles

91. board games

92. dinner parties

93. open plains

94. thongs ( the show type)

95. matching underwear, not fancy neccessarily but always matching

96. the feeling of a baby kicking in your belly, a secret party

97. pyjama days

98. my music box

99. trashy magazines

100. milk and cookies

Ok, all I can say is thank goodness for food. But, I made it! See how you go with your list. It is nice to think there are so many things I enjoy. What about you?

Image: courtesy of rknds (via sxc.hu)

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How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day at your workplace?

Thursday, February 11th, 2010 by shoils

Valentine’s Day is a special day for ladies (and for the men). Some of us (particularly those of us that are married) view it as a hallmark holiday. But, for residents in nursing homes, it is a rose-lady_~k0390833day that staff get the opportunity to make them feel special.

In our facility, we do exactly that. We make a big deal out of it and we try to make each and every woman feel special.We start the day with a special breakfast, something tasty like French toast or pancakes and strawberries. Each woman gets a long stemmed red rose. You should see their faces when they receive their rose; every woman loves a red rose. Of course, we decorate the place beautifully with hearts and red fabric draped everywhere, fresh flowers that is a given. The staff wears red shirts to get in the spirit of the day.

We have a few married couples residing together in the facility. So, for those residents, we purchase cards for the husbands to give to their wives. We then have a beautiful lunch, we set the tables up in pairs and get the couples to sit together (like a romantic restaurant), we put candles and flowers on the table and print out the menu for that day on nice paper. For those that their husband or wife don’t reside in the home, we invite them to come to lunch so that they too can have a table for 2 for the special day. Those that no longer have their spouse with them, we invite the family to come, no-one gets left out or is left to feel lonely. If family can’t come, we set up a group table and a staff member sits with them and makes it a fun filled lunch. Champagne is served with a special meal for lunch. Desert is a rich chocolate mousse or cake and we give out chocolate hearts.

We encourage family to stay for part of the day and take walks around the gardens, or a walk down the leafy street, and spend quality time together.  We do couple activities (like a music entertainer, so that they can dance together) and for those who don’t have a partner with them we do relaxing activities like Tai Chi for the men and manicures and time in our spa / salon for the ladies and Champagne is given with a strawberry in the bottom of the glass.

Our residents really enjoy this special occasion. The ladies love the fact that they are made to feel special and appreciated, and the staff love it when the residents feel this way. Each and every resident is made to feel extra special.

How do you celebrate valentine’s day at your work place? What will you be doing to make the day feel special for your patients? I would love to hear what you all do.

Photo source (http://www.fotosearch.com/CSP039/k0390833/)

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Oz Day Contest Winners!

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 by NU_Editor

Australia Day contestWell, it’s time to conclude our Australia Day contest! We had a total of 10 great entries. And, after much deliberation between Nurse Uncut staffers and writers, we’ve finally chosen our Grand Prize Winner! The rest of the entries were then put in a virtual hat and we’ve chosen three random winners.

So, without further ado, here are our lucky winners…

Grand Prize -

Calvin Klein One for men (RRP: $89.00) or Samsara Eau de Toilette (100ml) by Guerlain for Women (RRP: $120.00). - winner’s choice

+ optional feature here at Nurse Uncut.

And, the winner is…

Lainie!

She shared this entry with us:

“What being an Aussie means to me Being aussie means to me…having the right to use our slang, bbq’s, lamingtons plus pavlova, a good ol’ meat pie with tomato sauce, the beach, being able to say g’day mate the way it’s suppose to be said, eating vegemite without a sour look on my face, wear thongs as an all rounder outfit for the feet, being able to have people like steve irwin and it be ok(crikey mate), hitting a roo and say bloody hell look at that dint in my car, driving on the wrong side of the road and it be the law,eating the national emblem and after it say “mate that was beautiful”, spending time with your family because there as crazy as your mates…but most of all being able to mix like a fruit salad when it comes to multiculturalism and givin’ everyone a fair go!”
(from Lainie)

Congratulations, Lanie.

Now, here are our three random winners of Pat Staunton’s very popular book “Nursing and the Law” (RRP: $68.95). (Sponsored by Elsevier). The first three names that come up via random.org are our winners:

NU-AusDay-2010

Congratulations, shell68, illawarrior, and Hihavanicday!

We’ll be in touch.

Thanks again to everyone who entered our contest.

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Healthy Eating Is Not So Hard (with a Free Recipe!)

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 by shoils

I don’t know if you read one of my latest blogs about obesity, but I thought I would counter balance it with a blog on healthy food and healthy eating.
vegetables

As we all know the benefits of heating healthy are endless, and if we put our minds to it, and do a little search,  we can find healthy recipes that taste oh so good.

People often associate healthy food as being boring, lacking in taste and the same old green rabbit food. My friends this is not the case, there are many many recipes that have high nutritional value, are low in calories and taste amazing.

I started to really search for healthy alternatives when my 1st daughter started to eat solid foods. At first it was quite daunting as I hated cooking, it was so time consuming and seemed so difficult and complicated, but in reality not so. The more I cooked, the more I enjoyed it, the more I would search for recipes to tackle. My daughters are the toughest critics (as anyone with toddlers would know) and when you have made them something to eat that they enjoy that is full of vegetables and protein your feel quite chuffed I must say.

The recommendations are (and I’m sure you all know) to eat 5 veg 2 fruit a day, you need protein in your meals and complex carbohydrates ie grainy bread, whole grain cereals, or vegetables. How many people do you know eat 5 veg a day? Well, it actually isn’t that hard. My family and I average about 7-8 veg a day and I try to get as many of the different coloured veg as I can in ie red, green, yellow, orange, white.

Lots of people that work full time state that they don’t have the time to cook complicated meals, they are too tired and it is easier to take that pre-packaged frozen food and stick it in the microwave, or order that pizza, or wack the nuggets, frozen fish or chicken in the oven. But the truth is these foods are high in salt, preservatives and high in calories. They all seem like healthy meals, they state on the packet that they are low in calories, contain real meat, full of vitamins etc but don’t be fooled my friends. If you look at the ingredients you will see preservatives disguised as numbers, sugar is added unnecessarily, and the salt content is very high.

To make the food from scratch really doesn’t take that long, and many foods you can freeze and save for later. I discovered wonderful recipe web sites when I was very pregnant about to give birth to my 2nd daughter. I wanted to fill the freezer full of food so that when I was in hospital my husband had good tasty food and he could feed our older daughter food I was happy to give her rather than rubbish. All I did was google recipes that freeze and many web sites came up. If you are really pressed for time and hate cooking you only need to cook once a week and freeze your meals in portions so you can come home, stick your food in the microwave and eat, Just as simple as your pre-packaged frozen food but without the preservatives and high salt content. You can also take these foods to work to avoid having to buy your lunch.

The weekly cost of buying your lunch is very damaging on your budget, $10 a day even if it is healthy food like a salad doesn’t sit well on your pocket. Bringing your lunch from home can sometimes be dull the same old sandwich, greens in a small Tupperware box, can of tuna on the side, cup a soup etc, makes me cringe just thinking about it. Let me give you some very healthy recipe ideas that are outside the box.

Recipe for Zucchini Slice

(full of veg, had protein and really quick and easy to make)

Ingredients:
2 zucchini’s grated
1 carrot grated
1 red capsicum diced
1 onion chopped
1 cup self raising flour ( I use wholemeal flour but you can use what you like)
6 eggs
1 cup grated cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 chorizo sausages or 100g ham or bacon or I poach chicken in chicken stock and garlic
For 15 mins and shred it.

2) Pre-heat oven 180 degrees Celsius

3) Place all the ingredients together add salt and pepper to taste pour into a non stick lamington tin, sprinkle parmesan on the top and bake at 180 Celsius or until golden.

This recipe freezes so you can cut it into individual squares ready to pull out when you need it for lunch or you kids dinner.

Soup would have to be the easiest thing to make and freeze!! You put whatever veg  you desire add water till the veg is covered add salt pepper whatever herbs you want ie parsley, dill, garlic etc bring to the boil, then simmer until veg are soft and blend all together.

This freezes as well so put it in portions and take out as needed.

I could keep going and going with the recipes but we would be here all day   but as you can see it is not difficult to make tasty healthy low calorie foods, all you need is access to a computer for the recipes, good produce and 1 day a week to cook ( if you don’t want to cook everyday)

What are some of your healthy recipes? Let’s start a place where nurses can swap recipes that are tasty and healthy that we can take to work. Let’s help us nurses get healthy in 2010.

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Romance in the Medical Workplace….. Yay or Nay?

Thursday, February 4th, 2010 by niknak30

heart-medical-photoxpressWith Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it got me thinking about love and romance at work.

Well, I love medical drama shows. I always have – from A Country Practice when I was growing up to the likes of Greys Anatomy and The Practice nowadays. But, one thing that has always struck me is the way relationships develop on those shows.

Fully aware that TV is not reality (although I think some of my friends may disagree), I always laugh when I see doctors and nurses making out in the doctors’ lounge or various other not-so-private areas within the hospital.

You see, never in my 16 years of nursing have I caught any member of staff in such an embrace. It’s certainly not that I am oblivious to my surroundings. So, it just makes me wonder if such things really happen?

I have known staff members to date and even to marry. But, it has always been something that they have tried to keep away from the workplace. They certainly do not have a habit of flaunting it in the corridors or the cupboards. In fact, they oftem do everything possible to ensure that the powers that be are not aware at all. Of course, this is rarely successful as hospitals are large institutions and full of gossip.

Perhaps, my place of work is different to yours? Do romances and interludes occur out there in other hospitals? Should it be permitted for staff working together to date? Is it any business of the employer to know what we do in our spare time?

I personally think as long as you are professional at work and you can maintain that even if the relationship sours then there is not harm.

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Children’s Party Food: Healthy Alternatives (with 3 Free Delicious Recipes!)

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 by shoils

050(1)Birthdays are always such a happy occasion for your children. It is a time for fun, games, presents and yummy food to share with your friends. But, how do you celebrate your child’s birthday without giving all the kids the usual rubbish food that is traditionally handed out? And, without being seen as being boring, and having loads of plates left with food that you have to throw out at the end of the day?

I know what some of you might be saying “Oh, get over it! It is a kids’ party. Let them eat junk. It’s only one day.” Well, that one day you can multiply but at least 20 as throughout the school year birthday invitations flow in constantly.  That’s a lot of crap and junk at the end of the day.  The number of children with obesity issues we now have is ever growing. And, we are seeing more and more children in the class with this issue. So, why don’t we cater for those kids – and at the same time-  support and help their parents lets keep it all healthy for all of our children?
When my daughter had her first birthday, naturally, I wanted to have some lovely food and with the children only being one, I wanted it to be healthy too. The food I came up with was not only healthy for children, but was so tasty that the adults ate it too and there was nothing left at the end of the party, even though I catered specially for the adults.

Now, let me share with you THREE healthy recipes that you might consider trying for your next birthday party (or family meal) -
Recipe #1:  Chicken and Vegetable rolls

We all know kids LOVE sausage rolls, but the frozen varieties are full of salt and fat- and it is questionable about the meat inside and the cardboard box it came in would have more nutrients than the sausage roll itself.

So, I found a recipe for chicken rolls that are like sausage rolls that are nutritious and very delicious. Do give it a go…

Ingredients:

500g mince chicken
1 clove garlic crushed
1 med brown onion chopped finely
1 carrot grated
100g green beans chopped finely
125g can creamed corn
1 egg lightly beaten
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1tbsp tomato sauce
3 sheets puff pastry
1 extra egg beaten lightly

How To Cook/Make:

1) Pre-heat oven to moderately hot.

2) Using hands combine mince, garlic, onion, carrot, beans, corn, eggs, breadcrumbs and sauce in a large bowl.

3) Cut pastry sheets in half lengthways. Place equal amounts of chicken mixture length ways along the centre of each pastry piece; roll each pastry piece to enclose filling. Cut into six pieces.

4) Place seam -side down, brush with extra egg. Bake, uncovered about 30 mins or until browned.

Recipe #2 – Chicken Strips/ Chicken chippies

The other favourite of the party was chicken strips that I made. They were truly easy to make and were a huge hit. You can serve them hot or cold.

Ingredients:

Skinless chicken breasts
Breadcrumbs
Powdered garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Eggs
Grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil for shallow frying

How To Cook/Make:

1) Butterfly chicken so that they are thin and tenderise them by bashing them with a rolling pin or a meat tenderiser or back of a frying pan. Do this to all the chicken is thin and flat like schnitzel.
2) Beat eggs in a small bowl, in a separate bowl combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder, parmesan, salt and pepper.
3) Dip chicken into egg, then into breadcrumb mixture, back into the egg and back into the breadcrumb mixture ( twice coat the chicken this keeps the chicken from drying out and keeps it tender) repeat till all the chicken is coated with the breadcrumb/parmesan mixture.

4) Heat oil in a frying pan and fry chicken till golden brown.

5) Cut into strips like chicken chippies.

I made some more hot food for the kids like mini pizzas that I made rather than bought, so I could control what goes on them. I also made pumpkin and zucchini mini muffins.

Being summer, I also supplied cold/ frozen foods for the kids. I made my own iceblocks (which were made in advance from fresh squeezed fruit juice, I froze grape, watermelon, oranges and tubs of yoghurt. These were fantastic, and the kids loved them in the hot weather.

Recipe #3 – Chocolate Brownies
There were no lollies even in sight. For dessert I made chocolate brownies that most of the sweetness comes from dates not sugar or chocolate. This can be an everyday snack, if need be, as it is not unhealthy one little bit.

Ingredients:

90g flour sifted
60g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
90g brown sugar
140g butter
140g pitted dates chopped
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

How To Cook/Make:

1) Pre-heat oven 160 Celsius, grease a 20cm square tin and line with baking paper.

2) Melt butter in a saucepan, add dates and take off the heat, stand for 10 mins

3) Sift cocoa, flour and baking powder into a large bowl, add sugar and combine.

4) In another large bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla together, then stir in the dates and butter. Add to the dry ingredients and stir into just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20 mins or until set.

I also made chocolate crackles but I made them in a very unconventional way by mixing coco pops (which now has wholegrain),  melted chocolate ( 70% cocoa), and mini M&M’s. Put them in the fridge and there you have the (must have at all parties) chocolate crackles but not the kind with the nasty trans fat of copha and butter etc. Yes, there is chocolate in it but it is not that bad for the kids if taken in moderation (and teeth get brushed!).

The birthday cake was banana cake (or you could make it carrot cake) – and this is just as tasty as butter cake or chocolate cake.

You see, kids birthday parties don’t have to be full of junk and sugar. It can be healthy and fun at the same time. Substitute junk for healthy alternatives and the kids won’t even notice and you can assure the other parents that they will be eating something nutritious so they don’t have to worry about lunch later or dinner.

What do you serve at your children’s parties? Do you try to make it more healthy or do you give them conventional  party food? Come and share some of your yummy recipes.

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My year in review (from Shirley)

Sunday, January 24th, 2010 by shoils

Nurse Shirley shares her 2009 memories and highlights…    ist1_7766439-calendar-day-31

1.  What did you do in 2009 that you’ve never done before?

Write blogs and give birth and get pregnant again in the space of 6 months.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t make NY resolutions as I can never stick to them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

I gave birth to my 2nd daughter on the 29.04.09.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thank goodness no one close to me passed away.

5. What country did you visit?

No overseas travel this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

A big house with a backyard in North Shore suburbia.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

29.04.09 for the obvious reasons

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Being a mother a 2 beautiful girls and still remaining somewhat sane.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Spending more money than I care to.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No, thank goodness.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My car ( Holden Captiva LX)

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I lost 13kg in 3 months through hard work and dieting.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one I try not to have expectations of anyone that way I don’t get upset or depressed.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Car and living expenses.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My brother coming to visit with his family for the 1st time in 2 years.

16. What songs will always remind you of 2009?
Hmmmm I haven’t listened to adult music in 2 years!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?  Happier
ii. healthier or sicklier? Healthier
iii. richer or poorer? Much much poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Go on Holidays with my family

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Nothing! I regret nothing.

20. How did you spend Christmas this year?
With my husband’s family and with my family.

21. What was the best book you read and why?
The Immigrant by Manju Kapur. It is a really captivating story. And, if I can read it tired and brain dead feeding in the middle of the night it’s got to be a good book!

22. What did you want and got and what did you want and did not get?
I wanted and needed a bigger car and got it. I wanted and needed to sell our town house and buy a house but didn’t.

23. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Winning Lotto but I guess you have to play it to win it (lol).

24. What political/health/work issue stirred you the most?
The ever ongoing conflict in the middle east.

25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
With kids you just HAVE to go with the flow.

Thanks for sharing!

Now, what about you? Anything you’d like to share from 2009 too?

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Australia Day: What does it mean to me?

Friday, January 22nd, 2010 by niknak30

the three of us australia day 09Australia Day to me is a really important day. It started several years ago when it became a day to gather in the city and sit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge to watch the ferry races. It’s a reasonably shady place, which made for a pleasant place to admire the busy-ness and excitement that unfolds before you.

We would take yummy snacks, face paint for the children, and put various Australian flag tattoos. It was an easy fun day. We always joked about sticking it out for the evening fireworks but the kids never made it.

As the children have gotten older, we still sometimes do the trek into the city. But, more often than not, we gather at a local park. They have multitudes of activities throughtout the day and into the evening and then a huge fireworks display. It’s much the same in terms of what we take with us:,yummy snacks, some bubble punch (a chamgpagne, guava and creaming soda punch), and lots of Aussie stuff whether it be t-shirts, tattoos, flags or bandanas. It is a lovely simple gathering of friends who come and go as it suits them.

Australia Day to me is a celebration of my life in Australia, as much as it is of my country. I am proud of the life I have here and grateful that we live in such a fabulous country that is rich in culture, opportunity and a place that I am happy to raise my child. I look forward to reading the Australia Day honours list, to see who has been named Australian of the Year, and to see on the news the celebrations of people taking their vows to our country and embracing all that is Australian.

I am a proud Aussie girl and that is why I love Australia Day.

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