Wearing a mask

[woolybanana]

If you have hay fever how are you supposed to wear a mask?

[Gardian]

Wouldn’t it help by stopping the pollen from going up your trunk?

[woolybanana]

Interesting thought, G. Hate gardening in a mask though. Guess I shall just haven to continue snivelling!

[Gardian]

In our postbox today, I found an envelope containing 2 crocheted masks in a very fetching shade of pink - present from the Belgian old girl who lives on our little ‘estate’.

Since I’ve fallen out with several of our neighbours, its probably a cunning plan to get rid of me and the masks are riddled with CV.

However, she was cheery enough when I rang her up to thank her, so probably OK. I’ll be in pink tomorrow when I go to the boulangerie !

[woolybanana]

My Elder daughter in Belgium has set up a group of people In the local village to make masks from an approved design, gets others to distribute them. Plus sticks posters all over so folks know here to apply to get them.

Lil blighter didnt offer to send me a couple, though!

Ps, I prefer snout as trunks are much more useful and my snout comes under the heading of hideous protuberance.

Cue Norman with quote from Cyrano de B.

[Hereford]

Had an email today from my sewing group:

« Le département de la Manche demande aux

couturières volontaires de fabriquer des masques qui seront distribués sur le

département. C'est Manche Latitude qui organise cette action. Des kits

de 20 masques avec tout ce qui est nécessaire à leur réalisation avec le mode

d'emploi sont déposés chez vous et repris chez vous. Vous pouvez demander 2 ou

3 kits de 20 ... Ces masques doivent être cousus à la machine.

Si vous êtes volontaire, il

suffit de vous adresser à votre mairie. »

This is in Manche but perhaps other departments are doing it too?  I have sent an email to my Mairie.

Happy sewing

Mrs. H

 

[mint]

[quote user="woolybanana"]If you have hay fever how are you supposed to wear a mask?[/quote]

Don't be such a wimp, Wooly!  I have asthma AND emphysema and I await May 11 and the masks from our mairie with some inquietude.  Anyway, you only have to wear the mask in public places so you will just have to spend less time preening yourself and strutting in public places, won't you?[I]

[woolybanana]

It is true that a well preened banana does attract lots of attention and compliments. Perhaps the Rise of the Masked Banana might attract a film maker. Or the porn version Naked Banana, Banana Whip, the SM version Banana split. Then we might have the Return of the Masked Banana. Or the Spanish version El Masked Bandana........ many possibilities here. Thank you Nimteroony.?

[mint]

What about a ripe banana...ripe as in cheesy.  And cheesy as in.....well, I suppose, fromagery?

Do you take anything for the hay fever?  Me, I don't do suffering if I can help it, I take a pill, summer and winter if needs be.  Otherwise spring and autumn are my worst seasons for allergies.

[woolybanana]

I have taken every pill in the book over the years including some experimental ones. Now I take nothing and manage.

Remember, the riper the banana, the sweeter it is.

[idun]

Ah no, I like a slightly green end on a banana, I find over ripe ones sickly, I agree they are sweet, but cloying sweet.  And I hate banana cake too.

No I love a good banana, but I am a fussy 'apeth and know what I like.[blink]

[woolybanana]

As a diabetic I tend not to eat them too ripe as they contain more sugar the older they are.

[Gardengirl]

Yes, you don’t need to wear a mask in your garden, Wooly.

Mint, I have allergic rhinitis all year round and take tablets all year round, too - much better than streaming eyes and nose. I do still get it sometimes when pollen is at very high levels, can’t speak, keep choking, but generally it’s fine.

There was a link yesterday from the CSF Languedoc to research on fabric for home made masks. What turned out to be best was cotton t-shirt fabric and cotton pillow case fabric - that was for a combination of effectiveness in keeping tiny particles a similar size to coronavirus out and ease of breathing through them.

Double fabric improved efficacy but made breathing through them more difficult.

[woolybanana]

Who needs to breathe??

[alittlebitfrench]

Like GG...I have allergies all year round and take prescribed medication everyday.

I can't wear a mask. I would suffocate. LOL.

[mint]

GG, now I understand why neither of us like swimming much.  Too scared of drowning because of difficulty breathing[:)]

What I have found most helpful with breathing is a course of specialist kiné respiratoire prescribed by my pneunomologue and administered by a sports specialist physio.

That is also the reason why I am a bit of an exercise fanatic.  For example, on Saturday, I didn't get my daily walk on account of the weather and by the night time, I couldn't sleep because of excessive coughing and wheezing.

[Gardengirl]

Yes, interesting about the swimming link, Mint. That specialist physio sounds wonderful. I had a specialist cancer physio for a time nearly 7 years ago, just wonderful and nothing like physio with others I had after she left

Interesting also about you having trouble sleeping because of not being able to go for your walk. I hope you’ll be able to get out there very soon to get your exercise.

We’ve almost lived in our garden for the last 6 weeks of lovely sunshine while we’ve been self-isolating - it doesn’t make up for not being able to go out walking, but it has helped, with so many trees and bushes looking the very best in the 38 years we’ve lived here.

We haven’t been beyond our garden in the last 6 weeks, but early this morning we escaped and went into the little ancient wood beyond our garden.

It was so beautiful and very still - “not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”. We were totally alone, as we had hoped.

When it rains in a couple of days the beautiful bluebells will start to be flattened if it’s heavy, so we wanted very much to see them before that, and in this morning’s early sunshine they were perfect.

[mint]

GG, when I was researching kiné respiratoire, I read on English sites that the NHS has specialist breathing technique physios.

As you live in the South East, I am sure you will find such a physio near you.  When the lockdown is over, you might like to try and find one.  Once you are shown what to do, you can do them yourself when you feel the problem getting bad.  Since last year, touch wood and all that, I have not once had to have antibiotics for my breathing.

[woolybanana]

Presumably the techniques would be the same as used by free divers to oxygenate their blood, as in Le Grand Bleu?

[mint]

Don't know anything about le Grand Bleu, Wools.

I had 10 sessions and each session was slightly different.  Yesterday, I was interested in a tv discussion on the pros and cons of the use of ventilators for covid patients.

There was a hospital that avoided ventilators but the patients had labour-intensive care including periodic turning of the patients onto their front and "vibrating" the lungs by sort of shaking the patients' bodies.  My kiné did this vibration thing during some of the sessions though I didn't know what that was about at the time.

When I went away for a week's walking in Ariège, he even lent me an elastic belt which had to be tightened at the base of the chest and I had to lie on one side and then the other and took breaths deep enough to move the elastic.

Lots and lots of different stuff that seemed tedious and of not much use to me but, after 10 sessions and my lungs were tested, their capacity had gone up tremendously.  After that I'd never have questioned anything he did for me.  Hélas, he's retired this year and I was told that he was in his early 70s ... so he'd done his stint. 

[woolybanana]

Basically, it seems like strengthening the lung function. Seems excellent.

By the way, any news of Norman?

[mint]

No, no news at all.  Maybe someone should go along and roll his barrel around a bit, vibrate it, breath deeply into the stopper on the side and wait for a response?

[woolybanana]

One of us has his phone number, I think.

[mint]

I MIGHT have had it once and could possibly dig it out from somewhere.  But, with both him and me being phonephobes, neither of us has ever attempted to contact each other!

[woolybanana]

This is a mercy call which is why you have his number.