It’s cold. And rainy. And miserable. And I have a sore throat that is making me whinge. All I want is soup.

Here are some things that are doing their best to brighten my day.

My Apple Watch works!!

Truthfully, my Apple Watch has always worked (both the first and second series watches I’ve owned). But it now finally working exactly how I imagined it.

The Dex 5 app update last week finally, oh finally, integrated with Apple Watches. So now this happens. (And I can stop needing to divide by 18 which is what I was doing after sneakily downloading the US version of the Dex 5 app last year…)

At this stage, ‘followers’ cannot see their friend’s/family member’s glucose readings on their watch, still needing to use the Share app on their phone. (But apparently, this functionality is coming soon).

You could win….

….a year’s worth of Freestyle Libre products. Just by entering this competition. Go!! (Only open to Aussie residents.)

Tell me a story, doctor…

As a huge promotor of listening to and sharing stories about health and healthcare, I was interested in this article from Stanford MedX.

As much as I love hearing the tales of those living with diabetes (and other health conditions too), I also want to hear the stories of healthcare professionals. Why do they do what they do? What drives them? What are some experiences that they always remember or wish they had done differently? What are their challenges and how to they manage the disappointments and frustrations? And celebrate the successes? I want to know these things to better understand what shapes them.

Bakers gonna bake

I’ve loved baking for as long as I can remember. My 30th birthday gift to myself was a firetruck-red Kitchen Aid stand mixer which gets a run at least a couple of days each and every week.

Baking makes me feel good. The predictability of results is wonderful. It allows me to showcase the foods that are in season at different times of the years. Being a regular baker means than anytime friends drop by for coffee, they’ll be offered a biscuit made a day or two earlier. And it means that I can easily give gifts to friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, the guys working on the building site across the road…

This piece in the Huffington Post explores why we feel so good when we bake for others.

Also, I think I need this.

Messed-up basals

I’m desperately trying to tidy up my basal rates which are clearly in need of a good shake up. I started Monday and straight away could see this was going to be a long – and probably painful – process. Watch this space…

#WorldImmunisationWeek

It’s World Immunisation Week this week, which is a perfect time to check if you are up to date with all your immunisations and book into get your flu vax if you’ve not already had it.

After I had my flu shot last week, I foolishly got into an argument with a couple of people who told me they ‘don’t belive in vaccinations’, to which I replied ‘You don’t get to ‘not believe’ in vaccinations. They are real. Vaccinations are not fucking Santa Claus’. Then someone suggested I should get that on a t-shirt, which I just might do. In the meantime. I made a poster, which you should feel free to share with fools.

Cold weather = hot books

With the rainy, grey days and nights ahead, it’s a perfect time to get comfy in front of the fire and get reading. I most sneakily used the ‘ice breaker’ at the Diabetes Advocates Day (#DAdvocatesAU) I facilitated a few weeks ago to get some new book recommendations from the attendees. That list is safely tucked away for …well, for a rainy day.

This weekend I rushed out to buy the book that just won the Stellar Prize (a literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing) and what a delight this book has turned out to be. It’s called Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose. I’m rationing my reading of it – only a chapter each day; two at the most – to make it last. The writing is exquisite. It’s set in New York and is taking me back to wandering the streets and galleries of my favourite city. And desperately making me want to go back. Do look it up!

New diabetes book coming soon

While we’re talking books, Diatribe’s Adam Brown has written a new book that is due out soon. I’d probably read a shopping list Adam wrote because he is a fabulous writer and I always find something to take away for my own diabetes management in what he writes. So I’m more than a little excited that a whole book of this wisdom is due out soon.

Adam’s book is called Bright Spots and Landmines (with a subheading of The Diabetes Guide I Wish Someone Had Given Me). Generously, e-copies of the book are free – you can register to get yours here when it is launched in the coming months.

Also coming soon (but not soon enough) – new faster insulin

Novo Nordisk has launched its new ultra-fast insulin (Fiasp) into lucky selected markets.

Please can we have some here in Australia?? No news on that as yet…

Health Professional Grant

If you’re a healthcare professional member of Diabetes Victoria, you can apply here for this year’s Gwen Scott Grant.

Trolling is pure evil. Except for this…

Pete Souza was the official photographer for the Obama Whitehouse and took thousands upon thousands of photos during his tenure.

In recent months, he has been posting photos from the Obama Administration that are very clearly trolling Trump, comparing the new Administration’s blunders with the class and professionalism exhibited by Obama and his team. It is very cheeky and just so damn funny. This article explains more.

An honest weather app

And finally, have you installed the WTForecast app yet? You should. It gives authentic and accurate weather updates for wherever you are in the world.

Current situation here explaining current miserable mood: