Lest We Forget

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them."

Today is ANZAC Day.  It is a public holiday for all of those non-Australians out there reading this.  Yes, you two or three people!!  Ninety-seven years ago on this day began one of the bloodiest and most futile campaigns ever fought by our troops.  It was fought almost exclusively by colonial troops and is the day most Australians and Kiwis go and celebrate our military; living and dead.  There is a somber parade in most towns and big ones in each capitol city.  There are services held at war memorials all day, with the most important of those being the dawn services.  The landing at Gallipoli started just predawn and that is why we remember the fallen at that time. 

.Levi marched this year.  He marched as a part of his soccer team, because you can see by his face during the march, he was a little nervous about marching without his mother!  He was going to help lay the wreath at the memorial but at the last minute, they had the bigger kids do it instead.  I think he was just grateful to not have to do anything more than just march.  As his Great-Grandfather fought in World War 1, he could have marched at the front (as could I) but he preferred to march with his friends.  Lindsay Wilson fought mainly in France but was on one of the last boats supposed to be going to land on Gallipoli peninsula, but was turned back because they had ordered the retreat.  He was an ambulance officer.  He held his brother Harry in his arms as he died far from his home in an army hospital on the battlefields of France at the age of 24.  He was different when he came home.  After the war he became a dentist.  Other than that I know little of the man who provides a quarter of my genetics.  He died on my second birthday.  I can only hope that I can show Levi how to be as proud as I am about a man that I know so little! 

It is a beautiful thing to watch the numbers of people grow at these services every year.  In three years it will be big indeed, I suspect.  It will be a big year to be in Turkey too, I suspect!

The rest of the day was about play.  Levi played with a mate for most of the day and then we had soccer practice at four.  It was a quiet fairly relaxed day for me.  Levi's mate was a wild one, so I am not sure how relaxed his day was, but at least he had fun.  They played like mad things on the trampoline and regularly wanted me to video them.  I think it is funny how media oriented this generation is.  They are growing up expecting to be videoed and photographed.  Both at some point said to me; "Can you video me and put it up on Facebook."  They have knowledge of chat rooms and social networking as a part of the very language they use.  They are used to parents watching them, taping them.  They are very happy here to be told to go outside, but it isn't a common occurrence.

ANZAC Day

 Today was ANZAC Day.  It is an interesting observation for me.  In Australia, ANZAC day freezes the city.  There is nothing open.  Really nothing!  No shops.  No coffee houses.  No petrol stations.  I think the only thing open is the 7 11.  During the minute silence in Samford, cars literally stopped in the street.  The only sound were the birds in the trees and an occasional baby crying.  It was awe inspiring.  It was amazing.  In the ANZAC day service they read the names of all of those who had died in the wars that Australia has fought as a federated country and that was eye opening.  More and more I think that the kids are seeing more respect not just for those who fought in the past but also those who are fighting now. 

My grandfather went to Gallipoli and fought in France in WW1.  His brother died in his arms in France and he returned different.  I hope at some point to have more information to give to my son.  About his Great Grandfather and about loyalty and bravery.  Most of all I hope that there will never be a time that he has to face that type of warfare.  More and more I hope that no one has to fight.

Levi and Harry here watched the parade and at times they played with the iphone to keep their attention but they were both very good and sat and stood when they should, sang the anthem and were silent on cue.

Anzac day in Samford

In the Beginning

This is me trying out the blogging world. Who knows how long this lasts. It could be a minute or it could be years. It is mostly for Levi. Everyday he does wonderful things and says funny quips or insightful comments and they will get lost in the mists or time and fading memory. It is also where I can chat (to myself really but to friends as well) about how life is going, under the house.

Today we had a great day. Levi by some sort of miracle woke after 7am, not much after admittedly but at least it WAS after. It is always a calmer day when we are just here by ourselves. Jane and Jo are still in Esk. I mowed and mowed and mowed, mostly with a mower with only three wheels. In an amazing discovery, it seems that you can mow just as well on three wheels as you can on four.

Then we went to Teresa's place. Well to Robbie's house if you ask Levi. They are fabulous friends and it is fun to watch them play together. I love to be able to just talk without feeling that I have to watch for other agendas or worry about thinking really hard before I open my mouth. I always feel so much better after an afternoon debriefing and I am so grateful. I am always able to go forward but there seems to be more of a spring to my step after a trip there.

We went to the ANZAC day service and parade yesterday. Levi thought that the music was great esp the "Lamppost" (Last post!). I suspect that he will be more musical than his mother. I hope he gets that from his Dad. I am going to try to put photos in here but it may be well beyond my capacity for tonight at least.