G'day, everybody.
Sharon/Wiped, enjoy your spell of warm weather. Weather-wise, you need Camelot weather - it only rains at night after everyone is inside, and the days are all sunny and pleasant.
Sharon/LDM, it's wonderful to get validation like that. I hope difficult child feels really positive after that! Sometimes we don't notice good progress because it happens so gradually, but when you can go back and read over diaries and files, to finally realise how far you've come - it's really a great thing.
Linda, I hope the storms aren't too damaging. Good weather for catching up on much-needed sleep, though.
I am so tired - haven't been sleeping well (it's getting colder here) and I had a busy day today. I had timed my shopping trip to fit in with mother in law needing to get blood tests done, but with the wet weather, school holidays, public holiday tomorrow - the shopping centre was crowded, parking almost impossible to find.
We managed to do it all, though - the groceries, the fruit & veg, and flowers for mother in law to put on the Cenotaph tomorrow. Then we met up with easy child 2/difficult child 2 at the bridal shop to look at the wedding dress she is considering. That was another couple of flights of stairs. A rush to get to the butcher's shop before closing, then another rush to get home in time to put dinner on for everybody, then once dinner was cooking, out into other garden to cut ivy and ferns, then down to mother in law's with it to get the flowers arranged for the morning.
Once home, the roast chicken beginning to smell good, the phone calls began. The kids had a party to go to they'd forgotten, will be home later tonight. So I could have just left a roast diner for another night, there would have been enough leftovers for husband & I to scrape together a tasty meal. Oh well...
Tomorrow is Anzac Day, a day or remembrance for fallen soldiers. But over the years it's come to represent a great deal more - because the original Anzac Day, when our troops landed at Gallipoli in WWI, was such a military disaster orchestrated by another country while Australia and New Zealand were still very much subservient, there is also a strong sense of our own national pride couple with "we survived it, we are strong, it was senseless but we did our duty." It's not about war, it's very much about peace and keeping the peace, while remembering those who kept us safe. The interesting thing - the enemy the Anzacs were fighting back then were the Turks. And they celebrate Anzac Day with us, for the same sort of reasons. And for them too - it's about peace and respect for all those involved, on either side.
When I was a child, there was still a feeling (for me) that it was about how wonderful it is to fight for your country. That is no longer the message, although heroism is in there as well.
Every year there is a march in every capital city, and often in a lot of country towns and villages as well. In our village there is a dawn service (6 am) and husband & mother in law want to go. I hope to go as well, it depends on how I'm feeling. husband will be wearing his medal, and his father's medals. You wear your own medals on the left breast and someone else's medals on the right. The flowers are for father in law's memory, there will be many other contributions as well from may other people. After the service they serve breakfast (free) to everyone there. This location - the RSL club (Returned Services League). There is an RSL club in every town, large and small, around Australia. Ours is on a headland, we'll see the sun rising from the sea. We'll be outside, it is cold, and likely to be raining. Dress - likely to be informal, and hopefully weatherproof!
The TV - most networks show the various services and marches from around Australia and overseas - there will be services in Turkey at Gallipoli and also in France. For most of this week, there have been documentaries on various aspects of WWI history, and Anzad Day. For tomorrow most shops and just about all businesses close for at least part of the day. Families spend time together. In that respect it's a bit like an informal Thanksgiving.
So have a good Thursday, everyone, while Down Under we get on with Anzac Day and remembrance.
Marg