ANZAC Day...

The other day I asked DH whether he had any photos of his grandfather, George, who served in WW1. So that's how, still dressed in his PJs, DH went through a case and box of his mother's memorabilia of her father. 

The little bundle of items soon piled up...I scanned documents and photos...

Despite the repair with sticky tape, what a find is this? DH's grandfather received a note from George v after winning the Military Medal. 

I took photos...

Not all these are DH's grandfather's medals...some are badges collected by my MiL... 

The medal in the left foreground is from the Boer War; DH's grandpa served in the Tasmanian Army during the Boer War. Note the badge celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Gallipolli Landing...

The medal on the left is the British War Medal and the one on the right is the Victory Medal. No one knows where the Military Medal is.  

We've consequently shared these photos and scanned documents with other family members,who were thrilled to get them. Some had not been aware of their great grandfather's war record. 

Yesterday I happened to be at Greenslopes Hospital which used to be the Repatriation Hospital. This private hospital also cares for veterans which was part of the conditions of sale of the hospital. In the Reception Lobby there were all these giant poppies which were for sale...made by volunteers at the hospital.

Lastly, a photo from social media showing Federation Square in Melbourne which is just a sea of red poppies to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Gallipolli Landing. 

 Lest We Forget...

Recently I have...

Bought a new suitcase...

It looks bluish but it's actually mauve!

Taken Eduardo to the vet for a check up...

( The vet said that he is in good health but the scab on his nose that has been there for a month is, as I suspected, a form of skin cancer that light coloured cats can tend to develop. No sign of spreading or ulceration at the moment so 'we are just keeping an eye on it' for the time being)

Had a check up at the doctor myself and consequently have had an iron infusion to top up my depleted iron levels...

The little hospital where my haematologist works from

 Getting my iron...old way used to take 5-6 hours...now the newer method takes 15 minutes!

Went to the dentist to discuss the issues with that annoying tooth...which led to the difficult decision to have the tooth removed this afternoon....

Had some photos taken...
I wasn't allowed to smile...

Renewed my passport as it is due to expire in early May this year

Went to the pharmacy with a special '3 month supply' script from my GP...

And recently I have been working at using technology which is new to me. Earlier this year I had read about an accessory for an iPad called a 'card reader' in Janice's blog. It seemed to be the answer to my problem of how to upload photos from my camera to my iPad. I planned to buy one but my friend Helen gave me her card reader as it does not fit the port in her iPad 3. So I practised uploading/importing  photos taken with my camera using the card reader in my recent trip to Melbourne.

The card reader slips into the port where you recharge the iPad and then the SD card from the camera is inserted into the card reader...

 As if by magic...the photos appear on the iPad...

And then it was a simple matter to insert the images into a blog post written using the Blogger app...

I also have recently bought some new jeans and 3 long-sleeved tops...

DH has also organised with the credit union to get some foreign currency...

I have also gathered my potted plants together into one spot in the backyard and have a shelf in the laundry filled with cans of cat food.

So I have a new suitcase, have had health checks on myself and the cat. I have had passport photos taken and have renewed my passport and we have some British pounds, Euros and some HK dollars. Also I have got more than 1 month's supply of medications, I have bought some new warmer clothes, worked out, and then practised how I can use the iPad instead of a laptop of PC for blogging, Plants have been grouped to make watering them easier and I have a stockpile of cat food...

You've probably guessed...DH and I are off on another travel adventure. On Tuesday we are heading for London where we will stay for 4 nights before picking up a hire car and travelling around England, Scotland and Wales for approximately 4 weeks. On April 23 we head back to London and catch the EuroStar to Calais. From there we will travel to Amiens in time for ANZAC Day at Villers Bretonneux where we will join friends at the Aussie War memorial there. Then we will stay in Paris for a few nights before heading home via Hong Kong. 

DsD3 has always been our house sitter but with her in Canada, my neighbour Judy and DD1 will share the care of Eduardo and collection of the mail.  We will not be lugging our laptop this time...just the iPad...what a great gadget it's turned out to be!!

ANZAC Day...

Today is ANZAC day in Australia and New Zealand . This day commemorates the anniversary of a battle fought at Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, which has been described as the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand soldiers in World War 1 (WW1). Over the years it has come to mean so much more...it now honours all people who 'served  their country' in any military engagement right up to the present day.  The day pays homage to their sacrifices  and remembers those who paid the ultimate sacrifice...their lives.

An old WW2  gun emplacement at Fort Lytton here in Brisbane

My grandfather was still in his teens in WW1 and like many young Aussies of that time he so wanted to join the army to fight for his country...or rather, fight for the British Empire in the case of WW1. He was too young, so he lied about his age and was able to join up. His enlistment papers show his occupation before he joined as a 'groom'...he was 16. He was sent on a troop ship to France, but by then his real age had been discovered. He was given the job of looking after the horses, which of course were used in that war...so the groom from Warrnambool, Victoria became a groom in a battle area in France.

My Pa was gassed (the Germans used mustard gas to thwart the allies) during his time in France and this was to give him health problems the rest of his life. According to my cousins who grew up living very close to my grandparents, Pa didn't really talk about his wartime experiences, but I think we can assume it was a pretty horrific time for him.

Years later, when in her late teens, my mother joined the army part way through WW2. She did not go overseas but trained as an army cook and worked in a number of army camps in Victoria and New South Wales. Unlike Pa, she would reminisce about her army days to all and sundry...she really enjoyed the life. 

A huge Thank You to all those who have served this country...'Lest We Forget'....