ANZAC DAY

This is the day the Australians and New Zealanders and the South Sea Islanders
remember their war dead and all we in Europe should never forget the sacrifice of
these young men who came right across the world when asked to help us fight for
the freedom of Europe.
This picture is of the War memorial for the ANZACs at Villiers-Bretonneux in the Battlefields of France on the Somme where hundred of thousands of Aussies and Kiwis
are buried or have a memorial marked simply 'KNOWN ONLY TO GOD'.

British tanks were losing out to the Germans at this spot when they were joined overnight by the Australian Infantry who managed to drive out the German Army ten times their number but at a cost of twelve hundred Australian lives.  When the war was over the
people of this little town tried to claim their lives back and in the meantime raised enough
money to put a memorial to the gallant army who had helped save them.

A plaque on the memorial reads-
    "Soldiers of Australia, whose brothers lie here in French soil,
     be assured that your memory will always be kept alive, and
     that the burial places of your dead will be respected and cared for"
                             
                                                LEST WE FORGET

Abu Qatada

I, along with the rest of my fellow citizens are intrigued by the case of Abu Qatada whom our Government say is a terrorist, a trainer of terrorists and a disciple of the late Asama bin Ladin the most famous of all terrorists.  They would like to return him to Jordan as he holds a Jordanian passport declaring he is a citizen of that country.  Most people, when they go to live in another country become unsettled from time to time - it is called homesickness.
Not so this family, the UK Government have already spent nearly 1 million pounds keeping he and his family and they now want rid of them - enough is enough they say. Lawyers don't agree as they have already made fortunes fighting his weak case against deportment and see a chance for earning a great deal more as they involve the European Court.  It will take brains much larger than mine to sort out all the pros and cons of this case.  Flights for he and his extended family are already booked and free but they don't intend to use them.  I really can't see us ever getting rid of him as there is no one brave enough to make a final decision.
Ironically this man was born in Bethlehem - now who else do we know who was born there?

Memories and sadness

Today I had an email from a friend just back from Vienna where he had visited a mutual friend and was just reporting on her state of health and her good wishes.  She is a lady in her late 80's whom we lived very close to some long time ago.  She is the  only
person I have ever met or even heard about that admits she was totally mesmerised by Adolf Hitler - everybody else appears to have hated him from the very beginning!  She was born in Vienna and stood out on the street all night long waiting for his visit, wearing  her Hitler Youth uniform with pride.  I asked her one day how she felt when the war ended and she said she felt was disgusted, shocked, disolusioned and deceived and felt she could never trust her own judgement again.  'Why do you think I never married nor have any close friends?' she said.
She was in her early twenties when the war ended and had a breakdown in mental and physical health lasting for the next 10 years or so and still found it all too easy to break down into floods of tears whenever she thought of the war years so part of the plan to spend a time in England was to try and feel at peace by getting to know some Brits.
She did make friends of sorts with quite a few Brits and went as far as she was able towards friendship.  She said she could not believe in a God who would allow all the terrible things to happen and she could not attend church.
She loved music and played it constantly as she read her books and every morning when I passed her door I heard her playing the same music and on asking her what it was she told me it was Schubert's German Mass (I came to love it too and it always reminds me of her)
and every single day she played the Zum Sanctus -

       Heilig, heilig, heilig, ...Heilig ist der Herr!

       Holy, holy, holy.....Holy is the Lord

Methinks you gave yourself away there dear Leibet.


 

A Lovely Day in Somerset

Visited with a friend yesterday, newly bereaved and feeling a bit raw and lonely.
We walked in the sunshine and she talked about her loved one and then we had coffee in the Cathedral cafe and could not resist a wander around the Cathedral shop.
Later after we had parted I reflected on the old saying - 'Adam and Eve did not know they were in Paradise until they lost it'   I will try to remember what a beautiful country I live in and what a wonderful family and friends I have.

It's not easy being a Christian

Here in our lovely country of UK we pride ourselves on being a Nation of free speech, beliefs, chosen sexual orientation, religions and many other things.  Being a Christian seems to be the only thing challenged, we are not allowed to speak of it or wear any symbols in the work place. Even John Lewis one of the most favourite retail chain of shops in the country have decided to call Easter 'The Spring Holiday'.  Tomorrow, is a Holy Day for we who call ourselves Christians, it is Good Friday and the day will be marked as special by many throughout the land.  Last year in Trafalgar Square upwards of 20,000 people attended a play about the life and death of Jesus called 'The Passion' and tomorrow they are expecting more people. Sadly there will have to be a Police Presence to keep the peace, something that would never have been imagined even 5 years ago.  Last Sunday called Palm Sunday I walked a short way in procession, there were about 250 of us plus a choir of 50 men and boys.  We had only gone a few steps when three young men started to shout at us in loud voices but soon it became apparent they were simply being facetious rather that fractious - they shouted they would call the police to come with riot gear as we were making a public display of ourselves and waving crosses around which is against the law.  Many of us (myself included) smiled at their off the wall humour and gave them a wave, at this they took off their silly baseball caps (do they ever flatter anybody?) and stood in complete silence until we all passed slowly by.  Then shouted
'Have a good pray folks'.   I think we all enjoyed it, them and us and I hope the people get off as lightly in Trafalgar Square tomorrow.

On the Bus

Yesterday I went to catch a bus in the centre of the city and in the late afternoon it can be a
difficult occasion.  Shoppers are returning home with all their plastic bags, children who finish school early are flooding the bus stop all carrying huge rucksacks and chattering like magpies and slow seniors are rushing to catch the bus before the deadline for their free bus pass expires so taking all
this into consideration it can get fraught with lots of glaring and pushing going on.  Yesterday however was funny.   I arrived at the stop just seconds before the bus, which was rather full on arrival. However, we all queued in good British fashion and presented our passes or money to the driver.  I really thought I would not get on this one as it was very full but the driver continued taking our fares and chatting in a friendly manner as we all crowded on and I found myself squashed between two huge schoolboys in the gangway.  The driver saw there was no one else waiting so closed the doors and prepared to move off but suddenly looking into his huge mirror he called out  'Whoa, how many have we got standing, I'm only allowed 5 you know'  some wit called out  'There are just 3 of us mate let's go'  and as we pulled gently away from the kerb the driver had another go
'I can see about 7 from here'  actually there were 11 of us.  Suddenly every one saw the funny side of this and we all started smiling, laughing and actually talking to each other as the bus pulled it's way slowly through the dense traffic of the city.  What a pleasant journey this turned out to be though we were all uncomfortable, tired and hot.  

Spring is here

 Spring has suddenly arrived in my back garden as the bulbs begin to bloom and the grass grows ever longer but remains too wet to cut.  It has all been frozen so many times this year and each time the temperatures go up and the icy places melt we are boggy again.
I am really fed up with having to clear up cat mess from our lawn  and so I have had to decide after all these years that I do not like cats.  I have had cats all my my married life and loved and cared for them but now as the only cat free house in our cul-de-sac we are the chosen toilet facilities for all the neighbours moggies and it is not nice. It is also the first garden I have ever had where no birds sing!   We might just have to get another dog!
 This little basket of winter pansy has bloomed throughout the rain, fog, frost and snow amd cheered us every day.  The clocks go forward into British Summer Time this weekend so they might soon have a few friends growing alongside them so they can have a rest for the summer months.
I love Springtime and early summer - new life.