Week Five… I sat down last Sunday evening to write my week 5 mission report and was beset with tech issues. The combination of my brain melting by 9pm, only getting Tils into bed at 8.30 and then my phone point blank refusing to talk to my computer for the entire hour and a half that I tried to make it work meant that my mission report didn’t get done. It has bugged me all week. Yes, I am that much of a stickler for keeping a routine. Sad, eh? Well at least I know what makes me tick and how to stay sane!
So here goes, there were more dog walks and I took more photos of the flowers in the banks. We spotted more bluebells, pink campions, little blue ones, little pink ones, little purple ones and some with bees on. My technical knowledge isn’t really improving, but my ability to slow down and appreciate them is.
I’m especially proud of this one, where you can see the little lines in the bee’s wings. I have looked online but can’t work out whether they’re like little veins, or super fine bits of exoskeleton. Answers on a postcard?
One morning’s walk featured a conversation about poppy colours, which led to a discussion about purple poppies to remember the animals, then to the Dickin medal.
I asked Tilly if she knew which type of animal had won more Dickins than any other and she remembered that I’d told her about the great bravery of the pigeons in wartime. Then she told me about how pigeon holes got their name. This is the most fun part of home ed – learning random info from each other as we walk the dogs.
Remembrance poppies was a well timed conversation for her to start, as the week ended with ANZAC Day. I may still hold a grudge against Winston Churchill for the Dardanelles.
It was an ill-conceived WWI campaign that simply slaughtered and maimed a great number of men. My great great uncle Ormiston (2 May 1985-30 April 1915) was one of them. He died at the second battle of Krithia, two days before his twentieth birthday.
I think of him on ANZAC Day. I also think of all the other brave souls, and especially those from my family who have served and who are no longer with us. My Dad’s paternal grandfather Pop was in the navy.
Dad’s maternal grandfather Pampa was a brilliant artist who worked in cartography. He served in both WWI and WWII. My dad adored him so much that when I asked him what he would like to be known as in his grandpa role to Tils, his eyes filled up and he said he’d like to be known as Pampa.
My Pa was an airman who was shot down and spent much of WWII as a POW under the Japanese. He remained in service until retirement and then dedicated himself to Legacy (looking after war widows and orphans) and the Australian War Memorial. In this picture, he is shaking hands with my dad on the tarmac in Vietnam.
I think of my uncle (pictured) and my dad, who both saw conflict in service and are now retired.
I think of the women who waited at home never knowing whether no news was better than knowing that their husbands, sons, brothers, fathers, sweethearts and friends might not be coming home.
I also shed a tear each year for the walers, the great outback stock horses, who became legendary for their stamina and bravery in the Australian Light Horse. The British shipped them to the war, but refused to ship them home. Knowing that their chances of being well treated, let alone loved, by new owners in the Ottoman Empire were slim, many of the men shot their best friends rather than have them suffer.
A lot of the history goes over Tilly’s head, but she certainly enjoyed the biscuits! They are ridiculously moreish and if you’re tempted to make some, here’s the ANZAC Biscuits recipe we followed.
Note to self – when it says a desert spoonful, make that about half. These bad boys spread themselves out and each biscuit ends up being about 1,000 calories 😉
The other great highlight of the week came on Monday when I decided to brave trimming my beloved dog. She’s twelve and a half, so well into her 80s in human terms. Not that you’d know it if a squirrel crosses her path!
She’s been getting groomed five to six times a year since she was tiny. I think this was her first DIY haircut though. What a champ. She stood still on the table for about two hours while a trimmed her with scissors. Photo to the left is “before” and right is “after”. By the time I took the after picture to send my mum, she’d definitely had enough. Bless her.
We never got to do stage 2 with the clippers, but since the hot weather has now passed, at least she’s not looking so uncomfortable. The Specsavers Dog style is all the rage this season, didn’t you know? She still wakes me up most mornings with cuddles, so I think she’s forgiven me 🙂
We rounded it off with the culmination of our Marvel journey – Avengers Endgame. That’s a whole other blog post, but I will share that Tilly teased me about “how much salt leaked out” of my face. Emotional!
How was your week? Xx
Leave a Reply