Today is ANZAC Day.  The acronym ANZAC originally stood for the Australian New Zealand Army Corps who fought and died at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I.  Today ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who lost their lives in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operation and the contribution and suffering of all those who have served.

Traditionally The Ode is recited on ANZAC Day during the services, as it is on Remembrance Day and at funerals of Defence Force personnel.  It Ode comes from 'For the Fallen' a poem by the English poet and writer Laurence Binyon.  Often only the last verse here is recited but this year I have noticed that these two verses were recited at the Dawn Services in France and in Gallipoli, Turkey.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall not grow 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.

Customarily we also repeat 'We will remember them' in response.

It is an emotional day for me because my grandfather fought in WWI and during WWII my father was a prisoner of war for 3 1/2 years in harsh conditions in Germany and Austria, being one of the Aussies captured in Greece.  After being liberated at the end of the war he was 'rehabilitated' in England by the Army then allowed to spend some time with his Scottish family who worked hard to fatten him up so he was strong enough to stand the voyage home to Australia.  Upon his return home this 5ft 10inch man had been fattened up enough to weigh 6 stone!  Because of the hardships suffered he died when I was just 24 years old and I miss him still.

"Lest we forget"

If the eyes are windows to the soul.....

..... does that mean that windows are the eyes of the soul?  I wonder whether houses could be said to have a 'soul'?  I know they certainly have personalities.  When we first walked into our RL house, it embraced us with loving arms and said "You're home".  The Fairfield definitely has a personality of its own too.  As I've been constructing it, this personality has revealed itself to me bit by bit.   I have fallen in love more and more with this house despite the challenges it's thrown up at me and despite the changes in plans I've made which have made things somewhat difficult at times.

Now I have installed the windows on all rooms except the tower room, and I'll do that tomorrow hopefully. They still need to have the top 'eyebrow' added to most of them. But as soon as I put those windows in the house seemed to come to life.  How about coming across to the Fairfield blog and follow progress as I finish this delightful cottage and 'plant' the garden as well as doing the rest of the landscaping, furnishing and adding accessories?

Front of house

Kitchen side of house

I hope to see you there!

Did I make it?

?

Well it’s April.  Did I reach my deadline, my goal of finishing construction of the Fairfield by the end of March?  

To find out you’ll have to visit the Fairfield blog here and see :)

We're away at the moment....

If you'd like to know where and why, have a look here