Anzac Day

Today we remember those that have come before us, fought for us and made us who we are today.

I have said it again this year, but next year we are going to go to the dawn service, I have this need to go you see. This year it was not to be as Andrew had to work, but hopefully next year we will actually get there.

Apart from watching the march on TV this morning, I had a quiet kinda day, did a bit of housework and tidying up and then played with Bella for a while, we did some puzzles and some cutting out, Bella's new thing is cutting out, there are scraps of paper everywhere at the moment, I must say though she is getting very good and extremely accurate.

Tonight we went out for dinner to Joondalup Resort with Andy, Jackie and their boys Leo and Patrick, the kids were very well behaved and made the most of the desert buffet, chocolate overload anybody. Seems funny going to an all you can eat buffet when you can't really eat very much at all :)

Tomorrow we have Nanna's funeral at 10am, have the tissues packed, clothes are ready. At the moment I feel strong but know that tomorrow will be hard day, especially for Andrew and his sisters. Bella knows that Nanna is in heaven and that she is with Steve Irwin and that they are smiling down at us.

The Anzac Biscuit
Previously known as an Anzac wafer or Anzac tile, the Anzac
biscuit we know and love today is a far cry from what the Anzacs
ate ninety years ago. The Anzac biscuit was originally intended as a
bread substitute for soldiers fighting inhospitable conditions. The
biscuit was made to have a long shelf life, meaning it was
notoriously hard; in fact they often adopted the affectionate
nickname of ‘bullet-proof’ biscuits!
Andrew Robb’s favourite Anzac biscuits are still his mother’s
(Marie) recipe.

1 cup of traditional rolled oats 125 grams of butter
1 cup sifted plain flour 1 tablespoon of golden syrup
1 cup castor sugar 2 tablespoons of boiling water
3/4 cup of desiccated coconut 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda
Directions:
Combine a cup of traditional rolled oats, a cup of sifted
flour, a cup of castor sugar and 3/4 cup of desiccated
coconut in a bowl.
Heat 125 grams of butter and a tablespoon of golden syrup
over a low heat until butter is melted.
Mix 2 tablespoons of boiling water with a teaspoon of
bicarb soda and add to the butter mixture.
Stir into the dry ingredients.
Form the mixture into balls on a greased oven tray.
Press balls flat and bake in a slow oven (150°) for twenty
minutes or until golden brown.
Loosen biscuits while still warm. Allow to cool on tray.

Poppies
Red poppies were the first signs of life in the fields of northern
France and Belgium after World War I. Arising from the blood

drenched ground bright red poppies were growing where four

years of war led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers,
including 45,000 Australians. The poppy came to symbolise their
blood. The poppy is also the symbol of regeneration, of new life, of
hope for the future.
Since 1921 wearing a poppy has enabled Australians to
show they have not forgotten the more than
102,000 Australian servicemen and women who
have given their lives in wars and conflicts during
the past 100 years.

ROSEMARY
The Ancient Greeks believed rosemary made their memories
stronger. This idea has been carried on today when people wear
sprigs of rosemary as a symbol of remembrance for those who have
died in wars.