Nearly Time

Nearly time for what you may ask?
Nearly time for my first born's birthday.
How do I know.....?

1. He is now at the age where he knows it is coming up and so keeps reminding us.
2. The date of course
3. The magnolia trees are in bloom.

Odd thing to associate I know, but a week or 2 before I had Ben, I remember we took a walk around the neighbourhood and I happened to notice all the magnolia trees were in full bloom.
Now you can't miss magnolia trees when they are out as they are a burst of colourful flowers with no leaves on the trees.

Today when walking to the car at the end of the working day, I noticed all the trees in the street and it reminded me that of course it is Ben's birthday all too soon.
I will take the camera to work tomorrow and get a picture of the trees on the way home, because I have just checked google images and there were not many good pictures to show you of the trees.

Have a great Friday

ANZAC

Today is ANZAC Day in New Zealand, April 25.
We get a Public Holiday today, well not this year as it fell on a Sunday, but any other year we get the day off, where ever it falls in the week. They actually passed an Act in 1949 that forbid the date from being 'Mondayised' meaning it had to be celebrated on the date, not moved to the closest Monday due to a weekend.

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I (1915).
Although it now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in all military operations for their countries.

Ben has just had a very small intro to the day at school.
They touched on it very briefly and are walking to the Cenotaph tomorrow morning with School to view all the wreaths.
As the park where the services are held is not too far from us we decided to take the boys to one of the services today. The 10am friendly service.
Most people get up and go to a dawn service, you know the type, up at 5am etc etc.
Not quite my type of thing, still sleeping at that time! Although this morning we did hear the plane that flew low over our area on the way to the service.

I decided that we had to dress nice for the service as I wanted to instill in the boys how special and important this remembrance is.

How we are lucky to have the ability to remember those that fought for us.

And how proud we are of those people.

I don't feel that this service is something you wear your scruffy jeans and t-shirt too, although I won't judge people by what they wear to the service, that is just my opinion.

The boys were very good at the service that was kept very simple and basic and was well attended by lots.

I think Ben will have fun visiting the Cenotaph tomorrow having been to a service today.

I look forward to taking them to a service again another year. This was actually my first service I have attended for ANZAC Day in the 12 years of living here, funny what you go out of your way to do when you have children just so they can experience important things to their country.

Sadly though, a RNZ Air Force Helicopter crashed on its way to a service in Wellington this morning. Killing 3 of the 4 on board.

Not what you like to wake up to on such an important day for NZ.

Where were you?

I can not believe that it has been 10 years since the unfortunate death of Lady Diana.
I think it will always be one of those topics that people will always say 'Where were you when...?" just like 9/11.

So where was I 10 years ago....?

I was in England. It was a public holiday weekend and mum and I had some family friends visiting for the weekend.
I remember mum kept coming into my room really early in the morning, but I couldn't be bothered to turn over and see what she wanted, so I ignored her, although on about the 3rd visit I finally turned over and asked her what she wanted? (It was a public holiday so why did I need to wake up early?)
That is when she said "Lady Diana has died!"
So after informing me of what she knew, we woke our visitors up, mainly because Sky was hooked up in the room they were sleeping in and we needed to turn it on and see what was happening.
And that is pretty much how we spent the rest of the day, with the tv on watching the unfolding events as we learnt she was hurt, to she was critical to she had died, to when she would come back to England to whether Charles would go and fetch her!
You have to remember that England woke to this news, as it had all happened during the night. So spending the day was probably what most of England did that day.

The rest of that following week was quite a blur, so much news coverage, so much planning going on.
I actually worked on the day of the funeral and I was scrubbed in a case right up until the start of the funeral, but then I got to watch the last part and the procession up the motorway to her final resting place on the tv in the tea room.

The whole week was so surreal and something I will never forget, a little like 9/11 (I was in Hong Kong and London, but that is another story!)

So if you have 2 minutes, take the time to remember where you were, what you were doing and look at where you are now?

Me, in 10 years I have moved to New Zealand, had several different jobs within the same company, met Steve, brought a house and sold one too! Had my parents move to NZ and almost my brother (2 1/2 weeks till they get here) had 2 gorgeous sons, Ben, 4 next week and Alex 2 1/4 and now we are about to commence a new part of our family's journey by moving to Hamilton.
So compared to where I was 10 years ago and what I am doing now, a lot has happened.