Lest We Forget

Dawn Anzac Day

                                                         

They shall grow not 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.

Lest we forget.

A crowd of campers tramped through the puddles and huddled together for warmth.  We had gathered for the dawn service to commemorate Anzac day. In the dark just before dawn the magpies started calling and as the strains of the Last Post sounded a kookaburra laughed.  In the midst of remembered sadness, life goes on and hope reigns eternal. We have had a wet Easter,but the much needed rain has done little to dampen the spirits of the folk on site. I have been watching a couple of young boys riding their bikes through a muddy puddle getting filthier by the minute but as happy as ducks. Lets hope Mum is wise enough not to care! We are back at Quininup, home of the tall trees and a world away from the translucent aquamarine waters of  the Southern Ocean.

We took our time meandering thought the wheat belt of Western Australia to get back here. This is "broad acre" farming and the fields stretch out as far as the eye can see on either side of the highway. They are freshly raked at this time of the year, ready for planting. The  soil is a rich ochre and the Salmon Gums with their smooth reddish trunks fringe the road . Flocks of 28's flew alongside the van urging us on but we had to stop at Hyden a small dot on the map but home to the famous Wave Rock. This granite monolith looks like a vast petrified wave  and is only one of a collection of interesting rock formations .We climbed the huge rocks and had a magnificent view over the surrounding countryside A flat landscape dotted with Gums and She Oak ( a type of Cassurina) and underneath small tea tree bushes



Catching a wave!



 Hippos Yawn  aptly named, is a tafone  within a very large boulder. While tafone or tafuni might sound like some exotic Italian ice cream, it is in fact an Italian word for window or aperture. In Geology it refers to a large hollow in a rock caused by the action of wind and water............so now you know. Another vital piece of trivia for you to remember and who knows might even help you win that game of Trivial Pursuit against your peers!    

Hippos Yawn!



This has been a short hop compared to the journey we will be taking next week. We fly to the USA on Saturday to spend time with my brother Gary and his family. A trip long overdue and we are looking forward to a road trip taking in Utah Arizona and Nevada, Tommy will be fulfilling his cowboy fantasy in Zane Grey country. so my next blog will have a distinctly American flavour.

Hope you have had a Blessed Easter and are not suffering from a sensory overload of chocolate.  Needless to say I have eaten so many Lindt Easter Bunnies I have fur on my teeth.

Till the next time......so long folks!

 

 

 

Soul Food Kichen

 

 ANZAC COOKIES

                                                               

 

 

 

 

This has to be the recipe for this blog..........in honor of heroes and a tribute to the fallen. These were sent to the front by Australian and New Zealand  mothers,wives,sisters and girlfriends,as they kept well . A taste of home in the midst of terrible adversity.

 

1 cup plain Flour

1 cup rolled Oats

1 cup brown Sugar

1/2 cup coconut

125 gm butter

3 tablespoons Golden Syrup

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon Bicarb

 

Sift flour into bowl and add sugar, rolled oats and coconut.  Melt butter and golden syrup in a pan with the water. Stir in bicarb..........it will fizz!  Add liquid to dry mixture and mix thoroughly. Place walnut size balls on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 mins at 175C. Biscuits will harden when cool.

Just hits the right spot with a cuppa!