Gallipolli

If any Australian or New Zealanders, lets call them ANZs is wondering whether to go to the ANZAC service at Galipolli, it is definitely worth it. The organisation was flawless: 14000 people or so all coming on buses. Food for all, hot drinks, and then the extremely moving ceremonies. The Dawn service at Anzac cove was very formal and this helped with sadness management. It was freezing cold and imagining wading through that cold water to be shot it is hard to think anything other than what were they thinking.
Later in the morning the service at Lone Pine was shocking, because there are the bodies of approximately 10000 soldiers in the ground, it is the size of a football pitch.
The Turkish people are very generous to allow this pilgrimage to what is for them an even more horrific site, they lost 3 times as many people as the Australians.
The provision by Ataturk that our sons are now Turkish sons surely must be one of the most generous statements by any victorious country.

Sports Day

Yesterday was inter school sports day here. It must be harder than I think to organise this sort of thing because it went on with hitches. For a start, it was actually 2 days when it could have been done in 1 except for the ultr long gaps between events and the 2 hour lunch break! Then there was the re scheduling of events and the confusion of the children... I guess now I have commented I will have to help next year.