25-April-20: Today we celebrated Anzac Day in a very different way.
I got up early along with many, many others and stood at the end of our driveway, candles alight. It was truly remarkable how the observance of Dawn Service at the end of your drive way took off – there were lots of people in our street out as well, kids too – a symbol of the level of respect Australians hold for this day and I think to be honest, an “up yours” to the impact of the corona virus to show you can’t keep us down…
Afterwards, I took off for a nice long bike ride, which luckily we can still do, by yourself. This ended up being a trek down memory lane and reminiscing about my family members now passed, holidays long gone but inspired by my hardy old Pop, who was a World War I veteran.
I then finished the morning with some very satisfying brunch to round the whole experience off… not even the garden terrorists could take the shine off the day. So a very different Happy Soul Food experience today…
Some of you who are following this page and are friends on Facebook, will have seen the words in the Reflection from there but I decided to reproduce it here, as for me, it was quite a special morning.
I think the sentimentality was heightened because of Lockdown, driving the sense of longing for lost connections, family members and times… but in some ways, it fed the soul in a good way to feel that as well…
Anzac Day Reflection
Dawn service in our drive was accentuated with a wonderful person in our estate playing the bugle for last post and reveille and did a great job – echoing, hauntingly through the streets as the dawn broke…
My ride took me down to Queenscliff and played through memories of my Nana and Pop – Pop came to Australia from Scotland at 19 and went to war in the First World War in 1915 – he survived and lived until nearly 101…
He was in France and was part of keeping the supply lines going with a donkey, taking supplies up to the front lines… We all have a copy of this iconic picture of him and a couple of other blokes all in uniform, in front of the Pyramids in Egypt on his way there – like so many others I’m sure…
Why Queenscliff ? Nana and Pop holidayed there pretty much every year for a month in February, down from their farm in the Western District. Mum and Dad would take us down there to visit – it’s some of my earliest, special memories.
If you couldn’t find them at their holiday house, they’d often be sitting on a bench near the old pier, the blue Zephyr parked in the middle car parks.
It’s all changed now, but riding through the avenue of honour today, with red ribbons on the old cypress trees, I felt the years wash away and revisited those places and finishing at my happy place – the Back Beach where Dad and I used to explore through the rock pools – it was one of my favourite things to do when we were there…
Lest we forget 
And a most satisfying conclusion…
I love my egg poacher ! This morning’s creation was served with maple bacon, and a corn, avocado, goat’s cheese and coriander salsa.
I dressed the salsa very lightly with olive oil and a smidge of white vinegar, with salt and pepper of course. The toast was a Pumpkin and Soya Bean Sour Dough – yummmm
Butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth…
And this is why they get their own digging area but how can you be mad at them, really… 🥰