Lest we Forget

Lest We Forget

Remembering all those who have lost their lives during the many wars. Remembering my great grandfather Private Christopher William Chatterton who died of wounds in France during the First World War on 26th March 1915.  He was in the 1st Batallion of the Gloucestershire Regiment.  He is buried at Caberet-Rouge Cemetery in France and in the mid nineties we went to see where he was buried.  To say it was a sobering experience is an understatement! Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery in Souchez is one of the largest in the region and contains 7,655 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, more than half of them unidentified.

His wife, my great grandmother died the year before on 19th November 1914, and so they left four young children who I believe were put into various homes and foster places.My grandmother was only one year old, having been born only the year before on 11th November 1913.  To think she would have been 101 years old today!

Yesterday we ventured into London to view all the poppies which represent all the lives lost during WW1. To think there are 888,246 which represent each life lost during this war.  It is devastating,  all those lives lost.  I wonder what they would think of the United Kingdom today?  

The sheer number is staggering, and really puts it into perspective...and this is just one side!

One of those poppies represents my Great Grandfather.

On Sunday I sang with the St Ethelreda's Church Choir for both services at the church and also down at the memorial.  

We sang 'In Flanders Fields'.   The music was composed by Jill Knight and set to the words of the poem by Major John MaCrae, 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

You can here a recording we did on the Wednesday before here.

Also remembering my grandfather who fought in the Second World War. During his last few years, we were to witness the long term effects on his mind that the war had. I miss you so much Pop. 

Advent Day Two

Thank you to all who commented on my post yesterday.  It was so lovely to get such sweet comments on my first 'new blog post' and to hear you all liked my little Advent tree.

The second advent ornament went on the little Christmas Tree today.

The first Christmas display has been set up.  This can be seen just as you come in our front door.  I have never had one here before as our telephone used to sit here.  Once the Christmas decorations are down from the loft I will exchange the white cloth for a more Christmassy one.

The Christmas Elf, yet to be named. is sitting on the shelf about our DVD monitor.  I wonder if anyone else in the family will notice him?

I used up two of our older bananas today to make a banana cake.  Any hint of brown on the skins and DS2 will not touch them and they get left.  I use them either in a smoothie or to bake with.  I'd run out of enough plain flour so used wholemeal instead and am actually really pleased with the result, it tastes lovely!

I used a recipe that I learnt at school when I was 12 years old! Yes I still have this handwritten 'Cooking' book.

My books I ordered for my research project finally arrived today.  They were due to arrive on Saturday, but I am guessing the postie didn't want to deliver them then!

I have yet to look inside them, but hoping they will assist in my recreation of my Dad's childhood home.  As mentioned in my old and now private blog, my Dad used to tell me bedtime stories of his childhood and the adventures he got up to.  For a very long time I have wanted to record these, while he can remind me of the bits I have forgotten!  I thought I would recreate his childhood home in the form of a dolls house and tell the stories using the house as a setting.  I have already had a lovely long conversation with him about some of the interior of the house and am looking forward to this project very much. 

Lastly a couple of fun books I wanted to share.

A child's book, but none the less a lovely fun read.  In fact I enjoyed the writing so much I have ordered the next two.  I had also read another child's book before this one, it was about a bear, but I really didn't enjoy the writing quite so much.  I can't quite pinpoint why, but I don't think I would recommend the other book, and I am not downloading any more in the series onto my kindle.  I would have done if they were free, but don't feel they were good enough to warrant me purchasing the next book in the series.

The next book will be another project I will start once I get my new glasses.  I have really missed my varifocals and just cannot work successfully, particularly in the evening when I am watching a DVD without them.  I have tried, but get into a right muddle having to take my very old single vision glasses off each time I want to look at the stitches and even then it is not easy to see what I am doing!  Ah the delights of getting older!

I saw this made up at the Dolls House Exhibition I went to a couple of weeks ago and thought what fun it would be to make.  I miss not living on a farm surrounded by farm animals and thought I would make my own little farm!