Memory: The Manhattan skyline has been lit up with tributes to the victims of the September 11 attacks

Tribute: Every year beams of light are shot into the sky to commemmorate the anniversary of the terror attacks

Viewpoint: Japanese flautist Toshi Bota is photographed on the shore of Brooklyn looking over to downtown Manhattan

Light: A ground view of the Tribute in Light on the evening of September 10, ahead of the 11th anniversary

Grief: A single flower inserted into one of the names on the 9/11 National Memorial located at Ground Zero

Contemplation: 10-year-old Stella Towers, from Sydney in Australia, on a visit to the memorial on September 10

Display: Another floral tribute to the victims of the attacks set up at the memorial in downtown Manhattan

Visit: Leon Panetta was in Shankville, Pennsylvania on Monday paying tribute to those who died on Flight 93

Ceremony: The Secretary of Defense laid a wreath at the memorial near to where the flight crashed 11 years ago

Heroes: Candles have been set up at the Shanksville site to honour the 40 passengers who overpowered their terrorist hijackers

Flags: A lawn at Georgia Tech was covered in Stars and Stripes to commemorate the 9/11 victims

Field: A visitor at Victor Valley College in Victorville, California sits among the tribute there

Put out more flags: Military cadet Ted Sanchez, 16, lays out the flag display at Highland Memorial Park in Ocala, Florida

Rebuilding: Four World Trade Center and One World Trade Center are close to completion, filling in the Manhattan skyline once more

View of 911 Memorial with Museum entrance in background

911 Memorial


This Music Monday post is dedicated to Kerry, the woman in my life... I am not a particular fan of One Direction, however, this song always makes me smile and reminds me of Kerry....

So, to Kerry, I love you....



IN FLANDERS FIELDS.

 In Flanders field 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 with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

By Major John McCrae, May 1915.

Colonel McCrae died while on active duty in May 1918. On the eve of his death he allegedly said to his doctor, "Tell them this. If ye break the faith with us who die we shall not sleep."

His volume of poetry, In Flanders’ Fields and Other Poems, was published in 1919.

An American, Miss Moina Belle Michael, (founder of the Rememberance Poppy) read In Flanders’ Fields and wrote a reply entitled -


WE SHALL KEEP THE FAITH.

Oh! You who sleep in Flanders’ fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew,
We caught the torch you threw,
And holding high we kept
The faith with those who died.
We cherish too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valour led.

It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders’ fields.

And now the torch and poppy red
Wear in honour of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught
We’ve learned the lesson that ye taught
In Flanders’ fields.

Another reply to

"IN FLANDERS FIELDS".

Oh! sleep in peace where poppies grow;
The torch your falling hands let go
Was caught by us, again held high,
A beacon light in Flanders sky
That dims the stars to those below.

You are our dead, you held the foe,
And ere the poppies cease to blow,
We'll prove our faith in you who lie
In Flanders Fields.

Oh! rest in peace, we quickly go
To you who bravely died, and know
In other fields was heard the cry,
For freedom's cause, of you who lie,
So still asleep where poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.

As in rumbling sound, to and fro,
The lightning flashes, sky aglow,
The mighty hosts appear, and high
Above the din of battle cry,

Scarces heard amidst the guns below,
Are fearless hearts who fight the foe,
And guard the place where poppies grow.
Oh! sleep in peace, all you who lie
In Flanders Fields.

And still the poppies gently blow,
Between the crosses, row by row.
The larks, still bravely soaring high,
Are singing now their lullaby
To you who sleep where poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

By John Mitchell.


Yet another reply to
"IN FLANDERS FIELDS".

In Flanders Fields the cannons boom,
And fitful flashes light the gloom;
While up above, like eagles, fly
The fierce destroyers of the sky;
With stains the earth wherein you lie
Is redder than the poppy bloom,
In Flanders Fields.

Sleep on, ye brave! The shrieking shell,
The quaking trench, the startling yell,
The fury of the battle hell
Shall wake you not, for all is well;
Sleep peacefully, for all is well.
Your flaming torch aloft we bear,
With burning heart and oath we swear
To keep the faith, to fight it through,
To crush the foe, or sleep with you,
In Flanders Fields.

By J.A. Armstrong.

AMERICA'S ANSWER.

Rest ye in peace, ye Flanders’ dead.
The fight that ye so bravely led
We’ve taken up. And we will keep
True faith with you who lie asleep

In Flanders’ fields.

Fear not that ye have died for naught.
The torch ye threw to us we caught.
Ten million hands will hold it high,
And Freedom’s light shall never die!
We’ve learned the lesson that ye taught
In Flanders’ fields.

By R.W. Lilliard.

 PLEASE WEAR A POPPY.
"Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.

A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned in on he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"

The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see.

"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too.

"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.

"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.

"Till at last, at last, the war was won -
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"

A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!

And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give

By Don Crawford.


REMEMBRANCE DAY.
 Remembrance Day is here again,
On this day we remember all those who were slain.
The ones they left behind have endured much sorrow and pain.
But rest assured,
the whole world knows those brave ones didn't die in vain.

The poppies that you see people wear,
Are there to show you they still care.
We open our hearts so that we can share,
A moment of silence, and offer a prayer.
To all the soldiers who died saving our country.

By Patti Joyce.

November is the month in which Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day) falls. It is on the 11th day of the 11th month, this date marked the official end of the 1st World War with the Germans signing the Armistice at the 11th hour (or 11am). It is at this time that commonwealth (and many non-commonwealth countries) recognise a 1 or 2 minute silence to remember all of the people who have fought and died for there country from the 1st world war onwards.

The Service of Remembrance in many Commonwealth countries generally includes the sounding of the "Last Post", followed by the period of silence, followed by the sounding of "The Rouse" (often mistakenly referred to as "Reveille"), and finished by a recitation of the "Ode of Remembrance.

The central ritual at cenotaphs throughout the Commonwealth is a stylized night vigil. The Last Post was the common bugle call at the close of the military day, and the Rouse was the first call of the morning. For military purposes, the traditional night vigil over the slain was not just to ensure they were indeed dead and not unconscious or in a coma, but also to guard them from being mutilated or despoiled by the enemy, or dragged off by scavengers. This makes the ritual more than just an act of remembrance but also a pledge to guard the honour of war dead. The act is enhanced by the use of dedicated cenotaphs (literally Greek for "empty tomb" and the laying of wreaths -- the traditional means of signalling high honours in ancient Greece and Rome. For more information on Remembrance Day services and how other nations honour there falling then click here.


The use of the poppy was inspired by the World War I poem "In Flanders Fields". Its opening lines refer to the many poppies that were the first flowers to grow in the churned-up earth of soldiers' graves in Flanders, a region of Europe that overlies parts of Belgium and France. Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae is popularly believed to have written it on 3 May 1915 after witnessing the death of his friend (a fellow soldier) the day before. The poem was first published on 8 December 1915 in the London-based magazine Punch.

In 1918, American YWCA worker Moina Michael, inspired by the poem, published a poem of her own called "We Shall Keep the Faith". In tribute to McCrae's poem, she vowed to always wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in the war. At a November 1918 YWCA Overseas War Secretaries' conference, she appeared with a silk poppy pinned to her coat and distributed 25 more to those attending. She then campaigned to have the poppy adopted as a national symbol of remembrance. At a conference in 1920, the National American Legion adopted it as their official symbol of remembrance. At this conference, Frenchwoman Anna E. Guérin was inspired to introduce the artificial poppies commonly used today. In 1921 she sent her poppy sellers to London, where they were adopted by Field Marshal Douglas Haig, a founder of the Royal British Legion. It was also adopted by veterans' groups in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

In the United Kingdom, paper poppies are sold by The Royal British Legion (RBL) and Haig Fund. These are charities providing financial, social and emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces, and their dependants. They are sold on the streets by volunteers in the weeks before Remembrance Day.

In England, the poppies have two red petals, a green paper leaf and are mounted on a green plastic stem. The yearly selling of poppies is a major source of income for the RBL in the UK. The poppy has no fixed price; it is sold for a donation or the price may be suggested by the seller. The black plastic center of the poppy was marked "Haig Fund" until 1994 but are now marked "Poppy Appeal".

What most people don’t know is that a team of about 50 people—most of them disabled former British military personnel—work all year round to make millions of poppies at the Poppy Factory in Richmond.

Memory: The Manhattan skyline has been lit up with tributes to the victims of the September 11 attacks

Tribute: Every year beams of light are shot into the sky to commemmorate the anniversary of the terror attacks

Viewpoint: Japanese flautist Toshi Bota is photographed on the shore of Brooklyn looking over to downtown Manhattan

Light: A ground view of the Tribute in Light on the evening of September 10, ahead of the 11th anniversary

Grief: A single flower inserted into one of the names on the 9/11 National Memorial located at Ground Zero

Contemplation: 10-year-old Stella Towers, from Sydney in Australia, on a visit to the memorial on September 10

Display: Another floral tribute to the victims of the attacks set up at the memorial in downtown Manhattan

Visit: Leon Panetta was in Shankville, Pennsylvania on Monday paying tribute to those who died on Flight 93

Ceremony: The Secretary of Defense laid a wreath at the memorial near to where the flight crashed 11 years ago

Heroes: Candles have been set up at the Shanksville site to honour the 40 passengers who overpowered their terrorist hijackers

Flags: A lawn at Georgia Tech was covered in Stars and Stripes to commemorate the 9/11 victims

Field: A visitor at Victor Valley College in Victorville, California sits among the tribute there

Put out more flags: Military cadet Ted Sanchez, 16, lays out the flag display at Highland Memorial Park in Ocala, Florida

Rebuilding: Four World Trade Center and One World Trade Center are close to completion, filling in the Manhattan skyline once more

View of 911 Memorial with Museum entrance in background

911 Memorial


August.

Family holiday in Wales

Peak of Snowdon
Hmmm Tasty!
Prefered the menu, thanks Bro...
Cool or What!



 


Nicky and Tim's Wedding
 
 
Kerry's Birthday

50 Shades of Candles...
 


 
Ireland 

If Kerry calls it Watford once more.... I will take her there for her next birthday!
Some Big Waves

Hotel
Hotel
Think my Princess could get used to being in a Castle



Think it may rain?

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