This is my Mum, I have talked about her a bit on this blog of mine but I don’t think you have seen many photos of her, well today you are getting a double header!
May 4-6 is The World’s Greatest Shave to Care and Cure or commonly know as “Shave for a Cure”. This event is one of the largest fundraising efforts in Australia each year and helps provide much needed funds for the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia.
When approached by her students Mum said if they were able to raise $2000 themselves she would get her head shaved. When she came home from school yesterday they were only $100 short so it was pretty much a known fact that she would be loosing her hair today. Her school actually ended up raising a bit over $2500. Good on them!
Last year (or the year before?) Mum’s older sister Margaret had her very long hair shaven off so Aunty Susan as the next sibling in the line, we think it might be your turn next year 🙂
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.
We will remember them.
– For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon
Today is ANZAC Day, which without a doubt is the most revered day in Australia and New Zealand, more so than our respective national days (Australia Day and Waitangi Day).
Today is the day when we commemorate those who didn’t come home and honour those who have, the day we thank those who have served and those who are. We know that peace and freedom do not always come without a sacrifice and we thank those who made that sacrifice.
World War I forged the Australian identity, as a federated nation we were only 14 years old at the beginning of the war. We sent 40% (330 000) of our male population to the war, they were all volunteers. 60 000 of these did not return. Australia had the highest casualty rate of WWI and New Zealand had the highest casualty and death rate per capita of any country involved in WWI. It was not a war that threatened either of our nations personally but as members of the Commonwealth we felt a duty to serve.
The Last Post
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We now pause for two minutes to reflect on the significance of the day and to show our respect to those who served. The idea of a minute’s silence is credited to Edward Honey, an Australian journalist in London during WW1 who published a letter in the Evening News on 8 May 1918 appealing for a moment of silence during the celebrations of the first anniversary of the Armistice (11/11/1918)
Rouse and Reveille
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Since this is not a Dawn Service, we follow the moment of silence with Rouse instead of Reveille which is played as the first call of the day.
Ok so it is only day 3 of the 4 day weekend but I know what will happen tomorrow so I may as well save time and blog about it today 🙂
Four days of Easter weekend goodness so just how did I fill my time?
Friday – blogged here (Fun times with one of my dudettes) and my new monitor arrived – Dell 1707FP – so pretty 🙂 and so nice to have a large screen again – mine died back over Christmas so I was struggling with a 15″, it was painful.
Saturday – Worked (double time and half :D), watched some DVDs, purged clothes (2 bags to go to lifeline) and bought 2 more Country Road pieces (a skirt and a pair of shorts) from Myer on my lunch break at 75% 🙂 Myer is always so good to me unlike all the other stores in the shopping centre who rarely have anything I like and I get a staff discount could it get any better?
Sunday – Painted my toenails (required when going to the beach later in the day); went up the coast with the family, Grandad and Aunty Margaret for fish ‘n chips and a swim at the beach (fantastic surf but a strong current, gave the legs a work out keeping between the flags); afternoon at the farm, with the beach crew as well as Max, Julie and the boys; read Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Skyes, what a book, slightly trashy but a total crack-up and very readable. Of course the Easter Bilby aka Mum came – photos tomorrow.
Monday – ok so it isn’t here yet but I can tell you what will happen. Work: 6am to 1pm (double time and a half :)) and maybe some shopping in the arvo, as well as a photo with my funky egg that I got 🙂
Well ok not a total eclipse of the heart but a total eclipse of the sun is happening today if you happen to be in the right places in the world and of course Karl and some of his friends are you get to have quite a unique experience. They are in Side, Turkey preparing for fantastic time, which I can’t wait to see his photos from.
In other news, Griffth (my uni) did exceptionally well at the recent Commonwealth Games, in fact if we were a country we would have finished fifth on the medal talley, which I think is quite cool 🙂
I’m not doing anything as exciting, just sitting in a computer lab at Uni, working on an essay, waiting for news to break on news.google.com.au and typing some more. I want to be in Turkey.
Another day and another birthday in the Pálsson troop 🙂
Today my third eldest brother, Hafþór Ingi turns the big 38! Out of my half-siblings, Hafþór is the only one I actually grew up around, as he moved to Australia with my parents in 1980 and moved back to Iceland in 1993 so for the first eight years of my life he was a big part of it.
This photo is of me when I was a wee little Snuffleupagus of just 4 weeks been held by the aforementioned brother who in this photo is 17! Don’t you just love the flags of the world outfit? Perhaps I was destined to be doing International Studies?
But this isn’t my birthday so bringing the attention back to the birthday boy. I don’t really have any funny moments but I am sure he does of me. There are some things that I do know, this man is a musical genius in all aspects from singing, to playing to writing, he is a wonderful father with two gorgeous kids, an incredible wealth of knowledge and an all round super cool person and big brother 🙂 Here is a more recent photo – taken last July at the family moot in Iceland, in his entire element with his guitar and perhaps it is the ever adoring younger sister in me, but I reckon he looks like Chris Martin of Coldplay and has a better voice too 🙂
Ok, that was a little longer than I planned on it been so back to the topic as the title of this post suggested – round up.
The Commonwealth Games are on at the moment and Australia of course is on fire! I always enjoy the Commonwealth Games more than the Olympics; they just seem a whole lot more friendlier, because they are the “Friendly Games” 🙂 It’s just great to see things like this, and many other countries getting their first Gold, Silver or Bronze medals, just great stuff! and Ben Lee is going to be playing at the closing ceremony, top stuff!
But to put some family spin on the Commonwealth Games, big kudos to my second cousin Nathan Eglington who is on fire in the Kookaburras (Australian Men’s Hockey team) with a hat-trick in a 5-1 win against England. Should be another Gold Medal for Australia there.
Uni is still uni, but I have now done my first piece of assessment so it really feels like the semester is underway now – it is week 4 of 13 after all.
Go check out some of the designs Tracy is pumping out at the moment, that girl is on fire I tell you.
The Parcel man brought me five (5) new crafty books from Amazon.co.jp the other day – will post more about them soon 🙂
I made the most yummy blueberry muffins last night – total heaven. I used this recipe – Blueberry Muffins from Elsie.com all I changed was that I used buttermilk instead of plain yoghurt and didn’t add the lemon zest because I had no lemons and WHOA total heaven, very, very nice muffins!
I think that was all I wanted to round up for the moment but I leave you with this note, something “big” and “special” is coming a few days time 😀
Today is the day that 19 years ago, I was no longer the youngest child in the Pálsson troop with the birth of my little brother Matthew SÃÂmon, I became his older sister by 18 mths, something which does not give me much clout anymore.
He is now quite a few cm’s taller than me, no longer looks like Bert Newton Jnr with his moon face, seems to know everyone and talks some of the cutest bullshit I have ever heard. I would love to record some of the bullshit he talks, it is classic stuff.
We used to have petty arguments as kids where he would say he was older because his birthday was the 20th whereas mine was only the 11th, didn’t we all have arguments like that with our siblings?
I think now days he possibly has a larger influence on my life than I on his as he introduces me to new music and computer games that I never have time to play and well in his view most of the stuff I listen to should be deleted from my computer.
This photo is from a May 2005, when I was actually able to get a photo of him and not be given his spiel on how I was stealing his soul or invading his privacy or some other crap.
The other day, we were discussing plans for his birthday, birthdays in our house are a pretty relaxed fair, presents are almost always gotten at a later date when you trade in the birthday card, this year though Matthew asked to trade his whole birthday in; presents and dinner for a time when he wants them. Though he then had the bright idea of wondering how much money he could get if he sold his birthday rights on Ebay which include AU$100 in a gift and your choice of meal or restaurant for a celebration meal. Any Takers?
