MEMORIAL DAY

Growing up in Canada we celebrated the Queen's birthday on the Monday closest to the 24th. of May. It was also firecracker day. November 11th is Rememberance Day and they sell cloth poppies on the street corners that people pin onto their coats or jackets in remembrance of the poppies that grow in Flanders Field. My Father served in both WW1 and WW2. He was too young in WW1 and lied about his age. He was from Northern Ireland and joined the Irish Fusilliers. He was taken prisoner of war and escaped back to the British. He was excused from service and inmmediately joined up with the Black Watch and served with them until 1919. Along came WW2 and living in Canada we followed England and when war was declared in 1939 he immediately joined up
and was too old for active overseas duty so was sent up to blind River in Northern Ontario to a POW camp to guard the German pows. Too young for one war and too old for the other but he still found a way to serve. He spent 6 miserable years up there where there was nothing to do but play cards, drink and smoke. He did all 3like all the rest of them and came out a changed man. Needless to say our family was never the same and they split when I was young. I often wonder what our life would have been like if there was no war and our father had stayed with us. My Mom raised 3 girls on her own and worked very hard. Later in my latter teen years I re-united with him and would see him on occasion. I think of him on St. Patricks Day when they play Danny Boy and on this holiday when we honour our soldiers. He passed away many years ago and may he rest in peace.

I bought 3 orchids home from Florida to see if I could get them to bloom. The one had some buds on it but the other 2 did not. This week the one with the blooms started to open but nothing on the others yet. I decided the perfect place for them would be in our bathroom as it has a window and a large skylight over the jacuzzi tub. Perfect light but no direct sunlight on them.

I took some pics of our bathroom and one of my favorite things - a valet stand that I picked up at a garage sale many years ago. I believe I paid $15.00 for it. He told me he had paid well over 150.00 for it but was getting thrown out of his apt. and was living with his Dad. He wanted more but that was all I had in cash and he wouldn't take a check. Hence I got it for the 15. On it is a beautiful irish crochet top that my MIL made for herself. She wore it for a few years then put weight on and I was the only one who it fit. I did wear it a few times and now it resides on the valet along with some little angel soap, dried roses and hand towels decorated with angels.

Hopefully I will be blogging more regularly then the last month. I also must say that blogger will not let me post comments on any blog where you have to hit google as my account and then put in the letters. It immediately takes me to blogger who wants my email and password. I give it and then go back and it starts all over. I have done it round and round 3-4 times and it still just rolls around. So if some of you haven't heard from me that is the reason. I must start keeping a note of the blogs where this happens and let them know.