Welcome to my Asylum!

A place to empty my head of the random musing and mumblings that populate it on a daily basis.

Friday 28 October 2011

Lest we forget

Remembrance Day will be upon us soon, and with it the eternal red poppy (though now we seem to be getting white, black and even pink poppies appearing). 

I am wearing a poppy this year and did last year, but for a few years I chose not to. 

There is a certain level of 'Poppy Facism'. as one TV Journalist labelled it and it is an individuals decision whether or not to wear the flower in remembrance of those who have lost their lives in conflict.

I had a certain conflict of conscience over the poppy a few years back.  Many people stopped wearing them, as I did, in a kind of protest at the wars we were being sucked into in Iraq, and then Afghanistan.  However, I, like many others, are wearing them again as we have realised that our misguided protest left many veterans without a source of financial assistance that they dearly need and we may not have agreed with the war, but we still wanted to honour those who chose to serve their country.

My Grandfather fought in WW2, he hated every minute of it and I believe suffered severely from shell shock.  He had been working in the coal mines in the UK from aged 14, despite suffering from claustrophobia, and suddenly then found himself in the trenches in France.  I don't think he ever truly recovered from the experience, and refused to speak about it to any of us.

His brother was more open with his memories of the war with his children, and I found out at his funeral, that not only had he served in the war, but he was one of those on the beaches at Dunkirk.

I wear a poppy for my Grandfather and his brother, but I also wear it for the many soldiers of many nations who find themselves in wars not of their own making, but who choose to serve in order to protect their lives, their homelands, their ideals.  I do not distinguish between sides.  In any war there are losses of lives, in any war there are innocent victims, I choose to wear a poppy for them.

I may not agree with a particular conflict, or the reasoning behind it, but I can still support our troops, in Canada, and the UK.  I also choose to remember those who died on the other side.

My Grandfather hated fighting in the war for a reason, because it was not in him to kill.  Many men on both sides of the lines felt that way, but they had little choice. Kill, or be killed, perhaps by your own countrymen in the firing line as a deserter - no conscientious objectors allowed then.

Wear a poppy, lest we forget those who have died in all conflicts, and pray to whichever God you chose that we can find a way to end war, in all its forms, in all countries, and share the miracle that is life.

Thursday 27 October 2011

Holy Brrrr Batman!! It's cold out there!

In the 5 weeks or so since my last post (I know, I know, I'm crap aren't I!!) it has changed from sunny days at the waterpark to chill winds and autumn colours.  Yes, it is officially Autumn / Fall in Calgary.

My tree looked beautiful yesterday morning, all reds, golds and oranges. 

By last night, it was naked, almost embarrassed looking!  My fake cobwebs, lovingly and perfectly draped by Freyja about the tree and shrubbery acted as a magnet to all the falling leaves and now look like some abstract art installation piece - not exactly scary for Halloween.

And what has happened in the last 5 weeks you may ask!  Well, on a global scale, much of the same, economic crisis, political crisis and still no apparent world peace (much to the upset of Beauty Queens everywhere) but on a more personal scale, quite a lot has occurred.

     Firstly, we had a return to school by my eldest daughter.  This was quite momentous for us, as she had her Kindergarten year in a different school doing French immersion, and it wasn't really working out as we had hoped.  This year, she is attending a school just 5 minutes walk from our house, and the dayhome we use is just over the school field, so in the morning I drop Freyja and Rosie at the dayhome, with the fabulous Margie who they both love, and then Freyja walks across to the school with another of the dayhome kids.  Her dayhome friend, N,  also has a little brother, D,  at the dayhome who stays there with Rosie through the day.

The change has been great.  Last year, she would come home from school and not remember a thing she had done all day - this year you can't shut her up about what she has done / learned.  Last year she didn't really like her teacher, this year her new teacher is the best in the world (Thank you Mrs V!)  and her reading skills are just coming on in leaps and bounds, as is her confidence and her ability to make new friends.

She went back to Sparks too, and joined Musical Theatre classes.  As a bonus, one of her Sparks friends is in her Grade 1 class and her Musical Theatre class.  They are now great buddies and all set for a sleep over at our house this weekend.

Talking of sleepovers and Sparks, Freyja and I are off to the Mother/Daughter camp in 10 days!  Lee is having Rosie at home, and it will be his first time overnight with her - actually right through the weekend!  She is such a mamma's girl and forever pushing away Lee, so I think this weekend is going to be just what we all need.  Rosie needs some time with Daddy so she can realise that he can kiss those booboo's better too, and Daddy needs to have Rosie time, poor thing hasn't had much of a look in so far.

The other thing about the sleepover is that Freyja will get my attention for 2 whole days with no baby sister to interrupt.  Her behaviour with me (and only me) has been getting progressively worse and its pretty much all down to jealousy I think.  This weekend is going to be a big help to that I hope.

My other big thing is that I am now officially an Avon lady!  I have been wanting to start my own business in some way for a long time but didn't have the money to do it.  Avon allows me to try it out and see if I can juggle two kids, activities and a full time job, and still get my chores done as well as the business.  So far, the Avon is doing OK, as I build up my customer base, but the chores are falling by the wayside.  Lee is doing his share and more and I feel like I am getting nothing done and am spreading myself just a little too thin.  Other mothers manage all this, so why can't I???  I am hoping that with a bit of practice, it will all come together, as any extra money I make would be very helpful (I need to pay for my citizenship application!) but if it ends up being too much, I know what has to give.

Today is the financial year end at work, normally my busiest day of the year, but rather than leaving it to the last minute as usual, this year we have been more proactive and the counting has been done over and over this last month, to the point where pretty much all discrepancies were cleared up.  As a consequence, I am sitting here at work with nothing better to do than balance the payroll hours, and update this blog......  I am getting fidgety though - there has to be something to correct surely!!

Last night was Freyja's first school dance (for Halloween - now only a few days away), and she also lost her first (and second) tooth this month.  Her adult ones are in already - no unsightly gaps for her (apart from the gap she has had since she knocked the top tooth out a week before her third birthday!!  That will be a gap for a good time yet apparently!) 

This has all been about Freyja, so what about Rosie......

She changes so much ever day, it's easy not to even notice, until one day you look and your baby isn't a baby any more.

She's 18 months old, and although she still isn't really talking (just 3 or 4 words that you have to already know what she's saying to understand) she sure understands us.  Give her some instructions and away she goes (maybe her big sister could learn some pointers there!)  She's bright and inquisitive and becoming very independent.

I'm not allowed to even try to feed her any more, if it can't be eaten independently, the it won't be eaten.

And she's all for trying out new things - in the manner of all children, sometimes the box is better than the toy that came in it too!

She loves anything and everything Dora, and will scream herself hoarse from the moment she is strapped in the van until the moment I start the engine so the DVD player comes on... Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer..... Boots and super cool Explorer Dora!!

But most of all, she loves her sister.  Freyja doesn't yet understand how much, but my little independent girl is trying so hard to be just like my big little independent girl.  They are so alike in so many ways, and yet, at the same time, so individual. 


Oh, and one last thing has happened since my last post....

I completed the Run for the Cure.  5km in just under 45 minutes.  I was very proud to reach my goal, and even prouder to have taken part and have my family there to cheer me on, so here are a few pictures of that to finish off!