It's a Classical Life

Image Via Anzac Portal This week Australia, New Zealand, and other countries around the world remembered and commemorated Anzac Day. For those of you who don't know, Anzac Day (standing for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) falls on April 25 in commemoration of the landing these forces made on the beach of Gallipoli, Turkiye on April 25 1915.  It is traditional to read the ode, We Will Remember Them (from Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen, 1919). This is such a moving ode, and I recommend that you listen to it if you can, followed by the playing of the Last Post. These two pieces never fail to make me cry. You can listen to a rendition of the ode and the Last Post here . A minute's silence is observed, usually at 11am. The term Anzac has come to represent many things for Australians and New Zealanders. I don't claim to speak for all of us, but some of the things that I think of when I hear this term is courage, camaraderie, determination and loyalty. A...

  I love Bitesize Inspirations like this! You read it once and think automatically of how to successfully grow a garden, but then you read it again, and perhaps a third time and suddenly you are able to glean all sorts of inspiration. It can be relevant to something as simple as a garden, but it can be relevant to something as big as our life's goals. Whenever we want to see results for the effort we have put in, this quote by English author Rudyard Kipling is right there, inspiring us to get started! In fact, I actually had trouble titling this article. I ended up with "on action" because I thought that action summed it up nicely. We must act before we can reap the benefits of anything. It is not enough to simply dream, or praise the work of others. We need to get out our hats and shovels, step out of the shade and get to work! Our dream includes living a simple life, incorporating a sound level of self-sufficiency, free from debt and the obligations to work long hours. ...

Source:  The Graphics Fairy   I know this article is a bit late, but I was too busy actually enjoying Easter to prepare it in time so I thought I'd post it today, ready for next year! Easter has so much significance all around the world, for many different cultures, so I thought it would be fun to look at some cultural and historical traditions that have shaped Easter and might explain the way we celebrate it today. It may also give you some budget-friendly ideas to create new Easter traditions in your own family.  Most Easter traditions come from the Northern Hemisphere and the observation of both Christ's death and resurrection, and the arrival of Spring. As we all know, celebrating Easter with eggs is an age-old tradition, and this was linked with the end of the cold, winter hibernation period for the chickens, and the commencement of the warmer, laying period of spring and summer. Many of these traditions come from religious observance, including the period ...

  Image via  The Graphics Fairy Easter has come and gone for us this year. It is my favourite time of the year - yes, I even prefer it to Christmas! The weather where we live is perfectly autumnal and the beauty that surrounds the Easter tradition in our church is very special to me. I love to reflect, read and be transported during this time. Sagan's quote spoke to me this week, as I have read through the crucifixion of Christ and his resurrection. I don't talk often here about my religious beliefs, but even if you are not a follower of Christ, reading these accounts is very powerful and transporting. We are taken to another time and place. We suffer with Christ, and we rejoice with Mary Magdalen and the Apostles.  I have always felt that books should do this for us, whether they are religious or not. I struggle to finish a book that fails to transport me, to enable me to voyage through time. It is especially poignant for those of us who read the classics, but ...