Parents! You no longer have an answering machine?? If you don't call me, and I can't leave a message for you...how are we ever supposed to talk? Miss you.

Today is ANZAC Day. In honour of it, Jeremy made me watch Gallipoli last night. I was less than thrilled at the prospect and as a result was cranky throughout the movie (but it was actually a fairly decent movie and is helped by the fact that Mel Gibson was really attractive in 1981!) Now where can I get me an ANZAC biscuit?

Mmmm. Speaking of ANZAC biscuits, Tristan (Jeremy's second cousin Karen's son, for those of you not up to date with the names thrown out here) makes the most delicious ones I've ever tasted. Yum. Talk about many talents - this kid can bake, make really cool art, play the drums, run 10 k without blinking an eye and build all sorts of awesome contraptions...I'm probably only getting the tip of the iceberg there! I haven't really delved into the Sydney visit since I want PICTURES and Jeremy for some reason uploaded them onto the TV computer and now I don't know how to get them over to mine. Trials and tribulations, I tell you!

Let's go back to ANZAC Day and to help me out, I will resort to the always helpful Wikipedia definition.

Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.^[1] The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand.^[2] This is a rare instance of two sovereign countries not only sharing the same remembrance day, but making reference to both countries in its name. Over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers died. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

You may also be curious as to what exactly ANZAC biscuits are. I turn again to the ever useful Wikipedia...

ANZAC Biscuits are a sweet biscuit made using rolled oats, flour, coconut, sugar, butter, golden syrup, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water. ANZAC biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I. The biscuit appears to be a variation of Scottish oat cakes, possibly via the Scottish-influenced city of Dunedin, New Zealand. The ingredients do not spoil easily so the biscuits kept well during naval transportation to loved ones who were fighting abroad. ^[1]

Biscuits issued to soldiers by the Army referred to as ANZAC tiles or ANZAC wafers differed from the popular ANZAC biscuit. ANZAC tiles and wafers were hard tack, a bread substitute, which had a long shelf life and was very hard. ^[2]

History lesson for the day is over. If you'd like to learn more...um...watch Galipolli??