It's time to wear my poppy proudly and make biscuits. Why? It's Anzac Day. 25 April is commemorated each year for soldiers of the Australia & New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and their service in various wars but most famously for their landing at Gallipoli during World War I. Anzac Day is one of the few rememberance days shared by two countries and today marks the 99 years since the landing at Gallipoli. Anzac services are held at dawn each year and this morning I was extremely disappointed about missing the service (I had no idea it was going on). Craig said it was somewhat miserable because it was pissing down rain this morning; the weather was very foul and wind slammed against the windows of my flat. Furthermore the sound system at the service was faulty due to the umbrella falling over. Erasing my disappointment I became a beam of light, proudly wearing a paper poppy and deciding to make Anzac biscuits for the first time. In Flanders Field, located in Belgium, the bodies of soldiers made great fertilizer and afterward thousands of poppies sprang up. This made the poppy the symbol of Anzac Day
As I hitched to New World with a group of young foreigners I picked up flour, coconut, rolled oats, sugar, butter, and golden syrup. These ingredients along with baking soda are used to make Anzac biscuits. Wives of soldiers would ship Anzac biscuits to them since they have a long shelf life and don't spoil easily. Working my magic in the kitchen I had a feeling my first time making Anzac biscuits would be a success. After all, my courgette bread has been a hit everywhere. Success they were. Craig's friend Janine said they were the best Anzac biscuits she's ever had! I had enough batter to make several batches so I took some to Vicki at Cookie Time and decided to bring some out with me tonight.
Anzac Day went well, and is a moving tribute to the many lives lost during war.
