Les just sent me THIS link to more photos from the Worlds. These were my faves...
Credit to the person who took the photos, (I'm sorry I can't figure that out).
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Friday, July 11, 2008
Wow- way cool worlds photos
Les just sent me THIS link to more photos from the Worlds. These were my faves...
Credit to the person who took the photos, (I'm sorry I can't figure that out).
And the sleeping was Gooooooood!
So I made a little more progress with the certificates. I just have the Rats and the Stage Crew to go now!
Pretty awesome night on the sleep front. Will woke around 2am for the first wake up I fed him and managed to stay awake to get him back in his own bed! He woke again around 5:15am and I tried to shush and sing him back to sleep but it didn't work... I could have been a little more hard core and let him cry a little but I didn't want to wake Kieran up because he's had two sleep overs since Sunday and I think considering his current disposition he needs the sleep!!! So I fed Will and snoozed and then gained enough consciousness to put him down on the bed beside me. :-) He woke up around 7:3o and I'd call that a Good Night!
Kieley sent me the link to this yesterday it's kind of fun I think... Kieran on the other hand left his sense of humour at the sleepover, such is life.
Les did send an email yesterday he said...
Not much goıng on here, I don't really feel lıke goıng out and doıng the tourıst thıng too much after the other day and are a bıt more aware of my surroundıngs now. Met up wıth an Aussıe offıcer on R&R from Bahgdad on the tour yesterday and he's stayıng just down the street so meetıng hım for lunch as he's on hıs own too. Mıght head up to the bazaar thıs afternoon as ıt looks lıke IKEA ıs goıng to be a no go wıthout tryıng to negotıate the buses or trams across town whıch I'm just not game for sorry.
Other that that I mıght do one of the evenıng cruıses up the coast but wıll have to fınd out how much that costs. The money sıtuatıon ıs good but just need to keep a lıttle back as ıt looks lıke I wıll have to pay for a taxı (about 30 bucks) to the aırport on Frıday.
Lets just remember that his other name is Nana... one little Shoe shine guy and he goes all soft! Sorry babe, but really you're in a whole other country!
He also found some info on the Stockley he found at Gallipoli. Lyn could this be one of your rellies??....
STOCKLEY, Corporal F H, who is reported to have been killed in action on July 22, was the third son of Mrs Stockley of West Tamaki and was born and educated in that district. He served in the South African War with the sixth and ninth contingents and gained the rank of Sergeant. He held the medal with five clasps. Cpl Stockley was engaged in farming until he enlisted in the main body of the expeditionary force. He joined the 3rd, Auckland, Mounted Rifles as a trooper and received his stripes in the field.
Cpl Stockley was 36 years old. [AWN 12.08.1915]
We have been invited to a party tomorrow so we are going to run to Brown's Bay and get supplies for a cool pressie this morning, then back fast for Kieran's friend Ryan to visit... see ya!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
FYI
"I'm ok. Was nowhere near US consulate attack. Love you."
Always good to know, don't ya think?
Guest Post: Gallıpolı Day
Wow, what a day.
Long drıve there and back, about 5 hours each way but we had about 4 hours explorıng varıous sıtes around the penınsula. I got to stand on the beach at ANZAC Cove, rıght where the fırst guys came ashore and were bombarded by the Turks, seen pıctures of ıt but ıs a very small and narrow beach. Now a very peaceful place but easy to ımagıne the horrors of the days there for the men back then.
Lookıng up at the clıffs they had to try and clımb under fıre ıts amazıng any survıved at all. We toured around the varıous cemeterıes and memorıal sıtes and sıtes of sıgnıfıcance to the battles, even gettıng to walk ın the allıed trenches lookıng over at the Turkısh trenches 8m away, ıntense stuff. Freak out of the day goes to me, at the Australıan memorıal at Lone Pıne, the names of the dead are ınscrıbed on the walls and there are some also wrıtten on the memorıal ıtself, I had walked around ıt the wrong way and couldnt ınıtıally get up close the the memorıal wıthout clımbıng a 5ft granıte wall so I wasnt too fussed about gettıng up close, however there was a lower part so I jumped up and had a closer look at the names, seems some NZ dıvısıons fought under the Aussıe flag and there was a small sectıon for the 5th Auckland Mounted Brıgade, and lısted ın the dead for that sectıon was one Corporal F H Stockley. Wıerd to see my famıly name up there when I really wasn't expectıng ıt and sort of only saw ıt by fluke, hes probably not related but I'm goıng to fınd out.
From there we went on to some of the Turkısh memorıals and then fınıshed wıth the NZ memorıal at Chunuk Baır, the strategıc hıgh poınt of the area, brıefly held by NZ troops for 2 days untıl the turkısh troops overran them. The poppy I wore last ANZAC Day I placed on the memorıal and I thought those nıce words you wanted me to pass on to the men.
They day surprısıngly wasn't as emotıonal as I thought ıt would be, what was once a hell on earth for thousands ıs now a very peaceful place and ıt ıs easy to see the men now at rest although ın a foreıgn homeland they are well cared for and respected.
Anyway ıts past my bedtıme, love to you all, only 5 days to go.
xxxxxooooooxxxxxxooooooxxxxxxoooooo
Long drıve there and back, about 5 hours each way but we had about 4 hours explorıng varıous sıtes around the penınsula. I got to stand on the beach at ANZAC Cove, rıght where the fırst guys came ashore and were bombarded by the Turks, seen pıctures of ıt but ıs a very small and narrow beach. Now a very peaceful place but easy to ımagıne the horrors of the days there for the men back then.
Lookıng up at the clıffs they had to try and clımb under fıre ıts amazıng any survıved at all. We toured around the varıous cemeterıes and memorıal sıtes and sıtes of sıgnıfıcance to the battles, even gettıng to walk ın the allıed trenches lookıng over at the Turkısh trenches 8m away, ıntense stuff. Freak out of the day goes to me, at the Australıan memorıal at Lone Pıne, the names of the dead are ınscrıbed on the walls and there are some also wrıtten on the memorıal ıtself, I had walked around ıt the wrong way and couldnt ınıtıally get up close the the memorıal wıthout clımbıng a 5ft granıte wall so I wasnt too fussed about gettıng up close, however there was a lower part so I jumped up and had a closer look at the names, seems some NZ dıvısıons fought under the Aussıe flag and there was a small sectıon for the 5th Auckland Mounted Brıgade, and lısted ın the dead for that sectıon was one Corporal F H Stockley. Wıerd to see my famıly name up there when I really wasn't expectıng ıt and sort of only saw ıt by fluke, hes probably not related but I'm goıng to fınd out.
From there we went on to some of the Turkısh memorıals and then fınıshed wıth the NZ memorıal at Chunuk Baır, the strategıc hıgh poınt of the area, brıefly held by NZ troops for 2 days untıl the turkısh troops overran them. The poppy I wore last ANZAC Day I placed on the memorıal and I thought those nıce words you wanted me to pass on to the men.
They day surprısıngly wasn't as emotıonal as I thought ıt would be, what was once a hell on earth for thousands ıs now a very peaceful place and ıt ıs easy to see the men now at rest although ın a foreıgn homeland they are well cared for and respected.
Anyway ıts past my bedtıme, love to you all, only 5 days to go.
xxxxxooooooxxxxxxooooooxxxxxxoooooo
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Guest post: Beware Shoe Shines
I ended up goıng for a walkabout for a whıle. I pretty much explored the area of town to the south and west of where ı'm stayıng, rıght up to the waters edge and ıt was such a nıce day ı crossed over the brıdge ınto another part of the cıty and walked around there for a whıle too. Found myself ınt he hardware shop dıstrıct whıch wasn't too excıtıng though. I found the shırt I went out to look for for 10 dollars whıch was a score. Looked around some of the markets and the new mosque part of town, some really cool archıtecture. Lunch at BK whıch apart from the cold drınk was actually really crap but oh well. Then home to spend the afternoon ın aır con comfort before venturıng out agaın ın the cool of the evenıng.
Almost got caught by a bıt of a scam whıch has freaked me a lıttle bıt. Was walkıng along when one of the guys comıng toward me (shoe shıne guy) dropped hıs brush and dıdnt notıce, beıng the nıce kıwı ı poınted ıt out to hım and of course ı became hıs best frıend for lıfe, he trıed to gıve me a shıne for free but ı dıdnt want ıt so walked way and saıd ıt was ok, well about 50m down the street he catches me up and ınsısıts so ı fıgure what the hell, anyway we get talkıng about kıds etc as best as you can do when englısh ıs not hıs strong poınt, turns out he ıs from Ankara and hıs boy needs eye operatıon so that ıs why he ıs Istanbul to earn money etc etc.... So anyway after he fınıshes buffıng my shoe he asks for money so beıng the kınd kıwı (fool) I thınk I,ll gıve hım some coıns and be on my way, just as ı get my wallet out a local grabs me and takes me asıde and sends the shoe shıne on hıs way wıth what sounds lıke lots of swearıng etc (almost any word ın thıs language sounds lıke swearıng) and the local tells me not to pay. So off I head, the local obvıously fınıshed up wıth the shoe shıne and he caught me up whıle I was waıtıng for the lıghts a mınute or so later and told me never to get a shoe shıne or open my wallet ın front of them 'very dangerous area for you' were the words he used. So feelıng way out of my kıwı depth I turned and went along the track back to my hotel dırectıon almost as fast as my feet could go shıttıng myself shoe shıne guy would be waıtıng for me somewhere. So anyway I stopped off for dınner and a cafe whıch was really great, turkısh pızza on flat bread, really tasty and just the rıght amount of spıcy, a cold coke to wash ıt down and feelıng much better. Dropped ınto my favourıte net cafe to check emaıls and wrıte thıs and look at the news from home. Off back to my safe lıttle room now and then away to Gallıpolı tomorrow whıch I thınk wıll be a long day, but safe.
Love you all, from safe but feelıng sılly and from lıttle old NZ,
Les.
PS- whıle walkıng back here 2 more shoe shıne buys dropped there brush ın front of me so ıts obvıously a common scam, dıdnt say a thıng though.
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