Lest We Forget

We weren’t able to get to see the “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” poppy display at the Tower of London, but it was great that fellow blippers posted several excellent pictures of it for us to see. It’s also good that several blippers have posted pictures of their personal ceramic poppies as they arrive.
 
The nearest we can get is this rather beautiful wooden jigsaw, given to us at Christmas by one of my brothers. It’s entitled “Lest We Forget” and was sold in aid of the poppy appeal. Even though it only has 225 pieces, it was quite tricky to do; however the time it took gave us the chance to reflect on the deeper meaning of the poppies.
 
Some of the pieces are very clever – they call them “whimsy pieces”. If you look carefully you can see these shapes in the cuts (in no particular order):
 
Small poppy
Helmet
Boots
Military cap
Grenade
Medal
Biplane
Union Flag
Cross
Gas mask
Steamship
Binoculars
Rifle
Soldier
Battleship
 
(Note: The last two are in the darker central part and may not be seen easily on the photo.)

It's another chance to remember all those who risk (and give) their lives for others, whether it be in war, as policemen (eg in Paris), as healthcare workers (eg with ebola) or in other fields of endeavour.