A brief moment

99 years ago today, on the shores of Gallipoli, thousands of young New Zealand and Australian men lost their lives in an ill-considered attempt to invade Turkey as part of the British plan to establish a second front against the Germans. I say shores; cliffs would be more accurate.

The joint army was known as the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and this day of remembrance is known in the two countries as Anzac Day. Commemorations began with a dawn service in many places around the country. More and more younger people are attending these services in recent years, honouring the lives cut short in brutal fashion.

I saw today a quote attributed to John F Kennedy. "Mankind needs to get rid of war before war gets rid of mankind."

On my dawn run this morning, the sky in the east was blanked by a bank of dark grey cloud. I resorted to taking photos of ducks and gulls, the only birds out, as the full tide encouraged the waders to stay away. At the point on Erceg's Way where I had decided to turn up the hill away from the shore, I saw that there was a tinge of red in the clouds by the edge of Kawau Island.

I went along a little further and was granted about three or four minutes of sun through a gap below the clouds as the sun emerged from below the horizon. I chose this picture taken by crouching very low to get as much of the light on the water. That also included the grassy bank above the sand. Large is good

The rest of the day was occupied with tasks in the morning and then a visit from the boys' other grandparents for afternoon tea/coffee. The visitors provided a carrot cake, while daughter J (who came yesterday evening) baked some ANZAC biscuits, which were generally approved of.

Tonight the nearly full moon is casting a brilliant track of light across Kawau Bay.