Poppies for Armistice Day

On this day 95 years ago the guns fell silent on battle fields across Europe.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the Allies officially ended hostilities with Germany after more than four years of war, marking the end of World War I.
More than 18,000 Kiwis lost their lives in the war and another 40,000 were injured.
To mark Armistice Day there were wreath-laying ceremonies around the country at 11am. A two minutes silence was observed throughout the country. In many parts of the world, people observe the two consecutive minutes moments of silence at 11:00 a.m. local time as a sign of respect in the first minute for the roughly 20 million people who died in the war, and in the second minute dedicated to the living left behind, generally understood to be wives, children and families left behind but deeply affected by the conflict.
During my walk with the dogs this morning I came across a patch of red poppies glowing in the early morning light. They were beautiful and growing in a pile of debris and weeds – a poignant reminder of the myriads of poppies which grow overseas in Flanders Fields. Lest we forget…..