It is history Tuesday and today I am going to tell you a little about a German girl named Sophie Scholl, have you heard of her? I can tell you I had not till I saw something on Facebook about her that interested me enough to do a Goggle search and find out a bit more about her.

The graves of Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst in Perlach Cemetery. The cemetery is adjacent to Stadelheim prison where the White Rose members were executed.

She was born in 1921 and was one of Germany’s most famous anti-Nazi heroes, as a university student in Munich, Scholl, along with her brother, Hans, and several friends, formed a non-violent, anti-Nazi resistance group called the White Rose. The group ran a leaflet and graffiti campaign calling on their fellow Germans to resist Hitler’s regime.

At the age of 12 she was required to join the Bund Deutscher Madel ( League of German Girls) but her initial enthusiasm gradually gave way to strong criticism. She became aware of the dissenting political views of her father and friends and even some teachers. Political attitude started to play a big part in her choice of friends. In 1937 her brothers and some friends were arrested for participating in the German Youth Movement and this left a strong impression on her. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Youth_Movement

White Rose pamphlets and biographical sketches of members.

After she left school in 1940 Sophie became a kindergarten teacher, she chose this career hoping it would be recognised as an alternate to the National Labour Service which was a prerequisite to be admitted to the university. However, she was wrong as policy dictated that she had to serve six months of auxiliary war service as a nursery teacher in Blumberg. The military-like regimen of the Labour Service was what caused her to change her views of the National Socialism and eventually practice passive resistance.

Scholl first became involved in resistance organising after learning of the mass killings of Jews and reading an anti-Nazi sermon by Clemens August Graf von Galen, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Münster. She was deeply moved by the “theology of conscience” and declared, “Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don’t dare express themselves as we did.”

In 1943, Scholl and the other members of the White Rose were arrested by the Gestapo for distributing leaflets at the University of Munich and taken to Stadelheim Prison. After a short trial on February 22, 1943, Scholl, her brother Hans and their friend Christop Probst, all pictured here, were found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.

At her execution only a few hours later, Scholl made this final statement: “How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause. Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?”

Following the deaths of the White Rose’s leaders, their final leaflet was smuggled to England. In mid-1943, Allied Forces dropped millions of copies of the “Manifesto of the Students of Munich” over Germany. Scholl is now honoured as one of the great German heroes who actively opposed the Nazi regime.

In 20015 the movie Sophie Scholl: The Final Days was made it stared Julia Jentsch as Sophie, there has also been a couple of books about her written. Many schools as well as countless streets and squares in Germany have been named after Sophie and her brother.

Copies of White Rose pamphlets have been embedded in the pavement of Geschwister-Scholl-Platz outside the central hall of Ludwig-Maximilian University.

Good morning friends welcome to my Monday, this morning I am going to share a little about my nanna who turned 94 yesterday. She was born in Wauchope and was one of 13 children, she was married twice and has outlive both her husbands, nan had 4 children, 3 of which are still alive and 2 of which still visit her weekly more or less there are weeks we may give it a miss but that isn’t often.

My nan has Alzheimer’s she started to show the first signs of dementia way back in 1998 but wasn’t diagnosed with Alzheimer’s till around 2000 I think, when she started to repeat herself and ask the same question over and over some family members and so called friends stopped seeing and visiting her because they found her an embarrassment. This I can tell you really pisses me off, and I get annoyed when I hears people say they want to remember her how she was not how she is, I do remember her how she was and yes I see how she is but when she has thought flickers of memory which you can see in her eyes it really makes me feel good.

Like yesterday she had a few of those moments, when I went to say hi to her and give her a kiss, I say “hi nan it’s Jo-Anne, happy birthday” as clear as anything she replies with “where’s Tim” I wasn’t the only one to hear her say that so did my sister Sandra, I called Tim over to see her it was a wonderful moment. Later when my daughter Natasha turned up she went to give nan a kiss and said it’s Natasha nan made no sign she knew who Natasha was so I said it again with more Russian sound and nan’s eyes lit up she knew who I meant, as nanna always said Natasha in the Russian way. Not only did her eyes light up but she said I know and love you, Tasha spoke to nan for a bit with me there to listen and translate what she said you have to listen carefully as nan only speaks in a whisper and will only say a couple of words at a time.

This is a photo of all who turned up to see nanna for her birthday, my daughters Kathy-Lee and Jessica didn’t go, Kathy-Lee is one of those who can’t see the point as nanna isn’t “there” and she was going to see Michael’s parents, Jessica didn’t go because nursing homes smell like “death and old people” which this one does not I might add.

Tim didn’t want to go but I said I wanted him to go it was important to me and I have gone to a number of things over the years that I would have preferred not to have gone to but because I love him I went, so he could go for me, however, once we got there he seemed to have a good time.

He did complain that no one talked to him well except for my dad and brother, I told him we are a loud and boisterous family and he has become pretty withdrawn and he should know what we are like now so speak up and if you have something to say, say it.

Most people with Alzheimer’s only live around 8-10 after being diagnosed so nan is doing well as it is about 15 years since she was diagnosed and 17 years since the first signs of dementia appeared.

I would like to thank those who sent cards for nanna, didn’t get many but that is because my family are useless at times.

How is everyone on this Friday afternoon, ok it may not be Friday afternoon were you are but it is here, well since it is Friday it is five things Friday.

Too tired to move but have to do so anyway (boys to get from school)

Owls (on fingers, in ears, on wrist and around the neck) jewellery

Wearing slippers to go get the boys from school (would never have dreamt it when I was 20)

Clothes driers (need them in this weather)

Aching neck and shoulders (would love a massage )

I would like to say I have never died on the inside, but that would be a lie as I have as have pretty much any human, am I stronger and wiser, I hope I am but at times I wonder. 

Have you heard of Len Waters?

I bet you haven’t a clue who he was, I know until I watched an episode of

http://h100.tv/Tony-Robinsons-Tour-of-Duty

So I decided to write a post and tell others about him he was born Leonard Victor Waters on the 20^th June 1924 at the Euraba Mission in northern New South Wales.

He was the first Australian Aboriginal military aviator, and the only one to serve as a fighter pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II. Aborigines at the time suffered significant discrimination and disadvantages in Australian society, such as restrictions on movement, residence, employment, and access to services and citizenship. Waters was working as a shearer when he joined the RAAF in 1942.

Training initially as a mechanic, he volunteered for flying duties and graduated as a sergeant pilot in 1944. He flew P-40 Kittyhawks in the South West Pacific, where he completed 95 missions. By the end of the war he had risen to the rank of warrant officer.

Although the military had officially barred or restricted the recruitment of Aborigines in earlier periods, these impediments were significantly relaxed after Japan entered the war and Australia came under direct attack. He volunteered for service in the RAAF on 24 August 1942 and was accepted. He began training as an aircraft mechanic, but later volunteered for flying service, and commenced initial training in Victoria, in December 1943.

The interviewer thought he looked “a bit rough” but “should make a fighter”, he believed his lack of education would be a disadvantage, and studied nights to make up for it. Keen to be a pilot, he was concerned that he would be allocated to duty as a wireless operator because he showed an aptitude for Morse code early on.

The first aircraft to which he was assigned had already been named Black Magic even before he took over its controls.

He grew up at Nindigully, near St George in Queensland, and was educated to the seventh grade at Nindigilly State School. Hearing tales of pioneering aviators Charles Kingsford Smith, Amy Johnson and Charles Lindbergh, and reading stories of Biggles, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, he had, as he put it, his “head in the clouds” from an early age.

After leaving school when he was 14 to support his family, working alongside his father as a ring barker and being pain 10 shillings a week for seven days work, this was about 1/6^th of the average way at the time. He later worked as a shearer.

Following his discharge from the RAAF in 1946, he attempted to start a regional airline but was unable to secure financial backing and government approval, he went back to shearing and died in 1993 at the age of 69.

In 1995–96, Waters was commemorated in several ways: Australia Post depicted his portrait on a stamp and that of his P-40 Kittyhawk fighter “Black Magic” on an aérogramme, Black Magic Port was named after his personal Kittyhawk; Len Waters Place, a park in Inala, was opened; Moree Plans Shire Council dedicated Leonard Waters Park in Boggabilla, New South Wales; and Len Waters Street in Ngunnawal, Australian Capital Territory, was named after him.

Just a quick post today to let everyone know that I feel like shit today, ok during the day I felt ok but as it has gotten darker and colder I am feeling more like shit.

Yesterday Tim, Jessica, Leo, Blain and I went to Australia Reptile Park and it was a great day out we stopped at Macca’s for lunch and took drinks for while we where at the park because we all know that food in these places cost a bloody lot.

I have Leo here tonight, I have started having him on Monday nights when I don’t have Blain as Leo likes to be here without Blain just as Blain likes being here without Leo.

You know I didn’t check my emails on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and this morning I had a total of $442 emails to got through, well I read today’s emails and picked some out of the other days but most I just deleted as it would have taken me most of the day to go through them all and most were blog posts, so this morning I only read 26 blog posts and moved onto answering some mail.

Here are at Friday again and what a cold and wet Friday it has been, and yes I was out and about it’s Friday and that is shopping day, anyway here are this weeks five things.

Long sleeve singlets

A little boy in tears (missing his mum)

Riding a motorbike in wet and windy weather (not me)

Another little boy wanting to stay with nan not mum and nan saying no, yes I do say no at times.

Leo here so Blain now laughing ( no Leo is not staying, just here while his mum does something)

I have said for a long time “life’s too short to be miserable” and I stand by that, yes sometimes we can’t help but be sad and depressed things happen in life to make one both of those but over all we have to chose to try and be happy, to enjoy life.

There are many things in life that cause us upset but dwelling on them achieves nothing but sorrow and/or a headache so why bother and yes I know it is easy to say chose to be happy but often choosing to be happy is the first step to a happy life, maybe not always but isn’t it worth a shot, why do you have to lose.