Lest we forget: (for fear that) - used in Remembrance Day ceremonies as a caution against forgetting those who died in war.

Wednesday past marked the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings: This Day in History - June 6, 1944, saw the landing of 24,000 US, British, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight, with 150,000 Allied troops landing on the beaches of Normandy in northwest France, carried by 7,000 boats. This was the largest air, land, and sea invasion in history. The goal was to surprise Germany, but Germany was ready to fight. It was the beginning of the end of World War II, often referred to as D-day. On D-Day alone, as many as 4,400 troops died from the combined allied forces. Some 9,000 were wounded or missing. From 1939 to 1945, an estimated total of 70–85 million people perished, which was about 3% of the 1940 world population, making it the bloodiest conflict, as well as the largest war, in history. During the war, women and children did their bit too, including the present queen of England. She is a trained mechanic and worked for the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service during the war. Buckingham Palace was bombed 16 separate times during the war. The big four Allied powers of World War II were England (Great Britain, the United Kingdom), the United States of America, the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R., Russia), and France. Other allied nations: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa and Yugoslavia.

A soldier’s average age-18-26, some 17-year-olds were allowed to enlist with parental consent. Some successfully lied about their age. The youngest member of the United States military was 12-year-old Calvin Graham. Each of those who died- did so for our freedom. When I try to explain this to some people I get “that was then, this is now” attitude type of answer. What they are forgetting is that without a “then” we mightn’t have a “now”.

Idioms: Plants

Barking up the wrong tree: You're looking for something in the wrong place or going about something in the wrong way. Beat about the bush: You don't say something directly, usually because you don't want to upset the person you're talking to. Can't see the wood for the trees: You can't see the whole situation clearly.

Everything's coming up roses: If everything is turning out very well for someone or for something. Fresh as a daisy: You feel energetic and lively. Go out on a limb: You put yourself in a risky position in order to support someone or something. Make hay while the sun shines: You make good use of the chance to do something while it lasts. Nip it in the bud: You stop a problem from becoming serious by dealing with it as soon as you notice it. The cream of the crop: You are among the best of a class of things or people.

A rod for your own back: something you do that will cause problems for you in the future. Bed of roses: A comfortable situation. Put down roots: Establish oneself in a place; settled. Knock on Wood; Touch Wood: Let’s hope I have good luck or continue to have good luck. Olive Branch: A peace offering, an attempt at reconciliation. Pushing Up Daisies: You’re dead. Stick-in-the-Mud: A person who dislikes or adapts slowly to new ideas.

Until next Tuesday –Be good

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