Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

12. May 2015 11:05
by Rene Pallesen
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Grandparents and Great Grand parents

12. May 2015 11:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Going through some old photos I came across these of my great grand parents (on my mothers side).

I am pretty sure that the little girl on the left is my Mum (So the photos must have been taken around 1943-1944) and the other two girls are her sisters (My Aunties) Eli on the right and Yrsa in the middle.

I assume that the women in the back are their grand parents (my great grands) with the woman on the right being my grandmothers (mormor's) mum and the one on the right being grandad's (morfar'd) mum.

Here is a family photo of what I assume is my grandmothers (mormor's) family. I think it is my grandma in the middle right behind my great grandmother.

I assume this is my great grandparents, but I cannot be certain.

This must be a birthday for my grandmother.

This was taken outside the farm where my mum grew up. It is my grandad (morfar) in the middle on the right and it could be my grandmother (mormor) on the stairs with her mum. The farm is still there today owned by my uncle.

This must be some of the family on my grandads (morfar's) side, so possibly some of his siblings.

9. May 2015 18:05
by Rene Pallesen
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Comissioned work

9. May 2015 18:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

A friend asked if I would do a commissioned corporate portrait for professional usage.

I said I was happy to help and on a very rainy day we managed to get the the shoot done. This is the most corporatey of the lot.

9. May 2015 18:05
by Rene Pallesen
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Ring flash portrait

9. May 2015 18:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I purchased a cheap ring flash and had a bit of a play with it one evening and took the following happy snap photo of Kim.

We are planning a holiday and I am thinking that I might bring it along.

4. May 2015 12:05
by Rene Pallesen
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Kenya Camping

4. May 2015 12:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In Kenya we would just camp somewhere in the bush whenever we went out on safari. In the evening we would sit around a camp fire and on more than one occasion were we visited by lions either wandering past or approaching the camp site at night.

One night my mum woke up with a lion starring into the tent and we had paw prints on the car next to the tent.

Some of the sights were truly amazing such as the extinct volcanoes.

Or Lake paradise in Marsabit in the middle of the desert.

Or lake Nakuru with all the flamingoes (and as I discovered, ancle deep poo).

And the locals were always friendly.

4. May 2015 12:05
by Rene Pallesen
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France 1983

4. May 2015 12:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

When I was a kid we spent a lot of time in southern Europe.

In 1983 I went with my mum and dad through France and through Avignon.

We were camping on the opposite side of the river just where the half bridge would have met the other bank.

One night there was a firework and we got showered in debris from the exploded rockets.

1. May 2015 17:05
by Rene Pallesen
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Tender Embrace

1. May 2015 17:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last weekend when we went to Eastgardens I spotted one of the shops were setting up new clothes on the mannequins. Two of the arms were placed on the floor perfectly for this tender embrace.

17. April 2015 16:04
by Rene Pallesen
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Fox Easter family show

17. April 2015 16:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Sunday we went to the Easter show at the Fox studios.

This year we bought an unlimited rides pass for all of us. This mean that both Lucas and Aiden could do a lot of rides with bot Kim and I.

Aiden was feeling a little sick but he didn't let that stop him and Lucas was a bit more hesitant and spend the first couple of hours refusing to go on any rides but once he got started he wasn't to be stopped.

We went with a couple of friends and everyone had fun.

Except he who had to take Aiden on all the rides that make me seasick.

The also had a 1:1 size Lightning McQueen car and Mack truck, but Aiden wasn't in a mood to say hello or have his photo taken.

17. April 2015 13:04
by Rene Pallesen
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Symbio Wildlife park

17. April 2015 13:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the weekend we went a trip to Symbio wildlife park. We have been there before, but we managed to purchase some cheap tickets and it is a great place for small kids as they can pad and feed the animals. Aiden especially loves animals and is getting good at feeding them himself.

Even Lucas who is normally terrified of animals eventually took courage to touch a Joey (baby kangaroo).

But he was too scared to approach the larger ones.

We also looked at some of the other animals there, such as the crocodiles.

The Dingo's.

The snakes.

The Emu

And the chameleons.

And the red panda.

29. March 2015 08:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Le Noir - or The Dark and intimate side of Cirque du Soleil

29. March 2015 08:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This week Kim and I went with a couple of friends to Lyric Theater to see Le Noir.

It was a bit of a last minute decision day before as cheap tickets suddenly came up.

It was really good with death dying stunts and great performances and rancy sexiness to enjoy.

18. March 2015 13:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Bedstefar visiting

18. March 2015 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I February my dad came to visit for a couple of weeks with Connie, mainly to see the two boys.

Aiden was very excited to have him here and Lucas was initially a bit shy but eventually warmed up.

My Dad brought all my old lego from Denmark, much to the amusement of especially Lucas who enjoys building things.

Aiden eventually also wanted to join.

They also spent time in the garden playing ball.

One day we went to Darling harbour for the Chinese new year. We stopped for some coffee and chilled out.

Afterwards we went to see the chinese decorations.

And we also did a carousel ride.

And we also stopped to get some photos of my dad with both the kids together...which is never easy.

21. August 2011 02:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Driving to Bled via Karlovac - Slovenia

21. August 2011 02:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Driving to Slovenia we again chose to take the scenic route rather than take the highway to Zagreb and then to Slovenia from there. Instead we took the scenic road to Karlovac and then straight north across the border from there.

The was a very small road through a hilly landscape consisting mostly of farms and forests. A great and very enjoyable drive.

When we arrived to Karlovac I noticed a field just outside the city limits where they had deposited a lot of military hardware such as tanks, planes and artilery.

We decided to stop and have a look and it was almost like a museum, but there didn't seem to be anyone taking and entrance fee. There were also a number of bombed out buildings surrounding the field.

Karlovac was badly damaged during the war. Especially the southern part where this field was was totally destroyed. It was pretty much on the frontline between the croats and the serbs. The United nations tried to keep the parties apart, but the croats detroyed the UN observation posts.

The serbs responded with a heavy bombardment of Karlovac firing 5-6,000 grenades into the city every day (that is a lot) as well as by firing missiles into Zagreb.

One of the things on display was one very much shot up and crashed Mig 21...I would assume from the Yugoslav/Serbian Army based on the markings.

The Croatian markings were different on the other Mig21 on display.

Besides from this there were a lot of other hardware such as tanks and artilery as well as one russian missile launcher. I am pretty sure the first tank is an M84 and I think the other ones are Russian T55's.

It was obvious that most of the equipment here had been used in action and some of the equipment was improvised and was also badly shot up such as this armoured personel car.

Afterwards we drove through the city itself and it was obvious that the scars of the war on the buildings were very visible just like in Mostar.

Ironically the main industry in Kardovac today is Arms production and they are a major producer and exporter of handguns.

Driving north from Karlovac we entered a mountain range leading us across the border. On the top we found the Slovenian border and crossed it easily.

It was now lunch time and coming down on the other side we started looking for a place to have eat. We found a restaurant at the foorhills and decided to order todays special having no idea what the price was. We decided to skip the initial soup that was part of the menu and went straight to some very solid mains. The waiter then brought us deserts as well. In total the bill came to 18 Euros including drinks...Kim called this the greatest bargain on our trip.

Not far from there we again joined up with the highway that would take us to Bled. After a while we came to the check for Road Tolls. Not knowing how it worked and not sure which lane I was supposed to be in I had to just go through the gates without paying. After another 30 kilometers we encountered we came to another toll gate and this time I decided to go through the truck/bus lane as it seemed like this one had a cashier. I asked him how the system worked and he said that I had to purchase a weekly pass (so we did). I also asked him what would happen if I didn't have a pass and he told me that I would get a 300 Euro fine...Oouch!!! But he also said that the controls were manual controls, so unless I was stopped I would be ok.....Whewww!!!

The rest of the drive to Bled was a breeze from there on. During our whole trip we used my GPS navigator extensively. Although it wasn't totally accurate all the time for these countries it would still get us most of the way and the driving would definitely have been a lot less enjoyable if we had to use a map all the time.

20. August 2011 07:32
by Rene Pallesen
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Plitvice Lakes - Croatia

20. August 2011 07:32 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We had heard a lot about Plitvice Lakes before we arrived to Croatia. One of the travel shows went as far as saying 'You haven't been to Croatia is you haven't been to Plitvice'. It is also one of the first natural sites that was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Some of the photos/footage we had seen from there was stunning.

Click here for more photos

When we arrived to the villa we were staying in the girl who checked us it provided us with a map of the national park and said that we should go there in the afternoon and get the big waterfalls out of the way. I asked her about Aiden and how easy it would be with his pram. She said that there were some steps, that once you were down at the lakes then it was mainly flat. She also said that on the second day we should do the other waterfalls. This route was longer but flat most of the way.

We arrived to the park and sorted out the park entrace fee and figured out how the parking worked. The decent down to the lakes was a long ramp...easy with the pram.
Once we arrived to the bottom this turned into a wooden walkway. The planks used hadn't been levelled but were just raw pieces of timber and it was very difficult and very bumpy for Aiden in the pram. The narrow walkway (without railing) was full of busloads of japanese tourists whick made it even harder to get through it. We were so busy strugling with getting through the crowds that it was very hard to enjoy and take in the scenery. The walkway was constructed only a few metres from some of the smaller but more scenic waterfalls and with all the people even without the pram it would have been not so as enjoyable as it could have been.

Fortunately the walkway was fairly short and once we hit gravel walkways the going became a lot easier. By this time the busloads had also turned back the same way they came so less crowds. At the end of the circuit we came to this little picturesque lake that had these small tour boats running on it to transport people from one side of the lakes to the other.

We took the boat across to the other side and found the dreaded 200 steps (I think Kim counted 211) from the lake shore back up to the busstop for the bus that would take us back to the carpark. At this point stairs were easy as long as there were no wooden logs or crowds.

Dinner tasted extra good this evening...a massive trout.

Next morning we went back to the park and started on the second circut that had been suggested to us. Again we encountered the wooden log walkways and this time they just kept going. we saw other people with prams who were also struggling. I did have a carrying harness with me, but it was fairly hot and Aiden doesn't like sitting in it for very long so I only carried him in it for short periods of time.

The walks themselves were not that crowded, but every time there was a waterfall it was really crowded and hard to get an unobstructed view.

The walk itself was really nice and the water in the lakes has this amazing turquiose blue colour from the limestone deposits in the water.

And the water is so clear that you can see all the fish swimming around.

It is these deposits that form the lakes and the waterfalls.

The track ended up at the same lake as the day before so we had to take the tourboat across. One of the families with a pram tried to jump the queue by carrying their pram down the hill and he dropped their baby out of the pram...what a chaos, but fortunately the baby was ok.

In the afternoon when we returned to the villa we put Aiden to bed and rushed back down to the park to re-do part of the walk from the day before. It was later in the afternoon so it wasn't as crowded and we found it a lot more pleasurable.

Kim kept asking about a partucular viewpoint of the waterfalls. We were unable to find this viewpoint, but there was a particular track that was closed for maintenance and I am sure that the viewpoint is from this track.

Anyway...in terms of expectations we found that Plitvice under delivered. we found that Krka National Park was amazing, less crowded (or a least more of a local Croatian crowd) and more pram friendly.

19. August 2011 07:31
by Rene Pallesen
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Drive to Plitvice Lakes - Croatia

19. August 2011 07:31 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Driving to the Lakes we decided to take the old road rather than the highway.This road crosses the mountain range and then catches up with one of the larger roads further inland. We were told that after the highway was built there was less traffic on this road, but when we got onto it, it was completely empty of any traffic whatso ever.

The drive across the range was very different. It was very scenic and the road was in great condition. The landscape was very rocky and very dry, almost dessert like with low scrubs and there were many old farms and houses that had been left probably because life was too hard up here. I would have thought it would be the typical place to have goats roaming around, but we didn't see a single goat up on the high plateau. The farms looked like they were several hundred years old. It was the typical farms you see in these areas where the farmers every year pick up the stones they see in their fields and put them to the side to eventually form a type of fence line/walls around the field. Some of these walls were several metres high for even very small fields meaning that they were very old and that it would have taken a lot of really backbreaking work to be able to grow anything up here.

After about seventy kilometres we were across the plateau and one of the first larger town we arrived to was Knin. We decided to stop here to pick up a few supplies and site down and have some lunch. Not far from the supermarket was the trainstation and here was the very nice old steam locomotive. It was built in Budapest (possibly in 1955) and was now just sitting there rusting.

Knin was also the only place on our trip where we saw a significant military presence. I later found out that this was one of the Serbian strongholds during the was and they tried to break free of the newly independent croatia in 1991 as the Republic of Serbian Krajina. As it attempted to break off from Croatia in 1991 they ethnically cleansed the area of non-Serbs and set up their own local government. In 1995, the Croatian army retook the region and the majority of the Serb population fled or was displaced. There are today still some tension in the area and there are not a lot of opportunities. It is also close to the border and strategically located so hence the large military presence.

Just outside Knin we passed this weird structure on one of the farms. It was liks a big silo, but with a large chimney on top. Next to it there was a a wooden structure with some hoisting structure in it. I have no idea what this structure was for. It could be some sort of a furnace for melting something, but to be honest I have no idea...I would love to find out what this structure was for?? Today it looks like the building is used to store cow manure. There are some vineyards in the area so this could possible provide a clue. My guess is that it was for burning limestone (plenty of that around) to produce cement or mortar.

The remainder of the drive was on a much more busy road with large trucks. We managed to get to the lakes early afternoon. Just in time to have a quick visit to the lakes...but more about that in the next post.

18. August 2011 07:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Coastal drive to Trogir - Croatia

18. August 2011 07:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The coastal drive from Dubrovnik back up to Trogir just north of Split is absolutely amazing. It follows the coastline closely all the way and it is both a fun drive and incredibly scenic. I found it better than the Great Ocean Road here in Australia.

One minute the road is really close to the water and you can see all these little bays with crystal clear water and sometimes with small beaches and people swimming. Next minute the road is up high and you get an incredible view of all the high mountains and islands off the coast. The whole route is dotted with small towns and beautiful little churches.

The road is really winding and does not have too much traffic on it, so it is a very pleasant and never boring. To complete the drive we also had to cross back into to Bosnia only to cross the border back into Croatia a few kilometers later.

Unfortunately both Kim and Aiden missed out on much of the scenery as they were sleeping most of the way.

Along the way we stopped in Markarska to get a bite to eat. It is an incredible little natural harbour with a steep backdrop to the mountains behind.

We stopped for the night in a small island town called Trogir. It is a charming little town with narrow passageways and very nice little restaurants. It is very popular with the rich in their 150 foot motor boats.

Kim had found a hotel right in the centre of the old town so we had to park outside the city and then walk in. We were only staying for one night, so it was easy for us to just pack one bag and leave the rest of our things in the boot of the car.

Arriving to the hotel we found that the Aircon and TV wasn't working...we complained to the reception desk and they came to have a look at it. It turned out to have been turned off at the fuse box. We turned on the Aircon and it was quite noisy but at least it was somewhat working.

Kim went to have a shower and suddenly I heard a very loud vacumm cleaner type sound and then Kim started screaming. I went out to the bathroom and there was water and soap everywhere...the walls, the doors (even the outside of the door) and the floor. The Jacuzzi in the bathroom had suddenly automatically turned itself on in the middle of her shower and the off switch wasn't working. The only way we could turn it off was on the fuse box...so now we knew why it was off when we arrived.

This turned out to be probably the worst of the hotels (Hotel Fontana) that we stayed in...it was really unbearable hot in the room, we couldn't open the window because we would be attacked my moscitoes, and if we wanted to turn on the noisy aircondition then the jacuzzi would automatically start every 10 minutes and disrupt our sleep. And the included breakfast was also not worth writing home about.

But besides from that Trogir was very nice. We spent a fair bit of time getting lost in the small alleys. Kim would ask if I had any idea where we were or where we were going...and I'd say "No, we are definitely lost" (Trogir is a very small island so you are never truly lost).

16. August 2011 09:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Dinner in Montenegro

16. August 2011 09:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After the Peljesac Peninsular we thought we'd drive to Montenegro for dinner.

The border to Montenegro is about 30 kilometers from Dubrovnik and Herzeg Novi a coastal town is just on the other side of the border.

Crossing the border we saw a 2 kilometer long queue of cars trying to get back to Croatia. Every car was being stopped and checked for how many cigarettes they were bringing across. We though "Oh My...we have to get back through this is a couple of hours time". Fortunately by the time we returned the queue had cleared and we were processed really fast at the border.

It was a pleasant evening in the city and we had dinner along the seashore. People were really very friendly as well.

The food was very nice and especially the Tiramisu and chocolate pancakes were indulgent.

It was very hot so we used the opportunity to do some funny photos of Aiden.

16. August 2011 05:48
by Rene Pallesen
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Peljesac Peninsular

16. August 2011 05:48 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

While in Dubrovnik we went for a drive up along the Peljesac Peninsular.

It has some really nice litte beaches and the town of Ston has the most amazing fortres defence line running across the mountain tops. It is almost like the great wall of China. In total the town has 6km of defensive walls around it.

We also came across this beautiful little abandoned church.

We spent the afternoon at one of the beaches just dazing in the sun and letting Aiden play in the water.

Some of the bay have small picturesque islands and there are lots of oyster and mussel farms that have been in operation since roman times.

15. August 2011 03:30
by Rene Pallesen
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Dubrovnik - Croatia

15. August 2011 03:30 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After Bosnia we headed back to Croatia (and we then quickly had to cross back through Bosnia on the way to get there because of the geography) to Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik was founded in the 7th Century as a refugee camp after the fall of the roman empire. A Slavic invation forced the romans to seek further south and eventually barricaded themselves on a rocky outcrop at Dubrovnik buy using a natual channel and building big walls as a defence.

Dubrovnik as such prospered and became a powerful trading port in the adriatic sea. Now it is probably one of the largest tourist attactions on the the eastern side of the adriatic sea.

As usual Kim had done a great job finding accomidation in an apartment only 100 metres from one of the main gates to the city, so it was a easy stroll to the old town.

My first impression of Dubrovnik was something along the lines of 'Holy @#@$@%...there are so many stairs here" (tough job carrying Aiden up and down stairs with a pram).

Fortunately we found an easier way that did involve very little more walking, but no carrying...so all a happy family.

The main street through the middle of Dubrovnik is very nice and full of nice places to eat and shop. There are a lot of people everywhere and in general everything is really expensive compared to elsewhere is Croatia. Parking for example was equivalent to $48 per day for street parking...and again considering it is a big tourist destination people are not that helpful with advise and guidance.

There are also several churces that are very nice. Our favourite one (by far) was the St. Ignatius Church.

Inclucing some museums such as the national archives which used to be the Sponza palace.

This is the handrailing for the stairs

As well as some great little Franciscan and Dominican monesteries. These both had some great little courtyard garden with palm and orange trees.

As well as some cool water fountains (Aiden was very happy with these) and really likes a cool splash whenever he could get the chance.

In more modern times, Dubrovnik was under heavy shelling by Serbian and Montenegro forces during the Yugoslav war in 1991 although it had absolutely no strategic value whatsoever.

Click here to see a video of the shelling of Dubrovnik

Today It is hard see any scars of this conflict as most of the buildings have been repaired although there are some signs of the shelling.

And again I managed to sneak out for a couple of evening photos. Evening shots were really hard to take as they were usually around the time where we either had to have dinner or get Aiden ready for bed.

13. August 2011 05:39
by Rene Pallesen
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Mostar - Bosnia

13. August 2011 05:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After Split we headed across the border into Bosnia to a town called Mostar. Some will remember Mostar from the terrible fighting that took place here during the war in Yugoslavia in 1992 and 1993. The town has this beautiful river running through it with this anciant bridge running across it. During the war this bridge was blown up by the Bosnian Croat forces but has now been re-built thanks to the United Nations and especially Spain. The original bridge was built during the ottoman empire during the 16th Century.

The Bridge looks even more stunning at night and especially with all the mosques in the surrounding area.

Mostar is only a few hours drive from the border up through this beautiful valley. Today a fair number of tourists go to Mostar to see the bridge, but most of them only stay for one night and then move on. We decided to stay for two nights because it was easier with Aiden. Again Kim had done a good job finding accomodation in at Old museum (more like a beautiful old house really)...the was also the only house that was left more or less intact after the war (only a few mortar shells through the top floor).

During the day we spent a few hours on the river going for a swim. The water was quite cool coming from the mountains and there was a lot of current so Kim and Aiden stayed at the edge, but I jumped in a few times and let the current take me a couple of meters before heading back to shore.

The locals jump off the bridge and into the river...and it is a fairly high jump from the bridge to the water (24 metres apparently). Every year there is a special festival where they do it, but now they mainly do it to entertain the tourists for a bit of money in return.

People were very friendly in Bosnia, of all the places we travelled through we probably found the croats the least approachable and helpful.

During the war the town was surrounded by Bosnian Croat forces and the population consisting mainly of muslims decided to defend themselves. The city was hammered to pieces by Croat artiliry fire and even today it is hard to find a house without scars from bulletholes and grenades.

It is worthwhile to have a look at the following video to see what happened here in 1993: Mostar in 1993

Mostar is surrounded by steaphills and it would have been almost impossible to find cover from snipers and artiliery from above.

Now almost 20 years later there are still many ruins right in the centre of east Mostar where we were staying and there are lots of house that are full of bulletholes and people are still living in these houses.In the houses that have not been repaired it is almost impossible to find a 30 by 30cm patch that does not have a bullet hole or grenade fragments in it. It would have been a hell on earth living or fighting here during these times.

Inside the city limites there are three cemeteries and they are all full of victims killed in 1993...all mixed with Muslim, Christian and Orthodox. It is a very sobering experience to see that every grave is marked with the exact same year and that almost every victim was born at about the same time as Kim and myself.

Today the population seems to be getting along regardless of background and religion.

The surrounding hills in the valley driving in from Croatia also have old castles and ruins on them. It is a very scenic drive and highly recommended.

We have a very nice time in Bosnia and we can highly recommend that people go there to visit.

People should not forget Mostar and especially not forget what happened here in 1992 and 1993.

12. August 2011 10:55
by Rene Pallesen
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Krka National Park - Croatia

12. August 2011 10:55 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We spent a day driving to a National Park along the Krka river.This park has the most amazing waterfalls and clear blue water to swim in.

Kim and I both agree that this park is much better and less overcrowded than Plitvice National Park. There are also fewer steps and better tracks whick made it more pram friendly.

The park is full of small waterfalls.

Back in time the water from the river was used to drive a watermill, which is still functioning to this day.

The lower falls you can swim in. We all went for a swim and the water was beautiful...Aiden didn't want to leave.

10. August 2011 12:25
by Rene Pallesen
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Split - Croatia

10. August 2011 12:25 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After Denmark we went to Croatia. Our first stop was Split arriving late at night into Split Airport, picking up the rental car and baby seat and then navigating our way to the apartment we had rented for a few days.

The apartment was very nice (Kim is good at finding accomodation) and they had provided a baby cot for Aiden to sleep in (all the places we stayed provided a cot for us), next to the best beach in town and it was about a kilometers walk from the central part of the city.

Split is famous because of the Diocletians Palace, which is an enormous and fairly well preserved palace in the middle of the city. The Palace was built for the retirement of the Roman emperor Diocletian at around 300AD. There are still a lot of well preserved buildings and cellars within the palace walls, but there is also a lot of more 'modern' houses, shops, restaurants etc.

Click here for more photos

Walking around and getting lost in the small alleys was really pleasant.

Just outside the Gold gate there is an enormous status, and it is said that if you touch the toe of the statue then it brings you luck and guarantees your return to Split (We did drive past Split a week later....maybe that counts).

In the evenings it was pleasant walking along the shore and take in the views of the city.

And all the locals were out stretching their legs too...

And we really enjoyed the fresh seafood.

Aiden loved the food and the decor of some of the restaurants.

Click here for more photos

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2. October 2012 07:19
by Rene Pallesen
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Auburn Botanical Gardens Picnic

2. October 2012 07:19 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After our escursion to the park last week the family decided to go there for a picnic on this Labour Day (public holiday).

I was soooo tired after having food poisoning the night before...and wasn't able to eat anything...but the others were having fun.

Here is Kims dad with the four daughters.

What I didn't realise was that this was the park that KC and Chong got married in. The ceremony was in this spot where I took this photo of Kims dad with most of his grand children (the two youngest missing).

I also did some more peacock photos while we were there.

Afterwards there was cake and KC and Chongs place (it was his b'day a couple of days earlier)...but we were too tired to join them.

29. September 2012 05:57
by Rene Pallesen
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Photo Competition

29. September 2012 05:57 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

For the last couple of years work has has an annual photo competition. This year the theme was 'connected world' and I decided to participate.

Not an easy task coming up with an idea and doing a project like this with a new kid. With bit of brainstorming I came up with a couple of ideas and with Kims permission to doing a night shoot in the city I decided to put one of the ideas to life.

I am not sure if it is a strong enough photo to be a real contender, but it was fun trying to put it together. The photo was taking at the Domain in Sydney with the highrises in the background.

28. September 2012 08:39
by Rene Pallesen
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Auburn Botanical Gardens

28. September 2012 08:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Yesterday we made the trip to Auburn Botanical gardens which is located about 25km from where we live.

I am paternity leave at the moment at this was a nice opportunity to get out of the house with Aiden and the newborn and also take some photos.

The garden contains a Japanese section full of Cherry blossoms in spring...unfortunately it is no longer cherry blossom season, but I did find some apple trees with flowers on them as well as other flowers.

There was also a bunch of peacocks around the place...one of them kind enough to show us its pride.

24. September 2012 07:45
by Rene Pallesen
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Newborn Photos

24. September 2012 07:45 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

During the last couple of days I have been doing my first series of newboarn photos with the little one (still no name).

So far he is behaving like a typical newborn...wants a feed every couple of hours and sleeps a lot. He is doing his best to keep Kim awake at night...I try to get a good nights sleep and then look after Aiden during the daytime and get him out of the house (swimming, shopping etc.) so that Kim can get some additional sleep without too make additional interruptions.

Anyway...back to the newborn photos. I wanted to take these cute high-key photos with the newborn wearing a hat. It turned out to be a lot harder than I had expected...both due to the little one not behaving as desired, but also because there were a few adjustments that had to be made underway. In the end we ended up doing three sitting where the last sitting was the most successful one.

I knew that I needed to raise the head from the body to get the right pose but I found out that it was a mistake using pillows as they were too soft. After this I tried towels and linen but they were still too soft. In the end I used a hard camera suitcase with a towel on top which turned out to be perfect.

Over the next weeks I will get to take some more photos, so stay tuned...

13. September 2012 04:34
by Rene Pallesen
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9 months project

13. September 2012 04:34 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

During the last 9 months since Kim became pregnant I've been doing this project with a monthly belly photo.

12. September 2012 07:20
by Rene Pallesen
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Baby Brother for Aiden

12. September 2012 07:20 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the morning of the 12th September 2012 at 6.10am our little boy arrived to this world. He was keen to get out and as expected (pretty much) he arrived two weeks early.

Labour actually started more than 24 hours earlier and was just dragging on with Kim getting contractions every 30 minutes or so...not close enough to quite panic about, but still with the knowledge that it is close to going to the hospital. At the time the little one arrived Kim had been in labour for more that 24 hours so she eventually ended up with another c-section.

Fortunately there were no complications with the procedure, the only downside was that everyone else in the whole area decided to have babies on the same day, so the hospital natal section was completely full. This meant that for the first three nights Kim and the little one were put in the acute section of the hospital. Very noisy and hard to sleep, but the good thing was that there was a 1:1 carer ratio and they don't normally see little newborns there, so both Kim and the newborn got a lot of attention and assistance.

After 5 nights in the hospital Kim and the newborn (still without a name) came back from the hospital.

The little one actually looks a lot like his older brother...same mold I guess.

9. September 2012 07:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Darling Harbour 2012

9. September 2012 07:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last night I went with Kim and Aiden to Darling Harbour for dinner. We wanted to go somewhere where it was also nice to go for a walk.

We ended up just buying a kebab and sitting on the steps outside eating it while Aiden had fun imitating the sounds of the seagulls trying to get to our foor (in the beginning he was a bit scared of the birds).

I had brought my camera along and took a couple of panorama shots of the harbour...love it, love it, love it. I was able to crank up the ISO and take this handheld with no problems and because of the high resolution it is amazing what I can do with it back home in terms of stitching photos together etc. The end result is a 100 Megapixel image so very big.

Afterwards we had coffee and tiramisu at Guylians...coffee was nice but had better cake before.

9. September 2012 02:29
by Rene Pallesen
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Pregnancy Photos 2012

9. September 2012 02:29 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We are now 8 months into expecting our new little baby boy and we expect him to arrive any time within the next two weeks.

We did some pregnancy photos the last couple of days to make sure we have some nice ones as a family.

6. September 2012 11:13
by Rene Pallesen
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Fathers Day 2012

6. September 2012 11:13 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This Sunday it was Fathers Day here in Australia. Aiden had painted me a very nice picture at Daycare as a fathers day present.

In the morning he took me out of for a buffet breakfast at the Crowne Plaza in Coogee...and afterwards we enjoyed a the very nice warm and sunny day at the beach where he got to play in the sand.

25. August 2012 08:55
by Rene Pallesen
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Sunrise at Sydney Opera House 2012

25. August 2012 08:55 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This morning Sacha asked me if I'd like to do a sunrise shoot with him at the Opera House. I'd wanted to try out the new camera for landscape so said yes.

This was the very first photo I took and after that the light went pretty bad.

A very nice morning, but I am not sure if I'm cut out for the early starts (had to get up at 4.30am), especially not now that we are going towards summer.

Kim and Aiden stayed at home sleeping and they were still sleeping when I returned at around 7am.

18. December 2012 08:11
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas first Christmas

18. December 2012 08:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The first Christmas for Lucas is approaching. This also means that he is being subjected to all kinds of Christmas rituals such as posing for his Dads Christmas photos.

12. December 2012 08:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Kims Dads Birthday 2012

12. December 2012 08:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year we celebrated Kims Dads birthday with a big lunch for the whole family where everyone brough along something to eat.

Afterwards we did some family photos with Kim and all the grans children as well as my Dad and his two grand children Aiden and Lucas.

Click here for more photos

5. December 2012 06:34
by Rene Pallesen
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Glasses - Feeling old

5. December 2012 06:34 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I finally had to bite the bullet and get my eyes checked out for glasses.

I had started developing a headache if sitting in front of the computer or reading for extended periods of time

So I now have some reading glasses that I can use...makes me feel old.

3. December 2012 11:19
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden playing with water

3. December 2012 11:19 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Needless to say that our lives currently revolve around looking after Lucas and Aiden.

This Saturday I took Aiden swimming in the morning and I must say that he is getting more and more confident in the water. We reached another milestone with him being happy to just swim around (in circles mostly) wearing his floaties without holding onto me.

In the afternoon it was really hot...36 degrees in the shade, so we decided to let him have some more waterfun at home in the inflatable pool.

3. December 2012 11:15
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden playing with Playdough

3. December 2012 11:15 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This weekend we bought some playdough for Aiden to play with.

Initially he wasn't sure what to do with it, but after a while with a bit of guidance he started getting a bit more creative.

3. December 2012 01:25
by Rene Pallesen
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First December 2012

3. December 2012 01:25 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

It is now the first of december and the Christmas shopping has started in the shopping centres.

The other day the mall has a big sale and with that sale they has different characters walk the floor...in this case a Teddy with a girlie Santa.

Aiden was very excited but a lille scared of the big teddy bear.

25. November 2012 11:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas two and a half months

25. November 2012 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last week Kim asked me to bring the camera an take some photos of Lucas on the bed.

He is now two and an half months old and is now able to smile and get excited when he sees you and when you talk to him.

He is still keeping mummy up at night although we think he is getting a bit better on that front.

24. November 2012 01:21
by Rene Pallesen
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An Oldie, but a goodie

24. November 2012 01:21 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This photo was actually taken more than 6 months ago, but going through some old photos I found it too good not to post.

I was setting up for a pregnancy shoot (then Kim was 4 months due) and Aiden was trying to assist me with the setup. He happened to sit down it the perfect spot and give me a pose that tells so much about his character at that time...sucking his fingers and everything.

...and by pure coincidence it happened that the photo was perfectly lit.

20. November 2012 12:56
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas Foot

20. November 2012 12:56 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I took this photo a couple of months ago, but haven't come around to finishing it until now.

It is a photo of Lucas' foot in my hands.

12. November 2012 11:44
by Rene Pallesen
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Old Photo - Aiden/Daddy looks the same?

12. November 2012 11:44 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I found this old photo of myself that my dad took of me when I was about 3 years old (I think).

Looking at Aiden today there is a strong resemblance in the facial features.

The photo was badly damaged and requires a fair bit of restoration, but at least I now have a digital copy of the photo.

8. July 2015 09:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Muay Thai

8. July 2015 09:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One evening I went to see Thai boxing or Muay Thai as it is called locally.

I asked the rest of the family if anyone wanted to join me, but they all said no (it is the national sport of Thailand).

I had been once before long time ago in Bangkok and wanted to experience it again.

I decided to pay the bit extra and get a VIP seat right next to the ring and that was definitely worth the extra money.

There were 8 fights that evening. The first fight was between two kids around 11 years old. Especially the kid in black shorts was very strong and was dominating the fight throughout.

The second fight was between two older teenagers. Again the kid in black was dominating the match.

The third fight was between to women, a Canadian and a Thai. The canadian girl looked very relaxed and was definitely ready to fight. The Thai girl had no chance against her and the match ended in knockout.

Before each fight they go through this unique dance ritual.

I was privileged to sit next to one of the judges who has happy to talk, so between each round I could ask him questions about the scoring system which is rather confusing.

The 4th match was between a French and a Thai. The foreigners are really dominating this sport now and the Thai's were generally struggling.

As with all the fights wit foreigners this fight also ended in a knockout.

The 5th fight was back to two Thais fighting.

One of the last fights was between a brazilian and a Thai. When walking into the ring you could tell that the brazil was very strong.

He started by kicking the Thai in the chest and then punched him in the face.

The fight lasted less than a minute before a knockout.

The last fight was more in the heavyweight class, again between a brazilian and a Thai.

This fight was full of power and again it ended up in knockout.

After the fights I happened see the winners lining up out the back. I managed to get a photo with a couple of them.

...yeah, I look really convincing there.

This evening was definitely one of my highlights from the trip and if we were going back then I would probably go again. The atmosphere is amazing and if the fighters are good then the experience is phenomenal.

6. July 2015 07:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Island trip

6. July 2015 07:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One morning Kim booked a trip out to some of the smaller islands of Phuket.

The trip was in a large speed boat and initially the family didn't want to go because they were worried about getting seasick, but eventually they changed their minds.

The boys loved the experience and were very proud wearing their life jackets.

On the island we could feed the fish from the beach.

And there was time to play in the water for the boys (and a bit of snorkeling for me).

It is also good to see that they are still using their long tail boats for traditional fishing.

5. July 2015 12:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Baby elephant

5. July 2015 12:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After visiting the big Buddha we stopped to feed a baby elephant.

The kids were a little overwhelmed by its trunk, but fun nevertheless.

4. July 2015 14:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Big Buddha

4. July 2015 14:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After Wat Chalong we went up to see the Big Buddha on top of a big hill.

The Buddha itself is 45 metres tall and is very impressive.

They have been building there for the past 10 years and will probably be building for at least another 10.

While there we also did a little prayer for Kim's mum.

And Aiden being his cheeky self did the 3 monkeys pose.

And they loved the big gongs (which you actually rub rather than gong).

Surprisingly they also in a far corner of the compound had some indian gods, but maybe not so surprising since we were close to Myanmar with a large indian based population (lots of Myanmar people in Phuket).

3. July 2015 13:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Wat Chalong

3. July 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One morning we ventured out to see one of the islands biggest temples, the Wat Chalong.

It is a magnificent temple with lots to see and it was a pity that the rest of the family didn't want to join us.

The temple contains what is said to be a bone fragment of buddha.

And the temple itself is full of golden buddhas.

Outside there are some elephant sculptures and across from that an areas where they fire of ceremonial fireworks which really scared the boys (as seen of Lucas face).

2. July 2015 13:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Food

2. July 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The food in Thailand is delicious.

There are so many variations that we cannot get at home and they don't add all that sugar.

Lucas was a bit tired after a morning at the beach at this one.

On KC's birthday we went to an ocean front seafood place.

I don't think the family liked the food in Thailand much though, because they wanted to eat japanese and wanted air conditioned restaurants even though the evenings generally were a bit cooler.

1. July 2015 13:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Various

1. July 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Here are some various photos that I haven't posted earlier.

Here is one of a jumpshot with Kim and I in front of the big Buddha.

Down at the beach there was this artificial wave surfing centre.

1. July 2015 13:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Shopping

1. July 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The family did lots of shopping.

Kim's family had suits and shirts made and the girls bought lots of shoes.

We also found some great tshirts for the kids.

Although the kids were more interested in the ice cream.

1. July 2015 12:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - fruits

1. July 2015 12:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

It is fruit season at the moment so we bought lots of really delicious fruits such as Rambutans, mangosteens, mangoes, jack fruit etc.

30. June 2015 13:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Street life

30. June 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The street life in Thailand is as it always have been with lots of food stalls and other shops.

Petrol for all the bikes is bought in these small shops as well.

You can even get your feet cleaned by fish.

And handicraft is created there as well (The large elephant piece took him 2 weeks to create).

A new addition is the popup cocktail bars.

It reminds me of the good old days of backpacking where nothing was arranged beforehand. I would just organise accommodation when I arrived to a new place. There is still plenty of accommodation options everywhere if you look for it.

19. December 2011 11:22
by Rene Pallesen
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Christmas Family Photos 2011

19. December 2011 11:22 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Christmas is now approaching and to keep up traditions I have created some family photos as well as some photos of Aiden.

19. December 2011 01:21
by Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

9. August 2011 04:56
by Rene Pallesen
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Rostock and Warnemunde

9. August 2011 04:56 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On one of the other days we did a trip to Germany to a town called Rostock (former East Germany). This is a two hour ferry ride from where my dad lives.

Rostock is one of the old Hansestads and the inner city has a lot of old houses and beautiful water fountains.

It started raining so we decided to drive up to one of the other coastal towns called Warnemunde. This is a little very charming place with old houses, fishing boats and along the coast there are very nice groovy cafes.

In the later afternoon we took the ferry back to Denmark. Aff the Danish coastline they have constructed a massive windmill park with hundreds of windmills generating Electricity.

8. August 2011 04:38
by Rene Pallesen
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Hans Christian Andersens House

8. August 2011 04:38 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We went to HC Andersens house in Odense in Denmark. This is the house that he was living in and behind the house they have now build a museum and a park with a castle theatre for the kids.

We started out in the park as there was a play about to start in the theatre.

The play was a 15 minute recap of all the most famous stories and it was very well done and very funny (especially the Emperors new Clothing).

Both Aiden and Bedstefar really enjoyed the play together.

Afterwards we went to see the actual house HC andersen was living in.

HC Andersen is one of Kims favourite writers.

And we also visited the museum.

7. August 2011 07:40
by Rene Pallesen
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Egeskov Castle

7. August 2011 07:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After visiting HC Andersens house we went to Egeskov Castle.

This is a castle that has now been converted into a museum and the surrounding area has been converted into very nice gardens, playgrounds, ponds etc.

The museum hosts old armory, paintings and the owners dad used to go big game hunting in Africa and a lot of the trophies are on display.

Inside the castle they have one of the most amazing doll houses. It is very detailed and some of the pieces have been donated by the royal families of europe.

In one of the adjacent building have now have a museum for old cars and motorcycles.

This was one of Kims favourites.

They also had a museum for old fire engines.

While I was busy with the fire engines my Dad and Kim did the tree-top walk nearby.

After this we took the ferry back home to complete the tour. By the end of the day we had driven across 9 different islands (Falster -> Masnedø -> Sjælland -> Sprogø -> Fyn -> Tåsinge -> Siø -> Langeland -> Lolland). A long day but well worth it.

7. August 2011 06:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Meeting the relatives

7. August 2011 06:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This week we travelled to Denmark to meet the relatives. We flew straight from Sydney to Copenhagen with short stopovers in Singapore and London. Aiden behaved like a little angel pretty much all the way although he was pretty tired on the last stretch from London.

The purpose of our trip was initially to introduce Aiden to both his Grandmother and Granddad (Bedstefar), but since my mum passed away last month he could only meet my dad.

It took a couple of days for both granddad (Bedstefar) and Aiden to get used to each other, but now they really enjoy each others company and have fun playing with eachother (although it will take some time before we get him to babysit as he refuses to change nappies).

We also went to the cemetry to visit my mum who passed away recently and my brother. It is a pity my Mum didn't get to meet Aiden, but at least he has now been to the cemetry.

We also went to visit my grand parents (Aidens great grandparents) as well as my great grand parents and great great grandparents (5 generations in one place).

One afternoon we went to my Aunties house to visit.

On a couple of evenings we had an outdoor BBQ. My dad was looking after the meat and we were looking after the side dishes and deserts. On the first evening my dad managed to burn the chicken a faid bit.

One afternoon we all went to the local zoo (It must have been 30 years since I last went there).

We tried the swings there, but Aiden wasn't happy with them (Maybe when he is older).

In the evenings we went down memory lane where my dad pulled out old 16mm film from when I was a toddler.

Click here for more photos

We were in Denmark a week and a half and it was really nice to see Aiden and my Dad getting along. I am hoping that my dad will come to Sydney in the near future and spend more time with Aiden...it will be good for him to know Bedstefar as he is growing up.

10. July 2011 10:30
by Rene Pallesen
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Jerusalem Bay 2011

10. July 2011 10:30 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Today was a beautiful winters day...cool, windy and blue skies and we decided to use this beautiful Sunday to go on a bushwalk with Aiden (his first real bushwalk).

The walk we decided to do was one up at Cowan from the station down to Jerusalem Bay (5km return). I carried Aiden all the way in a small sling/backpac we have for him.

He is still not used to the sling and keeps leaning back...but hopefully we can get him a bit more used to it before our holiday to Croatia.

The walk follows a creek with a small stream running through it. Eventually it reaches the bay which is a picturesque little place.

It was a great trip and it was great to get out and get some exercise.

Afterwards we had lunch at Berowra at a place I had been to before. Unfortunately it had changed owners and didn't have the same quality to it any longer.

4. July 2011 12:18
by Rene Pallesen
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Getting Aiden used to the Sand

4. July 2011 12:18 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We had a beautiful winter day yesterday and we decided to head down to the beach to get Aiden used to the feel of sand.

He took it a lot better than expected and although wasn't playing with the sand at least he tolerated his feet and hands touching it.

He was also quite content sucking his fingers being full of sand.

4. July 2011 11:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Kims Birthday

4. July 2011 11:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This week it was Kims Birthday (one of the big ones with a zero in it). In the morning she was surprised with a big bunch of flowers delivered and she thought they were from me...she was very surprised when she discovered they were from my dad.

...and I got an earful because she thought that I hadn't gotten her any...well I did and they were delivered by the end of the afternoon and they were different from the ones I ordered (they just delivered a palin bunch of roses which was very dissappointing but the florist gave me a refund when I complained about it).

In the evening we had Kims dad baby sitting while we went to Sepia for the degustation menu.

The food was really yummi and time just flew away.

On the Sunday we celebrated with the family on a japanese restaurant followed by cake and birthday song.

Happy Birthday Kim!!

21. June 2011 09:10
by Rene Pallesen
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Mum passed away

21. June 2011 09:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Week before last my mum passed away.

She had her birthday on the Saturday where we called her and sang har Happy Birthday. The next day I received an email from my auntie saying that my mum had another stroke on the day after her birthday and that she probably wouldn't make it through the night.

Obviously a bit of a shock and after calling the hospital they confirmed that she was in a coma and that it wasn't looking good. The stroke was on the opposite side of where she previously had a stroke so even if she woke up she would probably be totally paralysed.

Later that day I managed to get hold of my aunt and spoke to her to try and decide whether I should jump on a plane immediately or wherhet I should wait and see. I decided that because she was asleep there wouldn't be much value in me going there since it could be a long wait. My mums health has been pretty bad for a while so every time I've spoken to her I've know that it could be the last time. The one regret I have is that I only spoke to her briefly on her Birthday because we were going out for dinner.

On the 8th I reveived a call from my Aunt in the middle of the night saying that my mum had quietly slept in and that I better make my way to Denmark because there was a lot of decisions that had to be made.

The last photo of my Mum

When I arrived to Denmark my Dad hadn't arrived yet and his neighbour was out so I was unable to get into his apartment. I decided to go for a walk down to the hospital where my mum was and I was sitting outside for a while. Every time I saw someone in a window I was hoping that I would catch a glimse of my mum.

Next day my dad had arrived and we had a very busy day organising the funeral with the funeral company and starting to clear out her apartment. I had to make a decision as to what I wanted to keep and what should be disposed of. Over the next couple of days I managed to pack two boxes of stuff to keep and the rest was thrown out (apart from one box of porcelain painted by my grandma which I gave to my auntie). It was belongings that represented my Mums entire life and I had to make decisions as what to keep. In the end I only kept a few things that I would like to remember her by where the photos were an important part. I also kept a few of my grandmothers things that she had.

My mum had kept a lot of my things which I had to throw out as well. There were a number of really old bottles of wine from before I moved to Australia where the only one that was perfectly drinkable was a 1987 bottle (The rest had turned to vinegar). My dad and I shared this bottle over an outside BBQ one evening.

It is really sad to see how my Mums last few years has split up the family as well as old friends...when she had her first stroke years ago she was very much let down by both family members and friends that she thought she could depend on. A couple of these turned up to the funeral service...I am sure my mum would rather have had them not being there.

On the thursday we had my mums funeral at the church next to where she was born and I found it really hard to say my last goodbuy to her. It is one thing knowing she has passed away, but it really sunk in when she was right there in her coffin.

It was difficult for me to take these photos, but I needed something to remember the funeral by.

After the funeral we had lunch at Marielyst. It was good to catch up with some of my family members especially my mums sisters and my cousins and I am grateful for all the flowers that were sent.

In the middle of the lunch my dads sister came and threw a spanner in the wheels. She has days before promised that she would take care of the legal side and in the middle of the lunch she declared that she didn't want to do it afterall. I find her timing absolutely appaling and dissapointing. She could have let me know of that decisions earlier...instead I had to rush around and organise a lawyer in the afternoon where I thoughs I could finally site back and reflect on the loss of my mum and pack my things to finally go home next morning.

Anyway it got all sorted and next day I returned back to Australia.

I am really sorry that my mum never got to meet Aiden and I am sorry that Aiden never got to meet his grandmother. She passed away day after Aidens 1yo birthday and we were planning togo to Denmark next month to finally introduce them to eachother.

I hope that if there is something after that she has finally found some peace and that she is with my brother and that both of them are young, happy and healthy. The years since my brother passed away were really tough on my mum...she has had a tough autumn and her wish was always to be buried next to him in Vaeggerloese.

We will all miss her very much...

21. June 2011 03:39
by Rene Pallesen
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Sonja Irene Pallesen 1942 - 2011

21. June 2011 03:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

7. June 2011 03:32
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden 1 year old

7. June 2011 03:32 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Today it was Aidens 1st Birthday and we celebrated it quietly with a birthday song and a little cupcake with a candle in it.

He is now a lot more curious about his environment and crawls around the livingroom investigating every corner. He is still commando crawling, but when he is determined to get to something then he is pretty quick.

We also measured him up against a wall and he is now 74cm tall and weighs just over 10kg. He is starting to become a real handful. He is used to me taking him with me in the shower and really doesn't like being bathed in a bathtub any more and it now takes the two of us to dress him (one of us to hold him while the other person dresses him). He is getting so strong that it is hard to one person to hold him is he starts wiggling like a worm.

On Sunday is his big birthday party and I really hope that I will be able to be there and celebrate it with him. Aiden's Grandmother (my Mum) had another stroke on Sunday (the day after her 69th Birthday) and things don't look very good at the moment and I may suddenly have to rush back to Denmark. I really hope she will hold out as I don't want to miss my little boys first Birthday party.

I am really sad that my Mum and Aiden hasn't had a chance to meet. We are supposed to go back there in August to visit her...but now we will have to re-evaluate our plans.

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