Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

9. December 2016 15:02
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Harbour Bridge Walk

9. December 2016 15:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

During the winter we went for a walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Here are some of the photos from the walk.

9. December 2016 12:02
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Fathers day 2016

9. December 2016 12:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On fathers day we used the opportunity to do some family photos with the boys as well as Kims dad.

9. December 2016 09:02
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Morning silly creatives

9. December 2016 09:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Aiden and Lucas sometimes loves to play with boxes and other items that are in the recycle bin inside.

One morning they had used the boxes to create a farm...not bad!

...and then there is the silliness...

21. October 2016 14:10
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Meet Aiden and Tiger (aka Calvin and Hobbs)

21. October 2016 14:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Years ago Aiden got a little fluffy toy tiger as a gift.

Over the last couple of years this has been the most treasured toy to the degree where him and Lucas is sometime fighting over it. They sleep with it and they bring it to school to do show and tell.

It reminds me of the comic called Calvin and Hobbs - with a little boy and his toy tiger often getting up to mischief.

21. October 2016 14:10
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Desert treat for Lucas

21. October 2016 14:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Now that Aiden is a school and Lucas at daycare they are invited to heaps of birthdays.

One evening Kim took Aiden to a birthday and in the meantime I took Lucas for a little desert treat at Choc Top in Rosebery.

The menu looked delicious and not know that they were so big I ordered one for each of us. They also gave us a free ice cream because they were slow.

I felt so sick afterwards and we didn't even finish it.

20. October 2016 13:10
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Scarborough Family Trip

20. October 2016 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

It has been a while since we did a family trip with the family. Kim's dad is getting older and it is getting harder for him to do longer extended trips.

The family found a nice house at Scarborough just an hours drive from Sydney. It was a beautiful coastal home with room enough for the whole family and with the conveniences of a large kitchen, a fireplace and TV for the kids.

The inlaws recently got a dog and she made it on the trip as well.

More importantly, it was just a short walk to the Scarborough hotel for coffee in the morning.

And also plenty of beaches nearby.

20. October 2016 13:10
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Royal National Park walk with friends

20. October 2016 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We are trying to keep the boys (and ourselves) more active on the weekends. This weekend Audrey asked if we wanted to join them for an easy walk at the Royal National Park (about 30 minutes drive from home).

The walk was along an old horse carriage trail (Lady Game Trail) and was fairly level and easy walking the whole way. We made it well past the half way mark where there is an old watering station for the horses before turning around.

I think the kids eventually managed to walk almost 7 kilometers without too much complaining which is pretty far for their little feet.

20. October 2016 13:10
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Camping at Cattai

20. October 2016 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

For a long time I had wanted to introduce the boys to Camping. Since Kim had never been camping either and wanted a certain level of comfort we looked around for suitable location within easy reach from Sydney.

We eventually settled on Cattai National Park as it has a lot of amenities such as flushing toilets, hot showers and allows camp fires.

Kim also asked some of our friends if they'd like to join, so we ended up going three families together.

We bought a new tent which by most standards is huge, but has plenty of space on rainy days (which we didn't have) for cooking and eating inside the tent as well as air mattresses for sleeping on.
We also had a camping table and chair and amazingly we were able to fit it all into the booth of my car.

Apart from Lucas getting a little cold during the night it went very well. The boys had a blast of a time making up games, eating food (constantly), fishing (no bites) and eating roasted marshmallows.

I also tried a Danish specialty, 'SnogBroed' (Twisted Bread) which consists to of a sausage and bread dough wrapped around a stick and then baked in the fire. Mavis made one that turned out perfectly - unfortunately everyone was too full from eating to really have a go at it (Maybe next time)

In the evening and morning there were lots of kangaroos in the camp ground, which the boys quickly chased away.

19. June 2016 14:06
by Admin
0 Comments

chopsticks

19. June 2016 14:06 by Admin | 0 Comments

Last night we went out for Japanese dinner. Lucas wanted to use chopsticks, so I improvised some training ones using a rubber band.

12. June 2016 09:02
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Aidens 6th Birthday 2016

12. June 2016 09:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

For Aidens 6th birthday we invited his friends to a game of bowling.

Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

29. November 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Struggling

29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of support, dealing with the boys, work and other things.

Mid-year during the lockdown it hit hard.

7. April 2021 22:04
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Camping Glenworth Valley

7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Over easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of Sydney in an easily accessible but beautiful little valley.

It is private propoerty, so you have to book beforehand and it does get very busy. We were very lucky that we were located down at the end of the property where it was more quiet.

In the evenings there were beautiful sunsets.

In the morning it was a bit more misty in the valley.

The owners also put on a great easter egg hunt for the children. There were hundreds of children with 20,000 chocolate eggs hidden in a field and there was an easter bunny riding a horse.

We also spend time playing some ball sports. I'd brought a baseball bat and ball. Because we were four families, we had plenty of people to form two teams. It got very competitive and the bat took a bit of battering, so I had to go a buy a more solid wooden bat.

In the evenings we had the normal campfire and baked dampers on sticks, marshmellows and baked potatoes in the fire.

There are also lots of walks witin easy driving distance, including some walks with beautiful waterfalls.

Also, people come to the valley for horse riding, so there are lots of horses in the surrounding paddocks.

And wildlife such as Kookaburras!

And going for a short stroll in the mornings was a beautiful experience with the mist and light changing.

Because of lots of rain, the whole area had been flooded just weeks earlier. Where we were camping would have been a meter under water, but because of the river running through the area the water had fortunately receeded.

21. March 2021 13:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Karate 3rd Kyu

21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at the same Kim graded for her 5th Kyu (Blue belt).

On the occation I treated myself to a new dogi (karate uniform).

I was so nervous and tense - and screwed up a few places. There is now a lot of hard work ahead to get to the 2nd Kyu which is at least another half a year away.

Here are some photos from the grading. The ones from the dojo are a bit blurry because they weren't taken from my camera and I don't have the full resolution photos.

20. March 2021 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Karate bruises

20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last year was a tough year with Karate.

First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for training, but even in the dojo I managed to get a lot of injuries.

Some of them visible and some of them not so visible...I have a whole stack of scans and x-rays as souvenirs from this year.

Some could have been avoided, but most are just part of the training.

I even earned an award for it...

The worst one was a kick to my chin. I dont have any photos of it, but I do have the indentation it made on my mouth guard I was wearing at the time. If it hadn't been for the mouthguard I am certain that I would have lost some teeth. This injury could have been avoided.

I have now gone out to buy a new and way cooler mouthguard (I created the design myself). It is thors hammer in the middle surrounded by the Fenrir wolf and Midgaards Serpent.

Even Kim got a few bruises.

13. March 2021 18:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

My Burmese Dha swords

13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Back in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from a local.

Through some forums I have tried to find out as much as I can about them and this is what I have been told:

The swords are of a Burmese style called Dha (Means sword in Burmese).
They are of museum worthy pieces
I should NOT EVER attempt to restore them. This would degrade their value significantly.
The flower script design on the swords are reserved for the rulers and officers of those days.
အဲဒီဓားတွေကငါတို့ရဲ့ဗမာဓားတွေပဲလာအိုဆိုတာအရင်ကဇင်းမယ်လို့ခေါ်တယ်အင်းဝခေတ်မှာမြန်မာတွေတက်သိမ်းခဲ့တဲ့နိုင်ငံပဲဓားကိုငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားလို့ခေါ်တယ်ဓားကဓားကောင်းပဲ အခုငါပြတဲ့ဓားဟာလည်းသမိုင်းဝင်ဓားပဲငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားပေါ့ (Translation: These swords are our Burmese swords. Laos was formerly called Zin Mae, a country that was conquered by the Burmese during the Inwa period. The sword is called the Sword of the Bird. The sword is a good sword.).
It's a Ngat kyee daung Dah the sword that was once used by Burmese warriors and Thai during the dark age of Konbaung (1765–1767).
This Burmese Empire was destroyed during the English colonized to the East and totally wiped out by the English cannons kind of like a scene from the last samurai movie in the end! They were like charging to the enemy where they were being shot at.
These are also antique pieces in a good state of preservation! Swords, even if they are in such good condition, belong in the museum. You have to take a look at the Malaysia Sword Museum! They are great specimen
One would have to analyze the material metal wood winding fibers would certainly be very interesting! You don't see such a bundle every day
The handle on the smaller sword is made from wound rattan fibres.
The larger sword is made from silver and wound silver threading (I believe it is the typical not so pure silver/tin that was used).

This means that it is likely that the swords are up towards 250 years old and that the long one belonged to someone of a high status.

The area they are from is a place that has been ravaged by war for several hundred years right from the wards beween Burma and Siam (Thailand), conquer by the English empire, the Second World War, the Chinese civil war through to the Laos Civil/Vietnam war.

It is highly likely that the swords have seen some action. Although a bit rusty, the swords are still very sharp. Given that the blade on the longer sword is narrower at the hilt it is likely that it has been sharpened several times through history. Again this probably means that it had a practical use/purpose and wasn't just for display.

22. January 2021 01:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Newcastle

22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Between Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.

They had this beautiful little animal park that is maintained by the council and is free to visit.

Just outside Newcastle is fighterworld, which is an aircraft museum next to an active air strip.

Newcastle museum was also worth a visit on a rainy day.

One evening we went to the games arcade...no idea how Aiden managed to get a first place in racing.

21. January 2021 18:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Karate 2020

21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Karate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.

I was devastated when everything moved online. I love the partner work and couldn't see how this was going to work through video conferencing.

The boys and Kim were okay with the new format and I hung in there. I was so happy once we were able to get back in the dojo again.

Just before the lockdown I had purchased a punching bag, so at least we were able to do some outdoor contact punching.

During the lockdown there was a kata competition and other programs, and we did get a few prices.

...but dojo definitely rules...

We have managed to go to gradings...

And I have kept all the grading certificated we have gotton...

21. January 2021 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Tennis Award

21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Another encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis...

31. December 2020 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Covid

31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.

Australia managed to get through with very few outbreaks because of very early and sever lockdowns.

This let people to panic buy. We spent the time to chill out and solve lots of puzzles in the evenings, do lots of exercise in the parks (which was still allowed), Karate online and work moving fully to conference calls.

31. December 2020 13:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Challenging year

31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.

He is struggling all around and this photo tells it all.

For myself I have been struggling equally, and had it not been for the release of karate I don't know where things would have been at. I often wish I had my own bucket to hide under. I don't think this year will be any easier unfortunately...

Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

14. November 2004 01:45
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Karnak - "the Most Perfect of Places" - Part 1

14. November 2004 01:45 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:44
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Temple of Horus - the Most Complete of Its Kind Part 3

14. November 2004 01:44 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:40
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Temple of Horus - the Most Complete of Its Kind Part 2

14. November 2004 01:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:39
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Temple of Horus - the Most Complete of Its Kind Part 1

14. November 2004 01:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:38
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Horses

14. November 2004 01:38 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:37
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Temple of Hatshepsut - Egypt's Only Female Pharaoh Part 2

14. November 2004 01:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:36
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Temple of Hatshepsut - Egypt's Only Female Pharaoh

14. November 2004 01:36 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:34
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Pyramids of Giza

14. November 2004 01:34 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:07
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Bedstemor's 85th Birthday Fest - Part 3

14. November 2004 01:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:01
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Bedstemor's 85th Birthday Fest - Part 2

14. November 2004 01:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

19. September 2017 15:09
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Aiden starting Year 1

19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Aiden is now in Year 1 at school. This photo is from his first day back at school.

19. September 2017 15:09
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Aidens missing teeth

19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Aiden lost his front teeth.

19. March 2017 16:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Zimbabwe - being chased by Leopards

19. March 2017 16:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I just completed this photo of the boys about to be eaten by a leopard in the dark jungle.

At the airport in Victoria Falls they had these awesome stuffed animals that I though could be fun for some composite work.

Trying to get the boys to act scared rather than just being silly was a different matter.

Here are some more photos of the animals.

8. March 2017 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

South Africa and Zimbabwe - Travelling with the boys

8. March 2017 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Traveling with the two boys can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but this time it actually went very will. They behaved well on the flights watching movies, playing, drawing and looking out the windows.

They were even lucky enough to be invited into the cockpit while at the terminal and were allowed to press the big red button on the flight stick (transfers the flight control).

During the trip the boys were sleeping in the same bed (and sometimes in the same room as us), and they were usually so tired after a days of activities that they would sleep rather than muck around.

The accommodation was a combination hotels, lodges, cottages and apartment. (useful to have two toilets sometimes).

They also loved seeing large beetles and grasshoppers - but refused to touch them.

Some of their highlights were the unusual playgrounds they got to play in and the large lollipops at the airport.

And some of my highlights were the local toys such as the cars/tractors made from wires and the homemade slingshots.

3. March 2017 22:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

South Africa - West Coast National Park

3. March 2017 22:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The West Coast National Park north of Cape Town is something special. During the spring all the South Africans go there to see the spring flowers, but it is equally beautiful other times of the year with its remote beaches and azure blue water inside the lagoon.

It was a beautiful spot to have Kim do a bit of modelling.

The boys absolutely loved playing in the water.

Even though it is a long drive (on easy roads) there were some interesting creatures along the way.

Such as Eland

And lots of Ostrich.

And lots of scenit spots in the small villages along the Atlantic coast.

2. March 2017 13:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

South Africa - Cape Town

2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Cape town is a nice place and fairly small by Sydney standards. Although very modern it still has an African feel to it.

It is possible to walk through the city and get a pretty good overview of most things in a single day.

In the centre of the city is the Company Gardens which is where the Dutch East India Company used to grow supplies for their ships. This is now a big park full surrounded by old buildings, souvenir stalls and full of squirrels.

On the squares there are people entertaining with dance, music and entertainers everywhere.

At the waterfront it is full a bustling environment of museums and restaurants.

2. March 2017 13:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

South Africa - Hout Bay

2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Hout Bay is just south of Cape Town - Besides from being a nice little fishing village it is also famous for its boat tours out to Seal Island. This is an island with a large colony of predominantly male seals.

From the harbour it is a short 45 minute round trip out to see the seals.

Back at the harbour there was one of the locals who had managed to train one of the wild seals to come and get food from him. It would jump out of the water and grab the food from his hand or from his mouth.

It was also tame enough for the boys to touch.

2. March 2017 08:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

South Africa - Wine lands

2. March 2017 08:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We spent a day driving out through the wine lands around Cape Town, namely Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.

As everywhere else it is a beautiful area surrounded by mountain ranges.

Kim had been recommended a nice restaurant in Franschhoek, but when we got there it was fully booked (or invitation only - not sure), so we ended up at an equally nice french restaurant down the road.

The vineyards there are massive compared to Australia - they are proper estates on massive lands.

One of the estates had this nice McLaran parked outside.

We didn't do much tasting though - the way they do it (you order a sit down wine tasting or a wine package for a fee) didn't really fit with me driving and traveling with kids.

The Boys were as usual more interested in playing.

1. March 2017 20:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

South Africa - Cheetah Outreach

1. March 2017 20:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One morning we went to the Cheetah Outreach centre outside Cape Town.

Here they train dogs to keep wild cats away from cattle and sheep so that these don't get eaten. The idea is that if the farmers keep dogs to keep their animals safe then they don't have to set traps to kill the wild cats. Interesting idea, but I would think that it would take a lot of dogs, and the farmers would probably still shoot or trap the wild cats anyhow.

The centre also keeps some cheetahs that visitors are allowed to pat (for a fee).

1. March 2017 20:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

South Africa - Cape Peninsula

1. March 2017 20:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The Cape Peninsula is a beautiful area with nice views and little isolated beaches where ever you look. We spent a whole day exploring along the coast...breathtaking.

Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

14. November 2004 01:00
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Bedstemor's 85th Birthday Fest

14. November 2004 01:00 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

19. March 2004 12:55
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Egypt 2004

19. March 2004 12:55 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year it was my Grandmothers 85th Birthday. As per the tradition the whole family went on a trip overseas, this time to Egypt.

It was my first time to Egypt so it was a different experience. I can recommend that you take a read of the Travel Journal by clicking here!

Click here to see more photos from: Egypt 2004/Slideshow/Travel Journal

19. March 2004 12:48
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Canada 2004

19. March 2004 12:48 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

2004 was the year I started working for Captaris. One of the first things I did was to visit our office in Calgary to learn about our workflow product.

My visit coincided with the Calgary Stampede, so lots of cowboys in town, indians and rodeos. I also too a bus ride up through the Canadian rockies through Banff, Lake Louise and up to the Columbian Ice Fields.

Click here to see more photos from: Canada 2004/Slideshow

19. March 2004 12:24
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Anti War Demonstrations 2004

19. March 2004 12:24 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In 2004 Australia was being drawn into the war in Iraq. A lot of Australians were opposed to the war, but the politicians wouldn't listen.

On a nice sunny day several hundred thousand people gathered around Hyde park in the middle of the city to demonstrate and express their opinions against Australia entering into the war.

I was of the belief that the war was a mistake in the first place and was totally unjustified, so I was decided to join the demonstrations and at the same time see if I could take a few photos.

Click here to see more photos from: The 2004 Anti War demonstrations/Slideshow

27. March 2003 10:56
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Mia is born

27. March 2003 10:56 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Andy and Tink had their first baby...a little (and very hairy) girl names Mia.

This was also one of those periods where I was checking out what it would be like to have a beard.

27. March 2003 10:50
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Granddad passes away

27. March 2003 10:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

My grandad passed away in 2003.

He was getting old and was getting tired of living so he decided to end it.

27. March 2003 10:47
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Botany Bay

27. March 2003 10:47 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

With EDI I went on a field trip to visit one of the big containerships in Botany Bay.

It was facinating to see the size of those ships.

27. March 2003 10:38
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Thailand 2003

27. March 2003 10:38 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I celebrated Christmas and New Year with my parents in Thailand.

We spent the time in the Northern Part of Thailand in the Golden Triangle around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

We rented a car for a couple of days and got to see a lot including all the hill tribes that still to this day live in this part of Thailand.

Click here to see more photos from: Thailand/Slideshow

27. March 2003 10:29
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Kenneths Wedding

27. March 2003 10:29 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In 2003 Kenneth got married to Anica. I was asked to be the best man by Kenneth.

The wedding took place at a homestead in Sofala three hours drive west of Sydney.

It was a wonderful weekend surrounded by wonderful people.

Click here to see more photos from: Kenneths Wedding/Slideshow

22. March 2003 12:56
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Old Contents

22. March 2003 12:56 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Contents . . .

My photo collection is vast. Many of them are in my albums, others scanned as images here. I have tried to include the best of the best, and will keep doing so. Feel free to explore any of the links - it make take some time to peruse them all...

( We recommend viewing of the photos through MS Explorer )

blue line