Because Kim and I was busy travelling we never really managed to hold a birthday party where friends were invited along.

So, in mid august we held a small party celebrating Kim's, Luke's and My birthday.



Kim and Luke has got birthday on the same day and I was out travelling at that time, and on my birthday we went skiing in the Snowy Mountains.

It was a fun evening at a nice Thai restaurant in North Sydney. Click here to see more pictures from: Birthday party

This week I went to The Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise) to work on our stand at TechEd. This is our biggest marketing push of the year and gives us a chance to talk to more than 2000 people over the 4 days of the conference.

To attract people to our stand we had hired to girls to hand out brochures regarding our price draw. This turned out to be really effective. They managed to hand out 1500 brochures in just one hour so we had to get more printed for the second day. And a lot of people came to visit our stand to see what we were all about.



It is pretty hard work. Most days start at around eight in the morning and generally didn't finish until around nine at night..and during this time there is a constant flow of people through the stand and constantly people to talk to.



On the last evening Microsoft hosted the TechEd party at MovieWorld...free rides, free drinks and lots of actors dressed up at star wars and star trek characters. None of my colleagues wanted to go, so I went by myself and did some of the rides and alng the way I bumped into various people I knew at the conference.



And it was a pretty good fun evening and I took a lot of cool photos, so I recommend you see the rest of the photos in the gallery...just click on one of the photos or on the link provided below.




But tell you what...it is really nice being back in Sydney where Kim is.

Click here to see more photos from: The Gold Coast

Sunday Kim, Luke, Sasha and I went to The Coast to play golf. It is a beautiful course located along the cliffline of Little bay.

I had just received my new golf clubs (Cobra S9's) and that needed some adjustment so I didn't play particular well, but I had a good day out nevertheless.



A lot of the shots on the course are over the water which can be a bit intimidating if you play the course for the first time...but once you have played it a few times then it is not so bad.



The day before I was climbing with Andy at Berowra. It is normally difficult to get him outside climbing, but since he went climbing at Krabi in Thailand during his holiday he's been hooked. Berowra is one of the local Sydney Crags located about 30 minutes drive north of the city centre. It is not a tall cliff line, but a lot of the climbs are very crimpy and there is a lot of variation in the climbs.

This weekend it was my birthday and it also happened to be the ski peak season here in Australia.


(click here for more photos)

A group of us rented a house in Cooma not too far away from the ski fields and apart from a few mechanical problems with my car we had a blast of a time. On the Saturday we went to Perisher. The snow was perfect and a lot of the runs hadn't been groomed so it was still deep powder snow that we were skiing in.

Kim, Luke and Karen took lessons in the morning and later in the afternoon I went for a couple of runs with Luke (Soeren didn't make it to the ski area that day). In the evening we were watching a video (I fell asleep 15 minutes into it), and we had birthday cake and wine/beer.

The day after all of us went to Thredbo (which in my opinion is much better) and I was skiing with Soeren all day. The girls were having fun skiing down in the beginners area and Luke was skiing by himself higher on the mountain.

We left Thredbo at around 3.30pm and arrived back home in Sydney at around 10.15pm....a long drive.

I took a couple of videos of Soeren and myself skiing:
 Video of Rene Skiing #1
Video of Rene Skiing #2
Video of Soeren Skiing #1
Video of Soeren Skiing #2


Click here to see more photos from: Skiing in Australia/SlideShow

Ok, it is not just in Holland that they steal with arms a legs. I am not proud to admit that the same seems to happen in Denmark (my birth country)...but more about that later.

After Holland I flew a quick trip to Denmark. On the way there in Heathrow Airport I met up with Kim who had spend a couple of days in London with a couple of friends. I was really looking forward to introducing her to my parents.

My flight arrived a bit late in London so we arrived to Copenhagen without my luggage which turned up the following day.


All the time while in Denmark it was pouring with rain, but we did have one good day in Copenhagen where Kim got to see the sights Fredriksborg Slot, The Marble church, Amalienborg, City Square and City Hall, Stroeget, The little Mermaid, Runde Taarn, Tivoli and Gefion Springvandet. We had lunch at Kultorvet and here Kim got her handbag stolen by a very professional bag snatcher (Latin American or Eastern European looking, dark short hair, wears a dark green suit and will sit down at the table next to you and talk on his mobile. When he leaves he will take your bag).



We also spent a couple of days at my grandmothers place where we we had a look at Koldinghus and Trapholt. Kim got to meet most of the family in Jutland (The family on my Dads side).



My cousin had a child recently and the christening was taking place while we were visiting, so it gave us an excuse to visit my grandmother.



On the way back from Jutland we visited my Uncle and Auntie Eli and Henning on their farm and also had a look at their windmill.

One day we went also sailing up through Guldborgsund with my dad and we also went a quick trip to Germany one afternoon with the ferry.



It was good to see my parents again, but I also realise that apart from them there is not much left for me in Denmark and I would never be able to live the same lifestyle in Denmark as I do in Sydney Australia.






I took a number of videos while in Denmark and also a lot of photos. I can recommend that you click on the following links to see more from Denmark.

Video of my Uncles Windmill #1
Video of my Uncles Windmill #2
Video of my Uncles Windmill #3
Video of Kim and my dad picking strawberries
Video of sailing with my dad #1
Video of sailing with my dad #2
Video of sailing with my dad #3
Click here to see more photos from:Denmark/ Slideshow

After my stay in Athens Greece I am now in Vianen in Holland where our European office is. The purpose with my stay here is to do a bit or coordination and do some planning.

Vianen is about 45 minutes drive south of Amsterdam not too far from Utrect. I am staying at the only hotel in Vianen which is located 3-4 kilometers from the office, but fortunately I have been able to borrow one of the company cars.

Vianen really is in the middle of no-where. It is a sleepy little town with no major attractions.

The hotel here is really weird. None of the floors meet and the numbering system of the rooms is all over the place. It is generally faster to get from one room in the hotel to another by always taking the lift to the ground floor, exit the hotel, enter it elsewhere and then take the lift up again...at least the ground floor is always on the same level.

The room itself is nice enough. When I wake up in the morning i wake up looking at a cow paddock with a couple of horses wandering around...did I say that this is out in the sticks?



People in holland steal with their arms and legs. Yesterday I asked to get an ironing board and an iron brought to my room.They told me that they could not do that (could be because of the mile long walk from the reception but I don't think so, because the room also don't have an alarm clock and the tv is bolted to the table) and they told me that they now had a special ironing room. The iron and ironing board was bolted with a big chain to the wall.

The only positive thing about the hotel is that the breakfast is pretty nice (dinner isn't) and the internet is reasonably priced at 25 Euros for a week.

Its is nice to catch up with colleagues although the schedule is pretty busy here. I interviewed a couple of people for the office here and we are going to give an offer to one of the guys.

Also a couple of the restaurants in Vianen itself are fairly decent and the fact that I could borrow a car meant that I could get around a bit.

Here in mid June I am in Greece assisting one of our partners on a project involving our software.

I arrived Sunday evening and started working Monday morning with the partner. One of my colleagues Karsten is also here and last night we went to this fantastic restaurant called moorings.




It is the most fantastic setting right next to the sea, and the food was fantastic. My starter was goats cheese wrapped in prosciutto ham baked in the oven and then served on a bed of wild mushrooms. For mains I had Grober (a fish) and it was really nice. The servings were massive so no chance of leaving hungry. It was a pity that Kim wasn't there joining me...she would have loved the place. The whole dinner including a bottle of wine, pre-dinner drinks for two people amounted to approximately 135 Euros which is really cheap considering the food and the setting.

During the week Karsten and I have been pretty busy assisting the partner on the project. Later in the week they requested to get some more of my time to assist them. Since Athens is a nice place to be (more interesting than Vianen anyway) I as happy to stay. This means that my stay will ten days in total before continuing to Holland.

During the weekend I had time to do some windows shopping along Ermou street and in the Athens Flea markets as well as visit the Unknown soldiers grave.




After that I continued up to see the Acropolis.



I was in Greece and Athens about 15 years ago and managed to see a lot of things, but it was nice with a bit of a refresher. One of the things I particularly remember from Acropolis is the Porch of the Maidens.



One evening around sunset on the weekend I walked up this hill close to the hotel that has a small chapel on top. There were also a couple of restaurants up there so I decided to sit down and have dinner. The evening view from the hill was fantastic with a view of Acropolis lit up as well as all of the lights of Athens all the way to Pireus.



Click here to see more photos from: Athens / Slideshow

Sunday afternoon Kim, Luke and I went playing golf at Wakehurst Golf Glub near Manly.

It was the first time on this course and it was in perfect condition and a very scenic course.

Luke joined us and managed to loose a fair amount of balls until he figured out that he should keep his head down to be able to hit the ball. After this he was able to play a fairly decent game...which was excellent, because I had been giving him a bit of a hard time until then (especially after being 30 minutes late for the game).




I think I managed to play the first none holes 7-8 strokes over par.

After the first nine holes Kim and I continued on our own and managed to play an additional 6-7 holes before it got to dark to play (and Kim was starving).

I recorded a couple of videos of us playing. Click on the links below to download them:
Me playing golf (first movie)
Me playing golf (second movie)
Kim Playing golf
Luke playing golf

Since 1998 we have had a drought in Australia. The water supply in Sydney has been declining ever since and early may 2007 the supply was down to around 30% with only about 8 months supply left.

On the 17th of May it started raining in most parts of NSW and in many areas the drought now seems to be either over or at least less serious. Here is a radar photo from that day:


Our water supplies in Sydney are now up to 57% and still rising. It would be fantastic if we could reach 100%, but we would need a fair bit of rain still.

It also means that there is snow falling in the Snowy Mountains, so the skiing season has already kicked in with plenty of natural snow.

A couple of months ago I took Kim out on this really romantic dinner. She was really impressed with my ability to choose the best places in town. I am writing this post so that all you other blokes (or Sheila's) out there can do the same for your loved ones.

The place I took her to is this really romantic waterfront restaurant placed on some of the most expensive realestate in Sydney. The cousine is traditional Australian but this place is famous throughout the world and regularly appear in magasines.
The food is very reasonably priced and it is almost always possible to get a seat right next to the water. In the evening the waterfront seating is dimly lit and has got enough privacy for some kisses and some cuddles.

A lot of famous people have visited the restaurant and they have got photos of some of the people such as Richard Branson (Virgin), John Travolta (Actor,Grease) and many more. The restaurant has got a rich history and has been in this area for many decades now.

The service is quick and polite. The restaurant is BYO so I can recommend bringing a good Australian wine or even a couple of chilled beers on a warm summer night. The restaurant doesn't even charge corkage like other prime restaurants do.

On valentines day this restaurant still does a-la-carte at their normal prices where other restaurants either have set menus or inflate their prices.

Being on a tight budget is no excuse not to go to this place. They have got food that will fit in any budget and I find it hard to believe that you will leave the place hungry. After dinner go for a romantic stroll along the water and you will have won the heart of your loved one (I did).

Click here to see where the restaurant is

When I initially arrived in Yangon / Rangoon, I wanted to fly up Bhamo - one of the bigger towns north of Burma. I also considered exploring Myitkyinã - a town further north of Bhamo.

My Lonely Planet guide indicated that the only border crossing into China was to the east of Bhamo. My initial plans to Burma also included exploration of western China. However, I was disappointed by the military turning me back, despite the fact that my Lonely Planet guide said I could cross into China at Ruili.

I decided instead to fly to Mandalay, not only because it was cheap to do so, but it saved me a 20-hour bus ride there from Yangon.



I heard about a song for sailors.

“To be a real sailor, the sailor would have to have been to Mandalay way upriver”

I quite liked Mandalay.


The photo below, is of Mandalay Hill.
During World War II (20 March 1945), the British and the Japanese fought one another to gain control of the position on this hill.



The photo to the left is taken from the hill itself facing east - as you can see, it has an aerial view of the whole city, and puts any oncoming enemies at a disadvantage. Control of Mandalay was important during the war, as the soldiers were able to set up artillery and attack anyone approaching the fortress.

This hill was of big strategic importance.

The building you see near the shrine is a monument to the British regiment who managed to take control of this hill from the Japanese.

At the eastern part of the delta, a lot of logging takes place. There was a train line built that used to cart all the trees/wood for export to Thailand.



The moat around the fortress is man-made.
Although man-made, comes from the local river.

The original fortress was burnt to the ground.
The whole fortress covered an area of 2.5 x 2.5 km







The design of Mandalay was quite colonial, and surprisingly, most of the streets were at 90º to one another.

Overall, I found Mandalay the most expensive city to travel to in Burma.

No matter what one does in Mandalay, be it explore Mandalay Hill or the city itself, the locals always had “special” foreigner prices. It really annoyed me.

I tried to use local currency as much as possible. However, FEC (Foreign Exchange Currency) was more valuable and worth more to the locals. FEC is also used in China, and one tries to use local currency as much as possible. Any item you buy has 2 prices - and obviously it is cheaper to use local currency than to use FEC.

I must admit, even Mandalay Hill was not that nice for the price I paid to explore it. It was also expensive just to go into the fortress.

Surprisingly, I could not find maps of the area that was not more that 40 years old.

Politics . . .


There is a lot of politics going on in Burma that an outsider should not get involved in - Burma is one of those countries where political opinions are best kept to oneself.

In Burma, use of the Internet and mobile phones is illegal. This is the government's way of controlling the information entering the country. Even access to equipment such as laptops is illegal - the country is so poor that many could not afford such a piece of equipment.

I saw many young women queueing for their rations. They were standing so close together that I thought they were lesbians! *laugh* The girls stand close together so another person cannot jump the queue by pushing in.










The girls here are very young, some have barely reached puberty and are doing some very hard work.





There is a lot of critique by Amnesty International, of Burma's use of young girls to provide maintenance for the roads.

Medicine . . .

My girlfriend, Arumi, tells me one sees the wares of a 'Medicine Man' quite often throughout Asia.

Whether they sit by the roadside, or whether they own a shop in a building, one will see very similar items being sold around Asia.

The “pellets” you see here are in fact different types of roots such as ginger or some unknown vegetable, that have been sun or air dried.



You will see the antlers of various animals such as deer or even rhino. There are also skulls from different animals - some of these animals may be endangered species, but somehow you will see them being sold in these markets.




These skulls are definitely not being used as “trophies” around the house!

The Burmese, like many Asians, believe in using very 'natural' remedies to cure common ailments.




A Medicine Man may not necessarily be a “doctor” according to western standards - that means he may not have a university degree.

However, a Medicine Man, may be what we know as “witch-doctors”. Some of the remedies they know are very natural and useful.

Unfortunately, not all of these remedies work. Around Asia, you will see shops or Medicine Man selling items like tigers' paws and skulls, or ground ivory tusks. Many of these are sold as cures or enhancements for the sex life.

In Burma, there is virtually no wildlife left.





You will even find that even tobacco is sold naturally.

Not in cigarette form, but in leaf form! The laws in Burma are not quite the same as they are here. Marijuana is also sold very freely.




Lotus Fruit . . .


Quite often in Asia, you may see lily pads floating on the water. In fairy-tales, you hear about frogs sitting on a lily pad.

You will be amazed to associate that this fruit here, comes from the flowers/plant growing out of the water near the lily pads.

The yellow seeds come from the flower itself. The seeds are used often in many Asian desserts, and said to promote better blood circulation.

While, the root of the lotus plant is also a delicacy. It is white when cooked, and has a crunchy texture, similar to that of the water chestnut. Mainly used in savoury meals, although used as a dessert as well.

Personally, I think it is too much hassle retrieving the fruit! *smile*

Created: 31 Oct 2001

Schwedagon was a holy place with extremely large and beautiful temples.

To get to Schwedagon, you had to travel up very long escalators. I took this photo because these escalators were the only escalators I had seen during my whole trip in Burma. As Schwedagon is a very religious place for the locals, I guess to travel up these escalators give the sense of travelling to a higher and holier place.



The temples at Schwedagon were really impressive.






I was told that collectively, these temples were built with 39 tonnes of pure gold.








At the end of the day, the locals all contributed in cleaning the place. They clean all the tiles and are very organised.







Here is the 'Big Stuba'. All that gold...

Up close, the temples are a glorious sight. Especially at night!

Can you see those lights at the base of the Big Stuba? Each is a 'mini temple', illuminating a Buddha.






You can really see the magnificence of these temples!



There are lots of rules or procedures about the way one prays to the Buddhas - very complicated to an outsider!

I saw a couple of the buddhists pour water onto the statue of the Buddha. Depending on the day of the week a buddhist is born, the individual would pour the respective number of bowls for the day of the week. A buddhist believes that by doing this, it would bring them luck.

At Schwedagon, I noticed there were hardly any tourists, mostly locals paying homage.

Can you see how intricate the carvings are in the foreground?












The monks rung this bell to announce prayer times.

It brought luck to ring the bell.
For example, if you were born on the 1st day of the week, you rung it once to bring good luck. If you were born on the 6th day of the week, you rung it 6 times etc.

Burma/Myanmar surprised me in many ways. I would have liked to see more of Burma than I did, but due to military restrictions, I only had access to certain parts of Burma and was not able to see any of the indigenous people along the border as I had initially planned.Burma is a very poor country. It was difficult to travel... travelling 100 kilometres could sometimes take up to 6 hours.

One of the most beautiful places in Burma, I thought, was Bagan.

I took many photos in Burma, and tried to order them in the following pages:

• I spent some days in Yangon, which had a heavy colonial influence.
• Schwedagon was another place full of temples, a place laden with pure gold.
• Whilst travelling, I could not help notice how influenced the people were by religion, and Burma's politics is one thing an outsider should not get involved in.
• I was fascinated by what the Burmese used for medicine. They also had some rather interesting local fruit.
• Mandalay also had an interesting colonial battle history. Whilst there, I watched the “Mandalay Marionettes”.
• With the restrictions up north, I did not get to see much. But you would not believe how the Burmese play volleyball!
• Finally, at Mt Popa, I went there to see a local monastry, and saw a lot of wild monkeys there.

Yangon ( Rangoon ) . . .




This is the city-centre of Rangoon. Rangoon is the capital city of Burma.

It is actually a pretty big city if you compare it with other parts of Burma on a map.

Most of the buildings are from the old colonial period when the British occupied Burma. Unfortunately they have not been very well-maintained.

Can you see the green bits on the clocktower?





If you are thinking it is vegetation growing on it, you are right! There is quite a bit growing on most of the buildings in the city.







There were so many pigeons!

I managed to catch a pictures of a pigeon flying mid-air - can you see the blurred grey thing near the tree in the middle of the photo?



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Created: 22 Sept 2001

I took part in a photo competition in November 2001, using one of the photos I had taken during my trip to Mt Cook in January 2001. This photo was of Kevin, the alpine guide from my group in the technical climbing course.

The following photo and comments appeared on the Planet Fear website, in the Front Line Photography Competition - not long after I was notified that I was one of 20 winners, and I was even more surprised to find out that I had come third!

The comments above the photo were my comments that I had emailed to them when I sent the photo. The comments below the photo were (one of the judges) comments about my photo.

3. Rene Pallesen The attached photo was taken in New Zealand on the main range near Mount Cook. The valleys to the west are filled with clouds formed by the moisture from the forests underneath. The snowcovered mountains iikes#comment">0 Comments New bikes 26. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet For Christmas the boys got new bikes from us and my dad (bedstefar).The old were getting too small, Share For Christmas the boys got new bikes from us and my dad (bedstefar). The old were getting too small, so needed something bigger.... 22. December 2020 01:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Bowling 22. December 2020 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet One day we went playing bowling...I had a dream round where I played my best game ever (including a Share One day we went playing bowling...I had a dream round where I played my best game ever (including a turkey - three strikes in a row). 22. December 2020 01:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Boys Soccer 22. December 2020 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet This year both the boys played soccer for the first time.They made some good friends while playing a Share This year both the boys played soccer for the first time. They made some good friends while playing and did pretty good considering it was the first time. Lucas' team won the competition in his age group. Aiden made a great effort considering he is a head shorter than all the other boys in his age group. 22. December 2020 01:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kims dads 90th 22. December 2020 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Kims dad celebrated his 90th(we think) Birthday this year.He is mostly bedridden these days, but we Share Kims dad celebrated his 90th(we think) Birthday this year. He is mostly bedridden these days, but we managed to get him downstairs to celebrate on this day. 22. December 2020 01:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Painting - date night 22. December 2020 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet One evening we were invited on a double date with one of Kims friends.The theme was painting and we Share One evening we were invited on a double date with one of Kims friends. The theme was painting and we were to make an abstract painting of eachother. Next day the boys tried to draw their versions. 22. December 2020 00:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Various kids activities 22. December 2020 00:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Strange year indeed, and other than a few things, it is remarkably the same.The kids have still done Share Strange year indeed, and other than a few things, it is remarkably the same. The kids have still done a lot of activities and here are some of them. Aiden hanging out with his friend Jake at the beach. Mini golf with Sammi. Doing puzzles at home. Aiden had patience to do one of the simpler ones. Me trying to teach them how to use photoshop...not a bad result for a first try. Painting the old way. One of Aidens favourite drawings. It got soaked by accident and he was absolutely devastated. I managed to rescue it somewhat and take this photo. He went through a phase where he was obsessed with the Titanic. He was also into Harry Potter and made a drawing of the sorting hat. I took Aiden out for a run and he did 4.5km without a break...very proud. Ice skating with friends Backyard tennis Ice cream Karate - Lucas got to wear a black belt after doing a 3 minute plank. Their Kumite (sparring) gear. Aiden reading a bit. Reading is really difficult for him. He can read all the words and sentences perfectly, but it is hard for him to comprehend the stories he reads (almost like he is unable to visualise and imagine the story as he reads it.). 21. December 2020 17:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Covid backyard camping 21. December 2020 17:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet During the lockdown we spent a lot of time in our backyard having a firepit on the weekends.One week Share During the lockdown we spent a lot of time in our backyard having a firepit on the weekends. One weekend I put up my old tent and I camped in the backyard with the boys...they had a blast. 21. December 2020 17:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Coastal Walk - Kamay national park 21. December 2020 17:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet On the other side of Botany Bay is Kamay national park.On a very stormy day we went for a walk over Share On the other side of Botany Bay is Kamay national park. On a very stormy day we went for a walk over there to experience the wild weather. 21. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Harry Potter 21. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Aiden likes to dress up, this time like harry potter... Share Aiden likes to dress up, this time like harry potter... << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ... 92 93 Older posts Home 30. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Christmas 2021 30. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet This Christmas was almost normal with the Covid restrictions lifted.As usual we did our annual Chris Share This Christmas was almost normal with the Covid restrictions lifted. As usual we did our annual Christmas photo. Kims dad is staying at Kims sisters place over Christmas after haing been in hospital. He is looking the best he has for years. 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Surfing 2021 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Lucas and Aiden got themselves a surfing lesson. Aiden was too scared to go, but Lucas had a great t Share Lucas and Aiden got themselves a surfing lesson. Aiden was too scared to go, but Lucas had a great time. Because he liked it so much we decided to get him (and Aiden) a surfboard for Christmas as well. 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Various 2021 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet This are from various events of 2021Lucas Holy CommunionLunar EsclipseSwimming at Yarra Bay in the m Share This are from various events of 2021 Lucas Holy Communion Lunar Esclipse Swimming at Yarra Bay in the middle of winter Aidens Learning award Empty Maroubra Beach during covid lockdown Seafood dinner with family Chillies harvested from the garden Cooking lobster at home during lockdown Spotted Herbie in our local area Monkeys in a tree Playing games at home during Covid lockdown Enjoying a hot chocolate during Covid lockdown Boys make a mess and have to clean the house Dinner at home during Covid lockdown Conference call with family during Covid lockdown How many people can you fit into a dinghy? Pho at the local cafe Going for a walk after Covid restrictions lifted On a conference call with Dalai Lama from home Kim received a Hoodie to keep her warm in the cold winter evenings. I thought it was something else and wrote instructions on the packaging. Aidens birthday was bowling with his friends and dinner with family Kim dressed appropriately for walking 20 meters to the car The boys learning to use a hammer. Spending time at Yarra bay Aiden still struggling, although him now having a piano seems to help him. Lucas got some more awards at the Athletics carnival to add to his swimming awards. 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Guinea Pigs 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet We were looking after a couple of guinea pigs for a couple of weeks while one of Aiden friends was a Share We were looking after a couple of guinea pigs for a couple of weeks while one of Aiden friends was away. The boys had to do all the work cleaning and feeding them. 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate 2021 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Again we did karate this whole year. This included a number of gradings followed by social events.I Share Again we did karate this whole year. This included a number of gradings followed by social events. I treated myself to a new gi (uniform) when I graduated to my 3rd Kyu. 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Playing Chess 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Lucas has joined the chess club at school, so for fun (and to give him practice) we sometimes play. Share Lucas has joined the chess club at school, so for fun (and to give him practice) we sometimes play. I was very proud that I one day managed to checkmate him with just two pawns and my king. 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Piano and Guitar 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Mid year I decided to get an electric piano. I&#39;ve always wanted to learn and we wanted to boys to st Share Mid year I decided to get an electric piano. I've always wanted to learn and we wanted to boys to start playing as well. We have been using an online lesson system and it has been working really well for us. Especially Aiden seems to pick it up quickly. Aiden has also been begging to get an electric guitar, so this Christmas we got him one. It is fortunate that the same online lesson subscription also covers guitar playing. 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kims 50th 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Kim had a big birthday this year. All the plans were ruined so it because a low key affair with just Share Kim had a big birthday this year. All the plans were ruined so it because a low key affair with just a family dinner. Plan: A - Europe trip - Covid cancelled B - New Zealand Ski trip (travel bubble was open) - Cancelled day before we were to leave C - Staycation in Sydney - Locked down to local council D - Staycation in same council - Restricted to 5 Km radius E - Dinner at home We did however make up for it later with some golf and spa while she wasn't working. 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Hunter Valley 29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet We did another Hunter Valley Trip with Sasha and Richards families.Again we stocked up on a lot of w Share We did another Hunter Valley Trip with Sasha and Richards families. Again we stocked up on a lot of wine. 29. December 2021 16:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Basketball Game 29. December 2021 16:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet KA had some spare tickets for a basketball game between Sydney Kings and Melbourne Phoenix, so we to Share KA had some spare tickets for a basketball game between Sydney Kings and Melbourne Phoenix, so we took the boys. << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 92 93 Older posts