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11. October 2013 05:10
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas cleaning the toilet

11. October 2013 05:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lucas cleaning the toilet


A couple of times now we have caught Lucas in the process of cleaning the toilet using the toilet brush. We really have to watch him, because he is quick and within a few seconds he will be in there up to his mischief if we don't watch out.


11. October 2013 05:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden in hospital again

11. October 2013 05:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aiden in hospital again


Aiden recently ended up in hospital again...this time really bad.

He had another seizure similar to the last time, but this time a lot worse and he didn't wake up from it.

At the hospital they couldn't get him to respond either and he started having neurological damage symptoms.

They decided to put him to sleep on a breathing aparatus and go through the whole process of CT scans, Xrays, spinal fluid examinations etc.



Kim and I were really scared and I stayed with him for 4 days in the hospital until he eventually recovered enough to go home.






The doctors were unable to find out why he seizure was so violent so now we are really worried that he may get another one.

11. October 2013 05:00
by Rene Pallesen
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Fathers Day

11. October 2013 05:00 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

fathers day


Recently it was fathers day...the kids surprised me in the morning giving me a new coffee mug.

11. October 2013 04:28
by Rene Pallesen
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Little Dynamo

11. October 2013 04:28 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

little dynamo


Sometimes we take the kids to Little dynamo to play. It is this 4 level play centre for the kids.





11. October 2013 04:23
by Rene Pallesen
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Sammi's 4th Birthday

11. October 2013 04:23 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

sammi s 4th birthday


Last weekend Aiden and I went to Sammi's 4th B'day.

It was held up at Mona Vale and involved a small bush walk for the kids.



Some of the way Aiden and Sammi were holding hands.



Afterwards we had cake and played with clay.







And after the party Aiden and I went for another little walk and spotted a hug red belly black snake.

11. October 2013 04:21
by Rene Pallesen
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Potty Training

11. October 2013 04:21 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

potty training


We are in the process of potty training Aiden...so far ain't working.

He is reasonably happy to sit on the toilet in front of the TV...but so far he is holding it in.


10. September 2013 02:49
by Rene Pallesen
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TEDx at work

10. September 2013 02:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

tedx at work


Some time ago we had a TEDx session at work...it was great to be part of an international phenomena.




I hope they will run more sessions in the future and that they will be able to get some really interesting speakers in the room.

26. August 2013 10:35
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden in Fiji

26. August 2013 10:35 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aiden in fiji


Aiden is a bit of a worry...although he is a social kid he is quite scared of a lot of things and requires a lot of help doing things.

Because he has been delayed on a lot of fronts including his comprehension he would like to play with the other kids but doesn't understand the games they are playing.

This means that he in a lot of cases finds comfort just playing by himself rather than with the other kids.





It does mean that whenever they have group games then he will require someone who can give him step by step instructions until he understands the game.



Mind you when he does find someone who is interested in playing the games he does understand then it is great to see.





26. August 2013 09:54
by Rene Pallesen
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Fiji 2013

26. August 2013 09:54 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

fiji 2013


Last week we made the trip to Fiji with the kids.

Kim is just about to finish her maternity leave and my work asked me to reduce my accumulated annual leave days by taking some time off so we decided to go away for a week.

We stayed at the Hilton close to Nadi (we found it too far to travel with the kids to the coral coast). This is the view from our room.




Aiden and Lucas had lots of fun playing on the balcony (Lucas enjoyed throwing toys off the balcony).



And we did spend some time in the sand as well.





And trying to teach Lucas to walk (he can almost stand by himself now).



But all the swimming was done in the swimming pool at the hotel.



We didn't venture out much, but on most of the evenings we would walk over to the local Marina to eat (the food was better and cheaper).



One day we hired a nanny to look after Lucas (with little success as they were unable to feed him and settle him, so we still had to be there).

16. August 2013 07:57
by Rene Pallesen
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Centenial Park memorial

16. August 2013 07:57 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

centenial park memorial


The other day I went for a walk in Centenial Park. For the first time I ventured into the memorial (normally there are lots of dogs and poo in this area so I generally avoid it).

The ceiling of the memorial is quite pretty and I can see myself coming back to do some more photos at some stage.


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21. July 2013 07:47
by Rene Pallesen
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Orange Cake

21. July 2013 07:47 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

orange cake


Kim likes baking too and these days she will ask Aiden to help her.

Her cakes usually looks much better than any of my efforts.

21. July 2013 07:42
by Rene Pallesen
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Baking Ciabata

21. July 2013 07:42 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

baking ciabata


A couple of weeks ago I tried to bake Ciabata bread.

It is a long process that takes about 24 hours (first you have to make this yeast and flour sponge which you then later use for the end result).

I substituted normal flour for wholemeal. This was the end result.



The taste was ok, but it was too dry for my liking...so will have to try again one day.


28. June 2013 07:40
by Rene Pallesen
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The Lightbulb

28. June 2013 07:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

the lightbulb


Light bulbs are really rare now as you can't buy them in the shops any longer.

We still have one in the cupboard so I decided to have a bit of fun with it one evening...



28. June 2013 07:25
by Rene Pallesen
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Vivid Sydney 2013

28. June 2013 07:25 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vivid sydney 2013


Vivid Sydney was on again this year and in my opinion better than the previous years.

Because of the kids it was hard to find the time to explore, but I did manage to head in there one evening to get some photos from the classic angles.















13. June 2013 09:48
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas 9 months

13. June 2013 09:48 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lucas 9 months


Lucas is now 9 month old and the other day we went to the park to do some Autumn photos with him.

The photo of the day was definitely this one of Kim and Lucas having a moment together.



It was hard because he wanted to crawl around and play and because it was the middle of the day the light was pretty harsh.



We also tried to take some at one of the small bridges in the park but they were shooting a commercial shoot there and Lucas was more interested in trying to get into the water than posing.



And when we tried a family photo he didn't want to sit still.


13. June 2013 09:45
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas 8 Months

13. June 2013 09:45 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lucas 8 months


For Lucas 8 month photo we decided to do a profile photo of the four of us just like we had with Aiden.



A bit more difficult this time because there we two kids and getting them to look in the right direction and keep the right face expression.

13. June 2013 09:42
by Rene Pallesen
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Aidens 3 year birthday

13. June 2013 09:42 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aidens 3 year birthday


Last week it was Aidens 3rd Birthday.

We celebrated it by singing happy birthday and having cake.



For his birthday he got a new car as well as some new shoes.





13. June 2013 09:40
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden insect bite

13. June 2013 09:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aiden insect bite


The other day was in the park with his daycare group to play at the playground.

While he was there he was bitten by some unknown insect and the morning after his whole face was swollen.



Fortunately he was happy enough and it didn't require any visits to a doctor.

30. May 2013 10:47
by Rene Pallesen
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Emma's Birthday

30. May 2013 10:47 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

emma s birthday


Last weekend it was our Niece Emma's first birthday.

This was celebrated with lots of cakes and a jumping castle on which Aiden had lots of fun.







2. May 2013 09:16
by Rene Pallesen
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Countries I have been to

2. May 2013 09:16 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

countries i have been to 61


I just updated the map of the countries I have set my foot in...now 69 countries.





AfricaRene(69)KimAidenLucas
Kenya YES


Tanzania YES


Uganda YES


Egypt YES


Tunesia YES


Morocco YES


Gambia YES


Senegal YES


South Africa YES YES YES YES
Zimbabwe YES YES YES YES
Zambia YES YES YES YES
Europe



Turkey YES


Spain YES YES

France YES YES

Swizerland YES YES

Austria YES YES

Greece YES YES

Italy YES


Lictenstein YES


Vatican YES YES

Yougoslavia YES


Croatia YES YES YES
Slovenia YES YES YES
Bosnia YES YES YES
Montenegro YES YES YES
Poland YES


East Germany YES


West Germany YES YES YES
Belgium YES YES

Holland YES YES

Denmark YES YES YES
Sweden YES


Norway YES


Finland YES


Portugal YES


Luxenbourg YES


San Marino YES


Monaco YES YES

Cyprus YES


Hungary (YES) (YES) (YES)
United Kingdom YES YES (YES)
Americas



USA YES YES

Canada YES


Mexico YES YES

Chile YES YES

Peru YES YES

Bolivia YES YES

Argentina YES


Brasil YES YES

Asia



Japan YES


Russia YES


Malaysia YES YES

Thailand YES YES YES YES
Singapore YES YES (YES)
Cambodia YES


Laos YES YES YES YES
Phillipines YES YES YES YES
Burma/Myanmar YES


Hong Kong YES


Yemen YES


Qatar YES


Indonesia YES YES

Diego Garcia
YES

Vietnam
YES

India
YES

Australia/Pacific



Australia YES YES YES YES
New Zealand YES YES YES YES
New Caledonia YES YES YES
French Polynesia (Tahiti / Bora Bora) YES YES YES (YES)
Vanuatu YES YES YES YES
Fiji YES YES YES YES
Cook Islands YES YES YES YES
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15. April 2012 07:39
by Rene Pallesen
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High Tea in Royal National Park

15. April 2012 07:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

high tea in royal national park


Today we went to High Tea in Audley in the Royal National Park 30 minutes drive from where we live. Kim had bought a 2 for 1 deal and decided to try it.





Verdict was that is wasn't anything special and even with the special deal it was a bit over priced.

Afterwards we decided to go rowing up through the creek.



Aiden was very keen to get to play with the water which was difficult in the rowing boat (next time we will get a Canoe).

Afterwards we let him play a bit on land before heading back.



8. April 2012 06:18
by Rene Pallesen
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Bora Bora Island Scenery

8. April 2012 06:18 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

bora bora island scenery


The island itself is a beautiful place. I took a lot of photos of the lagoon and the beauty of Bora Bora....so many that it would be too many to have in the previous Bora Bora post.

With the risk of creating a post full of Blue photos...I had to separate them out to prevent the other posts from getting too big.

Here they are...I will let them speak for themselves...


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6. April 2012 06:19
by Rene Pallesen
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Snorkeling with Sharks and Stingrays

6. April 2012 06:19 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

snorkeling with sharks and stingrays
One of the days at Bora Bora we went with a boat around the lagoon to go snorkeling and have lunch on one of the Motu's (Islands). Along the way we went snorkeling in spots where we also could see sharks and stingrays.

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Our first spot was a snorkeling spot with lots of coral and different fish.

I Even saw a big fat murray eel.

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Kim also had a bit of a snorkel in the clear blue water even though the water was deep and there was a slight current.

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Aiden was facinated by the fish and wanted to join mummy in the water to say hello to the fish'ies...

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After this we went to a more shallow spot on the reef with lots of reef sharks.

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Yes, that is me in the water with 12 sharks circling around me (and no safety net in place).These sharks would come swimming towards me and then turn around within a meters reach.

Click here to see a video I uploaded to Facebook with the Sharks getting close


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After lunch we stopped to feed the Stingrays in the lagoon.

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They are fairly harmless and I was feeding them dead fish. While doing so I was bitten by one of them that mistook the camera I was holding in my other hand as a fish.


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5. April 2012 06:10
by Rene Pallesen
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Bora Bora

5. April 2012 06:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

bora bora


Bora Bora is a beautiful island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Kim and I had promised eachother that we one day we will go there.

It is about an hours flight from Tahiti and along the way you pass a number of other Polynesian islands and atolls. When we landed we were met by the stunning blue lagoon and the very characteristic mountain which is an old extinct volcano.

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Aiden especially was mesmerised by the view going on the boat from the airport to our hotel.

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On arrival we were met by traditional Tahitian music and someone blowing a seashell.

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And Aiden immidiately got into the mocktails.

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Our hotel was on the main island itself and we had a small hut facing the lagoon and had a beautiful view every morning waking up.

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Every morning we had breakfast overlooking the lagoon where Aiden would stuff his face with fruits, bread and youghurt.


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We spent a lot of time at the small beach close to the hotel just swimming in the clear water of the lagoon.

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The locals were out on the lagoon showing off their skills.


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Aiden loved the calm clear water and the beach...it was a pleasant 27-28 degrees. Every time he saw water he would point at it and shout BoBo (Water)...and insist on going swimming.


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One evening I did a couple of sunset portraits.

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Aiden again insisted on going in the water.


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I also went for a swim after we finished the photos, which was absolutely magical as the light was surreal and the water was absolutely calm.

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Across the lagoon from the hotel we had a little island (Motu) with beautiful place to go snorkeling. First I went in the water and notices a small reef shark circling around the corals...being kinda shy. I mentioned it to Kim and as soon as she also spotted it later in the day she rushed out of the water (A couple of days later she had a similar experience with a large stingray at the beach).


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It was hard to leave all this beauty behind

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4. April 2012 04:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Flowers of French Polynesia

4. April 2012 04:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

flowers of french polynesia


I took a lot of photos of flowers...enough to warrant a separate blog entry..

If you are not a flower person then just scroll down the page past these...lots of other good stuff there.


Anyhow...I will let them speak for themselves...

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3. April 2012 07:08
by Rene Pallesen
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Tahiti

3. April 2012 07:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

tahiti


This Easter we decided to go to Tahiti and Bora Bora in French Polynesia in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

We were supposed to have been going to Japan, but we decided that we instead wanted a more relaxing holiday and changed it to an Island holiday enjoying the sun, sand, water and sunsets.

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Tahiti is the main island of French Polynesia and is not larger than it is possible to drive around the entire island in a couple of hours (appx 120 km).

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On one of the days we rented a car and did just that. We could have joined a day tour, but I am not very keen on the 5min photo stop kind of tours and much prefer to be able to travel independently and take time to see what we would like to see.

It is reasonably easy to find your way around the island. There really is just one road and the entire road is marked by kilometer markers and we had the distances for most of the sights we wanted to see. We didn;t go too much into the interior because of time restraints and some of these roads are only accessible by 4WD.


First we stopped at one of the old Tahitian temples which was interesting

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After that we headed to some large caves full of freshwater (would have been convenient in the old days)...very damp and very dark.

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After this we tried to find the road up to a lake and supposedly large waterfall. Some of the locals were very helpful with assisting us with directions but unfortunately the road was closed.

Fortunately we did find the nearby gardens which Kim wanted to visit (I will do a separate flower blog posting).

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We did find some waterfallson the island (and saw several from a long distance away high on the mountains).

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After this we headed to Point Venus where Captain Cook in 1769 supposedly saw the passing of Venus ...now this houses the only lighthouse in French Polynesia.

The next passing will be 6th June this year...243 years after the previos passing (can be seen as a shadow against the sun).


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We decided to skip the museums as we would rather experience the outsde rather than objects behind glass.

The other days we spent around the hotel and the marina, just relaxing, swimming and dining. Aiden loved spending most of the time in the pool at the hotel.

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29. February 2012 09:31
by Rene Pallesen
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Project Setting

29. February 2012 09:31 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

project setting


Yesterday I did another photo project. I wanted to do something different with composition.

I had this idea of a guy being attacked by hand-spiders (I hate spiders) and thought that the garage would be a good location for it. I had an old T-shirt and some tomato paste to add some drama.




It turned out to be a lot harder than expected as it was almost impossible to get the right composition, focus etc. when I both had to appear in the photo as well as take it (my head was cropped off on the first series which meant that I had to reposition the camera and then either re-shoot the series or try and stitch them up in post production...I chose the latter because of time constraints).

I could definitely have done a better job if I didn't have to be two places at once, but I don't think it is a total disaster.


29. February 2012 07:51
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden Walking

29. February 2012 07:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aiden walking


It is the 29th February and the last day of the bet I had with Kim....and believe it or not, but Aiden started walking by himself today.



We are very proud of him and I am double proud of him as he delivered the goods just in the nick of time...one day later and I would have been cleaning the house (lucky that this year is a leap year)!



19. February 2012 09:25
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden Standing by himself

19. February 2012 09:25 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aiden standing by himself


Aiden is now able to stand up by himself.

He is now 20 months and should have been walking ages ago, so he is a bit behind on that front. Hopefully I can get him to take one step before the end of next week...I have a bet with Kim going whether he will walk before the end of February.


5. February 2012 08:57
by Rene Pallesen
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Centennial Park - Feb 2012

5. February 2012 08:57 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

centennial park feb 2012


Today we went to Centennial Park to take some family photos. I had been complaining that I didn't have enough (good) photos of myself and Aiden so Kim offered to take some.

We found a nice spot in the park and managed to take a couple of shots before my camera ran out of battery...and unfortunately I had forgotten my spare at home.



Kim just came back from a business trip to Singapore a couple of days ago and it is really nice to have her back. I missed her but I am not sure Aiden missed her as much as he is such a daddys boy. When she was back he just turned away and would rather stay with me.

Also the little tiger is now 20 months and he is still not walking...what is going on?

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14. October 2013 02:53
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas 1 year portrait

14. October 2013 02:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lucas 1 year portrait


I finally managed to take the 1 year portrait of Lucas that I had planned and it turned out really well I think.



He is a big boy now and he is able to walk by himself (took his first unassisted steps just before his birthday).

13. October 2013 03:05
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas 1yo Centennial park photos

13. October 2013 03:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lucas 1yo centennial park photos


The other day we went to Centennial park to take some 1yo photos of Lucas using a balloon.




What we had in mind was to take the photo down a row of trees.



...but it was impossible to get both the balloon and Lucas to behave in the same photo and the light wasn't great anyway with patches of sun and shade in the middle of the day.

We instead tried to be creative with other photos.







13. October 2013 02:57
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden on the bridge at Centennial Park

13. October 2013 02:57 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aiden on the bridge at centennial park


A couple of weeks ago we went to centennial park to take some photos of Lucas for his birthday (see separate post).

I also took this photo of Aiden running across the bridge at Centennial park.

12. October 2013 06:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Test portraits of Lucas

12. October 2013 06:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

test portraits of lucas


Here is some more test shots of Lucas...his facial expressions are priceless.





12. October 2013 03:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Self test portrait

12. October 2013 03:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

self test portrait


The other day I was setting up for a portrait using my new beauty dish strobe.

I was using myself as a subject and this one turned out rather well.

12. October 2013 02:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Sculptures by the sea 2013

12. October 2013 02:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

sculptures by the sea 2013


Sculptures by the sea is on again and Kim and I managed to find a couple of hours to go and have a look.

I was carrying Lucas in my backpack and didn't bring my camera, so these photos are all shot with my phone...I seriously regret that I didn't bring my larger camera.




















11. October 2013 05:24
by Rene Pallesen
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Working in the Sydney

11. October 2013 05:24 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

working in the sydney


Recently I have been doing a lot of work with a client in the Governor Macquarie Tower in Sydney CBD.

It has been great working in the city as the commute is a lot easier and more interesting in general.

This is the building I have been working in.

11. October 2013 05:20
by Rene Pallesen
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Coastal walk

11. October 2013 05:20 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

coastal walk


One day Kim and I managed to go for a romantic (and long) walk from Coogee to Bondi and back along the coast.



It was a beautiful day and this area have some of the worlds best beaches and coastal views.






11. October 2013 05:18
by Rene Pallesen
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Bath time

11. October 2013 05:18 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

bath time


We have started giving Aiden and Lucas a bath together when we are not too rushed. They are playing very nicely together in the bathtub.

11. October 2013 05:16
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas Walking

11. October 2013 05:16 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lucas walking


Lucas is starting to be able to walk by himself and stand for long periods of time without holding onto furniture. The longest we have seen him walk so far was around 2 metres.

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28. July 2001 11:11
by Rene Pallesen
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Photo Gallery

28. July 2001 11:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

photo gallery

Photo Gallery

I have placed photos here - those I could not fit on the respective webpages.



Schwedagon
Big Stuba at nightBig StubaBig Stuba at night
Schwedagon 1Schwedagon 2Schwedagon 3


Mandalay
Mandalay facing eastMandalay HillMandalay Fortress


Marionet
Puppet Show 1Puppet Show 2
Musicians


Volleyball



Created: 3 Nov 2001

28. July 2001 10:52
by Rene Pallesen
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South East Asia ( 24 July ~ 24 August 2001 ) . . .

28. July 2001 10:52 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

south east asia 24 july 24 august 2001





Map of area I went to

I initially made plans to explore Burma and then make my way across the border into western China at Burma's only border crossing up north. I had not made any definite plans wanted to play it by ear... but in the end my trip consisted of Thailand, Cambodia and restricted areas to Burma.

I was away for a total of 5 weeks and must admit that parts of my trip really frustrated me - there were many restrictions in Burma and being in Bangkok at times stressed me because of all the tourists and crowds. I really only went to Cambodia to see the magnificent Angkor Wat - actually I really did enjoy being there. I think my most enjoyable part of the trip was the days I had climbing on the secluded areas of Krabi.

Burma - Temples at SchwedagonCambodia - Angkor WatThailand - Scuba-diving at Krabi
Burma
(23 Jul ~ 5 Aug)



Cambodia
(6 ~ 10 Aug)
Page available soon
Thailand

Page available soon








28. July 2001 10:51
by Rene Pallesen
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Monkeys . . .

28. July 2001 10:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

monkeys
There were quite a lot of monkeys at Mt Popa.





Mother & Baby Monkey

Monkeys fighting

Mother feeding baby monkey

The photo above in the middle, shows monkeys that look like they are playing around. They are actually fighting monkeys and can be very dangerous because they bite and also snatch things from you.

They were rather oblivious to me being there, until the flash on my camera went off. Then their attention was on me and they were ready to attack.

I adopted the “monkey mentality” - avoid eye contact and move away backwards - the only way to stop the monkeys from attacking is to not look at them.



Monkey 1

Sitting Monkey

Monkey with eyes closed

Monkey Portrait!

28. July 2001 10:50
by Rene Pallesen
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Burma Up North (continued) . . .

28. July 2001 10:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

burma up north continued
Volleyball Player Photo 1



Whilst I was up north, I watched a rather interesting game of volleyball.

I have never seen such dexterity and agility amongst the players!

It was amazing to see how flexible these guys were.

Volleyball Player Photo 2

Volleyball Player Photo 3Volleyball Player Photo 4
Volleyball Player Photo 5Volleyball Player Photo 6

Volleyball Player Photo 7Volleyball Player Photo 8

Volleyball Player Photo 9Volleyball Player Photo 10

Volleyball Player Photo 11

28. July 2001 10:50
by Rene Pallesen
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Mt Popa . . .

28. July 2001 10:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

mt popa
Mt Popa



There is a monastry on Mt Popa - a hill located 50km away from Bagan.

When I was there, it was a cloudy day.

Woman selling petrified wood at Mt Popa

I ran into a woman selling petrified wood - quite silly really, considering the place was covered with it.



Road sign

They must think tourists are stupid! *laugh* I managed to pick up a couple of small pieces to take back with me.


As you can see, there are stacks of them around.

And no... this is not a tombstone.
This is actually a road sign.


Example of petrified wood

You would be surprised how big some of these pieces are - this piece below was actually about a metre long and 40cm wide.

Toilet in Burma

Actually what I found interesting were the toilets in Burma.


My girlfriend tells me that squatting over a toilet is quite common in Asia.

In many of the city areas, they would have toilets as we know them, and they would also have a carved hole in the ground, on which either side, one places their feet on.

Toilets in the rural area are more crude than that - a hole leading into a gaping pit.

However, what I found i Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

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6. December 2013 07:16
by Rene Pallesen
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Fun on a rainy day

6. December 2013 07:16 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

fun on a rainy day


We have had a lot of rain lately. On one of the days I was showing Aiden and Lucas how to make a pair of funny glasses out of an egg crate and a piece of string.

They got to paint the glasses afterwards.




6. December 2013 07:14
by Rene Pallesen
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A helping hand vacuuming

6. December 2013 07:14 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

a helping hand vacuuming


The other day I picked up Aiden and Lucas pretty late from daycare.

They were in the process of cleaning and Aiden was eagerly waiting for them to turn on the vacuum cleaner so he could play with it.

20. November 2013 10:15
by Rene Pallesen
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De knoklede - page 007

20. November 2013 10:15 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

de knoklede page 007


I have already gone out too far. I cannot return and jump over the stream because it is growing inside of me and is becoming a roaring river.
What are these strange thoughts I am having?
Were these free farmers in the hills above Varde Aaa more free at year 900 than they were in year 1100?
The only difference was christianity.

Off to the library
The landowner at Noerholm
The Herredfoged.
The Bishop in Ribe
It is all written here

I start thinking about hunting
A good hunter makes sure that they keep a healthy game on the property. He will feed the game during tough winters and make sure that the the overall health is there and have to most productive game survive.
No, it is not right to have these thoughts here in the library when it is the farmers I need to find information on.

Queen Margaret..
Make a claim on Noerholm..
Maybe there is something here..

Wasn't it the landowner of Noerholm that owned Noerholm?
Has he just built up Noerholm and then put his filthy hand on every surrounding piece of land and property?
Which the church was claiming that it should own?
Or was it the Bishop in Ribe?

This was not what I was supposed to find here at the library. It was the farmer - farmers!

Hunting...

What rubbish was that. I must get rid of these thoughts, this has nothing to do with hunting.

20. November 2013 08:59
by Rene Pallesen
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De knoklede - page 006

20. November 2013 08:59 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

page 6 de knoklede




It wouldn't have been the lord who was out there beginning to move large boulders.

And not the bishop -

Christianity had just been introduced but building that many churches required a lot of workforce.

My thoughts are diverted.

Has this big change in faith based activity created communities, something in common because surely it was the farmers who built the churches.
This introduction was it something that made the existence easier for the farmers, my old roots.
It must have been, a lot of other things to believe in has been forgotten and the church is now a gathering place.

You should never start researching your ancestry.
You encounter one surprise after another and will never finish. There is always more.
There is changes in ones beliefs for every new discovery.

Of cause it was the farmers who built the churches. Who else would have?
They probably started with the words; "On the day of honour I am with you".

My thoughts are again left astray.

Russia build the aswan dam in Egypt.

Yes, I saw it myself with my own eyes. I drove in my car along the large canals they were digging.

How was it that they explained it to me?
This canal was to be dug 5 metres deep, 100 metres wide and should extend 800km out into the desert.

There were thousands of workers, it all looked like a large ants nests.
Men with baskets full of soil on their heads.

There was not a single Russian in this ants nest.

- Who actually built the Aswan Dam? -




20. November 2013 08:48
by Rene Pallesen
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De knoklede - page 005

20. November 2013 08:48 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

page 5




Farmers






My grandads memoirs.

-

My Memoirs.

-

But there has to be something before us.

Our family of farmers from Kongeaaen at Toboel to Lyngbakkerne across Varde Aa - Mejls - Hornelund - Sig.

How did they live in the last 1000 years?

I rush to the library but it feels like hitting a miss in the lottery.

Have my ancestors, the farmers, not accomplished anything that made it worthy for a couple of pages in the danish history?

Yes, they have of cause not walked about killing each other to get hold of their neighbors possessions. Rather the opposite, from the looks of it, it was the farmers that were killed.

And for this the killers deserved a rather prominent mentioning in the history.

Yes, there was built a number of churches in the 1100's, but my relatives, the farmers are not mentioned.

I start to think.

- Who actually built these churches? -.

20. November 2013 03:11
by Rene Pallesen
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De Knoklede - page 009

20. November 2013 03:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

de knoklede page 009


..as a couple of cows and a bull out on the feeding grounds. Something that can work and reproduce.

There is an old say like this - The devil looks after his own.
Let me immediately point out that the Devil didn't look after the farmers in the area around Varde and it was obvious that it was the met in power that were looked after by the Devil.

Here I would like to jump forward to 1300-1400 in the Danish history (Queen Margaret I). It is like my ancestors roots here start sprouting quickly. It is not quite clear who owns then, the church or the landowner at Noerholm.
Queen Margaret interfere in the argument and this gives the farmers a bit of breathing space.
A few farmers become more established and become independent (owns their land).
How should all these farmers see all the trouble ahead? Yes, even the Danish history has forgotten them.
It is only all the bad evil, power hungry people that are written about.
The more bloodthirsty the more pages they get in the book.

How mush is described about the farmers fight for independence against Kristian the 3rd?

The farmers at Varde invaded the river fortres at Varde and destroyed it but then had to retreat north with Captain Clement pursued by Johan Rantzau the kings right hand.
The farmers were at last defeated at Aalborg so that they would not appear in the history books. Not even crying and mourning by women and children behinds the hills at Varde river.

Honour becomes he who should be honoured.

20. November 2013 02:57
by Rene Pallesen
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De knoklede - page 008

20. November 2013 02:57 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

de knoklede page 008


I am stuck.

There is something peculiar about this study.

Why do I still return to - in a time of hunting?

Right! I remember, there is a book by that name.

I tell myself to think about something else - And he thoughts saw wide views.
And the neighbours wife said to her mum - That decease looks just like...

No, this is enough...

Were the farmers the hunted game or not?
Were the king, the lords, the church, the bishop the hunters?

Were the farmers the game and the hunting so good that the hunters couldn't agree on splitting the game?
Was it like that all over Denmark? Of cause it was. the Varde area was no exception.

It is something strange you are getting involved in when you study your ancestors.
The farmers had to live, otherwise there was nothing to hunt, but when the land owner was about to loose his hunting rights then the hunting escalated to the point where the game was about to go extinct.
The hunters would then loose interest and start hunting elsewhere.

Here we can mention the war against Sweden with its following plague as well as Napoleon with his Spanish troops in Denmark.

The farmers always recovered, because they were the lifeline for Denmark.
Children are born and new generations grow up between the marshes and hills without knowing whether they in years to come will be valuable as game and hence again be hunted to extinction.

It is the owners of the hunting grounds, their mentality and actions that is written into the Danish history. They have been lifted onto the podium for their dishonest behaviour.

On the contrary is just mentioned as an afterthought...

17. November 2013 08:42
by Rene Pallesen
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5 years wedding anniversary

17. November 2013 08:42 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

5 years wedding anniversary


Kim and I just had our 5th wedding anniversary.




She still looks as beautiful today as she did when I first met her.

We celebrated by going out having dinner at Darling Harbour and watched the weekly fireworks.

12. November 2013 01:23
by Rene Pallesen
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International Fleet Review 2013

12. November 2013 01:23 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

international fleet review 2013




We recently had the international fleet review in Sydney with lots of navy ships from international countries visiting Sydney to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Australian fleet.

This also meant that not only were there lots of sailors in town, but also lots of navy cadets.


Aiden and I chose to visit the American USS Chosin and British HMS Daring.

The US ship is an older class ship, and from the outside fairly unimpressive.



but on closer inspection it had an impressive arsenal of missiles.





As well as guns.



The crew were very friendly and were happy to have their photo taken.



The British vessel on the other hand is a very modern ship, again with a very impressive firepower.







The crew again were happy to have their photos taken.



After this Aiden was over the ships and when he spotted a firetruck he got very excited. Lucky the firemen were pretty bored so they were pretty happy to entertain him for a while and it also gave me a bit of a break from carrying Aiden in my backpack.






After that he was hungry and wanted something to eat.

1. November 2013 02:40
by Rene Pallesen
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Halloween 2013 - Steampunk Vampire

1. November 2013 02:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

halloween 2013 steampunk vampire


Last night was Halloween and we walked around with the kids (KC's and our kids) to do trick or treat.

Aiden was a little sick with gastro but we did managed to get him along dressed in his spider man shirt.

I was dressed up as a steam punk vampire.



When we came back I did the photo above in my home studio.