Home

2. May 2013 08:09
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Vanuatu - Waterfalls

2. May 2013 08:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu waterfalls


There are a number of waterfalls on the main island Efete in Vanuatu.

Some of these are very accessible as they are right next to the road such as this one.



Others are a bit more of a hike, but definitely worth it...such as these ones at Mele.

Unfortunately the access to the falls is not being very well managed. They have cut steps into the limestone and scrubbing the surface to avoid people slipping when walking. Unfortunately this also erodes and changes the waterfalls and I think they should put a walking track adjacent to the falls instead.








2. May 2013 08:08
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Vanuatu - Out and about

2. May 2013 08:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu out and about


One day we hired a driver to take us around the island.

One of the places we stopped was the Blue Lagoon which is a small semi freshwater lagoon with large lime stone deposits making the water very blue to look at.



We also stopped at Turtle Bay which is supposed to be a turtle sanctuary...but for what it is (tiny) and the knowledge of your guide (none) very over prised.

But they did have some live coconut crabs.



Some baby turtles



And a couple of large turtles in a very small and dirty enclosure.

2. May 2013 07:33
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Vanuatu - Around the hotel

2. May 2013 07:33 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu around the hotel


The hotel we stayed at was in a great location at the back of the lagoon with a little private beach.





...and a Tam Tam out the front.




It was great using some of the watersport equipment such as kayaks and catemarans







And it had a golf course which we didn't get a chance to use.



Mostly we would just relax or swim when around the hotel.





2. May 2013 07:16
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Vanuatu food

2. May 2013 07:16 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu food


You would think that a country with access to some of the best seafood and freshest produce would have fantastic food.

Although the food was Ok, we didn't find it fantastic and generally very over prised.



There was plenty of restaurant in and around Port Vila and some of them serving specialties such as coconut crabs and flying foxes.

We tried the coconut crab...but it was overcooked and dry and had surprising little meat on it (no meat in the body itself).




So we stuck to more traditional seafood which most often was battered and deep fried.



And as usual Aiden got into the free kids menu desserts



2. May 2013 05:26
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Lake Macquarie 2013

2. May 2013 05:26 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lake macquarie 2013


This weekend we went up to Lake Macquarie with the family to stay for a couple of night at a resort. I didn't take a lot of photos because we either didn't do much or were too busy with the family.

I did however take this one photo one evening at Katherine Hill Bay.


1. May 2013 12:38
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Vanuatu - Star fish

1. May 2013 12:38 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu star fish


The beach at the hotel was full of really big and colourful star fish....couldn't help but take a few snapshots.





26. April 2013 10:46
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Lucas 7 Months

26. April 2013 10:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lucas 7 months


Lucas is now 7 Months and for this month we decided to take his Monthly photos while he was on his first overseas trip to Vanuatu.

This series of photos was taken at Eton Beach on the east side of the island of Efate in Vanuatu...he loved the water and had a hard time to understand that it is unpleasant to eat the sand and drink the salt water.

He is now almost able to crawl...he just needs to figure out that it is not enough to just move the legs...you also have to move your hands.



3. April 2013 07:20
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Another old Lucas 4 months photo

3. April 2013 07:20 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

another old lucas 4 months photo


I know it was a couple of months ago, but I only now got around to processing it.

Here is another photo that I took of Lucas when he was 4 Months.

27. March 2013 11:15
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Axolotls

27. March 2013 11:15 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

axolotls


The other night we went for dinner at Marks place. He asked us if we could help him take some photos of the kids Axolotls...our response was 'Their WHAT??'.

Anyway, it turns out to be some sort of Mexican Salamander and he'd attempted to get some photos using his point and shoot camera, but wanted something better that he could print and hang on the kids wall.

Here are some of my efforts:



27. March 2013 11:12
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Sucking feet

27. March 2013 11:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

sucking feet


When Lucas doesn't have any toys to play with then his favourit pass time is to suck his feet. Here is a quick snapshot from the other day when he was at it again.




He's now got two teeth, so hopefully he wont chomp off his toes.
Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

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

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
0 Comments

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
0 Comments

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?

29. January 2012 07:38
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Ronan Keating Concert

29. January 2012 07:38 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

ronan keating concert


Last night Kim and I went to the Ronan Keating concert in State Theatre in Sydney.



Kim is a long time fan of Ronan and really wanted to see him live. I am to be honest not really familiar with his music but had a good evening nonetheless.

The warming up band was Sharon Corr (from The Corrs) and I really enjoyed her both playing and singing...she is pretty talented on the violin.



29. December 2011 10:24
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Tomakin 2011 - Fishing

29. December 2011 10:24 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

tomakin 2011 fishing


Chong brought his Tinny (Australian slang for boat) to Tomakin and every morning the guys went out fishing for a few hours (I only went out one morning because 1. I had to look after Aiden and 2. I am not a morning person).





We caught lots of fish, but none of them were worth keeping as they were too small.



Just as well we didn't keep any, because on one of the days the fishing inspection gave us a visit.




In fact the only thing we caught that was above the size limit was this blue swimmer crab (and he was allowed to live another day).




We also had a visit from two massive sting rays (about 1 meter in diameter).

28. December 2011 10:23
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Tomakin 2011 - Table Tennis

28. December 2011 10:23 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

tomakin 2011 table tennis


The house we stayed at had a table tennis table in the garage. We had enough people to form three double teams and we spent quite a few hours playing each other.





Kims dad is 78 years old and is still going strong...he loves playing games.



27. December 2011 10:12
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Tomakin 2011 - Evening Photos

27. December 2011 10:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

tomakin 2011 evening photos


On the last couple of evenings we went to the beach to do some nice sunset photos. Tomaking is very onique in that it has some beaches that are facing west so you can use the nice light in the evening.

We did some family photos (some of which are on the previous blog post) as well as some of just Kim, Aiden and I. Kim still looks as beautiful as the day I met her.











I also did a rush job taking some long exposure shots of the ocean and the cliffs (not sure if I like the post processing...may have to come back to it some other day).

26. December 2011 09:59
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Tomakin 2011

26. December 2011 09:59 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

tomakin 2011


This years christmas family trip went to Tomakin on the NSW south coast (about 5 hours drive south of Sydney).



We rented a house with four bedrooms (for 9 adults and 5 kids) very close to the beach and fishing in the river. Fun with this large a group of people.





As usual we spent some time at the beach and I was showing Aiden how to build sand castles again.



He is still not walking so we had to hold his hands walking on the beach and in the water.





Right next to the house there was a nice litte organic coffee shop serving really good coffee and scones.



One morning we went to Mogo to have a look at the shops. There was a lot of art and crafts shop that Kim was interested in. The town had very conveniently created facilities for husbands as well.

25. December 2011 09:46
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Christmas Day 2011 - Bondi

25. December 2011 09:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

christmas day 2011 bondi


Christmas day we spent at Bondi Beach with Sacha and Mavis and their daughter. We met up at the kids pool at the end of the beach to let our kids have a splash in the water.



Aiden couldn't get enough of walking around in the water with myself and Kim holding his hands (he still can't walk by himself), he is very fond of water.



Sammi, Sacha and Mavis' daughter was wearing a flotation suit which was causing her a few problems as this photo series testifies.



24. December 2011 09:35
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Christmas Eve 2011

24. December 2011 09:35 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

christmas eve 2011


Christmas Eve this year was celebrated with Kims family. Normally we do this on the 25th like all other Australians, but this year we decided to do it the day before like in Denmark to avoid a lot of leftover food before going down south on out family trip to Tomakin.



Later in the day Santa Claus arrived to hand out presents for the kids.



For the lunch I roasted two ducks and Kim baked a chocolate ganache and made a salad.





Aiden was very excited and played with all Ethand and Kaylas toys.





Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

26. December 2020 16:12
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Christmas Photo 2020

26. December 2020 16:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Keeping with tradition we did another family photoshoot this year.This time we wanted to try somethi
Keeping with tradition we did another family photoshoot this year.

This time we wanted to try something a bit more ambitious with a boxed setup where the individual boxes tell a bit more of a story.


I couldn't find an existing box that was big enough to fit me as well as the boys together, so I had to build one myself. I decided on the dimensions 90x90cm (as this was one of the dimensions that I could buy and also transport). I then had to cut it, paint it and nail it together. I had to do all this inside the house as the box is too big to fit through a door.

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

New bikes

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

For Christmas the boys got new bikes from us and my dad (bedstefar).The old were getting too small,
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

One day we went playing bowling...I had a dream round where I played my best game ever (including a
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

This year both the boys played soccer for the first time.They made some good friends while playing a
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

Kims dad celebrated his 90th(we think) Birthday this year.He is mostly bedridden these days, but we
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

One evening we were invited on a double date with one of Kims friends.The theme was painting and we
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

Strange year indeed, and other than a few things, it is remarkably the same.The kids have still done
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

During the lockdown we spent a lot of time in our backyard having a firepit on the weekends.One week
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

On the other side of Botany Bay is Kamay national park.On a very stormy day we went for a walk over
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

Aiden likes to dress up, this time like harry potter...
Aiden likes to dress up, this time like harry potter...