Rock and Horse

Revisiting Nanga Mill (Camping)

2011-10-16T20:00:00.000+08:00

Back in June we braved the rain to go camping at Nanga Mill and were so happy with the location that we were keen to go again. This time it was much busier, so on the second day we made an effort to explore some of the other camping options (which during summer need to be booked online) and found a few - watch this space :)

I was also keen to try a recently purchased 35mm lens and ND8 filter for the camera - the flowing Nanga Brook being the obvious attraction for some long exposure shots.

Highlights: going to the Waroona Show on the way down, exploring, swimming in the icy water at Island Pool and of coarse toasting marshmallows on the camp fire.

No Mum, one chip is enough

Renee juggles the kids whilst Papa plays with his camera

13sec exposure

Spuds and a billy for tea

30sec exposure

Nanga Brook - 30sec exposure

Nanga Brook - 15sec exposure

Step Changes in Development

2011-08-14T20:00:00.002+08:00

I can't explain why but this drawing got me more excited than when Isaac took his first steps. It's probably nothing out of the ordinary for a three and a half year old but it just took Renee and me by surprise. He loves to scribble, talks about what he's doing but this was the first clearly recognisable piece - and with some great features too! Like the sharp teeth, the long tail curling round the front and best of all, the plates on the back clearly making this a Stegosaurus.

Avon Descent - Day 2 at Bells Rapid

2011-08-08T20:34:00.000+08:00

About fifteen years ago I joined a few mates who knew someone with a farm bordering the Swan and we all sauntered down to watch the kayaks float by as part of the Avon Descent. Today was quite a contrast to those days! For starters, we joined the masses by parking our car amongst hundreds of others at the Brigadoon Equestrian Centre and jumped on the courtesy bus that took us to Bells Rapid. We've had heaps of rain the last couple of months and so the water was well and truly moving and even though it would be unfair to compare the rapids to our Zambezi experience, it looked like it would be fun to be amongst it.

After initially planning to only stay for an hour or two, we eventually left after five or six, kids covered in mud and us feeling we'd had a good day. And because we had a great spot, it meant I got some nice close photos of the competitors zooming past too.

Bells Rapid - we had a good spot to the left

Getting a bit of air

Going Express...or.....

.....cruising. A great contrast in sponsors.

A paddler catches up to our friends in trouble

Isaac has his own motor boat

Ruby Turns Two

2011-07-30T20:00:00.022+08:00

It was a good thing we didn't make this one a big one because it didn't take much to fill our home (the downside of winter birthdays) but the kids seemed to have a blast. There were a couple of aspects however that Renee in particular didn't skimp on and those included the food and decorations. See photo below with more in our web album.

Yes....Renee made this!

BHP Billiton Tree Planting Day - 2011

2011-07-22T20:00:00.006+08:00

Another great day and a win for those that took part and one for the environment. Like last year, the event took place at Cockburn Wetlands and included a buffet lunch, 'train' ride for the kids, lots and lots of tree planting (my guess would be in the thousands), snacks afterwards whilst the kids played with the 'barn' animals and most importantly an opportunity to get to know work colleagues from different parts of the company. With over 200 people taking part it was a successful day and would you believe the rain stopped and the sun came out just as we headed down to start the tree planting!

Ruby collecting punnets

Snakes made from punnets

The Annadale Experience

2011-07-10T20:00:00.010+08:00

My only regret about this weekend was not taking any photos - because there were some great moments but I was just too wrapped up in the experience to think about the camera. Renee's uncle and aunty have for years been asking us to come up to their Moora farm for a visit so we finally got our act together and made a weekend out of it. Just to put things into perspective, here are some quick facts that my grey matter has somehow retained.

The farm is about 14,000 acres of which I'm guessing about 3/4 is arable. Their main export is hay (grown as either wheat or oats) producing 6Mt per annum for export to Japan. They also do canola (non GM I have to say) and interestingly use bio-waste as part of their fertilisation programme. The bio-waste I find fascinating because they take a quarter of Perth's entire output (that's about 20,000t of poo!) and that looks like it will increase as the WaterCorp helps set them up for bigger capacities. But that's not all. They also have sheep (cattle were recently sold), chickens, pea hens, dogs, deer, alpaca's, horses, an emu, a camel and a donkey and I'm sure I've missed an animal or two!

To service all of this there's also an impressive collection of machinery - like the ex-mines front end loader and the 500HP 'super tractor' which was used to pull the recently acquired bulldozer from the back of the flat-bed semi trailer.

So not long after arrival we got a grand tour from Uncle Owen taking us across the different paddocks, through the bush and to the top of the 'big hill', an impressive lookout with soaring Wedged Tailed eagle to boot. We saw the work of dung beetles and lit some impressive fires and the following day Isaac and I were free to use the quad bike for more exploring.

Best of all it was great to get to better know Owen and Pam, Jaden, Bree and the kids (who are similar in age to ours), to see how well Jaden and Bree are taking over the massive responsibility of running the farm and to get an insight into some real Aussie farming culture and to feel their generosity.

Chilling out at Aldersyde

2011-07-03T20:00:00.009+08:00

We found out about this beautiful little winery through an invitation via friends to celebrate their anniversary. I say 'little' but their reputation (in particular their Chardonnay) has made it into some of our top restaurants. Aldersyde is off Aldersyde road in the Perth hills and was established in 1974 (originally as Piesse Brook Wines).

The afternoon not only meant catching up with friends but enjoying some great wine, feasting on a yummy lunch and warming up by the bonfire whilst we took turns to ride the quad bike. And the kids had lots of fun too!

Perth Winter Track Cycling Grand Prix

2011-06-26T20:00:00.002+08:00

What a treat, to see some of the country's best track cyclists go at it. BWA did a good job to coincide this day with the Swan Valley Cyclo Sportif, making the day a 'festival of cycling'. So while Renee was out completing an 80km ride with her cycling group, I was indoors enjoying good food and marvelling at the speed that these guys and gals get to and the clever tactics they'd play to get that little bit of a head start. Here are a couple of attempts at some high-speed (in low light) photography.

Camping at Nanga Mill

2011-06-19T20:00:00.008+08:00

Nanga Mill is one of several camp sites at Lane Poole Reserve, just out of Dwellingup. Isaac in particular has been wanting to go camping for the last couple of months and only now did we have a suitably free weekend to honour our promise. The rainy weather almost had us cancel the trip but we took our chances and hoped for a break in the rain at the critical points (i.e. setting up and taking down camp). And so luck was on our side and despite everything being very wet (and cold at night) we managed to stay dry and have some fun.

Highlights: crossing streams, walking in the bush, pointing out unusual flora, kangaroos amongst us, toasting marshmallows on the camp fire and of course sleeping in a tent! For me I was particularly in awe of the sun rays shining through the smoke filled pine trees early this morning. Magic!

Mother's day at the beach

2011-05-08T20:00:00.020+08:00

Headed down to the beach on Sunday afternoon and the kids had a blast. The weather was overcast but warm with no wind. We even jumped into the water for a bit. With the late afternoon sun I couldn't resist and had to take the camera and got some great shots. Here's a mother with daughter shot. Make sure you check out our web album for more on both Isaac and Ruby.

From Ruby Nina

The Cycling Addiction

2011-04-16T20:00:00.007+08:00

As the Cycling Addiction grows it's great to see it being picked up by those around me as well. Renee in particular has as part of her triathlon training (the season for which has now finished) being doing more - so much so that I was really keen to do the 60km Freeway Bike Hike with her in March. The idea was that she would 'sit on my wheel' (i.e. ride right behind me in the slip stream) and we would go as fast as we could. So the couple of times that my parents were looking after the kids, we would use the opportunity to practice riding together. It paid off because on the day we cracked the entire distance in just over an hour and a half, averaging close to 40km/h. A great day all up from a social perspective too.

Next was Waroona (yep, same one as last September) but this time I teamed up with some ex-colleagues to make a team of five. To avoid disappointment (I had no idea how strong the other riders were) and learning a lesson from last year I made a conscious effort to see this as a social ride and not be too competitive about it. After one member getting a flat and despite putting a new tube in also struggling with an under inflated tyre for most of the second half we stuck together and had fun. In the end we came through middle of the field somewhere and for me personally it was a great contribution to my training schedule for my ultimate goal of completing the UCI World Tour (to be raced two weeks later).

On the 9th of April Renee had her last triathlon and came fourth, just missing out on a medal! Her swimming's still not very strong (she thinks she was one of the last out of the water) so it really shows how fast she must have been on the cycle and run legs. She's promised me that she'll focus on the swimming training during the off season :)

And to top things off on the 16th of April I took part in the UCI World Tour. This was by far the toughest ride I've done to date. Not necessarily because of the distance (112km) but the course itself I found pretty challenging. OK, it was brutal with nearly a third of the riders not finishing! And when I suddenly found myself on my own during the third lap, my average dropped from somewhere around 36km/h to about 32km/h. Still, whilst battling cramps, a shortening ITB which was playing havoc on my knee and of course the general soreness on the left side of my body from a gathering of knots during my five week build up to the event I was happy to complete the ride. It wasn't until the results came through later that I found out I hadn't done too badly (19th place in my category).

Super kids

2011-03-05T17:00:00.012+08:00

Renee made these great capes for the kids and couldn't resist taking a few photos. Check out our web album for a couple more...

Renee's Pursuit

2011-02-20T21:00:00.024+08:00

Today Renee completed her first pursuit - an impressive 750m swim, 20km ride and 5km run in one hour and 37 minutes, placing her at 20th position for her category. The event was the Hillarys Triathlon #1, making it nice and close to home (she rode there this morning). The kids and I timed it to see her on her ride and then cross the finish line with her run. I even got a lucky photo of her speeding along on her bike (remember....it's not about the bike Renee) ;)

This has been a great step up for Renee and has given her the confidence to go harder and longer. She'll be doing Iron Man's before too long (ok, maybe not that hard). Click here to see the results. I'll leave you with a great photo that Julia Hern took of Renee just before her swim leg. Thanks Julia!

Isaac Turns Three

2011-02-06T20:00:00.014+08:00

It's strange to think Isaac has had three birthdays now and Ruby only one. This time we decided on Wanneroo Rotary Park as the ideal venue although some felt they should have their passports stamped for making the trip up. Other than a bit of wind making it hard to keep the balloons grounded it was a great morning overall. The kids had heaps of fun and everyone thought Renee's rainbow cake was just magic (especially Renee and I considering some challenging aspects that cropped up the night before). Here are a couple of snaps:

Montana turns 5

2011-01-09T21:00:00.005+08:00

Leah and Tim organised a fantastic day to celebrate Montana's 5th birthday at the Apple Fun Park in Donnybrook. They had hired a bus to pick everyone up so the 2.5 hour drive down was filled with fun. It was a hot day but there was plenty of shade for everyone.

2010 - a year in review

2010-12-31T20:00:00.024+08:00

Is it me or do the years seem to fly by faster than ever before? Maybe it's just because there's less time to stop and reflect? The kids are of course the main reason. It's so nice to chillout with them and play - everything else simply becomes prioritised which means that some things just never get done.

We did manage to continue doing exercise. Although I stopped climbing I continued to commute on the bicycle and with a few additional training rides and a cycling course to boot I found myself taking part in several cycling events. Renee on the other hand picked up a few additional legs to get into the triathlons - having done three so far and a whole series lined up ahead of her for next year.

I moved into a different role with BHP Billiton, joining the 1SAP project as a Business Process Analyst. It meant leaving Ajilon and joining People in Computers (still contracting) but other than that I still work with the same team of great people. There's been plenty of work too which is a relief with the rest of the world under GFC pressure. And with that in mind, I've minimised time off to "make hay while the sun shines", so to speak. This last week off has been more a case of three days off to gain ten days straight and an opportunity to catch up on a back-log of things to do around the house (and maybe spend some more time with the kids) :)

Renee took up a voluntary position with Whitfords Rainbow Toy Library, starting out as the IT officer and then also filling in as Secretary. There's a significant amount of work and learning how a not for profit organisation is run has been a pretty interesting experience for both of us.

In April we invested in a property in Bassendean. We're still unsure whether it was the right time (considering the direction the housing market has gone since) but we felt at the time we had to do something. I'm sure when the kids are old enough to move out they'll appreciate having something there to help them get started.

We hope you all have a great 2011 and don't forget to check out our Picasa web album for some photos.

Great Bike Ride - 2010

2010-11-21T20:00:00.011+08:00

Another great event with BHP Billiton sponsoring jersey's for Renee and myself and a fantastically organised marquee for post event rub-downs and food/drinks. Renee did the family ride with kids in tow and joined by my parents whilst I set myself a new goal to do the 106km is under three hours (beating last year's time by fifteen minutes).

This year I got to join the fancy racers with my very own and loved it. Having learnt a bit more about group riding in the last year also gave me an appreciation of how well things can work if everyone contributes and the bunch communicates effectively. This was not always the case today however and it had me a little perplexed. We could 'cruise' along at 40km/h plus but as soon as we hit the corners people were hitting the brakes and going all over the place. I also found it frustrating that in a bunch of up to fifty riders a good three quarters were content to just hang back and let others do the work. What made it worse was that at the times I did find myself towards the back and had to yell out to those in front of me to 'roll on' so that I wouldn't be stuck there and potentially get left behind if the bunch split.

Despite all this I made a good time (I averaged about 37km/h), coming in well under three hours. I can't wait to see the official results :)

== EDIT ==

66th place, 2 hours and 48 minutes (average 38km/h) - very happy :)

Triathlon Pink

2010-11-07T20:00:00.003+08:00

Today Renee not only completed her first triathlon, the Triathlon Pink which is an all female triathlon series but she did it in an awesome time too of 52 minutes (beating the average by a couple of minutes). The legs were swim: 300m, cycle 9km and run 3km and the event was held at Challenge Stadium in Mt Claremont. I was proud of Renee for her persistence in training almost every day and the results paid off. We picked up Alicia (a good friend of Renee's who also competed) on the way this morning and Isaac, Ruby and myself found the good spots to see Renee in her transitions and then complete the final laps of her run. Here are a couple of photos:

Ocean Ride for MS

2010-10-31T14:00:00.004+08:00

Yep, more cycling related posting. This time it's the Ocean Ride for MS with a spectacular route along our beautiful coast. Starting in Fremantle the 30km option finished at Hillarys and the 50kms went another 10kms further north to Burns beach where it turned around to also finish back at Hillarys.

I rode under PIHC's colours and that meant riding at the front of the peloton but that didn't last long as faster riders soon passed us. And then as we approached Cottesloe it was on. Kane (previous Mount Street Champion) came racing past and I figured that gave me a ticket to leave the bunch. We kicked on until Cott when I realised that Kane had suddenly dropped back. When I later asked about what happened it appeared he'd gone a little too hard too soon. He was also doing the 30km so maybe that's why he thought he could go hard. It did mean however that I was on my own and so the rest of the ride was a really interesting experience of various bunch sizes. At one stage I was in a group of eight and we had a harmonious rotation going but weaker riders dropped off and I ended up riding with just one other rider. The last ten kms was the best in which I rode with three others who all had the same pace and willingness to share the load and it was made even sweeter to find out just before the Burns beach turn-around point that we were not far from the lead bunch.

The good:

The route
Friendly riders
Transperth trains from Whitfords all the way into Freo - just for this event
Having my 'support crew' meet me at the end

The bad:

Some traffic management could have been better. We even had to stop at the first set of lights.
No toilets at the starting point. Luckily I went after hopping off the train in Freo but it could have confused others.

The ugly:

The wind! Being a strong north-easterly meant it was enough to hold you back but at an angle that made it hard to find shelter from riders in front of you.

Me and my support crew

Cycling instead

2010-10-17T18:00:00.003+08:00

This week marked the end of two cycling related events. The first a ten week course (two sessions per week) with PIH and the second Cycle Instead in Spring.

When I first started the PIH course I had some reservations. I felt a bit like it was too basic for me (and in reality it is a beginners course) but I persisted with the early morning starts and picked up a few tips along the way. I got to know some great people and established myself (mainly to myself) as a serious rider. I was invited to join PIH to ride at Waroona and am also looking forward to ride with them on the 31st of October for the MS Coastal.

I also beat the course record for the "Mount Street Challenge" by four laps (doing 20 laps in roughly 40 mins) so was pretty happy with that achievement. I just didn't realise how big a deal it was until Ian Wee (director of PIH) made a rather public announcement with photo of myself as part of his promotion for Ride to Work day. That of course spurred plenty of emails, a round of applause during a 1SAP safestart briefing and a congratulations from the VP of Integrated Planning. I have to laugh about it but all the same if it means more people ride more often then I'm prepared to stand in the spotlight for a few seconds :)

The idea of Cycle Instead in Spring is to create a team and have each individual log their kms over a six week period. I guess this is to raise cycling awareness and get more people riding their bikes. I took part out of interest and created a team with eleven other people at work and together we logged 2145km. Of those I personally logged 1039km, which averages at 173km per week. My top week was of course the week of Waroona in which I clocked just over 300km. Let's hope I can keep it up!

Weekend at the Emu farm

2010-10-17T11:00:00.012+08:00

My manager at work organised a 'family fun weekend' at his friend's emu farm in Toodyay (about an hour east from Perth). He goes there regularly with his family so it was pretty well set up and boy did we have a blast! I had decided it was time for Isaac and me to have a 'boys weekend away' and camping on a farm seemed the perfect fit. Here are the highlights.

Follow the Lada - through a hairy trail up and down a pretty steep and rocky circuit in the bush only to end up in 'the sand pit', an ex sand mine which anyone could mistake as a purpose built playground for 4WD's and motorbikes.
Riding the motorbikes and quad bikes. And just as enjoyable was seeing Isaac continue to make motorbike sounds when he wasn't on a quad any more but on his tricycle.
Being amongst 300 odd emus and listening to their strange 'boggling' sounds as they communicated with each other.
Exploring the shearing shed
Going for a long walk with Isaac early the following morning spotting rabbits and kangaroos, pointing out their tracks and their droppings.

A great selection of motorbikes

Looking at sheep

Driving the tractor

Making motorbike sounds on his trike

Early morning sunrise

Playing in the oats

Waroona Cyclosportif

2010-09-19T20:00:00.018+08:00

The Waroona event is considered a tough course by cyclists. Not so much because of the distance (80kms) but because of the hills. The circuit starts in Waroona, a small town about 100kms south of Perth and goes up into the hills to Dwellingup and then back again.

I was invited by PIHC to join their top team and shortly after accepting (one week before the event), I became pretty apprehensive about it! I hadn't done a ride like this before and felt like I didn't have much time to train for it. But all of that washed away on the day when I met a pretty cool bunch of guys - especially with an intro like "here's the new guy....he's going to pull us up the hill...hahaha" The captain briefly explained the three different riding formations we'd adopt and some of the language that would help us work together as a team.

The ride went surprisingly well. We blitzed the first half working very closely as a team but coming back I found myself pulling away with another stronger rider mainly because we both wanted to keep our cadence up during the ascents. We cruised for most of the ride and 10kms before the finish tracked back until we joined up with the main group again. And the great thing about going up a steep hill is coming back down again - clocking over 70km/h on several occasions :)

Total ascent - 1192m

But the icing on the cake was reaching a new 'personal best' of riding over 300km in a week. I'd thought I should do a few longer rides during the week leading up to the event and those kms quickly added up.

Some more photos here and here.

Update...
Credit to John Hutson and BWA for taking this great photo of our team.

Nearing the top of the first ascent

Cycling - the next step up

2010-09-11T21:14:00.000+08:00

It doesn't happen often that the decision to spend a lot of money on a 'toy' is easy. In this case however I had the following factors to consider:

I was nearing 10,000kms on my old bike. This is not to say it isn't rideable any more but more that I'd proven to myself that cycling was not just a fad and that it has become an important part of my commute and exercise regime.
Riding had always been cash flow positive, based on the cheapest alternative (public transport).
I wanted to commute/ride more and my old bike seemed to make that hard. Even a change in diet only helped so far.
A second-hand sale came up that I just couldn't resist.

So the choice of weapon has become an Argon 18 (Krypton) and I am loving it! It truly is a world apart going from flatbar alu/cr-mo to a full composite carbon race bike with Ultegra group set to boot. My average speed has increased and the whole riding experience (including comfort and silky smooth gear changes) has improved. Here's a photo with hopefully more to come in future posts :)

Argon 18 - Krypton 36

Ruby's First Birthday

2010-08-01T21:00:00.002+08:00

Ruby's first birthday party was a real treat. Renee put a massive amount of preparation into it, hand crafting beautiful decorations including the food itself and even catering for the adults.Credit goes out to her as a loving parent and fantastic organiser. The selection of venue (Landsdale Farm School) was a bit of a risk with our 'winter' weather but in the end it couldn't have been better with clear sunny skies and no wind. The farm animals are great fun for the kids and there's a bit to see for adults too.

Here are some pictures for a few more thousand words.

'Lolly Bags' - hand-crafted by Renee!

Setting up in time for everyone to arrive

Papa helping Ruby blow candles

Ruby 'walking' with Audrey.

Pigs are amongst Isaac's favourite animals

BHP Billiton Tree Planting Day

2010-07-09T20:00:00.084+08:00

For a number of years now BHP Billiton has been supporting the environment by sponsoring employees, contractors and their families to take part in a "tree planting day", a day where we all head down to Cockburn wetlands and plant trees on a mass scale. It's a great way to do something for mother nature, meet other people in the company and of course to get out into the fresh air.

This year it rained more often than not but the kids seemed to enjoy playing around in the mud (there were some great photos taken). I don't know the total statistics for the day but in a period of about three hours I personally planted about twenty trees - with Isaac helping me. Here's a photo of Isaac (courtesy of Denise Crosbie) who despite his serious face had a great time getting amongst it all.

Update: CVA has taken some great photos which are available here.

By way of an update, things are going great with us all. Renee has joined the toy library committee acting as the IT guru. She regularly asks me for help (hehe...I couldn't help it). No seriously it's a pretty big responsibility and it's interesting to see how an organisation like this is run. As challenging as it is raising two little monsters that take after their father, doing something outside of motherhood will hopefully also give Renee something to show for when she does go back to work.

The kids are growing up way too fast. I won't brag too much about how wonderful they are (I guess I'm maybe a bit biased) but needless to say as much as I enjoy work, I can't get out of there fast enough so that I can spend more time with them. I'll write more about Ruby later on since she's approaching the big ONE year old now and I'm sure to blog on that. For Isaac though, he's pretty much a typical toddler. He has the attitude (see photo above) but on the flip side wants to try and learn about everything. He's been going through toilet training and accidents are becoming a rarity now. He still won't sleep in (I'm lucky if I don't have to get up before 5:30) and he loves trucks and chickens. Especially big, big, BIG trucks.

Speaking of work and BIG trucks, I have joined the 1SAP project for BHP Billiton. I still work closely with the same people from the time I first started at BHP and they are what make it an enjoyable experience. I regularly remind myself how lucky I am to have landed this job. And it's been good enough to fund an investment property that we bought in May, located in Bassendean, a pretty recent and very exciting event.

PIHC Track Cycling Day

2010-05-30T20:00:00.002+08:00

Perth Integrated Health Clinic have made some clever inroads with BHP Billiton, offering free educational cycling related workshops for exposure to employees/contractors in turn. They also regularly organise cycling events such as this track day and although I'd seen track cycling on TV once or twice I had no idea what it was really about. The $30 included hire of a track bike and use of the Speed Dome velodrome plus two instructors to take us through the ropes. We had to bring our own pedals and shoes, food and water and a helmet and gloves.

I'd heard or read or maybe seen it in a photo that the bikes don't have brakes or gears and are "fixies" (you can't freewheel) so I was looking forward to this interesting dynamic. But it was perhaps the more subtle dynamics of the track that fascinated me most. The way you could use the corners (42 degrees steep) to decelerate and accelerate relative to the other riders. I also loved the speed at which we travelled, cruising at a minimum of 30km/hr to stay about the blue line and by the end of the two hour session flying along at almost 60km/hr in a final sprint race. It's something I'll definitely do again!

Here's a photo of the bike I was on. No gears, no brakes, you can't freewheel and your feet are fixed to the pedals:

Nissan BRW Corporate Triathlon

2010-03-07T20:00:00.003+08:00

This was a truly fantastic day with about 2300 participants. Ajilon (who are owned by Adecco) sponsored two teams in Perth for the Main Event - which meant each team member doing each leg. This triathlon was also a bit different to previous ones I've entered because team members ran the legs in series. In other words, I went first doing all three legs, then tagged John who then tagged Richard. I think this was done for safety reasons - less people climbing up/down the stairs for the swim and less people on the road during the cycle.

Between the two Ajilon teams, we performed well, coming in at 2 hours and 40 minutes. I have mixed feelings with my times. The swim went as expected (8:17) but it turns out that was actually a pretty good time, with the other five participants all coming in over ten minutes. The cycle was next and despite this in theory being my strong leg, my time was not what I had hoped for. The only explanation I can find is that the transition times were added on to the ride time. I also made the mistake of taking on a bit too much salty river water (unintentionally of course) which made for an uncomfortable ride in which I sculled my water bottle to try and dilute the saltiness in my stomach and post ride resulted in a stitch as I started to run. So the run which in theory should have taken 16 or 17 minutes (based on my training runs of 4 minute kms) took almost 20. Anyway, enough of the excuses. It was a great day and we were all very impressed at how well the event was organised.

The results can be seen here. And some low res photos of our team can be seen here.

First helicopter training flight

2010-02-21T20:00:00.005+08:00

Renee surprised me with a dream birthday present to not only fly in a helicopter but to also fly the helicopter myself! She had it all planned to a tee - including having me believe we were heading down to my parents place (which we did afterwards) and then telling me about the card in the glove box as she turned off the freeway towards Jandakot airport.

It started with a half hour one-on-one training session with the pilot which focussed primarily on the three controls; the cyclic, the collective and the tail rotor pedals. That was followed by a half hour flight in a Robinson R22. I had two options for the flight. Either a scenic run up the coast and over the city or a short trip down to their training area where the pilot would take back control and demonstrate the capabilities of this amazing little machine. Of course, I couldn't resist the latter and was not disappointed! Flying just meters above the ground, weaving between shrubs and banking away steeply to do 'emergency stops' in front of trees the G forces were enough to leave me buzzing for weeks.

But what amazed me most other than the sheer agility (and probably related to it) was the sensitivity of the controls - particularly the cyclic which I held gently between my fingers. Movements of just centimetres were enough to respond to the gusts of wind that we regularly encountered and to keep the helicopter flying level and in a straight line.

From 2009 into 2010

2010-01-01T08:00:00.004+08:00

On the outset 2009 seemed to go so quickly that I wonder what actually happened! But looking back the birth of Ruby was obviously pretty significant, changing the dynamics of our family and bringing a whole heap of extra love and joy to the fray.

Isaac's surgery was also something we'll never forget (although his scar is disappearing nicely) and on a positive note, he turned one year old early in the year.

Then there was the trip to Malaysia with Renee almost too pregnant to fly and Isaac at the stage were he was just getting into absolutely everything. I wouldn't have called that holiday relaxing but there are no regrets.

To top the year off, two of Mum's brothers (i.e. my uncles) Ad and Jan came down under to enjoy the Aussie summer. My parents organised a house down in Busselton for the week starting the 26th (see photo below) which was big enough to comfortably room my parents, Ad and Jan, Leah and the two kids and the four of us. Daan (perhaps wisely) camped out in his Landcruiser with Audrey.

Here are a few photos from Busselton linked from our Picasa web album:


From Isaac Roar	From Australia

Great Bike Ride '09

2009-11-22T20:00:00.002+08:00

BHP Billiton was so good to be my sponsor again this year for the "Great Bike Race"...I mean "Ride". As with last year's event, there were three options; 10km family ride, 53km lap around the river or 106km made up of two laps. Since I made it across the line last year I figured I may as well find out where my limits really are and so signed up for the two laps.

With about four weeks to go I started to increase the distance of my regular ride to work (23km) but also spaced them out more each time to allow for recovery. By the third week I'd done two 80km rides - the first a gruelling 3 hour ride home from work along the coast and into the wind, the second a 3 hour ride to work in which I had to nurse a stitch for most of the ride. These also gave me an appreciation for what a good pair of knicks can do, regardless of how ridiculous they look on me.

So there I was, support crew (aka family), up at 4am to eat and get ready for a 6am start. And it turned out to be a very enjoyable ride! The weather was perfect (although the wind picked up after about half an hour), the other riders were more than willing for a chat along the way and I felt I completed the 106km in a reasonable time of 3 hours and 15 min's, each lap just under my single lap time from last year. See the results here.

Last minute preparation. Electrical tape to keep the tyre pump attached to the frame, two water bottles, stickers on the skid lid and I'm set to go.

If you look hard you can see this guy on a "reasonably priced" flat-bar bicycle amongst all the fancy racers...

Isaac goes in for surgery

2009-10-20T20:00:00.001+08:00

OK, maybe not as serious as it sounds but considering it's taken almost a year to get here it was a pretty big deal for us. When we noticed the lump that had appeared in Isaac's cheek was not only going away but seemed to be increasing in size, it took some convincing from our side for the doctor to write a reference to a dermatologist. Then it was a sixth month wait for the appointment and the dermatologist (although probably very competent) didn't leave us with much confidence of what was going on. But the important thing was that we got another reference to a plastic surgeon who specialises in paediatric craniofacial surgery (children's faces). So we were in luck and two months later Renee dropped me off to take Isaac in for an "excision pilomatrixoma".

The procedure didn't take long and by lunch time we were back home. The challenges that face us now will include keeping the sutures dry and clean for the next 48 hours and not letting Isaac knock or scratch the sutures for the following two weeks. Then there will be a certain amount of "scar management" which can last up to three months.

Otherwise everything is going well with the four of us. Ruby has up until now been a dream baby. Yes, she does wake up during the night but that's about as bad as it gets. She is easy going, doesn't cry much, feeds very well and is developing well. Lately she's become quite chatty, which is funny and also a great way to interact with her. Isaac has also been pleasantly well behaved around her. We need to watch out as he can be quite rough but he generally doesn't show any bad intentions towards her.

Renee and I had our three year anniversary recently. We're planning on having a night out next week to celebrate and of course to open the next bottle of red.

We've also been doing a fair bit of work around the house - mainly painting. This is probably the main reason for lack of blogging as almost every evening has been consumed by home improvement activities.

So that's it. Don't forget to check out our Picasa Web Album. I've put up a couple of photos of Isaac from today and Ruby's album is regularly updated. In the Australia album I've also posted some photos of my first trip to Mt Whaleback, Newman. Enjoy!

Rock and Horse become four

2009-08-02T20:00:00.003+08:00

On Thursday the 30th of July, Renee gave birth to Ruby Nina de Waard. She weighed in a healthy 3.88kg and 51cm long and has so far wanted more to eat then Renee can provide, a refreshing change to Isaac's first days. Actually, it's been fascinating comparing the two because they just seem worlds apart and it's maybe partly because of that reason that we can see another steep learning curve coming up.

I've started a new Picasa web album which can be found here.

Malaysia - Penang

2009-06-22T20:00:00.008+08:00

This post is a continuation of the previous post on KL...

Day 5 (Monday) and we're off to Penang. Despite it being a flight of less than one hour, we've set aside most of the day, with the exception of plans to catch up with Marcus and Sarah in the afternoon. Our last breakfast at the hotel is a success. We have a routine worked out with Isaac where one of us eats whilst the other feeds Isaac. Once finished, the first to eat entertains Isaac whilst the other can eat breaky in relative peace. If it means taking Isaac out of his high chair (usually does) then so be it. It's just not worth the public tantrum in a large room full of people who are on holiday.

Our flight is at 12pm so we aim to get to the airport early at 9am but are surprised when Air Asia tells us they've moved our flight (without informing us) to an 8am slot that morning, which means we've missed the flight. Fortunately they have another flight at 1:40pm - it just means we're going to be hanging around at the airport a bit longer.

At 11:30am,we decide to start lining up at the check-in counter. Whilst we are waiting, Isaac runs from the back of the hall to the front, near the counter, eager to climb up on to the luggage belt. I grab him and carry him back to the back of the hall and he runs to the front again. We must do this about twenty times, each time Isaac bolting to the best of his abilities and getting faster every time. About an hour before departure the check-in counter opens and the line starts to move. However when it's our turn we run into problems. The lady at the counter isn’t sure whether Renee’s obstetrician’s letter is sufficient to declare her safe to fly. She calls her manager and declares it is not good enough and if we could go to another counter to speak to the manager. By this stage I’ve had enough. I sense that they are trying to move us to the other counter so they can continue loading passengers and eventually we’d ‘miss’ the flight. We argue that we’d been able to fly from Perth with Air Asia without any problems and that we’d had confirmation (from some manager) over the telephone before we left Perth that the letter would be sufficient. But the lady refuses to budge. It makes us frustrated that after they have already stuffed us around they are now going to cause difficulties with Renee’s pregnancy. Eventually we end up at the other counter where they try to convince us to take the next flight.

The only way I can see out of this is to suggest that we contact Renee’s obstetrician and get her to fax a new letter through. The manager agrees this is a good idea but still tries to convince us to take the next flight. I argue that we still have half an hour so there is plenty of time. But between us getting the fax number, calling the obstetrician and the first fax failing (the secretary didn’t dial the international code first) we have about five minutes to board the plane. The whole thing leaves us with a pretty sour impression of Air Asia and as we watch the plane arrive I point out their slogan to Renee, ironically “Now Everyone can Fly”.

After all that it's a relief that the flight is quick and painless and after a drive across the island (well...around the coast via Georgetown) we soon find ourselves at the counter of the hotel. Renee is already stressing about the room not being right but the lady confirms, to our surprise, that we have been upgraded! Thank goodness for a change in our luck. The rooms (yep, plural) are spacious and we soon realise the benefits of being able to put Isaac to bed while we relax and read a book or watch TV.

So after dumping our stuff we visit Marcus and Sarah who have bought an apartment about 200m up the road! You can imagine our surprise when we organised to catch up and found out where they were living. It was good to see them again and later in the evening Bas goes out with Marcus for the first of many great meals in Penang - a "steamboat" buffet. They also give us some great tips on things to see and what to watch out for. It's a shame that they both fly back to Perth (Sarah that evening and Marcus the following morning) for work but at least we got to catch up.

Day 6 (Tuesday) We decide to 'wind down' for a day, take advantage of the pool and while Bas looks after Isaac, Renee goes to do a bit of shopping at Island plaza.

Day 7 (Wednesday) We've worked out a routine with Isaac that keeps him busy, caters for his lunch time nap and keeps us sane. We start with a nice relaxed breakfast, Bas eats whilst Renee feeds Isaac. By the time Isaac is finished, Bas is too and they both go down to the beach together to play in the sand and waves while Renee has her breakfast. It's easy on the beach. Isaac loves the sand and his confidence around the water is, if anything, a bit too high. It's a great time of the day before the heat kicks in too.

After breakfast we clean up and head down to the pool where we spend most of the morning. Sometimes we head into the arcade room so Isaac can bang on some buttons or drive the race car and by 11am Isaac is ready for his nap.

In the afternoon we head out to the Tropical Fruit Farm (recommended by Marcus and Sarah) and are not disappointed. The tour guide is very knowledgeable, the variety of fruits are fascinating and best of all we get to feast on a fruit buffet at the end of the tour. The high-light (or low-light depending on who you're talking to) is to savour the sweet alcoholic-like pungent flesh of the durian!

Day 8 (Thursday) is Kek Lok Si temple. It's claim to fame is that it's the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast asia. We enjoy the climb up through the markets and it's easy to spend hours gazing at the architecture and taking in the serenity, forever surrounded by the sweet smell of incense.

Day 9 (Friday) we relax. I guess we're on holidays after all!

Day 10 (Saturday) we head out to Georgetown (the colonial district) and in the evening Bas goes to Batu Ferringhi to do some sight-seeing and a bit of shopping at the street stalls.

Day 11 (Sunday) Prepare to fly home arriving back in Perth at 5:30am Monday morning. We're lucky with the flight because Renee and Isaac are able to stretch across three seats and get a bit of sleep.

The occasional hiccup aside, it was a great holiday, we did see a few things and as "new" parents we realised that our future travel plans will need to take a few things into consideration - especially with more than one toddler running around. In hindsight it's amazing how tolerant Isaac was (I guess most kids do adapt very quickly) and we hope that even though he won't remember any of it he'll have experienced enough to contribute to his development in a positive way. If anything, he's certainly learned how to run!

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur

2009-06-14T20:00:00.005+08:00

Since it's been so long since we've posted it's probably fair to include a bit more detail. This first part is on KL. The next post will be on Penang. We've uploaded a selection of photos to our Picasa Web Album.

For those of you that don't want to read it all, here's a summary:

Ten day trip to Malaysia
4 days in KL
The rest in Penang
Hotel in KL a bit run down but location was awesome
Hotel in Penang very nice (we were also upgraded). Location good.
People fantastic (they loved Isaac)
Food, glorious food in Penang
Overall great trip but certainly not what I'd call relaxing
Read on to find out why... :)

The flight from Perth to KL is roughly five hours and we leave home in the wee hours of the morning (4am) hoping Isaac will sleep a bit more in the car. Half your luck! I guess he just verified that he's a "morning person" and most of the trip to the airport he's pointing outside (at the darkness) making his usual "eh" sounds when he thinks there's something interesting that he wants to discuss with us.

The flight is good and bad. I struggle to 'contain' Isaac, especially when the seatbelt sign is on. He's become quite strong and very good at wriggling and his vocal chords can be somewhat expressive when he doesn't get what the king orders. Anyway, being the strict father that I am he just has to grin and bear it, just like his wincing parents. The good part is our first encounter with Malaysian's love for children. A family occupying the two rows behind us are more than happy to entertain Isaac, letting him play with their toys/books and feeding him chocolate biscuits.

From KL airport we catch a cab to the hotel (again lots of squirming/wriggling) which takes about an hour. The first thing you see are all the palm trees. Huge plantations that are indicative of Malaysia's number one export - palm oil. The hotel is on the border of the golden triangle, a very good location we soon discover as we are able to walk to some of the major plazas to do some sight-seeing and of course shopping! But more on that later. The room is a little disappointing however. Linen has holes here an there, the room has a bit of a sour smell to it and in general things are a little run down. On the positive, the pool is good and the aircon works! So we spend day 1 (Thursday), resting and getting familiar with the area. In the evening, with Lonely Planet book in tow, we find a restaurant close by and eat a delicious Malaysian meal, only slightly interrupted by....squirming/wriggling in the high chair.

Day two (Friday). Some of the sheet covering the mattress has slipped during the night, exposing the mattress and its inhabitants to my bare left shoulder. Mmmmm, three unusual bites. Better make sure the sheet doesn't slip off again. Otherwise it's time to pull out the silk sleeping bag liners. Isaac co-sleeping has been a reasonable success.

After a hotel breakfast (more highchair capers), we make a plan to check out Batu Caves. Keeping Isaac's lunch time sleep in mind we decide to save time and catch a taxi there - the cost a reasonable 80 MYR (roughly $30). We are first greeted by Murugan, an impressive 40m golden statue next to the stairs leading up and into the cave. As we start the steep climb up I'm wondering why the monkey's are gathering around and staring at Isaac (who is sitting on my shoulders). I quickly realise they're probably after the biscuit he has in his hands and knowing how aggressive they can be (refer back to our Africa trip) I take Isaac's biscuit and throw it away from us. At the top the view is good but the looming cave is even more impressive. There's something about the light at the end of the cave that emphasises it's cavern size. We spend a fair amount of time walking through the cave, taking in the atmosphere and trying to imagine thousands of pilgrims bursting from its seams.

Feeling adventurous we take a bus and then the monorail back to Golden Triangle where we find a Chinese restaurant to eat in BB Plaza. Once back at the hotel Isaac crashes and whilst Renee sleeps with Isaac, I go for a swim and read my book. In the afternoon we decide to go for a walk and check out the plazas (which are like giant multi-story shopping malls). Most impressive is "Times Square" plaza which is built around a huge theme park, roller coaster of about ten stories included! We watch the roller coaster from one of the top floors in fascination as it winds, loops and twists within the building structure.

It's easier to find a place close by for an early dinner from which we can return to the hotel and put Isaac to bed. By this stage we've realised it's best to keep Isaac to his regular routine otherwise he won't get enough sleep. In the evenings Renee will also sleep while I read or go out.

Day 3 (Saturday) we decide to change our original itinerary to go to Camp 5 because it will consume all morning and only I would benefit from it (for an hour or two). Instead, we go to China town and passing by little India take the monorail back again. We spend a bit of time in the pool in the afternoon and in the evening (once Isaac is asleep) I go out to the plazas to do some more sight-seeing and some shopping.

Whilst amongst the street vendors I decide to have a better look at the watches they're selling. It seems like every third stall is selling them and I'm curious about the quality, range and of course price. The vendor is pretty clever. I play the buying game, emphasising that I'm looking for a particular type of watch and before I know it he's got a fat catalogue in front of me and we're flicking through the pages. He also explains the difference between an obvious fake (i.e. plastic, dials don't turn, etc) and the impressively close replicas. All the big brands are there and based on the seemingly good quality (hardened glass, good weight, impressive range of functions) I am tempted. Eventually the vendor finds something that is close to the description I've given him and in the time it takes me to thank him for his time and make my way to the next shopping adventure the price has gone from 135 MYR ($50) to 40 and then a desperate 10. If I actually wore a watch, I would have paid the 40 MYR.

Day 4 (Sunday) our last day and we decide to go to the Butterfly Park. The setting is beautiful, with an interesting mix of lush flora but the butterflies are not what we had expected. There are not as many and their size, albeit still pretty big, did not match the pictures we'd seen in brochures. A nice bonus, however, is the collection of "bugs". From huge rhino beetles to scorpions and stick insects. It's probably fair to say the whole setup is on par with the Butterfly park in Singapore.

Day 5 (Monday) - we fly to Penang. To be continued in the next post...

Ajilon at Whiteman Park

2009-04-26T20:00:00.005+08:00

Another great Ajilon outing which took us out to Caversham Wildlife Park (at Whiteman Park). Renee had been to Whiteman Park recently as part of the World's Biggest Playgroup Day but neither of us had seen Caversham and we were both impressed. It's predominantly geared around Australian wildlife but also includes "Molly's Farm" which has a collection of typical farm animals. Isaac seemed to get more out of it then we anticipated, walking eagerly from one enclosure to the next, patting or poking the animals whenever given the chance.

Click here for a few Picasa Web photos.

Camping down south - Gracetown

2009-04-13T20:00:00.001+08:00

After a successful 'trial' run of camping at Moondyne we felt confident that Isaac could cope with a four day trip down south over Easter. Having the time off work (and more importantly for Papa having more time with Isaac) was great but we also had our moments! On the first night Isaac woke up at 11pm with a full moon shining in his face through the tent window and that was enough to trigger a "it's daytime and time to get up and have some fun" response. It wasn't until 2:30am that he finally realized that there was a reason we wouldn't play with him - despite his cheeky dancing, clapping and crawling all over us.

Renee also realized that being almost five months pregnant is harder when camping because most of your activities are at ground level, which means lots of bending down. But Isaac did really well. He loved to play in the dirt, was very tolerant of all the driving we did and he even forgave Papa for dipping him in the cool ocean water.

Playgroup Day and Camping

2009-03-29T20:00:00.004+08:00

It's been a while since posting, partly because we've been busy but also because we've switched our internet to Naked DSL and were consequently "offline" for a couple of weeks. So what's been happening? On the 25th Renee organized a group of Mums and bubs to go to the Worlds Biggest Playgroup Day out at Whiteman Park. It was success with plenty of activities for the little ones.

Then for the 28/29th weekend, Karen organized a camping trip out at Moondyne Caravan Park, Toodyay (less than two hours out heading East). It was Isaac's first camping trip and our first "proper" use of our new tent. We had it all...beer, guitar, chocolate, great company and the stars. And to top it off, we all managed to sleep in on both mornings until after the sunrise!

Pondering?

2009-03-11T20:00:00.005+09:00

We ponder no longer but we're sure your curiosity will only grow stronger :)

Sculpture by the Sea

2009-03-08T12:00:00.001+09:00

Sculpture by the Sea is back at Cottesloe and after having seen it at Bondi last year we just had to check it out. We decided to go early in the morning taking advantage of still waters and less people. With over fifty pieces, the artwork is impressive. The ideas presented are both thought provoking and fun and it's something everyone can enjoy.

Isaac's First Birthday

2009-02-01T20:00:00.004+09:00

Today we celebrated Isaac's first birthday by inviting family and friends over for a BBQ lunch. Despite the heat, the day turned out to be magic. There was a treasure hunt for the kids and later on an unplanned water fight in which some of the adults (who were 'supervising') got pretty wet too. Isaac seemed to have fun. And when everyone sang happy birthday he waved his hands in the air and clapped.

Below are a couple of photos with a few more here.

A big thank you to everyone for both the beautiful presents and for joining in the fun.

Climbing down south

2009-01-26T20:00:00.007+09:00

I joined Daan and Annabel on a camping/climbing trip down south. We camped at Point Road camp ground, accessible only by 4WDs and anyone silly enough to take their little Mazda 121 down. I guess the short and narrow wheelbase made it easier to negotiate the rocks, dips and tree roots. The Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is nothing short of spectacular with a variety of scenery ranging from beautiful Karri forrest to pepermint bush and coastal shrubery.

I arrived early Saturday morning and after a quick breaky we headed straight down to Bobs Hollow where we ran into some familiar faces. The limestone overhang is well bolted and there is a good range of climbs.

On day two we headed out to Willyabrup. It's pretty much all trad so we set up a top rope on one of the easier climbs. The smooth granite rock was a welcoming change to the sharp limestone from yesterday.

Then on day three, just before heading home, we decided to check out Murchison rock. We didn't have a bouldering mat with us but it was fun to look at all the problems and relaxing to take in the beautiful scenery.

Beau's baby naming

2009-01-18T21:00:00.000+09:00

Today Kylie and Damian's family and friends were brought together for the official naming of Beau Sebastian West, their son. It was the first time Renee and I had been to something like this before and it was pretty special. We all met at Fred Jacoby park (Mundaring) which isn't as green as it used to be (no more grass) but it brought back memories from when Renee and I first met and she was working at the Weir hotel. Anyway, the whole thing was not religious but I guess it marked the occasion as we all wrote notes for the time capsule which is opened when Beau turns 18, for example. Here's a sneaky shot I took whilst Colin (Kylie and Renee's dad) read out a well written ceremony speech.

And a shot of everyone gathering.

Cottesloe Beach Photo Shoot

2009-01-03T22:00:00.001+09:00

Adrian organised this photo shoot to catch the sun set over Cottesloe beach. We had plenty of time to experiment with the sand and waves and continued with some long exposure shots after the sun had disappeared behind the horizon. I had hoped to take good enough photos to try some exposure blending but have found it's not that easy. Anyway, here are two of my favourites.

It looks like there might be a solar flare or two on the sun:

And this shot looking up at the Indiana was taken well after sunset, with a 2.5 second exposure.

The year that was 2008

2008-12-31T20:00:00.001+09:00

Another year gone by...and so quickly! For us things simply revolved around the center of the universe (aka Isaac). From birth in early Feb he has been non-stop entertainment, fascinating to observe and watch grow and on the rare occasion a little challenging. Apparently that's character building for the parents. The fact that he is such a happy and healthy fellow can only be contributed to a loving and caring Mum who decided to do the 'stay at home mum' thing whilst Dad goes out and plays on the computer all day (or something like that).

In October we traveled to Sydney for a week to partake in Lieke and Andrew's wedding and to take a bit of time off and spend it with the rest of the family.

A perhaps lesser known part of this year was Bas' job change, leaving Honeywell after six and a half years to work as contractor for Ajilon - who have placed him in a position with BHP Billiton as Business Analyst. He also still loves to climb, ride to work and take millions of photos (mainly of Isaac). Don't forget to check our web album regularly for updates.

We hope it's been a great year for everyone and wishing you all the best for 2009!

Leo turns one

2008-12-21T18:00:00.001+09:00

Michele's (Renee's high school friend) son Leo turns one on Christmas day and he celebrated it with a picnic down at Point Walter. Leo is six weeks older than Isaac and it's great to see them interact with each other.

Ajilon Zoo Day

2008-12-07T20:00:00.004+09:00

Ajilon organised a day at the zoo which included a picnic lunch and a chance for the kids to touch a boa constrictor. It was Isaac's first time and although we think he's still too young to really appreciate the animals, he still seemed to really enjoy himself.

Ever since I touched a fruit bat's wing as a teenager, I've been fascinated by bats. These guys are ghost bats, the creepiest of them all!

Here's a Galapagos tortoise, moving ever so slowly towards a fresh feed of grass.

And of course the well known Orangutan. Perth zoo has created an amazing artificial jungle for these guys to clamber, play and sleep on. In this picture the Orangutan is catching a door mat thrown by a zoo keeper.

Here's a photo of Isaac about to touch the boa constrictor.

Great Bike Ride

2008-11-23T18:00:00.004+09:00

The Great Bike Ride is a charity event with three options; the 10km family ride, a single lap around the river with a distance of 53km or two laps at 106km. I figured 53km would be enough of a challenge and based on my time in the Freeway Bike Hike, set my goal time for under two hours.

The ride started off at a fairly timid pace which initially frustrated me a bit due to the large variation in riders' speeds but after about 10km the pace picked up and I found I had settled into a nice rhythm. The track was good, almost all road instead of bike path as I had expected. Even along the freeway they had closed off a lane for us.

Coming across the finish line I was pretty happy with my time, which worked out to be an average speed of 32.4km/h. It's also better than I did with the Freeway Bike Hike and over a longer distance. Here are the results.

Red Bull Air Race - Perth 2008

2008-11-01T20:00:00.001+09:00

Joined a few others on Saturday for a photo shoot of the Red Bull Air Race. I have to admit it was more challenging to take a semi-decent shot than I expected. Without a telephoto lens I was relying on having high res to then crop down and lose out on quality. Good fun all the same and I learnt a few things. Thanks again Martin for organising.

Sydney for Lieke's Wedding

2008-10-30T05:00:00.008+09:00

Here are a few more photos from our week in Sydney. As you've probably gathered from the previous posts, we were there to witness Lieke and Andrew getting married. Mum and Dad had organised an amazing house for us all to stay in, right on the water's edge around the corner (200m walk up the road) from the Newport Arms. Here's an early morning photo from the balcony.

On the Monday morning after the wedding we dropped Daan and Annabel off at the airport and went into the city for a day, visiting the botanical gardens first. Here's a photo of Renee in front of the Opera House, with part of the Sydney Harbour bridge showing in the background.

On Tuesday we decided to check out Bondi Beach and the Sculptures by the Sea exhibition. It was hard to get photos without people in it because despite the fact that it was a week day it was still pretty crowded.

Lieke and Andrew tie the knot

2008-10-25T20:00:00.001+08:00

What a beautiful day. To see Lieke walking down 'the aisle' with Dad was quite an emotional experience. The weather was perfect and the newly wed couple looked stunning. It was great to have the whole family together and to meet Andrew's side and his friends. It all ran pretty smoothly with the wedding on the beach and the reception at the surf club. And the speeches had everyone in stitches!

Knowing a professional photographer was present, I made the (difficult) decision not to take photos on the day because I just wanted to enjoy the experience as much as possible without standing behind the lens. So there aren't many photos here but I'm sure you'll see plenty over the next few weeks.

Here are a couple from "behind the scenes".

Into the Blue Mountains

2008-10-24T20:00:00.010+08:00

As part of our week in Sydney for Lieke and Andrew's wedding, Renee had one wish - to see the Three Sisters and I had one wish - to climb in the Blue Mountains. Not too surprisingly, Daan and Annabel were just as keen so the five of us with guide book in hand drove the hire car out to Mt York, a place not far from Katoomba. To get to the crag was a little more challenging than the guide book indicated, having to carry Isaac's pram as soon as the steep incline down became an obstacle course but having the pram was worth it in the end because Isaac was able to sleep for a bit during the hours that we were there.

We lead climbed Silence of the Cams and a variation of Moan Groan Dial Tone, both very enjoyable. Moan Groan Dial Tone has a great lay-back topped off with a knee jam before the last few challenging moves take you to the top.

Pressed for time, we headed into Katoomba for a picnic lunch and then out to the Three Sisters. The view is just amazing and it's not just about these three rock formations but more about the vast outlook over the bush below which creates that blue haze from a further distance. To use the old cliché, it's breath taking and our only regret was not planning a day here to do some of the walks and really take it all in.

Blog Action Day - Poverty

2008-10-15T05:00:00.000+08:00

Poverty...what does it mean to us? Because Renee and I have had different life experiences I thought the best way to answer this was to let each of us write a few paragraphs (rather than try and express it from a combined rockandhorse perspective). We also agreed not to first research poverty and to just write about it as we understood it.

Renee

Poverty is a mother and daughter in Africa, in the middle of nowhere, standing barefoot with hands outstretched in the hope a lone passing car will stop – grateful for anything that is placed in them.

It would be the inability to provide for my family, to see my child go hungry, to deny medicine when needed and to take away my child’s freedom to play. I believe Poverty is when a person is unable to meet the needs of basic day to day living, be it food, shelter or water. I have never experienced Poverty – but have seen it first hand. It is a condition that once in would be hard to escape and that those more fortunate would be scared of facing. Poverty is not something you choose or that you would wish on anyone.

Bas

Despite having been born in one of the poorest countries on earth, my first real experience of poverty was during my year on exchange in Honduras. Of course, my parents brought us all up to realise the value of food, family and life experiences over material goods. But I believe unless you experience poverty first hand, you'll always have that protective coat, that warm insulation around you.

In Honduras I taught English to primary school kids in one of the poorer suburbs of San Pedro Sula. I also went out with a girl who lived there. I was regularly exposed to a poor standard of living. They didn't have running water, for example. But they were still able to feed themselves. She and her siblings were receiving an education and they had a (albeit very small) place to live. But it was the homeless people on the streets that got to me. People with disabilities who had to beg because there was no government support. I couldn't help but feel their families had rejected them because they couldn't look after them. If they died of starvation, would anyone know?

We also saw it in Africa two years ago. The memory that etched itself in both our minds was of a woman dragging herself and her young child to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, begging as we drove past in a crammed chapa. Renee and I happened to be sitting in the front with the driver who opened the window and gave the woman some food. Before we realised what had happened we were driving again and we both later cursed ourselves for not being quick enough to hand over the small amount of food we'd been carrying.

To me, poverty is more than just not having material goods. It's about being in that soul destroying situation where you can only beg in order to gather the very basics of life to survive. And it doesn't take a Google search to be aware of how common that is.

You

What's poverty to you? Write a comment below and contribute to the cause...

South Perth Photo Shoot

2008-10-09T20:00:00.005+08:00

A few of the guys I used to work with at Honeywell invited me to join them on the Perth foreshore to catch some shots of the sun coming up. As the others will contest, the sunrise itself was a bit disappointing but there were still some great photo opportunities and the shoot itself was lots of fun.

Here are the others' web sites:

It was the first time that I've really experimented with all the different camera settings in an environment with constantly changing lighting and subject distances, textures and types. And with both Martin and Sam lending me their very fancy lenses I got an appreciation for that aspect too.

Anyway, enough text and more photos:

Digital Fun

2008-09-28T20:00:00.011+08:00

The beauty of digital is that you can not only 'correct' your images but can have some fun with them too. Here are a few examples of some fun I've had, inspired by Martin Pot and Jason Chong who have written posts on Tilt Shift and HDR respectively.

I've included the original of each on the right side for comparison. It's also best to click on the image for a larger view to see the full effect.

These two sets (the Jeep and Bike) are made to look like toys, using the tilt shift technique.

And with the following shots the HDR technique is used to expand the range of exposure. In other words, dark areas are made lighter without washing out the bright areas. It's all a bit experimental at this stage but there are some amazing photos (some of them almost surreal) on the internet.

Bringing it all together

2008-09-21T07:33:00.004+08:00

Our dependence on Google products has now really established itself with the decision to start using Picasa Web albums. New features in the Google products which help to integrate them all together have made it just irresistible. I realised that using the "Blog List" page element (see right column of our blog), we could upload photos to the Isaac Roar album and indirectly notify readers of this blog who aren't into using RSS. So hopefully this will make everyone's life that little bit easier :)

Time for Action

2008-09-10T18:00:00.001+08:00

The word's spreading. Click on the image below for more information.

Father's Day at Kings Park

2008-09-07T20:00:00.005+08:00

Renee went out of her way to make my first Father's day a special one. I was spoilt with a beautiful card (and pressies) and for lunch she organised a trip to Kings Park to see the Boab tree. Because the Wildflower Festival was on, it was pretty busy but that added to the atmosphere.

The birds are pretty tame. The 28 parrot below would have pecked at the lens of the camera if I'd let it.

Kangaroo Paw (for you non-Australians):

The famous boab tree. Although not as big as they can get it was still pretty impressive. This one is roughly 750 years old. Here's a recent news story about it.

Wungong Slabs Revisited

2008-08-30T18:00:00.002+08:00

The last time we were here was about two years ago but this time we got about five climbs in each (including some lead climbing). We had three ropes set up (the 50m rope was just the right length) and tried to find the difficult routes for more challenging climbing. Oh...and we made an effort to enjoy the view :)

On the way up we came across this kangaroo skull. We weren't sure if this one had dropped off the cliff but it has been known to happen.

With the winter sun on the other side of the rock we got some pretty nice silhouettes.

Mum and Annabel's birthday

2008-08-24T20:00:00.003+08:00

To celebrate both Mum and Annabel's birthdays we hosted the family for lunch. As always it was a great day. Here's the classic family shot:

We took this photo a few days ago. We'd come home from a day out to find Isaac relaxing on the couch having a drink... ;)

Mountain Quarry Revisited

2008-08-10T20:00:00.003+08:00

Finally a bit of outdoor climbing again! Daan and I took advantage of the good weather to get on some real rock. We started with Hang Ten (24) and then clambered up Playboy (17) for something a bit easier. I was very happy to finish Hang Ten (unlike four years ago) but it was still a struggle, with one particular pinch demanding some serious finger strength. Daan as usual made it look effortless :)

Here are some photos from four years ago when we went with Aaron. I took the camera this time but for obvious reasons there are no photos of either Daan or myself climbing.

CACSWSLAYNABAPFTCTS

2008-08-09T10:00:00.004+08:00

Come as a Country Starting with the Same Letter as Your Name and Bring a Plate from that Country to Share. And what a great way to celebrate the opening ceremony! Thanks Dan and Sal for hosting yet another awesome party.

Can you guess the countries? Tooltips on photos show people's names...

New Toy - Canon Rebel XSi (EOS 450D)

2008-08-08T08:00:00.002+08:00

Since our return from Norway and fuelled by the arrival of Isaac, Renee and I have become more aware of the difference a good camera can make. By no means are we making excuses for taking crappy shots (I speak for myself and not Renee) but the reality is that if some of the photos that we'd now love to blow up had been taken at a higher resolution then we wouldn't have been limited to a postcard size.

But it's not just resolution. The quality of the lens, sensor and simple physics instantly eliminate "point and shoot" cameras from the game. And having a broader range of apertures, shutter speeds and ISO settings makes taking photos that extra bit more enjoyable. Plus we don't see ourselves travelling as much to places where pulling out an expensive piece of equipment is going to attract the wrong sort of attention any more (famous last words?), so the size of the camera shouldn't be an issue.

The choice of camera came pretty easy with the hardest decision being the specific model. I'd done the research and got some great advice from the guys at work who take photography as a hobby pretty seriously.

So, while we're both still experimenting a fair bit, it's fair to say we're very happy with the results. It's not that the photos are anything unusual but compared to our previous camera it's a huge improvement.

The morning after we received the camera, we had that foggy morning in Perth so I went out and took a couple of shots outside. Here's one of the orchid that Dan and Sal got us as a house warming present (yes, it's still alive!).

Here's a random shot I took of Isaac when he smiled at his Mum being silly.

This one was set up by Renee.

One of the great things about SLR's is the ability to change lenses. Martin Pot lent us his 50mm/f1.8 lens to experiment with, knowing how much I like to take photos with a small depth of field. We took a stack of photos but these two stood out for me. Note that I haven't edited these photos either (I usually do a few tweaks with Picasa).

Paddle on the Canning River with Daan

2008-06-21T18:00:00.003+08:00

Daan invited me out for a kayak up the Canning River, starting at the Riverton Bridge and going upstream until we got to the Kent St Weir (a distance of about 6km return). We hopped out at the weir for a nice brotherly chat while we watched some kids playing in the water. It was a pretty cruizy paddle and we couldn't have asked for better weather.

Thanks Annabel for letting me borrow your kayak :)

Beau Sebastian West - welcome to the world!

2008-06-15T12:00:00.002+08:00

A HUUUGE congratulations to Kylie and Damian for bringing a healthy and very handsome little boy into the world. Beau was born yesterday at 8:21am, weighing 3.27kg.

All our best wishes to the new family.

He eats! (well....sort of)

2008-06-14T13:00:00.000+08:00

Like so many baby related topics, introducing solids seems to be another hot one. They used to say start at two months, then it was don't give them anything until at least nine months. These days the general consensus seems to be between four and six but there are also some good guidelines; doubled birth weight, interest in food, etc. There are also some pretty strict rules on what sort of foods to feed and which ones you shouldn't. Start with non-allergenic foods - banana, rice cereal, pumpkin, etc. Things like honey should be avoided for at least the first year (due to the risk of botulism).

Isaac first went bananas over banana. He loves it. But the rice cereal he's still a bit unsure of. He must have seen through Papa's guise when he demonstratively showed Isaac how to eat it whilst saying "yummy - soooo good".

Speaking of hot topics; the soft rubber spoons Renee bought have a yellow handle and a red spoon bit (I'm sure there's a more technical term for that). When the red bit gets too hot it changes colour to yellow.

Here's a photo of Isaac with Sienna (left) and Ella (in the middle). These gorgeous ladies are in Isaac's mothers group. It was Renee's turn to host last Wednesday and she took this shot of the three on Isaac's play mat.

New Zealand - Northlands

2008-05-04T10:00:00.010+08:00

More travel for work - this time a two week stint in New Zealand as part of a data collection exercise for an oil refinery. I took the first Saturday off to explore Auckland, starting with a walk around the city and up the sky tower for some pretty amazing views. And no...despite what most of you might assume, I did not do the sky jump. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $200 on something that lasts 7 seconds (I used to get eight 60 second skydives for that!).

After that I went to the Auckland Museum and was surprised at the diversity of collections. My main aim was to learn a bit about the Maori culture but it was the collection of musical instruments that fascinated me most. The interactive volcano experience was pretty good too.

The rest of my stay was close to site at a place called One Tree Point, just south of Whangerei and about two hours north of Auckland. This was a great base for exploring the northlands which I did with Sanjeev and Siddharth on the second weekend. We got up early Saturday morning and headed up through Whangerei to Piahia where we had breakfast. From there we took the ferry to Russell where we spent about an hour strolling around the small town with a real "island" atmosphere. From Russell we took the Excitor to see the "Hole in the Rock". The weather was perfect and the swell just enough to create a bit of excitement as the boat carved its way across the water at 40 knots.

Back in Piahia we headed through Waitangi and over the Haruru Falls Road and then back onto highway 11, followed by 10, then 1 and then onto Horeke Road. We made a spur of the moment detour to check out Wairere Boulders (guess who was keen to do that). It wasn't quite what I expected but instead a beautifully constructed and well signed walking trail.

Heading further south we joined onto highway 12 and then west, stopping at a scenic lookout not far from Omapere to watch the sun approach the horizon. But before it set we continued south (still on highway 12) into the Waipoua Forrest. Here we met Tane Mahuta - the son of Ranginui the sky father and Papatuanuku the earth mother. Tane has a trunk girth of 13.8 metres and is a very impressive Kauri tree indeed. The drive through the forest was also spectacular with plenty of tight corners on steep mountain sides.

On Sunday we headed south but instead of following highway 1 we crossed over onto 16 for a different route. In Auckland Sanjeev and Siddharth went to the Sky Tower whilst I explored the city a bit more. After roughly an hour we met up to go to the museum. I was happy to go again because I felt I'd missed a few things the first time. In the late afternoon we headed west to watch the sun set at Muriwai beach. It's a beautiful spot with great scenic lookouts and at at the right time of year a great home for the Gannet Colonies.

These two shots are typical of the northlands:

A couple of shells from the beach surrounding the refinery where we worked. It's a pristine location for an oil refinery but they are very serious about the environment and employees themselves regularly swim in the water, run along the beaches and enjoy the seafood they catch here.

The Sky Tower in Auckland:

Bay of Islands:

Wairere Boulders:

A typical kiwi sign along the way:

Omapere:

Muriwai Beach:

On my last morning I went up Mt Eden before heading into the office (the office sits at the base of this volcano) and took a couple of shots from the rim of the crater:

Quick update

2008-04-27T07:00:00.001+08:00

Hi everyone. Just a quick update to let you know every thing's cruising along nicely. Isaac is 12 weeks old today which means he's almost at the three month stage - a change over from newborn to baby and apparently we don't count his age in weeks any more but months instead.

If you haven't yet noticed, there's a link to the right (under the blog archives) to photos of Isaac. Otherwise here's a photo we took yesterday of Kylie and Damian. Kylie is Isaac's aunty (Renee's sister) and is due in June.

In Step Dance Studio

2008-04-06T10:00:00.001+08:00

When Des' website for his dance studio stopped returning pages (his host went bust), it was a good opportunity for me to help out and have a bit of fun along the way. The idea was to use Des' content (i.e. the text and photos) and create a new "framework" around it. The goals were to make a site that would be informative, quick to load, have a consistent look and feel between pages and be relatively easy to maintain. We also thought it would be a good idea if kids could visit the site to have a bit of fun (hence the "fun stuff" page).

It still needs a few more quiz questions and photos but the site is up and running now and has also been indexed by Google (which means it will come up under certain search queries). So if you have a spare minute, check it out and if you have any feedback, let me know!

http://www.instepdancestudio.com.au/

Freeway Bike Hike

2008-03-16T13:00:00.005+09:00

The Freeway Bike Hike is an event aimed to raise funds and awareness for asthma (or as Tibor put it, it's actually against asthma). The options are 10, 30 or 60km starting from Greenwood, Belmont and Kwinana respectively and collectively attract over 7000 entrants. I joined Tibor, Carrie and Seamus in Belmont since 60km just didn't quite make the "Sunday Ride" criteria and I figured a blast through the tunnel would be fun.

In the end we did ok, completing the 30km in just under an hour but the ride was smooth, hills pretty minimal and with Tibor and Carrie on a tandem their slipstream practically pulled me along ;)

To get to the starting line, I rode to the Greenwood train station to catch one of the free 'special event' trains that had been added to the normal train service:

The trains were pretty full:

The starting line:

...and finish line:

We are family

2008-03-01T06:00:00.001+09:00

Some recent events have (almost) had us breaking out in song "we are family...". Cards and emails addressed to the family de Waard, changing our health insurance to family cover and our Medicare cards coming through with our three names on them. It's been pretty cool.

We'd also like to mention how generous everyone has been - not only with beautiful gifts but emails and cards that have made us feel pretty special. So a big thank you.

The projectile poo

2008-02-10T18:00:00.001+09:00

When you talk to parents (not necessarily your own) about having and raising children they'll try to explain how and why it's such a life changing event. But like so many things in life, it's just something you have to experience to fully appreciate and understand. It really is something that is as common as daylight - our lovely neighbour believes that "we're put on this earth to procreate", yet at the same time it is something that's indescribably special.

Here are the week's high-lights and reality checks:

The projectile poo (in fluoro yellow), straight over the edge of the change table and on to my pants followed closely by the projectile wee which went all over the wall. Both had Renee and me in stitches!

Seeing him smile - heart melting moments

His little head-banging move when he's getting frustrated and looking for boob - sooo funny (poor guy)

Checking the boxes on forms we had to fill out - "was the baby alive at birth" and "is the baby still alive"

Seeing the scales at the doctor and knowing that all the effort we've put in to feed him have paid off - thank goodness he's gaining weight now!

Getting a compliment from the Doc for the lickety-split swaddle :)

Hearing his farts from the other side of the house. What a man!

It's true - the ladies really do go gaga when you're walking around the shopping centre with a baby in your arms

These two are of Isaac at one week old:

Rock and Horse become Three

2008-02-06T11:00:00.000+09:00

On Sunday the 3rd of February, Renee gave birth to Isaac Roar de Waard. His weight of 3.91kg and length of 54cm made for a long but ultimately very rewarding birth. Here are a couple of happy snaps.

Renee in the vegie patch. Photo taken on Isaac's due date (the 26th of January):

Dad gets the honour of doing the first nappy change:

And Mum his first bath:

A happy (and proud) Opa:

Yep, he's going to be a drooler, just like his Dad:

Quick Update

2008-01-13T22:00:00.000+09:00

Just taking advantage of a "spare" hour for a quick update. Things have been non-stop since we returned from Norway, catching up with family and friends and doing a lot of home improvements (including getting the baby room ready of course). Although Renee hasn't been working she's been busy in the garden and with the day to day house-keeping leaving Bas more time to paint, dig holes, drill holes, glue things and so on.

Over the Christmas break Bas had two weeks off from work which did wonders for reducing (almost clearing) the "todo" list and we both feel now that we are as ready as we can be! The baby's due in roughly two weeks (on Australia Day) so hopefully the next blog post will have some good news :)

Before the painting mission began:

Renee at eight months (newly painted wall in the background):

Abu Dhabi and Doha

2007-12-05T20:00:00.000+09:00

Not long after being back home, I had to return to the middle east to finish off the last components of the project I had been working on whilst in Norway. The trip included both Abu Dhabi for Factory Acceptance Test and then Doha for Site Acceptance Tests - each for roughly a week.

After our FAT was finished, Karianne and I went for a quick swim at the hotel beach and then a wonder over to the Emirates Palace and were pleasantly surprised that we could not only "sneak" in and have a wonder around but also to discover that the ArtParis exhibition was on! So that was a treat, not only seeing the grounds and the inside of this spectacular building but also some of the worlds most famous art.

In Doha, Alan and his wife Rhonda took us both to the gold souq and then the old town souq where we had a Moroccan dinner. The old town souq has been extended considerably since the last time I was here and is now really bustling with life. They also had a few falcon souqs which is pretty fascinating if you've never been in one before. Here they sell live falcons for the sport of falconry. The gentleman in one shop was kind enough to provide us with a glove so that we could hold one.

On Saturday afternoon/evening we went on a dune safari. It seems to be quite a popular activity in the middle east and I now understand why. Our guide thrashed the car up and down some pretty steep dunes, with us hanging on and grinning from ear to ear. Quad biking in the dunes is one thing but to do it in a car adds a whole new dimension!

Here's a few photos - courtesy of Karianne who remembered to bring her camera :)

We were staying at the Hilton. This is the view towards Abu Dhabi city centre.

Karianne and I out the front of Emirates Palace.

One of the alley ways in the recently extended old town souq in Doha...

...and now bustling with life.

Lots of amazing spices.

Some of the dunes we were on must have reached angles of close to 45 degrees. This was a bit of a random shot whilst "sliding" down one of them.

In the evening we stopped at a dune camp and had dinner. There were a couple of old snowboards as makeshift sandboards. Here's Alan's son Taylor, obviously a natural since this was his first go!

Shisha is an important part of the local culture so "When in Rome..."

G'day Australia

2007-11-16T04:00:00.000+09:00

We couldn't have asked for a better home coming. With the tenant moving out of our home and us getting organized to move back in again, we stayed for a week at Renee's mums up in Chidlow. Chidlow is about an hour's drive up "the hill" from Perth and settled amongst real Australian bush. Renee's mum has a 5 acre (20 000 m2) hobby farm with lots of cats, dogs, chickens and of course a couple of horses including Winston.

The first day Bas' parents and sister came up and we relaxed out in the sun on the patio with a roast lamb and chicken for lunch. Here are some other experiences that made us feel like we were home again:

Driving back from the airport in Des' Holden Commodore

Waking up to the sound of Kookaburras laughing

Almost stepping on a redback as I got out of the shower

Taking the dogs for a walk in the bush and admiring the kangaroo paws

Having breakfast, lunch and dinners from the BBQ

Eating LOTS of red meat

Spraying the fruit trees with homemade "chilli" spray

Hanging washing up on the hills hoist

Driving lots to get anywhere

Going to Cottesloe and Hillarys (our local) beaches

Moving back into our home

And of course, being amongst family and friends again

Farvel Norge, og tusen takk

2007-10-22T02:00:00.000+08:00

Even with the anticipation of going home, leaving Norway was emotionally difficult. Both Renee and I were spoilt to bits by our work colleagues and felt that everyone had made an exceptional effort to bid us farewell. For us this would always be our second home with the fondest of memories. We realised how much of an impact the people you work with and the environment you live in has on your daily life and how over the course of just one year these feelings, emotions, what all your senses absorb can merge into such an amazing experience. And then as if that wasn't enough we were also so fortunate that we had time to travel, experience other parts of this beautiful country and the rest of Europe. We could always look back and know we made the most of it.

Farewell Norway, and a thousand thanks.

Klatring i Oslo

2007-10-07T02:00:00.000+08:00

When I first arrived in Norway I was keen to find out what sort of indoor climbing I could get into. It would keep me busy the first month before Renee arrived, active with the upcoming crappy outdoor weather and might even be a chance to meet some people. So I took the train to the Asker climbing centre which was claimed on their site at the time to be "Norway's biggest". And I was disappointed. I spent half an hour contructing some bouldering problems but there were kids running underneath me all the time, the bouldering room was less than half the size of Rockface's and then to top things off it wasn't exactly cheap. So running became my form of exercise later followed by some very enjoyable games of squash.

Busy with work and travel, summer came and went and any ideas I had of going outdoor climbing dropped to the side. But then I was in the library yesterday and got absorbed in a climbing mag and decided it was time to check out the Gekko climbing gym in Oslo and this time I wasn't disappointed.

The gym itself is still quite small but late last year they opened a massive bouldering room. Renee and I got there at 10am when it opened and I clambered around for about an hour before the first flapper appeared. There was a good range of problems, from easy (the ones I struggled with) to seemingly impossible.

The view from one end.

Felt good to strech those arms again.

We came across some unusual holds.

Kolsåstoppen

2007-09-23T02:00:00.000+08:00

Renee had heard about Kolsåstoppen from her colleagues so that was our activity for the weekend. A short train trip to Sandvika, then a bus to the base of the hill and a short, pleasant walk up the hill (242m above sea level) rewarded us with a spectacular view of the surrounding area. Along the way we got a brief geology lesson, learning a bit about the volcano erupting here so many millions of years ago, dumping lava and ashes and over time creating coal (kol) to create this hill (ås). Probably even more interesting for us was the realization of what Asker (the town we live in) meant. Asker means ashes :)

------------------------ Edit ------------------------

I spoke with Ivar today who gave me another interesting (and more likely correct) perspective on the name Asker. Ask is a type of tree commonly seen around town. It's even used in the Asker Kommune logo. Apparently the leaves, bark and young shoots have medicinal qualities and were also used as feed for the cows when other sources were low.

Ut i det blå

2007-09-17T02:00:00.000+08:00

Ut i det Blå (Out in the blue) had probably been so exciting because it was organised months in advance and only a couple people in Honeywell knew where we were going and what we were doing. Even when we arrived at our destination we still had no idea what we were doing. It was great! I'm sure you can imagine the build-up from countless speculations around the lunch tables.

We stayed at a place not far from Geilo called Torsetlia sharing cabins in groups of six. Not long after we arrived we had a group session, got back in the bus and after a short drive were at the "base camp" for our white-water rafting experience. A quick change into wetsuits and a run-down from one of the guides on what to do if the raft tipped left me thinking that there was no way I was going to let our raft tip. Not because I was worried about the process of finding my way out from underneath the raft but because we were getting cold already (it was pretty windy) and I knew the water would be a tad worse!

Because of our group size it took a while (several runs with mini-buses) before we were all finally getting in the rafts and practicing our paddling. Again, getting into the raft (our feet had to get wet) left me even more determined that we were not going to tip. And then we were off. At each set of rapids we'd stop, watch each other go down and then cruize along again to the next set. We got stuck on rocks a fair bit because I think the level of the water was a bit low - nothing to do with our lack of paddling co-ordination. Otherwise it was fun and I quickly forgot about the cold water leaking through the holes in my wetsuit and the fact that I couldn't feel my feet anymore.

And then came one of the last set of rapids. I'm sure I heard someone call it the rapid of death (ok, I made that bit up). In truth it wasn't that bad but we did a pretty spectacular job at making it look that way! We somehow managed to tip in the opposite direction right before the first real "drop". From there my memory is clouded and only really have an idea of exactly what happened from repeatedly watching the video later on. But I do remember being under water, opening my eyes and seeing that blue light shining through the bubbles. The water felt warm, despite the fact that it was only 8 degrees Celcius. Then there was that sudden crack as my jaw smacked against a rock. I can also remember surfacing underneath the tipped raft and calmly working my way to the end and ducking back under.

Once I was clambering over rocks up side of the river I looked back and it seemed like the whole thing had suddenly become a bit chaotic. The next raft coming down had also tipped so there were bodies being flung around all over the place. But despite my first thoughts (surely someone has gotten hurt in all of this) we all managed to clamber out of the water and the remaining rafts got through ok.

The whole experience lasted about five hours but a great deal of that was spent waiting for each other and because we were a large group that unfortunately meant getting cold. We learned later that the outside temperature had dropped below zero. But warmth in the form of spas (they call them "boblebad" = bubble bath here, hehehe) a hearty meal and of course drinks were waiting.

Once back at the cabins, Ine and Karianne had a look at the cut on my chin and decided I should get stitches. Karianne was so good to take me to the doctor and when we got back we were spoilt with as much as we could eat. Not long after that we all watched the day's video together, drank, were merry and traded war stories.

It was well organized by Honeywell and I'm sure I'm not the only one that will look back at it with fond memories.

Stockholm, Sweden

2007-09-11T02:00:00.000+08:00

Only an extended weekend trip this time but still well worth the six hour (each way) train ride. We stayed with Patrik who also turned out to be an exceptional tour guide, pointing out all sort of interesting mini-facts about statues and buildings as we walked around (why is Gustav III facing his back to Russia and holding out a twig as a peach offering, for example).

We spent Saturday afternoon strolling around, also visiting Gamla Stan. Saturday night we had dinner at an unusual but very popular Thai restaurant where Phil (a friend that Bas went to uni with) joined us. We had found out a week before we left for Sweden that Patrik and Phil knew each other...it's a small world!

Sunday morning it was off to the Vasa Museum, passing the City Hall and Normalmstorg (where the Stockholm Syndrome was first coined) on our way. There's an amusing story behind the Vasa and it is fascinating to see.

While Patrik went to work on Monday morning, we both went to Skansen where we saw our first live Elk (see Moose). If you ever go to Stockholm, make sure you give yourself a full day here as there's lots to see.

This Moose had a four week old baby with it. We took some (low quality) video and have put it here.

We were wondering about the funny clicking sounds as the reindeer walked around until Renee spotted this little sign.

It's not hard to spot the Volvo drivers...

We had a great time, Patrik. See you soon in Oz. You know, we can almost see the globe from here ;)

Visiting Mike in London

2007-08-27T18:00:00.000+08:00

Neither of us ever had much prior interest in visiting London. Maybe from a "historical link to Australia" perspective. But otherwise, what's exciting about a big old city with a culture and language we're already familiar with...right? Well, I guess the words OLD and BIG CITY are the key and it completely blew us away!

Monday we arrived at about midnight and using public transport got to the backpackers at about 3am. Got up at 7am, set ourselves up with Oyster cards and used the tube to head down to check out the Tower of London.

The huge queues put us off going in but we still kept ourselves amused by wondering around getting familiar with the area. Checked out St Paul's Cathedral after a very good Japanese lunch (this area is a business district so there are plenty of good Japanese sushi bars) and then caught up with Mike for coffee.

Tuesday we went with Mike's recommendation to see the British Museum. We started in the South-East Asia room and after almost 2 hours we realised that we'd better move around a bit quicker, there were still another seventy rooms to see! The collection of artefacts is astounding, having been collected from all over the world and often dating back two or three thousand years! There are of course, plenty of interesting stories about the artefacts including justifications for how and why they were "collected". On the flip-side, a good argument is that if these items had been left in their original places then they might not have been preserved so well (if at all).

Tuesday night we went out with Mike and friends to celebrate his birthday, skipping from one pub to the next in the Soho area. Our last stop was a small underground casino for members (thanks Georgina) and their friends only. I'm sure if we hadn't had so much fun Renee and I wouldn't have lasted so long, having been on our feet all day. Bas did regret it the following morning, however (only a bit) as it took up most of the morning to recover but a hearty English breakfast helped!

Wednesday afternoon we went to Harrods. This is a shop where you get the impression that you could pretty much buy anything you wanted. One of the more unusual items we saw on display was a prehistoric mammoth tusk....for a bargain price of £18,000. After that we caught the ferry up the river Thames to cross the Meridian at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

Thursday we picked up our hire car nice and early and headed off to see Stonehenge. From an outer perspective they just look like a bunch of rocks in a vaguely circular shape but when you get all the history (we had these audio devices as we walked around from point to point) it is pretty fascinating. From there we drove to Bath, stopping along the way to see one of the white horses of uffington. Bath itself is an attraction but of particular interest are the old Roman Baths. Here we were also able to use "award-winning" audio devices in which you keyed the numbers as you went from point to point. Well worth it!

Friday was our market day, visiting both the Camden markets in the morning and then the Borough markets for a late lunch. Food glorious food! In the evening we met at Cynthia's place before going out to a local (but well known) cocktail bar.

Saturday the weather turned beautiful just in time for our planned visit to the London Eye. Again the queue's (and the price - at £15 each!) nearly turned us away and although the view was pretty amazing, giving us another perspective of London, this we didn't think was worth it. In the afternoon we went to the Tate Museum to see the Dali exhibition. After that Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Saturday night was Mike's big party at the Whitehouse, a pretty cool nightclub not far from where he is living.

Sunday we went to Kew to see the gardens but were put off by the hefty entrance fee, given the fact that we would not be able to spend the whole day there. We spent more time at the Science museum instead. In the afternoon we went to Mike's place to relax and then went out for dinner and coffee with him. Because our flight was early the following morning (6:30) we decided to stay up all night, watching movies with the other backpackers.

It was a pretty intense week and although we were severely lacking sleep by the end of it, it was great to see Mike again, get that historical perspective and see all those places of names we grown up with.

Doha, Qatar

2007-07-27T02:00:00.000+08:00

I guess we've all seen the pictures of the development going on in the middle east but it still amazes me! I've just come back from two weeks for work in the "West Bay" part of Doha, so new that it looks like they still need to put that second layer of tar on the road (all the drains sticking up an inch gives it away). Half the buildings look like they've been completed in the last six months and the other half are still under construction. So much so that they are relatively spaced apart and the whole area looks like a sandbox that some excited kid has come along and randomly plonked down these shiny glass and concrete structures.

When we arrived (at about 10pm) it was 39 degrees Celsius and only towards the end of my stay did it cool down a bit - although it got so humid that as soon as you stepped outside, your glasses would fog up instantly and you could almost feel the moisture beading on your skin.

Alan (the person I liaised with from Dolphin) took me out a few times in the evenings, either to have dinner somewhere interesting or to visit the Old Town souqs. That was pretty fascinating and while we "lounged" and ate barbecued kebabs and Hummus a band played in the main market square as people gathered around.

What fascinated me most, however, were the people and the culture. The call for prayer echoing around the city. The clothes they wore (dishdashah or thwabs) and learning a little about their mindset.

These two shots were taken from my hotel room:

I stayed at the moevenpick tower which despite being "dry" (no alcohol) was still pretty nice. To have a beer, we'd just cross the road to the Four Seasons (seen in the background of this photo).

This is a photo from the "old town" part of Doha....a bit of a contrast to the West Bay area I was staying in!

Wine tasting in Pfalz

2007-06-25T02:00:00.000+08:00

Charles organised a day of wine tasting in the Pfalz region for the Wiesbaden team and to also coincide with Renee's weekend visit. This area is known for its whites and was a good opportunity for Bas to learn to appreciate them a bit more! We only visited two wineries but spent plenty of time at each, learning all about the German classification system at the second one. Needless to say we had a "jolly good time" and it must have been about 4pm before we started looking for a place to eat lunch! Lunch turned into a hearty (and slightly early) dinner in a town called Neustadt.

On Sunday the two of us headed up to Mainz for a bit of sight-seeing and to catch the festival along the Rhein. The line of stalls must have been a couple of km long and was packed with people selling and buying all sorts of interesting goods.

Omar's Visit and Flåm

2007-06-21T02:00:00.000+08:00

Omar's visit was a good excuse to go to Flåm - another one of those touristy destinations of Norway. We travelled early Saturday morning by train (6 hours) and then took the Flåmsbana down through the fjord where the tiny town harbours cruize ships filled with tourists. We stayed the first night in a cute cottage and then spent most of Sunday getting to Jostedal by bus - including a drive through the 24.5km Lærdalstunnelen.

Monday was a long and exciting day with Ice Troll. They picked us up from the Jostedal hotel, drove us to a spot where we kayaked and then walked to get to the Jostedalsbreen. The overall experience was amazing and by the end of the day we were pretty tired.

On the way to Flåm, we stopped briefly at Finse, one of the highest points on the train ride to Flåm and Omar's first snowball fight.

These two photos are of Sognefjord leading to Flåm. On Saturday afternoon we hired bikes and rode to Aurland to buy dinner.

Here's a couple of photos of our kayak out to the glacier. The weather couldn't have been better but the water was still between 2 and 3 degrees Celcius! The "powder" floating in the water is known as rock flour and is the result of the glacier grinding rock against rock as it moves down the valley. If the water is settled long enough only the finest silt is left floating in the water giving it an amazing turquoise blue colour.

After the kayak we had a fairly long walk to the glacier, crossing over a pretty interesting landscape. The distances are deceiving!

This glacier is about 12km long.

OK, maybe I was supposed to crop this photo and turn it vertical but I thought this would provide more amusement :)

The translucent blue colour of this ice cave is hard to describe - unreal!

This photo is of us walking back.

Make sure you check Omar's blog too (he'll probaby post in the next two weeks). Thanks for visiting us Omar! We had a great time and hope you did too.

Wiesbaden

2007-06-16T02:00:00.000+08:00

Other than a four day break to go to Flåm (see next post), I'm spending about four weeks in Wiesbaden, Germany for work with Renee flying over for the second weekend. Work comes first of course but the evenings have given me a bit of time to wonder the streets and enjoy the local sights. It would be a nice place to live and I love the fact that despite my fumbling with the German language, people will not switch to English straight away.

Honeywell Team Building

2007-06-05T05:00:00.000+08:00

Geir (my boss) decided to promote a bit of team building by taking us out on his sailing boat. We sailed down the Oslo fjord to a small island where we stopped to have a seafood dinner and a few beers. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing and with the sun setting so late these days it's easy to lose track of time :)

17de Mai (Norway's national day)

2007-05-22T02:00:00.000+08:00

17th of May is Norway's national day and is, at least from a patriotic perspective, the most important day of the year. Atle had invited us to his house in Sandnes to join Martha, Alva and family in the celebrations. Because the 17th fell on a Thursday, we took the Friday off as well and stayed until Sunday evening.

There were parades in the morning and afternoon, with a special focus on children and traditional costumes (particularly for the women). Lunch was a family gathering at a nice hotel just outside of Sandnes, which used to be an old farm.

From left to right - Martha, Alva, Amanda (Siri's daughter) and Siri (Martha's sister). The difference in costumes is because they represent different regions of Norway.

On Thursday night Atle found out that the road to Lysefjord had just opened so we decided to go there on Friday. Again, Norway amazed us with its spectacular scenery. As we drove up over the mountain we had walls of snow as high as four or five meters on either side of the road, giving a sort of tunnel effect. And the streams of water we did come across were crystal clear and pretty cold!

At the "eagles nest" we then took the winding road down to Lysebotn (the bottom and one end of Lysefjord). From there we took the ferry back through the fjord, passing the cliffs of Kjerag and Preikestolen which are famous for BASE jumping. Just do a search for Norway Base Jump on YouTube and you'll see why.

On Saturday and Sunday we stayed at Siri (Martha's sister) and Ole's "cabin" at Randøy, an island set amongst the fjords a couple of hours drive from Sandnes.

Dinner was a seafood feast!

We all got a turn at driving the jeep, making out way to the top of the mountain for an awesome view of the surrounding islands.

Renee was voted best driver :)

Atle took this great shot of Bas taking a morning dip on Sunday. The water was a little chilly (12 degrees).

Late Sunday night (about 10pm) we had just enough sunlight to experience another awesome view of the fjords from the air. Bas got this shot just before the plane was about to bank away from the coast.

Queen's Day in Amsterdam

2007-05-09T02:00:00.000+08:00

What started off as a great excuse to catch up with friends quickly turned into an extended week to also see family and do a few touristy things around The Netherlands and Belgium.

It was really awesome to see (and stay with) Al, Dan, Sal, Patrik and Tibor again and to meet Tibor's fun friends for four days of beer, sunshine, magic dinners and well....you know what Amsterdam is like.

From there on it was down to Apeldoorn to see Oma de Waard, visiting the Hoge Veluwe whilst in the region and then back up to spend one last night with Al. Saturday down to Belgium (Antwerp) to see Sylvie and to stay a night with her. Then on Sunday up to Volendam to catch up with the Koolwijk side of the family and to stay the night with my lovely and all too generous Uncle and Aunt Ad and Wil.

These two photos are from Queen's day. Highlights included free hugs, Swedish kisses (these were not free and the cost varied depending on how good looking you were) and did I mention beer and sunshine?

Tuesday we went to Den Haag, visiting the Escher museum (just awesome to see his work) and later in the afternoon Patrik, Renee and I popped down to Delft to learn all about the cobalt metal oxide that turns from black to the famous blue when fired in a kiln.

Although the tulips had bloomed quite early this year, Renee and I still wanted to see the Keukenhof and we weren't disappointed. One stadium was also filled with a variety of amazing orchids.

From Apeldoorn Oma de Waard gave us a lift to the Hoge Veluwe where we used the free white bicycles to explore the park. You wouldn't think this was The Netherlands!

The Hoge Veluwe National Park is a unique natural reserve measuring 5,500 hectares in area. It contains a grea variety of original Veluwe landscapes, from sand drifts, lichen covered ground, moorland and grassland to planted forests....

It was so nice to see Sylvie again. She showed us around Antwerp (by bike) and cooked a yummy dinner on Saturday night.

On Monday morning Wil took us to a real dutch cheese farm where we got a brief overview of how cheese and clogs are made. The way this whole operation was run (in terms of tourists) was truly impressive.

So that's our jam-packed week in as little words as I can manage (I could write pages). It was really great to see family and friends again.

Abu Dhabi (UAE)

2007-04-21T02:00:00.000+08:00

Not really a holiday but an interesting experience all the same. I traveled to Abu Dhabi for a week to complete a Factory Acceptance Test. First time in the Middle East and loved it. It's not like there was much to do but the culture, architecture and language (Arabic) are pretty fascinating. Wikipedia gives a pretty good description so here's a few photos from me instead.

We stayed at the Hilton diagonally opposite the Emirates Palace.

Abu Dhabi night skyline from the Corniche.

I took this happy snap of Atle during one of our lunch breaks at the cafeteria. Honeywell Middle East's office (where we performed the FAT) is on the grounds of CERT so I'm guessing that the others in the photo are students.

Some refer to Abu Dhabi as a "little America" because of heavy American influence inside the malls. Here's a bit of Swedish influence...can you guess it?

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Easter on the west coast

2007-04-10T04:00:00.000+08:00

Easter is arguably the biggest holiday season in Norway. It's the tail end of winter, the days are getting longer and with three days of public holidays it's the perfect time to visit your holiday log cabin for a few weeks of skiing. We took advantage of having five days off work in a row (Thu to Mon) to head west on the famous rail line to Bergen, down to Stavanger along the coast by bus and then back again to Asker via Kristiansand (again by train) to complete the anti-clockwise circle of the southern end of Norway.

The first leg of the journey was a six and a half hour ride winding around, through and over the top of mountains and fjords with some of the most spectacular scenery we've ever seen. We stayed in Bergen for three nights at a YMCA back-packers, enjoying Bergen itself rather than using it as a "gateway to Norway" as most tourists do. Next was the bus ride down the west coast which could have been just as amazing had it not been for the snowy conditions and reduced visibility. The coast of Norway is dotted with about 50000 islands so it's not hard to imagine the numbers beyond the handful we could see.

Stavanger was a nice surprise. It's not really a tourist destination (we couldn't find a back-packers, for example) but it still had interesting things to see and we regret not having stayed for at least an extra day.

Here's a selection of photos from the trip. Unfortunately taking photos out of a rain or snow covered window from a fast moving vehicle (be it train or bus) is never easy so you'll just have to come to Norway and experience the scenery for yourselves :)

Almost all of this lake is frozen.

Geilo ski slopes.

Over the tops of the mountains. We saw many cabins almost covered in snow so people would have had to dig a tunnel to the front door.

There was a bit of a blizzard in Finse. Just recently a couple of Scottish tourists died here because they got caught out in the weather. Whilst we traveled in the comfort of the train, some car drivers got stuck and had to wait for three days before they could pass through.

Bas' brother Daan lived in Voss for a year whilst on exchange. Lucky bugger!

Welcome to Bergen. I really wish I got some good shots of the fjords we passed through...maybe later in the year we'll get another chance.

Some shots of the old harbourside with colourful and twisted old wooden buildings.

We walked to the top of Fløyen, one of Bergens seven surrounding mountains and took an alternative route down.

Norway has plenty of tunnels and this one just seemed to disappear into the hill.

On the last day we caught up with the Lunde family, had lunch and a tour of Bergen before they took us to the top of Ulriken, the highest of the seven mountains. It was a ten minute cable-car ride up during which we experienced all four seasons...typical Bergen style. Bergen is known for getting a lot of rain but it was just cold enough to snow every day while we were there - including once while the sun was out.

The bus ride across the islands down to Stavanger included two ferry crossings - this one 40 minutes. The ferry could carry 212 cars, 24 trucks and 300 people.

It was a bit windy.

A few final shots from Stavanger. We caught up with the Bjelland family for an early dinner, had a quick walk around town and the following morning checked out the south end of the harbour to see the "gamle brygge" - a bunch of twisted old wooden homes just as fascinating as those in Bergen.

Holmenkollen Biathlon World Cup

2007-03-12T04:00:00.000+09:00

It was off to Holmenkollen again but this time to see how the pros ski (and shoot). An event that has in the past drawn hundreds of thousands of spectators, the biathlon was a pretty exciting experience. Atle, Martha and Alva stayed with us for the weekend and we went both the Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday NilsMagne, Hilde and the little ones joined us too.

A few times now we've had deer around the house. This morning we spotted six, of which four crossed our front neighbours yard.

We took the train into Oslo and then the "T-bane" up to Holmenkollen.

This photo is from the womens mass start. I still can't believe how fast they could get up that hill - with about 12km to go!

Arctic Equestrian Games

2007-03-05T04:00:00.000+09:00

Well after Saturdays exciting day skiing I was ready to spend Sunday relaxing and watching the equestrian at Brunstad Conference Center. I headed off at 8.00 Sunday morning to get the train to Stokke, about an hour south of Asker. The event was of an international Grand Prix level, with competitors from New Zealand, Egypt, Netherlands, Germany and the other Scandic countries. The winner was to win a new Mercedes-Benz GL (The jumps were bigger than the car, at 1.6 meters!).

Click here for the website for the event (in Norwegian)

But make sure you at least check out the movie's here.

The only thing missing was Hols to share the day with me! (and 'aahhhh' at all the nice warmbloods!) But alas I took a couple of pictures to share anyway....

Skiing at Holmenkollen

2007-03-04T04:00:00.000+09:00

Fringing Oslo, Holmenkollen is probably most famous for its ski jump but today we were going to learn how to cross country ski. We practiced on a flat area near the jump, first learning how to "walk" without poles in order to learn proper technique.

It was certainly challenging but Simen, Geir and his son Jørgen did a good job at instructing. We watched the ski jumpers fly past as we ate lunch before finishing off with a relay that would ultimately test those that forgot they were wearing skis and couldn't run like normal. OK, I guess the others had a good laugh.

It's worth seeing the following picture in full size (by clicking on the image) so you can see the tiny ski jumper flying through the air in the background.

After that we did several runs on the toboggan, stopping at one stage to see an American leap through the air on the quarter pipe at the Arctic Challenge. Last night we'd seen Terje Håkonsen break the world record of 9.8 meters on the news.

A big thanks to Geir and Simen for organising and making today happen. Renee and I had an absolute blast!

Sparkling air and frozen hair

2007-02-17T04:00:00.000+09:00

’twas a beautiful day, clear blue skies and all

perfect for my regular run, I can recall

never mind if it’s minus ten

15 min’s from now, I’ll be warmed up by then

well into the run I take my beanie off

I’m getting too warm now but I don’t want to stop

what a strange sensation, this sparkling air

but when I’m back home I’ve got fozen hair!

Renee has started work

2007-02-12T01:00:00.000+09:00

Only just a few weeks ago were we under the impression from the UDI that it was possibly going to be months before Renee would get her work permit. This news was particularly hard to accept for several reasons; Firstly when we contacted the consulate in Australia about Renee working here we got the impression that once I got my work permit, Renee's would be automatically granted. Secondly when I got my permit, that same instance I handed in my passport to the police (to get it stamped) Renee also hand in her application form. We were disappointed when the lady told us it would take up to ten weeks but remained optimistic that we may get it sooner. And thirdly because Renee had a job lined up!

But one of the many things we did to try and speed up the process must have worked because in less than a week we found out Renee's permit had gone from the UDI back to the police and a few days later she was able to pick it up and simultaneously accept the doc control position with Aker Kværner.

In the mean time all is going well. We've had some unusual weather here. Heaps of snow one afternoon/evening and then the week after no more snow and temperatures rising to a whopping 10 deg. C (ok, we still weren't running around in shorts and t-shirts). I thought it was all going to melt away but even after some rain we were still left with about 15cm.

Then last week it went cold again (-15) and we had about four days of snow. And for us snow still equals a lot of fun.

Contrasting Colours

2007-01-27T04:00:00.000+09:00

A few contrasting photos taken over the last couple of months. First photo is of the ticket machines at Oslo train station. The second photo was taken early last Sunday, close to ground level. The path from our front door to the road was "excavated" by a friendly neighbour the night before after we'd had about 25cm of snow. He used a machine that looked and sounded a bit like a lawnmower - but had a large scoop on the front and dispersed the snow out of a funnel at the top. The third photo was taken a few weeks ago when we went for a (three hour) walk through the forest just outside of Asker.

Horse Riding in the Mountains

2007-01-15T02:00:00.000+09:00

Elin invited us to go horse riding today, picking us up in her car just before lunch and taking us to a place north of Oslo near Øvre Eiker. It's a beautiful area with the farm nestled on the side of the mountain, providing easy access to the mountain trails. The ride itself lasted the better part of two hours, at times winding through thin paths, crossing streams and passing frozen lakes.

Despite having studded shoes, the horses still occasionally slipped on the ice, giving us that extra sense of adventure. Needless to say, it was a pretty amazing experience - the sound of the crunching snow, the fresh forrest air and the sound of waterfalls. Thanks Elin!

Our new home

2007-01-13T02:00:00.000+09:00

Here are some photos of our new home and where we'll hopefully stay for the rest of the year. We occupy the top floor (three bedrooms) and Atle will be staying with us whenever he's in Asker. The owner (an older lady) lives on the bottom floor.

The first photo is from the front and the second was taken standing in the back yard.

BTW, that white stuff all over everything is SNOW!

Something a bit more technical?

2007-01-06T04:00:00.000+09:00

Welcome to the new year and welcome to the new look! We picked this to somewhat reflect the environment here in Norway - what do you think?

As part of the change, we've inserted a bit of tracking software called Google Analytics. The image below is an executive overview and although we can't tell exactly who has visited, we are able to see where you all are and how often you return.

This is probably also a good time to mention that there is now support for RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 standards. If you like to be notified when we put a new post up, then these technologies are well worth looking into. There's a link to subscribe to the feed at the bottom of this blog site (add the query string parameter "?alt=rss" for RSS). Otherwise click here for a bit more info.

Happy subscribing :)

Xmas with Mike and Lizzie

2006-12-30T16:30:00.001+09:00

Mike and Lizzie joined us for Christmas - also spoiling us with alcohol and chocolate! Unfortunately during this time of year everything is closed so we were a bit limited in what we could do.

We went out Saturday night to the local bar/club here (Lancelot) and to my surprise was it not only open but packed and pumping. Then on Sunday we caught the train in to Oslo, visiting Aker Brygge.

On Monday we walked down to the Oslo Fjord. The water now covered in a layer of ice.

For dinner Renee cooked a pork roast while we drank Juleøl (Christmas beer) and Gløgg.

Tuesday it was off to Drammen. The following photo of the Aass brewery was taken from the train station.

We went up the hill you can see in the background of this shot. It is known as Spiralen.