Down Under with Jan Mikaela Nora and Ella

Lots of nice presents leading up to the holidays: Grandpa has finished the new pergola and put up a second garden shed. With the help of Gary our neighbour he moved the old one to the other end of the garden. Nora has been to her first Lucia celebrations with the Swedish club. She loved dancing around the Christmas tree. Or more precisely: everyone dancing around her. Also we’ve been to the Christmas party at child care. Of course Santa has left Nora a present. Very likely one of many more to come! And yesterday there was a great present for all of us: we had our first Koala in a tree at the backyard. Can it get more Australian than that?

Busy times in December. This weekend we went to Henley beach , we put up the Swedish Christmas tree and we welcomed Sinterklaas in the park with all the Dutch kids (yes, daddy went for a newspaper and was too late again). Oh yes, and tonight Mummy is going to her company Christmas party.

Before ...   After ...  Do you see any progress, or has Morfar just been sitting around?!? PS. yes ....Tundra IKEA

Hurray, Morfar (Grandpa from Sweden) is back in town! He’s here for a couple of months to help out with all the jobs that need to be done in and around the house.  He’s a true handyman, fixing all you can think of, like the floor boards, electrics, plumbing, the pergola and everything in the garden. Every day when we leave for work his radio is turned on and off he goes. And when we come home from work it’s always pleasant surprise to find what’s new or fixed. For Nora his visit has all kinds of benefits. Morfar is there to play with, to assist when he does his jobs and to boss around when she gets bored. And she got some nice presents. This week he fixed her a sandpit. Think of how much fun that will be, walking the sand into the house on the new floor-boards!

Hip Hip Hurray, it's Mummy's birthday today !

Nora learned a new word at childcare: 'Up'. See how she explains it ...

Spring has finally arrived. After the coldest, wettest and longest winter in decades, South Australia is finally enjoying the good life again. What a joy. The upside of all that rain is that Adelaide Hills are looking beautiful, green and lush. This also goes for our garden through, so lots of work to be done. But hey: who cares? The bees are zooming and the birds are singing and we’re practically living outside in the backyard all day. Nora loves to be in the garden and play on her slide, or chasing the lizards. She likes it so much that she keeps on moving all her toys outdoors. Mum does her runs every morning in the sun and in the weekend Dad goes out on his bike through the vineyards, the bush and the green hills. It’s sooo relaxed here on this side of Mt. Lofty. And you know what the best part is? This is just the start of the summer. Not until end of April do we have to worry about moving the outdoor furniture.  Yep, life is tough Down Under ;-) By the way: have you seen ...

What a glorious week we had at the Queensland Gold Coast. Sun, sea , beach and with 25°C it surely beats rainy Adelaide this time of year. Daddy was on a work conference with some colleagues , and the family could come along. We’ve been touring around to Byron Bay and Mt. Tamborine, have visited some of the big theme parks like Sea world and Dream world, and been on the beach and in the pool every day. Oh, and of course daddy has been working really hard as well ...

Its official now: Nora is no longer a baby, but a toddler. So much has changed in the last couple of months. At childcare they upgraded her to the toddler room, and that’s where she truly belongs. This little lady is walking and talking, interacting and communicating, crying and manipulating, listening and understanding.  She’s learning with the speed of light, and keeps amazing us every day. Her favourite word now is ‘shoes’. She just got her first real pair the other week, and if it was up to her she’d go to bed with them. First thing when she wakes up is ‘shoes, shoes’, and she’ll fetch them for you. And next comes the jacket, because her other favourite thing is going outside. In the garden we have installed a climbing tower with a slide. Round and round our little girl goes, until Mum and Dad can no longer keep up. Tell you what: she is one active and energetic lady! Click here for a new slide show on how Nora developed since her birthday in March (yes, yes, it was about ...

Holland may not have won the World Cup final, but we sure had a great time. In the pub with around 150 Dutchies (at 4am in the morning!) we cheered on our heroes until our lungs were empty and our voices were gone. Quite a bit of attention as well from the local TV stations and even national radio. Yes, little Adelaide has done Holland pride. Too bad the Orange couldn't do the same .... PS. the guy on the left is Frank, a full cousin of Dutch forward player Arjen Robben. He sure received some messages from us to pass on to his cousin after this final ... 

The World Cup soccer is on in full swing, which means many late nights or early mornings for us. With two teams to support it is vital to wear the right gear at the right time. Yesterday night we had to rapidly change after Holland’s Orange squad took on the Japanese, just to be in time to cheer on the Aussie Socceroos in their match against Ghana. Important to get your colours right! But South Africa is not the only place where the action is right now. Look at our little girl ... only walking since a couple of weeks and already totally into the ball game. See this video .

Today we finally started exploring Bridgie, as the locals like to call our little town. We went down to the Bridgewater Mill, and made a nice walk through the woods. Since there are many trails we can follow in the area, we bought ourselves a little present: a baby backpack. Not one for Nora to carry, but for her to be carried in. As picky as she sometimes can be we were a little concerned how she would like it, but it was a great success. She loved being walked around: things to see everywhere. Luckily for daddy the trail ended in a play yard, so he could take a rest while Nora and Mummy were sliding the slide and swinging the swings (see video ).

Pffff, that was a big project. But we are finally seeing the end of it. We moved across to our new house in Bridgewater, and have handed over our old place. And despite the fact that there are still many smaller jobs to be done, we now have most boxes out of the way and it is starting to look like a real home. And just so you know: we love it. So much more space and green here, and the neighbours actually come up to us to introduce themselves. Yes, this is a nice little town in the hills. Our move coincided with the start of the winter. And since we are a good 600 meter higher than in the city, it’s no wonder that the nights get pretty chilly. We were told that by mid-winter the minimum night temperature can go down to 0°C !?! Nora has done pretty well with all these big changes. Although she is still getting used to her new room, she is starting to enjoy her new environment. Our move also coincided with her starting to really walk. No stopping her now. Let her show you around in t...