TEST POSTING

Home at last!

Safe and sound in bed 6 hours overdue with mr kitten. Goodnight all!
>

Bye pris!!! :(

Last night

Andre and priscilla, royal national.

Leaving Belgium!

Last country on the list , be home soon!!!

Lunch in sassenheim

Well this is the drink I had before lunch, capacino with a neat little
leaf shaped shortbread. In front of a fireplace of course to dry our
wet jackets and etc

Unfortunately boskoop is 60mins from here via train, (2 line
transfers) and then 90 minutes from Amsterdam, which sees Kim and I
missing the bus back to the hotel. So we've decided to go back to
Amsterdam from here Now which should give us time to tour Anne franks
house before catching the bus back to the hotel to change out of wet
clothes and then go back in to town for dinne and a cruise of the
canals. If it wasn't raining so determinedly today we could have done
it all, but we really shouldn't risk missing the bus and spending the
evening in wet clothes... And having to catch a 40€ taxi back to the
hotel. I've missed a few things this trip and it's very sucky...

So waiting for taxi now and will be driveN to voolhous train station,
from there to Leiden central and from there to Amsterdam... Hopefully
all in 60 minutes or less :)

Still on the train!

As you can see, very wet and rainy in the Netherlands which makes
taking pictures harder, bit also makes for a cozy relaxing train ride...

Lucky I have the addresses for oma and opa's houses in sassenheim and
boskoop and also downloaded the streetmaps on to my phone which ALSO
has gps so getting around will be a piece of cake. Only trouble is I
don't have a map with street numbers so we have to hit the street in
the middle and count our way out...

Omas place looks to be a 3 km walk from th train station so hopefully
it won't be windy otherwise it will be a cold and miserable walk.

Taking a lot longer than I thought it would, but the from omas town I
think we're only taking 1 train to opa's town, then 1 train to
Amsterdam... So after sassenheim things should move a lot more smoothly.

Netherlands!

Kim and I on the way to sassenheim to find omas stomping ground. Last
night we hit a coffe shop while most everyoneelse went to the Dutch
cultural event, then we got on the bus when the others didn't and left
them behind! But that's okay because the bus ride was free and we'll
head out again tonight when we get back and also I was getting motion
sick on the bus as it was

Unfortunately don't get to visit cousin Hein today but we send our
best wishes. Oma gave us some letters to deliver so we'll post them
when we get back to amsterdam.

Netherlands

First stop in Netherlands and Kim gets stuck into oma soup. Don't tell
oma that she can start charging €10.80 for each serving though...

Back in Germany

So we're in Germany again which is good but we're about to leave after breakfast. Really nice place we'*re staying in except for the smell of smoke which is a bit harsh but then I guess youd get used to it living here?

Got a call from 4168478742, toronto... anyone know who that might be??

Leaving Prague

And on our way in to Germany for the last time to stay at St Goar. I'm
pretty sure, but not as sure as I wa yesterday, that I've been here
before. We'll find out soonish anyway.

Prague was awesome! For starters, everything is Perth less than perth
prices. Then, for every street you walk down, every block has
something interesting to look at. Suvenier shops, electronic shops,
antique, museum, jewelery, cafes, pubs, karaoke, everything you would
want to do in a city all packed into a place the size of perths cbd
and there are 3 times as many shops with 5 times the variety at half
the price! Cocktails at $3! And then everything is done right... Their
stock is quality, and their facilities are spick n span. There's also
a pub where you get a table and you have your own beer tap... Then
your table competes with other tables the the live results are
projected on the wall.

Mozart concert

This is 2 nights ago now but it's the sneaky pic I took at the Mozart
concert in the Vienna palace hall. The whole thing was about 90
minutes with interval, with ballet, singers, and of course, classical
music. From what I can tell, the musicians were spot on, and the
accoustics were fantastic! I was expecting a large hall with music
being played through speaker systems, but it was all accoustic, and I
can see now why people love classical music. Listening to these guys
live was beter than listening to a cd played on the best stereo system
you can buy.

I don't understand the opera singers though. They never seem to hit
their notes as far as I can hear, and just ruin the whole song to my
ear because it's as if they're singi g a different song to what the
musicians are playing. Kim reckons they are spot on but I just don't
hear it!

Anyway, was well worth the money and time, especially after visiting a
concentration camp that morning.

Breakfast in Vienna

Turns out that the huge hotel with the huge foyer has a huge
greenhouse with a breakfast bar. Huge breakfast, free wifi, staying in
Austria. Italy can kiss my butt. If we ever do this again, we're
skipping Italy and staying in Germany, Austria and or Switzerland!

Back in the hotel Roma!!!

So we started the airconditioning before we left for tea to come back
to a hot hotel room. On closer o spection we found that the
airconditioner had smashed controls and was unable to be turned to
"cool". Yay.

Dinner was a disaster. Our portions were pitiful and the service
downright pathetic. The tour guide was surprised by how crP it was so
we made a detour to mcds on the way to the hotel. I didn't really need
to have Anymore but got a burger Anyway because... Well being hungry
can be an inconvenient distraction, and since Rome is Already an
inconvenient distraction, a hungry tourist can get robbed or conned in
no time flat. That's my theory anyway. A nice fruit vendor gave me 2
plastic bags for free after I offered him twenty cents so I could wrap
up kim's mc nuggets so as to tAke on the bus (hot food not Allowed on
the bus because it stinks the place up).

Finally back and roxy has been nice enough to lend Kim and I her
laptop for to tonight so I can clear up our memory cards and so Kim
can create a playlist on her Sony mp3 player. Also might get Internet
in the morning to send these emails and let roxy do some net banking.

That's All for us. Took thus photo on the way out of the disasterous
dinner of the back of the tourbus. This phone does a pretty passable
job of taking pictures... Not bad at all

Rome

So we're in Rome. I hated Rome last tour above all else, but this time
around it isn't bothering me as much. We got in around 2ish in the
arvo, and got started on a walking tour. Saw the pantheon and the
fountain thingy and another big structure thingy then the coloseum
towards sunset. It was actually busier than I was expecting, but that
seems to be because of some kind of festival...

So now we're having dinner across the road from the coloseum, and I
just stepped outside to take this photo. There is wireless Internet
here but they don't give out the password. Our room tonight is the
lowest standard on the trip so far which says a lot because it's still
pretty acceptable. Kim just told me the water tastes funny, to which I
resisted the urge to say "of course dear, it's Italian water!".

With all the walking around we did today to get to see as many sights
as possible, I got pretty sticky in the humidity. It's not really hot
it's just very still and wet.

Yesterday was florence. The day was quite nice seeing some sights and
had a greAt lunch on a 5th floor outdoor cafe. The quality of the
pasta was excellent and not too steep on price either. Then Dinner at
some place o went to last time thAt had continuous wine (12% alcohol
no less) and some o the portions were nice with others being very
average, then an hours driving around the streets with a busfull of
drunk people shouting and singing, and unfortunately by the time we
got to the nightclub I was sober and no longer in the mood. However,
it turned out okay because it sounds like it was all more trouble than
it was worth which my initial impression. Oh well, saved ourselves
money on taxi and drinks and got to get a good sleep in the end

So we have been sitting here for 30 minutes with no service which tops
off a day of lots of bitching and whining. Very loud table beside us
who unfortunately are the footy loving yobos. So it's 7:30pm in Rome
and I just want to eAt and go back the hotel to get some sleep.

Tomorrow we have the Vatican for a few hours, then maybe the fountain
again, then the bone monument (something about capicino's?) and then I
dunno... Hopefully an early dinner and bed?

Kim's going to grab me a capacino. I'm expecting it will be expensive
and served in a tiny cup

Lucerne

Picture of Kim doing what Kim does best... Taking care of people who
can't take care of themselves... Like her husbAnd. The Swiss have been
uber lucky today, with Aussies old enough to take care of Aussies too
young to know enough is seriously enough! Good times, good times. Got
plenty of chances to practises bad German and to get lessons from
Arabs on German grammer. And therein lies the beauty of Switzerland!
Prost!!!!

Switzerland still

Fondue was great but needed chocolate for the desert course, got in to
a chat with roxie about cameras and looked up nicon cameras in town.
There was one I liked for 2200 franks... Then the girl from Manitoba
told me hers which is the same camera is 800 in Canada. Very un cool

The guys here got some awesome photos and we got some good gifts for
family, and I've hadfun learning German and cameras. All in all been a
beaut day!

Lucerne Switzerland!

So now we're in lucerne! It's a bit chilly but that's fine... Tomorrow
night is a river cruise. But that's after going up the mountain and
having fondue for lunch! Woo hoo!

Okay now it's 7;40am and finishing an awesome breakfast! A

In paris!

We are in Paris! This is candy (amanda), Kimberly (sweetie), und
desrae. We're waiting for food at a cafe und we have free wifi!

So now is my chance to catch up with emails!!!!! I've lost 2 universal
power adapters and it is only day 2!!!

Au revior!

We're in London!

Been caching information and dribble in my phione but we're in London ready to go on the tour tomorrow, Had dinner at gordon ramseys in claridge tonight and it was fantastic.... I'm more impressed with the service and staff than the food, as we were even invited back to meet the head chef which was a delight for kim and me too..... So off to a gooten start (good start? Reading german phrase book and trying to remember every word I can)

Anyway, see ya all laters

OH and look at photos of wedding here:

http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/visualexpression/albums/weddings/50261/

Kim's wedding gift to me

This is a pic of kim's wedding gift to me. A painting of an idylic
highlands style river and hills with cottage, cows and cod. Very nice
and very classy

Fwd: Wedding photo

So here's a neat thing! I've put uncle johns photos on my home server at the link below. One of them is attached to this post which is the other cool thong... I can write posts on my phone and they'll get uploaded including photos as soon as I find a free wifi hotspot! Neato!!!

http://ship.kicks-ass.net/wedding/


Okay looks like no image posted.... so no forwarding of photos allowed! Only direct posting.... Or maybe the photo was too big. Whatever.... the link is there :p

Tom hirtons

Here we are at the office. Here is a photo of my breakfast. Hope it
posts!

WEDNESDAY, 23rd SEPTEMBER 2009! SECOND (or third) DAY OF SPRING!

So yeah... the seasons here start around the 21th and 22nd of the month they fall on.... Which I think is technically correct... as the 22st of December is supposed to be the time when the "crux" dies, and rises 3 days later on the 25th, which is why we celebrate Christmas... or so the Internet tells me. And hey... that sounds good enough for me... except that it's so F---ING (freezing) cold on the 23rd of December I'm surprised anyone bothered to go outside to watch the stars to ever find out.

Mum and Jude got here Friday night... and they've done an excellent job catching up with the time zone! They haven't slept during the day OR felt so sick they think they're dying... which was me when I came over... for about 2 weeks. As I expected... They think the houses are beautiful, and squirrels are hilarious, and Kim is an Angel that I do not deserve to have as a bride! They're right of course.... but don't tell Kim that until after she says "I DO" then it's too late baby HHAHAHAHAH!

Trip to the Mall on Saturday to do a little shopping, bought some fancy flavoured tea, and some slippers for Mum. Judy got a bag which I think was nice and cheap. One lucky thing here is that the cheap low quality stuff is often pretty good quality! Not so in Australia.... low price stuff is worth it's low price usually. The flip side is that some items are just plain expensive for no apparent reason! I guess that's true back home too!

Sunday was a slow day... and I can't remember what we did at all... so hopefully someone can fill me in there...

Mandy and Paul got here Monday evening at 6...ISH. Again... They've done an excellent job catching up with the timezone... and they're looking bright and cheerful... Even more so than me... I think I'm taking on some kind of jetlag sympathy pains and suffering on their behalf... But sleeping on a sofabed without pillows will do that to you... especially with Adzo wanting hugs at regular intervals during the night. Love you addie... but... go to sleep kitten!

Dinner has been fantastic with Kim's preparations! Lovely meals with us all sitting around the dining room table listening to me make bad jokes at Amanda's expense. Poor love :( Thankfully she takes it like a champ and doesn't get offended by the jokes either :D Been hanging out to crack open the Rockband with everyone but we've just been spending too much time with incidentals to do that kind of thing... We kind of knew that time would be of the essence but it's still frustrating to want to do everything at once with everyone at once.

Tim hortons is a hit! But at these prices anything will do. They don't get stomach pains from the cream either... which just confirms I'm slightly lactose intolerant! I also can't spell lactose or intolerant without a spell checker.

House is holding up fantastic. 6 People and 2 cats in a 3x1 and it hasn't quit once! This is probably due to Kim's efforts to make sure the house is spick and span before everyone came, and then her ongoing efforts to make sure everyone is happy and fed and sleeping well... and Mum and Judy getting done anything at all that they have a chance to get at (which isn't much cause Kim doesn't give them much chance... due to her awesome determination and time management). I've only got two jobs at the moment, and that is to be nice and fix the BBQ. I'm working on both at the moment... and I'm not entirely sure either I'm very good at either of them.

This morning we hired a minivan (fantastic minivan at that! only 2000km on the clock and has all the mod cons) 7 seater which will get us all to Niagara falls and back. Should also be useful during the wedding. Today Kim is taking the crew to Peelee island which is here, and we have the video camera charged and ready to go and new batteries in the digicam, so we should get some nice touristy footage by tonight. Best of the best to be put online for all and sundry (whatever that means).

Kim's Mum get's here Friday!! It's probably good that she isn't here sooner just because we're a mad house as it is... now when she does get here, our household will be as settled as it's going to be, and we'll make the most of having Kim's Mum around! Why can't everyone just stay?? No one will mind!

Kim has a lot planned out for the next 2 weeks... and as much as I try to squeeze things in the spare moments we have... we don't really have any spare moments! They're being used for uncomfortable kitten interrupted sleep. Hmmm... which makes me wonder if that is a good use of the time at all?? Kim's planning is pretty tight, and she hasn't left much to chance, so there isn't really anything I can add to improve things... which is a little sucky because that's pretty much all I'm good for! ...adding a little icing on top of an otherwise decent cake.

Speaking of cake... Kim made another batch of Blueberry Oma muffins and they're delicious! She's a crazy crazy lovely girl that works her fingers to the bone (Literally... she has a wound where the knife went down to the bone) to make sure everyone else is having the best possible time they can. All things considered, this last week could not have been any better even if we were millionaires and we rented out Disneyland for a private function. Touch wood.

Countdown!!

So we're 25 days out from our wedding! And today... Tuesday the 15th of September, it only just hits me that we have little to no time left to prepare! There is a lot that we have to do around the house just to host the people we're going to... and if anything had to be done "well in advance"... well then we're out of luck because we're now in the "last minute" realm! I know Kim has been here for the last... 9 months... and I've only just caught on! But that's me... Always slow to catch on...

The big shock is that it's Tuesday... and Mum arrives Friday! In the back of my mind I'm still thinking that "Mum gets here a few weeks from now"... but no! It's in a few days!

So... Love ya Mum! Hope the trip is easy on you! If I can give any advice... I'd say stretch every chance you can (This gives relief from aches and pains that will catch up with you when you land in Canada), bring little ear buds (The foam ones from hardware stores), and even maybe something to cover your eyes (Tacky little sleeping masks are perfect) and sleep any chance you get! If Cousin Judy sleeps too... you can put a little notice on the chair in front of you to "Wake me for meals" so you don't miss out on food. To really help you sleep, bring a light sheet or blanket. A combination of earplugs, sleepmask and a sheet will make all the difference between getting some sleep and being awake for 36hours straight! I have a sheet that folds up in to a wallet size package that is perfect for this reason. OR maybe bring some sleeping tablets or sudafed (Any anti-histamine that makes you drowsy... cold and flu night tablets) which will keep your sinus clear AND help you sleep! This probably seems like a lot of fuss... but the better you feel when you land, the quicker you can start enjoying yourself after a long flight and jetlag!

Warm Clothes for the Aussies!

Hi everyone! Kim and my Mum came up with a good strategy for helping Australians deal with the Canadian cold.

When choosing daily wear, choose clothes that are warmer than others. Jeans instead of pants, cotton instead of nylon (or vice versa, whichever is warmer, I don't actually know), long sleeves and shirts that can be tucked in to pants for added insulation.

Instead of packing Jumpers and Jackets, carry one with you on the flight, and put some cash aside to buy extra Jumpers/Jackets in Canada. The designs here are just as cheap as in Australian stores, but they're a lot better in the cold, with more insulation and better wind resistance.

You will mostly need jumper/jackets when sight seeing, as anywhere indoors will be toasty warm, and you will most often take your Jacket off when entering a house. (Actually I find people get offended if you don't take your jacket off, even if you're an Australian who is currently chilled to the bone)

Another reason to wait until Canada to buy warm clothing is that I'm told the mild Summer we've just had is a sign that Autumn/Winter will be mild too. If that's true, you may find you don't need warmer clothes at all, and you've just saved yourself some potential excess luggage fees!

What's new?

Hi to everyone!

Well Kim and I were excited to attend marriage prep last weekend. This was basically a seminar held with about 15-20 couples that went through all the things we should discuss before getting married. We started Friday night with a guy who does marriage therapy, with a fascinating presentation of ways people naturally argue and the pitfalls of these natural "techniques". The presentation is based on a book called "Why Normal isn’t Healthy" by Bowen F. White which sounds interesting.

Kim has been doing great work putting the wedding plans together and making it all happen! Things are coming together and we're on track to have a beautiful day. Our honeymoon was the easy part... all booked and paid for! We'll be spending 3 weeks touring Europe starting with Dinner at Gordon Ramsey's restaurant in London, UK.

But I wanted to mention the living arangements for people coming in to town. The best accomodation we know of is listed on the left hand side of this webpage and it is: The Residence Conference Centre. The place rents out 2 bedroom apartments for $350CAD a week. If you're stuck for a place to stay, this is a pretty good option, and if you don't mind sharing with someone, you can share the costs and have a room each.

If you'd like to share with someone just e-mail myself or Kim and we'll match people up so you can save money. There is also a daily rate if you're only in town a few days!

Re: Has she got the most annoying voice and speech ever?

If you're wondering about the title, it is leftover from a message board post about the Australian actress in the Transformers movie. It just popped up out of nowhere and I thought it deserved to get a posting.

Here is a website dedicated to the Wedding of Kimberly Sonja Anne Fekete and Luke Albert Challis. Here you will find all the information you need to know about the wedding, including getting to Windsor, ON, Canada from Australia and other places abroad.

More to follow