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Peter with his look Where are my sunnies?

Unusual passtime. Our new home — we are very proud and love it dearly; but it is definitely much more work than our habitat in Birchgrove was. On the very day of the settlement, Peter took a doubtful look at the manicured lawns, carefully pruned bushes and crystal clear pool and raised the question how any one who is not retired could maintain this high level of care. As a matter of fact, looking after the house and its surroundings does take its share of our week-ends. Especially (we hope!) because most of it is new for us and we spend much time reading manuals. Take the pool as an example. With a length of 11, a depth of 2 metres, and 70.000 litres this is one of the bigger private pools. Once per week we get the "chemistry box" out, take water samples, carefully drip secret liquids from minuscule bottles into the sample, stir, compare the result with color stripes on a test scale, drip more drops in and so on. Until blue turns into clear or we reach a certain shade of pink. Then, we scale our measurements for 70.000 litres and fill chemicals from 10 litre buckets into the pool. From time to time we collect all the leaves in the pool, and vacuum the sediments. The only good thing of this work is that we get to stand in the water. Taking the temperate of the Australian summer into the equation, it is not a bad place to be :-)

Dressed in Drizabones

Balmain Regatta. As if this wasn't perfect timing! At the very week-end after our relocation, at a time when the house was still full of boxes everywhere, Peter "had to" be the photographer for the Balmain Regatta again. (cf. our reports October 2002 and October 2003). Long ago in February, he had already commited to this duty, unknowing that this would be an excuse to not unpack any more boxes. On a different topic, he thought that he had also well-deserved this break, since during the last removal in April 2002, Claudia was away sailing in the Mediterranean. However, such naughty back thoughts cannot pass unpenalised: For once, Cladia doesn't stay at home either during the Regatta but prefers continue working on her new kayak that she co-owns with Kevin, at Kevin's place. Secondly, the weather god castigates Peter mercilessly by sending pouring rain all day. During the Regatta, Peter is mostly busy with protecting his camera from the bucketing rain, wiping the lenses dry, and shivering to keep warm. At the end of the day he is very much looking forward — boxes or not boxes — to home...

Quick-quick, sneak into the picture! Claudia and "her" Men

Broughton Island. Claudia proves much smarter when it comes to going-out-and-about: There are still boxes around that we don't know what to do with when she plans for a paddling week-end away to maiden-test the new kayak. Her destination is Broughton Island, that we presented in the Monthly Report July. The photo on the right shows the above mentioned new kayak (in the background). It is apple green and white; carefull labour and lots of fiddling with totally new materials and techniques for the deck fittings have made this kayak into the most perfect boat in the whole of Australia. Her name? Double Dutch. This is because it is a double, and Claudia is (almost) from the Netherlands. As a side remark, Peter stays at home tis week-end and unpacks more boxes, so that Claudia finds a really nice looking home on her return.

T-Shirt and red cheeks prove it: (At least) one of us has definitely done the race.

JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. In a careless moment, Claudia had told her colleagues of the various fun runs — e.g., the annual City2Surf — that she ran in the past. Promptly, she is being mobbed into the CSIRO team for the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. JP Morgan Corporate Challenge, that is a series of 3-mile (5.6km) runs for corporate teams all over the world. In order to not let her colleagues down and to not wreck the team-time, Claudia has to partake in the "training camp". Every few days, she and her colleagues are pushed to run around the local oval at lunch time; always according to the motto (that Claudia can't fully subscribe to) "You can do one more lap!!"

Finally the race day — and with it the end of the training camp — has come. Peter participates again in his role as the photographer so that the event can be documented on this Web site. See also our Picture Gallery JPMorgan Corporate Challenge 2005. Even though Claudia does her best to slow down her team ;-) they arrive 26th of 198 teams. Well done!

"C'mon', let's empty the pool!"

Bush Fire Training. Did we mention it before? Our new house is located directly next to the Lane Cove National Park. Besides spectacular views and (for a city) quiet location, this also means high bush fire danger. The residents of our street have organised a voluntary community fire brigade; in the case of fire, the people know how to protect private property and oneselves. Additionally, the council has learned after the last fire in 2002 and ensures that the bush remains well cleared around the houses. Such a clearing had been done before we moved in, and the proof were two bon fire stacks next to our property. A very welcome opportunity for the community fire brigade to do a fire training. On a Sunday morning, the (council) fire brigade comes into our street for training, testing, and to ensure that the bon fires we want to burn stay under sontrol. The street hydrants get tested and fire hoses are put out. Even the Davy pump is taken out and put into our pool for emergency. Everything goes according to plan: The bon fires are lit, the surrounding trees are protected with water from the fire hoses, and the fire is carefully put out again at the end. We have to admit that we were very impressed by the amount of heat that emerges from such small bon fires. How unbearable it will be once the whole bush is an ocean of flames! By the way, we are not yet allowed to actively participate in those trainings, since we have to enrol for a basic traing course first. However, we plan to seize the next opportunity to learn more and take and active role in the next bush fire training

Dressed all in white — but is not the bride!

Andrea's and Ingo's Wedding. Andrea and Claudia get to know each other at work and get on instantly. Andrea and her partner Ingo have a history very similar to ours: Having coming from Germany theyr are in Down Under for a couple of years already. Many milestone of our lives were experienced by Andrea and Ingo in almost identical form, and they as well stay in touch with friends and family via their treasured homepage. Spontaneously, as one gets when you live abroad and meet people of your own country, we get invited to their wedding.

On a Saturday 19th November the big day has come. The ceremony shall be held in Nielsen Park above Milk Beach; carefull readers of our report might remember this beach from our storys Bine's Hens Night or the visit of Claudia's family in April 2004. Claudia and Peter decide to paddle accross to the wedding venue in the kayaks from one of the beaches on the northern rim of the harbour. At the venue, we find a garden hose that we use for a fresh water shower and change into wedding clothes. Follows a long waiting time for the to-be-married couple and many of the party guests; everyone (but us) gets stuck in Sydney's traffic and arrives one hour late. Finally, the ceremony can start in a perfect setting overlooking the main harbour. We all enjoy the day with a most beautiful pick-nick at one of the most spectacular venues in Sydney. Andrea, Ingo, we whish you all the best for the following days, weeks, months, years, and many good memories!