As we have blogged before, Essex Heights Primary, the school that our kids go to, has a large music program. They put on a Showcase every year, where the students show off their skills on violin, flute and marimba.
Last year, one of the teachers had the idea that it would also be fun to do something with dancing, and they put together a dance show for the parents. It was such a success that they did it again this year. Continue reading “Essex Heights – Land Down Under”
Now that we had the trampoline sitting in a big box in our secret hiding place, it came to making plans on when to set it up. Since we wanted it ready on Sunday morning when Luka woke up, this presented us with a bit of a problem. Let’s just say that Luka (like most children I know) is not known for sleeping in on her birthday.
So the only option was the night before. A secret operation under the cover of darkness. Continue reading “Birthday present for an 8-year-old – Part 2”
It’s Luka’s birthday today. And with birthday, you have presents. We tried to convince Luka that this year, we’d turn this around and she would give us presents. But somehow that idea didn’t fly with her.
So, back to the drawing board. What do you give your 8-year-old daughter who already has everything? Continue reading “Birthday present for an 8-year-old – Part 1”
In an earlier post I asked the question on whether I am Australian yet. Well, I still don’t like Vegemite, so it might be a way to go for me. But Willemijn has made the transition. Continue reading “Naturalized Australian”
It’s still dark outside and the clock is not yet showing a 6 when I am woken up by an alarm going off. Bleary-eyed, I roll over, thinking that someone probably opened the wrong car door, or some shop owner forgot to turn off the alarm. In any case, nothing to do with me. Continue reading “Firealarm”
Yesterday I got a last-minute call from a colleague of mine, saying that he had two tickets for the St. Kilda – Collingwood game left over and if Kai and myself wanted to come. What a rhetorical question!
So we got dressed, had a quick lunch, and off we went.
As you do when you have visitors in the city you live in, you do the touristy things that you never get around to doing by yourself. Like visiting the penguins. Or going up the Eureka Tower. Which we did.
The Eureka Tower is the tallest building in Melbourne and, surprisingly, a residential building. As a visitor you can get up to the Skydeck on the 88th floor (and to 89 if you go for dinner). Which is pretty high up. Continue reading “High on up – on top of the Eureka Tower”
Penguins. Those cute little birds that can’t fly but can glide under water with almost equal grace. The ones that live in cold places like Antarctica.
Well, OK, there are a few of them that come to some beaches in South Africa and Australia. But that’s way down in Phillip Island, and frightfully touristy and expensive…
Well, not quite true. Because there is a colony of Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) that have made the breakwaters of St. Kilda Beach their home. And those we went to visit. Continue reading “Looking for penguins”
Last weekend, the new Formula 1 season (2016) kicked off with the Melbourne Grand Prix. And, while I am not a real petrol-head, I have always wanted to go to one of these races. So I took the chance that presented itself and went, together with a few colleagues of mine. Continue reading “the F1 experience in Melbourne”
If you are a bit of a F1 enthusiast, you will know that the new season started today, with the Australian Grand Prix the first stop on the calendar. And, if you followed the race (or the news), you will have heard about the crash between Alonso and Gutierrez.
Well, I was there when it happened.
europe2australia.com 