Thirstquenching technology

Nathan has got himself some new footwear, some nice Reef Mike Fanning Signature sandals. These sandals must be one of the best things ever happened to thirsty men - they have a bottle opener build in to the sole!





Why haven't anyone thought about this before?! It's genius!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all of you!



We are all enjoying ourselves and having a good time here in NZ.
Gratefully, Bruce's injury wasn't as bad as we were fearing at first, so we have managed to get into vacation mode, and just revel in all being together at the moment.

The Easter Bunny did find the kids even here, left some big chocolate eggs, and tomorrow there will be an Easter Egg Hunt around the playhouse!
The kids go down to the next-door's trampoline, they play frisbee and football and their new favourite game is to turn off all the lights in the house when it's dark outside, and play hide-and-go-seek with flashlights.

We are eating all the bacon, ham and roast pork that we can fit, and of course relish all the rest of Yvonne's yummy meals too, as always. We get very well taken care of here!

Here is Yvonne and I on a walk we did yesterday, about 6 km in the Spa Park here in Taupo, all the way down to the famous Huka Falls. It was absolutely wonderful, check out the clear water, and the gorgeous colours on the tree. The shift in nature during the different seasons is one of the things I miss the most with being in Brunei.











I lost my favourite sunglasses back in December, and was so happy the other day passing through Brisbane, when I found a similar and even better pair:



Lunch down at the waterfront:

That high again

Today I had a new kind of (sporty) high – when I went into the sports shop! It’s true! I kind of got high looking at all the nice gear!

Got some new hiking shoes for my Bukit runs, some new sports shorts and a headlamp, for the Hash. Also kitted the kids out, in another shops, with some extra sports clothes for the hash, and the football. Shopping is nice!

The Kiwi patient

I thought I would give you all a little update from NZ.

Nathan’s Dad, Bruce, is home again already. He got scanned all over the other day, but had no internal injuries or bleedings, luckily. He looks like a ”troll” though, with scrapes and bruises all over and a big black eye, with stitches around it.



He doesn’t remember much of the accident itself, but he seems to recall two big logging trucks passing by and knocking him over. He was found by the side of the road, and was conscious but didn’t know who he was for over 2 hours, so they couldn’t contact Yvonne, Nathan’s Mum.
They were quite worried at first, because he went in and out of consciousness, was pretty groggy and couldn’t answer simple questions. They looked at his helmet, that had suffered big damage, and were worried about internal traumas. Hence our quick decision to come.



But after a night in hospital, he already perked up, and could come home.
So now we are looking forward to celebrating Easter together! (It all was a bit surreal to be here yesterday actually, one moment we are swimming at the Yacht Club, the next we are on a plane to NZ. I couldn’t get my head around it at first, because I was so set on travelling Thursday, to Bali.)
NZ of course is lovely though, as always. The kids are enjoying spending time with their Grandparents and we all are having a good time.

Urgent change of plans

We had booked a trip to Bali now during the Easter holidays, but have had to make a quick change of plans today due to some not so good news.

Nathan's father has been taken to hospital this afternoon after a bad bicycle accident.
We still don't know how serious it is, but have decided to go down to NZ anyway as soon as we can, no matter what.
Even if it's not so bad, he will probably be in hospital for a while, and I'm sure we can be of some help and support, to him and the rest of the family.

So, we are shooting off on the next flight, which is tomorrow morning and we don't quite know when we will be back. (Good to have the amah here to look after the house since it's such short notice!) Right now we are busy trying to organize ourselves, get packed etc - and we are happy at least, we were not still in the UK!

We will be on our emails.
So long.

I'm getting high

Someone told me the other day at the gym "you have really got the bug, haven't you?!". I guess so. The bug, the buzz, the high... call it what you want, I sure have it and it's doing me good!

"Which bug?" you might ask - the exercise bug.
I prefer to describe it as I have found my "high". You know that feeling you get, after you have done some serious workout; that content and proud feeling of having accomplished something you didn't think you could, or just that nice feeling after having worked yourself really hard.

I love that feeling. I kind of get high on that feeling every time, and that feeling is what I'm after when I exercise. That is what keeps me going on my treadmill or up and down my Bukit-hills. I get through it, because I'm longing for that feeling I get when I'm done!

As you know, I have made several attempts before to get into shape, start an exercise routine. I have never succeeded before, I have always given up after a few weeks or months, out of boredom.
I have understood now, it was because I never kept going long enough - I never reached that high. There was nothing that motivated me enough to continue through the hard parts. I always finished halfway through, and then the next time, exercise was even more of a chore...

Now I love it! All my exercise, I love it!
Mostly because I hunger for that high!

First Kids Hash

Once a month, they arrange a Kids Hash (or some call it Junior or Family Hash) somewhere in the jungle of Brunei. I decided it was about time we joined in on that too and today was the day!

It was a really hot afternoon today, we were hot and bothered already before it started, but loads of people were there to take part. They lay three different tracks, one for the older kids, one for the younger children and one for the toddlers.
You can see everybody here, going off in different directions. That's Linnea in the hat in the left corner:



They do the same thing with the paper trail, as for the adult ones. We had to follow the green paper today - the kids were all into looking for the paper.



After having completed todays track, we strongly doubted though, that whoever had laid the toddler track had actually had a toddler with them! It was a hard one! At one stage, I was in water up to my thighs, not a chance any toddler could have crossed that stream on their own without drowning!
Anne took Daniel over, and I took Linnea and then went back to get Lucas. Since I was by then already totally wet and yucky, I went back once again to get Malthe too so Anne didn't have to get in again. And yes, it got deeper than in this photo:



Lucas was brave and walked all of it by himself (took about 30 minutes), he grabbed on to the trees to help him up and down, and only sometimes needed my hand as support.



Linnea of course, needed to be carried quite a bit of the way. Mostly because the hills were too steep for her to climb on her own, but also because it was really muddy so she kept sliding and landing on her bum, and got a bit scared. But we did it, as a team effort!



Afterwards, you could buy hotdogs, and relax a bit. The kids were all playing, still full of energy, and they also organized some game involving eggs, since it's soon Easter.
Here they are, enjoying their dinner:



It was a really nice afternoon - and we will absolutely come back! (Next time I hope Nathan isn't working so I don't have to do it all on my own...)

Lucas swimming - The Movie

Ok, so here it is, after a lot of hard technical work. I haven't been able to edit it, so it is quite big and will take you a while to buffer:

Bunny Hunt

Yesterday was also the last day of school before the two week Easter Holiday.
The children had been taking about Easter all week, and finished off by receiving a letter from the Easter Bunny! It said that he had been by and left some pictures of his bunny friends in the Kindy playground; and if the kids could find them, they would get a treat!

Us parents were all invited to take part in this event and the children were very excited! They had made special Easter bunnets and pretty baskets, and equipped with those off they went on a bunny hunt.



Here Lucas is with the picture he found:



And here he is with his treat:



Even Linnea managed to find a picture, and got a treat - lucky girl!



I really enjoy when we get invited to take part in these different activities in school, and I'm sure the kids love it when we come too. It's so nice to see what they do, and see the interaction between Lucas and all his little friends.

First football practice

Lucas was starting football today.
Lots of his little friends go to the RBA Club each Friday, to play football, and we thought that being involved in a team sport would do him good. It was all quite exciting.
Nathan had bought him some little football boots and shin guards, and dressed him up in his Swedish football outfit. He looked very cool.



He did a good job listening to instructions and paying attention to the coach:



Although he didn't get it right every time. Here he ran a bit too far away, they were supposed to stop on the line, but Lucas ran to the end of the field - and was happy he had "won"! Bless...



He didn't seem all convinced though. A one hour session in the hot sun of the afternoon, was a bit much this first time. He gave up after about 35 minutes, and sat and watched with us from the sideline. When I asked him if he wanted to come back next time, he was very hesitant. Maybe it was the slightly rough ambiance at the practice, maybe it was just that it was sooo hot.



Even the water bottle was colour coordinated!



The coach, Frank ("the football man" as Lucas said) was very firm with all the boys, quite strict and very loud, but all the kids seemed to love him. As much as he yelled at them, as much he gave praise too - and keeping a rowdy lot of about 20 4-7 year olds in line can't be easy!

We do hope that Lucas will want to go back again, it really seemed like all the boys had lots of fun!

Lucas can swim!

After football practice, we took the kids in to the swimming pool, to cool down a bit. It had been a hot afternoon, so we were all in the need of a quick swim.
It wasn't until today i realized, that Lucas has done tremendous progress with his swimming. He can actually now swim by himself for two-three meters!

OAW!

(And here I had a movie of the event I wanted to publish, but I can't get it to work. Check back later, I will try again!)

Oh Happy Day!

This morning I went on the scales, as usual - but, imagine my surprise, when this...



... is what I saw! I had to go and get the camera, to capture this important moment: I am under 70 kgs for the first time since pre-children!!! YAY!
(Don't worry, I wont photograph every step of my weight loss, but this, this was a significant milestone for me!)

My goal is (and has been for a long time, or maybe, it's been more of a dream...) to get down to 65 kgs again, which would fit my 175 cms quite nicely. Up until now, that has proven impossible for me, believe me, I have tried... - but it seems like our new sportier and healthier lifestyle here in Brunei is doing the trick!

Not that the number that shows on the scales is the most important thing, but it is a nice motivation. :)
I can also feel in myself that I have become more fit, I can feel I have got muscles now and I can notice it on my clothes. I can also see it when I look in the mirror or on recent photos.

You know what - it is the greatest feeling!

Bukit Shabandar

Today I put my hiking legs to very good use. My friend Anna thought it was about time I "did a Bukit". That is, went around the track at Bukit Shabandar, a recreational park and one of the 11 forest reserves in Brunei.



It consists of hectares upon hectares of jungle and greenery - filled with tracks and paths for hiking, jogging or biking. I'm very proud to say, I did the whole loop = up and down NINE big hills..! That is a lot of up and down I tell you!
Here is a map of it all:



The park also contains a picnic area, a labyrinth and a very nice play area for kids. Many families come here to relax and play, mostly on the weekends.
But early mornings like today, you only see other hikers around who are completing different tracks on the hills.
Sometimes there is actual steps, other times you just have to make do with roots and stones to get up or down. It's quite a challenge, but what kept me going was thinking:
-"I will get a Kylie-bum... I will get a Kylie-bum... I will get..."

Here is the beginning of it all, this is nothing compared to what will come:



Here for example, one of the killer hills:


(Photo borrowed from Google Earth. Photographer: erlangga)

Here I am, taking a breather after having just crossed a river:



Anna:



A nice little fella' we met along the way:



We also saw a big troupe of monkeys, heard lots of cool jungle noice and Anna saw a green snake - but it was gone before I got the camera up unfortunately.
Mostly, we saw plenty of beautiful scenery - the view certainly is better from the top!

Making a home

Even though we are still in temporary accommodation (yes... still...) we have as you might have read in earlier posts bought a few things of our own already (the toy-shelf and the sofas f.e).
All to try and minimize the feeling of living in a holiday apartment - and to make this house a home.

Last week we decided to go ahead and have some furniture custom made, since out here that's really cheap. There was a few things I had thought about for a while, like some bookshelves and a play table.
I surfed around and found some pictures on the internet of items similar to what I wanted and also made a few sketches.
Someone recommended us a carpenter, so we contacted him last Wednesday and he came around the same afternoon to take measurements - and today (only one week later!) he delivered our furniture:

Two bookshelves (copies from a wonderful shop in the UK):



A play table with a drawer, for Linnea's farm, made to fit the play mat perfectly:



A little table to raise the doll's house to a better play level:



The farm table and the bookshelf in Linnea's room:



And the bookshelf on it's place in Lucas' room:



I am really pleased with all the items, and it feels good to have found a reliable carpenter. Once we have found a house I will have a few more things done:
I would like to have some sort of big play table, or storage shelf, for all Lucas' Lego; I would like some small shelves and ledges for bits and bobs in the kids rooms; and last but not least - I will have him construct a play house for the kids!
That is, when we find a house...

Floating

Our own boat might not be ready for a while to get in to the sea, but we sure are!
Quite a few of our friends go out regularly, and they are offering to take us out every now and then. Sometimes so the guys can do some wakeboarding, sometimes just for a ride over to a beach, to have a picnic or a look around.
Up until now, we haven't really taken anyone up on their offer, but it's certainly about time we do!

So we thought it might be a good idea to get the kids to try wearing their life vests, not only on dry land - but also in the water. Just in case.
Here we are at the Empire pool, practicing floating:

Dinner with the Ambassador

So, yesterday was the big dinner with the Ambassador of Sweden to Brunei, Mr Pär Ahlberger - and the Swedish Business Delegation.

Us "local Swedes" met at our place first for a drink (or two) since we were living closest to the venue. Arriving to the hotel, we were met by this big PR sign for Sweden - made us a bit homesick:



Me and Maria:


Anna & Fredrik:


When we arrived down at the restaurant, we were met up by the Ambassador who seemed very happy to meet us all, and we exchanged business cards with him and got to have a little chat.



After a short speech (where he described us as "the little but vibrant Swedish community"), we tucked in to the buffet.

We had been discussing in advance, whether or not we thought there would be alcohol provided - I mean, it was a dinner with Swedes involved after all!
Someone thought that bringing our loaded eskys might not be the best idea, but since we weren't trusting that the delegation had thought about (or been allowed?) to bring in their allowance upon arriving that morning; our trusty husbands came up with a sly idea:





They filled up some innocent water bottles with gin, we then ordered some tonic water and could enjoy lovely G&Ts at our table ! (I know, very highschoolish, but, it's Brunei lah!)
There was no alcohol being served, so lucky us! :)

Me and Andrew:


As for mingling, there wasn't really any opportunities to, other than when we were lining up for the buffet - as we were all seated separately (and our little "vibrant group" were on a table of our own).
A few people did approach us and had questions about living in Brunei, most of them had never been here before even though they had been living for years in Singapore. We were a bit like the exotic addition to this dinner, since there is so few of us actually residing here.

We already got the heads up about the next formal visit from Singapore, and got booked up for that dinner in May!
Also the Ambassador came up and talked to us about a few of his ideas, and came up with a few possibilities for us - which could turn into something very interesting in the future!
So, watch this space!

Kindy Schedule 10-14 March

Term 2 Week 10 – Easter
Focus activities: Humpty Dumpty. Eggs. Revise alphabet – no new sound this week.
Shape of the week – oval
Egg decorating and egg rolling race – discuss concept of 1st, 2nd and 3rd
Problemsolving – can you make a safe, strong wall for Humpty Dumpty – How can we make him balance?
Making and decorating an Easter tree – discuss concept of new life – eggs hatching…



As you can see, next week at school is all about Easter. This is the last week before the Easter Holidays.

The Tuesday Assembly is going to be about Easter, and they will bake some Easter nests on Wednesday.
Friday after swimming, there will be an Easter egg hunt! Exciting!