Tomorrow is the last day before we hop on a plane for the >24 hr journey home. I have a new addition to my body, a gut. Kangaroo pouch really. But since tomorrow is the last day, and they don't weigh personal body weight when you get on a plane, we'll try to fit in vietnamese, sushi and bubble tea before between breakfast and dinner. All my favs.

Photo models

Recently decided to try the studio portrait shots as a present for mum's birthday. Good light, good makeup, can't do much for those sleepless bags under the eyes. I guess the gazing-into-space-while-smiling-for-no-apparent-reason-photo is a rite of passage one needs to go through. Mum always said, capture your youth while you have it. Too late?

Weekend at Gold Coast Surfers Paradiso

Had a long weekend at the Gold Coast....Was good, I guess we were "lucky": we had one of the 65 rainy days per year and our day at Sea World was the day after the worst storms in 60 years.

They went in a real helicopter: where the highlight for kaemon was...seeing CARS~! from the the sky...

Grover, Dolphins, Polar Bears

Doing the usual coast stuff, hanging out. Poolside. We're so blase we didn't even go in the sea (the Tallebudgera Estuary doesn't really count). Shame on us, I know.

I should also add, Sea World Resort is Ground Zero, where Douwe met Kelly and the rest is history!!

Southbank Suprise

One of Brisbane's best things: the beach along the river, opposite the university. There's been a few times in the past where instead of attending lectures, the beach on the other side of the river was much more appealing, to stretch legs out and to dip toes in the water. I'm not worse off for skipping those lectures...

We bumped into RACHAEL & her Shane! Serendipity is the best!

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Our new addition has kaemon's hair and nelson's eyes.
 
 

Mum's birthday! Love ya

Love it when food inspires poetry

Saturday, the steps to a zalig/divine paella. Shawn is the chef, loli the certificate of authenticity. The lemony garlic alioli is over the top flavour but is necessary to complement the full-on, smoky, full-bodied and scintillating paella.  
Sunday, first encounter with Wagyu. I've got good family connections. Abby deals in wagyu. Ian grills to perfection. Wagyu is the nightclub sexy version to the classy Kobe. Kobe gets massaged and is groomed, where wagyu is delectable by pedigree. You CAN cut it with a spoon.
 
Monday. My turn - lazy seafood platter, grilled scallops, asparagus and salmon in a lime & chilli bath.
 
Been eating at home because dining out with 8 adults trying to wrangle 5 kids is not relaxed. But the food has not suffered.

We've Hit Home

Back in Brizvegas, family reunited with a dinner: our view of each other across the table.
 
 
 
 

Group Shots

Just a few pics to show how many people we have multiplied into and the controlled chaos which was everpresent:
 
 
 
This one's worth a special mention: Vivien and I out with SIX kids for dinner (passerby's shocked comment: "wow SO many kids!"
 

FINALLY!

The 12 hour journey was not the nightmare expected,we survived relatively unscathed, unwounded and untraumatised. Pretty good considering we had 2 seats for 4 bums.
 
Malaysia is always: warm and food and family (and shopping- we tag-teamed: me first 6 hours intensive credit card action in the Twin Towers KLCC, took a taxi back home, and handed the cab to douwe who promptly jumped in and returned to the point of origin...). Our welcome was complete with sinful chocolate mousse cake. Even though there were 12 kids under the age of 10 present, it was pretty calm and quiet in the house!
 
This year saw a baby boom: here showing 5 of the 6 babies born in the past year: clockwise Zach, Alex, Ethan ([bottom right]eten by whom??!), Nelson and Ryan.
 
And yes................the food photos. Why are there not that many? Not that we didn't eat that much, surely not (the first day we had 4 meals). I ate too fast to take photos. Seriously. Check out kaemon's Giant Paper Dhose (bottom right) at our airport food court breakfast (one cannot waste any meal opportunity in malaysia)
 

Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeeen!

We were rather stretched to find 'costumes' for Halloween Party at Playgroup...Here's kaemon being a Japanese Boy "Hajimemashite" and Nelson a Jersey Cow "Moooooooooo"
 
 

October

October is usually a month I have a mild aversion to, nothing much happens, beginning of winter, all what has not yet been achieved seem to loom ominously when you realise the year's nearly over. BUT! This year was totally different- it sped by with many things happened, very busy with work and lots of visits from many delightful friends, lots of happenings and food, yes food. Kaemon discovered mussels, we had sashimi (first time in what seems like years of being pregnant). And lots of promise of wunderbar happenings to come............STAY TUNED, NOVEMBER is going to ROCK!!!
 

The Return of the Whitesides

This time for a final fling before they head home...
 
 
 
 

Kaemon learns the meaning of FREE GIFT!

At First Friends in voorhout, a great international playgroup for toddlers it was Birthday Day- and the pinata came out and instead of violently bashing it to pieces, the kids all took a string and neatly pulled out its guts to shower pressies on all the little ones!
 
 
Kaemon scored 2 little cars. Happy Man.