Can't believe that January 2010 has come and gone!
Time flies...
Monday, February 1, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Monday, September 22, 2008
It's a girl!
My fantastic wife Rene gave birth to our baby daughter Sophia Ellen Nilsson on Monday 15th September @ 19:17.
Sophia's weight at birth was 2.665kg and 46cm and she is a real angel.
Sophia's weight at birth was 2.665kg and 46cm and she is a real angel.
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| Sophia Ellen Nilsson 15th September |
Thursday, June 12, 2008
On the bed
I have not posted anything for such a long time that I don't know were to start...
So I better start with a small thing:
Our little Labrador puppy, Alfie, is not that small any more being 7 months old and weighing 28kg. Last night he made it up on to our bed to our and his surprise! I don't think he was aware about what was happening because he looked as surprised as us. He has never been allowed on the bed and he has previously been to small to jump up! Anyway that is not going to be a habit; NO dogs on the bed!
And I have changed jobs within the company. Or at least changed project and office and it is all very very much better than it was before! ;-)
So I better start with a small thing:
Our little Labrador puppy, Alfie, is not that small any more being 7 months old and weighing 28kg. Last night he made it up on to our bed to our and his surprise! I don't think he was aware about what was happening because he looked as surprised as us. He has never been allowed on the bed and he has previously been to small to jump up! Anyway that is not going to be a habit; NO dogs on the bed!
And I have changed jobs within the company. Or at least changed project and office and it is all very very much better than it was before! ;-)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Up to date
A lot of things have been happening since I posted anything of value on this blog so I doubt that anyone is reading anything here!!! (Make a comment and prove me wrong and I will start writing more often. ;-)
Anyway, a quick summary of what we have been up to would be:
Free State, wedding, holiday, Christmas, summer, New Year, Labrador puppy, mom (mamma) and birthdays!
So, we went up to a BIG wedding in the Free State in December. The Free State is vast and flat and consists of mostly farmland with small towns dotted around the countryside, but it was nothing like I had imagined. It was green and lush and also a lot colder than I expected.
The reason for going was that Rene’s cousin Via got married to her (husband) Dani. The bride was beautiful, the groom handsome and it was a great party. And when I say it was big I mean BIG: +/- 260 guests.
There is also a tradition in the Free State that is reason enough not to get married (if you are the groom); the grooms speech. This is the usual thank you speech, but with all your friends at the front heckling you and making comments the whole time. I got away lightly at my wedding!
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| In the Free State |
We also met Rene’s father’s family again who were friendly and fantastic hosts!
Christmas, New Year and the summer holiday has come and gone. I think we had a very nice holiday even though we did miss family and friends in Sweden and in the UK. The best thing with celebrating in SA is that we get to celebrate twice; 24 December is celebrated in Sweden and 25 December is the main day in SA. We still only get one set of gifts...
Then on Yew Years Eve my mom (Lena) came to visit us for 3 weeks. It was great to have her here and to show her our new house and spend some time together. We didn’t tour the country but kept it local and went to Worcester and Onrus/Hermanus.
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| Mamma visiting SA |
We also got a dog during my moms stay: a Labrador puppy called “Alfie”. The name comes from Alfred or Alfredsson who is a great Swedish ice hockey player in Ottawa Senators. Our good friend Fraser was the one who first suggested the name and we liked it. (Fraser is a huge Ottawa Senators fan). Here are some photos from when we picked him up.
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| First day with Alfie |
Alfie is very cute and likes to bounce and bite and chew and dig. He is also (sometimes) a brave dog who likes to play with other much bigger dogs, like the Great Danes on the farm in Worcester. He also liked to play with Nala,Craig and Lil’s dog, who is a huge Ridge Back, and a very kind dog.
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| More of Alfie |
I/we would also like to say congratulations to James and Jill who have had a baby boy!
Last but not least a big “Happy Birthday” to every one who has recently had their birthday.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Happy new year!
Lots have happened since I wrote a post last time. So I have a few thing to write about, but some time you just have to do the experience and live your life, rather than just talk about it and plan it on the internet (here ;-) and elsewhere.
Anyway it is now 2008 and I wish you a happy and prosperous new year!
The "things" or stories I was going to write about? They are coming soon together with photos...
Anyway it is now 2008 and I wish you a happy and prosperous new year!
The "things" or stories I was going to write about? They are coming soon together with photos...
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Babelas! (A party or two to remember!)
Went to a great party two weekends ago. It was Rene's sister Jules 40th birthday.
Jules had arranged for all her close friends to come and celebrate with her at a B&B outside Hermanus. It was a good location and no one had to drive after the party; we all stayed at the B&B. The food was good, great people and too much to drink! (If there is such a thing ;-) Perfect! The main thing that changes with parties when you get older is that the music do NOT change and your hangovers get worse. This hangover lasted a day and a half! Perhaps one reason is that you never have the luxury to sleep in to the afternoon as you did as a student. Thank you Jules; we had a great time!
And last weekend it was another birthday party. It was Fraser's turn to turn 40. (Just kidding Fraser, it is still a few years to go ;-) Any way... Some times you (I, that is) never learn! Too many drinks again! Or perhaps it is just lack of sleep (again)!? However we had a great time, South Africa won the rugby and the braai was excellent. Thank you for everything Nicole and Fraser! Also want to say thank you to Chandre and Clinton for letting us stay with them. The breakfast alone was worth the trip!
The game of golf the next day was everything but excellent!
I am now looking forward to the Scandinavian Golf tournament which is played on Atlantic Beach on Friday. I will need to improve quickly and stop mixing pars with triple bogeys to have any chance!!!
I will also need to drink less on the following braai to avoid headache the next day. Have I learnt my lesson?
Jules had arranged for all her close friends to come and celebrate with her at a B&B outside Hermanus. It was a good location and no one had to drive after the party; we all stayed at the B&B. The food was good, great people and too much to drink! (If there is such a thing ;-) Perfect! The main thing that changes with parties when you get older is that the music do NOT change and your hangovers get worse. This hangover lasted a day and a half! Perhaps one reason is that you never have the luxury to sleep in to the afternoon as you did as a student. Thank you Jules; we had a great time!
And last weekend it was another birthday party. It was Fraser's turn to turn 40. (Just kidding Fraser, it is still a few years to go ;-) Any way... Some times you (I, that is) never learn! Too many drinks again! Or perhaps it is just lack of sleep (again)!? However we had a great time, South Africa won the rugby and the braai was excellent. Thank you for everything Nicole and Fraser! Also want to say thank you to Chandre and Clinton for letting us stay with them. The breakfast alone was worth the trip!
The game of golf the next day was everything but excellent!
I am now looking forward to the Scandinavian Golf tournament which is played on Atlantic Beach on Friday. I will need to improve quickly and stop mixing pars with triple bogeys to have any chance!!!
I will also need to drink less on the following braai to avoid headache the next day. Have I learnt my lesson?
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Blackout!
Last night everything electrical just went out!
The first thing I thought had happened was that the electricity had fused in the house.
But the whole street was out. And looking around we could see that the whole area was out.
It was Eskom that had decided that we collectedly needed to save some energy, so they switched the power off.
Could not find any information about this on their website (got a laptop with a working battery), but I got it confirmed today on the radio. Eskom had to do some maintenance and they just don't have any extra power to compensate for the loss while maintaining the equipment. This is understandable (?) but a bit of forward warning would not hurt!
We need to get some touches/flashlights to be prepared for the next time this is happening, because I am sure it will.
Thankfully we had some candles and lanterns so it was quite cosy at one point.
We got a new dishwasher: I am hoping that there will be electricity so I can try it out tonight. Yes, it got the "best" energy and water usage rating there is, so we will be as kind to the environment as we can.
The first thing I thought had happened was that the electricity had fused in the house.
But the whole street was out. And looking around we could see that the whole area was out.
It was Eskom that had decided that we collectedly needed to save some energy, so they switched the power off.
Could not find any information about this on their website (got a laptop with a working battery), but I got it confirmed today on the radio. Eskom had to do some maintenance and they just don't have any extra power to compensate for the loss while maintaining the equipment. This is understandable (?) but a bit of forward warning would not hurt!
We need to get some touches/flashlights to be prepared for the next time this is happening, because I am sure it will.
Thankfully we had some candles and lanterns so it was quite cosy at one point.
We got a new dishwasher: I am hoping that there will be electricity so I can try it out tonight. Yes, it got the "best" energy and water usage rating there is, so we will be as kind to the environment as we can.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
On top of the world!
The Springboks are world champions after beating England in the final in Paris on Saturday.
The result was 15-6 and South Africa was the better team.
Everybody have gone a bit crazy here and we are enjoying the victory.
We also cut down a large poplar tree in our garden.
The tree had already ruined the water and sewage pipes once and caused blockages a number of times for the previous owner and once for us. It had to go! Joggie and a couple of workers from his farm came and helped us take the tree down. So, we had a "chainsaw rally" in our garden around 7.30 in the morning and probably waking up the whole neighborhood (except a few teenagers). Thankfully we (i.e. Rene ;-) went around to our neighbors and warned them the day before.
We now had a truckload with branches and rubble and other garden waste to get rid of. So we filled the farm truck that Joggie brought with him and went to the recycling station. But no luck: we were not allowed in to unload our stuff since we had a truck and that is a too big vehicle. After many phone calls, to managers etc, we were instead directed to another recycling station which would be able to help us. But no luck. Again. Still the same problem: the truck is too big and heavy and is not allowed in to recycling station. While we are arguing with the official working there when a truck, at least twice the size of ours, is entering the recycling station! Of cause this was the truck collecting the rubbish, not dumping it, but the size argument that we accepted as an excuse disappeared...
Last resort was to take the all the branches, leafs etc to the land fill site just outside Cape Town (i.e. the city dump). Luckily this was not too far away. All well and good, we arrive at the land fill site with lots of other trucks and lorries going in and out. Perfect! Now, all we have to do is to pay.
"OK, no problem; where do we pay?"
"Oh, you need a ticket."
"OK, let's buy one then!"
"But we don't sell tickets here and the ticket office is closed on Saturdays!"
"What!!! Can't I pay you?"
"We don't deal with money here! You can come back on Monday"
:-(
I finally got to speak to the manager whom I pleaded with and he did finally let us dump our rubbish!
We would like to thank the guys from the farm and Joggie and Barbara for all the help with our garden. It now looks much better and tidier!
Alex and Tom (my cousin) flew back to Sweden on Sunday after 4 weeks. We hope they enjoyed their stay!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Mamma!
It was my mom's birthday on Saturday.
I didn't forget, I have just been slow on updating the blog :-)
It was my mom's birthday on Saturday.
I didn't forget, I have just been slow on updating the blog :-)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Insurance policy
I discovered 2 errors on our insurance policy for one of our cars.
It stated that we didn't have an alarm and immobiliser fitted, but we do have both. It also said that the car is parked behind a locked gate at night, which it is not. One of these is "positive" and one is "negative" for the premium we pay, or so I thought.
It turns out that it is only the "negative" error, that the car is not behind a gate, that affects the premium and makes it more expensive! :-(
First I was surprised, but after thinking about it for abut 1.2 seconds I realised that it always works this way with all insurance companies and banks!
It stated that we didn't have an alarm and immobiliser fitted, but we do have both. It also said that the car is parked behind a locked gate at night, which it is not. One of these is "positive" and one is "negative" for the premium we pay, or so I thought.
It turns out that it is only the "negative" error, that the car is not behind a gate, that affects the premium and makes it more expensive! :-(
First I was surprised, but after thinking about it for abut 1.2 seconds I realised that it always works this way with all insurance companies and banks!
Friday, October 12, 2007
The BIG weekend!
It is now Tom and Alex last week in SA and they finish their work experience today Friday.
It is only the holiday part of their visit left.
So we are going on a road trip this weekend. About 1100km is going to be covered along the coast and the garden route. Tom and Alex are going to Bungee jump from the Bloukrans Bridge and we are going with them. Well we are driving with them, not jumping! The Bloukrans Bridge has the highest Bungee jump in the world.
We are also going to stop by at the Cango Caves outside Outshoorn on the way, should be fun.
It is also semi-final weekend in the Rugby World Cup and South Africa's Springboks are favourites. Not only to win the semi-final against Argentina but to win the whole World Cup. BUT they have to play the semi-final first. Let's hope they don't forget that.
Another good thing with the weekend trip is that we will have the opportunity to meet up with our friends in Knysna again; Pete and Jan and hopefully Bridget and Dewald too. I might be also able to play around of golf.
It is only the holiday part of their visit left.
So we are going on a road trip this weekend. About 1100km is going to be covered along the coast and the garden route. Tom and Alex are going to Bungee jump from the Bloukrans Bridge and we are going with them. Well we are driving with them, not jumping! The Bloukrans Bridge has the highest Bungee jump in the world.
We are also going to stop by at the Cango Caves outside Outshoorn on the way, should be fun.
It is also semi-final weekend in the Rugby World Cup and South Africa's Springboks are favourites. Not only to win the semi-final against Argentina but to win the whole World Cup. BUT they have to play the semi-final first. Let's hope they don't forget that.
Another good thing with the weekend trip is that we will have the opportunity to meet up with our friends in Knysna again; Pete and Jan and hopefully Bridget and Dewald too. I might be also able to play around of golf.
Friday, October 5, 2007
1 year! So far so good...
It is now 1 year since we moved to SA and arrived in Cape Town!
This year has passed extremely quickly and we have achieved so much...
We want to say "Thank you" to all our friends and family for your support!
This year has passed extremely quickly and we have achieved so much...
We want to say "Thank you" to all our friends and family for your support!
Last but not least: A belated happy birthday wish to Pete and to Charl!
Friday, September 28, 2007
The weekend they arrived
Last weekend was great!
Nothing beats old friends company, good food and a glass of wine or two. I and a couple of others (no names mentioned ;-) probably also had too many glasses of wine, if there is such a thing. Things never got out of hand, and I felt fine on Saturday morning, until I moved!
Ouch!
But things slowly improved even if it was a very "quiet" group that did the wine tasting tour in and around Slanghoek outside Worcester.
Nothing beats old friends company, good food and a glass of wine or two. I and a couple of others (no names mentioned ;-) probably also had too many glasses of wine, if there is such a thing. Things never got out of hand, and I felt fine on Saturday morning, until I moved!
Ouch!
But things slowly improved even if it was a very "quiet" group that did the wine tasting tour in and around Slanghoek outside Worcester.
[photo]
The golf, on Worcester GC, on Sunday was won by the Knysna boys (Dewald and Pete) who had practiced a lot before this event.
I think we should also keep the golf as well as the general get together as yearly tradition! I am already looking forward to next year, but without the headache.
My cousin Tom and his school-friend Alexander, arrived on Sunday. We picked them up on Monday after they had stayed a night at the Big Blue Backpackers in Cape Town. (Monday was a Public Holiday in SA)
Tom and Alex started their work practice at Scentpac (http://www.scentpac.co.za) on Tuesday. It will be interesting for them to work in a South African factory. The staff is almost 100%
female with only 2 guys working there. It is now 50% more men at the factory. I think Tom and Alex have already received a few proposals of marriage from women who wants to escape to Sweden! :-)
This weekend we are going to visit Table Mountain if the weather is
nice and also go to Onrus (http://www.fallingrain.com/world/SF/1/Onrus.html (it is outside Hermanus)) and I hope we will be able to spot some whales. It is whale season at the moment here in SA so the chance is big. http://cybercapetown.com/WhaleWatching/
Tom and Alex want to go shark diving but I don't know if there will be time for that this weekend... I will stay on land and have no desire to get up close with the sharks.
We will also try to squeeze in another braai or two!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The BIG weekend starts here!
Holiday!
It is a public holiday in South Africa on Monday and I have taken Friday off!
We are going to the Worcester and are meeting up with the "South African London crowd": Sean and Lauren, Peter and Janet and Briget and Dewald plus all the children! (The children has arrived after the return to SA from London.) We will also miss all the guys who are still in the UK and who cant make it. FYI: We will concentrate our schedule on golf, braai, wine tasting/drinking and just being lazy together with our friends! Fantastic!
My cousin, Tom, is also arriving to Cape Town this weekend. He and his school friend Alexander is coming down to do their 3 week international work practice here. It will be an adventure for them but also for Rene and I since they are staying with us in our new house. Hope they will like it!
We also hope that the water will be back on soon! There was/is a water leak on our street so they have turned off the water for the whole block. You kind of start noticing the importance of water when you don't have any. Hope they will fix it today.
It is a public holiday in South Africa on Monday and I have taken Friday off!
We are going to the Worcester and are meeting up with the "South African London crowd": Sean and Lauren, Peter and Janet and Briget and Dewald plus all the children! (The children has arrived after the return to SA from London.) We will also miss all the guys who are still in the UK and who cant make it. FYI: We will concentrate our schedule on golf, braai, wine tasting/drinking and just being lazy together with our friends! Fantastic!
My cousin, Tom, is also arriving to Cape Town this weekend. He and his school friend Alexander is coming down to do their 3 week international work practice here. It will be an adventure for them but also for Rene and I since they are staying with us in our new house. Hope they will like it!
We also hope that the water will be back on soon! There was/is a water leak on our street so they have turned off the water for the whole block. You kind of start noticing the importance of water when you don't have any. Hope they will fix it today.
The big 30!
Went to Martin's 30th party last weekend! (Happy birthday Martin!!!)
We had a great time and my hangover was non existent the next day! Brilliant!
Poor Rene had to be up early, early (like 5ish in the morning) the next day to help at the Cape Town marathon. NO running involved!
We had a great time and my hangover was non existent the next day! Brilliant!
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| Martin's Birthday Party |
Poor Rene had to be up early, early (like 5ish in the morning) the next day to help at the Cape Town marathon. NO running involved!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Very moving!
It is done!
We have now moved in to our new house. The move went well with help from some farm-workers from Joggies farm that we hired for a couple of hours. Having access to a big truck (also from the farm) also helped. We started early and by 10.30 everything was in our new house! There are still things to do and unpack and it is more obvious now in the house, than in the flat, that we almost don't have any furniture. We do need to get some sofas and also a TV. Perhaps a TV like this one? With no IKEA around the corner we have to wait about 6 weeks for a sofa.
We have also done some DIY (do-it-yourself) and mostly painting. I started by pouring paint all over my self, before I even had painted anything! [photo]
However, things are looking better now and the nice thing with painting is that it is very rewarding. It is only two bead rooms that needs to be done now, the rest can wait. Having a house also makes it allowed to by power tools! ;-)
I also want to say "Happy Birthday" to my lovely wife Rene!
We went out for dinner on Saturday (her birthday) and I managed to surprise her by inviting Rene's family too. Instead of just being the two of us we were 8. We went to the restaurant SALT in Cape Town. Nice venue with good food. The only "blip" on the menu was probably the pickled herring starter. It was far to strong (acidic) and overpowering. Everything else was good or very good. I can recommend a visit.
We are now looking forward to a 30th party on Saturday! More about that later...
We have now moved in to our new house. The move went well with help from some farm-workers from Joggies farm that we hired for a couple of hours. Having access to a big truck (also from the farm) also helped. We started early and by 10.30 everything was in our new house! There are still things to do and unpack and it is more obvious now in the house, than in the flat, that we almost don't have any furniture. We do need to get some sofas and also a TV. Perhaps a TV like this one? With no IKEA around the corner we have to wait about 6 weeks for a sofa.
We have also done some DIY (do-it-yourself) and mostly painting. I started by pouring paint all over my self, before I even had painted anything! [photo]
However, things are looking better now and the nice thing with painting is that it is very rewarding. It is only two bead rooms that needs to be done now, the rest can wait. Having a house also makes it allowed to by power tools! ;-)
I also want to say "Happy Birthday" to my lovely wife Rene!
We went out for dinner on Saturday (her birthday) and I managed to surprise her by inviting Rene's family too. Instead of just being the two of us we were 8. We went to the restaurant SALT in Cape Town. Nice venue with good food. The only "blip" on the menu was probably the pickled herring starter. It was far to strong (acidic) and overpowering. Everything else was good or very good. I can recommend a visit.
We are now looking forward to a 30th party on Saturday! More about that later...
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Relaxing Zanzibar
Relaxing, reading and just being lazy was what we were doing in Zanzibar. We had a great time with warm sunshine, white sandy beaches, blue skies and turquoise water. I can't believe that we have soon been back for 2 weeks!
I took lots of photos and you can check a few of them out here:
We also went swimming with Dolphins and it was a great experience. We went out with a boat early one morning so we managed to beat the crowds. We snorkeled and came with in touching distance from them. You just swim around and they come and check you out!
We are otherwise busy with our move* and have started to pack our things in to boxes (again). We will hopefully not have to do that again for a while after this move. We have also started to get back in to our running again...
My cousin Tom and one of his friends is coming down to Cape Town for a month in September-October to gain some international work experience. It is part of their training program at secondary school/collage/high school. I hope they will enjoy it and that we are able to take care of them ;-) I guess we will be speaking more Swedish at home that usual.
*We have also been busy watching too many episodes of 24! "Jack", we want our lives back! ;-)
I took lots of photos and you can check a few of them out here:
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| Zanzibar |
We also went swimming with Dolphins and it was a great experience. We went out with a boat early one morning so we managed to beat the crowds. We snorkeled and came with in touching distance from them. You just swim around and they come and check you out!
We are otherwise busy with our move* and have started to pack our things in to boxes (again). We will hopefully not have to do that again for a while after this move. We have also started to get back in to our running again...
My cousin Tom and one of his friends is coming down to Cape Town for a month in September-October to gain some international work experience. It is part of their training program at secondary school/collage/high school. I hope they will enjoy it and that we are able to take care of them ;-) I guess we will be speaking more Swedish at home that usual.
*We have also been busy watching too many episodes of 24! "Jack", we want our lives back! ;-)
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Sneak peak!
We went to take some photos of our new house last weekend... It still gives us a great feel and we can't wait to move in now. Check out the photos below. The TV and furniture is not ours; do I have to point that out?! :-)
It has been a hectic but good week: Had my yellow fever vaccination done on Monday so that I will be let back in to the country after our holiday to Zanzibar.
I played squash for the first time in 2-3 years (sore? oh, yes!) and we had our new neighbours over for dinner on Tuesday. Very nice and too much wine.
Wednesday night is now wine tasting night - it use to be hill running night - guess which is more fun? ;-)
Thursday we went running with Pinelands AC as usual.
Friday we relaxed with a movie, A Very Long Engagement.
Up 5:30 Saturday morning to do a 15km run in Ravensmead. Last night our friends Martin and Kelly had a great engagement party! I have a hangover but it is better now! Great party! I had some sushi and and vodka, so it is not only at Swedish parties you mix raw fish and vodka, but there was no singing when drinking! ;-)
We have also started to watch season 4 of 24 on DVD. This is not good since it is very addictive and you can't just watch one episode at the time and nothing else gets done!
Rene have also been working this weekend, with typing reports, to clear her desk before our holiday.
One more week, then Zanzibar!
Oh, I almost forgot: Congratulations to Monette and Tom who got engaged this weekend!
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| New house - Madison |
It has been a hectic but good week: Had my yellow fever vaccination done on Monday so that I will be let back in to the country after our holiday to Zanzibar.
I played squash for the first time in 2-3 years (sore? oh, yes!) and we had our new neighbours over for dinner on Tuesday. Very nice and too much wine.
Wednesday night is now wine tasting night - it use to be hill running night - guess which is more fun? ;-)
Thursday we went running with Pinelands AC as usual.
Friday we relaxed with a movie, A Very Long Engagement.
Up 5:30 Saturday morning to do a 15km run in Ravensmead. Last night our friends Martin and Kelly had a great engagement party! I have a hangover but it is better now! Great party! I had some sushi and and vodka, so it is not only at Swedish parties you mix raw fish and vodka, but there was no singing when drinking! ;-)
We have also started to watch season 4 of 24 on DVD. This is not good since it is very addictive and you can't just watch one episode at the time and nothing else gets done!
Rene have also been working this weekend, with typing reports, to clear her desk before our holiday.
One more week, then Zanzibar!
Oh, I almost forgot: Congratulations to Monette and Tom who got engaged this weekend!
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